Compare the Market announced as new Principal Partner of The Hundred

The Hundred has today announced a new partnership with Compare the Market, who will become the Principal Partner of the competition.

Alongside the excitement of the unmissable 100-ball competition and live DJs and music at each ground, Compare the Market will be adding to the experience with the help of its Meerkat characters and newest family member, Carl the wombat. Compare the Market have also teamed up with leading online gamers to help engage new audiences in-ground and at-home.

Combining a short, fast format of world-class cricket, with each game lasting less than three hours, and incredible entertainment beyond the sport, The Hundred is making cricket more accessible and reaching a broader audience.

In 2022, The Hundred attracted a total of 14.1m viewers across Sky and BBC. In addition to this, more than half a million fans attended matches, including a rise in family spectators compared to 2021. 

Sanjay Patel, Managing Director of The Hundred said: “As we approach the start of this year’s competition, we are delighted to be able to announce Compare the Market as Principal Partner of The Hundred. 

“Compare the Market are one of the most recognisable UK brands. They will add even more fun and entertainment to go alongside the world-class cricket on show, and that is what The Hundred is all about. This partnership will spread the reach of cricket to more families across England and Wales, and we are looking forward to what Compare the Market has in store for the third edition of the competition in August.”

Mark Bailie, Chief Executive Officer of Compare the Market, commented: “The Hundred has become a much-loved fixture on the sporting calendar, offering up an exciting and energetic new take on cricket.

“The Hundred plays a critical role in cricket’s drive to become the most inclusive sport in the country, and that’s something we are proud to support. 

“Bringing together our entertaining brand with one of the most entertaining sports is an exciting partnership and we’re looking forward to revealing the plans we have in place to support this year’s competition and beyond.’’

The View From Africa: Kenya’s Talenta Initiative goes digital: changing talent scouting and monetisation

In this week’s View From Africa piece Cynthia Mumbo, CEO of SportsConnect Africa, shines a light on how Kenya’s government is moving forward in its embracing of technology.

Kenya’s government has taken a significant step forward by embracing digital technology with the launch of a mobile application for its flagship talent development programme, Talanta Hela, which literally translates to Monetise Talent in Swahili. The Kenyan government’s unique platform promises to streamline the process of identifying and fostering exceptional individuals while also giving chances for them to monetise their abilities. The Talanta Hela app is poised to revolutionise talent management in sports and creative sectors because of its user-friendly layout and simple registration process.

Government of Kenya’s Goals and Objectives

The Kenyan government, through its Talanta Hela initiative, has set forth ambitious goals in the realm of talent development. By digitising the process and utilizing a mobile application, the government aims to achieve the following objectives:

  1. Identify Hidden Talents: Kenya’s government is dedicated to identifying and cultivating talent from all throughout the country. The Talanta Hela app enables talented individuals to demonstrate their talents by offering a user-friendly and accessible platform, guaranteeing that no potential ability goes undetected or unexplored.
  2. Nurturing and Skill Enhancement: Once identified, the chosen talents are given thorough advice and support to help them improve their skills. Through training programmes, workshops, and exposure to professional contexts, the government hopes to assist these persons in developing their abilities and reaching their full potential. They will be trained at the Kenya Academy of Sports which is also a government institution.
  3. Monetisation and Economic Empowerment: Recognising the significance of economic empowerment, the Talanta Hela app allows athletes and creatives to monetise their abilities. The government hopes to establish sustainable careers in sports and the creative sectors by exposing these persons to numerous options such as endorsements, sponsorships, and professional contracts. 

Challenges that may be faced

While the digitalisation of Kenya’s Talanta Hela plan has various benefits, it is critical to recognise and solve the possible issues that may develop throughout its implementation. Some of the difficulties that this initiative may confront are as follows:

  1. Barriers to Technology: Despite attempts to assure accessibility, not everyone has access to cell phones or dependable internet connections. This may limit the involvement of brilliant persons who lack the technological tools required to interact with the Talanta Hela app.
  2. Digital Divide: In certain regions or communities, there may be a significant digital divide, resulting in unequal access to technology and digital literacy. This divide could hinder the initiative’s ability to reach and identify talented individuals from underprivileged areas, potentially perpetuating existing disparities.
  3. Connectivity and Infrastructure: Adequate network connectivity and infrastructure are critical for a digital platform’s successful operation. Talent submission, assessment, and communication procedures may be hampered in places with low or unpredictable network access, resulting in delays or challenges in the talent management process.
  4. User Adoption and Awareness: It is critical for the Talanta Hela app’s success to ensure widespread adoption among skilled individuals. The effort may confront difficulties in raising knowledge about the app and its benefits, as well as persuading talent to engage actively and submit their profiles. To solve this obstacle, education and awareness activities will be critical.
  5. Data Privacy and Security: Concerns concerning data privacy and security arise from the digitalization of talent profiles and personal information. Protecting sensitive personal data and maintaining safe information transit and storage will be critical. To earn the trust of talent and stakeholders, the government must enact strong data protection safeguards. Kenya is now one of the top African countries in this field.
  6. Talent Evaluation and Bias: While digitalisation can assist decrease some biases, the possibility of subjective judgement or biases in the talent scouting and selection process remains. It is critical to have clear and objective evaluation standards in place, as well as to guarantee that talent selection is based on merit and potential rather than personal preferences or external influences.
  7. Resource Allocation and Sustainability: The Talanta Hela plan requires adequate resources, including financing, technical infrastructure, and qualified staff, to be implemented successfully. Long-term sustainability and procuring required resources can be difficult, especially in resource-constrained regions. To address this, the government is carrying out the initiative through the Kenya Academy of Sports, a government body tasked with developing sports talent.

