UEFA And World Tourism Organization Partner Around Shared Values Of Sport And Tourism

The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) today announced their partnership around shared values and a common vision for the future.

The leaders of both organisations met today at UEFA’s headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, to agree to jointly promote the benefits of sport and sports tourism for development and opportunity for all, including young people. UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili and UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin recognised the values shared by tourism and football, both people-led sectors with the capacity to promote understanding, friendship and solidarity and drive social and economic change.

Looking ahead, both UEFA and the UNWTO will work to deliver a lasting legacy across Europe. UEFA will join the UNWTO Global Youth Tourism Summit, designed to give young people a say in the future of the sector and to give them the skills and knowledge needed to lead tourism forward.

Shared objectives

UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin said: “Sports tourism is one of the fastest-growing sectors in tourism. And tourism and football, as the world’s most popular sport, uniquely complement each other. Sporting events, such as the UEFA EURO and the UEFA Women’s EURO, are making an exceptional contribution to tourism in the host countries.

“Even more important is that football offers teams and supporters a chance to travel across the continent, discover new destinations and learn more about different cultures. I cannot think of a better way to learn more about each other, grow together rather than drift apart.”

UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili added: “Tourism and football are natural partners. They bring joy to many millions, but their benefits go far beyond vacations or single matches. Working with UEFA, UNWTO will build on their potential to celebrate our shared humanity, foster friendship across borders and create experiences and opportunities for people everywhere.”

Jobs and education

Under the new partnership, UEFA and the UNWTO will work together to grow sports tourism across Europe, including through facilitating travel and mobility and through promoting the opportunities for jobs and education this can bring. The two organisations will also jointly champion sustainability within sports and tourism, in line with the wider United Nations Agenda for Sustainable Development and UEFA Sustainability Strategy 2030.

The cooperation agreement emphasises the far-reaching impact of both tourism and sport, with both touching on almost every part of economies and societies, in Europe and globally. The two sectors are leading employers and champions of youth empowerment and gender equality. Furthermore, under the guidance of UEFA and the UNWTO, both sectors are working hard to meet their climate action responsibilities.

DemandScience Becomes Official Marketing Partner Of The PGA TOUR

The PGA TOUR and DemandScience, a global B2B data company that partners with customers to upgrade their sales pipelines, today announced a multi-year partnership naming DemandScience the “Official B2B Sales Pipeline Generation Sponsor of the PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions” through 2026.

DemandScience branding will be integrated across key broadcast segments during NBC Sports coverage of The Honda Classic, Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, Valspar Championship, WGC – Dell Technologies Match Play, Valero Texas Open, BMW Championship and TOUR Championship. DemandScience will activate this new relationship by having a presence in programming throughout PGA TOUR media properties, aligning with PGA TOUR players and hosting customers at PGA TOUR events.

“We’re excited to welcome DemandScience and its global B2B expertise to the PGA TOUR,” said Brian Oliver, PGA TOUR Executive Vice President Marketing & Corporate Partnerships. “We’re thrilled with DemandScience’s commitment to First Tee and growing the sport of golf.”

DemandScience Chair and CEO Peter Cannone said, “Joining the PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions as an Official Marketing Partner brings the DemandScience brand in front of the most valuable audience in sports. The PGA TOUR audience of B2B sales and marketing professionals and C-suite decision-makers are a perfect match with our customer base.”

“This is a natural partnership for us. Every golfer knows the importance of having the right data at the right time in order to succeed – and that’s what we do for our customers every day,” Cannone concluded.

Demand Science will also be a Trustee of First Tee, a youth development organization supported by the TOUR. With programs in all 50 states and select international locations, First Tee has empowered millions of kids and teen to build their strength of character through golf.

RealFevr Launch New NFT Collector ‘Dropbook’

Many of us will have spent much of our childhood collecting sticker albums from our favourite football tournaments and leagues, but as we move to more of a digital existence, what will be the future of this?

RealFevr, the first fully licensed football video NFT marketplace, have launched an innovative way of collecting: The NFT Collector’s Dropbook, which can be better described as an NFT digital “sticker” album. With this new feature, owners of the NFTs can complete collections from each drop and earn rewards by doing it.

