Community, Author at iSportConnect

Cazoo To Become New Main Shirt Sponsor Of LOSC

Cazoo, Europe’s leading online car retailer and Lille Olympique Sporting Club (LOSC), the former winner of the 2021 French Football Championship of Ligue 1, are delighted to announce today that they have signed a multi-year agreement. From the start of next season, Cazoo will become the main partner and new shirt sponsor of LOSC.

Cazoo will see its branding on the front of the jerseys of all LOSC sports teams, professional men’s and women’s teams as well as the youth teams of the Lille Academy, throughout the Stade Pierre Mauroy, on many official club merchandise, across the club’s website and on a complete visibility system used during television broadcasts.

The partnership between Cazoo and LOSC will take effect from 1st July 2022. This new deal will form part of an extensive marketing campaign by Cazoo in France in 2022 as it continues to roll out across Europe, following its recent launches in both France and Germany. Cazoo also currently sponsors both Everton and Aston Villa in the UK Premier League, as well as Olympique de Marseille in Ligue 1 and Spanish LaLiga teams Real Sociedad and Valencia FC.

Cazoo, which makes buying a used car as simple and seamless as ordering any other product online, owns and reconditions its cars to the highest standard before offering them for delivery in just a few days at any time. With customers able to purchase a car entirely online and have it delivered directly to their door, Cazoo has been referred to as the ‘Amazon of the used car market’.

Cazoo, which already has hundreds of cars available at any time, was founded in 2018 by renowned British entrepreneur Alex Chesterman and has already sold over 60,000 cars in the UK since its launch as consumers have embraced the selection, value, transparency and convenience of buying used cars fully online. Cazoo has grown its team to over 4,250 across the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and Portugal.

Cazoo has been one of the fastest growing businesses in Europe over the past two years, pioneering the shift to online car buying, and recently listed on the NYSE in August, raising over $1.4bn to build out its brand and infrastructure as it looks to continue to transform the car buying and selling experience across the UK and Europe.

Alex Chesterman, Founder & CEO of Cazoo said:

“We are very excited to be partnering with Lille. They are one of the leading teams and like us are a very ambitious club driven by results and have a passionate fan base across France. We are looking forward to engaging with the fans and local community and delivering the best car buying experience in France in 2022.”

Olivier Létang, Lille Club President said:

“We are delighted to partner with Cazoo next season. The brand already has excellent sports partnerships in the Premier League in particular, and others rapidly growing in Europe. We are happy that LOSC is part of the development plan of its leaders, and thus contribute to making Cazoo a recognized and appreciated brand in France. We are impatient to introduce the brand to our fans, Lille residents and more generally to the entire French market. “

GOAT To Become Paris Saint-Germain’s Sleeve Partner

GOAT will join the club as an Official Partner until the end of the current season before becoming the sleeve partner and one of the club’s Principal Partners beginning in July 2022. The GOAT brand will be displayed on all of the club’s performance kits, including training, warm-up and match apparel.

With innovation at the forefront of both brands, the partnership will introduce first-of-its-kind initiatives, including unique content and collaborations. The partnership will also strengthen each brand’s global footprints, reaching a wider audience in key markets.

“We are delighted to welcome GOAT into the Paris Saint-Germain family with this partnership that will see them join the exclusive roster of club partners present on our iconic jerseys,” said Marc Armstrong, Chief Partnerships Officer of Paris Saint-Germain. “GOAT is a perfect fit for the club and further supports our position as a leading global sports and lifestyle icon for fans all over the world. Together we will develop exciting and creative experiences to connect with supporters everywhere.”

“Paris Saint-Germain is one of the most influential clubs in the world and we’re excited to partner with them as we continue to build our global community,” said Eddy Lu, Co-Founder and CEO of GOAT Group. “We’re not only bringing together two leading lifestyle brands, but uniting a community of athletes, creatives and fans around the world. This partnership plays to each other’s strengths, with innovative collaborations in the months and years to come.”

