ParalympicsGB Announce Partnerships With Salesforce And Aldi

Salesforce, the global leader in CRM, today announced a new long term marketing partnership with ParalympicsGB to bring fans and athletes closer together than ever before.

The three year agreement will mark a step change in the way ParalympicsGB engages with its audiences. Deepening fan engagement and growing its reach will be at the heart of achieving its strategic objectives of breaking down barriers and challenging perceptions for disabled people.

ParalympicsGB will also use the powerful Salesforce platform to extend the reach of its charitable fundraising to support the delivery of a world class preparation and Games environment for the team.

Mike Sharrock, Chief Executive of the British Paralympic Association, said: “I cannot wait to see the impact of this agreement which will be transformational for ParalympicsGB in the way we can grow and deepen engagement with our fans and athletes. Following the record-breaking achievements at Tokyo 2020, an effective data strategy is at the heart of our plans to showcase the inspirational power of Paralympic sport as we build toward Paris 2024 and beyond.”

As part of the marketing partnership, Salesforce will engage with fans around the world and use data to create hubs and visualisations to help deepen engagement and broaden the reach of the ParalympicsGB team’s athletes and achievements.

“Equality is a core value at Salesforce, we are committed to working with others to make our world a better, fairer, more open place for everyone,” said Zahra Bahrololoumi, CEO of Salesforce UK and Ireland. “We are proud to enter this new partnership with ParalympicsGB, a meeting of like minds and an opportunity for us to excite new and existing audiences in Paralympic sport through the dynamism of technology and data visualization. We look forward to bringing fans and athletes together on this team’s incredible journey.”

This announcement builds on Salesforce’s multi-year partnership with Team GB, Team Germany, Team USA and founding partnership of the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Aldi Sponsors Paralympics

The UK’s fifth-largest supermarket Aldi is the new official partner of ParalympicsGB, as the team competes at the Winter Paralympic Games in Beijing.

The sponsorship, agreed with governing body the British Paralympic Association (BPA), will run through to the next Paralympic Summer Games and means that Aldi is now the sponsor for both Great Britain’s Olympic and Paralympic teams up to Paris 2024.

The partnership builds on Aldi’s existing partnership with TeamGB where they have supported Great Britain’s Olympic team and athletes since 2015.

Aldi has been fuelling Team GB athletes to success since 2015 by providing all athletes with monthly food vouchers, and will extend this program to cover all ParalympicsGB athletes.

In addition, ParalympicsGB athletes will attend the opening of new stores, providing athletes with the opportunity to engage with local communities and raise awareness of ParalympicsGB with shoppers across Great Britain.

Adam Zavalis, Marketing Director at Aldi UK, said:

“We’ve been fuelling Team GB with healthy food since 2015 and I’m thrilled that we now have the opportunity to extend that support to Great Britain’s amazing Paralympic athletes. We’re immensely proud to be supporting the Winter team as they compete in Beijing, just as we will the summer athletes, all the way to Paris in two years’ time.”

Mike Sharrock, Chief Executive of the British Paralympic Association said:

“We are very excited about this partnership and the potential to reach communities right across the UK. We know Aldi is focused on championing British success through their support for local farmers and suppliers, and through helping our athletes reach their full potential. We look forward to working with Aldi to bring the stories of ParalympicsGB athletes to many more homes, helping to break down barriers for disabled people and change perceptions.

“With two years to go, we’re immensely excited to work with Aldi on the road to Paris – by not only helping to further support our athletes to be best prepared for the Paralympic Games, but more generally helping people in the UK live an active and healthy lifestyle.”

Apple To Show “Friday Night Baseball” In New MLB Partnership

Fans can tune in to two games on Friday nights during the regular season, available only on Apple TV+

Apple and Major League Baseball (MLB) today announced “Friday Night Baseball,” a weekly doubleheader with live pre- and postgame shows that will be available to fans in eight countries exclusively on Apple TV+ as soon as the regular season begins.

In addition to “Friday Night Baseball,” fans in the US will be able to enjoy “MLB Big Inning,” a live show featuring highlights and look-ins airing every weeknight during the regular season. Baseball fans in the US and Canada will also have access to a new 24/7 livestream with MLB game replays, news and analysis, highlights, classic games, and more, as well as a full complement of on-demand programming, including highlights and MLB-themed original content.

