The Adobe Women’s FA Cup will be focused on increasing fan engagement and raising the profile of the competition from the qualifying rounds in September, through to the final in May held at Wembley Stadium connected by EE. Using Adobe Express, an AI-first, all-in-one content creation app, making it fast, fun and easy to design and share standout content, clubs across the women’s game will be able to market and promote themselves, create social media and brand content to engage their community, raise their profile and reach the next generation of fans and players.

The partnership with Adobe will boost engagement across the Women’s FA Cup by introducing new social media channels and giving all 460 clubs that participate in the competition access to, and training on Adobe Express. This will enable clubs to identify a breadth of new content opportunities and build a closer connection with their fans. The Adobe Women’s FA Cup is the only competition where the biggest clubs in women’s football are paired with amateur teams from across the leagues.

The Women’s FA Cup final sold out for the first-time last season with a record crowd of 77,390. The Adobe partnership will continue to support the promotion of the final as the landmark event in the women’s football calendar, whilst also enabling more emphasis and resource to be placed on growing the profile of the earlier rounds of the competition.

“The Women’s FA Cup has grown to new heights over the last few years in parallel with the wider growth of the women’s game, and we’re delighted to have Adobe on board as we target the next phase of development for the competition. We share their passion for holistically celebrating the unique characteristics that makes the Women’s FA Cup the most special and prestigious domestic cup competition in the world. With Adobe’s creative tools, used by some of the world’s biggest brands, we have a key opportunity to reach and engage new audiences for the women’s game,” said Baroness Sue Campbell, The FA’s Director of Women’s Football.

The FA will also receive access to Adobe Digital Media tools including Adobe Creative Cloud including Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Express, Adobe Firefly and Adobe Acrobat, transforming how the football’s governing body uses creativity to excite, engage and reach a growing fan base in the stadium and at home.

“The Adobe Women’s FA Cup is about inspiring stories of clubs and players that dare to dream. Cup runs, big away draws for underdogs, and the human stories behind them are truly the magic of the competition,” said Simon Morris, Vice President, International Marketing, Adobe.

“Through our partnership, and by providing access and training on our industry leading creative tools, we want to put those magic moments into the spotlight, helping the clubs, players and fans tell their stories in ever more creative ways, as well as motivate the next generation of players and supporters of the women’s game.”

The 2023/24 season of the Adobe Women’s FA Cup is at the Second Round Proper stage. Tickets for the final, which will take place in May 2024, are now on sale at thefa.com/tickets

With thanks to the FA

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and Metro Bank today signal a landmark moment for cricket with the start of a long-term partnership designed to help deliver transformational growth to women’s and girls’ cricket communities across England and Wales.

At a time of surging demand for women’s sport – with the forthcoming Women’s Ashes smashing ticket sales records, in line with the success of football’s Lionesses and rugby’s Red Roses – the pioneering partnership will see Metro Bank’s logo on the sleeves of England’s Women’s shirts, beginning with this month’s much-anticipated Metro Bank Women’s Ashes series against Australia.

Through the partnership, Metro Bank will have a presence across the international, domestic and recreational game. As the first ever champion partner of women’s and girls’ cricket, Metro Bank will also turbocharge the already rapid growth of women’s and girls’ clubs across the country, accelerating change in the game for the benefit of generations to come.

The Fund will support programmes designed to make cricket more inclusive, bring more women and girls into the game and retain those who are already in it. The Fund is made up of equal contributions from the ECB and Metro Bank who will co-develop programmes which will power the future of women’s and girls’ cricket, accelerating its progress towards becoming a more gender-balanced sport.

Danielle Lee, Director of Brand and Marketing at Metro Bank, said: “This is a real partnership with purpose built on Metro Bank’s commitments to local communities and diversity and inclusion. Sport acts as a catalyst, helping to increase confidence and social skills, and together with the ECB we will use the Fund to empower more women and girls to reach their full potential in cricket and beyond. We will do this by changing perceptions and providing women and girls with the means to overcome the obstacles to maximise their participation in this great sport. This partnership will help to deliver a lasting legacy for women’s and girls’ cricket.”

