Premier League

Former Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, and Germany defender Niklas Süle recently made headlines by stepping onto the pitch for German amateur side SV Tiefenbach in the Kreisliga. Having stepped away from the professional game at the end of the 25-26 season, the 30-year-old made his debut for the local ninth-tier club in Baden-Württemberg alongside close friends. While Süle managed to score a headed goal in a 7-2 defeat against SG Kirchardt, we quickly spotted an unexpected detail: the match was played with the official Nike Premier League 24-25 Third ball.

Seeing a Premier League match ball in the lower divisions of German regional football is an unusual and amusing sight, as amateur clubs across the country usually rely on non-league or, also, Bundesliga balls.

The distinctive Nike Flight Premier League design inspired by the Total 90 design, complete with its signature aerodynamic groove pattern and Premier League graphics, stood out prominently on the district league pitch.

Following Hull City's signing of French midfielder Lucas Gourna-Douath, kit enthusiasts and football fans quickly noticed a similarity to one of the most iconic shirt prints in Premier League history. Gourna-Douath was unveiled holding his new black and amber striped 26-27 home kit featuring his hyphenated surname curved in a deep horseshoe arc around the number 29.

The visual immediately drew viral comparisons to Dutch striker Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, who famously wore the exact same squad number 29 for Hull City during the 2009-10 campaign. Vennegoor of Hesselink's 20-letter surname required an extreme rainbow arch on the back of his kit to fit around the Premier League typeface, creating an enduring aesthetic memory from the classic Barclays era.

The Hull City kit does not require a box at the back, unlike it might have been in the UEFA Champions League.

Nottingham Forest have officially announced a multi-year Principal Partnership with global financial services platform Marex. Starting with the 26-27 season, Marex will serve as the club's new front-of-shirt sponsor, replacing gambling brand Bally's. The agreement is reported to be worth approximately £25 million over a three-year period.

The clean Marex wordmark and arrow logo will be featured across the front of the Nottingham Forest men's and women's first-team playing and replica kits, as well as the club's netball team dresses. In addition to primary kit placement, Marex will become Forest's official Global Markets Partner and exclusive provider of foreign exchange and financial services.

The announcement resolves Forest's search for a principal partner just ahead of the new Premier League campaign, following a pre-season without a front-of-shirt sponsor. The transition also aligns with the Premier League's upcoming voluntary ban on gambling companies occupying front-of-shirt sponsorship inventory.