Barclays and All England Lawn Tennis Club announce as Official Banking partner

Barclays and The All England Lawn Tennis Club today announced a new multi-year deal for the bank to become the Official Banking Partner of The Championships, Wimbledon from 2023. Alongside its partnership with the world-renowned tennis event, Barclays will donate an annual contribution to the Wimbledon Foundation, the official charity of the Club and The Championships, which represents the biggest ever donation made by an official partner. 

This impactful partnership unites two iconic British institutions. The first Barclays bank opened 330 years ago and, as the world’s oldest tennis tournament, Wimbledon was first staged in 1877. The beginnings of this banking partnership date back to the 1960s, when Barclays’ first sub-branch in the area was built directly below the stands of Wimbledon’s Centre Court, a unique venue which opened its doors only for the fortnight of The Championships. A new chapter of the partnership now begins, with Barclays and Wimbledon joining forces to celebrate the very best of tennis, while continuing to create and champion opportunities for all.

Helping to launch the partnership, Barclays have enlisted a tennis player who’s no stranger to the Wimbledon courts, Frances Tiafoe.

Tom Corbett, Group Head of Sponsorship and Media at Barclays, says ‘We’re incredibly honoured and excited to be working in partnership with one the world’s most prestigious sporting events and to announce that we’ve signed Frances Tiafoe as our tennis ambassador. Our joint commitment to create legacy, through Barclays’ community programmes and the Wimbledon Foundation, means through this partnership we can deliver lasting impact and continue to create opportunities through Sport.’ 

Frances Tiafoe says, “I’m thrilled to be working with Barclays to help change the lives of young people who typically wouldn’t have the opportunity to experience the game of tennis. Growing up, playing at Wimbledon was my dream, so to be an Ambassador for Barclays, the new banking partner for Wimbledon, is very special.”

Sally Bolton OBE, Chief Executive of The All England Lawn Tennis Club, says ‘We are delighted to welcome Barclays as the Official Banking Partner of The Championships. Barclays’ commitment to creating access to sport for all is something that we are passionate about and, thanks to their generous support of the Wimbledon Foundation, will be a central theme of our partnership.’

Barclays will work closely with the Wimbledon Foundation to pursue their shared commitment of creating opportunities for more people to grow and thrive in their communities, and often using sport to achieve this. Since 2013, the Wimbledon Foundation has established a strong record of using the collective strength of Wimbledon to make a positive difference to people’s lives year-round at a local, national, and international level. 

Paige Murphy, Head of the Wimbledon Foundation, says ‘We are very thankful for Barclays’ commitment to support the Wimbledon Foundation in such a significant way. With our shared ambition of championing and creating opportunities for all in mind, the years ahead will be exciting for us as we work together on a programme that has the potential to make a positive and inspiring impact on the lives of so many.’

With a deep-rooted commitment to foster change, Barclays have been a dedicated force in creating better access to opportunities for all through sport. Beyond its long-term sponsorship of the Premier League, Barclays was a pioneer in its support in women’s and girls’ football with its record investments since 2019 into The Barclays Women’s Super League and the FA Girls’ Football School Partnership with an ambition to give girls equal access to football in schools by 2024. 

This year, Barclays has doubled down on its commitment, becoming the first title sponsor of the FA Women’s Championship and rolling out the Barclays Community Football Fund which offers grants and resources to grassroots football groups.

Why apps are an essential part of the mega event experience in 2022

FIFA’s ticketing app nightmare on Monday brought apps and their role in the mega event experience into the spotlight. In this article we hear from Mikko Latva-Koivisto, Growth Marketing Manager at Choicely about why apps really are essential in 2022.

It’s time for the FIFA World Cup 2022, a tournament many of us have been waiting for four long years. The tournament truly brings the world together – it’s estimated to pull in 5 billion viewers, and over 3 million in live attendance.

A vast majority of these viewers will be using mobile apps during the games, both stadiums and homes. Mobile apps are increasing in popularity in sports events in all shapes and sizes.

But why so? Let’s explore the question further.

Sports fans use a second screen

Following sports with another device is common, practically universal, as 96% of us do it. For 74%, that device is their mobile phone. 

During the game, fans browse social media to engage with other fans watching the game. They want to see others’ commentary and highlight clips of the match in real time. It’s also common to look for related information, like player bios.