Clare Connor, ECB Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director England Women, said: “Metro Bank share our passion, determination and energy to break down barriers and build on the huge progress we’ve made in women’s and girls’ cricket in recent years. We’re thrilled to welcome them on aboard as our first ever champion partner of women’s and girls’ cricket ahead of the highly anticipated Metro Bank Women’s Ashes Series, and are excited by the potential of what this partnership can achieve. Whilst we have seen a period of huge growth and increased profile across the women’s game, we know there is still much more to do to make our sport truly gender balanced. By working together with partners such as Metro Bank who share our ambition for the sport, I am confident we will make our sport more inclusive and inspire many more girls from all backgrounds to pick up a bat and ball.”

With thanks to the ECB

Ahead of the 2022/23 season, Durham Women announced that they were transitioning to a full-time training model. Having a solid relationship with Durham University means all training takes place at the university’s world-class sports park. Previously, they operated using a hybrid training model, but now the club have taken the next step in their progression as they continue striving for success in this campaign.

As part of a winning performance, Durham Women players must master their competitive edge by bolstering their hydration levels. iPRO Sport Edition is an Informed Sport certified hydration drink trusted by sporting organisations worldwide. The healthy isotonic range is supercharged with electrolytes such as potassium and sodium, replenishing the salts lost to sweat during vigorous matches and assisting in post-game muscle recovery.

iPRO is reinforcing it’s commitment to long-term sustainability by using 100% recyclable product packaging. iPRO has made it a priority to ensure each product has the chance to be recycled back into plastic bottles in a closed-loop recycling system, therefore less new plastic is created, and less used plastic is wasted. Under the partnership, the healthy hydration brand will support the club in various ways, including running a recycling initiative alongside Plastic Furniture Company, another partner of Durham Women, where eye-catching iPRO branded bins have been installed to promote regular sustainability habits for fans on the ground.

Charlotte Taylor, iPRO Partnerships and Operations Manager, said: “We’re delighted to continue supporting Durham Women for another three years. It’s an exciting time to work with the club as they enter a full-time training model. iPRO is a huge advocate for supporting women in sport, and our premium hydration drinks will undoubtedly help the players stay ahead of the game. We wish them the best of luck for this season and beyond!”

Operations & Marketing Manager at Durham Women, Mark Donnelly, also commented: “We’re delighted to be continuing our relationship with iPRO and we look forward to seeing it develop over the next three years. iPRO have proven their commitment to supporting women in sport and their key brand value of sustainability aligns with our core beliefs as a football club. Our players have seen the benefits of using iPRO over recent seasons and we’re exceptionally grateful for their backing moving forward.”

Durham continue the 22-23 season with their next fixture at home to Crystal Palace on Sunday 29th January – get your tickets now!

Fans can experience the refreshing taste of iPRO Sport Edition by visiting iPRO.Direct.

The North East firm became the club’s first-ever sleeve sponsor ahead of the last campaign, and will once again see their branding feature proudly on Durham’s home shirts during the 2022/23 Barclays Women’s Championship season.

Based in Gateshead, the Plastic Furniture Company have become industry leaders in supplying sustainable and long-lasting outdoor furniture for a variety of industries.

All their products are produced right here in the North East and shipped across the country to a number of high-profile customers.

With a focus on sustainability, the company are major users of waste plastic and ensure that the plastic recycled by the general public is put to good use in creating a range of products – from benches to bins and planters to storage units.

Their products carry a ten-year guarantee and last far longer than traditional timber furniture, while they also produce a range of 100% recycled products which they supply to schools, sports clubs and a host of businesses.

Indeed, supporters of Durham Women will have utilised some of the Plastic Furniture Company’s products last season after the firm kindly supplied the club with a number of recycled bins to use at Maiden Castle.

And the two organisations will seek to continue promoting sustainability and the benefits of recycling as the partnership continues to develop ahead of the new season.

Plastic Furniture Company owner Patrick Connolly said: “Plastic Furniture Company, based in Gateshead, are delighted to continue their partnership with Durham Women.

“The team performed well in 2021/22 and aim to build on this in the forthcoming 2022/23 season, and we are pleased to be able to be part of their growth and wish them every success this season.”

Lee Sanders of Durham Women added: “We’re delighted to renew and continue our partnership with Plastic Furniture Company.

