Mastercard Become The Shirt Sponsor Of Inter Women

The partnership between Inter and Mastercard has taken a step forward. The club’s collaboration with the leading global payments company, which has been in place since 2018, has now been extended to women’s football.

The new venture with Inter Women is a testament to the commitment both brands have in developing and promoting women’s football movement, both from a sporting and a social perspective. The two brands share the desire to promote gender equality in women’s football, in doing so becoming standard bearers of the values of diversity and inclusion, inspiring new generations of players and fans along the way.

“I’m delighted to announce this partnership with Mastercard. They’re a really important brand for Inter and are committed in developing the women’s game,” declared Alessandro Antonello, Inter’s Corporate CEO. “Mastercard share our values of equality and inclusivity. Consequently we’re happy to see a brand which upholds such values be exhibited on Inter Women shirts.”

As for Mastercard, Italy Country Manager Michele Centemero had these thoughts on the partnership: “We’re more than happy to further our historic collaboration with Inter. We’re seeking to share the emotions derived from such an exciting sport, because we’re aware that one single pass or shot can create Priceless moments. We’re delighted to work alongside Inter Women and to be able to contribute to implementing sustainable programmes based on teamwork, sportsmanship and inclusion which girls and women around the world can aspire to get involved in.”

The partnership will see Mastercard appear on Inter Women’s shirts during Serie A and Coppa Italia matches. It will also see Mastercard and Inter team up and organise various initiatives. Through the involvement of various ambassadors such initiatives will promote female empowerment, tackling issues such as diversity, inclusion and fair play – both on and off the pitch – and inspiring new generations.

FC Barcelona End Ownix NFT Partenership With Immediate Effect, Extend Head & Shoulders Deal

FC Barcelona have today announced they have cancelled their NFT partnership with Ownix.

The brief statement commented:

In light of information received today that goes against the Club’s values, FC Barcelona hereby communicate the cancellation of the contract to create and market NFT digital assets with Ownix with immediate effect.

In other Barcelona news they have announced a renewal of their sponsorship deal with Head & Shoulders.

FC Barcelona and Procter & Gamble’s hair care brand Head & Shoulders (H&S) have renewed their partnership agreement for an additional season. H&S, the world’s No.1 selling shampoo brand will remain a Partner of the Club, with exclusivity as the official shampoo of FC Barcelona in Indonesia until June 30, 2022.

Since signing the original deal in 2013, H&S and FC Barcelona have built a strong relationship managed by the Club’s Asia Pacific regional headquarters in Hong Kong, illustrated by strong and robust business metrics that have led to the partnership extension, now in its eighth year. Drawing upon shared values and a passion for continuous improvement, the partnership has focused on connecting with Barça fans whilst driving excitement among consumers in the Asia Pacific region. Past initiatives include a series of co-branded H&S shampoo bottles, refreshed and updated with new artwork and images of players each season. Other campaigns also offered virtual meet and greets with players, limited edition packs, giveaways, and game app launches.

Besides a newly designed bottle to be unveiled in 2022, this season H&S will expand its reach beyond physical stores and into the e-commerce channels, and leverage Barça’s industry leading social channels to create content that further promotes the partnership, whilst optimizing the digital experience for the Club’s millions of fans in Indonesia. Campaign details can be found via H&S Facebook and Instagram as well as FC Barcelona Facebook and Instagram.

Statement by Ryan Edwards, Head & Shoulders Brand Director

“As the world’s No.1 selling shampoo, Head & Shoulders is committed to providing the most comprehensive solutions to scalp problems for all Indonesians to address their scalp worries so that they can always be at their best, just as how FC Barcelona players are at the highest level of football tournaments. Our partnership with FC Barcelona has enabled us to reach Indonesian consumers who share the passion for football and we are delighted to renew this partnership and continue inspiring them.”

Statement by Juli Guiu, Vice President, Marketing Area at FC Barcelona

“This renewed and extended partnership is a testament to the strength and success of the Club’s longstanding eight-year relationship with Head & Shoulders, a highly recognized global hair care brand. Together, we will continue to drive FC Barcelona and H&S’s growth in Indonesia, whilst encouraging Barça fans to embrace their differences and providing the confidence to face any challenge.

