Manchester City looks to the future with kit sleeve sponsor

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Manchester City & OKX
Image credit: Manchester City

English Premier League titan Manchester City has signed a new multi-year sleeve sponsorship with leading crypto exchange OKX.

The deal is an expansion of a pre-existing one that began in March 2022. Since then, the partnership has evolved to include OKX’s brand featuring on the left sleeve of both city’s men’s and women’s first teams, as well as being the club’s Official Training Kit Partner for the 2022/23 season.

The new deal will also allow for OKX to be appear across some of the clubs other digital and physical club assets.

OKX is one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges by trading volume and is one of Web3’s leading technology companies. It offers numerous financial services in the cryosphere including the trading of tokens, the buying and selling of NFTs, and the managing of crypto portfolios for their customers.

Ferran Soriano, CEO at City Football Group, expressed their excitement with the new deal highlighting the opportunity partnering with OKX and Web3 will have for City’s global fan engagement.

“We are very proud to have OKX represented on the sleeve of the Manchester City shirt. Both OKX and Manchester City are leading companies driven by a passion for innovation,” he said via press release.

“We have already seen great Web3 experiences designed by OKX for Manchester City’s global fan base and there will be many more to come. This is a very exciting partnership.”

Haider Rafique, CMO at OKX, also expressed their pleasure with the deal’s expansion.

“The journey with the Man City team has been incredible,” he said via press release.

“Manchester City was our first official global brand partnership and in just a year and a half we have come a long way.

“We always intended to integrate with the sport and help the Club lead on leaning into Web3. Fast forward 15 months, we now have a metaverse, an NFT initiative and a number of other new projects that we are excited about.

“The sleeve partnership brings us closer to City fans across the globe, and we look forward to collaborating to create unique, exciting and innovative engagements through Web3 technology.

“As the Club’s Official Cryptocurrency Exchange Partner, fans can expect amazing things every time they interact with OKX.”

This new deal and its expansion are a great opportunity for the global club to connect with their worldwide fan base. Likewise, it also offers fans a great way to engage with the Manchester based club from the over 180 regions were OKX operates.

This partnership seems a perfect one for the modern club as it shows their commitment to not only engaging with its global fan base but also helping those fans participate in one of finances fastest growing and exciting sectors.

Dandenong Thunder to enjoy $700,000 LED lighting upgrade at George Andrews Reserve

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Dandenong Thunder lighting upgrade
Image via Star Journal

Greater Dandenong Council and Dandenong Thunder have recently confirmed that works have commenced for new powerful lighting towers to be built at George Andrews Reserve.

The upgrade will cost $700,000 and is being jointly funded by Greater Dandenong Council ($500,000) and the State Government ($200,000) with a plan to improve the ground’s overall quality for both training and matches. They formerly had 200-lux LED towers and they will be replaced by 500-lux towers.

For the Greater Dandenong local council, the focus was to improve the facility for the community to enjoy the health and wellbeing benefits through the increased amount of playable hours at the reserve.

Importantly, the project ensures that the Thunder have a ground that is up to professional competition and broadcast standards which means they can broadcast and host games that are viewed by a national audience, a huge step forward for the NPL Victoria club.

This broadcast upgrade also opens up the possibility to expand to national matches involving the Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City A-League women’s teams and an even more ambitious goal of hosting a Matildas game. The ground can easily hold 5000 people and the lighting and broadcasting standards will be fantastic after this upgrade.

Dandenong Thunder shared the positive implications this light upgrade has for the club.

“The new lights mean the club will be able to host a number of games, not only that but it’s a step forward to the clubs ambition to be part of the NSD (national second division),” a club spokesperson told Soccerscene.

“The support from local council has been nothing but fantastic, Dandenong want to be a sporting hub for the south east suburbs.

“With the FA cup we have seen A-League clubs play at local level clubs, having these new high powered lights we will be able to broadcast at a higher quality, no more yellow light broadcast.”

This news presents an exciting future for Dandenong Thunder and the matches played at George Andrews Reserve. The quality of training, matches and broadcasts has improved tenfold and it matches the size of the NPL Victoria side that have big ambitions.

CPKC and Kansas City Current’s major stadium naming rights deal a win for women’s sport

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CPKC Stadium design
Image via CPKC

The world’s first professional female-football dedicated stadium – home of the NWSL’s Kansas City Current – will be known as CPKC Stadium, after an historic naming rights deal was agreed with the North American rail network company.

Formed as a merger between Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern rail networks in July this year, CPKC represents the first trans-North American rail network between Canada, the United States and Mexico.

CPKC has been a leading investor for women’s sports in the state of Kansas, and CPKC President & CEO, Keith Creel, was proud to announce the stadium naming rights deal.

“We are incredibly proud to sponsor the Kansas City Current and support this history-making project here in the city that is at the heart of our North American rail network,” Creel said via press release.

“CPKC has been a long-time champion of women’s sports and of investing in our communities. This stadium and this partnership with the Current will build on that legacy as together we write a new chapter here in Kansas City.”

CPKC will also hold naming rights to the stadium’s outdoor space for fans, which will be known as CPKC Plaza. This area provides entertainment for all CPKC Stadium attendees, including the KC Current’s official merchandise store.

It is hoped that the naming rights deal will kickstart further investment in women’s football across the region, which has been the cornerstone of the KC Current’s existence according to co-founders and owners, Angie and Chris Long.

“Our [KC Current & CPKC] organisations share a commitment to strive for excellence, invest heavily in our communities and raise the bar with global influence. We are extremely excited to work with CPKC on this historic agreement and know our partnership will create a long-standing positive impact!”

Further to its substantial investment in women’s football, CPKC’s establishment of a direct line between Canada, the United States and Mexico is expected to have substantial benefits for football supporters attending the 2026 Men’s FIFA World Cup.

Presently, though, the stadium naming rights deal demonstrates CPKC’s intention to be a key investor in women’s football across Kansas and North America.

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