“Patrick and the team have been extremely supportive in year one and we’re pleased that they want to continue supporting us, as the two businesses align with similar values.”

You can find out more about the Plastic Furniture Company at www.plasticfurniturecompany.co.uk

The link-up between two of the city’s most recognised brands, both within the local community and nationally, will see Bath Building Society support sport and fitness at all levels within Team Bath – student, recreational and high-performance.

It will also provide additional backing to the Team Bath Netball Superleague team, the University of Bath student netball club, Team Bath’s BUCS Super Rugby men’s squad and Team Bath Tennis, with the Bath Building Society logo being adorned on their kit.

Stephen Baddeley, Director of Sport at the University of Bath, said: “We are delighted to welcome Bath Building Society into the Team Bath family. It is an exciting partnership between two high-profile Bath brands with proud and thriving links with the local community.

“Thank you to Bath Building Society for supporting sport at all levels, from toddlers playing tennis for the first time to our student clubs and high-performance teams.”

Colin McDougall, Chief Commercial Officer of Bath Building Society, added: “We’re delighted to be able to put our support behind our local athletes. Being able to help make a difference in the community is incredibly rewarding for our team and we love the connections it creates, inspiring the next generation of young athletes through the strong community programme benefiting from the enthusiasm, talent and training at the Team Bath Sports Training Village.”

As part of the partnership, Bath Building Society are creating an ‘Improving Your Financial Fitness’ campaign which will highlight some of the accounts and preferential rates on offer to the thousands of students, young families and local people who visit the £35million Sports Training Village every week.

Mr McDougall said: “We are all about improving financial health and wellbeing, and Team Bath is all about fitness so it felt like there was a good synergy between the two.

“We focus on encouraging good habits and best practices, in the same way that sports do. We try to get young people to have better financial resilience but also prepare themselves for hopefully buying houses. If you can form that regular saving habit when you are young, that carries into adulthood and hopefully will make our customers better prepared.

“We pride ourselves on having some of the best products on the market and many of them are only available to people who live, study or work in Bath, so that is our way of giving something back to the local community.”

Lead photo shows: (front, from left) Tiffany Hardie-Albutt and Colin McDougall (both Bath Building Society) with Stephen Baddeley, University of Bath Director of Sport; (back, from left) Jasmine Nightingale and Jemma Nightingale (University of Bath student netball); George Cave (Team Bath BUCS Super Rugby co-captain); Betsy Creak (Team Bath Netball Superleague); Holly Hutchinson and Freya Davies (Team Bath Tennis); Ed Ashcroft (Team Bath BUCS Super Rugby co-captain); Barry Scollo (Director of Tennis); and Aaron James (Head of Rugby).

The North East firm will become the club’s official sleeve sponsor for the 2021/22 FA Women’s Championship season – with their logos proudly displayed on our first-team home shirts throughout the campaign.

Based in Gateshead, the Plastic Furniture Company have become industry leaders in supplying sustainable and long-lasting outdoor furniture for a variety of industries.

All their products are produced right here in the North East and shipped across the country to a number of high-profile customers.

With a focus on sustainability, the company are major users of waste plastic and ensure that the plastic recycled by the general public is put to good use in creating a range of products – from benches to bins and planters to storage units.

Their products carry a ten-year guarantee and last far longer than traditional timber furniture, while they also produce a range of 100% recycled products which they supply to schools, sports clubs and a host of businesses.

And now the firm will be working alongside Durham Women in the 2021/22 season – to help encourage the public to keep recycling, so that further steps in reusing waste plastic can be taken by the industry.

Commenting on the new partnership, Plastic Furniture Company owner Patrick Connolly said: “I’m delighted to be able to help the club – and hopefully this is just the start of a bigger relationship.

“My daughter’s played football going back ten years, and it’s wonderful to see Durham doing so well as an independent club.

“They had such a good season last year and hopefully they can have an even better one this season.”

Durham Women manager Lee Sanders added: “As a club, it’s really humbling to have companies come to us and show a real interest in what we’re doing and how the club has grown over the years – and who really show a keen interest in wanting to get involved with us.

“Patrick, his family and his businesses have done that and we’re really looking forward to how we can work with the Plastic Furniture Company this season, and how we can hopefully build on that moving forward.

