Sports Ticker #129 - Commonwealth Games lives on, DAZN's star-studded ad and cheese rolling galore - a speed read of commercial updates from the sports world

In a fortnight which saw Arsenal win the UEFA Women's Champions League, Northampton Saints fall eight points short of European glory against Bordeaux Bègles and the town of Abingdon host the 42nd World Poohsticks Championships, we bring you news on the Government’s search for a Head of Video Games and Esports, an update on the future of the Commonwealth Games and a look at Gloucestershire’s annual cheese rolling race, whose women’s race winner cemented her victory with the words, “I don’t like cheese”.

Enter New Player: Government seeks Head of Video Games and Esports

The UK Government has announced plans to appoint a Head of Video Games and Esports within the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, with an acute focus on shaping policy and supporting growth and competition in the domestic video games and esports sectors. The Government has already poured substantial funds into the video games industry through vehicles such as the UK Games Fund, which assists start-up developers through capital investment and incentives such as Video Games Tax Relief. The early effect of these initiatives has not gone unnoticed, with many drawing parallels between the Government’s support of the sectors with the increasing presence of major esports championships in the UK, with dedicated tournaments for games such as League of Legends, Rocket League and Dota 2 all having been recently hosted on home soil. With its clear strategic commitment to growth, the Government hopes its appointment of a Head of Video Games and Esports will only catalyse the opportunities available to developers and other players in this space, allowing businesses to proactively engage with policymaking and spur further growth of the industry, to the benefit of both themselves and the wider economy.

Life remains in the Commonwealth Games

After some turbulent times, the Commonwealth Games looks set to live on after seven nations expressed interest to host the next two iterations of the tournament. It hasn’t been plain sailing for the Commonwealth Games in recent years, with the quadrennial sporting event suffering from a lack of interest amongst potential host countries (see our previous take here). Much of the concern surrounds the heavy financial burden placed on organisers, which was the case for Victoria, Australia, who pulled out of hosting the 2026 Games citing spiralling costs. Glasgow took up Victoria’s mantle with the promise of a ‘bare bones’ tournament set to take place next summer. A similar set of events took place three years ago, when Birmingham stepped in to replace Durban, South Africa, as host of the 2022 Games following their costs-associated withdrawal. But the tides appear to be turning following the announcement that seven nations have expressed their interest in bidding for the 2030 and/or 2034 Games. It is hoped by organisers that a new hosting format, which emphasises collaboration and provides hosts with greater flexibility to stage the Games, will breathe new life into the tournament for the foreseeable future.

DAZN kicks off Club World Cup with star-studded ad

Sports broadcaster DAZN has kicked off its coverage of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup with an advert featuring a pantheon of footballing legends. The promotional piece, which stars iconic boxing announcer Michael Buffer, sees stars Luis Suarez, Erling Haaland, Harry Kane and Edison Cavani swap studs for gloves in mock ring walks in anticipation of the box-to-box battles the players will take part in over the next month. DAZN, which recently awarded 23 of the tournament’s matches to Channel 5 (see our take here), was granted global rights to broadcast the Club World Cup last December in a competition which hopes to blow previous iterations out of the water. The revised edition of the tournament, which was previously held annually with a roster of just seven teams, now comprises a quadrennial format with 32 teams. Much like in DAZN’s latest ad, each will battle it out over 29 days to be crowned the “undisputed champion of the world” in New York/New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium on 13 July 2025. Will one of DAZN’s chosen four taste victory this summer, or will another champion emerge? Stay tuned.

Women’s tennis players net pay rise as LTA pledges to close the gap 

As part of its commitment to women’s tennis and equal opportunity within the sport, the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) has pledged to increase prize money at two major women's tournaments this year with an aim to achieving full pay equality in the very near future. The LTA, which already invests equal sums in men’s and women’s tennis as part of its performance pathway – a programme designed to help develop players aged 7-18 – and currently stages more women’s than men’s matches in Great Britain, will this year increase the prize money available to women’s players at both the HSBC Championships (formally the Queen’s Club Championships) and the Lexus Eastbourne Open with a view to achieving full pay parity by 2029. The $1.415m available to women’s players at Queen's will see the competition sit as the highest paying WTA 500 event of its draw size in the world this year, with the $389,000 available to women’s players at Eastbourne equally as impressive, marking the competition as the highest paying WTA 250 event on this year’s circuit.  As announced by its Chief Executive, Scott Lloyd, the LTA is hopeful its continued investment can play a “leading part in the growth and development of women’s tennis globally” with the ultimate goal of “achiev[ing] equal prize money as soon as possible”.

Courting the NBA: London and Manchester go head-to-head

A clash of the titans is underway as London and Manchester battle it out for the right to host NBA games in the United Kingdom. London is no stranger to the competition, having hosted the once-a-season “NBA London Game” from 2011 to 2019 at the O2 Arena until organisers decided to cross the channel in favour of the “NBA Paris Game”. At the time, the NBA stated that it would one day return to the English capital once it had properly established a presence in the continent, but six years on, a new challenger has stepped into the court in the hope of stealing London’s glory. As confirmed by the NBA’s Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum, Manchester has expressed an interest in bringing regular-season NBA games to the North of England, with its “beautiful, brand new arena”, which many assume to be the Co-Op Live, having already caught the league’s attention. Whilst it is yet to be decided whether NBA will formally return to the country, London has made it clear that it won’t go down without a fight, with sources suggesting Mayor Sadiq Khan has long been pushing for the league to return to the Big Smoke. Will either stadium emerge triumphant, or will it be a hard pass from the NBA?

Extra time...
…and finally, the women’s champion of Gloucestershire’s famous cheese rolling race celebrated her victory with the words, “I don’t like cheese”. Ava, a 20-year-old from London, clocked in an impressive pace while chasing the cheese down the daunting 1:2 gradient Cooper’s Hill in Brockworth, bringing home the 4 kilogram wheel of Double Gloucester (which she appears unlikely to consume). The Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake, as it is formally styled, has grown in popularity in recent years for the death-defying lengths competitors will go to in order to claim victory over the decently sized disc of dairy. Not one but two contestants were taken to hospital this year after sustaining injuries during their descents, with one unlucky chaser whisked away by air ambulance. The event was officially cancelled in 2010 following concerns over the health of racers, but that hasn’t stopped hopeful cheese heads turning out year-on-year to take part in their own unofficial stampede. Much like the Double Gloucester, Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake only continues to gain in pace and prestige.