Positive Effects of the Kenyan Initiative

The digitalisation of Kenya’s Talanta Hela programme has various positive consequences for both athletes and the sports business scene in general:

  1. Increased Accessibility: The availability of the Talanta Hela app on both Android’s Play Store and Apple’s App Store ensures that talents from diverse backgrounds can participate in the scouting process. This inclusivity allows for a more comprehensive talent pool, ensuring equal opportunities for aspiring talents regardless of their technological preferences.
  2. Efficient Talent Identification: The availability of the Talanta Hela app on both the Android Play Store and the Apple App Store means that talents from varied backgrounds may participate in the scouting process. This inclusion provides for a more diverse talent pool, guaranteeing equal opportunity for budding talents regardless of their technological inclinations.
  3. Enhanced Transparency: Throughout the talent scouting and selection process, the Talanta Hela app provides transparency. A scout is allocated to each talent profile, and selections are made based on objective evaluation criteria. This digital platform offers a fair and transparent approach that eliminates bias and creates equal opportunity for all participants.
  4. Real-time Updates and Notifications: The digital portal provides talent with real-time information on the status of their profiles. The app keeps talents informed every step of the journey, from submission to review and invitation to physical testing, decreasing ambiguity and fear while encouraging a sense of connection and involvement.

The Case for a Digital Platform in Kenya

The decision by the Kenyan government to adopt a digital platform for the Talanta Hela initiative holds several advantages over a purely manual system:

  1. Efficiency and Scalability: The Kenyan government assures a more effective and scalable talent scouting process by using digital technologies. The automation of numerous procedures, such as profile submission, review, and notification, enables the initiative to efficiently manage a higher volume of talent, therefore increasing its reach and impact.
  2. Standardisation and Quality Control: The Talanta Hela app guarantees that talent evaluation is standardised and consistent. It lays out clear standards for submitting talent, and the digital format allows for the addition of important material such as videos and skill descriptions. This standardised technique encourages fair evaluation and quality control, ensuring that skills are evaluated using objective criteria.
  3. Data Analytics and Continuous Improvement: The use of a digital platform makes data collecting and analysis easier, offering significant insights into talent trends, preferences, and scouting habits. This data may be used by the Kenyan government to make data-driven choices, improve the talent management process, identify areas for development, and adjust offers to match the changing demands of people and industry stakeholders.

Conclusion

The government-led digitalisation of Kenya’s Talanta Hela programme represents a key milestone in the field of talent scouting and management and is a first for an African nation. The effort intends to find hidden talents, cultivate their abilities, and facilitate economic empowerment by utilising a smartphone application. The programme was recently established, so it will be fascinating to observe how the sports world, both local and worldwide, responds to this new effort, as well as the long-term influence the initiative has on sports talent and the sports business sector. 

Member Insights: Beyond Greatness: FIFA’s lucky Women’s World Cup

We are now just seven days away from the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, Michael Pirrie international events advisor, looks forward to a tournament that could revolutionise women’s sport.

With a vibrant economy, vast mineral reserves, sophisticated urban infrastructure, vibrant migrant communities and spectacular coastal beach and rain forest settings, Australia has often been called the ‘Lucky Country.’

Confronted post pandemic, like many nations, with high interest and inflation rates and growing cost of living pressures, Australia hasn’t felt lucky in recent times.

When challenged, the nation often expresses itself through sport, and turns to its sporting heroes and teams for inspiration.

Thousands filled pre-dawn city streets and centres late last year to watch the men’s soccer team on giant screens during the World Cup from Qatar.

The mood in the early morning gatherings swung wildly between euphoria and despair every time the Socceroos scored or were scored against in scenes rarely seen before in Australian sport.

This sports obsessed nation is preparing to take its passion for soccer to another level.

