Juventus FC renews sleeve partnership with Bitget

Juventus FC has renewed partnership with its first ever sleeve partner Bitget.

The presence of Bitget will remain on the left sleeve of the Juventus shirt.

Giorgio Ricci, Juventus Chief Revenue Officer, commented: “Our partnership with Bitget was undoubtedly a success. Bitget confirms its commitment to be next to the team, right on the left sleeve, close to the hearts of the players and fans. We are excited for this collaboration that continues, together with an innovative partner, who will accompany us once again game after game.”

Bitget’s Managing Director, Gracy Chen said: “We are honored to be Juventus Official Sleeve Partner for the second season. Last year’s path was beautiful and rewarding, and allowed Bitget to enter the world of sport. We greatly appreciate Juventus’ reputation and great popularity and we are convinced that these qualities will continue to help Bitget reach ever larger audiences, to share our vision in the world.”

FIFA’s Arsène Wenger: “The football ecosystem in Africa needs to strengthen financially”

The African Football Business Show hosted by founder Brian Wesaala had Arsene Wenger, chief of global development of football, FIFA come over as a guest. Excerpts of the conversation:

On changing perception of African football and footballers

“I am French and France has always had a link with African football. Even when I was a kid, I played with African players. I was always impressed by their passion. They loved to play the game. I was also impressed by their creativity and overall they had imagination. I like offensive play and I was attracted to that. I have always had a great connection with them.”

His approach to Youth Development

“One of the beauties of my job is that you can influence life. You can influence bigger if you can transform players and help them develop their talent. African people had less chances earlier. I brought in George Weah when he was 23 and apart from talent, he had a huge desire to become a footballer and he worked hard for it. When you can help them to develop, it is a feeling of great satisfaction. I am responsible for a program now that is mainly targeting giving a chance to people.”

What does he think the continent should do as the system benefits hugely from the exported talents but the country and player not so much?

The first move from Africa to Europe is around 3,00,000 Euros on average and the second move from Europe to Europe is ten times more. To tackle this, we first need to create stronger clubs in Africa so that they don’t give in just because they don’t have the resources to say no. Also, create a stronger league in Africa. We talk about a Super League with strong clubs to keep their own players long. Strengthening the whole continent financially is the biggest target. Secondly, create better rules so that the clubs get compensation for the second move. Fifa is thinking about giving training compensation

FIFA’s plan to regulate private football academies in Africa

We analyzed football in 205 countries and what came out is the correlation between the quality of education and ranking of the best countries in football. The top 20 countries in football have the best grassroots development program, best identification of talent and the best coaching. So that means we have a clear task infront of us and I call this program ‘Every talent a chance’. Unfortunately, today where you are born has a big influence on the capacity to develop your football skills.   We have developed a program in FIFA and we will move inside every country. And we have two targets – first, we will support financially every federation. We want to create an excellence centre in every country. Africa is a huge target for us currently.  Secondly, federations are responsible for education and not private entities.

FA brings in Nike as official ball supplier for women’s competitions

The Football Association (FA) has signed a multi-year partnership with Nike to become official ball supplier of the Barclays Women’s Super League (BWSL), Barclays Women’s Championship (BWC) and the FA Women’s Continental Tyres League Cup from the 2022-23 season. 

The agreement will see Nike’s Flight ball technology being introduced for the first time when the new season kicks-off in the Barclays Women’s Championship this weekend (August 20-21), and the Barclays Women’s Super League on September 10-11. Each competition will have its own branded ball, while the FA Women’s Continental Tyres League Cup will have a competition branded ball for the Final in March.

Breakthrough Aerowsculpt technology uses features on the surface of the ball to help air move around it more easily. That means less wobble in the air and a more stable, predictable flight path.

We have a longstanding relationship with Nike that stretches back to 2013, and this new partnership highlights a big step forward for the women’s professional game, associating itself with a brand that looks to invest in women on and off the field.

Our partnership with Nike will allow for continued investment into the women’s game, from grassroots level right through to the professional game, as we looks to further develop the sport following England’s magnificent triumph at this summer’s UEFA Women’s EURO.

