www.thecourieronline.co.uk Monday 22 April 2013 Issue 1269 Free
Newcastle University’s award-winning student newspaper
Est. 1948
NEW WEBSITE A REALLY WILD p.14 LAUNCH TODAY ENCOUNTER
Newcastle sign deal with Adidas By Anna Templeton News Editor
A new partnership between Newcastle University, Newcastle University Students’ Union and Adidas is set to be the first ever collaboration between a UK institution and the global sports brand. The two-year deal will provide funding for improving coaching and support for the Athletic Union, part of the Students’ Union. Laura Mason, Athletic Union Officer, said: “This partnership is a fantastic opportunity to support, improve and extend the sporting achievements of those hard-working students who balance their studies with an amazing commitment to representing Newcastle University in their sport.” The main benefit to the Students’ Union from this deal will be finance which feeds directly into the funding of University sport in equipment and facilities. Mason explained: “This partnership with Adidas is a step-up in terms of the amount of funding that will be available to students from next academic year and signifies a more strategic focus for sport at Newcastle.” The partnership will give sports teams the ability to order and design their own kits to their own specifications on a new website. There will be a 40% discount for students ordering kit from Adidas, and for the wider student body there will be a 20% discount on items purchased from adidas.com. There will also be a 5% royalty payment to the University, based on the amount of Adidas merchandise sold. As part of the deal, two of the University’s most talented athletes will also be selected at the beginning of the next academic year to receive scholarships and sportswear. There will also be opportunities for Adidas brand ambassadors, who will receive a further discount on sportswear. “With this partnership there are significant financial benefits in terms of
sponsorship money for clubs and new sports scholarship bursaries, but also significant discount on Adidas sportswear exclusively for all Newcastle students. There are employability benefits in terms of placements in the Adidas group with part-time brand ambassador roles available on campus,” said Mason. “Adidas are a higher profile brand and will be a good quality, optional kit supplier for Team Newcastle and Intra Mural teams, plus there are opportunities for Adidas to bring big name sporting stars to campus for unique events (such as Olympic gold medalists that they also sponsor). “Feedback from clubs has been very positive so I hope Newcastle University students will feel fantastic in the clothing from Adidas and enjoy the many benefits this partnership will bring.” One of the biggest concerns for the Students’ Union is staying within the top 10 of the British Universities and Colleges Sports (BUCS) league, and there are hopes that the deal with Adidas will help cement this success for further years. Some students have raised concerns about the ethical profile of Adidas, with social media pages criticising the human rights standards of the company. The student network People and Planet have stated that: “Given the negative publicity that the company has been facing over this issue, it appears that Adidas is turning to more secretive methods to keep its profit margins high.” In a statement from the Adidas Group, they said: “The Adidas Group is committed to ensuring fair labor practices, fair wages and safe working conditions in factories throughout our global supply chain. These active efforts are guided by our core values as a company. Importantly, the Adidas Group is confident that we are adhering to and, in fact, exceeding standards our stakeholders expect from us on these matters.” continued on page 8
www.thecourieronline.co.uk
Magnificent Marrow hit the road
News p.3
Police alert of Jesmond streaker By Susie Beever News Editor Northumbria police are still appealing for information surrounding reports of indecent exposure in the Jesmond area. Witnesses have come forward claiming to have been confronted with a man exposing himself at two metro stations in the suburb. The occasion has twice been accounted for by passengers waiting for the Metro service on the platform at Ilford
Road and West Jesmond stations. The first incident happened at 7:10am outside Ilford Road station on Monday April 1st. The second incident was reported four days later, occurring at 7:20am on Friday April 5th at West Jesmond station. Inspector Caroline Ord of Newcastle Area Command said: “Enquiries are underway into these offences and we are looking into the possibility the incidents may be linked. “No-one was injured as a result of
these incidents but they have been left understandably shocked and upset. “We are doing everything we can to identify the person responsible and officers will be patrolling the area to offer reassurance to the public. “We would appeal to anyone with any information which may assist with our enquiries to come forward.” Police are interested to hear from any students with further information on these two events.