When sports event organizers offer these functionalities through their own mobile app, they can essentially serve their audience on two screens at once. The app can also feature a live stream of the game in itself, focusing everything on one screen.

Apps serve the fans at the stadium

Whether there’s 1,000 or 100,000 attendees, a mobile app is the simplest communications tool at a sports event. Everyone has their phone and accessing apps doesn’t require many clicks. All content doesn’t even need a working internet connection.

In a sports event – and especially in a bigger tournament – there’s so much information that it’s useful to put it into one place:

Schedule and matches

Venues and directions

Topical information on practicalities

Background information on players, teams, et cetera

Scores and statistics

Apps simply handles these jobs better than other digital channels would do.

Also, the event organizer can insert in-app purchases into the app, so fans could easily buy food, drinks, merchandise or tickets with their apps.

If there are real-time changes, organizers can react quickly and reach their fans no matter where they are by sending a push message. The messages can for example remind about a topical event or offer promotions – so fans get the most out of their event experience.

Apps take the story forward before, during and after the event

It’s not just about what happens during the match. Fans like to watch the highlights, read stories, and talk about the game afterwards. With a mobile app, a sports event organiser can bring all these stories together to the fingertips of the fans.

Organizers can also entertain fans with different activation tools, like:

Contests

Voting

Player or team reviews

Countdown

Feedback surveys

Promotions

and many other types of engagement

These tools entertain the fans and engage them with the organizing brand.

Grow the sports brand

One of the obvious reasons why sports organizations – and other businesses – are establishing their own mobile app is to grow their business. The app offers many new sources of income for sports organizations, like tournaments, leagues, federations or clubs.

Sponsorships and ad space

For many sports organizations sponsorships are their main source of revenue. Sponsorships are also effective, according to Nielsen’s 2021 study 81% of people trust sponsors who are visible at sporting events.

A mobile app brings in new ways to showcase sponsors, also in creative ways. Some activations in the app can be branded after your sponsor, like “Coca-Cola Man of the Match Vote”.

Sports organizations can also offer main visibility to one of their sponsors, starting from the welcome screen. Smaller partnerships can be placed in other spots.

A mobile app can also be used as ad space, where the ad feed is brought inside the app. For advertisers, the app offers clear visitor and usage data.

Merchandise and tickets

A sports mobile app should also feature seamless access to the ticket store and fan merchandise store. Once the fan is in the right mindset, it is much more likely to sell them merchandise or tickets to the next game. This can be further reinforced by using push notifications with timely offers.

Collect subscriptions and first party user data

For a sports organization a mobile app is one great option to collect and own data of its users. Where social media data is held by the platforms, this is the type of data that a sports organization will get to keep no matter what.

Direct your existing fans to the app, collect data of their engagement with the app. Learn what works, what doesn’t, and iterate. With a mobile app you can also collect leads easily with activations, surveys and polls. On top of that, the sports event can also offer a premium subscription.

Get closer to the fans

If you’re a fan, the app is your icon. You get to make a deeper connection with the team that you follow. In the app, you will have everything you need from schedules to tickets and social media accounts.

Mobile apps are seen as premium products. Thus, an app is also a status symbol for the brand as well. And the mobile app is the easiest way to reach the sports brand, when measured in clicks.

At the same time, the cost of producing a mobile app is going down. Thanks to no code technology and drag-and-drop builders, more and more companies can produce their own apps. The trend is very similar to what happened with the growth of websites 10+ years ago.

Conclusion

We’ve found several good reasons why mobile apps fit so well with sports events. 

People are already using phones and apps to support the event experience. Thanks to the ease-of-use, apps are such a natural fit with sports events both on and off site.

Our prediction is that in the future, apps will be even more common in sport events, big and small.

To learn more about what Choicely does click here

FIBA to extend partnership with Schelde for 3×3 basketball

FIBA is continuing its trust in ABEO, a designer, manufacturer and distributor of sports and leisure equipment.

The International Basketball Federation has announced that ABEO’s specialist team sport brand Schelde Sports will remain the official global backstop supplier for FIBA 3×3 basketball competitions for two additional Olympic cycles. The extension of this global long-term, multi-event partnership will include FIBA 3×3 World Tour events, the FIBA 3×3 World Cup events, FIBA 3×3 World Cup Qualifiers, the FIBA 3×3 Women’s Series Finals and FIBA 3×3 Continental Cup Finals.

