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Deal Focus

The Damac logo now occupies the primary front-of-shirt sponsorship slot on Chelsea’s men’s (and women’s) kits. (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images) The deal Chelsea, heavyweights from English men’s soccer’s top-tier Premier League, have finally filled their front-of-shirt sponsorship void through a short-term deal unveiled last week. The London club have entered into a tie-up with Dubai-based luxury […]

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Deal Focus

The deal

Chelsea, heavyweights from English men’s soccer’s top-tier Premier League, have finally filled their front-of-shirt sponsorship void through a short-term deal unveiled last week.

The London club have entered into a tie-up with Dubai-based luxury real estate company Damac Properties, covering the end of the 2024-25 season for both the men’s and women’s Chelsea teams, as well as the men’s Club World Cup in June and July.

The deal got underway with the first leg of the UEFA Conference League semi-final between Chelsea’s men’s team and Djurgården on May 1.

Overall, the shirt sponsorship element is just one part of a wider tie-up between Chelsea and Damac, through which that brand will continue on as a club partner into next season (working on a soccer-themed real estate project in the process) even after giving up front-of-shirt rights.

Why it matters

Chelsea have not had a primary front-of-shirt sponsor since the end of the 2023-24 campaign, essentially a year ago.

Even the tie-up covering that campaign, a deal with sports data firm Infinite Athlete, which GlobalData Sport has estimated as worth $49 million, was only ever seen as a short-term fix, having been signed a few weeks into the season.

For a major Premier League club to go as long as Chelsea have without filling the most lucrative commercial sponsorship slot on offer is highly unusual, and points to the club’s ownership taking, whether intentionally or due to circumstances dictating this, a very non-traditional approach to the generation of revenues.

Indeed, this approach can be seen in how the club has sold two hotels next to its main Stamford Bridge home stadium, as well as the women’s team, to another entity controlled by its current ownership group (comprised of US businessman Todd Boehly and the Clearlake Capital private equity firm). The sale of these assets has allowed Chelsea to pass Premier League profit and sustainability regulations over the past couple of seasons.

The arrival of a real estate brand as a sponsor should also be noted, in the context of potential Chelsea infrastructure plans around Stamford Bridge – and potentially even for a new stadium, which has been discussed repeatedly as a possibility over the last few decades (despite possibly being at least 15 years away, Boehly has claimed recently).

Olivia Snooks, analyst at GlobalData Sport, commented: “Chelsea have begun the last two seasons without a front-of-shirt sponsor and have also spent the majority of the 2024-25 season without one. The short-term agreement with Damac Properties – covering only four Premier League games – therefore underscores the club’s pressing need for shirt sponsorship. It is hard to overstate how unusual it is in the Premier League for such a short-term deal to be put in place.

“In terms of how such a high-profile club has gone so long without signing a key piece of inventory, this suggests that Chelsea have either priced themselves out, or, more alarmingly, that brands simply have no interest. Indeed, given the way that sponsors abandoned the club towards the end of the Roman Abramovich regime, and the lack of success since the new owners came in, brands may be wary of getting involved with the club.

“On the other side of the coin, for Damac, the short-term deal is very convenient; their main focus is serving as the club’s property development partner beyond just the 2024-25 season, and the two parties are collaborating to build ‘The Chelsea Residences by DAMAC’. In terms of benefits for the club, the initial element provides Chelsea with a short-term cash injection they desperately need to avoid any potential FFP sanctions.

“Securing a spot in next season’s Champions League would undoubtedly enhance the club’s appeal to potential sponsors, making it a more attractive investment opportunity.”

The details

GlobalData Sport has valued the Chelsea-Damac front-of-shirt sponsorship deal as worth $3.5 million in total.

It covers the remainder of the men’s team’s Premier League and UEFA Conference League campaigns (Chelsea are favorites to win that latter competition), as well as the lucrative FIFA Club World Cup that the West London club are taking part in across June and July, held in the US.

It also covers the last couple of games for the Chelsea Women’s side in the Women’s Super League.

After the Club World Cup, Chelsea are expected to then go back to the market to secure a front-of-shirt sponsor on a much longer-term basis.

This season, the stable of top-tier Chelsea club partners includes brands such as Nike, BingX, and Live Nation, while lower-tier sponsors such as Betway, Cadbury, EA Sports, Linglong Tire, MSC Cruises, Rexona, Three, and Ticketmaster (a recent addition) are also signed on. Infinite Athlete, meanwhile, is this season the sleeve sponsor for the club’s training kits.

