MCC appoints new Sustainability and Accessibility Manager

Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) has appointed a new Sustainability and Accessibility Manager to deliver the Club’s Sustainability Strategy 2020-2030 and help it continue its role as a leading voice in the world of cricket on critical issues effecting sustainability, such as climate change, which has a significant impact on sport. 

Stuart Dunlop, who previously worked in sustainability roles at Hackney Borough Council, took up the post at a time that also saw Lord’s host the launch of a new UN report on the relationship between sport and nature. 

The event saw leading sports clubs, including Chelsea Football Club and the All England Lawn Tennis Club, come together to discuss the Sport For Nature report commissioned by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and led by researchers from Loughborough University. The study, which consulted 103 sport organisations representing 30 different sports across 48 different countries, sets out the potential for sport to protect and support nature. 

Lord’s was the first UK sports venue to appoint a sustainability manager in 2009 and has taken a number of steps to make the Home of Cricket more sustainable, including moving to 100% renewable electricity with a switch to wind power energy in 2017 to reduce its carbon footprint. The Club has also recently signed up to the UN Sports for Climate Action framework alongside its sister Club in Australia, Melbourne Cricket Club, and Gloucestershire County Cricket Club.

Part of Dunlop’s role will be to ensure that MCC’s ambitious commitment to reach net zero is met. Waste management and recycling will also come under his remit, including measures to further reduce single use plastic, decrease water consumption, support biodiversity and nature and reduce the overall environmental impact of the Ground. 

Stuart Dunlop, MCC Sustainability and Accessibility Manager, said: “I’m excited to work for such a prestigious and forward-thinking organisation that has made great strides in sustainability in recent years. Cricket and the wider sporting community are already facing the impact of a rapidly changing climate, and we all must play our part in tackling this issue. It’s an exciting time to be working in this area, and I look forward to helping MCC deliver on its sustainability strategy’s critical priorities and commitments. 

Robert Ebdon, Estates Director, MCC, said: “We are delighted to have someone of Stuart’s expertise, experience and passion for sustainability with us at MCC and to help us make Lord’s even more sustainable and accessible for current and future generations. MCC has an opportunity and responsibility to lead on sustainability in sport and we are proud of the progress that we have made on sustainability, but like all areas of society, we know there is much more to do.” 

British Paralympic association announce key roles for Paris 2024

The British Paralympic Association has today announced the Chef de Mission’s team that will lead ParalympicsGB at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

Chef de Mission Penny Briscoe OBE, who successfully led the British team to an impressive second place finish in the medal table at both Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, has appointed three Deputy Chefs de Mission – Phil Smith (Sport), Verity Naylor (Operations) and Jonny Riall (Performance Services).

Briscoe was at the helm when ParalympicsGB won 124 medals across 18 sports in Tokyo, reaching the podium in more sports than any other nation at a single Games. Paris 2024 will be her tenth Games.

Head of Sport Phil Smith took on the role of Chef de Mission for the first time at the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games where the team enjoyed a succession of memorable results, winning six medals including one gold. He was Deputy Chef de Mission for the team at both Pyeongchang 2018 and Tokyo 2020.

Director of Operations Verity Naylor MBE also reprises her role of Deputy Chef de Mission having led on all operational and logistical matters at both PyeongChang 2018 and Tokyo 2020. She will be responsible for overseeing all Games operations including ParalympicsGB Kitting Out, travel, transport, logistics, accommodation and Village management.

Commenting on her appointment, Naylor said: “Paris 2024 presents a complex operational masterplan for ParalympicsGB and I am honoured to be named as Deputy Chef de Mission. I look forward to working with Penny and the wider team to deliver world leading operations and to create optimal environments that support all team members to thrive.”