Just months after the FIFA Men’s World Cup survived a crash landing in Qatar with one of the great cup finals, the best women’s footballers are gathering on the vast island continent of Australia and neighbouring New Zealand, preparing to take football’s possibilities to new heights. 

WOMEN’S BIGGEST SPORTING EVENT

The explosive skill and dazzle of femme football will soon fill screens of all shapes and sizes around the globe as the world cup rotates from the Middle East to one of the world’s most distant and passionate regions for sport.

The FIFA Women’s World Cup beginning next Thursday will be the biggest women’s sporting event of modern times, showcasing the silky, high impact footwork and daring displays of precision football movement and planning, based on total team commitment – key characteristics of the immense appeal and popularity of women’s football.

The geographic and cultural changeover could hardly be more extreme as the world cup transitions from the smallest host nation in Qatar to one of the largest.

The Women’s Cup will play out across 12 venues in 10 cities spanning Australia and New Zealand, and several time zones. 

Cup preparations have formed a microcosm of the geopolitical and economic conditions shaping sport in a post pandemic world struggling with the widening fall out from Russia’s war and possible recession.

While the IOC encounters opposition over plans to return Russian athletes to the Olympic Games, FIFA’s bans on Russian teams remain in place for the Women’s World Cup, with co-hosts Australia and New Zealand continuing to supply military aid to Ukraine.

The Canadian Soccer Players’ Association meanwhile expressed deep concern earlier this year over cuts to the national programme, prompting a warning at the time that its women’s Olympic gold medal team from the Tokyo Games was considering possible Cup strike action.

The recent star-studded launch of the USWNT, which included US President Joe Biden, First Lady Jill Biden and pop superstar Taylor Swift, among others,  confirmed the growing geopolitical and social significance of soccer in American and global society. 

The team’s launch contrasted sharply with China’s diminishing presence on the world cup stage despite allocating vast resources to President Xi Jinpin’s directive for his nation to become a global superpower in the world game.

FIFA is hoping this Cup can regain momentum for women’s football disrupted by the pandemic and showcase the progress in women’s football since the Cup’s inception in 1991 

The positive impacts of the tournament and funding for support and development programs for women across the world, has sometimes been obscured by controversies involving the governing body.

BEYOND GREATNESS

The Women’s World Cup has been one of FIFA’s great successes with national women’s teams often out-performing their male counterparts in Cup rankings and wins.

This will be the biggest Women’s tournament with 32 teams competing for the first time, the same number as the men’s tournament in Qatar.

Teams will debut from Morocco, Panama, Portugal, the Republic of Ireland, Vietnam, Philippines and Zambia, reflecting the expanding global quality of women’s football. 

NEW CUP MODEL

The tournament has been designed around FIFA’s new “Beyond Greatness” brand and vision for the Cup, promoting the opportunities and benefits provided by football to women in sport and in life.

“The core purpose of the FIFA Women’s World Cup is to showcase women’s talent. Everything we’re trying to achieve for women in football and women in society will be on display for the world to see in Australia and New Zealand,” said Sarai Bareman, FIFA Chief Women’s Football Officer. 

Their new approach is also important to moving beyond the corruption plagued era of former president Sepp Blatter, which culminated in crippling scandals over the selection of Russia and Qatar to host the 2018 and 2022 Cups.

The electrifying Argentina-France final rescued Qatar’s tournament but did not wash away the human rights concerns.

While FIFA and others point to improved labour conditions for immigrant workers in Qatar, difficult questions remain over why the lives of workers had to be sacrificed for a sporting event to make work safer in the gulf state. 

Tensions over sport’s values, roles and responsibilities in relation to sports washing remain post Qatar, crossing borders and oceans and landing near the playing fields of the Australia and New Zealand Cup.

FIFA was forced to abandon plans for Visit Saudi, the tourism arm of the Saudi Arabian government, to become a major sponsor of the Cup.

The back down followed fierce opposition from the host nations, governments, football federations and leading footballers over Saudi’s human rights record and treatment of women. 

The Australia-New Zealand Cup heralds a new Cup era, model and management style under Fifa president Gianni Infantino.

There has been a realisation in FIFA headquarters of lingering impacts on the brand caused by human rights issues in Qatar and circumstances surrounding its selection as host, along with the event’s unprecedented $200 billion price tag, deterring future bidding nations.

It marks the first time the tournament has been staged in the Southern Hemisphere and hosted between two countries.    

The current co-hosts were chosen in the wake of reforms led by Infantino to restore credibility to the cup selection process, which can involve presidents, prime ministers and monarchs amid forensic global scrutiny.

The host nations were selected in a more transparent manner that emphasised the technical merits of bid plans for venues, transport, security, accommodation and other key services and facilities to eliminate outside influence and manipulation         

“This is the new FIFA, this is the new FIFA we want, this is the new FIFA we stand for,” Infantino enthusiastically declared after Australia and New Zealand were nominated to host the Cup ahead of Columbia in the early stages of the pandemic 2020.