Fans will be able to watch marquee games on Friday nights, free from local broadcast restrictions, across devices where Apple TV+ can be found, including on the Apple TV app on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV 4K and HD, and on tv.apple.com, along with select smart TVs, gaming consoles, and cable set-top boxes. “Friday Night Baseball” will be available on Apple TV+ — and, for a limited time, without the need for a subscription.

“Just like all baseball fans, we can’t wait for the season to open,” said Peter Stern, Apple’s vice president of Services. “Baseball has a special place in the heart of so many Apple customers — not just in the United States, but in many countries around the world. We’re proud to make Apple TV+ the home for great baseball moments throughout the season.”

“Apple is the ideal partner to bring ‘Friday Night Baseball’ to fans around the world,” said Noah Garden, MLB’s chief revenue officer. “Following milestones like the launch of At Bat on day one of the App Store in 2008 to the integration of Apple technology in ballparks across the country, this robust new game package is the perfect next collaboration in our long history of offering quality and innovative content to our fans. With national availability and international reach, MLB on Apple TV+ offers an exciting new platform to fans that allows a wider audience to connect with the game.”

“Friday Night Baseball” will be available on Apple TV+ in the United States, Canada, Australia, Brazil, Japan, Mexico, Puerto Rico, South Korea, and the United Kingdom, and will expand to additional countries at a later date.

Apple and MLB will also provide enhanced league and team coverage for fans to easily follow the league or their favorite teams in Apple News, with the ability to watch highlights right in the News app.

RLWC2021 Announces Revamped Team And Agency Line Up For 2022

Rugby League World Cup 2021 (RLWC2021) has revealed its newly shaped Revenue and Communications team as the organisation announces its new marketing structure and agency roster ahead of the tournament, which now takes place from October 15 to November 19, 2022. 

Leading the Revenue team – which brings together the marketing and commercial departments – is experienced sports consultant Mick Hogan who has worked at the highest level across both codes of rugby since the early 1990’s. Mick is joined on the senior leadership team by Upneet Thandi, who joins RLWC2021 as Head of Marketing from Scottish Rugby.

Rob Meaden, formerly of the EFL and Birmingham 2022, has joined the tournament as Head of Communications and is a member of the senior leadership team. Rob will work alongside Abby Burton, who joins from British Cycling as Communications Lead, and specialist PR agency Hatch, who have successfully worked with the tournament organisers for the last five years.

The senior leadership team has been further bolstered through the promotion of Lucy Jones (Head of Match Operations), who has extensive experience of managing major sports events, and Jenn Stock, a consultant who will lead on culture and wellbeing.

The award-winning creative agency Cravens have been appointed as Lead Creative Agency, briefed with delivering creative execution of campaigns to help meet the core objectives of the tournament. Cravens are currently planning a new campaign which will go live at the 200 days to go mark on March 30.

Bonded digital and media agency have been appointed to manage all paid media for the tournament, bringing a wealth of experience.

Digital Sports Consultancy Seven League, owned by IMG, have been appointed to lead the digital strategy in the build up to the tournament, which will see the men’s, women’s and wheelchair tournaments taking part simultaneously for the first time in the history of the competition.

Data and insight specialists Goodform have extended their contract with the tournament, continuing to ensure that insight is at the centre of all marketing activity. Goodform provide the tournament Customer Data Platform, Sportswise, which informs highly targeted campaigns and ticket sales strategy. Goodform will also deliver fan research pre and post tournament which will encompass purchase and attendance attitudes and behaviours, and event experience.

EVENT360, award winning specialists in sports presentation, stadium entertainment and ceremonies, have also been appointed to manage the sports presentation across the tournament’s venues. They will be responsible for bringing the tournament to life in an innovative and exciting way that reflects the core values of RLWC2021 and delivering an immersive experience for those watching in stadia and at home.

Data, technology and sports marketing specialists InCrowd will lead the Rugby League World Cup takeover of the highly successful Our League app this autumn as the final countdown to the tournament begins. The app will provide the 210K Our League members and new rugby league fans with an exciting, immersive and personalised digital experience including exclusive content, advanced “second screen” match centres and reward driven gamification.

The remit of the Revenue team is to raise awareness about the tournament, drive sales and ensure there is a world class customer experience across the 61 fixtures taking place. RLWC2021 is a tournament with a purpose and a new marketing focus will see civic pride across the tournament’s 18 host towns and cities.

On his appointment and the new team Mick Hogan, Director of Revenue, said: 

“We have a completely new and exciting challenge ahead of ourselves this year, a year full of international sporting events here in the UK.