Chelsea’s men’s side currently sit fifth in the 20-team Premier League, and if they stay in that spot would qualify for the lucrative 2025-26 UEFA Champions League.

The women’s team, meanwhile, have already won the 2024-25 WSL, and are one game away from going through the whole domestic league season undefeated.


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Gilstrap Competes At 2025 NCAA Track And Field East Preliminaries

Story Links JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Stony Brook men’s track and field athlete Collin Gilstrap competed in the first round of the NCAA Preliminary Championships on Wednesday night. Competing in the 1,500-meter race, Gilstrap recorded the 25th-best time, finishing the race at 3:43.49. Missing out on qualifying for the next round by six […]

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Stony Brook men’s track and field athlete Collin Gilstrap competed in the first round of the NCAA Preliminary Championships on Wednesday night.

Competing in the 1,500-meter race, Gilstrap recorded the 25th-best time, finishing the race at 3:43.49. Missing out on qualifying for the next round by six spots.

QUOTES FROM THE SEAWOLVES
“Not the result we were hoping for tonight, but when you step on this stage, you need to be firing on all cylinders. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen for Collin tonight,” head coach Andy Ronan noted. “The goal was to make it to the 2nd round on Friday, but it didn’t happen. However, he gave his best effort in the attempt to get there. The season comes to an end after a return trip to the NCAA’s first round, retaining his Conference title and improving on his school record for the 1500. So, plenty of positives from the season to head into the summer with.”

For an inside look at the Seawolves track & field program, be sure to follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. 





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Spring Sports Round-Up | Harvard Independent

While sports fans regard fall as the coveted football season, as the NFL and NCAA run parallel, spring is the time for some of America’s most popular sports: baseball, softball, and lacrosse. This year, Harvard has seen success in many of its teams, from the most recognized to the least mainstream sports. With some teams […]

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While sports fans regard fall as the coveted football season, as the NFL and NCAA run parallel, spring is the time for some of America’s most popular sports: baseball, softball, and lacrosse. This year, Harvard has seen success in many of its teams, from the most recognized to the least mainstream sports. With some teams finishing in April and more going into late May, here are the teams’ results to date. 

Baseball:

The baseball team had a rough start to the season with a 16-game losing streak, which they eventually broke with a win against Holy Cross. They ended the season 14-28 after beating No. 1-ranked Yale and losing to No. 2-ranked Columbia in the Ivy League Tournament championship game. 

Softball:

The softball team had a remarkable season. Ending with a 26-13 record, the team succeeded both in-conference (15-6) and out-of-conference (11-7) games. By the end of the period, they were ranked second in the Ivy League. Despite these successes, Crimson softball suffered two tough defeats in the Ivy tournament, against Columbia and then Princeton, ending their season. 

Golf:

The golf teams start their season in September and compete until the Ivy League championship in April. The men’s and women’s teams’ year-long season saw ups and downs at their various invitationals. As they moved into the Ivy League championships, the women’s team finished second with a first-place individual finish from Vanessa Zhang ’28. The men’s team placed third with a second-place individual finish from Ieuan Jones ’28. After individually qualifying for regionals at the Ivy tournament, Zhang was a few shots at the NCAA regional finals away from making it to the NCAA championship tournament. 

Lacrosse:

The No. 26 women’s and No. 11 men’s lacrosse teams had solid seasons, ending with 9-6 and 10-5 records, respectively. Despite a decent in-conference season, the women’s team barely missed qualifying for the Ivy Tournament, ending the year with a regular-season 18-4 win over Columbia. After qualifying for the Ivy League Tournament, the men’s team suffered an 8-11 loss to No. 3 Princeton. Going into the NCAA tournament, the men’s team had their season ended by No. 6 Syracuse. After taking a dominant lead of 8-2 in the first 2 quarters, Syracuse battled back to 12-12, which set the match into overtime, concluding in a 12-13 nail-biting win for Syracuse. Despite the upsetting end to the season, Sam King ’25 was recently announced as one of the five finalists for the top award in lacrosse, the Tewaaraton presented by the Tewaaraton Foundation. The official awardee will be announced on May 29. 

