FA and Hilton Announce Official Partnership with England Teams

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The FA and Hilton have confirmed a three-year partnership, with Hilton becoming the Official Hotel Partner for the England football teams.

This partnership spans both Wembley Stadium and St. George’s Park, providing Hilton with the opportunity to support both the Three Lions and the Lionesses.

As part of the deal, Hilton will also become the official partner of the England Supporters Travel Club, offering Hilton Honors members exclusive perks on hotel stays when travelling to support the teams, both at home and abroad.

In addition, Hilton will team up with St. George’s Park to promote Hilton St. George’s Park as a prime destination for football fans. The hotel already serves as a home away from home for the England men’s and women’s squads during international camps.

Hilton Honors members will have the chance to turn their hotel stays into tickets for some of 2025’s most in-demand events at Wembley Stadium connected by EE, including sold-out gigs, the Emirates FA Cup and Adobe Women’s FA Cup Finals, and other high-stakes matches.

FA commercial director, James Gray, expressed his enthusiasm for the new partnership with Hilton.

“We are delighted to have Hilton on board as a partner across our England teams, Wembley Stadium connected by EE and St. George’s Park,” he said via press release.

“With our national teams competing for the biggest trophies over the next three years, Hilton can play an important role in supporting our squads on and off the pitch. We are building on a long and successful association with Hilton, especially with our hotel at the national football centre and this agreement will take our relationship to a new level.

“Our England fans and visitors to Wembley will also feel the benefit of the Hilton partnership with the opportunity to enjoy major matches and countless memorable moments.

“Wembley continues to stage some of the biggest domestic and international matches on the planet, and regularly welcomes world-leading music acts to perform sell-out shows under the Arch. We’re delighted Hilton will join us on this journey.”

Vice President of Marketing and Loyalty for EMEA at Hilton, Stijn Bastiaens, highlighted the excitement surrounding the new collaboration with the Football Association.

“At Hilton, we believe that it matters where you stay. From Formula 1, to golf and tennis, Hilton has a long history of providing unforgettable stays to elite sports athletes and teams as they travel across the world,” he said via press release.

“Through this new partnership with the Football Association, we can’t wait to welcome the England teams with our signature hospitality.

“With 2025 set to be a monumental year for music and football at Wembley Stadium, we’re excited to also offer our Hilton Honors members the chance to turn their stays into unrivalled access to some of this year’s most highly coveted events.”

This partnership strengthens Hilton’s commitment to the football community, providing fans and players alike with unforgettable experiences both on and off the pitch.

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Gold Coast International drives futsal growth as international interest surges

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Image Credits: Experience Gold Coast

The 2027 Gold Coast International is set to be the biggest year of growth in the tournament’s history. The tournament has become one of Australia’s premier futsal events. Attracting the best teams from not just Australia but around the world. Andrew Parkes is the founder and managing director of the Gold Coast City Futsal Association and an advisory board member at Football Queensland. He says the tournament, and its international reputation, is only strengthening.

“Registrations are actually a step up from what they were last year,” Parkes said.

“We’ve got several teams from New Zealand. At the moment, we’ve got some Pacific Island teams that have expressed interest in coming. We got interest from Japan, and from England as well.

“We’ve got over 140 teams so far, and that’s not including anything from the local areas.”

Over 200 teams attended the 2026 edition, and the Gold Coast International is well set to break that record next year. The figures show the tournament is becoming more than a local competition. It is building a strong national and international presence.

Football Queensland and Football Australia unite behind growth

Parkes believes collaboration has played a major role in the development of futsal in Queensland. The tournament is sanctioned by both Football Queensland and Football Australia. He praised Football Queensland for its work across the sport. He said the organisation has helped create a stronger and more professional futsal system. This relationship between state and national bodies and the event has allowed the Gold Coast to play host to the national competition as well. This ensures shared resources including referees and courts.