Jonny Riall meanwhile takes on the role of Deputy Chef de Mission for the first time, having joined the BPA as Head of Performance Services this summer after 17 years with British Triathlon – most recently working closely with the BPA as Head of Para triathlon and sport Team Leader at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

Dr Pippa Bennett has been appointed Chief Medical Officer for the ParalympicsGB team at Paris 2024, having worked in elite sport for over 20 years and as an integral member of the medical staff supporting the British team at Tokyo 2020. Chris Dick once again heads up security, bringing a wealth of experience and knowledge as security advisor to the team since London 2012.

Chef de Mission Penny Briscoe OBE added: “I’m delighted to confirm the appointment of such a talented and experienced group of individuals who I know put the team at the heart of everything they do.

“ParalympicsGB strives to be the best prepared team at the Games, providing the optimum environment for athletes and support staff to perform at their very best. With planning and preparation already well underway, I know that this leadership group will work assiduously together to achieve just that.”

EngageRM announce three-year partnership with Queensland Cricket

EngageRM, the market leading sports and entertainment business technology services partner, has struck a three-year deal with Queensland Cricket.  

Through this partnership, Queensland Cricket will utilise EngageRM’s dynamic, data driven platform to optimize day-to-day operations and enhance their interactions with partners and fans alike.  

For over 146 years Queensland Cricket has governed all levels of the game from grassroots participation to their elite teams, the Queensland Bulls, Queensland Fire and Brisbane Heat. The organisation strives to unite and inspire communities across the state though cricket.  

EngageRM’s centralised platform will support Queensland Cricket across a range of areas including sales, ticketing, customer services management and memberships for the Brisbane Heat. 

This partnership represents EngageRM’s first client in cricket and increases their strong presence in the Queensland market, including venues that will be used in the 2032 Olympics.    

Powered by Microsoft Dynamics 365, the EngageRM platform will enhance capability and connect data points across Queensland Cricket through a centralised, single platform containing business automation, data analytics and CRM functionality.  

“Improving Queensland Cricket’s data management and processes, plus our ability to make data-informed decisions is a strategic priority for our organisation and partnering with EngageRM to develop our CRM is an important step in putting our planning into action. We see significant upside and potential for QC in having EngageRM help us manage areas like our corporate hospitality program, while ensuring our partners and fans enjoy a premium digital experience with Queensland Cricket and the Brisbane Heat”, explained Queensland Cricket CEO Terry Svenson.  

Pete Lock, GM Marketing & Corporate Affairs, shared this sentiment, “We have been impressed with the power and capabilities of the EngageRM platform, and we’re looking forward to providing our fans and corporate partners with a state-of-the-art digital experience that will put Queensland Cricket and the Brisbane Heat at the forefront of our industry,” he said.  

“For the better part of 150 years, Queensland Cricket has worked tirelessly to ensure cricket is a favourite sport of the state. Their passion for the game is incredible,” said Dale Morris, Commercial Account Manager at EngageRM.  

“We are truly thrilled to be working with Queensland Cricket to support the franchises efforts to drive operational improvements, boost audience engagement and build on their previous success,” Morris said.  

“This partnership with Queensland Cricket is a significant milestone for EngageRM, marking our first client in the sport of cricket and expanding our reach in the state,” EngageRM CEO Ned Coten said.  

“We are thrilled to be working with their team for the next three years to assist them in amplifying their relationships with key stakeholders,” Coten said. 

EngageRM’s partners include major U.S. sports franchises including the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks, in addition to teams and venues across the U.S., U.K. and Australia, including the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground and Co-op Live in Manchester.  

AC Milan announce appointment of new CEO

AC Milan announces today that Giorgio Furlani has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer to succeed Ivan Gazidis, who will end his tenure at the Club next month.

A Milan native and lifelong Milanista, Furlani has served as a member of the AC Milan Board of Directors since 2018 and has played an integral role in the Club’s success under the ownership of Elliott Advisors, from which he will step down to take up the position of CEO at AC Milan.