“We believe the internal appointments and the agency relationships we’ve developed will allow us to showcase Rugby League to a bigger audience than ever before and will help drive sales while significantly making a difference to the sport regionally, nationally and internationally.”

Arizona Coyotes Announce Hiring Of Nick Sakiewicz As Chief Business Officer

The Arizona Coyotes announced today that Nicolaus “Nick” Sakiewicz has been named as the team’s Chief Business Officer. In the newly created position, Sakiewicz will report directly to President and CEO Xavier A. Gutierrez, and will lead all aspects of the Coyotes’ sales and marketing efforts as the organization continues to usher in a new era of sports and entertainment in the Valley.

During three decades working at the intersection of business, sports and entertainment, Sakiewicz has developed innovative strategies and partnerships to energize franchises, foster the growth of leagues and build successful and sustainable new arenas.

“Whether he is overseeing sports franchises, developing financing plans or supervising the construction of world-class stadiums, Nick Sakiewicz is a uniquely talented individual with a diverse set of skills that make him perfectly suited to take the Coyotes to the next level,” said Xavier A. Gutierrez, the Coyotes’ President and CEO. “Alex Meruelo and I are delighted to welcome him to the organization and are excited for the great things we know he will do here, especially as we begin our move to Tempe and Arizona State University.”

“I am so pleased to be joining Alex Meruelo and Xavier Gutierrez as they build an unparalleled entertainment experience in the Valley,” said Sakiewicz. “Tempe is a fantastic location at the very heart of Maricopa County, and I could not be more thrilled to join them at this exciting moment.”

Since 2015 Sakiewicz has served as the commissioner of the National Lacrosse League (NLL), which expanded from nine to 15 teams under his leadership. Sakiewicz recently secured the two largest media rights deals in the league’s history with ESPN and TSN.

Prior to joining NLL, Sakiewicz was an executive with Major League Soccer (MLS). After joining MLS’ league office in 1996, Sakiewicz went on to serve as president and general manager of the Tampa Bay Mutiny and New York/New Jersey MetroStars from 1997-2007. In 2008 he went on to become the founding partner and CEO of the Philadelphia Union. During that time, Sakiewicz led the initiatives to build two stadiums, the first of which led to the acquisition of the MetroStars by Red Bull, while the second established the league’s 16th franchise in Philadelphia.

In 2005, Sakiewicz served as President of AEG New York, where he brokered the record-breaking $100 million sale of the MetroStars to the Red Bull Energy Drink Company. While with AEG, he worked on business development for the O2 Centers in London and Berlin and the complex that would become L.A. Live, the sports and entertainment district in Downtown Los Angeles that includes Crypto.com Arena.

“L.A. Live was designed to be a city within a city, and everyone agrees that its development has rejuvenated and reshaped the direction of downtown Los Angeles,” said Sakiewicz. “I think the Meruelo Group’s plan for the Tempe Entertainment District will be the Valley’s answer. I cannot wait to play my part in trying to make that vision a reality.”

Sakiewicz is the son of Polish immigrants who earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of New Haven. He is looking forward to making the Valley his new home.

International Padel Federation Announces ESPN As Major New Broadcast Partner In LATAM

The official new global padel tour – governed by the International Padel Federation (FIP) and backed by the Professional Players Association (PPA) and Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) – today announced a landmark broadcasting deal, with ESPN revealed as the Official tour’s broadcast partner in LATAM, covering South America, Central America, Mexico and Caribbean. The Disney-owned broadcaster has signed a four year agreement to be the home of padel in the Americas in 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025.

Widely-regarded as one of the world’s foremost sports broadcasters and a US giant of media, ESPN will elevate the sport of padel to never-seen-before levels in the key Americas markets – opening up accessibility and exposure to padel in nearly 50 countries as part of the deal.  Significant other international broadcast deals are soon to be revealed, as the new tour has the goal of showcasing padel globally like never before in countries all over the world.

This week is also expected to see the launch of the Official tour’s new name, logo and other brand identities, which have been advised upon by some of the world’s top creative consultants.

Since its launch a month ago, FIP, PPA and QSI have made a flurry of major announcements connected to the new Official tour, including confirming at least ten (10) new tournaments will be held this year – including four category 1 events – with the first category 1 event confirmed to take place in Qatar on 28 March to 2 April. Registrations for the first Official tournament have already broken all records, with 123 pairs registered including players from 19 different countries. The prize money for each category 1 event – which is also a record – has been disclosed as €525,000 for each tournament, while significant new ranking points for the new tour have also been announced.