Co-hosting has spread the risks, costs and opportunities from staging the Cup across Australia and New Zealand, with extensive use of existing venues and other infrastructure in both nations containing costs and preventing budget blow outs. 

This provides a new model for major international events in the current climate of global uncertainty and government spending cuts.   

The split hosting model will be used increasingly under Infantino’s presidency, with the 2026 Men’s Cup shared between, America, Canada and Mexico.  

While the treatment of immigrant workers shadowed Qatar, the Women’s World Cup comes at a time of profound introspection in Australia over the extreme health, education, social justice and family disadvantages faced by its indigenous Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

The cultures of Australia’s First Nations people – part of the oldest continuing living culture in the world – and Maori people of New Zealand will be fully integrated into the tournament’s milestone moments.

The showcasing will include the presence of indigenous flags at the finals for the first time in a major concession by FIFA to its strict match day protocols to make the tournament as inclusive as possible. 

While indigenous recognition will form one of the tournament’s central themes, the history of mistreatment suffered by the First Nations may also its most controversial background issue.

Australia has rallied around the women’s tournament after its previous $32 million tax payer funded government bid secured just one vote in the infamous host nomination process for the 2022 Men’s World Cup awarded to Qatar.

Australia and New Zealand have enthusiastically embraced the tournament as the biggest event to hit the region since the globally-acclaimed Sydney 2000 Olympic Games set new standards for mega sporting event experiences.

FIFA is hoping for an encore mega event that also excites the world.  

Much will depend on Australia’s Matildas and the New Zealand Football Ferns to engage their nations and push as far as possible into the tournament.

While distant from football’s epicentres, the Matildas have been shaped by the skills and experiences of several players who have represented some of Europe’s top clubs.

The team will be captained by Sam Kerr, the multi-nominated Ballon d’ Or striker with Chelsea FC and Australia’s first household women’s football star.

The Matildas have been successful against some of the best qualifiers, including a 2-0 friendly win over England in London last April; in front of expected sell out home crowds the team promises to be competitive.      

FEVER PITCH 

FIFA has already announced that Australia’s opening match against Ireland will switch venue to the 83,500 capacity Stadium Australia, the former main venue for the Sydney Olympics and largest venue for the football tournament, due to high ticket demand. 

This will allow up to 100,000 fans to attend the World Cup’s opening games, with the match between co-hosts New Zealand taking place earlier in Auckland.

THE FUTURE IS WOMEN

The tournament is on schedule to become the most attended women’s sporting event ever staged with more than 1 million tickets sold, surpassing the previous tournament record in France in 2019.       

“The future is women, thanks to the fans for supporting what will be the greatest FIFA Women’s World Cup ever,” Infantino said earlier this year. 

Moving forward, FIFA needs to use funding from the 2023-26 world cup cycle to improve competition and skill levels in Asia, the most populous but least successful footballing continent.

Football cannot be considered a truly global game while China and India, the world’s two biggest nations, remain on the sidelines at Cup finals.  

CONCLUSION:

NATION CHANGING FOOTBALL

The scale and grandeur of World Cups can produce nation changing moments. 

One of the most powerful: the Japanese women team’s miraculous victory over the United States on penalties in 2011. This followed the fatal underwater earthquake that devasted east Japan, killing thousands.  

Reflecting on the importance of the win to a shattered nation, one of the Japan team’s stars, Homare Sawa, said: “We were exhausted, but we kept running…Japan has been hurt, and so many lives have been affected…We cannot change that. But Japan is coming back, and this was our chance to represent our nation.”

“We played the tournament not only for ourselves,” said goalkeeper, Ayumi Kaihori.

“We felt we had not only the support of Japan, but also the whole world.”

With score lines that can mean the difference between national failure or success and triumph or tragedy for teams involved, the World Cup inevitably produces compelling story lines, some of which are already in early draft form.

These include the American team’s historic campaign to become the first to score an unprecedented three consecutive Cup victories.    

The team’s chances depend heavily on Megan Rapinoe, America’s once in a generation soccer superstar who will retire after the Cup, creating a story within a story.

Almost as well known for her social activism as her supreme football skills, Rapinoe achieved legend status at the London 2012 Olympic Games after scoring a so-called “Olimpico” goal, directly hitting the back of the net like a missile launched from a corner kick.  

History also beckons for the Lionesses to bring the World Cup feeling back to England where, in 1863, the newly formed English Football Association drafted the first Laws of the Game of football.

Hopes are high for an epic final like Qatar but without the controversy. If so, this could be Fifa’s Lucky World Cup.

