Ben Mansford joins Charlton as CEO as DAZN partners with Oceanman
Ben Mansford has taken over as Chief Executive Officer at Charlton Athletic following approval from the Independent Football Regulator and the EFL Owners and Directors Test, ending a vacancy that began in March 2025.
Charlton Fills Long-Vacant Executive Role
In June 2025, the club announced plans to hire former Nottingham Forest and Barnsley Chief Executive Officer Dane Murphy, subject to regulatory testing. By July, the club and Murphy mutually agreed he would not take the position. Mansford steps into the role immediately, bringing prior executive experience from Leeds United, Barnsley, Blackpool, and Maccabi Tel Aviv. His career highlights include guiding Barnsley to promotion in the 2015/16 campaign and helping facilitate the sale of Leeds United to Andrea Radrizzani in 2017.
Charlton earned promotion back to the Championship in 2025 and is targeting Category One academy status. Chairman Gavin Carter stated that Mansford’s arrival will allow him to focus entirely on his duties as chairman. According to Carter, the club delayed the formal announcement until securing all necessary regulatory sign-offs.
DAZN Secures Multi-Year Open Water Swimming Rights
DAZN has entered into a multi-year agreement with open water swimming circuit OCEANMAN to serve as the series’ official media partner. The partnership opens with live, free-to-view coverage of the OCEANMAN Elite Race World Final Championship on November 13 in Miches, Dominican Republic. The wider World Final runs from November 10 to November 15, featuring Olympic medallists Rachele Bruni, Marc-Antoni Oliver, and Ginevra Taddeucci.
The initial broadcast will feature multi-camera setups, real-time race tracking, and expert commentary. The agreement scales up in 2027 to include expanded live coverage, athlete profiles, behind-the-scenes segments, and highlights from international stops across Europe, the Americas, Asia, and the Middle East. DAZN Group CEO Shay Segev noted that the property holds strong international potential for wider global visibility.
SBD Expands International Weightlifting Partnership
The International Weightlifting Federation has named Sheffield-based strength brand SBD as its official supplier of belts, knee sleeves, wrist wraps, and knee bandages. The deal builds on an existing relationship established in 2025 under which SBD supplies the official weightlifting costume through 2032. The expanded agreement was finalized at the 2026 IWF World Championships in Ningbo, China, which run from October 27 to November 8.
All items covered under the new supply agreement are manufactured at SBD’s headquarters in Sheffield and launched globally on October 27. SBD has established partnerships with 17 national weightlifting federations during its inaugural year in the sport, with 11 national teams competing in SBD singlets in Ningbo.
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