Navin Singh, FA Commercial Director, said: “I’m delighted that we are able to expand our relationship with Nike and have one of the most recognised sports brands in the world partnered with the Barclays Women’s Super League, Barclays Women’s Championship and the FA Women’s Continental Tyres League Cup.

“Nike continuously push the boundaries when it comes to investment in women and giving them the opportunity to succeed, which is exactly what we strive to do in the women’s game. This is a really positive step for both parties, and I look forward to us working with Nike going forward.”

Whitney Malkiel, vice president, global women’s, Nike, said: “The energy in women’s football in England right now has never been higher as we enter into this partnership with the FA at such a critical moment in our long-standing efforts to help keep growing the women’s game.” 

Leeds United FC leverages Allied Telesis network to improve customer experience

Leeds United Football Club (LUFC) is improving the customer experience for fans and visitors by using the turnstiles at its Elland Road Stadium in Leeds as part of an upgrade to its existing Allied Telesis high capacity resilient network core.

The working of the turnstiles, along with all other aspects of the club’s business, depend on reliable connectivity with the help of a high-capacity Allied Telesis network that has been in steady operation with no downtime for a decade and a half. Designed, installed, maintained, and supported by NETprotocol, a platinum-level Allied Telesis partner, the network covers the club’s Elland Road Stadium in Leeds and its training grounds 20 kilometres away in Thorp Arch, Wetherby.

“Our mission critical network operates every facet of our business – from back-office to security operations located around the ground,” says Mark Broadley, Head of IT and Facilities for LUFC. “We put our trust in NETprotocol’s expertise and Allied Telesis all those years ago when they assured us that the network would be highly reliable. The network has run continuously since then and that is valuable to us.” 

Leeds United FC’s Elland Road Stadium has capacity for 38,000 seated fans and is England’s 14th largest football ground. From a network perspective, LUFC is challenging as it needed around the clock no fail network operations for all its internal businesses within the stadium grounds including back-office administration, call centre, hospitality and executive suites, ticketing, merchandise shop, press box, television studio and a CCTV security system that operates several hundred surveillance cameras throughout the whole stadium complex.

“There are so many moving parts to the network in this dynamic stadium environment. We have to meet so many different objectives under one roof, and we have to know that everything works just the way we need it to, without fail. Having confidence in all that makes my job so much easier,” says Mark Broadley.

With nearly 200 cameras around the stadium, the CCTV is a key part of the infrastructure, designed to protect the 40,000+ fans and workers in the stadium on game days. As a failure of the CCTV system would trigger cancelation of a match, NETprotocol installed a dedicated network layer using an Allied Telesis switch that supports Power over Ethernet (PoE) to each camera around the campus, further ensuring continuous operation of the security system.

Leeds United’s network continues to be critical as more modern systems are onboarded and more services become digitalised. The team’s promotion to the Premier League prompted many upgrades in services and networking to support match day requirements for press, traveling teams, security and more.

“We recently increased the network bandwidth by putting more fibre into the network to support additional communications lines, such as for streaming games and interviews out over LUFC-TV,” says Broadley. “We replaced the network cores with even higher capacity connections, upgraded to the latest AlliedWare Plus operating system, and put a new management layer in place. With a single pane of glass management system over the entire network, we are able to view everything in much more detail.”

The LUFC network is based on two high-capacity, diversely routed fibre connections constituting the resilient network core. One 20 gig connection is in the main data centre in the East Stand and one 20 gig connection in the ticket office in the West Stand. The diversely routed fibres going east to west and west to east around the stadium create a 40-gig ring that is completely faultless. Connected to these two cores are several edge cabinets that run the rest of the structure. A Vista Manager EX network management platform and the Autonomous Management Framework (AMF) from Allied Telesis, which is run from a single pane of glass to allow centralised display of network details, status, event information and automates common tasks like firmware updates, backups, and zero-touch provisioning.

Chris Dyke, Sales Director UK & Ireland, Allied Telesis, says: “When we install, secure and modernise a network, its longevity is of paramount importance to us. The network at Leeds United FC is a great example of this and we look forward to our partnership lasting many more years to ensure the network continues to deliver ROI in terms of productivity, security and, most important of all, keeping the matches going each and every season.”

OneFootball partners Helbiz Media to bring Serie BKT live matches to Italy

OneFootball and Helbiz Media have signed a new distribution partnership to bring Serie BKT live matches from Helbiz Live to millions of fans in Italy via the OneFootball platforms.  