Manchester United launch first profile on Snapchat

Manchester United today launched its first official profile on Snapchat, with a mission to further inspire and entertain millions of fans around the world with new experiences that will transform how they celebrate and watch sports content.

The profile @manutd is now live ahead of the men’s first team pre-season tour across Europe and the United States – giving fans new ways to follow and experience the club ahead of and during the upcoming season which starts against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Old Trafford on 14 August.

Over 750 million Snapchatters around the world will be able to watch match highlights from the Men and Women’s team, behind the scenes content including match preparation, clips from the training ground, fan-generated content and post- match activities.

Powered by Snapchat’s Live Garment transfer tech, fans will also be able to use the app to virtually try on the official Manchester United team kit for the upcoming season and buy it directly from the club’s online store. Fans can also play with new Lenses that help them experience the view from the best seats within Old Trafford.

Fans can subscribe to the Snapchat profile HERE or by searching United on Snapchat. Fans can also virtually try-on and buy the latest home kit by scanning the code HERE using the Snapchat camera.

Ian Nolan, Chief Content Officer at Manchester United, said: “Snapchat is a hugely popular global platform that will further add to the numerous ways the club engages on social media with our millions of fans around the world.”

“We are excited to launch today as the team prepares for our pre-season tour of the United States and look forward to sharing exclusive behind-the-scenes content with fans, as well as introducing them to the innovative features of the Snapchat platform.”

“We want to reward our most loyal fans for their passionate support and through the Snapchat lenses feature we will be looking out for the most creative fan-generated content.”

Alejandro Arenas, International Sports Partnerships at Snap, said: We are thrilled to welcome Manchester United, one of the world’s biggest football clubs to

Snapchat as we continue to bring more incredible football and sports content to millions of Snapchatters around the globe. Snapchat continues to offer new ways for fans to experience, celebrate and watch sports with their friends and family – whether that’s watching catching up on goals from the weekend or using an AR Lens to try-on the latest home kit for the upcoming season. We look forward to bringing Snapchatters more ways for them to follow and engage with great football content as we countdown to the new season.

Other content from all areas of Manchester United, will include video highlights with club legends and regular giveaways of signed and match-worn kit to reward our fans who demonstrate the most creativity.

Enjoy all this and more by following the profile on Snapchat today.

Super Bowl winners Kansas City Chiefs top the NFL Brand Health Rankings

This month’s Brand Health Index powered by YouGov takes a trip across the pond to focus on NFL franchises with the Kansas City Chiefs coming out on top.

It is no surprise that the Kansas City Chiefs have come out on top of the rankings and with Patrick Mahomes at Quarterback (QB) they have won two of the last four Super Bowls and look to be on the path to creating a dynasty. 

The San Francisco 49ers are our second biggest winners. One of the NFL’s most-historic franchises, the ‘Niners, have got a stronghold of support in the Bay Area thanks to the Raiders leaving Oakland for Las Vegas. They also were one of last season’s success stories with rookie QB Brock Purdy guiding them to the conference finals.

The Buffalo Bills have also improved their score massively from 2019 by being the first franchise to have a strong TikTok following, now at 1.9 million. While having a successful season they also became famous the world over after Damar Hamlin’s on-field heart attack, after this they became the nation’s second favourite team.

The Cincinnati Bengals are another one of our biggest winners. Since the arrival of QB Joe Burrow they have seen an upturn both on the field and in fans after he brought some of the LSU fanbase with him. The Bengals are also looking to redevelop their stadium which could see them rise further up the rankings. 

Despite being second in our rankings the Green Bay Packers are our biggest losers. They have recently lost legendary QB Aaron Rogers which could have had a big effect on the franchise.

Our second biggest losers are the Washington Commanders. The Commanders are about to have a change of ownership confirmed with Joe Harris purchasing the team for $6.05 billion. The team has changed their name twice since our last poll in 2019. They were originally known as the Redskins until 2020 when they changed, for discriminatory reasons, to the Washington Football Team and then to the Commanders.

Here is the rest of the index:

IMG scores deal to produce BBC’s Women’s World Cup coverage

IMG, a global leader in sports, events and media, will produce the BBC’s highly anticipated coverage of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, taking place in Australia and New Zealand from Thursday 20 July.

Under the agreement, IMG will manage the incoming live match feed, studio presentation and highlight programming for the BBC’s 33 fixtures throughout the tournament, including the final and semi-final stages. IMG will also have a dedicated production team embedded in the England Lionesses’ camp to create exclusive content for the BBC’s digital and news channels. 

Barney Francis, Executive Vice President and Head of Global Production at IMG, said: “The entire nation will be watching this summer’s World Cup with anticipation and excitement. We’re proud to bring viewers all the best live action and thrilling highlights through IMG’s coverage on the BBC, so fans can experience the Lionesses’ journey from home.”