RealFevr have taken a big step towards creating a fully gamified ecosystem, delivering something that no other project has yet delivered in the NFT industry: The Collector Dropbook. By launching the First Edition, they are providing a completely new way of collecting NFTs and strengthening a position as industry innovators.

So what will be part of this dropbook?

There will be one specific Dropbook for each NFT pack drop and every Dropbook must be filled with NFTs from its respective collection. For the time being, you can already complete the First Edition Dropbook:

Dropbook Moments

To fully complete a Dropbook collection, you will have to continuously add your owned moments to the corresponding slots. There will be three different states to represent the availability of your moments:

– Not Available
– Available to Add
– Added and Locked

Not Available

If you don’t own a specific NFT in your collection, the moment slot will appear as not available in the Dropbook. In this case, you will be able to click on the “BUY ON MARKETPLACE” button in case you wish to purchase it right away.

Available to Add

If you already own the NFT in your collection but you have not added it yet to the Dropbook, you will be able to do so by clicking on the “ADD TO DROPBOOK” button.

If you decide to add an NFT to a Dropbook, you will be locking it until the mentioned date. Although the NFT might be locked to a Dropbook, you will still be able to use it in the FEVR Battle Arena P2E game and it will be accounted for staking pools NFT requirements.

Added and Locked

If you have already added and locked your NFT to the corresponding Dropbook, you are set and ready to continue your journey as a collector!

Dropbook Progress

Once you open one of your Dropbooks, you will be able to check your total collection progress, as well as the progress you have made in each rarity tier.

Dropbook Rewards

There would be no gamification without a rewards system and this is the final touch RealFevr are currently adding to this.

By making progress in the completion of each rarity tier of your Dropbooks, you will unlock multiple milestones that will grant you amazing rewards. The higher the rarity tier, the more valuable these rewards will be and they are composed of:

Experience Points (XP)
FEVR Tokens
Allowlist System

Experience Points

These experience points will contribute towards your profile level increasing. In other words, you need to accumulate XP in order to keep leveling up and improve your collector status. The full XP leaderboard system is under development and will be coming soon to RealFevr.

FEVR Tokens

The amount of $FEVR you will receive will vary according to the tier section of the Dropbook.

Allowlist System

When you complete one of the tiers, your wallet will be able awarded as Allowlisted and it will grant you priority access to upcoming initiatives.

While it is important to discuss how promising the future looks like, this vision depends on the ongoing work of the present to become a reality. Being aware of this small, but vital detail is the bridge that unites the reality with our vision.

ITV To Broadcast EFL And Carabao Cup Highlights From Next Season

ITV will show highlights of the Sky Bet Championship, Sky Bet League One, Sky Bet League Two, Carabao Cup and the Papa John’s Trophy from the 2022/23 season after the broadcaster entered into a two-season partnership with the EFL.

A comprehensive round-up of all the day’s action from across the EFL will be screened in the primetime slot on Saturday at 9pm on ITV4, with a repeat being shown on ITV [main channel] later in the evening.

And for those who want to catch up on all the highlights on Sunday mornings, viewers will be able to watch again on ITV.

Highlights of midweek fixtures, where a full round has taken place, will also be broadcast on ITV and ITV Hub, covering Sky Bet EFL matches.

Each show will feature every goal from every EFL fixture plus detailed analysis from a panel of expert pundits.

ITV will also present extensive coverage of Sky Bet Play-Off semi-finals and finals as well as a highlights programme for each of the Rounds of the Carabao Cup and the two-legged semi-finals and final.

A one-hour programme of highlights from the Papa John’s Trophy Final will be shown on ITV4 on the day of the final.

Each highlights programme will be available in full, on a catch-up basis on ITV Hub during the period of 30 days following its first transmission.

EFL Chief Executive Trevor Birch said: “With 1891 matches played across the season, it’s crucial for the EFL that the very best of our match action is widely accessible and we are delighted that ITV will show highlights of our games for the next two years.

“As an experienced major broadcaster with a comprehensive sports portfolio, ITV’s commitment to high quality coverage will showcase the breadth and depth of our competitions to football supporters all over the country.”

Niall Sloane, ITV Director of Sport, said: “This deal brings viewers free to air coverage of one of the most unpredictable divisions we have in the Sky Bet Championship, the best of the action from Sky Bet League One and League Two alongside the exciting midweek competitions in the Carabao Cup and the Papa John’s Trophy. By offering highlights across our platforms, via our channels and on demand on ITV Hub, we hope football fans will enjoy our EFL shows from next season.”