This new chapter for padel under the leadership of FIP sees the professionalization and globalisation of the sport fully supported by the world’s leading players, represented by the Professional Players Association (PPA); and a new global strategic partnership with QSI. QSI is the investment group behind several world-leading sports brands and businesses, and will provide unparalleled expertise and business acumen in developing sports and brands on the global stage.

Importantly, the new tour is the only Official tour in padel, being under the governance and regulation of FIP, having the benefit of FIP’s Official player ranking system, and falling within the auspices of the wider international sports community. Uniquely from a governance perspective, under FIP’s Official tour, player representatives sit on various committees directly helping to shape the future of their game.

Regarding the announcement of ESPN as a major new broadcast partner, Luigi Carraro, President of the International Padel Federation (FIP), said: “When we say we are taking padel to the top of world sport, we mean it – and this major 4-year deal with ESPN for South America, Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean is testament to that. Disney-owned ESPN is one of the world’s foremost sports broadcasters and a US giant of media – the fact we have signed this partner reaffirms the global ambitions that we hold; and also the enormous interest in the new Official tour. There is much more to come.”

Premier League Suspends Agreement With Russian Broadcast Partner

The Premier League and its clubs today unanimously agreed to suspend our agreement with Russian broadcast partner Rambler (Okko Sport) with immediate effect and to donate £1million to support the people of Ukraine.

The League strongly condemns Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. We call for peace and our thoughts are with all those impacted.

The £1million donation will be made to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) to deliver humanitarian aid directly to those in need. 

This action follows a weekend of matches displaying League-wide support for Ukraine.

All club captains wore special armbands and fans joined players, managers, match officials and club staff in a moment of reflection and solidarity before kick-off at each match.

Big screens displayed “Football Stands Together” against the backdrop of the blue and yellow colours of the Ukrainian flag. These words were also shown on LED perimeter boards during matches.

This message of solidarity was visible to fans around the world across Premier League digital channels and via match broadcasts. 

This is in addition to the numerous ways in which clubs continue to display their support.

beIN SPORTS To Stream UEFA Women’s Champions League On Free-To-Air (FTA) Giving Major Exposure To Women’s Football

beIN MEDIA GROUP (“beIN”) is proud to announce that the remainder of the UEFA Women’s Champion’s League (“UWCL”) will be available as a free-to-air broadcast across all of beIN’s 24 markets in the Middle East & North Africa (MENA), both on linear and via streaming.

beIN’s announcement today, on International Women’s Day, is the latest in a number of measures taken by the global media group to boost exposure and interest in historically non-mainstream sports, through its beINSPIRED initiative. The mission behind beINSPIRED is to elevate the profile of under-represented sports globally, and to recognise the value that all sports – and women’s sport in particular – play in the international sports eco-system.

It is the second year that beIN is broadcasting the UWCL on free-to-air social channels, with the Paris Saint-Germain (“PSG”) Feminine knock-out matches in the UWCL also aired on Facebook and on the PSG Feminine website in May 2021. This initiative in 2021 saw over 200,000 viewers – a record – watch the PSG Feminine matches, with approximately a third visiting the beIN Facebook page for the first time. In 2019, beIN broadcast the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 41 countries around the world – more countries than any other broadcaster.

Recent research from Deloitte has referenced that fan interest in women’s sport has increased not just amongst sports fans, but the average viewer. 84% of sports fans watch at least one women’s sport event during the year, and over two thirds of viewers watch at least one women’s sport during the year.[1]

beIN is proud to broadcast the 2022 UWCL quarter-final matches on the beIN SPORTS free-to-air linear channel, as well as beIN SPORTS’ YouTube channel in MENA. The remaining matches of the tournament will also be broadcast in the same way through the second quarter of the year, with the final being aired on 22 May 2022. The UWCL tournament will enter the quarter finals stage later this month, with Bayern taking on PSG, alongside Real Madrid tackling Barcelona, on 22 March. This will be followed by Juventus v Lyon and Arsenal v Wolfsburg the next day.