A dedicated PSG experience will launch on the GOAT platform, with a selection of Paris Saint-Germain lifestyle apparel and objects from the past, present and future.

Cricket Australia Partner With Rario To Launch Official Range Of NFTs

Australian cricket has taken the first official step into the world of NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, joining a movement that has already generated millions of dollars for sports around the globe.

Cricket Australia (CA) and the Australian Cricketers Association (ACA) today announced they have signed a multi-year licensing deal with Singapore-based collectibles platform Rario and NFT trading company BlockTrust, which will enable cricket lovers to own and trade NFTs of some of the most memorable cricketing moments on Australian soil.

NFTs are essentially digital assets that are trackable and unable to be altered, with their scarcity giving them value. Where traditional sports collectibles like trading cards feature only still images, NFTs can show official broadcast vision and commentary.

https://twitter.com/rariohq/status/1514098837987774465?s=20&t=mPJFNMemhgmA_-7Uzk0ong

Like all sports memorabilia, the value of an NFT is determined by market demand.

It means unique, digital versions of moments like Steve Waugh’s Ashes hundred at the SCG in 2003, Peter Siddle’s hat-trick in 2010 and Ellyse Perry’s double hundred in 2017 will be available to own and trade.

The deal between CA and the ACA will see the revenue of Australian cricket NFTs shared between players (past and present) and Cricket Australia, although specifics of the agreement have not been shared publicly.

NFTs have exploded in popularity in recent years, with some individual pieces selling for tens of millions of dollars.

Sports like basketball, Formula One and football have been sporting trailblazers in the NFT space, while the Australian Football League last week announced details of a similar licensing agreement.

The NBA says its Top Shots NFT program has seen more than A$800m change hands since it was established in 2020, while one single LeBron James slam dunk sold for more than half a million Australian dollars.

Deloitte has predicted that sports NFTs will generate around A$2.7 billion globally this year.

NFT technology has been criticised for producing significant carbon emissions but in a statement, Rario, CA and the ACA said they are “committed to a partnership that sees NFTs produced in a sustainable manner” by using Polygon blockchain, which they say, “translates to more eco-friendliness and considerably fewer carbon emissions”.

“We are excited to step into the metaverse with our partners Rario, BlockTrust and the Australian Cricketers’ Association for this historic deal, which will open up huge opportunities for innovation and fan engagement,” Cricket Australia CEO, Nick Hockley, said in a statement.

“The game’s deep connection with its past, the passion of our fans and the appeal of Australian cricketers to a global audience, means the incorporation of NFTs is another way that fans across the world can engage and be part of the sport.

“This is just the start and I have no doubt we will see enormous benefit for fans, players and the sport itself as we build this exciting partnership.”

Rario, cricket’s first officially licensed digital collectibles platform, has already signed deals with the Caribbean Premier League as well as leagues in the UAE and Sri Lanka and counts the likes of Aaron Finch and Faf Du Plessis as brand ambassadors.

“This is an exciting opportunity for Australian cricket, and this has been reflected in the cooperative spirit that the ACA and Cricket Australia have partnered with Rario,” said Todd Greenberg, CEO of Australian Cricketers Association.

“Once you begin to learn about NFTs you soon understand the engagement possibilities between past and present players with fans are huge. We all look forward to bringing this program to life in the coming months with new and innovative concepts.”

CUPRA Become Official Automotive Partner Of The Socceroos And Commonwealth Bank Matildas

CUPRA, Australia’s newest car and lifestyle brand, is teaming up with Football Australia to support the professional development of men’s and women’s football in Australia. Announced today following the Commonwealth Bank Matildas’ friendly against New Zealand last night, CUPRA becomes the official automotive partner of the men’s Socceroos and women’s Commonwealth Bank Matildas national teams in one of the most exciting periods in the sport’s Australian history.