Noah Beck Named Major League Soccer’s First ‘Social Playmaker’

Former MLS Academy and D1 player, with more than 45 million combined followers, to showcase League and sport, serve as mentor to young athletes in MLS NEXT.

Noah Beck, who developed as a player in the Real Salt Lake Academy and was a midfielder at the University of Portland before becoming a social media sensation over the last two years with a combined 45 million followers, has joined Major League Soccer in the new position of “Social Playmaker.”

The 20-year-old Beck, who played 19 games as a freshman at the University of Portland after attending Real Salt Lake Academy’s high school, will create original programming with MLS on TikTok, placing a spotlight on the players and clubs from around the League and reaching millions of fans across the world. His work will include “Beck’s Corner,” a weekly TikTok rundown with his take on MLS action. In addition, Beck will create pieces around the culture surrounding MLS and participate in special events and moments throughout the season.

Beck, who also played in the U.S. Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program and served as a celebrity guest coach in the 2021 MLS All-Star Skills Challenge in Los Angeles, is a passionate advocate for the game. In his role as Social Playmaker, Beck will also dedicate his time to working with MLS NEXT – the League’s youth player development initiative – where he will help mentor and inspire the next generation of soccer stars.

“I’m so excited to be partnering with MLS as their official Social Playmaker, and to continue to champion the league and sport I’ve played since I was three years old,” said Beck. “Not many people know the extent of my background with soccer, but it was my first love and has remained an important part of my life. My heart never left the pitch, so this partnership perfectly blends my passion for the game and my current career as a content creator. I hope to grow the league’s awareness with a young audience and inspire the next generation of MLS players.”

“Noah Beck is an incredibly talented creator with a highly engaged community who has a genuine love of soccer and deeply personal experience as a player in the sport,” said David Bruce, MLS’ Senior Vice President of Brand and Integrated Marketing. “Noah’s desire to use his platform to bring a bigger focus on the sport and league he loves is an enormous opportunity for us to continue to build the North American soccer movement. We’re extremely excited to be working with Noah and reach new audiences together.”

World Triathlon Enters The Blockchain Through Partnership With NFT Design Works

World Triathlon is pleased to announce an exclusive partnership with blockchain specialists NFT Design Works that will enhance the triathlon community’s engagement with the sport in exciting new digital realms.

The partnership will bring triathlon fans the opportunity to own and trade exclusive, unique digital moments in the sport for the first time, in the form of official Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs). NFT is a digital asset that exists on a blockchain. The blockchain serves as a public ledger, allowing anyone to verify the assets authenticity and ownership.

The deal will also help support the creation of new community-focussed triathlon events, giving triathlon a valuable early presence in the Web3 space that will enhance our fans’ experience through to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and beyond.

“Web3 is an exciting proposition with huge potential for sport and sports fans that is only just beginning to be explored. Over the past 30 years, triathlon has delivered some of the most iconic moments in world sport and now we will be able to bring them to life again and offer our huge global community the chance to enjoy those moments in an entirely new way,” said World Triathlon President and IOC Member, Marisol Casado.

“Triathlon has always been a pioneering sport, and this partnership is another example of our burning spirit of innovation. Just as it becomes increasingly difficult to predict what the digital world will look like in five or ten years’ time, it is increasingly important to be at the forefront of those changes, so we can grow and entertain triathlon fans around the world in new and interesting ways around the sport itself. That is what this partnership is all about.”

World Triathlon joins some of the world’s biggest sports organisations, including the NBA and NFL, and clubs including Paris St Germain and Manchester City, in entering the world of NFTs to enhance their fans experience.

Terry Daly, Head of Commercialisation at NFT Design Works added: “NFT Design Works has created a range of patented NFT products and systems over the last 12 months and we are really excited to be bringing these benefits to one of the world’s premier sports.

“Non Fungible Tokens are at the beginning of unlocking the potential of the Blockchain and what it can deliver to everyone who loves sport. With World Triathlon we will be on unlocking the power of the Triathlon communities through our range of innovative, high value experiences.”

Badminton England Appoints Sue Storey As CEO

Badminton England, the governing body for the country’s sixth largest sport, has today announced the appointment of Sue Storey as Chief Executive Officer.