Yousef Al-Obaidly, Group CEO of beIN MEDIA GROUP said:

“beIN’s commitment to women’s sport is proven not only by the unparalleled range of women’s sports rights that we hold, but also how we promote those rights in a way that gives female talent maximum exposure. We are delighted to showcase the UEFA Women’s Champions League to established and new fans in the MENA region on our free-to-air (FTA) beIN SPORTS linear channel and also online. We’re also pleased to make this announcement on International Women’s Day as part of our beINSPIRED initiative, which is singularly-focused on giving female athletes and talent – both on-screen and off-screen – elevated recognition on the global stage.”

ICC And FanCraze Launch Women’s Cricket Digital Collectibles

The International Cricket Council (ICC) and its Official Digital Collectibles Partner, FanCraze, today announced a very special release of ‘ICC Crictos’ featuring some of the top moments of the women’s game from recent ICC tournaments. 

ICC Crictos are the ICC’s official digital collectibles.  Minted on the Flow Blockchain, Crictos enable fans to collect and trade their own slice of cricket history from a range of ICC events. As part of the ICC’s commitment to growing women’s cricket, fans now have the opportunity to own and trade some of the most celebrated moments in women’s cricket featuring superstars of the game such as Ellyse Perry, Mithali Raj, Beth Mooney, Meg Lanning, Shafali Verma, Alyssa Healy, Smriti Mandhana, Sophie Ecclestone, Natalie Sciver and Jess Jonassen.

A special pack drop will occur tomorrow (Wednesday), with all fans having the opportunity to secure one of these historic women’s cricket moments within a pack, alongside some noteworthy moments from the recent ICC U19 World Cup and from ICC Men’s Tournaments of the last two decades. This special pack drop will start at 12pm UTC at www.fancraze.com/icc and will be uniquely promoted by Twitter India as part of a collaboration to celebrate women’s cricket and International Women’s Day. 

Finn Bradshaw, ICC Head of Digital said: 

“Women have created some of the most memorable moments in ICC tournament history, so we are pleased to be able celebrate them and give fans the chance to own a moment from their favourite player. We believe creating products like these in emerging technologies helps the next generation of cricket fans get closer to the game they love.

“This very special drop contains classic moments from previous tournaments featuring the biggest names in women’s cricket. And most importantly, this won’t be the last time we celebrate our champion women cricketers as part of the Crictos program – we are very much looking forward to commemorating fans favourite female moments as we expand the Crictos collection.” 

Anshum Bhambri, CEO of FanCraze remarked:

“Our mission at FanCraze is to build a platform for cricket fans to discover, engage with and own all types of cricket content. We are very proud to showcase women cricketers who create history and inspire millions to do the same. These are marquee NFTs in the evolution of our cricket metaverse and we believe fans would love to own these iconic moments.”

BWF Signs Multi-Year Deal With M88 Mansion As Official Betting Partner

The Badminton World Federation (BWF) has appointed M88 MANSION as official betting partner of BWF Major Championships through to 2024.

The partnership encompasses the following tournaments:

  • TotalEnergies BWF Thomas & Uber Cup Finals 2022
  • TotalEnergies BWF World Championships 2022
  • TotalEnergies BWF Sudirman Cup Finals 2023
  • TotalEnergies BWF World Championships 2023
  • TotalEnergies BWF Thomas & Uber Cup Finals 2024

BWF Commercial & Communications Director, Owen Leed, said: “We are excited to announce our partnership with online betting platform M88 as we look to strengthen the sport’s profile globally,” Leed said.

Carlos Lopez, Creative Director of M88, added: “We are very much delighted and thrilled to partner with BWF over the next three years. Badminton is recognised as a worldwide sport and has a fast-growing audience not only in Asia but globally. Joining forces with BWF will help elevate the connection between M88 and its Asian followers to expand its brand visibility in the region. We believe that this partnership will create compelling and sustainable value for both parties.”

The deal was brokered by BWF’s Commercial and Broadcast partner, Infront, with the assistance of Outlast Sports & Entertainment.

“This is just the start of the evolution of the engagement of the sports fans by M88. Expect more exciting things in the coming months together with BWF,” said Outlast CEO Salauddin SS.

Haas F1 Ends Partnership With Uralkali And Cuts Nikita Mazepin From Team

Haas F1 Team has decided to end their title partnership with major Russian brand Uralkali and terminate the contract of Russian driver Nikita Mazepin.

The company is part-owned by Mazepin’s father, Dmitry Mazepin, and due to the ongoing war in Ukraine, Haas felt there was no choice but to end their association with the Russian group.

This is the latest of the sporting sanctions coming against Russian businesses, after many major deals such as Gazprom’s with UEFA and Aeroflot with Manchester United.