Rowing:

Harvard’s four rowing teams have all had successful seasons. The No. 12 Radcliffe women’s open weight team garnered a clean sweep at the Big 10 tournament across all events. However, they struggled  at the Ivy League tournament, with the first eight-man team getting sixth, the second and third eight-man teams getting fourth, and the two four-man teams getting fourth. Despite this, they garnered a bid to the NCAA Championship. Radcliffe lights has earned podium finishes for almost all of their spring events. Most recently at the Eastern Sprints, the lightweights took a second-place finish in the eight and four-man A races, third in four-man B, and a sixth-place finish in the double. 

The No. 1 Harvard men’s heavies have dominated their season with their 1V, 2V, and 3V, earning first at almost all spring events, and 4V getting podium at all of their events. The crews are top contenders in the upcoming events. The lightweight men’s rowing team has earned 1st place finishes all spring for their 1V and 2V teams, along with top-three finishes for their 3V squad at all events. All teams will go on to their respective national championships, with the women’s open weight at the NCAA’s and the rest attending Intercollegiate Rowing Association events. 

Women’s Rugby 7’s:

After a championship win for their fall complete 15-man season, the team had a consistent 7-man season. The team placed third and second at the Crimson and Emperor 7’s, respectively. They then finished second to Dartmouth in the Ivy League championship. Finally, the team ended with a 5th place finish at the CRAA National 7’s tournament. They will return in the fall to defend their reigning national title for the 15’s.

Sailing:

The Harvard women’s and co-ed sailing teams have had a tumultuous season with what hopefully will be a strong finish. The sailing crew took home a first-place win at the ICSA Open Team Race National Championships, along with a women’s team race third-place finish. The teams will now look forward to their ICSA semifinals and finals, competing from May 22 to 29. 

Tennis:

The men’s and women’s tennis teams both maintained winning seasons. The No. 21 men’s team went 20-7 and 5-2 (conference), and the women’s team went 15-9 but undefeated in the Ivy League. Both advanced to the NCAA tournaments, where the women’s team suffered a first-round loss to No. 17 UCLA. The men’s team secured a 4-0 win over No. 37 Washington before losing 0-4 to No. 10 Arizona. 

Track and Field:

The men’s and women’s teams concluded the indoor season in March with the women’s team securing an 11th-place finish at the NCAA championships. After indoor, track and field moves outside with invitationals starting just a week after indoor championships. After competing in 14 outdoor invitationals, with second-place finishes at the Ivy League championships, Harvard T&F will go on to compete at the NCAA East Region First Round, May 28 to 31. Following this meet, they will hopefully continue to the NCAA outdoor championships from June 11 to 14.

Men’s Volleyball:

The No. 31 men’s volleyball team has maintained a turbulent season. They had a 9-15 overall record, and as one of Harvard’s only teams not within an Ivy League conference, they had a 5-7 record in the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association. Going into the conference tournament, the team’s season came to an end with a 0-3 loss to No. 22 Penn State. 

Women’s Water Polo:

The No. 10 women’s water polo team’s season culminated with a 26-7 record. The team added major wins against No. 15 UC Santa Barbara, No. 13 Princeton, No. 11 UC San Diego, and No. 14 University of Michigan to its resume. After the regular season, the team took home its first-ever Collegiate Water Polo Association Championship with two overtime wins against the University of Michigan and the University of Princeton. The team lost to No. 4 USC at the NCAA tournament. 

Harvard athletics had a massive year across the board, and spring season athletics certainly did not disappoint. Follow the Harvard athletics page as team results pour in from the upcoming competitions. 

Kalvin Frank ’28 (kfrank@college.harvard.edu) says Roll Crimson.



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Indiana University Athletics

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Head coach Steve Aird and the Indiana Volleyball program announced its 2025 schedule, aligning with the release of the full Big Ten slate by the conference office this afternoon (May 28). The Hoosiers will play the traditional 20-game league schedule on top of 10 contests in the non-conference.   “We have assembled […]

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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Head coach Steve Aird and the Indiana Volleyball program announced its 2025 schedule, aligning with the release of the full Big Ten slate by the conference office this afternoon (May 28). The Hoosiers will play the traditional 20-game league schedule on top of 10 contests in the non-conference.
 
“We have assembled a very competitive non-conference schedule that will test us against many NCAA Tournament-level teams,” Aird said. “We will open the 2025 campaign in Coral Gables and are excited to continue our series with Miami (Fla.). We will host our first matches at home on the second weekend before heading to some local stops against tough opponents.”  
 
