Southampton reunite with Draper Tools after long time away

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Southampton and Draper Tools
Image credit: Southampton FC

After initially collaborating with Southampton FC 40 years ago, Draper Tools is coming back as a partner.

The Hampshire-based company will take on the role of the Saints Official Tool Partner, with its iconic emblem appearing on the backs of the women’s and men’s first teams’ shorts and shirts, respectively.

From 1984 through 1993, Draper Tools successfully sponsored the front of the shirt for nine years, during which time legendary players like Alan Shearer, Matthew Le Tissier, and Francis Benali made their Saints debuts. The next year, Draper Tools announced Saints Foundation as their community charity partner, and they kept working with the team until 2018.

The news came shortly after the team unveiled their home uniform for 2023–24, which pays homage to the team’s Draper Tools–sponsored 1987–89 kit. The 2023–24 version honours a different part of the club emblem, giving this timeless shirt a small touch.  A diagonal pattern of over a thousand tiny roses is tastefully put onto the 2023–24 home shirt to highlight the Hampshire rose. The Hampshire rose, which stands in for Southampton, is prominently shown on the shirt’s back. The uniform was introduced as part of the club’s “For the Badge” initiative, which aims to recognise and appreciate the crest’s heritage.

Charlie Boss, Chief Commercial Officer for Southampton Football Club said via press release:

“We’re delighted to welcome back Draper Tools as a partner. Their rich history with us makes this feel extra special as we embark on this new chapter together, particularly as we celebrate such an iconic shirt,” he said.

“We look forward to working with them over the course of the season and beyond to deliver a brilliant partnership.”

Draper Tools CEO Matt Sheen added via press release:

“We at Draper Tools are very proud to be one of the partners of Southampton FC men’s and women’s teams this season. As a family business, our local community has always been important to us, and we’ve never forgotten our history with the club,” he said.

“Recent years have seen us support the work of the club’s official charity, Saints Foundation, so it feels really special for our relationship with the club to enter this exciting new chapter. After a difficult last season for the men’s team, it’s now all about supporting them in what will be a very competitive EFL Championship. Being a lifelong fan, like many of my Draper colleagues, the nostalgia involved in this partnership feels great too.”

Southampton’s EFL Championship season gets underway against Sheffield Wednesday on August 5, 2023 AEST.

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Football Australia Expands Mental Skills Program for Match Officials Amid Sustained Focus on Referee Retention

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Image Credit: Football NSW

Football Australia has confirmed a second national webinar for match officials, led by sports psychologist Dr Liam Slack, extending a referee development series introduced after strong engagement with an initial session on managing match-day pressure.

The upcoming session, themed “parking with purpose,” will focus on decision-making strategies designed to help referees process on-field calls and reset attention quickly across a match that can present hundreds of individual decisions. Dr Slack, who also consults with The Football Association and the AFC Referee Academy and previously spent over a decade as a performance psychologist with the Professional Game Match Officials Limited in England, brings substantial elite-level experience to a program open to officials at every level, from grassroots to professional.

The theme builds on work Dr Slack has already delivered within Australian officiating. He recently led a session with Football Australia’s National Referee Academy on the same concept, framing the ability to consciously park a decision and refocus on the next phase of play as a trainable skill rather than an innate trait, one that separates officials who reset quickly under pressure from those who don’t. He has also addressed more than 100 Football Australia elite match officials and staff on developing a stronger match-day mentality, an indication of how embedded this psychological framework has become across the officiating pathway rather than remaining a one-off intervention.

The expansion of the webinar series reflects a broader shift in how football administrators are approaching referee attrition. Rather than treating retention purely as a recruitment or pay problem, the program signals an institutional acknowledgment that the psychological demands of officiating, particularly the compounding pressure of split-second decisions under public scrutiny, are a material factor in whether officials remain in the game.

It rests alongside other measures adopted across Australian football in recent years, including visible identification programs for junior referees and structural reviews of referee departments at state federation level, all aimed at the same underlying issue: a shrinking pool of match officials relative to demand.

Football Australia has not detailed metrics for assessing the program’s impact on referee numbers, though the recurring engagement of an internationally credentialed specialist across multiple tiers of the officiating pathway suggests sustained institutional investment in the approach.

Football Victoria elevates fan enjoyment with Streets partnership

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Image credit: Prostock-studio / Shutterstock.com

Football Victoria (FV) revealed last week a new partnership with ice cream giants, Streets. The brand will become an exclusive ice cream partner for the next three years.

 

An iconic brand for joyful experiences

As a well-known and popular ice cream brand with people all around the nation, Streets will now look to support the fan experience in Victoria through its products.

It reflects FV’s commitment to delivering a family-friendly and memorable experience for spectators. Both on and off the pitch, the organisation is striving to elevate the experience for fans and families alike.

“Football Victoria is always looking for ways to elevate the experience at The Home of The Matildas, and this partnership does exactly that,” explained FV Executive Manager of Commercial and Facilities, Chris Speldewinde.

“It’s a fantastic fit for our community and we’re looking forward to what the next three years will bring.”

Furthermore, Senior Brand Manager at Streets, Ryan Katz, emphasised the brand’s role in community sport and in creating memories beyond the action on the pitch.

“Streets is proud to join Football Victoria as its exclusive ice cream partner,” Katz said.

“There’s nothing better than enjoying a great game with a classic ice cream in-hand, and we’re excited to be part of those moments across the state.”

 

Understanding community football

Community football is all about these moments. Sunny days, the family together, and a sweet treat in-hand while supporting a local team alongside friends and neighbours.

This is why a partnership between FV and Streets is particularly important.

Not for its commercial value, but for what it tells us about both parties’ understanding of what matters to fans. From young fans to experienced matchday-goers, everyone wants to find enjoyment while watching the game.

And while the 90 minutes of action is the focus, the experience of a local matchday is truly defined by interactions with fellow supporters and smaller – but no less significant – moments of happiness during the day.

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