“Football Queensland have been a major driving force and a godsend in relation to the development of futsal,” Parkes said.

“We’ve got the nationals the week before the Gold Coast International now. We’re working in harmony and synergy and supporting each other.

“I think the proofs in the pudding, not just with the Gold Coast International, but with the exposure and obviously the diversity of teams that attend. But then the further development in our local leagues, and that’s resulted in.”

E-sports adds another pathway for players and clubs

E-sports has become another major part of the Gold Coast International. Parkes said he had explored the idea for several years and that the tournament allows the community to grow beyond just the physical players on the court. The use of e-sports also allows friends and families to have an interactive experience with simulators and games whilst at the Gold Coast International.

“We launched e-sports about 2 years ago, just with a bit of a light feel. We’ve incorporated the competition into the tournament fees, which is excellent. So it doesn’t cost anybody anymore to be part of it,” Parkes said.

“It actually allows the clubs and academies to extend on their current offerings as it is at the moment and allows gaming players to be part of the club, to be part of the atmosphere and to join and that unity and be part of that sporting community.”

“We had three times the amount of teams that we had from the first year of e-sports. We’re looking to probably even double that again this year, which is really exciting as well.”

New pathways shape the tournament’s future

Parkes wants the Gold Coast International to keep expanding. He is now looking at ways to create pathways beyond the tournament itself. He said the use of its international experiences that can be earned through the tournament is not only about investing in players. But ensuring coaches have a more time-efficient avenue to be involved with futsal. It also gives more coaches the chance to work with players at an international tournament.

“We’ve now created the Gold Coast International All Stars, which is now embraced by many of the coaches and the players,” Parkes said.

“That also provides coaches who don’t have the time or the ability or whatever for the state teams, and the commitment that they need to put in the state teams throughout the year.”

“It allows us to have a lot more outreach to far more coaches that have a lot of passion and enthusiasm, and be part of the Futsal community. They want to build on the players’ abilities but may not have that year-long or eight-month-long exposure that is required by the state Futsal team coaching staff.”

For Parkes, the future is about widening access while continuing to raise standards. The tournament is growing its international reach, strengthening partnerships and creating new opportunities for both physical and e-sports players. The Gold Coast International is no longer just a tournament. It is becoming a broader platform for the development of futsal and its wider community.

For more information on the Gold Coast International and to inquire about competing in the 2027 edition, visit their website.

Tottenham modernises stadium technology with major IT overhaul

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Tottenham Hotspur has completed a major upgrade of the digital infrastructure that underpins its stadium operations, highlighting the growing importance of technology away from the pitch.

The Premier League club has partnered with Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) to modernise its IT environment, replacing legacy systems while introducing new networking, automation and connectivity capabilities across Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The project also reduced the club’s virtualisation licensing costs by more than 85 per cent following its migration from VMware to HPE Morpheus software.

While cost savings were one outcome, the wider objective was to simplify how the stadium’s technology is managed.

The upgrade brings networking, servers, storage and virtual infrastructure under a single operating platform. Tottenham is also introducing Wi-Fi 7 throughout the venue, supporting everything from digital ticketing and cashless payments to mobile services and high-density fan connectivity on event days.

The investment reflects the changing role of football stadiums.

Modern venues increasingly serve purposes beyond football. Tottenham Hotspur Stadium stages NFL games, concerts and other large-scale events throughout the year, placing increasing pressure on the technology that supports daily operations. Reliable digital infrastructure has become as important as physical infrastructure in delivering those experiences.

Across football, clubs are increasingly viewing technology as an operational asset rather than simply an IT requirement. Investments in automation, connectivity and cloud-based management can improve efficiency behind the scenes while enhancing the experience for supporters inside the stadium.

For Tottenham, the latest upgrade is another step in positioning its stadium as a multi-purpose entertainment venue. It also reflects a broader trend across elite sport, where digital infrastructure is becoming central to matchday operations, commercial activity and long-term venue management.

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