Manchester City Women enter first-ever stadium naming rights deal in WSL history

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Manchester City Joie Stadium
Image credit: Manchester City

Manchester City Women have agreed a stadium naming rights partnership with Joie for their Academy Stadium, the home of their women’s team.

Joie started their partnership with City Women’s team in March earlier this year to become the club’s Official Family Partner and will continue that deal alongside acquiring the stadium naming rights.

Both parties pledge to improve family friendly services at the stadium, as well as offering the best possible matchday experience for fans of all ages across all stadium facilities.

This marks significance as it becomes the first stadium naming rights deal for a Women’s Super League club. The newly renamed Joie Stadium will play host to Manchester City’s second WSL game of the upcoming season against Chelsea on October 8.

The stadium, which opened in 2014, is the only purpose-built stadium in the Women’s Super League and is the home of Manchester City Women. Its current capacity is 7,000 and also hosts many of City’s Elite Development Squad and youth team matches.

Founded in 2011 and originating in the UK, Joie is a family brand that works tirelessly, with families at its heart, to create safety inspired, innovatively designed products that makes parents’ lives that bit easier.

Drawing on decades of industry experience, their devotion to infant products is aimed at doing what is right for parents, children and the environment.

Further internal and external branding featuring the Joie logo will appear across the stadium, with Joie continuing to get involved at every Women’s team fixture.

Gavin Makel, Managing Director of Manchester City Women, explained the importance of this deal for the team in a club press release.

“Today is a really significant moment for Manchester City, as we welcome Joie as Official Stadium Naming Partner,” he said.

“Not only is this a huge moment for Manchester City Women but also for the wider club as the stadium changes name for the first time since its opening in 2014.

“A Women’s team partner since March this year, Joie shares our commitment to family values and high standards, and we’re delighted the brand has chosen to extend its current relationship.

“It is a further reflection of the importance, growth and commercial appeal of Manchester City Women and the wider women’s game, and we are excited to work together with Joie to maximise opportunities for families at our matches.”

David Welsh, Senior Managing Director of Joie, echoed the positive sentiment of the club in regard to this new deal.

“Joie is a family-first brand committed to making childhood and family days out as joyful as possible,” he added via media release.

“We believe that football offers an unforgettable experience for families and by partnering with Manchester City Women and becoming the Official Stadium Naming Partner, we aim to make it truly accessible for all – whether that’s families with babies or parents of older children who will love playing in the Fan Zone.

“We’re incredibly proud of the steps we are making to help provide an all-inclusive experience and are committed to further developing our offer and ensuring that the Joie Stadium is one of the most family-friendly in the Women’s Super League.”

The deal is another step forward for Manchester City women’s team and Women’s football as they gear up for the most anticipated Women’s Super League season in history which kicks off on October 1.

The 2023-24 Local Sports Infrastructure Fund to cater for participation boom

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2023-24 Local Sports Infrastructure Fund
Image via Pxhere

The Victorian Government’s 2023-24 Local Sports Infrastructure Fund is a state-wide investment, open until December 13, 2023.

This fund was created to adapt to the increasing need for infrastructure that is required for regular active sport and recreation.

Utilising three streams, sports clubs, facility managers and community organisations will all benefit from the following grants:

  • Community Facilities – up to $300,000
  • Community Sports Lighting – up to $250,000
  • Planning – up to $40,000

Led by Minister for Community Sport, Ros Spence, the creation of infrastructure will be made possible by planners, architects, engineers, project managers,
builders, carpenters, plumbers, electricians, facility managers and operational staff as part on the construction process. In turn, this has a direct link back to the local economy and offers hundreds of jobs.

For sporting & recreation clubs, sporting associations & leagues, educational institutions, not-for-profit community organisations, businesses and individuals looking to apply for the Local Sports Infrastructure Fund, an important note is that they cannot do so directly. Instead, they will coordinate this with Local Government Authorities and the Alpine Resorts Victoria who will apply on their behalf.

Applications close at 5pm on Wednesday December 13 2023 – with successful candidates of the 2023-24 Local Sports Infrastructure Fund announced from April 2024.

For full information and resources, you can view those here.

Football Queensland remain with Kappa for five more seasons until 2028

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Football Queensland & Kappa partnership extension
Image credit: Football Queensland

Football Queensland have announced a five-year partnership extension with iconic international sports brand Kappa as its official apparel partner from 2024.

This relationship between the two parties has been very strong since they first partnered all the way back in 2017 and reinforces the support for football in Queensland that the brand has had.

Kappa has provided quality garments for some of Europe’s biggest clubs including Manchester City, Juventus, AC Milan and the Italian National team.

It’s a brand that was established in 1916 in Turin and eventually in 1978 they rebranded themselves to branch out as a sportwear brand where they focused purely on football-related products and designs.

For Football Queensland, they currently produce and provide quality on and off-field apparel for all Queensland State Representative teams including the state’s futsal representative squads. Kappa also provide on-field apparel for the game’s referees on the FQ website.

They also helped sponsor and start up the Kappa Women’s Super Cup and Kappa Pro Series tournaments that debuted in late 2021 and 2022 respectively for clubs to participate in across the state.

FQ CEO Robert Cavallucci was extremely pleased to announce this partnership extension following Kappa’s amazing support.

“Football Queensland is incredibly excited to announce Kappa as our official apparel partner for the next five years following a competitive tender process which saw us receive 20 expressions of interest and 15 submissions of an extremely high quality,” Cavallucci said via Football Queensland press release.

“In their seven years as a Football Queensland partner, Kappa has provided fantastic support to Football Queensland, our clubs and the wider football community thanks to their quality of apparel, ability to deliver on their promises and the team’s unwavering commitment to customer service.

“We’ve built a wonderful working relationship with the team at Kappa thanks to their willingness to go above and beyond to deliver outcomes for our organisation and our game, and we’re delighted to continue working in partnership with them from next year.”

Kappa Australia Director Ze’ev Bogaty shared the same sentiment for the great relationship the two parties have created.

“Kappa is a strong supporter of football in Queensland and has been proud to invest in the game since the partnership with Football Queensland began in 2017,” Bogaty mentioned in the FQ press release.

“Some highlights of the partnership have included the development of the teal shirt for first year referees, witnessing Queensland state sides dominate on the national stage in Kappa kit, and the launch of the Kappa Women’s Super Cup and Kappa Pro Series tournaments.

“As we embark on another five years as the state’s official apparel partner and continue our close working relationship with Football Queensland, we look forward to contributing even more to the growth and success of football across the state.”

There is a shared goal of improving the grassroots game in Queensland from both parties and the track record of Kappa’s immense investment over the past seven years has shown that this extension will do wonders for Queensland football.

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