Australia’s newest performance car brand partners with Australia’s national football teams to support the world game and the development of current and emerging local talent
Partnership includes men’s Socceroos, women’s Commonwealth Bank Matildas and national youth teams
CUPRA Formentor stars in short film collaboration with the Socceroos and Commonwealth Bank Matildas
CUPRA, the unconventional challenger brand inspiring the world from Barcelona, arrives in Australia mid-year with the Leon hatch, Ateca SUV, and Formentor cross-over in performance petrol and plug-in hybrid variants

As part of the partnership, CUPRA will feature on the Socceroos’ training apparel and the parties will collaborate on content campaigns and fan experiences. No stranger to igniting the passion of football fans everywhere, CUPRA is also the global official partner and official automotive partner of FC Barcelona in Spain.

The CUPRA brand, proudly hailing from Barcelona, is known for its emotional design and spirited performance, and is no better encapsulated than by the brand’s evocative cross-over SUV, the CUPRA Formentor.

To celebrate the announcement, CUPRA and Football Australia collaborated to create an action-packed digital spot featuring some of Australia’s hottest up-and-coming football talent and National Team players. The film, which depicts a neon-lit rooftop game of street football being joined by Australia’s best players, also unveils the CUPRA Formentor – its first appearance in Australia prior to launch.

CUPRA Australia Director Ben Wilks said, “Football is the world game and a sport that invokes enormous passion in fans everywhere. To be partnering with our national women’s and men’s team throughout not one, but three global tournaments is a source of immense pride for the entire CUPRA Tribe, and we can’t wait to get behind the teams in their quest for glory, and share our passion with the teams’ fan base of over seven million people.”

Football Australia CEO, James Johnson, was pleased to be partnering with CUPRA, a brand that already has strong ties to football.

“Football Australia is proud to have partnered with CUPRA, a new and exciting performance car brand that will bring great energy to the Australian market. Over the past 18 months we have worked hard to align football with commercial partners that believe in our sport, and recognise our game’s unique ability to unite and excite Australians. CUPRA has impressed us with its bold vision for the future, and we’re delighted that CUPRA has chosen football, and specifically our engaging and iconic national teams, as their first partner in the Australian market,” Mr Johnson said.

CUPRA arrives in Australia in 2022

This partnership with Football Australia marks the very first collaboration for CUPRA in Australia, which will officially commence trading mid-this year with the opening of the brand’s inner city CUPRA Garage spaces in Australian capital cities. Staffed by passionate CUPRA Masters, the Garage spaces will serve as a central beacon for the brand, while also becoming a local hub for the growing CUPRA Tribe – an international collective of fans and like-minded people, bound by a shared love of driving.

Unlike other car brands, CUPRA will offer its customers a unique and bespoke brand experience and, in conjunction with its CUPRA Garages, will lean into digital commerce, embracing a hybrid agency sales model. Always progressive, CUPRA also offers fans and customers the chance to come together and experience the brand online, recently unveiling its own digital world within the Metaverse.

As part of its partnership with Football Australia, the brand will also be delivering a range of exciting experiences and once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for the fans and players at all levels of the game.

Launching in Australia with a range of performance vehicles powered by petrol and plug-in-hybrid engine technology, CUPRA has also recently confirmed its highly emotional vehicle line-up, which will launch with the CUPRA Leon hatch, the CUPRA Ateca SUV and the CUPRA Formentor cross-over.

More details on the Australian launch of the CUPRA brand and its distinct line-up will be available in the lead-up to the brand’s mid-2022 launch.

ELEVEN To Support Delivery Of FIFA+ OTT Service

ELEVEN has reached an agreement to provide services to FIFA to add live matches from FIFA’s Member Associations onto the ground-breaking new digital platform FIFA+.

FIFA+ is a world-class digital service created to connect football fans more deeply with the game they love. Launched on 12 April, FIFA+ will give fans worldwide access to up to 40,000 live fixtures a year.

Matches from over 90 Member Associations across the men’s, women’s and youth game will be showcased on the platform, with women’s football to make up more than a third of the live content offering and growing.

ELEVEN will play a key role in supporting the production, delivery and distribution of the aforementioned live content on FIFA+, and will also help support the creation of commercial opportunities. Its proprietary streaming technology will power live matches on FIFA+, delivering a first-class viewing experience for fans.

