ICC, Uber Team Up to Grow Women's Cricket -- Sponsor Spotlight

(ATR) The International Cricket Council (ICC) and Uber are teaming up to support the first standalone ICC Women’s World T20 tournament.

The global partnership was announced on Thursday, the eve of the start of the event in the West Indies.

The deal will encompass on-the-ground activation in participating WWT20 countries, in addition to the creation of a six-part digital film series featuring the inspiring stories of female cricketers. Watch party and match day promotions across Uber and Uber Eats in participating countries will also be organized.

Social media will be engaged to celebrate women in sports and various community outreach programs including sponsorships for aspiring female cricketers to join cricket academies and for fans and families to cheer on their heroes live, according to the ICC.

ICC CEO David Richardson said in a statement that the sport had "made a commitment to grow the women’s game and it will form one of the pillars of our strategy that will be launched early next year".

"The traditional sponsorship model is changing and this collaboration is a reflection of that, it’s about a shared ambition to move women’s cricket forward, tell the story of our sport more broadly and build heroes in our game," Richardson added.

The 10-team ICC Women’s World T20 runs through November 24. Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the West Indies are taking part.

ITF Announces Partnership For Fed Cup Final

The International Tennis Federation has added a sponsor for the 2018 Fed Cup final on the eve of the event.

KPMG Czech Republic, a leading provider of consulting services, has signed on as an international partner, joining title sponsor BNP Paribas, international sponsor Adecco, Official Global Media Rights Partner beIN SPORTS, and Fed Cup Final international partner Toray.

Czech Republic and USA are contesting the title decider at Prague’s O2 Arena this weekend.

ITF President David Haggerty said in a statement that KPMG Czech Republic "shares the ITF’s desire to create more opportunities for women to become leaders in sport, and we are delighted to partner with them this weekend. Alongside KPMG’s own activities at the Final, the ITF is holding an Empowering Female Leaders workshop for 11 of the top female tennis officials in Europe."

Amateur MMA Officials Getting New Footwear

When the 2018 IMMAF–WMMAA Unified World Championships begin on Monday, officials in the ring will be trying out new footwear from sponsor Vibram UK.

Amateur MMA’s governing body wanted a solution for the problem of dirt and grime on the fighting canvas brought in by outdoor shoes being worn in the ring.

Vibram responded with the Furoshiki as the footwear of choice for officials during the five-day tournament being held in Manama, Bahrain.

"The referees and ring officials simply change out of their regular footwear at ringside and slip on their Vibram Furoshiki," Chris Wilson, Managing Director of Vibram UK, said in a statement.

Wilson says the upper part of the shoe wraps around the foot and fastens with Velcro. After the end of each contest, each official can slip off the shoes and store them in a portable bag until the next fight.

"It gets under my skin that officials, staff and corners continue to wear outdoor shoes in the ring where open wounds can be exposed to contamination," IMMAF President Kerrith Brown said in a statement.

"We are therefore proud to be piloting Vibram Furoshikis on a pool of officials and decision makers at the IMMAF–WMMAA World Championships. I am wholly grateful to Vibram UK for their sponsorship and their support of world amateur MMA."

Written by Gerard Farek

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