Diversity in Sports, the six-month mentoring programme run by UK sports marketing agency Two Circles, has doubled its cohort size for 2022, with 30 up-and-coming sports marketeers selected from a variety of different skillsets and backgrounds.
Launched by LiveWire Sport in December 2019 as the Diversity in Digital Mentoring Programme, the initiative, which aims to accelerate the growth of under-represented talent across the industry, has been expanded following Two Circle’s acquisition of the content agency in February.
As part of the programme, each participant will be partnered with two mentors from Two Circles, providing individually tailored support, training and advice to help expand their knowledge of the sports marketing industry. The group will also meet regularly for workshops, guest speakers and group discussions, developing a peer-to-peer network they can build on throughout their careers.
Pranav Soneji, Director, Content at Two Circles, commented, “A key part of our decision to join Two Circles was the company’s commitment to the mentoring programme; growing and expanding it into an industry-leading programme for all under-represented talent to establish themselves within the sports industry.”
The Ignite Partnership, an initiative created in July 2021 as a joint venture between Sir Lewis Hamilton and the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team to increase diversity and inclusion within motorsport, has announced its inaugural charitable grants.
Motorsport UK and the Royal Academy of Engineering will be the inaugural recipients and will receive over £500,000 to support programmes focused respectively on increasing female participation in grass roots motorsport, and on Masters-level motorsport engineering scholarships for Black students.
Sir Lewis Hamilton commented, “I’m very proud to see Ignite announcing our first two grants today. There has been a lot of work behind the scenes since launching and I’m delighted that Mercedes and I can continue to demonstrate our commitment towards creating a more diverse industry in this way.
“We chose these grants because they focus on supporting individuals from two crucial and underrepresented demographics, moving us towards our goal of increasing the number of women and Black talent in the sport. The events of this week have shown us why there continues to be an urgent need to push for better representation in our industry. More than ever we must focus on how we can use action to change motorsport for the better and this is an exciting next step.”
Premiership Rugby club Newcastle Falcons and rugby league side Newcastle Thunder have announced a partnership with Hytro, the Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) wearable technology designed to improve sports performance, ahead of the 2022/23 season.
As part of the deal, Hytro is set to provide their unique BFR wearables to the men’s first teams in an effort to assist players in pushing the boundaries of their own performance.
Dr Warren Bradley, Founder and Head of Elite Performance at Hytro commented, “Newcastle is a proud city of rich rugby history – known for producing exceptional athletes. At Hytro, we believe that BFR is the most effective coaching tool in S&C for maximising athletic potential. Having worked with Falcons and Thunder to understand the impact opportunities of Hytro, we look forward to supporting the players with their recovery and performance using our wearable BFR tech.”
The Global Esports Federation has confirmed a partnership with the UK’s Confetti Institute of Creative Technologies, the learning institute that offers specialist vocational education and training. Confetti, which is part of Nottingham Trent University, shares GEF’s vision of creating career pathways in the esports industry.
The initiative will aim to increase the visibility and funding in esports. The two organisations’ debut collaboration will be for the first-ever Commonwealth Esports Championships (CEC2022) which take place this summer in Birmingham. Competing teams will train and take part in qualifying tournaments in Nottingham at Confetti before the CEC Finals at the International Convention Centre (ICC) in Birmingham in August.
EFL League One football club Lincoln City has built on a long-term, partnership with construction services business Rilmac Group by naming it a platinum partner. The new partnership status will include the naming rights to the South Park Stand, which will now be known as the Rilmac Stand.
Adam Chantrey, Head of Commercial at the Imps, said, “We are very happy to have developed our relationship with Rilmac who have become a platinum partner, and their support is very much appreciated by everyone at Lincoln City.
“The Rilmac Stand has undergone signage redevelopment and is now updated with visual Rilmac branding ahead of the start of pre-season We are very proud with the outcome, and we are excited for fans to be back in the ground to see the new branding across the stand.”
EFL League One club Ipswich Town has confirmed that bespoke home improvements company SEH BAC is the new sponsor of the dugouts at the clubs 30,00-capcity stadium Portman Road having agreed a two-year contract. The SEH BAC logo will feature on the new-look dugouts for the 2022/23 season. The company has sponsored the club for over 20 years.
“We’re delighted to have agreed a deal with SEH BAC,” said Rosie Richardson, Town’s Director of Sales. “SEH BAC is another local company that we look forward to working with. We can’t wait to see their logo on the new-look dugouts when they are ready.”
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