As part of the deal, fans will be able to watch all 390 live matches per season on a pay-per-view basis across the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons, including the play-offs, for just €2.99 per game. Kicking off this season, it is the first time that live Serie BKT matches from Helbiz Live will be available to OneFootball’s passionate community of football fans in Italy. 

Supporters can access the live matches, complete with Italian commentary, via the OneFootball app on smartphone and tablet (iOS/Android, including Apple AirPlay and Google Chromecast) and the OneFootball website.

OneFootball’s comprehensive existing streaming offer in Italy includes free highlights of all Serie A and Serie BKT matches, alongside global pay-per-view access to the Italian Serie C through OneFootball’s partnership with Eleven Italy. OneFootball users worldwide can already access the latest original content from Serie BKT, including news, statistics and match results via the app and website. 

The 2022-23 Serie BKT season will see former Serie A clubs Genoa, Venezia, and Cagliari battling against historic teams like Palermo, Bari and Parma for promotion, with just three places available to secure a return to the top flight. Serie BKT has kickstarted the careers of several Italian superstars who have gone on to play in Serie A and represent the Italian national team, including Lorenzo Insigne, Marco Verratti and Ciro Immobile.

The move comes after OneFootball recently announced a landmark partnership with the country’s top division, Lega Serie A, to bring officially-licensed digital collectibles to football fans around the globe. The world-first deal will give the football community a multi-dimensional experience that takes them from real life into a new digital age. Fans can now own, collect and trade never-before-available match moments from Serie A, Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana, starting for the 2022-23 season. Fans can register their interest now at Aera by OneFootball, with the products set to launch on 29 August.

Nikolaus von Doetinchem, Vice President OTT Streaming & Media Rights OneFootball, said: “Following our landmark digital collectibles partnership with Serie A, it’s an exciting time for OneFootball in Italy. Building on our suite of existing streaming deals, this partnership with Helbiz Live is our latest move to bring the country’s passionate supporters closer to the teams and players they love. Fans can now catch all the highs and lows from Serie BKT directly within the OneFootball platform, at an affordable price, without needing to miss a minute!”

Matteo Mammì, CEO of Helbiz Media, said:  “I am thrilled to partner with OneFootball, a platform growing at a terrific rate used by millions of soccer fans world-wide. This agreement represents the birth of an additional revenue stream for Helbiz Media. OneFootball will allow our content to be viewed by a large National customer base, always searching for higher quality, accessible and cheaper solutions to follow their passion.”

SailGP signs KPMG Australia as title partner for Sydney Grand Prix

SailGP has inked a new sponsorship with KPMG Australia, which sees the leading professional service firm become the Title Partner of the KPMG Australia Sail Grand Prix I Sydney, in a multi-season deal. The global racing League will return to the iconic Sydney Harbour on 18 and 19 of February, 2023.

The new partnership has been developed from the successful commercial relationship formed between KPMG and SailGP for the 2021 Australian event, whereby KPMG was the Presenting Partner. The continuation and expansion of the partnership demonstrates the commercial growth of SailGP and further cements the league’s status as a marquee event on the Australian sporting calendar.

KPMG employs almost 10,000 people in Australia, providing professional services to organisations across a wide range of industry, government and civil society sectors. KPMG also shares in SailGP’s purpose-led agenda for a better planet, with the professional service firm’s focus of reducing its impact on the environment to build a more sustainable future. 

KPMG National Managing Partner for Client Experience & Brand, Amanda Hicks said: “KPMG’s sponsorship of the world class SailGP event for the second year in a row is about reflecting the importance of taking positive action for climate and protecting the environment. SailGP highlights how we can continue to challenge ourselves in nature, and also harness significant technology solutions for a better sport and a better planet. This is the kind of environmentally friendly sport, experience, and innovation that our firm supports and celebrates towards a climate positive future.”

The KPMG Australia Sail Grand Prix I Sydney is the ninth event of SailGP Season 3, with the championship having commenced in Bermuda in May this year. Following Tom Slingsby’s Australian side securing second place at the third event in Plymouth in July, the fleet – comprising the sport’s best athletes – will head to Copenhagen this weekend and then Saint-Tropez, Cádiz-Andalucía, Dubai, Singapore, Sydney, New Zealand and San Francisco.