IMG’s coverage will kick off with the tournament’s opening game between hosts New Zealand and Norway on July 20th and includes England’s group stage match against Denmark.

This latest deal will see IMG leverage its industry-leading experience and expertise producing live football for some of the biggest domestic and international broadcasters from its world-class studio facilities at Stockley Park. This includes coverage of the England men’s UEFA Nations League matches, European Qualifiers and International Friendlies for Channel 4, English Football League highlights show for ITV, the MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, and UEFA Champions League coverage for U.S. network, CBS. IMG is also the Premier League’s international production partner, producing and distributing the world feed for all 380 matches each season alongside creative digital and social content.

Magnifi announced as latest iSportConnect advisory partner

iSportConnect can today announce that Magnifi, a company that offers cutting edge video solutions powered by AI, have become part of iSportConnect’s Advisory service. 

Magnifi revolutionises video content by employing innovative technologies for video analysis and editing. This enables a remarkable transformation of videos into digital-ready assets.  

Their solution enables content owners & rights holders to tag and identify key moments automatically, personalise and brand these bite-sized assets to create highlights and short form videos in real time. 

Magnifi offers a comprehensive video technology ecosystem that delivers dynamic video content in real time in engaging, cost-efficient, and user-friendly formats. Their dashboard allows for seamless processing and can repurpose both live and archived content.

Magnifi caters to OTT players, broadcasters, sports clubs and leagues, e-gaming platforms, schools, and colleges. Their scalable platform enhances production processes and opens doors to new monetization opportunities.

“iSportsConnect brings immense value to our partnership through their industry expertise, extensive network and shared values to encourage innovation. We are thrilled to partner with them and explore how we can help shape this space and the industry together.” – Vinayak S, CEO and Co-founder

“When we met with the team and they showed us the product it was clear they had something really smart and we wanted to help them grow. I know AI is the hot topic at the moment but you still have to know how to build commercial use cases. Magnifi have done exactly that,” added Sandy Case, iSportConnect’s CEO.

iSportConnect Advisory

iSportConnect’s advisory service works to help our clients grow – through commercial development, marketing and communications, global sports market entry and business strategy. Our global consultancy clients have included the likes of LaLiga, Vindicia, IAAF, Tata Communications, ITF and InCrowd among many others.

About iSportConnect

iSportConnect is all about helping organisations grow in the business of sport. Whatever the organisation. We launched in 2010 with the aim of bringing together sports business professionals around the world in a networking community enabling them to meet one another, find information and obtain access to a wide range of relevant services. The platform is now the largest global private network of sport business executives, where membership is exclusive and follows a strict door policy.

About VideoVerse

VideoVerse has found an extremely strong product-market fit in serving enterprises across numerous industries – OTT players, broadcasters, sports clubs and leagues, marketing agencies, e-gaming platforms and more. They are  building the next-generation video editing ecosystem, addressing a broad range of use cases in the post-production process. The company started its journey on generating instant key moments and auto short-sized clips leveraging computer vision and AI capabilities, the sliver in which it is the current tech leader. VideoVerse today has offices in the U.S., UK, Europe, Singapore and India.

Meet the Member: “This truly is a global game and this World Cup will be broadcast in 190 countries”

David Crocker is the Executive Director for the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, which is now just 44 days away. We discuss basketball’s global impact, the tournament’s legacy and much more…

So David to kick us off, take us through your journey in sport?

I grew up in a massively sporty family, both my parents were very successful athletes and coaches when they were young and also went on to work as administrators. My brothers and sister played sports as well so you couldn’t move for sport in our house. I think this is why I have always found it easy to work in sport because it really is in my DNA. In a few months it will be 50 years since I started working in sport and that time has really flown.

In terms of basketball, I am massively indebted to my first coach, Gary. He was amazing at getting a bunch of six-year-olds to fall in love with the game and actually somehow get us to be good at it as well rather than just have fun – we did have plenty of fun at the same time though. He really taught me about the importance of youth coaches when it comes to bringing in the next generation of basketball players. 

And to bring that back to my time at FIBA, when it comes around to November I will have been here for ten years. It has been great to see both the organisation and the World Cups have evolved over the last decade. From Spain to China and now we have three nations hosting it. For me, this has been the most important job of my career and I can’t wait for it to get underway.

You have been working towards this World Cup since 2020, what has that process been like and how are you feeling now we are not far away?

The task given to me by my Secretary General was to be the conductor of the orchestra. We have got three different countries hosting the tournament together so getting all three of these pulling in the same direction has really been a massive part of my role. 