Sue joins from Volleyball England, where she is currently Chief Executive. Whilst there, she provided leadership in the collaborative development of a new ten-year strategy, secured increased funding into the sport for performance athletes, improved commercial income and drove a huge increase in junior participation across the country.

With her focus on culture and people, she delivered a complete overhaul of the organisation, ensuring that the sport is now more engaged and transparent, putting the volleyball community at the heart of ongoing developments.

Prior to this Sue spent eight years at the Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA) for and made a significant contribution to improving safety, security and service at major sporting events across the UK and abroad. Sue has worked with top level football clubs in England and Wales and led the SGSA’s first ever partnership with the England and Wales Cricket Board.

Badminton England Chair, Mike Robinson, said: “Following a rigorous search process, I am thrilled to be able to welcome Sue as our new CEO. She brings not only great knowledge and understanding of what it takes to run a successful national governing body, but she also has a real passion for sport and for badminton in particular.

“Sue is a leader with vision, who puts people first and I know she will be a tremendous asset to Badminton England. I am confident that under Sue’s leadership, we can unite the badminton community around a shared vision for our sport.

“This appointment and that of Morten Frost, ex-world number one, as Performance Director last week, are key to the future of our sport. There is a feeling of great excitement and optimism as we enter the new Olympic cycle and I look forward to working with them both.”

Sue Storey said: “It is an honour and a pleasure to take on the role of leading Badminton England as Chief Executive. I am passionate about sport and have worked tirelessly to improve the experience of sport for everyone.

“Badminton is a fantastic sport that I have been involved in for over 30 years, through four badminton playing kids, a badminton playing husband and an extended family who have played and volunteered for many decades. I was a club level player myself and still occasionally pick up a racquet to feed shuttles for my kids.

“I am very clear we need to work in a collaborative and engaged way with the badminton community to succeed in our ambitions. Together we will achieve the stated vision of becoming one of the nation’s most popular sports and consistently winning medals.”

Sue will take up her appointment on Monday 9 May 2022.

Mike Robinson added: “Badminton England would like to thank Pete Fitzboydon for stepping into the role of Interim Chief Executive, which he has performed since October last year. Pete will remain with us to ensure a smooth transition and provide a comprehensive handover. During his time, Pete has started to build the foundations for the future, including the development of our action plan following UK Sport’s review of our performance programme. The Board wishes Pete every success for the future.”

Vasco And 777 Partners Sign Memorandum Of Understanding For Vasco SAF

Club de Regatas Vasco da Gama and 777 Partners announce that they have signed a memorandum of understanding for an investment in Vasco da Gama’s football.

The non-binding proposal of the North American investment company is to invest R$700 million in exchange for a 70% interest in Vasco da Gama Sociedade Anônima do Futebol (“Vasco SAF”) to be incorporated. Including the R$700 million debt to be assumed by Vasco SAF, the offer values SAF at R$1.7 billion, making this the largest transaction in the history of Brazilian football.

777 Partners agreed to provide CRVG with a BRL 70 million bridge loan, convertible into Vasco SAF shares at the closing of the transaction.

During a period of 90 days, 777 Partners will conduct a confirmatory due diligence in order to finalize the investment, which will still be subject to the approval of the CRVG partners at the General Meeting.

The transaction will help Vasco regain its leading role in Brazilian and international football. 777 Partners will act as a long-term strategic partner to enable Vasco’s ambitious plans and sustainable future.

Vasco SAF will be 777 Partners’ main investment in South America, and Vasco will use 777’s network of companies to modernize the club with access to new media technologies, broadcasting and data utilization for talent identification.

*Josh Wander, Partner at 777 Partners; Jorge Salgado, President of Vasco da Gama and Juan Arciniegas, Director of Sports, Media and Entertainment at 777 Partners (Photo: Disclosure)*

CRVG will transfer its football assets and will cede the right to use the São Januário stadium to SAF, while retaining ownership of its headquarters: Calabouço, Lagoa and Complexo de São Januário.

SAF will create conditions for Vasco’s football to recover its high sporting performance and for the long-term sustainability of CRVG, and the club will be able to increase its investments in Olympic and Paralympic sports.