With SailGP going from strength to strength in Season 3, and returning to Sydney for the fourth time since the league’s inception, Slingsby, CEO and driver of the Australia SailGP Team, welcomes KPMG on board and the continued growth of the league in Australia.

Slingsby said: “It’s pretty incredible to see how fast SailGP has grown into a world renowned sporting event in only three seasons, and with well respected brands like KPMG coming on board as partners for the Australian event, it only cements this fact.

“We are all very excited about returning home again to race on Sydney Harbour and I think it will be our best event yet. With nine F50’s lined up and racing for the first time here in Sydney, it will be a sporting spectacle not to be missed.”

The KPMG partnership was facilitated by IMG, SailGP’s global agency for media rights, sponsorship and host venue rights. IMG is part of Endeavor, a strategic investor in SailGP, and previously negotiated the commercial relationship between SailGP and KPMG for the 2021 Australian event.

Chris Gilbert, Managing Director of IMG Australia and New Zealand, said: “We are delighted to extend the valued partnership with KPMG and showcase their credentials as a leader in sustainability and technology. This partnership highlights the impressive marketing value of the SailGP program and will ultimately help the sport expand its growth profile, alongside its well-defined ESG and technology mission.”

Tickets for fan experiences at the KPMG Australia Sail Grand Prix | Sydney on 18-19 February will go on sale in October.

Australian fans can tune in to watch the Australia SailGP team compete at the ROCKWOOL Denmark Sail Grand Prix in Copenhagen this weekend, with all racing broadcast live on Fox Sports and available live and for free on Kayo Freebies.

The KPMG Australia Sail Grand Prix is proudly supported by the NSW Government via its tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW.

Premier League club revenues grew by 8% to £4.9bn, as per Deloitte’s Annual Review of Football Finance

The European football market grew combined revenues by 10% (€2.4bn) in 2020/21 to €27.6bn – despite an almost complete absence of fans from stadia during the season – with the uplift largely driven by deferred broadcast revenues from the previous year and the success of the postponed UEFA EURO 2020 tournament.

As per Deloitte’s Annual Review of Football Finance, the ‘big five’ European leagues – the Premier League, Bundesliga, La Liga, Serie A and Ligue 1 – generated €15.6bn in revenue in 2020/21, a 3% increase from the previous year (€15.1bn in 2019/20). However, revenue polarisation between and within European football leagues continued at pace.

Largely attributable to deferred broadcast revenue, Premier League club revenues grew by 8% to €5.5bn in 2020/21. By contrast, the Bundesliga – which experienced the lowest uplift in aggregate broadcast revenue of the ‘big five’ in 2020/21 – reported a 6% fall in revenue to €3.0bn.

Revenues in Spain’s La Liga also contracted by 6% to €2.9bn. La Liga clubs collectively recorded a loss in operating profits for the first since the Sports Business Group began tracking this data on a club-by-club level, in the 2013/14 season.

Clubs in Serie A experienced the greatest percentage growth in aggregate revenues of any ‘big five’ league in 2020/21, increasing by 23% to a record high of €2.5bn. Driven by a 48% increase in broadcast revenue due to significant deferrals, it is the only league to have reported higher combined revenues than before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ligue 1 fell further behind Serie A in revenue terms, with the divide between the two league’s total revenues having doubled to over €900m. Ligue 1 clubs revenues grew by just 1% during the 2020/21 season to €1.6bn, as the curtailment rather than postponement of the competition led to very limited deferred revenue being recognised.

The Premier League was the only one of the ‘big five’ to report improved total operating profits in the year, cumulatively increasing from £49m to £479m. When excluding the Premier League the ‘big five’ reported increased total operating losses during the year, increasing from €461m to €901m.

Tim Bridge, lead partner in the Sports Business Group at Deloitte, said: “Clubs across Europe played a significant proportion of matches behind closed doors or with reduced capacity during the 2020/21 season which caused an almost complete loss of matchday revenue. It’s testament to the resilience of the industry, the value driven by broadcast deals and the success of the Euros that the European football market has achieved tenacious growth, in revenue terms, over the past year.