As a provider for FIFA+, the company is also responsible for populating the platform with an unprecedented volume of live football from around the world. Thousands of games from FIFA’s Member Associations have already been secured, and the content portfolio will expand significantly.

Pedro Presa, ELEVEN Group Chief Advisor for DTC & Strategic Projects, said:

“We’re thrilled to work with FIFA+ to power this revolutionary new service for football fans. FIFA+ will be home to an unprecedented volume of live football, and leagues and Member Associations from around the world will have the opportunity to showcase their competitions to a global audience. We are particularly proud that the new service will make the women’s game more accessible to fans than ever, comprising more than one-third of all live games streamed each year.”

Dave Roberts, MA/OTT and Digital, FIFA+, said:

“ELEVEN are strongly positioned to bring football at all levels into the spotlight. By working together, we hope to shine an even brighter light on football from around the world – from men’s and women’s senior football, to the youth game. We’re very excited about how ELEVEN will help FIFA+ deliver a first class live offering to football fans and Member Associations throughout the game.”

The following competitions are already set to appear on FIFA+ from 12 April, with more rights partners to be announced soon:

Danish Superliga
Polish Ekstraklasa
Slovak Fortuna Liga
Italian Women’s Serie B
Brasileiro Feminino Serie A1
SAFF Women’s Championship
Swiss Super League
Mozambican Football Championship
UNCAF Club Championships
Angola Girabola
USL W League
Bhutan Premier League

Roland-Garros And OPPO Proudly Announce Extended Premium Partnership For 2022 And 2023 Tournaments

“The FFT is delighted to renew this agreement with OPPO, a loyal partner with whom we share a desire for innovation. This collaboration with an international brand reinforces our strategy to increase Roland-Garros’s influence worldwide,” announced Gilles Moretton, President of the FFT. This collaboration between the Parisian Grand Slam and OPPO is centred around innovation and technology. Roland-Garros and OPPO share the same values and aim to constantly reinvent themselves in order to offer an optimal user experience. OPPO recently launched a new brand proposition, “Inspiration Ahead”, which affirms this ambition and ties in with the Roland-Garros tournament’s new signature, “Move the lines, with style”.

“Inspiration Ahead means showing confidence and poise when we are moving forward. It encourages us to remain resolved and graceful as brave the storm and break the stagnation. Participating sports events is fantastic for OPPO to convey the mutually inspirational spirit and communicate OPPO’s technology innovation experience with our global users,” announced William Liu, OPPO’s President of Global Marketing. OPPO as the 4^th consecutive year premium partner hopes to bring tennis inspiration with its unique imaging technology to witness, capture and participate in these precious spirits on the court. Also, inspiring tennis fans to always be confident and become better ones while facing obstacles and adversities.

Within the framework of the 2022 tournament (from 16^th May to 5^th June), OPPO, who benefit from extensive visibility on the stadium’s show courts, will roll out the “RG x OPPO Photo Gallery”, a digital exhibition of photos taken exclusively with OPPO‘s newest flagship device:Find X5 Pro, thus unlocking its immense potential of unique imaging capabilities. These photos will also be displayed during the Roland-Garros tournament, in order to allow the spectators in the stadium to admire them.

This year once again, OPPO will collaborate with the “Shot of the Day”, a video of every day’s best shot or rally, which will be posted on the tournament’s various digital platforms.

NBA And Foot Locker Europe Announce Multi-Year Parnership Expansion

The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Foot Locker Europe today announced a multiyear partnership expansion that will see the NBA and Foot Locker Europe refurbish basketball courts and host youth basketball clinics and fan events across Europe. As part of the partnership and Foot Locker’s ongoing basketball community program “#RaiseTheGame,” the NBA and Foot Locker will refurbish and maintain two outdoor basketball courts in Paris and Rotterdam this summer.

