Swiss performance brand On has signed 18-year-old Kenyan middle-distance and steeplechase athlete Mercy Chepngeno to a Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) agreement, marking a notable commercial milestone for one of East Africa's most promising junior prospects.

Originally launched in 1996, the collaboration will mark its 30th anniversary in 2026, cementing it as one of the longest-running kit partnerships in South African sport.

Rather than a traditional endorsement, the collaboration is positioned as a purpose-driven partnership — focused on authentic storytelling, community initiatives, and highlighting the role of food, family, and everyday people in South African life.

Soufiane El Bakkali, one of the most dominant distance runners. El Bakkali famously disrupted decades of Kenyan dominance by winning Olympic gold in the 3,000m steeplechase at Tokyo 2020.

Liverpool Football Club has entered into a new long-term retail partnership with Old School Brand, one of South Africa's leading supporter and leisurewear brands, to launch the club's first official standalone retail stores on the continent

By investing across all four unions, SPAR is aligning its brand with unity, local economies, and the communities that sustain the sport.

The three-year partnership will see the global sports brand become the official technical sponsor of South Africa’s national football teams ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The expansion is part of the brand’s latest UCC (Uncommonly Common Concept) experience to the Western Cape.