FINANCIAL
+++ Italian luxury sneaker brand Golden Goose has posted a 12 percent increase, to €164.5 million, in first-quarter net revenues at constant exchange rates +++
CONSUMER
+++ The overall value of golf tourism in Northern Ireland reached a record £86.2 million (€102.7m) in 2024, an increase of nearly 66 percent since 2019, according to research conducted by Sporting Insights for Tourism NI +++
PEOPLE
+++ Long-serving executive Donna-Maria Cullen is leaving Tottenham Hotspur FC
+++ The Council of Europe’s Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS) has announced Guido Battaglia (Center for Sport and Human Rights) as a new member of its Bureau
+++ Former Nike executive Paul Zadoff is the new President of the Americas of U.K.-based footwear company Dr. Martens
+++ Marks & Spencer has hired Thinus Keeve to take on the new position of Retail Director on June 6
+++ British Triathlon has appointed Imogen Gaunt as Director of Brand, Engagement & Membership
+++ Crocs Inc. has appointed Terence Reilly to Executive Vice President and Chief Brand Officer with immediate effect
+++ The Board of EuroSIMA, the European surf industry association, has re-elected Jean-Louis Rodrigues as President
+++ Titleist UK has appointed Matthew Allanson to the new position of Partnership Manager
+++ The Board of the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) has elected Craig Kessler its tenth Commissioner
+++ Inditex, the owner of Zara, Bershka and other retail brands, has appointed Andres Sanchez Iglesias, currently Chief Tax Officer, as Chief Financial Officer, to replace Ignacio Fernandez Fernandez, who is to become Chief Corporate Officer
+++ Eloi Pomé, former Senior Manager of Sports & Mega Events at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), has joined the global agency N3XT Sports as Head of Strategy & Consulting
+++ National soccer governing body Football Australia has announced the resignation of James Johnson, its CEO for the past five-and-a-half years, and appointed Matilda Heather Garriock as Interim CEO
+++ Kane Footwear has appointed Mark Tarnuzzer, previously Senior Vice President, Global Marketing & Media at Universal Music Group, as Chief Marketing Officer +++
OBITUARY
+++ Thomas B. Doyle, a prominent figure within the US-based National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA) during his 39-year career in the industry, passed away on April 22 at the age of 86 +++
BRANDS
+++ Oakley has announced Indian cricketer Shubman Gill as a brand ambassador and the face of its “Artifacts from the Future” campaign in India
+++ Champion has joined forces with UFC Heavyweight Champion Tom Aspinall in a long-term partnership, featuring a new campaign and signature apparel range +++
+++ Indian athleisure brand TechnoSport has expanded its product offering with the new Cotflex apparel collection for men, women and children, designed for sports, yoga, casual outings and travel, and featuring the brand’s proprietary quick-drying Techno Guard technology
+++ Valour has become the official sports apparel partner of the Australian team for the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games
+++ Converse has teamed up with Tyler, the Creator on the Converse 1908 program, a collection that refreshes two styles from the Converse archives – the Converse Naut-1 and Converse Coach Jogger – with elements of the rapper’s creative vision
+++ Adidas and Marcolin have extended through 2032 their global licensing deal for the eyewear collections of Adidas Sport and Adidas Originals, originally launched in 2020
+++ Asics France has made French wheelchair tennis player Pauline Déroulède a brand ambassador +++
+++ Indian sportswear and lifestyle brand Playr is expanding its product portfolio with the new Player Essentials collection +++
+++ Sneaker care brand Sneaker Lab has launched its first campaign in India, with former South African cricketer AB de Villiers as brand partner
+++ French sustainable sneaker brand Veja has introduced its first sandals
+++ Titleist has introduced a new golf ball fitting app for professionals that is meant to help golfers find the most suitable Titleist golf ball model for their game
+++ Mercury, a Spanish company that manufactures and distributes sports equipment for individual and team sports, has inked a sponsorship deal to become technical partner to the Spanish Squash Federation (RFES)
+++ Oysho, a sport and leisure brand of the Inditex portfolio, is becoming the new headline sponsor for the Cardiff Half Marathon, which returns on Oct. 5
+++ Swiss sportswear brand On has announced 24-year-old Ethiopian middle-distance runner Freweyni Hailu as its latest running ambassador
+++ JD Sports is partnering with restaurant chain Wingstop in the UK on a new marketing activation that gives customers at 48 Wingstop UK locations the chance to win such prizes as JD trainers and Wingstop UK vouchers
+++ TAG Heuer has made actor and professional racing driver Patrick Dempsey the official face of TAG Heuer Eyewear
+++ Asturian sportswear brand Siroko has become the sponsor and technical clothing supplier of the national teams of the Spanish Surfing Federation (FESURF) for all their international events
+++ Pantofola d’Oro, the Italian footwear brand best known for its football boots, has made its debut in the padel segment with a dedicated footwear line
+++ Ecco Golf has unveiled the BIOM H5 RGC shoe, created in collaboration with Random Golf Club and inspired by the landscapes of Greenland +++
EVENTS
+++ The Mexican Football Federation has confirmed that Mexico will co-host the 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup alongside the US
+++ Haku has been confirmed as the presenting partner of The Running Conference through 2026
+++ The International Running Expo, the new B2B event for the running industry, is set to take place on Nov. 4–5 at the RAI Amsterdam
+++ Alba Berlin is departing from EuroLeague Basketball after 24 consecutive seasons to participate in the Basketball Champions League (BCL) of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA)
+++ The Ironman Group has added an event, scheduled for Sept. 28, in Paraguay — the Ueno Bank Ironman 70.3 Encarnación the first Ironman 70.3 triathlon to take place in the South American country +++
CORPORATE
+++ A consortium of investors, led by Andrew Cavenagh and 49ers Enterprises, has acquired a majority stake in Rangers FC
+++ M+C Saatchi Sport and Entertainment has signed an agreement to acquire Middle East-based sports agency Dune | 23
+++ The Rafa Nadal Academy network is set to expand with the opening of new Rafa Nadal Tennis Centers in Marbella this summer as well as in the Dominican Republic and Albania in 2026, Palco23 has reported
+++ CAA Sports, a division of Creative Artists Agency, has agreed to acquire global sports management consulting firm Portas Consulting, subject to customary regulatory approval
+++ Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian has reportedly acquired a 10 percent stake, worth around £20 million, in the Chelsea women’s team
+++ Jondo’s official brand ambassador and golf champion Ernie Els is expanding his role with the performance eyewear brand and becoming an investor +++
RETAIL
+++ Amazon Fashion has rebranded its Gen Z fashion platform, Next Gen Store, under the name Serve
+++ Italian sportswear brand UYN (Unleash Your Nature) has opened a store on Newbury Street in Boston, its first in the US
+++ Aston Villa F.C. has opened a 900-sqm flagship store at the Bullring shopping mall in Birmingham in partnership with Adidas
+++ Californian performance lifestyle brand Vuori has opened a two-level store on King’s Road, its third in London, after those on Covent Garden and Regent Street
+++ Decathlon has inuaugurated a Decathlon Running store at Promenade Sainte Catherine, a shopping area in the historic downtown of Bordeaux, France
+++ Nike has opened a 740-sqm store at the Ofer Rehovot Mall in Revohot, Israel +++
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