Commenting on the appointment, RedBird Capital Partners Founder and Managing Partner Gerry Cardinale said: “When RedBird Capital Partners agreed to become custodians of AC Milan, we spoke of bringing our expertise in sports, media and entertainment to return the Club back to the pinnacle of European football, where it belongs. In Giorgio, we have the right CEO to lead the Club day-to-day and work closely with the RedBird team to make that vision a reality. Giorgio knows both the Club and the city intimately and has established the trust and confidence of the team at Casa Milan over the last four years. This will enable him to transition to this new leadership role seamlessly so that we can keep our focus on the larger goals ahead of us. We have a clear vision for this next chapter in the AC Milan story, and the RedBird team will be hands-on owners in partnership with Giorgio and the full team at Casa Milan in realising this vision.”

Giorgio Furlani said: “I want to thank Gerry and the RedBird team for giving me the great honour of leading the Club I love as it embarks on the next phase of its revival. I look forward to working with Chairman Scaroni, Paolo Maldini, Stefano Pioli and the rest of the Club’s leadership: together, I know that we can achieve greater success, on and off the field, in the years to come. Forza Milan!”

Abu Dhabi Motorsports Management partner with Castore

Abu Dhabi Motorsports Management has today announced an official agreement with leading sportswear brand, Castore to become the official apparel partner to ADMM. 

Starting from 2023, the British sportswear brand also becomes the leading retail and merchandise partner to Yas Marina Circuit and has already built an established presence within global motorsports that includes ongoing apparel partnerships with McLaren and Oracle Red Bull Racing, and its new agreement in place with the iconic Silverstone circuit in the UK.

The innovative new sportswear brand was founded in 2015 by brothers Tom and Phil Beahon under the tagline ‘Better Never Stops’, making it the perfect retail partner for Yas Marina Circuit – ‘The Meeting Place of Champions’.

Castore holds a relentless commitment to product excellence and has made significant strides on the global sportswear market, signing major partnerships with major international sporting figures including Andy Murray and Owen Farrell, while continuing its growth into motorsports through ongoing partnerships with McLaren and Oracle Red Bull Racing as well as the illustrious 24Hrs of Le Mans race and the historic Silverstone circuit. 

As part of the official agreement with Abu Dhabi Motorsports Management, Castore will also become the official staff apparel provider at Yas Marina Circuit for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2023, with Castore’s brand imagery featuring prominently at key locations across the circuit including Yas Central and Yas HQ.  As part of the deal, Castore products will also be on sale across the Circuit’s sales channels, with Yas Marina Circuit co-branded apparel available to buy online in 2023.

Steven Umfreville, Executive Director Commercial, Abu Dhabi Motorsports Management, said: “We are delighted to announce our agreement with leading sportswear brand, Castore to become the official apparel partner to ADMM and the official retail partner to Yas Marina Circuit here on Yas Island.”

“We have witnessed the incredible growth that Castore has made since its recent beginnings, with the brand now present both within our motorsport community but also on the international sporting stage. We look forward to seeing our Yas Marina Circuit family wearing the now iconic Castore logo and growing together as global leaders over the coming years. 

Rich Brooks, Brand Director of Automotive & Motorsports, Castore said: “Becoming the official apparel partner for the Yas Marina Circuit is an incredible expansion for the Castore brand, with both partners offering unique and premium products and experiences. As we strengthen our routes in the world of motorsports, we have always recognised the synergies with the Yas Marina Circuit family, bringing our innovation to their motorsport’s excellence. This is a brilliant step forward for us and we are incredibly excited to develop this partnership”

Cool Cats Group partners with Animoca Brands and OneFootball Labs

Cool Cats Group, the web3 company behind the iconic blue-chip NFT collection Cool Cats, Animoca Brands, the company advancing digital property rights for gaming and the open metaverse, and OneFootball Labs, a joint venture between Animoca Brands, OneFootball, and Liberty City Ventures, today announced the launch of the new collection of 4,000 “Cool Cats FC” NFTs on the Ethereum blockchain. The collection offers holders an exciting opportunity to become part of the expanding Cool Cats and OneFootball community with a combination of digital and physical football-related utilities.