ABEO-owned Schelde Sports have been an official FIBA 3×3 supplier since 2013. The international brand was appointed the sole supplier of official FIBA 3×3 backstops at the Tokyo 2020 Games, where 3×3 made its Olympic debut, under an agreement which covers also the current Olympic cycle.

“We are very proud of the long-term partnership we have built with Schelde Sports, both in basketball and 3×3,” FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis said. “This cooperation played a key role in the professionalization and development of 3×3, which was on full display at the Tokyo Olympics. We are excited to continue to provide our players with these innovative and state-of-the-art backstop units for the most prestigious FIBA 3×3 events.”

Schelde Sports, a global market leader in basketball backstop unit support systems, with a commercial presence in more than sixty countries across six continents, has been developing its products since 1892. They have been a partner of FIBA’s Equipment and Venue Centre since 1994.

ABEO Group CEO Olivier Estèves added: “We are extremely proud to extend our partnership with FIBA as official FIBA 3×3 global backstop supplier. In this strong relationship we are on a shared mission to further develop and promote 3×3 basketball. With the supply of Schelde Sports backstops to major FIBA 3×3 events, the expertise of Schelde Sports continues to be recognized around the world.”

iSportConnect announce more speakers for Leadership Masterclass

Today, iSportConnect have announced three more speakers for their Leadership Masterclass taking place with Withersworldwide on December 7.

Last week Vinai Venkatesham, CEO of Arsenal, was announced as the first key note speaker for the event.

He has now been joined by Lenah Ueltzen-Gabell, Group Director Wasserman, Robbie Douek, CEO of BLAST and Wouter Sleijffers, CEO of EXCEL ESPORTS.

For more information on the event please click here: https://www.isportconnect.com/event/isportconnect-leadership-masterclass/

LDN UTD announce acquisition by Ludus Gaming

LDN UTD, the purpose driven org that has become renowned for using gaming and esports to address social issues, has today announced its acquisition by Ludus Gaming. 

Ludus Gaming who recently acquired NFT game development studio Look Labs will become the majority shareholder of LDN UTD in its current form, with Daniel Gee of Ludus becoming CEO of LDN UTD. Founder and outgoing CEO of LDN UTD, Oliver Weingarten, will become Chairman, with James Sheehan of sport, media and finance group SM22 joining the Board as a non-executive Director.

In recent years LDN UTD has earned its reputation within the esports community.  Whether  providing opportunity and accessibility to gamers at a grassroots level (with FIFA or League of Legends) or at a more competitive level, getting into the Valorant Champions Tour (and latterly partnering with OG Esports); hosting high profile virtual and physical events on Twitch to address social issues (mental and physical health, education, nutrition), working with the Mayor of London, Rio Ferdinand Foundation, Durham University, Green Man Gaming, content creators, influencers including co-owner Connor Ball, and a host of other stakeholders including web3 brands (e.g ARterra Labs) and charities (e.g. CALM, Street League). 

The Camden Centre of Excellence, which has been supported by key partners including Alienware, Dell, HyperX and noblechairs, will continue to host regular community events, provide a home for content creators and upcoming streamers, and be a hub for LDN UTD’s education initiative, UTD EDN; providing an inclusive platform for young talent to learn key professional skills to support them on their journey to a career in the esports & gaming sector. Additionally there will be more opportunities developed with local authorities having successfully partnered with Camden Council on their Youth Pathways Scheme – which works with young people who have been impacted by youth violence and gets them into 6 month work experience placements.

The board of Ludus Gaming represents a combined 30 years of experience in finance, technology and community driven business development, and will be exploring further sponsorship opportunities, digital membership solutions, hospitality and events and pop up activations to blend the traditional gaming aspects of LDN UTD with other complementary businesses within its group.

I have consistently stated it is imperative that LDN UTD aligns with partners that believe in the values and ethos of LDN UTD, and want to continue to drive it forward, innovating at every opportunity. With Ludus, Dan and James, I’m confident we have the right ingredients to fulfil the potential that LDN UTD has shown over the last few years, with a view to scalability, which has been tough to drive forward from an investment perspective in a challenging economic climate. There are many people to thank for their support in getting to this stage in the journey, too many to name today, but to the advisors, brands, and stakeholders who have bought into LDN UTD, who have shown trust in LDN UTD,  and who have supported me, my sincerest thanks. The biggest thanks however goes to our community.