Foot Locker will also serve as the presenting partner of NBA 3X, a 3-on-3 basketball tournament open to male and female players ages 16-18 scheduled to take place in Barcelona and London this summer. Dates, locations, and registration information for NBA 3X will be announced in the coming months.

Since launching the #RaiseTheGame campaign in September 2020, Foot Locker and the NBA have refurbished outdoor basketball courts in Barcelona (Poblenou), London (Clapham Common), Milan (Via Lazio) and Paris (Jemmapes) in an effort to empower local communities and bring people together through the game of basketball. As part of the partnership, the NBA has hosted clinics for local community groups at each venue and will continue to do so in the years to come.

“As part of our commitment to inspire and empower youth, basketball continues to be a key pillar for our brand for what it represents: community, inclusivity, hope and empowerment,” said Susie Kuhn, President of Foot Locker EMEA. “We’re therefore thrilled to be able to continue our long-standing partnership with the NBA, working alongside them to launch the next steps in our #RaiseTheGame program. Our aim is to help promote inclusivity and bring the youth community throughout Europe together socially, and so we look forward to the new court refurbishments in Paris and Rotterdam, as well as the tournaments taking place in Barcelona and London later this year.”

“Foot Locker Europe is a valued long-term partner for the NBA in the region, and we look forward to expanding our partnership that now marks 12 years of collaboration,” said Nick Cowell, NBA Europe and Middle East Senior Director, Global Partnerships. “Foot Locker shares our commitment to growing the game and using basketball to bring fans together around sports, fashion, and lifestyle.”

Amazon Shutting (Real) Shops: What This Says About E-Commerce And Subscriptions

Vindicia’s Chief Revenue Officer Jack Bullock explores the deeper meaning behind Amazon opting to go back on its initiative to start physical shops and head back to the solely online model.

When Amazon started opening brick-and-mortar stores, many in the industry were shocked. After all, Amazon was THE online superstore; it had spawned a whole new generation of online shoppers. Yet, in 2015, Amazon did an about-turn and opened its first physical bookstore. This was followed by other ventures in physical retail, including homewares and toys, as well as pop-up stores and the Amazon Go cashless convenience store.

But then the pandemic hit, and Amazon has now announced it will close 68 of its brick-and-mortar bookstores and other shops.

Shifting sands

Even as e-commerce steadily rose in the past decade, there was still a palpable feeling that the physical in-store experience was something special and irreplaceable. Since time immemorial, people have engaged in face-to-face commerce, in markets and stores all over the world. But then came COVID and people turned to online shopping on a global scale like never before.

“40% of US adults say they enjoy shopping in-store less than before the pandemic.”

By May 2020, over 6 in 10 American adults had reported buying something online for the first time. As the world now enters the post-pandemic phase, in-store shopping is rising again, but e-commerce is still gaining solid ground. By 2023, online sales are predicted to account for 27% of all retail consumer purchases – an unheard-of figure.

Yet, COVID has changed us: 40% of US adults say they enjoy shopping in-store less than before the pandemic, and a further 15% say their enthusiasm for in-store shopping has “waned.”

It’s on these shifting sands that Amazon seemingly failed its experiment with brick-and-mortar stores.

Hassle free, but human

Amazon was the first to understand that consumer behavior had changed when it launched its online bookstore. Then, in response to consumer demand for in-store experiences, it launched into physical retail. Now, as it shuts 68 of its stores and retreats back to the digital realm, Amazon can see that consumers want more.

“They want a hassle-free, convenient experience, with the products and services they need at their fingertips, smoothly and seamlessly.”

They don’t just want to click and buy online, yet they don’t want just the regular experience of going into a store either. They want both – and more.

They want a hassle-free, convenient experience, with the products and services they need at their fingertips, smoothly and seamlessly. But they also want the personal connection, a feeling that issues will be taken care of without their intervention, and that the shopping experience will anticipate their needs, connect them to the products they love, and overcome any obstacles without undue burden on their shoulders, or email inbox, or credit card.

