Scottish Premiership side Partick Thistle secured a deal with Bank of Scotland last month to become debt free "thanks to investment from EuroMillions winners Christine and Colin Weir" as well as Billy Allan, who "already sits on the board of the Maryhill club." It is a "welcome cash injection" which means the Weirs will each hold a 5% stake in the club and it has gifted a further 19.28% of shares to the "newly established Partick Thistle Football Club Trust," with Allan's shareholding now sitting at almost 3%. Colin Weir "insists his financial outlay was always about trying to aid a club which has always been his footballing first love." Colin and his wife won £161M ($241.6M) in the lottery (Scotland DAILY RECORD, 12/7). ... The "wave of high-profile European clubs touring Australia continues" with Arsenal set to play two games in Australia. For the first time in 40 years, Arsenal will make the "long trip to Australia" to play friendly games against A-League clubs Sydney FC and Western Sydney Wanderers, likely at ANZ Stadium in July '17. The pre-season matches for all three clubs will be "among the highest profile games to be played in Australia in recent years, given the popularity of the north London club and their reluctance to make long trips for international friendlies" (SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 12/8). ... League Championship side Queens Park Rangers joined a "growing list of sports clubs that have integrated Eleven Sports Media’s fan engagement platform, StadiumTV, into their matchday offering." StadiumTV is Eleven’s most popular digital content platform and is currently broadcast at more than 40 venues, across football, rugby union and rugby league, including EPL clubs Newcastle United, West Ham United, Norwich City and Swansea City (SVG EUROPE, 12/8).