Oliver Weingarten, Chairman, LDN UTD

Ludus Gaming was created to push inclusivity in gaming and the ethos of LDN UTD fits perfectly with our purpose.  We explored lots of acquisitions including other esports orgs but working alongside Olly and the LDN UTD team we knew this would be the perfect fit for our team; leveraging our skills in building long term commercial partnerships and growing brands. We can’t wait to begin the transformation into a global esports education and development community and explore deploying the LDN UTD model worldwide.

Daniel Gee, CEO of LDN UTD

Bringing together an established esports brand like LDN UTD with high performance sports, media and gaming talent introduced by the Ludus team and SM22 network will greatly enhance the overall corporate offering and commercial value of the enlarged group. We look forward to developing the education platform and adding significant revenue to LDN UTD with new commercial partnerships and high quality content.

James Sheehan

DP World Tour and Emirates extend partnership

The DP World Tour Championship, Dubai and Emirates have agreed a five-year extension which will see the airline continue as a premium partner of the DP World Tour’s season-ending event until at least 2027.
 
Emirates, an Official Partner and Airline of the DP World Tour, has been a partner of the prestigious season-ending Rolex Series tournament, at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai since the inaugural edition in 2009.
 
Speaking about the new agreement Guy Kinnings, Deputy Chief Executive and Chief Commercial Officer of the European Tour group, said: “Emirates are one of our longest serving partners and I’m delighted that they have decided to extend our partnership at the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai until the end of the 2027 season.
 
“It was fantastic to mark the start of this year’s tournament with a fly past by an Emirates A380 and seven RAF Red Arrows on Thursday, minutes before World Number One and 2022 DP World Tour Rankings in partnership with Rolex winner Rory McIlroy teed off at Jumeirah Golf Estates.”
 
Emirates will benefit from extensive branding across the tournament including a premium hospitality chalet, Championship Village activation and teams in the exclusive Rolex Pro-Am, which takes place on Tuesday of event week. Cabin crew from the world-renowned airline will also be present and take part in the official prize giving ceremony on Sunday when the DP World Tour Championship winner is crowned.
 
Boutros Boutros, Divisional Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications, Marketing and Brand at Emirates Group, added: “We’re delighted to extend our partnership with the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai. We’ve been together since the first tournament was staged back in 2009 and the event continues to provide a great platform for us to engage with golf fans in the UAE and around the world, as well as helping us connect with our clients in a wonderful environment as we continue to scale up our brand presence on a global scale.”
 
Emirates is one of the world’s largest international airlines connecting customers to more than 130 destinations across six continents via Dubai with its modern fleet of Boeing 777 and Airbus A380 aircraft.
 
The partnership with the DP World Tour stretches back over 30 years, after Emirates became Title Partner of the Dubai Desert Classic at Emirates Golf Club in 1989.
 
Since becoming a premium partner of the DP World Tour Championship in 2009, the airline has transported in excess of 600 players to Dubai to compete in the season finale, as well as bringing together over 200,000 fans to witness the action unfold over the Earth Course.

ASICS Corporation announce acquisition of njuko SAS

ASICS Corporation announced the acquisition of njuko SAS, the leading race registration platform for running events across Europe. With the acquisition of njuko, ASICS now offers race registration services worldwide, with capabilities in Japan, North America, Australia, New Zealand, and now Europe. 

Established in 2012, the njuko platform leads the European market in race registration — helping thousands of endurance events capture and manage athlete registration data. Following the acquisition, njuko will continue to serve its existing clients with leading registration technology. 

“We are thrilled to welcome the njuko team into our ASICS family,” said Alex Vander Hoeven, CEO of ASICS Runner App, Inc. “Europe is an important market for ASICS, and the njuko platform has proven to be the technology with the best fit for this market. With the addition of Pierre Duvelleroy, Benoit Rousseau, and their team, we believe we have added another group of stars to our already incredibly talented team of technology and road race industry experts.” 

“When ASICS Corporation presented us their vision for events and athletes, it was obvious that njuko would fit perfectly in this overall strategy. While staying true to our values and core principles, joining the ASICS family will allow us to offer an additional layer of services to the events using njuko. What ASICS is building for the long run will be instrumental in helping events transition into a more digital approach,” said Pierre Duvelleroy, CEO and founder of njuko. “We are excited that a brand so deeply ingrained in the running community shares our vision, and we look forward to introducing our expanded offering to the racing industry.” 