What keeps customers connected

Whether it’s Netflix, or dog food, or vitamins, every consumer has their favorite products and services that they need and/or want on a regular and ongoing basis. Some are necessities, some are “luxuries,” some fall into both these categories.

“No matter what the product, it is upon the company to make sure that its customers are given the opportunity to consume those products.”

But no matter what the product, it is upon the company to make sure that its customers are given the opportunity to consume those products – without friction – and to help them to continue to consume them, day after day, month after month. That’s the key to retention, and as Amazon has shown us, you don’t need a physical store to do it. What you need is subscriptions.

Beyond brick and mortar, beyond the e-store

Subscriptions take today’s consumers outside of the shopping experiences that they are used to and connect them to amazing brand experiences in a seamless and satisfying way. With the help of Vindicia’s subscription tech-stack that covers the full journey, from acquisition to retention to churn prevention, businesses can capture customers where they are, and connect them via their credit cards with products and services they love, and keep them connected indefinitely. That’s the way to enhance the customer’s lifetime value, and boost revenue.

Yes, consumers have changed, and business must change with them. Amazon’s latest move is proof of that.

About The Author

Jack Bullock

Jack brings 25 years of sales and sales management experience to Vindicia. Prior to joining Vindicia, he was senior vice president of digital commerce sales for Pitney Bowes, where his responsibilities included overall management of the global sales organization. Jack has extensive experience in enterprise software, including senior management positions with Infor and Vitria. Jack began his career at Oracle and has also held sales and sales management positions at Forte Software. Jack holds a Master of Business Administration degree from University of Colorado and a B.S. in Computer Information Systems from Missouri State University.

Animoca Brands Acquires Eden Games, Creator Of Need For Speed & Wider Motorsport Portfolio

Animoca Brands, the company advancing digital property rights for gaming and the metaverse, today announced it has completed the acquisition of 100% of the issued capital of Eden Games S.A.S. from Engine Gaming & Media (NASDAQ: GAME; TSX-V: GAME). Eden Games is a highly respected and successful racing game studio with products ranging from pure racing to open-world and management racing games.

Eden Games was founded in 1998 and is based in France. The company has strong experience in developing award-winning racing games across the mobile, console and PC platforms, including Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed, F1® Mobile Racing, and the franchises Gear.Club, Test Drive, and V-Rally. Eden Games has over 13 million game boxes sold and over 60 millions app downloads worldwide.

In March, at Apple Inc.’s Peek Performance event, Apple announced Eden Games’ latest expansion of the Gear.Club franchise, Gear.Club Stradale, as the “next big release” coming exclusively to Apple Arcade (see Engine Games & Media’s announcement).

Gear.Club is a hyper-realistic racing simulator and served as the primary racing game for the open qualifiers of World’s Fastest Gamer, a first-of-its-kind competition that transits motorsport gamers into real-world champions. World’s Fastest Gamer has over 400 million TV and video on demand viewers with over 100 broadcasters in more than 50 countries plus additional distribution on ESPN, EURO Sport, and Amazon.

Eden Games also has long term partnerships with more than 30 established brands in the automotive industry, including BMW, Bugatti, Porsche, Lotus, Pagani, and many others.

Animoca Brands will leverage the expertise and capabilities of Eden Games to work on existing and new titles in the REVV Motorsport ecosystem and to bring to market a series of new blockchain-based racing games. The new games will provide additional utility to the NFT Race Passes and the other assets obtained by swapping assets from Animoca Brands’ F1® Delta Time, which ceased operations in March 2022.

Yat Siu, co-founder and executive chairman of Animoca Brands, commented: “With its quarter of a century of expertise in building high-quality motorsport video games, Eden Games will enhance and accelerate the development of the REVV Motorsport ecosystem and add powerful value to the REVV community and the racing metaverse.”

David Nadal, co-founder and head of studio of Eden Games, said: “We are excited to start the next chapter of Eden Games by joining Animoca Brands. We look forward to producing new experiences that challenge the status quo within the motorsport genre and venture into new frontiers such as Web3 alongside a leader in the space.”