Staying true to the core Cool Cats ethos of positivity and inclusiveness, the “Cool Cats FC” collection aims to bring together Cool Cats lovers and football fans globally in celebration of the world’s largest football event. The collection boasts an exciting lineup of football-related rewards such as limited-edition and autographed merchandise, player meet-and-greets, VIP experiences, and more that can be earned through gamified and interactive experiences. 

Stephen Teglas, CEO of Cool Cats Group, commented: “We are excited to partner with Animoca Brands and OneFootball Labs on the innovative Cool Cats FC collection, which brings Cool Cats and Cool Pets holders together in celebration of the upcoming global football/soccer tournament season. With the opportunity to cheer on national teams and earn exciting IRL experiences and products, fans get to enjoy a truly unique experience that money cannot buy.”

Jean-Charles Gaudechon, CEO of OneFootball Labs, commented: “Cool Cats is an inspiration for us at OneFootball, the way it has built a strong community and worked with that community to create something awesome. I cannot wait for this winter, to watch France defend the trophy and see the launch of our Cool Cats FC collaboration with Animoca Brands. We’re excited to be working with such great partners on delivering something unique and culturally relevant around the biggest sporting event of the year.”

Yat Siu, executive chairman and co-founder of Animoca Brands, commented: “The Cool Cats FC collection brings together the passionate decentralized community of Cool Cats with the phenomenon of global football fandom. This collaboration is a sterling opportunity to expand the Cool Cats, OneFootball, and Animoca Brands communities and drive the mass adoption of Web3.”

Cool Cats FC collection details and minting

Allowlist minting of the Cool Cats FC collection starts at 5:00 pm (EST) on 17 November 2022 and ends at 5:00 am (EST) on 19 November 2022. There will be 1,900 Cool Cats FC NFTs available for Cool Cats, Cool Pets, and winners of pre-mint giveaways at a price of 0.069 ETH. Cool Cats and Cool Pets allowlist holders can mint up to 2 NFTs on a first-come-first-serve basis and winners of pre-mint giveaways are guaranteed to mint 1 NFT.

The public minting starts from 10:00 am (EST) to 10:00 pm (EST) on 19 November 2022. There will be 1,600 Cool Cats FC NFTs available during the public mint at a price of 0.1 ETH. Each wallet can mint up to 2 NFTs during the public mint.

You can mint the Cool Cats FC at ccfc.coolcatsnft.com. Participation requires a MetaMask wallet connected to the website. 

The remaining 500 Cool Cats FC NFTs are reserved for community events and team drops. 

Member Insights: The biggest pitch battle of this World Cup? Google and Facebook vying for your attention

As we kick-off in Qatar, this month’s Digital Café David Granger looks at how the big tech players are muscling in on soccer hoping for victory on the sporting, and financial, field.

The success of the 2022 World Cup will depend on many things. Not just the football. With the politics, the timing, the investment, the climate (and some more politics), the matches seem a secondary consideration.


One claim which has been constantly touted is that this will be “…the most digital World Cup ever” – a statement verging beyond the specious as, unless we regress in technology, every World Cup is the most digital ever.


What’s interesting with Qatar is how much pre-tournament attention big tech has given the contest. The great matches of this tournament won’t necessarily England v Iran or Canada v Croatia or even the pro the hosts v those anti them… but Google v Meta.


The World Cup, perhaps even more than the Olympics, is the one event where every brand, from a company sweepstake to an oblique ad campaign, tries to cling on to the footballing bandwagon. And why? Because of that massive, engaged audience. Our 2022 digital baseline is the previous competition in Russia where, according to Google, there were three million match attendees but 5 billion views of World Cup content on YouTube. In the first 15 days of the 2018 tournament, viewership reached over 1.1 billion.


And, because of this anticipated increase in interest, the big media platforms Meta (Facebook and Instagram) and Alphabet (Google and therefore YouTube) are limbering up to take on each other in the competition for fans’ attention and audience over the coming four weeks.


