Sportico transactions: moves and mergers roundup for Oct. 2. October 2, 2026 2:00pm Welcome to Sportico's transactions wire, a weekly rundown of personnel, partnerships and products across the sports business industry. Personnel. NWSL Names Senior Director of Pathways and Development The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) announced the appointment of Meghan Frey as senior director of pathways and development, a role focused on advancing the league's strategy to strengthen the pathways for prospective players and coaching staff into the professional game. Frey brings more than 20 years of experience across player development, talent identification, coach education, league strategy and governance. Most recently, she served as sporting director of the Girls Academy League. Catherine Frey Appointed to WTA Board of Directors Catherine Frey has been appointed to the WTA Tour Board of Directors as a player board representative. In this capacity she will serve as a link between the governing leadership of the Tour, WTA athletes and their representatives on the WTA Players' Council, ensuring their views are represented in decision-making at the top of professional women's tennis. Frey has more than 35 years of experience in capital markets, private equity, M&A and financial engineering, at organizations including Morgan Stanley and Bear Stearns. Splash Sports Hires Activision Veteran Elizabeth Burr Splash Sports, the skill-based social sports gaming platform, announced the appointment of Elizabeth Burr as vice president of marketing. In this role, Burr will oversee all marketing operations and lead the company's brand strategy, product adoption initiatives and strategic partnerships. Burr brings more than two decades of marketing and business leadership across gaming, technology, finance and consumer brands. Most recently, she served as senior director, mobile marketing at Activision. Hometown Soccer Holdings Announces Executive Hires Hometown Soccer Holdings (HSH), announced three additions to its executive leadership team: Eric Strumwasser as chief financial & operating officer; Ashley Dabb, Esq. as vice president, marketing; and Mike Ernst as vice president, ticketing. All three will work across HSH's growing portfolio of clubs, including the recently announced New Jersey MLS Next Pro. Mark Allen & Co. Names Vice President and Account Director Mark Allen & Co., a public relations agency specializing in amplifying confident brands, announced two senior hires, naming Isaac Benjamin vice president and Stacey Richman account director in its New York office. Benjamin, a former Sunshine Sachs Morgan & Lylis account director, and Richman, former head of communications at DAZN North America, a global sports streaming platform, bring expertise across technology, creative industries, entertainment and sports. The hires follow Mark Allen & Co.'s acquisition of Miami-based Alban Communications earlier this year. Owl Appoints Tech and Gaming Veteran Chris Haire as CTO Owl, the live video intelligence layer for sports, has appointed Chris Haire as Chief Technology Officer. Haire brings more than two decades of expertise building large-scale, real-time platforms across consumer software, gaming and live experiences. He joins from VSCO, where, as CTO, he re-platformed the company and shipped AI features for a global creator community. In his new role with Owl, he will oversee engineering and applied AI development as Owl AI expands its capabilities and delivers objective insights to officials, leagues and athletes. TMRW Sports Expands Leadership Team for New Pro Flag League TMRW Sports announced the addition of four experienced executives to the leadership team for the new professional flag football league being developed in partnership with the NFL ahead of the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. Laura Andriani will lead marketing, digital, social and communications for the flag football league, driving brand and audience growth. Previously, she was senior vice president of consulting at sports marketing agency Two Circles. Alyssa Marks will focus on commercial partnerships, growing revenue and brand relationships. She was previously senior director of global business development and partnerships at the LPGA. Thomas McHardy will shape the growth, structure and long-term strategy of the flag football division. He previously worked as TMRW Sports' vice president of team marketing and business operations. Steve Worling will oversee competition, venue and core tech for the flag football league. Previously he worked as senior director of IT at Virgin Voyages. Partnerships. Shohei Ohtani, Chandler Bats Announce Global Bat Partnership Shohei Ohtani and Chandler Bats are partnering to create a new global bat line built for players at every level of the game, from youth athletes to Major League players. In the coming weeks, the collection will launch with a limited release of 1,000 SO17.4 wood bats, built to Ohtani's exact game-model specifications, not simply as a collector's piece. To honor Ohtani's heritage and connection with fans in Japan, 500 will be reserved for the Japanese market, with the remaining 500 available as the World Edition. Atlanta City FC Selects Official Healthcare Provider Atlanta City FC has selected Wellstar Health System, a healthcare provider based in Georgia, as the official healthcare provider of the club. Through this multiyear partnership, Wellstar and Atlanta City FC will ensure the club's athletes receive a high level of care on and off the pitch, while developing community and philanthropic efforts focused on the health and wellbeing of all women and female athletes. 10-Year Extension for FIA WEC Agreed Between FIA, ACO The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) and the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO), the founder and organiser of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, have announced a major deal for the FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC) that will run from the end of 2027, when the current agreement expires, to the end of 2037. Under the extended partnership agreement, all regulatory processes will be overseen by FIA Working Groups, the FIA Endurance Commission and will require the final approval of the FIA World Motor Sport Council. The homologation process has also been streamlined. The renewed partnership will also deliver significantly increased branding for the FIA, including enhanced branding prominently displayed across key areas including parc fermé, the podium and the Safety Cars, as well as across broadcast coverage. CW Network, NHRA Reach Multiyear Broadcast Agreement The CW Network and National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) announced a new multiyear media rights agreement for the CW Network to broadcast the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. Beginning in fall 2027, The CW will be the exclusive multiplatform home for the final seven races of the season, including the world's biggest drag race at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, as well as the full six-race Countdown to the Championship playoffs. Doppel, San Francisco 49ers Announce Multiyear Partnership The San Francisco 49ers and Doppel, the Frontier AI Social Engineering Defense (SED) platform, announced a multiyear partnership naming Doppel the Official Social Engineering Defense Partner of the team. The agreement marks Doppel's first collaboration with an NFL franchise and will showcase the company across gameday promotions, in-stadium signage, social media content and custom events. Sports Illustrated Tickets, Jacksonville Jaguars Partner in NFL UK Sports Illustrated Tickets has announced it will serve as an Official Fan Experience Partner of the Jacksonville Jaguars in the UK, supporting the team around its two London games this season, including its International Series matchup against the Houston Texans at Wembley Stadium on Oct. 18. The relationship expands Sports Illustrated Tickets' European footprint, a point of emphasis for the division.

OWL AI, a live intelligence platform for sports and media, has appointed Jay Prasad as chief executive officer. He succeeds Josh Gwyther, former head of AI at Google Cloud, who transitions to an advisor role. Founded by Olympic champion Jeremy Bloom and launched from Boulder, Colorado, OWL AI debuted its AI-powered judging platform at the 2025 X Games before raising an $11 million seed round led by S32, with participation from Menlo Ventures and Susa Ventures. The company has since expanded beyond officiating into a broader platform that transforms live video into real-time intelligence for production, analytics and fan engagement. Prasad previously served as CEO of Relo Metrics and held leadership positions at LiveRamp and VideoAmp, focusing on computer vision and data platforms for media.