Aird and his coaching staff put together a well-designed non-conference slate, built to attempt to maximize a strong strength of schedule and as many RPI points as possible. The Hoosiers open the season at Miami (Fla.) (Aug. 29), playing the Hurricanes for the third-straight year.
 
Four of IU’s non-conference opponents made the NCAA Tournament last season (Miami, Western Michigan, Loyola (Chicago) and Western Kentucky. Three of those teams won their respective conferences. Miami, Loyola and Western Kentucky all won at least one game in the tournament.
 
For the second-straight season, all Big Ten teams will play each other once in the regular season. Each school will play three of the league opponents both home and away. IU’s double play slate last season featured Ohio State, Illinois and Purdue but it will now pivot to playing Purdue, Maryland and Northwestern twice in the same year.
 
“The Big Ten schedule is as challenging as ever,” Aird said. “We feel we have a deep roster that will be tested over the 10 weeks, hopefully preparing us for the postseason. Our goal is to get this program back to postseason competition and it will take our entire roster to help achieve that goal.” 
 
The rest of IU’s conference schedule will flip designated home sites from last season. The Hoosiers’ west coast trip will be to Los Angeles to face USC (October 3rd) and UCLA (October 4th) on the first weekend of October. Washington (Sept. 27) and Oregon (Nov. 14) will make their first trips to Bloomington this year.
 
IU opens the conference slate on a Wednesday evening with a trip to play Northwestern (Sept. 24) in Evanston. Five of the first six matches in league play come away from Wilkinson Hall. IU’s only game at home in the first three weeks of conference action is against Washington.
 
However, IU will have two separate four-game homestands; one in October and one in November. The Hoosiers do the Michigan road swing in the second weekend of October, taking on Michigan (Oct. 10) and Michigan State (Oct. 12). The Hoosiers have won four-straight games against the Wolverines and five-straight contests against the Spartans.
 
The Monon Spike game with Purdue (Oct. 16) will be played at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, home of the Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever. It is believed to be the first-ever IU matched played in the famous NBA arena. It is followed on the schedule by a run of three-straight games at Wilkinson Hall against Ohio State (Oct. 19), Minnesota (Oct. 24) and Northwestern (Oct. 27). The Hoosiers finish out the month with a trip to Maryland (Oct. 31).
 
November begins with a trip to take on the defending National Champions, Penn State, at Rec Hall. IU will host five home games in the final month of the season against Iowa (Nov. 7), Oregon (Nov. 14), Maryland (Nov. 15), Rutgers (Nov. 20) and Nebraska (Nov. 22). The contest against the Huskers will be IU’s senior night.
 
Thanksgiving break will be spent playing two local rivals. A trip to Huff Hall and Illinois awaits IU on the night before thanksgiving (Nov. 26) before finishing out the regular season at Holloway Gymnasium and Purdue on Nov. 29. That game will be played the same day as the Old Oaken Bucket contest in West Lafayette.
 
2025 Volleyball Schedule
Non-Conference
(Miami, Fla.)
Friday, Aug. 29 – at Miami (Fla.)
Saturday, Aug. 30 – vs. VCU
 
(Bloomington, Ind.)
Thursday, Sept. 4 – vs. SEMO
Friday, Sept. 5 – vs. Northern Kentucky
Friday, Sept. 5 – vs. Western Michigan
 
(Chicago, Ill.)
Thursday, Sept. 11 – vs. Bowling Green
Friday, Sept. 12 – vs. Loyola (Chicago)
Saturday, Sept. 13 – vs. Stephen F. Austin
 
(Bowling Green, Ky.)
Friday, Sept. 19 – at Western Kentucky
Saturday, Sep. 20 – vs. Bradley
 
Conference
Wednesday, Sept. 24 – at Northwestern
Saturday, Sept. 27 – vs. Washington
Friday, Oct. 3 – at USC
Saturday, Oct. 4 – at UCLA
Friday, Oct. 10 – at Michigan
Sunday, Oct. 12 – at Michigan State
Thursday, Oct. 16 – vs. Purdue*
Sunday, Oct. 19 – vs. Ohio State
Friday, Oct. 24 – vs. Minnesota
Sunday, Oct. 26 – vs. Northwestern
Friday, Oct. 31 – at Maryland
Sunday, Nov. 2 – at Penn State
Friday, Nov. 7 – vs. Iowa
Sunday, Nov. 9 – at Wisconsin
Friday, Nov. 14 – vs. Oregon
Saturday, Nov. 15 – vs. Maryland
Thursday, Nov. 20 – vs. Rutgers
Saturday, Nov. 22 – vs. Nebraska
Wednesday, Nov. 26 – at Illinois
Saturday, Nov. 29 – at Purdue
 
* – (Indianapolis, Ind.)