“However, it is important not to overlook the loss-making position of many clubs. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic fundamentally changed the financial management of European football, with leagues and clubs having to seek external investment and responding to a shift in trends around transfer spending and club operations.

“Leaps made to boost financial sustainability through new UEFA regulations and to professionalise the women’s game will challenge clubs to break from tradition, potentially boosting profitability in a notoriously loss-making industry and creating a more inclusive environment for all. It is an exciting period, but one to be well prepared for.”

Deloitte’s analysis highlights a boom in investment across Europe’s ‘big five’ leagues, as clubs have sought and attracted investment at the very top level. Fifteen investments in clubs across the ‘big five’ leagues took place in 2021, more than in 2019 and 2020 combined (12). The vast majority (87%) of investments were made by high-net-worth individuals and private equity firms, with more than two-thirds of investments being made from the US.


Multi-club ownership (MCO) has grown in popularity, with over 70 MCOs now thought to be in existence, more than double the amount only five years ago (28). Nine of the 20 Premier League clubs operate within a MCO model.


Sam Boor, sports M&A advisory lead in Deloitte’s Sports Business Group, said: “Football is proving an attractive opportunity for a growing pool of international investors, whose confidence has been buoyed by clubs’ recovery post-COVID. To ensure that new investment brings value to all – those on the pitch, in the stands and in the boardrooms – the importance of responsible investment, which protects the financial and operational sustainability of clubs, cannot be overemphasised.”

Member Insights: What’s next for your membership programs?

Joe Condon, is iSportConnect’s very own Web3 Guru, in this article he looks into the future of membership programs and what makes a good one?

You can change a number, things in your life; your favourite music artist, the place you live, even your partner if you’re so inclined. Your sports team however is not one of these things. 

Come rain or shine, silverware or relegations, you’re stuck with them. Your connection to your favourite club becomes so ingrained, it becomes part of your identity, and in general, you tend to build friendships and engage with communities that hold those similar beliefs and interests to you.

Yes, that was just a long-winded way to say fandom.

Although fandom isn’t exclusive to just sports, the level of loyalty sports fans exhibit is fairly unique. This loyalty allows our industry to operate in the way it does (from ticketing to media rights) and is why fans are the lifeblood of sports.

With these people being so integral to the industry, should we not be prioritising and rewarding this fandom and loyalty?

Membership programs / reward schemes are nothing new, they have been around for decades, however they have become a somewhat neglected part of the mix, with very little innovation happening to them over the last few decades. If reprioritised and used in the right ways (using perhaps new technologies), could they capture and generate a lot of value for both sides of the relationship?

So, what do most membership programs look like at the moment?

I’m sure there are some slight differences from sport to sport and club to club, but being fairly generic, most membership programs will get you:

  • A membership card
  • A goodie box (I recall receiving a scarf, magazine and a poster)
  • Priority access to some match day tickets (not guaranteed)
  • Perhaps access to some exclusive content
  • Perhaps access to some exclusive experiences 

So, how could you spice it up and ‘reward’ not just those with memberships, but all fans? Why would that even be beneficial and how can it be done?

(Pre-Warning: This is the part where I start talking about where NFTs can potentially be used. Now’s the time to click off if this isn’t your cup of tea).

Looking at a new launch; esports team Fnatic took the plunge with their membership scheme earlier in the year, and I still think it’s one of the stronger membership launches I’ve seen in the market over the past 12/18 months; why?

Three main reasons:

1) POSITIONING TO AUDIENCE

In esports and gaming spheres, you’re under the magnifying glass at all times. That’s true within most sports, traditional ones too, but with the professional sport being built out of amateur tournaments, I think esports convincingly wins on the scrutiny-o-meter.

With that in mind, and the general PR on NFTs not exactly being positive in the wider public, Fnatic steered clear of focusing on NFTs as the core part of the launch, and instead focused on making a proposition that actually delivered value and utility to their audience, with a roadmap of added perks that will come with being a member and engaged with the team. The technology was just the vehicle.

Pointer: Don’t focus on the technology; focus on what it can bring to your audience. Mass adoption will come when end consumers don’t even realise the difference in the backend and their experience.