For Google this is all about data: knowing which fans are looking for what and when. That information can then be used to sell to non-football related brands and companies for them to demographic via pay-per-click ads. It’s also been noted that non-football traffic and conversations drop, considerably when games are being played – so those ads are even more important.


Their data tells us the action from the 64 games in 2018 in Russia generated 110 hours of match content, but that action was sliced, re-cut and re-shown and ended up generating 230 million hours of watchtime. That’s an impressive 26,000 years.


For Meta/Facebook/Instagram, it’s about providing access to players and football communities. 330m people follow a footballer on Instagram while 480m people follow a football related account on Facebook. They know this is another opportunity for them to take the hard-earned from brands who wouldn’t normally get traction from football.


They’ve even created a handy guide to help companies spend budget compensating for a lack of traffic during the World Cup. The (relatively) new players in the social squad, TikTok, are the ones to watch. Once that algorithm gets a sniff of your interest in football, they can serve it up all day. There is no guarantee of quality, but quantity is what TikTok does.

Twitter will be an interesting cauldron of conversation as its recent acquisition by Elon Musk could mean its sporting content may well be outweighed by the conversations from the more extreme political commentators/fanatics.

All however agree that football/soccer is no longer a 90-minute end of the week experience. It’s 24/7 – or rather the appetite for it is always-on. Like everything though it has to now be quality information or entertainment (or both) in order for fans to stick around, such is the variety of content and platforms on offer.

Spoiler Alert In the end however none of this online arm-wrestle for audiences’ attention really matters – the outcome of the 2022 World Cup has already been decided. Well, predicted. By EA Sports (LINK ) – h/t Calacus PR for the heads-up. For the past three tournaments they have successfully the outcome. For those who don’t want to know the result, look away now. It’s a win for Argentina who beat Brazil in the final. Who knows, they may be slightly more successful and certainly more scientific in their predictions than Paul the Psychic Octopus We’ll find out on December 18.

2022 Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Finals nets record number of broadcast markets

The 2022 Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Finals has announced that broadcast coverage for this year’s event will extend to a record 196 territories, the most in the event’s 59-year history.

The tournament, previously known as the Fed Cup, is taking place in Glasgow this week (November 8-13) with 12 teams – Australia, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Great Britain, Italy, Kazakhstan, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland and USA – competing for the women’s World Cup of Tennis.

The list of broadcast markets includes live free-to-air terrestrial coverage in eight of the event’s 12 participating nations, with live streamed coverage in more than 30 additional territories via Meta and the Billie Jean King Cup streaming platform (see table below).

The International Tennis Federation (ITF), the world governing body for tennis who run and manage the Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge, was supported by leading sports marketing agency Pitch International for its international commercial rights sales.

Broadcast production of the 2022 Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Finals will be led by Gravity Media who will operate 21 cameras across the two courts, featuring speciality and net cameras.

Sign up to the Advantage All Global Forum, in partnership with the ITF. Featuring two panels on the role of woman in sport hear from Billie Jean King herself along with other female visionaries and leaders here: https://share.hsforms.com/18j-5wqceSaqiy0HFyPD9pA31xsb

The tournament is also working with a new content distribution partner, Cingularity, market leaders in bespoke live video networking and production solutions. Cingularity will be hosting a hybrid solution of satellite and IP distribution workflows to service the event’s broadcasters across a cumulative total of almost 100 hours of live content across the tournament.

Commenting on the news, Tim Stemp, ITF Executive Director, Commercial, said: “We are thrilled to be delivering coverage of the 2022 Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Finals in more markets than ever before. As we continue to support the development and growth of the sport from the playground to podium, as part of our Advantage All programme, we want to ensure that this historic event, and coverage of tennis in general, is reaching the widest possible audience.”

The Billie Jean King Cup is the largest annual international team competition in women’s sport and, thanks to the partnership and support of new title sponsor, Gainbridge, the 2022 Billie Jean King Cup Finals will offer record payments of $11.4 million for nations and players as part of the ITF’s Advantage All programme to drive value for the women’s game.