We started working on this tournament in 2020, so the first part of the planning phase was heavily disrupted by Covid. I didn’t even meet my colleagues in each of the countries for the first two years because of the travel bans that were in place. It also meant I couldn’t do site visits but the teams in all three countries were all brilliant. They have been excellent from day one of this project. They meet regularly as a three, both with and without me and have always been open and honest with each other and not kept any secrets which has been a massive help. 

Despite being in a similar part of the world all three of the countries are very different both culturally and both in their maturity around the game of basketball. I am a massive fan of the logo we have come up with, each country is represented in its own way which is really important. 

Basketball is an increasingly global game. You just have to look at the last few NBA MVPs to see that, how has that changed the FIBA World Cup?

Basketball really is an international sport. There are 120 international players playing in the NBA at the moment from around 35 to 40 countries, which is a great example of that. I am pretty sure that all of the teams have at least one international player. There is obviously a massive influence from the NBA on the World Cups. In 2019, we had around 60 players from the NBA competing and we are expecting the same again. You look at a team like Canada, they could have a dozen NBA players lining up from different teams but all wearing the red and white of Canada. 

While the FIBA World Cup more than stands up on its own as an event, is it the case that the more NBA stars the better?

The two have a great relationship when it comes to growing the game around the world. The NBA does a great job of profiling the game and helping the sport get exposure. It does help people identify with the teams at the World Cups if they have NBA talent on them. 

But on the other hand, one of the other things that is great about the World Cup is that it brings together all these different styles of basketball from across the globe. There is the athletic, running American style, then the European style which revolves around power and muscle, then the Asian style which has a lot of long range shooting and ball movement and then in Africa there are a lot of athletic and powerful players. 

It is great because every game is different and you get to see NBA players playing with different players and in a different style. 

In terms of viewership, is a large portion of that still coming from the States or is it spread globally and if so where are the real hot spots?

Like I said earlier, this truly is a global game and this World Cup is going to be broadcast in 190 countries. We will have a really strong online presence as well, particularly working with Tencent in China and FIBA’s own Courtside 1891 programme as well. 

Taking it back to broadcast, we have the deal with ESPN in the States and they will be broadcasting all 92 games. We also have broadcast deals in Spain, France, China and the Baltics. In terms of numbers, it has potential to be massive. When Spain and Argentina competed for gold four years ago we had a total global TV audience of 160 million. 

If we include online, the figures from four years ago are truly remarkable; across the whole tournament we had a total audience of 3 billion people. We have already seen a significant increase in interest for this tournament, five times in some areas, so I am really excited about the potential the tournament has.

What sort of legacy are you looking to leave in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia when the tournament is over?

There is a massive opportunity to grow our sport in not just the host cities but all around the globe. Back in 2002, New Zealand finished fourth in the World Cup in Indianapolis and that brought a country of five million people to an absolute standstill. Aeroplanes didn’t take off so people could watch the game, it really was incredible. 

It is really about inspiring the next generation of players from across the globe that they can play this sport at the highest level. To follow that up though it is our responsibility to make sure that there is the infrastructure in place so that it can happen. We have built a 16,000 seater arena in Indonesia which will not just attract elite sports events, it will serve the community as well. We think it is something that the people of Jakarta should be really proud of. 

In Japan, we are running programmes in the Okinawa Islands to help some of the kids out there because some of them don’t have the best upbringing out there. So if we can help these kids through basketball then that is something we need to be doing. 

Then again, in the Philippines it is all about making sure the next generation of young men and women have the opportunities to play basketball. So in each country it really comes back to inspiring the next generations and giving them the opportunity to play our sport.

Lastly, please give us your all-time starting five?

I have a bit of a different one for this, I will be honest. I am going to pick our ambassadors because of what they have done for our game around the world. So I’ve got Carmelo Anthony, Pau Gasol and Luis Scola. Then to complete the team we have Lauren Jackson and Sue Bird, both had brilliant careers and were great champions of the women’s game. So, I think I have got a pretty handy team there. 

View From The Middle East – The reasons behind the growth of the Saudi Pro League

In this week’s View From Middle East article Adam Paker, Partner at Portas Consulting, looks into the the profound changes in Saudi football beyond Ronaldo and Benzema.

The signings of such football stars as Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema by the Saudi Pro League have made headlines worldwide. Yet the logic of such signings is not well-understood, and it is easy to dismiss as no more than a spending spree.

The reality is very different and speaks of profound, strategic, structural changes within Saudi football at all levels. These are much less about short-term attention-grabbing, and much more about building a plan for long-term, sustained success.

Saudi Arabia has placed an emphasis on the benefits of sport and physical activity since the launch of Vision 2030, its national strategy aimed at diversifying the economy away from a dependence on oil.

One of the cornerstones of Vision 2030, the Quality of Life Program, puts a strong accent on embedding sport and physical activity in Saudi daily life. This has led to significant investment in improving the sporting offering in Saudi Arabia across sports and at all levels from grassroots to elite.