Xero Partners With FIFA For Women’s Football

Xero has been named a FIFA Women’s Football Partner under FIFA’s new commercial partnership structure, which takes effect in 2023. The global partnership will cover the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™, the 2024 and 2026 editions of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup™ and the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup™.

This is a huge step for both Xero and FIFA Women’s Football as we work together towards our shared ambitions and values – which include helping women succeed and communities prosper.

We firmly believe this is an excellent opportunity to work together to foster more opportunities for women in sport and in communities globally.

The opportunity

We’re seeing growth in participation in the women’s game and this partnership provides a global platform to accelerate our brand growthin new and existing markets.

Football is also the most popular and watched sport on the planet and women’s football is rapidly growing in popularity.

Through this partnership, we’ll help grow the women’s game by supporting two FIFA women’s football development programmes: Capacity Building for Administrators – using Xero’s expertise and technology to support women’s football development – and Coach Education Scholarships, to create easier pathways for women to gain coaching qualifications. We’ll share more on these soon.

Not only does this global partnership give us a platform for brand visibility around the world, it provides a fabulous opportunity to create deeper relationships with small businesses and communities that support the growth of the women’s game.

Sarai Bareman, FIFA’s Chief Women’s Football Officer, said: “We are thrilled to officially welcome Xero on board as a global FIFA Women’s Football Partner under our new commercial partnership structure, which will allow us to maximise support for the women’s game.

“Not only is this a momentous day for women’s football globally, but as a proud New Zealander, I am so excited that FIFA is partnering with a company that was founded in New Zealand. This is a partnership that will accelerate the growing momentum behind women’s football and our ambition to make the game truly global. To have a brand on board that is so passionate about empowering women – and especially one from a co-host of the next FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023 – is wonderful to see.”

Xero, which was founded in New Zealand in 2006, has more than three million subscribers globally, offering small businesses and their advisers access to real-time financial data anytime, anywhere and on any device. Xero offers an ecosystem of over 1,000 third-party apps and 300-plus connections to banks and other financial partners.

Xero’s partnership category will include small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) business management software, accounting and bookkeeping (AB) practice management software, and SME and AB software app stores.

The first tournament covered under the partnership will be the expanded FIFA Women’s World Cup™ in 2023 that will see 32 teams compete across nine cities in Australia and New Zealand.

Empowering women on and off the field

When Xero was founded, small businesses were underserved and didn’t have the same tools and opportunities as larger ones. We see a similar opportunity with the women’s game as we did in 2006 with the small business market. The women’s game has not had the same opportunity nor headstart as its male counterpart but the story is shifting.

The future is looking positive, with FIFA’s recent announcement of the separation of the commercial structure for the women’s game, the game is thriving and growing and Xero is excited about the opportunity to help support that growth. I know many parents out there are seeing at the club level how girls are actively participating and this is really picking up momentum.

But off the field is just as important as on the field. Most clubs are essentially not-for-profit small businesses who are looking to offer the opportunity to women and girls to play football in their communities.

In order for women’s football to thrive, we really believe the financial viability of clubs at all levels is essential to attract, develop and nurture talent.

During this partnership you’ll see us refer to ‘better numbers off the field, better numbers on the field’. Improving the performance and viability of clubs at all levels increases participation and will help to grow womens’ football around the globe.

Aligned on shared values

Xero shares FIFA’s commitment and values-based approach to supporting women’s football communities. We’ll adopt values specific to this partnership of integrity, having a #challenge mindset, taking ownership, and putting people first to guide our decisions around how we’ll work together.

I can’t wait to get behind the Women’s World Cup 2023™ next year which for the first time is being co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand – right where Xero began its journey.

Together with FIFA, I truly believe we can make a positive change for the future of women’s football, small business and communities around the world. Personally I just love the connections that sport brings to communities – from the players, to the families and fans on the sideline, to small businesses supporting teams and sports grounds – there is something about that sense of belonging in sports that connects communities in such an amazing way.

Follow our progress and find out more at xero.com/xero-fifa-womens-football