2) TIERED SYSTEM TO REWARD ALL 

Memberships have often been targeted towards your ‘superfan’, however, a large percentage of your fans see their club/team as a part of their identity, so how can you attract everyone?

Going back to Fnatic’s launch, they launched a three-tier membership, each with varying levels of reward, with a free tier to make it accessible to everyone.

This meant they could still monetise their superfans, but now manage to have another touchpoint that rewards their casual fans, whilst also collecting valuable first party data of those fans (through the registration process to Fnatic ID) that were outside of their ecosystem that they can now market to.

A side note to this process is it’s not strictly Web3 as you have to give over information to register, and for that you may lose some of those that are of a staunch decentralised nature, but I certainly think that having a membership process that incorporates the best of both worlds (let’s go with the overused term that is Web2.5 to describe it) can help to onboard people into the space and surely that is beneficial in pursuit of the bigger goal of mass adoption.

Pointer: Web3 is built on community, and sports organisations have some of the largest and most loyal audiences in the world. In terms of a membership proposition, I believe focusing on a value exchange to attract those from outside your core community to the free tier should universally be step 1; once inside your ecosystem, there is greater opportunity to move them further up to the paid tiers to where your already loyal superfans are.

3) INVOLVING PARTNERS

Being able to deliver authentic activation opportunities for your partners is what keeps many a sponsorship executive up at night. So going back to Fnatic’s launch, what better way for the likes of their partner crypto.com to be involved than by providing (one of) the payment solutions, and then also being an option for any newbies to the space to open a crypto.com wallet to hold the NFT in.

Whilst NFTs are right in the wheelhouse of crypto.com, the use of a digital membership program offers the opportunity for sponsors from other categories to also get involved, whether that be through exclusive discounts, exclusive digital experiences etc. This isn’t just a play for your blockchain/crypto marketplace partners!

Looking at what’s next, I imagine that the holders of these memberships can connect via their wallet to Fnatic + their partners websites and receive these perks. Token gated experiences / rewards is a really fascinating concept, but that’s one for another day!

Pointer: Whether your partners are endemic to Web3 or not, many are looking to dip their toe into the space. A membership program that offers the opportunity for your partners to test and learn with an audience they want to be engaging with can only be beneficial in my eyes.

I’ll conclude with a question that is often asked which is ‘why move something to Web3 if it’s already possible in Web2?’

Hopefully the above shows that there’s often a middle ground between the two, and it’s worth pushing the boundaries and testing with new technology as a way to innovate old processes. Standing still will only see you surpassed.

To quote Mike Thomas of Animoca Brands from our Web3 Summit, “Dive in with both feet, but into the shallow end to begin with.”

AJ Bell confirmed as title sponsor of Tour of Britain

AJ Bell has been confirmed as title partner of the upcoming 2022 AJ Bell Tour of Britain, taking place 4 – 11 September.

The Manchester-based investment platform will become the title partner of Britain’s biggest and most prestigious cycling race for the second year running, following the event’s success in 2021. 

This year’s AJ Bell Tour of Britain will begin in Aberdeen on Sunday 4 September and include the first-ever opening day summit finish in modern race history at Glenshee Ski Centre. The climb from Auchallater to the stage finish at Glenshee measures 9.1 kilometres in distance, with the final five kilometres averaging a gradient of 4.8%.

Subsequent stages will see riders tackle routes in the Scottish Borders, North East England, North Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Gloucestershire and Dorset.

The peloton will finish eight days and 1,352 kilometres later in the Isle of Wight, to become the biggest-ever cycling event to take place on the island. This year’s route is set to challenge the cyclists thanks to the toughest finish to any Tour of Britain race in modern history, with the final 400 metres to the finish at The Needles averaging a gradient of 9.6%.

Spectators are expected to line the streets in their thousands at the free-to-attend event, to catch a glimpse of the 108 world-class athletes from the 18 competing teams, including the likes of INEOS Grenadiers, BORA – hansgrohe, and the Movistar Team, racing through their local towns and cities. All eight stages of the AJ Bell Tour of Britain will also be televised live on ITV4, along with a hour-long daily highlights show for fans of the sport to catch up on the action.