Football, the most popular sport in the Kingdom in terms both of participation and following (the larger clubs have a significant fan base – Al-Ittihad, the reigning champions, averaged 41k in attendance last season) is a subject of particular focus and ambition. What are the building blocks of this strategy?

1.) A pathway for talent development
Saudi Arabia stunned audiences worldwide last year with their 2-1 victory over Argentina at the Qatar FIFA World Cup. Yet this was no overnight success; in fact, Saudi football has undergone a profound transformation in its approach to player development. In 2019, the Saudi Arabian Football Federation started work on a new strategy, “Our tactics for tomorrow”, which gave special importance to grassroots youth development. The following year saw the opening of the Mahd Academy, the national elite sport centre, with a mission to develop young athletes in football and other sports. Implementation followed, with youth leagues overhauled and national training centres under development across the country to support the development of local talent.

2.) Transforming the clubs
The ambition of the Saudi Pro League is to be a top 10 league worldwide over the next 5 to 7 years. Driven and overseen by the Ministry of Sport, the 100+ professional football clubs in Saudi Arabia across 4 tiers have benefited for several years from a significant process of transformation, investment, and modernisation. In June 2023 this was followed with the announcement of a privatisation plan – which will see majority ownership of the 4 largest clubs going into the hands of the national sovereign wealth fund, and several other clubs changing hands. It is anticipated that this will usher in opportunities for greater private ownership and new funding sources for the Saudi Pro League.

3.) Prioritising women’s football
Saudi Arabia has taken great strides to grow female involvement in football at all levels. In the last year, the number of registered female coaches rose from 119 to over 1,000. The senior women’s national team, launched in 2019, is now recognised by FIFA with an official world ranking. With almost 700 players from 20 nations playing in the women’s premier league and first division the league development is promising. Finally, female Saudi fans are now much in evidence at matches, home and abroad – and were especially notable in Qatar whenever the Saudi ‘Green Falcons’ were playing.

4.) World-class excellence in events
Saudi Arabia is committed to an ambitious plan to host major football tournaments. Already, it holds the annual Spanish and Italian SuperCups and will host the FIFA Club World Cup in December. It will take another step up as a major event host when it stages the 2027 Asian Cup. To meet these commitments, a vast upgrade in playing facilities is underway, with new stadia planned for construction in Riyadh, Dammam and Qiddiya. National development projects, such as NEOM, Diriyah and AlUla, are all incorporating football infrastructure and pathways.

In conclusion, the Saudis have set a clear path, building solid and durable foundations for developing football at all levels on a sustainable basis. This will ultimately, true to Vision 2030, build a football economy. In the short-term the introduction of foreign players (in practice a blend of star names complemented by competent international players) is already lifting playing standards and raising interest in Saudi football to investors, broadcasters, sponsors and global fans. In the longer term it is hoped that it will catalyse winning national teams, a successful women’s football structure, a top 10 league, and a burgeoning reputation for hosting excellent events in world-class facilities in the Kingdom

Click here to find out more about the work done by Portas Consulting

iSportConnect SportsTech Index powered by SportsTech Match – July 6

Who’s hot in Sports Tech? Who is doing deals, launching new products and generally doing some of the best work in the sector? That’s what the Index attempts to dig into. Whether established players or the up-and-coming stars, we go a little deeper for you…

Edition number five of our monthly sports tech index sees Fanbase (fan engagement platform), one of our most consistent performers, take the #1 spot for the first time. Fanbase announced a batch of new deals with UK-based sports teams over the past 4 weeks.

Sport:80 at #2 (NGB and sports membership management), Genius Sports at #3 (sports data), Ticketmaster at #4 (ticketing) and Seat Unique at #5 (ticketing) complete our top five.  

Notable in this month’s index is the absence, for the first time, of a company in the Athletes & Performance sector. Our highest ranking company in this sector, Catapult (athlete monitoring and performance analysis), sit at #23 and with the exception of some product updates, did not make any significant announcements this past month. 

First time entrants in our top 20 this month include Project Admission at #16 (ticketing),  PT Sportsuite at #19 (end-to-end digital platform solution) and Spotlight Sports Group at #20 (sports betting experiences), and all on account of new deal announcements.

Want to know more?

Subscribe to the SportsTech Match monthly newsletter for an overview of the list of activity that generated points towards the index score this month (via the footer on the website).

The iSportConnect Sports Tech Index is designed to help rights owners and investors quickly assess who is “hot” from a product and new business perspective and provides sports tech vendors with an incentive to focus their PR announcements on what matters to the market. It follows a simple scoring system (see below).

The iSportConnect Sports Tech Index will be published on a monthly basis on iSportConnect.com.

Click here to read more about how the Index is calculated.