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Husker volleyball season ticket holder frustrated by price hike, reseating

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — A new seating chart is coming to the Bob Devaney Center. Nebraska recently announced plans to reseat season ticket holders ahead of the 2026 season. This comes after the addition of more than 1,000 seats. On top of this, some season ticket holders are seeing an increase in the price of […]

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LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — A new seating chart is coming to the Bob Devaney Center.

Nebraska recently announced plans to reseat season ticket holders ahead of the 2026 season.

This comes after the addition of more than 1,000 seats.

On top of this, some season ticket holders are seeing an increase in the price of their seats.

“I’m a little jaded by it,” said Bruce Gottsleben, a 12-year ticket holder. “We’re so happy to have our tickets. Just this year, our mandatory donation was doubled, so we’re like, ‘Well geez, what’s that for?’”

SEE ALSO: Nebraska volleyball releases 2025 schedule

He said he’s not very happy with this plan.

“So potentially you have somebody that’s had their tickets like me for 10 to 12 years that could be completely out of their tickets because someone else with more money comes in and buys the seats,” he said.

Season ticket holders will select new seats in July 2026.

Athletic Director Troy Dannen said this may feel like a big change, but it should be happening regularly.

“I think you’re going to see it in football as well and at some point in time, you will see it at PBA,” he said. “So it’s something that happens fairly regularly, if we do it in the right way. It just so happens that we haven’t been doing it that way, so it’ll be backed up a little bit.”

But Gottsleben said he thinks this change will have a detrimental impact on the program.

He fears that it will become all about the money and “just a numbers game.”

“I’m wondering how long it’ll be before this team falls the way that the football team did.”





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Year in Sports 2024-25

In the past few years, college sports has been turned on its head. New name, image, and likeness money poured in as transferring became easier than ever and an NCAA settlement is poised to alter the makeup of collegiate athletics programs across the nation. With all the uncertainty, one thing has remained constant: Harvard athletes […]

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In the past few years, college sports has been turned on its head. New name, image, and likeness money poured in as transferring became easier than ever and an NCAA settlement is poised to alter the makeup of collegiate athletics programs across the nation. With all the uncertainty, one thing has remained constant: Harvard athletes are still landing on top.

This year, Harvard Athletics gave us no shortage of unforgettable moments and Crimson photographers are proud to have been there to capture them. From the 140th playing of The Game between Harvard and Yale at Harvard Stadium, to the return of women’s basketball to March Madness for the first time since 2007, the Multimedia Board had the chance to photograph some of the biggest moments of the year. Between the Ivy League championships, record-breaking performances, and quiet moments before the whistle blew, our photographers aimed to tell the story of the Crimson through every frame. These photos are just a snapshot of the energy, effort, and emotion that defined Harvard sports this year.



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Joziah and Davian Overcome Weather Delay to Complete Day One of the NCAA First Round Qualifiers

Fairfax, Va. – The Patriots opened the NCAA First Round with grit and determination as Davian Burke and Joziah Johnson left everything on the track in their respective events. A significant weather delay pushed all track events back by four hours, reshuffling the schedule and testing the athletes’ focus and resilience. The 110m hurdles were […]

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Fairfax, Va. – The Patriots opened the NCAA First Round with grit and determination as Davian Burke and Joziah Johnson left everything on the track in their respective events.

A significant weather delay pushed all track events back by four hours, reshuffling the schedule and testing the athletes’ focus and resilience. The 110m hurdles were moved to a 10:00 p.m. start, while the 400m hurdles did not begin until 12:05 a.m.

Davian Burke, a freshman, was the first Patriot to compete, running in lane two during the opening heat of the 110m hurdles. Despite the late hour and challenging conditions, Burke finished with a time of 14.18, placing 35th in the East region.

Joziah Johnson took the track later in the evening for the 400m hurdles. Despite the unusual 12:05 a.m. start, Johnson delivered a strong performance with a time of 52.23, earning 36th in the East region.

Up Next:

Kailynn Tyson will be the only George Mason athlete competing on Day Two of the NCAA First Round qualifiers. The women’s long jump has been rescheduled for 1:00 p.m.





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