Sector Focus


Sport The Business of Sport In Brief


Birmingham Moseley Rugby Club has extended the contract of key player Sam Brown until 2019.


Since joining the club in 2011


from Cinderford, Sam has made 126 appearances for Moseley, and has become a firm supporters’ favourite. The Birmingham-born player


said: “I’m very happy to be committing to what will be my seventh and eighth seasons at the club. I look forward to the challenge of retaining the number nine shirt while playing alongside a number of new faces and old colleagues.”


Following the success of the 2017 Betway Premier League’s visit to Birmingham, the Barclaycard Arena has won the contract to host the tournament until 2021. The world’s top darts stars


returned to the 15,800 capacity Arena on 27 April for night 13 of this year’s tournament, playing host to the likes of world champion Michael van Gerwen, the legendary Phil Taylor and Scottish superstar Gary Anderson. The evening saw the largest


crowd ever for the Premier League’s annual visit to Birmingham, and has been followed with a new four-year deal to keep the tournament at the Barclaycard Arena.


Celebrating 10 years of being a good sport


Sport 4 Life UK, which has spent some £3m supporting more than 4,000 disadvantaged young people in Birmingham through sports themed personal development programmes, is celebrating its 10 anniversary. Sport 4 Life was founded by Tom


Clarke-Forrest, now the CEO, and his brother. Tom said: “I can vividly remember how it all started. My brother and I were discussing our post-university career back in 2006. We talked about our passions – sport, football, young people, social action, Birmingham – and whether we could use these to create something and make a difference. The idea of Sport 4 Life was born. “Ten years later and Sport 4 Life


is still here – and stronger than ever. Never in our wildest dreams did we think it would come this far. “Over the past decade we’ve


spent over £3 million on our sports- themed personal development programmes. “We’ve worked intensively with


more than 4,000 disadvantaged young people, supporting them to find jobs, re-engage with education, stop offending and improve their life-skills. We’ve won


Passion for sport: Tom Clarke-Forrest and his brother James (left)


prestigious awards, built strong partnerships, received media attention – and, most of all, been constantly reminded of the true potential young people have in our society. “There is still much to do and


over the next decade we want engage more young people, expand our work beyond Birmingham and improve our impact.” Sport4Life has also secured £5,000 of National Express


Burton backs hedgehogs


Burton Albion FC may have occupied a lowly 20th place in the final English Football League Championship table – but the club is at the top of another league. And that’s the ‘Hedgehog


Warwickshire County Cricket Club has secured a new commercial partnership with Molson Coors, which will see its Carling, Coors Light and Staropramen lagers served at Edgbaston Stadium as part of a five-year deal. The new agreement will see


Carling become the official lager of Warwickshire CCC and served at all public bars around Edgbaston. Additionally, Coors Light and


Staropramen will be served in hospitality lounges and within the stadium’s events and banqueting business.


56 CHAMBERLINK June 2017


Friendly Football League’, which has been put together by the British Hedgehog Preservation Society to help publicise Hedgehog Awareness Week. Burton Albion has been praised


for its efforts in helping protect hedgehogs. The club put special campaign stickers on all pitch mowing equipment to remind staff to check for hedgehogs before use, and handed out leaflets to fans at a recent game at the Pirelli Stadium. Fay Vass, chief executive, British Hedgehog Preservation Society said: “Hedgehogs have been in serious decline for some time now and we need to do all we can to help them.”


Foundation funding towards an employability and personal development programme for 60 16 to 25-year-olds who are not in education, employment or training. The National Express


Foundation, a charity set up in 2012 to help disadvantaged young people, has awarded £145,000 to support 22 community groups and six colleges and universities across Birmingham, the Black Country, Coventry and Kent.


Sponsorship is as easy as EBC


EBC Group has renewed its sponsorship of Worcestershire County Cricket Club. The Halesowen-based computer support company is to be official shirt sponsor for the club’s Natwest Blast T20 games and one day games for the 2017 season. Worcestershire’s managing


director, Jon Graham, said: “EBC Group have been involved with us for some time now and this is yet another example of a major local business increasing their level of engagement with us which is testament to the work we are doing here at New Road. “They are based locally but


Helping the hedgehogs (from left): Fleur Robinson, Burton Albion commercial director; groundsman Simon Marshall; Fay Vass; and Stan Wallis, assistant groundsman


operate on a nationwide scale and we are hugely proud to display their logo on the collars of our Rapids’ shirts.” EBC also sponsors Worcester player Tom Kohlor-Cadmore.


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