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.
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
| 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 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.
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.”
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
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.
The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ will be backed by a full quota of FIFA Partners, FIFA World Cup Sponsors and Regional Supporters after FIFA sold out all sponsorship tiers and inventory for the football extravaganza.
The line-up includes seven FIFA Partners and seven FIFA World Cup Sponsors, as well as Regional Supporters in each of FIFA’s five regions – Europe, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and North Africa, North America and South America.
The collaborations span multiple sectors and cover rights packages that range from extensive brand and digtal exposure and association through to bespoke offerings designed for specific fan and customer engagement initiatives.
The latest additions to take the final three positions on the Regional Supporter roster are:
– YouTube: Alongside their regional sponsorship, YouTube Shorts creators will be on the ground capturing amazing behind the scenes content of the FIFA World Cup.
– Visit Las Vegas: The official destination marketing organization for Southern Nevada has joined FIFA as a Regional Supporter in North America, promoting Las Vegas as one of the world’s most desirable destination for leisure and business travel.
– Fine Hygienic Holding: the final Regional Supporter to sign will provide disinfectants, cleaning products and hand sanitizer stations across all tournament locations. This is the perfect collaboration as the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ becomes the first global sports event with 100% capacity for spectators after the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It is fantastic to forge such fruitful collaborations with our valued commercial partners and sponsors for this incredible spectacle – the first-ever FIFA World Cup in the Middle East,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said. “Their support not only contributes towards the successful delivery of this ground-breaking tournament, but it also ensures that essential funds are channelled to our 211 member associations and various worldwide programmes which contribute to the ongoing development of the game worldwide, helping to make football truly global.”
FIFA Chief Business Officer Romy Gai added: “The FIFA World Cup presents our commercial affiliates with unprecedented engagement opportunities. Our partners have already delivered a variety of world-class fan activations and initiatives in the build-up to the event, and we will continue to work hand-in-hand with them so that they can achieve their goals whilst enhancing the FIFA World Cup experience.”
In addition to those who are travelling to Qatar, billions of fans will tune into the action from across the globe, giving commercial affiliates an opportunity to connect with huge audiences.
It’s all go at this time of year for the International Tennis Federation with the world championships for women’s and men’s teams happening back to back. As the Davis Cup gets underway in Spain, I have a confession to make. I admit that as I was watching the Billie Jean King Cup finals in Glasgow a week ago, I had no idea just how much cash there was on the line.
I suppose that I assumed that, because it’s a tournament for national teams and part of the Olympic qualification pathway (like the Davis Cup), the players were mainly doing their patriotic duty with some money thrown in to sweeten the experience. And I am guessing that many people in the arena and watching on TV around the world were similarly ignorant of the size of the payday awaiting the winners.
The intensity of the competition and quality of play should have tipped everybody off. These women really were giving their all on the court at Glasgow’s Emirate Arena.
And that’s no surprise because, national honour aside, we’re talking about big bucks. The players on the winning team from Switzerland shared $2 million in prize money. For the runners-up from Australia it was $1.2 million and making it as far as the semi-finals was worth $800,000 per team. Teams in the group stage get $400,000 each.
And in line with the ITF’s commitment to gender equality, the rewards for players in the Billie Jean King Cup are equal to what the men get in the Davis Cup.
Parity has been achieved in 2022 thanks to the arrival of new partner Gainbridge, which came on board as a sponsor with the express aim of levelling things up.
The BJK Cup comprises 12 teams playing for two weeks in a round-robin group stage, semi-finals and final (the last phase take place in a single location over six days) with a total pot of $11.4 million. The Davis Cup offers $14 million but there are 16 men’s teams playing for three weeks. When you pro rate the figures, it’s even-steven.
In the BJK Cup, $3.4 million is shared by the federations of the competing teams. The prize pot of $8 million on top of that goes right to the players.
But it’s not only about amounts of money. What’s important to recognise is that the players are paid not as individuals, but as part of a winning team. They need to be in it together. They don’t get individual WTA ranking points. It’s all about winning the tournament. And the team dynamic changes the whole nature of the competition.
That story of team competition in tennis probably needs to be more generally understood by fans and communicated by the media to the wider audience because, more than big money, it’s what makes the BJK Cup so special and exciting.
By iSportConnect’s Content Director, Jay Stuart
This is piece of content is part of an iSportConnect series based on the key themes emerging around the future of mega events as the FIFA World Cup in Qatar approaches. In this article we speak to ATPI’s Global Head of Commercial for Sports Business, Kevin Perrin, about the importance of travel in fan experience.
The world of sports is more globally interconnected than ever with fans travelling across the globe to see their teams perform at the mightiest of venues against the best teams in the world.
Travel has become increasingly important for mega sports events because spectators must first travel across the world to watch their team qualify, and then they must travel across the country to watch their team advance through the competition in hopes of winning.
Ineffective travel options will significantly worsen the fan experience, making them lose excitement during the tournament and reflect badly on the experience. And what is a sports event without significant passion from the fans?! During major events, fans shouldn’t have to worry about getting there; they should only ever be concerned about their team succeeding.
We sat down with Kevin Perrin, ATPI’s Global Head of Commercial for Sports Business, on the importance of travel for fan experiences at mega events:
The change in travel experience for sports fans
I believe that, prior to the pandemic, sporting events were taken for granted. What changed after the pandemic was that sports fans watched their favourite games from their living rooms, witnessing the game being played with no spectators, and it just felt wrong or off-kilter.
This, in my opinion, created pent-up demand for people to go see their favourite sport live, with large crowds, in order to be a part of the excitement and happening…again. We were also in a good position to see how eager people were to get back on the road after nearly two years of confinement. As a result, it is no surprise that Sports Tourism is one of the most rapidly growing tourism products.
Aside from the obvious effects of the pandemic on the supply chain, human resource challenges, and global travel restrictions, the global demographics are changing.
What I mean is that a new generation is reshaping the travel industry in terms of what they want and how they buy. This new Generation Z is not afraid to express (or post) their preferences, and it is forcing the industry to reconsider their service delivery, products, and destinations.
They have enormous purchasing power and will travel to any location to see or experience their favourite sporting event. They are also aware of the types of offerings available, and they are not afraid to purchase worry-free, best-in-class, first-class products as long as they receive what is due.
The importance of the travel experience for sports fans
It is key! You will not achieve what you set out to do for your client if you put in so much effort to customise their programmes, make sure they have the best experience possible by obtaining the events they want to attend, in the area of a venue they desire, but you get it all wrong to get them there.
You must ensure that you book the best possible route and try to make their travel experience as enjoyable as possible, within the parameters you can control, so that they are in the right mindset when they arrive at their final destination to enjoy the reason they travelled in the first place.
The importance of seamless, stress-free travel to sports fans
It is, in my opinion, the most important.
Travel is an emotional experience. We often hear about terrifying experiences, but we rarely hear about wonderful ones.
There are many factors that go into planning a trip, and the result is having your bum in a stadium seat cheering on your favourite team or athlete. However, the fundamental elements that must occur for you to sit in that seat are critical.
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