Over the past three years, ASICS has rooted itself as a key piece of infrastructure in the global road race industry. “We recognize a real opportunity in the market to improve how races interact with runners, and in turn, how ASICS interacts with runners. Running events provide unique experiences to individuals seeking a diverse set of running goals, and ASICS is committed to being there for runners every step of the way,” said Mitsuyuki Tominaga, Chief Digital and Information Officer at ASICS. 

Together, ASICS, njuko, and Race Roster will provide solutions to the major challenges faced by race organizers, while also offering runners access to adaptive training plans through the ASICS Runkeeper app, ASICS-sponsored celebrations, and other benefits through the OneASICS loyalty program. 

Formula 1 to launch all-female driver category, F1 Academy

Starting in 2023, Formula 1 is set to launch an all-female driver category, the F1 Academy, to develop and prepare young female drivers to progress to higher levels of competition – including W Series, Formula 1, Formula 2, and Formula 3.

The series will consist of five teams run by current F2 and F3 teams, each entering three cars to make up a 15-car grid. The first season will comprise of seven events with three races each – amounting to a total of 21 races – plus 15 days of official testing, with the 2023 calendar set to be released in due course.

The drivers will be getting behind the wheel of Tatuus T421 chassis, with Autotecnica supplying turbocharged engines that will deliver 165 horsepower, while Formula 1’s Global Partner Pirelli will provide the tyres.

The series – which will be managed by the CEO of Formula Motorsport Limited Bruno Michel – will see Formula 1 subsidise the cost of each car with a budget of €150,000, while the drivers cover the same amount of costs – a fraction of the usual costs in comparable series – with the teams covering the rest of the budget.

The aim of the series is to maximise the opportunity and potential of young female drivers to reach the highest level in motorsport and to provide young talent currently in go-karting or other junior categories with access to the fundamental level of experience needed before going racing in F3 and joining the pyramid to Formula 1.

After assessing the barriers young female drivers face with entering the F1 pyramid, it became clear that they do not have the same amount of experience as their male counterparts at the same age.

Thus the goal of the F1 Academy is to fill this gap and offer female drivers access to more track time, racing and testing. The racers will also grow by working with professional teams, who are renowned in motorsport for nurturing young drivers, and who will help them develop the crucial technical, physical, and mental preparation skills needed for elite competition.

Formula 1’s intentions are to ensure aspiring female drivers have the best opportunities to reach their potential, with an important first step of getting into Formula 3 and progressing through the ranks.

The W Series continues to provide a great platform for drivers and the F1 Academy is intended to add an extra route for the next generation of young female drivers, who will race in an environment that will allow them to gain fundamental experience thanks to a great amount of track time.

“Everyone should have the opportunity to follow their dreams and achieve their potential and Formula 1 wants to ensure we are doing everything we can to create greater diversity and routes into this incredible sport,” said Formula 1 President and CEO Stefano Domenicali.

“That is why I am delighted to announce the F1 Academy that will give young female drivers the best chance to fulfil their ambitions through a comprehensive programme that supports their racing careers and gives them everything they need to move into F3 and hopefully to F2 and then the pinnacle of Formula 1. The more opportunity there is the better and this is designed to provide another route for the drivers to succeed.”

Formula 1’s Head of Sustainability Ellen Jones added: “In 2019 we launched our sustainability and diversity & inclusion strategy and made a commitment to build a more diverse and inclusive sport, breaking down the stereotypes associated with a career in motorsports and encouraging people from all backgrounds to get involved.

“Over the past few years, we have been making strong progress on these important issues within our own business and across the sport. Today’s announcement is a very important commitment that will ensure young female drivers get the very best opportunity to begin their professional motorsport career and climb the ladder to the top by developing their skills and experience in the right way and with the right level support.”

“I am very excited to launch this new category,” said Manager of the F1 Academy Bruno Michel. “Diversity is extremely important in motorsport, and with the F1 Academy we will prove that female drivers have what it takes to compete at high levels. I am absolutely convinced that if young women are given the same amount of experience as any other driver, they can successfully make their way through the pyramid.

“Our goal is to see female drivers on the F3 grid in the next two to three years, and for them to quickly challenge for points and podiums. The aim is to increase the field in the near future, because we hope that this category will inspire more young girls to compete in motorsport at the highest of levels.”