“We are proud to announce the biggest deal in the history of Brazilian clubs. We worked tirelessly over the last few months to find a long-term partner, with financial and operational capacity, who shared our ambition to replace Vasco in his place as a football giant, in Brazil and in South America. future, winner, sustainable and debt-free, everything that our immense supporters want”, says Jorge Salgado, president of Vasco da Gama.

Among the many investments in sports, entertainment and media, 777 Partners recently acquired full ownership of Genoa CFC, Italy’s oldest football club, and also owns a considerable share of Sevilla FC, one of the most prestigious football clubs and successful in Spain.

“We are very excited and proud to have the opportunity to join Vasco da Gama’s incredible team,” said Josh Wander, Founder and Managing Partner of 777 Partners. “We have immense respect for Vasco’s rich history of success and his pioneering role in supporting social inclusion in Brazilian sport. We look forward to investing in a city with one of the best talent pools in the world, in a country that lives and breathes football, just like we do.”

XFL To Join With NFL On Innovation Opportunities To Advance The Game Of Football

The XFL has announced it will be collaborating with the NFL on select innovation programs to further expand the game of football and create increased opportunities for player development both on and off the field.

iSportConnect’s Ben Page: In my opinion, it is absolutely vital for both sides to work together, but particularly for the XFL if it wants to avoid the fate of its previous times in existence. However, it can’t be ruled out how important this also is for the NFL, as they are in desperate need of a feeder league, such as the NBA’s G-League equivalent. Having a prospering XFL will ensure that players who are coming into the NFL during the season have been playing competitively (rather than just training on practice squads), give opportunities for late developers who improve in their mid-late 20s and provide many more careers for players when they leave college, while also being another entertainment platform for the sport.

According to the XFL, health and safety will be a principal area of focus in both learning and innovation, with the league working with the NFL on forward thinking physical and mental fitness programs for players, the study of playing surfaces and equipment and the sharing of game trends and data.

“We are extremely pleased to collaborate with the NFL in these important areas,” said Dany Garcia, Co-Owner and Chairwoman of the XFL. “We are bringing forward an XFL that is progressive and forward-thinking when it comes to innovation, leveraging the newest technology to enhance gameday experience. We have an open field for innovative rules to enhance in-game access. Sharing insights and practices between the XFL and NFL will do a tremendous amount of good for the game of football and support the player ecosystem overall.”

https://twitter.com/TheRock/status/1495784760370778121?s=20&t=nNDcnhwqpn02ueQimkS70A

Additional avenues for collaboration may include international football development and scouting, as well as officiating, including the testing of different game rules for player protection and enhanced overall play, and of different technologies to enhance officiating.

“The XFL has shown us that innovation is one of its core principles. We are hopeful that this relationship will support further development and improvements in the game of football at all levels.” said Troy Vincent, NFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations.

ATPI Unveils Strengthened Sales Team

Global travel management company, ATPI, has enhanced and expanded its UK-based sales team to best support clients in challenging times as the organisation primes for recovery and continued growth.

After being promoted to group commercial director in November last year, Katie Skitterall has kicked off 2022 with a wave of new hires and internal promotions to bolster the ATPI Group’s sales team.

Returning to the business are Julian Mills and Nikki Regan. Mills has been appointed to support on multinational sales efforts and strategic opportunities with the new role of Director of Corporate Sales, while Regan re-joins after two years working at American Express Global Business Travel to lead the commercial strategy in the UK taking on the position of Head of Group Commercial Strategy.

James Draper has been promoted to UK sales director after previously holding the role of head of sales – corporate, media & sports for three years, building on successful sales performance and ensuring the business is primed to continue to deal with increased sales volumes.

In addition, subject matter experts have been added in the fields of Commercial Support, Inside Sales, Global Implementation and Digital Services.

Adam Knights, regional managing director for Europe and the Middle East comments:

“ATPI has ambitious growth targets for the coming years and we strongly believe that by growing our exceptional commercial team globally, as quickly as possible post-pandemic, will support our goals. We are starting 2022 by ensuring that our team is primed for recovery.”

Operating from more than 100 offices worldwide, the ATPI Group has successful operations in corporate travel, corporate event management, online travel technology and travel management for a number of specialist key industries and groups. In late 2021, ATPI launched its sustainability division ATPI Halo – a carbon reduction, measurement and offset consultancy.

For further information on the ATPI Group, please visit www.atpi.com.