Andy Bell, chief executive at AJ Bell, comments: “We’re thrilled to be title partner of the AJ Bell Tour of Britain for the second year running. The 2021 event made for some fantastic viewing both for those able to soak up the atmosphere in person and those watching from home.

“It’s great to see so many new locations along the route this year, no doubt inspiring new and existing cycling fans in its path. I look forward to seeing who will take home the AJ Bell Leaders jersey and be crowned the overall winner on the Isle of Wight.”

Commenting on the partnership, Hugh Roberts, Chief Executive of race organisers SweetSpot Group said: “We are extremely delighted that AJ Bell has returned for the second year as Title Partner of the AJ Bell Tour of Britain. We set up a strong partnership foundation in 2021 and collectively with AJ Bell we are focussing on building the biggest and best bike races in Britain. 

“The race this year will be one of our toughest, and we once again expect millions to be watching roadside and around the world on television. Our team at SweetSpot is adept at delivering world class events alongside our partners, and we will discuss longer term possibilities with AJ Bell post event.”

AFL drops first NFTs in partnership with Animoca Brands

The AFL and Be Media, a subsidiary of Animoca Brands, today launched Ripper Skipper 2022, the first drop of limited edition NFT digital collectibles by AFL Mint, the home of officially licensed Australian Football League NFTs. Users who joined the allowlist are able to make purchases during this first NFT drop; the AFL Mint will open fully to the wider public on 24 August 2022 at aflmint.com.au.

There are 78 major moments in total to collect, featuring the captains from the 18 teams in the Australian Football League and showcasing different highlights from the 2021 Season.

Launched in April, AFL Mint has set the benchmark for NFTs within Australian sporting codes, allowing fans to own, collect and trade their favourite elements of the game and support their favourite teams and players. Furthermore, the program will develop to merge online experiences in the metaverse with real life experiences on game day such as ticketing and membership upgrades, chances to win tickets to major games, prizes, virtual reality experiences within the grounds on game day and much more.

The NFTs of Ripper Skipper 2022 have been launched to members of the public who had signed up to the allowlist, selling for AUD49 for a surprise three-pack.

The collection of AFL moments are available in three tiers of rarity, with the cards being revealed once the purchased pack has been opened. As a special launch initiative, the current Ripper Skipper purchases provide a 10 per cent chance of obtaining the extremely limited digital AFL Mint Genesis Ball. AFL Mint confirms that NFTs released in the future will offer a much lower drop chance of this limited item.

AFL Mint will continue to grow and evolve by creating unique and engaging experiences for AFL fans that are not merely collectibles but also offer relevant utility.  Fans will be able to experience exclusive game day events, tickets, unique AFL Mint-only content, and even hang out with their favourite players in the metaverse.

The launch of Ripper Skipper 2022 sees the AFL join an elite class of international sporting codes that have launched similar NFT series, including NBA Top Shot, the ICC’s FanCraze, MotoGP™ Ignition, and UFC Strike.

Visit aflmint.com.au to register and prepare for the public launch.

Kylie Rogers, Executive General Manager Customer and Commercial at AFL, said: “The AFL is excited to release our first AFL Mint drop. Our players and clubs are excited to provide fans a new way to engage with footy and celebrate the moments that make our game so great.

“The Ripper Skippers collection celebrates the incredible leaders in our game, with all 18 AFL captains minted as our first official NFTs.

“Through our AFL Mint brand, we will launch exciting new moments across our Men’s and Women’s competitions, plus celebrate past greats and other product releases that will bring a unique fan experience we haven’t seen before.”

Jordan Fogarty, Founder and CEO of Be Media, said: “We are excited to launch the first season-based NFT project in Australia, and to allow fans to own a slice of our Aussie game through these AFL Mint moments. This is the first step in a very exciting multi-year product roadmap.”

Yat Siu, the Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Animoca Brands, said: “I am very pleased to see this project come to life, and to see the unique game that is ‘Aussie rules’ showcased on the global stage. Animoca Brands is excited to offer big Australian Brands like the AFL the chance to enter our global ecosystem and explore the exciting opportunities presented by the emerging open metaverse.”

Other collectable releases are in the works for the AFL Mint program, including AFLW Ripper Skipper, and the AFL Mint Marketplace will be coming in 2023 for people looking to sell and trade their cards on the AFL’s own trading platform.