Sports Business Awards 2022 crown winners

Last Friday the sports business world came together for the annual sports business awards with 19 awards handed it from Best Sports Marketing Initiative to Best Brand Activation Involving Sports, here is a run down of the winners.

Best Sports Marketing Initiative: The British and Irish Lions

Best Sports Community Scheme – Club: Liverpool FC Foundation

Best Sports Community Scheme – Non-Club: Bloomsbury Football Foundation

Best Sports Governing Body Initiative – ITTF Parkinson’s World Table Tennis Championships – ITTF Foundation

Most Successful Event Broadcast – Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games – BBC Sport and Sunset+Vine

Best Brand Activation Involving Sport – Unrvld – Crystal Palace FC

Sports Diversity and Inclusion Award – Social Impact Team @ RLWC 2021

Agency of the Year – Under 80 employees – CAKE

Agency of the Year – Over 80 employees – Engage Digital Partners

Best Fan Engagement Programme – Norwich City FC

Best Business Serving Sport – Stadion

Sports Technology of the Year – Supponor Air

Best Professional Services in Sport – Legal – Armstrong Teasdale

Best Professional Services in Sport – Non-Legal – Deloitte’s Sports Business Group

Best Sports Related Commercial or Promotional Video – Wattbike – for real athletes

Sponsorship or Partnership of the Year – Skateboard GB and Habito

Sports Innovation Award – Quidich Innovation Labs

Sustainability in Sport Award – Formula E

Best Sports Event of the Year – UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 – The Football Association

DP World Tour Rankings to be renamed Race to Dubai Rankings in partnership with Rolex

The DP World Tour Rankings, the DP World Tour’s season-long competition to crown its Number One player, will be renamed the Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex from the 2023 season onwards.

The Race to Dubai is, of course, a familiar name having previously been the title of the points-based ranking from 2009 until 2021.

It was renamed the DP World Tour Rankings in Partnership with Rolex for the 2022 season, when DP World became the title partner of the European Tour group’s main Tour.

Now, with the support of Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism, it will revert back to the Race to Dubai brand from next season when the leading eight players will share an increased bonus pool of $6million as part of an overall $144.2million prize fund across a minimum of 39 tournaments in 26 countries on the DP World Tour’s 2023 global schedule.

Speaking about the new agreement Guy Kinnings, Deputy Chief Executive and Chief Commercial Officer of the DP World Tour, said: “The Race to Dubai is a strong narrative for us, reflecting our season-long contest which builds towards the final Rolex Series event of the year in Dubai, our DP World Tour Championship, where we crown our Number One player. We are therefore pleased to be bringing it back with the support of Rolex and today’s announcement further cements the long-standing relationship between the DP World Tour and the Emirate of Dubai – a relationship that dates back to the first staging of the Dubai Desert Classic in 1989.

“Our partnership continues to drive significant exposure for Dubai and its leading businesses on a global scale. The 2023 DP World Tour season promises to be one of our most exciting yet, with a record prize fund on offer. We look forward to seeing which player earns the right to be named the Race to Dubai champion at the DP World Tour Championship next November.”

H.E. Issam Kazim, CEO of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing, added: “We are delighted with the unveiling of a new Race to Dubai season that will turn the spotlight on Dubai’s world-class golf offering and further reinforce its position as a global sports tourism and events hub in line with the vision of His Highness, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, to make Dubai the most visited destination and the best city  in the world to live and work in.

“The Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex is also a testament to the long-standing collaboration between leading domestic and international partners that has helped transform Dubai into the most popular global destination. Indeed, at a time when people are looking forward to unique new travel experiences, the pivotal role played by DP World in bringing this golfing concept to life has made Dubai a compelling value proposition for golf tourists as the Race to Dubai brand, with its growing global appeal, will significantly contribute towards ensuring that Dubai remains top-of-mind among international travellers.”

Past Race to Dubai champions include star names such as Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Tommy Fleetwood and Collin Morikawa. Yesterday Rory McIlroy won the season-long contest for the fourth time in his career.

The 2023 Race to Dubai will begin from November 24-27, 2022, with two tournaments – the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship and the Joburg Open in South Africa – co-sanctioned with the DP World Tour’s strategic alliance partners the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia and the Sunshine Tour respectively.

It will conclude with the $10million DP World Tour Championship which will take place at Jumeirah Golf Estates for the 15th consecutive year from November 16-19, 2023.