“They have shown a real keen interest in female sport and particularly football and as the profile and interest in the game grows, companies like the Plastic Furniture Company will play a huge part in that growth.”

You can find out more about the Plastic Furniture Company at www.plasticfurniturecompany.co.uk

cinch surprised the team at the National Cricket Performance Centre in Loughborough where they got to pick up their keys and collect their shiny new rides.

Commenting on the company’s gesture, Robert Bridge, Chief Customer Officer, cinch, said: “We wanted to show our support to the England Women’s cricket team by literally driving them forward. They’ve a lot of important fixtures over the coming months up and down the country and now getting there will be faff-free with their own cinch cars. We are all huge supporters of the women and wish them every success for the coming season.”

Heather Knight, England Women’s captain, said: “We’re really happy with our cars and there was a fair bit of excitement at Loughborough at the handover of the keys. It’s great to have cinch’s support and we really appreciate having them on board. We’ve got a busy few years ahead of us and we’ll be clocking up a lot of miles in that time so it’s nice to be able to do it with cinch’s support.”

As the new Principal Partner of England Cricket, cinch will be proudly displayed on the kit of the England team across Test, ODI and T20 appearances. cinch’s partnership includes and supports all England cricket teams including Women’s, Men’s, England Lions, Disability and England Age Groups.

Courtesy of cinch via Pitch

With a double-header Vitality National Superleague weekend in store at London’s Copperbox, Team Bath have received a timely boost from 2XU, a global leader in compression products for professional and everyday athletes.

2XU have signed as the Official Compression Partner of Team Bath Netball in a deal which stretches through to July 2023.

Team Bath’s netballers will benefit from a supply of compression and recovery garments during each year of the partnership and Team Bath customers will benefit from various exclusive promotions from 2XU.

The news could not have come at a better time with such a gruelling schedule, including travel, this season.

“Player welfare is paramount for us and 2XU’s offer was immediately attractive”, said Stephen Baddeley, Director of Sport at the University of Bath. “It is important that athletes recover well in order to be able to train and compete at the level they expect of themselves week-in, week-out. We are delighted to pair up with such a world-recognised brand in this field”.

Anna Stembridge, Head Coach of the Team Bath Superleague side, said: “We welcome 2XU into our Team Bath netball family. It is exciting to have them on board and timely, in what has been one of the toughest VSNL seasons to date. Recovery has been a real focus for us, so it is fantastic to have such a quality brand, like 2XU, on board to support our Superleague Team. We know that this second half of the season is going to be even tougher than the first, so 2XU’s quality garments are going to pay dividends in our players’ recovery as we continue to push on for a top 4 finish”.

Damian Cooper from 2XU, said “We’re delighted to partner with Team Bath Netball to exclusively provide the club with 2XU’s best-in-class compression and recovery garments. As they lead the rankings for most title wins in the Netball Superleague, Team Bath has a history of success and knows exactly what it takes to be number one, so as the world’s most advanced technical apparel company, we’re incredibly excited to support the future ambitions of such an elite club and help take their players’ preparation, performance and recovery to new heights”.

Rachel Shaw, a qualified personal trainer and centre-court player with Team Bath, who battled an injury to be fit for the season’s opening matches, knows the value of compression wear in recovery. She said: “I am super-delighted to have an official compression wear provider. The science behind this type of kit to support return to training after injury, and to recover from hard matches and be ready to play the next day, is proven. So, it’s a big thumbs-up from me to 2XU”.

2XU see netball as a key sport and also recently signed a partnership with Melbourne Vixens in the Suncorp League.

Team Bath Netball is the Superleague franchise for the South West of England and has Academy Training Centres in every district – Bristol, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire. The club is supported by its Principal Partner, chartered accountants Haines Watts, who are also a pathway partner, and by Rengen Developments and Centurion Chartered Financial Planners. O’Neills are Team Bath’s official kit supplier and 2XU are the club’s official compression wear supplier.

Courtesy of the Team Bath Press Office at Matchtight

As part of the agreement iPRO have become an official corporate supporter and supplier of the club and have been named as the club’s Official Hydration and Sports Drink Partner.

iPRO will also have their logo featured on the front of the under-21s’ shirt as the side’s Official Shirt Sponsor.