The ITF uses any profits from staging the World Cup of Tennis (which includes the men’s Davis Cup) as part of its 90% reinvestment back into the development of the game across all corners of the globe. More information can be found on www.billiejeankingcup.com.

Cleveland Cavaliers name Avery Dennison official embellishment partner

The Cleveland Cavaliers and Avery Dennison (NYSE:AVY), a global leader in materials science and solutions that connect the physical and digital worlds, today announced a new partnership that makes the Mentor, Ohio-based Fortune 500 company the “Official Embellishment Partner” of the NBA team.

The announcement comes on the heels of the expansion of Embelex™, Avery Dennison’s suite of solutions for on-garment branding for the global team sports market. They produce digitally-connected embellishments as well as names and numbers for the world’s biggest clubs and leagues including the English Premier League, FC Barcelona, and Real Madrid. Avery Dennison also recently announced their partnership as the cutting-edge embellishment partner of the San Francisco 49ers. The partnership with the Cavs represents their first foray into the NBA, while contributing to the community that Avery Dennison, and so many of its employees, call home.

As a signature element of the partnership, the Avery Dennison logo will appear on the upper right chest of the players’ shooting shirts and warm-up jackets. For the Cavs, this marks the first time in franchise history that a partner logo has been featured on these team garments. The logos were produced and applied by Avery Dennison themselves from their Miamisburg, Ohio production location. This is also the location where they produce Embelex for sporting events and international tournaments, including the World Cup to local community events.

Avery Dennison employs over 2500 people strong across manufacturing, corporate, sales, and marketing in Ohio. Their commitment to global DE&I initiatives is also evident through the many employee resource groups (ERGs) across the organization, including the LGBTQIA+ group, UNITE, which recently supported the 8th Annual Stonewall National Tournament and Summit held here in Cleveland last summer. 

Avery Dennison will also have a presence throughout the Cavs community platforms during the 2022-23 season, including Women’s History Night, the annual Black Heritage Celebration, and the upcoming Cavs Employee Resource Group Summit. 

“Our partnership with the Cleveland Cavaliers embodies our commitment to serving as a force for good in the communities where we operate,” said Michael Barton, senior vice president and general manager, Apparel Solutions, RBIS, Avery Dennison. “In addition to providing the Cavs with innovative Embelex solutions, we are proud to jointly support important DE&I initiatives that celebrate the culturally-inclusive fabric that is at the heart of the city of Cleveland,” he added.

The partnership continues Avery Dennison’s trailblazing innovations in fan engagement through teamwear. Their digitally-connected on-garment branding technology, Embelex, enables sports teams and brands to continue engaging with fans in new and exciting ways off the playing field. The Cavs will now be part of this journey to give their loyal fans the opportunity for on-site apparel customization and personalization during home games.

Matt O’Brien, Cavalier senior vice president of global partnerships, adds, “We’re excited to add Avery Dennison, another global company with Northeast Ohio roots, to our family of partners. This agreement is tied together by threads of innovation, hometown love and goodwill in our community. The organic connection that comes with teaming up with a local company like Avery Dennison is real, and it adds a unique layer of pride as we activate this partnership through our global platform.”

Second panel for ITF Advantage All Global Forum confirmed

Portrayal Pays: Commercialising Women’s Sport

– How can you build a sustaining commercial model to grow women’s sport?
– What do sponsors want to achieve from their investments?
– What are the challenges that have to be overcome to grow a sport globally?
– What foundations need to be put in place to enable women’s sport to succeed?

Join us this coming Monday 14th 11:15 – 12:00 for the Advantage All Global Forum to learn from visionaries and organisations like Billie Jean King, Group 1001, Tunisian Tennis Federation, Tennis Kenya and Ilana Kloss, that are bringing about change in their countries, across their sports and in their businesses.

Register here for access to the livestream:  https://share.hsforms.com/18j-5wqceSaqiy0HFyPD9pA31xsb