During this season iPRO will be supporting and supplying the Men’s and Women’s first teams with their Informed Sport approved healthy hydration range of products, with the club’s Academy and the Youth teams also able to take advantage of the endless benefits of these refreshing drinks.

The iPRO Hydrate range is naturally sweetened using Stevia, a plant extract that is significantly sweeter than sugar, without the calorific content. The healthy iPRO drinks will give the players the edge over their opponents as they look to maintain high levels of intensity in training and on match days.

Sophie Christy, iPRO’s Global Commercial Director, spoke about the partnership: “We are excited to welcome AFC Bournemouth to our family of partners in this multi-year deal.

“Having excellent player hydration is vitally important in the modern game, so we are delighted that the Cherries have chosen iPRO Hydrate’s low sugar, healthy drinks, to benefit their players.

“This partnership already has a family feel as we welcome in the Men’s first team and under-21s, as well as the Women’s and Academy teams to support their training and match schedules.

“The iPRO team are in full support of the club’s ambitions, and we cannot wait to be back in the stadium to support the team’s performances once it’s safe to do so.”

The partnership will also see iPRO displaying advertising campaigns at the Vitality Stadium as well as having a digital presence to support the club.

Rob Mitchell, Commercial Director at AFC Bournemouth, explained further: “We are delighted that all our male and female teams and players will benefit from having access to a market-leading healthy hydration drink to support their performance.

“On behalf of AFC Bournemouth, I wish to thank iPRO for their support and we look forward to a successful partnership.”

Sustainability is a shared focus for both the Club and iPRO and as such, during the term of the partnership, there will be a strong emphasis on driving shared sustainability goals and encouraging the use of reusable products where possible. iPRO will provide the Club with all hardware requirements enabling them to hydrate safely and while on the move, from hygiene-top water bottles to cooler boxes and beyond. All iPRO packaging materials are 100% recyclable with ambitions to reach 75% recycled materials in 2021.

Courtesy of iPRO

O2 and the RFU have today announced a new five-year partnership of the national teams and bringing spend parity across the men’s and women’s games. O2 is the principal shirt partner for the England Senior Men’s and England Senior Women’s teams with O2’s logo appearing front and centre on all match day and training kit.

As part of the new agreement, O2 has pledged to equally fund the men’s and women’s game over the course of the partnership. O2 and the RFU have the collective ambition to grow both the profile of the Red Roses and increase attendance at future games.

The deal also provides O2 customers the opportunity to access Priority Tickets for all England Rugby games, 48 hours before general release. As the UK’s No1 network, O2 is committed to offering the very best offers and experiences. Through Priority, O2 customers will have the opportunity to access exclusive player meet and greets, 20% matchday discount on England Rugby kit at the Twickenham Stadium store and O2 Ultimate Fan – winning the chance to go on summer tour with the team.

O2 Inside Line will continue as the exclusive England Rugby behind the scenes content series, now with equal commitment to both teams. This includes content from inside training camps, live broadcasts from camps during test week, and exclusive pre and post-match content from the O2 Blueroom. O2 Inside Line will be multi-format series including live stream, video and podcast.

The deal also brings a joint commitment from O2 and the RFU to support the country’s grassroots clubs through exclusive rugby community offers from O2, and a vision for Twickenham to become more connected, utilising O2 5G and O2 Business products and services.

Bill Sweeney, RFU CEO commented: “O2 have been a loyal supporter of England Rugby, a partnership that has lasted for 25 years and we are proud to continue to carry their logo front and centre on our shirts for a further five years. O2’s commitment to equally support both our elite teams is commendable and it’s great to collaborate with a partner that truly shares our same passion to see the women’s game flourish and continue to grow for future generations to enjoy.”

Nina Bibby, CMO of O2 said: “There has never been a more important time to get behind rugby, a sport we love and have invested in for over 25 years. We are proud to support the RFU through our extended partnership, which we believe is the longest shirt sponsorship in the history of UK sport. Our new agreement brings investment parity from O2 to England Men and England Women. The future for English rugby is bright, and together we want to make sure that rugby emerges from the pandemic stronger than ever before.”