LDN UTD Launches Purpose Driven NFT “LDN Collection”

LDN UTD, the purpose driven esports org, today continues its tech driven journey by entering the crypto world with the launch of its very own community engaging, purpose driven NFT “LDN Collection”.

LDN UTD has partnered with Zeromint and the GoChain Foundation, to integrate their fast, low cost and low energy transactions and sustainable minting of the LDN UTD NFTs on LDN UTD’s platform to support the Rio Ferdinand Foundation.

In an exciting partnership with One Minute Briefs, the Twitter community was tasked to create unique NFT designs that aligned with LDN UTD’s values  whilst incorporating their favourite London landmarks.  After much deliberation of the hundreds of submissions, the artist “Hannah” was selected to create LDN UTD’s first NFT series, the “LDN Collection”.

The “LDN Collection” comprises 10 different NFT art sets of 100 duplicates; 1000 in total.  Each set is designed around a famous London landmark.  The “LDN Collection” is more than just an art collectible related to gaming and London.  The NFTs will provide their owners with exclusive access to LDN UTD content, gaming & tournament events, limited edition merchandise, bespoke partner discounts and offerings, and much more to be announced.

Commencing on 19th November, each design will thereafter be released every 72 hours, with a scavenger hunt giveaway scheduled for each release at the revealed landmark location.  A LDN UTD representative wearing LDN UTD merchandise will be at each location for a period of 2 hours after each set release for participants to find, and then be entered in the giveaway.  Clues to the whereabouts of the representative will be shared during the hunt on LDN UTD social media channels & Discord server. The winner will be announced before the next design is released.

In continued support to the Rio Ferdinand Foundation, LDN UTD is pledging 10% of all NFT net profit sales to be donated to the charity, further helping young people in disadvantaged communities and the inequalities they face, whilst will be working with the Foundation to give their community an opportunity to design future NFT designs.

Oliver Weingarten, Founder/CEO of LDN UTD said:

“It has always been in our roadmap to become a decentralised esports org, and the fact we can continue to stick to our values of engaging community and social purpose in a unique manner with the launch of this engaging NFT campaign for our community is just another step in the right direction of a bigger digital economy platform strategy.” 

Rhiannon Watts, Director of Operations of the Rio Ferdinand Foundation:

“Rio Ferdinand and the Foundation are pleased to partner again with LDN UTD. Esports has shown it can be a force for good, and the fact this is a project with transferable skills that can engage our community reinforces how a combination of technology and art can be utilised to support our community who are interested in this sector.”

Breanne Lawrence, Creative Partnership Manager of One Minute Briefs:

“We were so happy to partner up with LDN UTD on this One Minute Briefs campaign. We’re always keen to explore new and exciting opportunities through our Bank of Creativity platform and to produce content that will become NFTs to help the Rio Ferdinand Foundation is something that our community really enjoyed being involved in. And we are extremely proud of our very own Hannah for being selected to design the first NFT series for LDN UTD!!”

Henry Ines, CEO of GoChain said:

“We are proud to partner with LDN UTD, which shares the same impact-oriented ethos as GoChain. We look forward to working closely with LDN UTD as it becomes the premier decentralised esports platform for gamers, while raising awareness on some of today’s most pressing social issues.”

NBC Sports Extends Exclusive Premier League Partnership For Six More Years

The Premier League and NBCUniversal, via the NBC Sports Group, have today announced a new six-year broadcast deal in the United States.

The agreement, which will see NBC Sports remain the Premier League’s official broadcast partner in the US until 2028, will cover all 380 matches every season. The deal also includes the exclusive rights for Spanish language coverage.

NBC Sports became the home of Premier League coverage in the US in 2013. Since then, the broadcaster has worked with the League, growing its profile and fanbase significantly.

NBC platforms – including NBC, USA Network, NBCSN, NBC Sports digital and Peacock – reach every home in the country with a television or the internet, and NBC Sports’ Premier League Mornings programming has become well-established viewing for American fans.

Richard Masters, Premier League Chief Executive, said: “We are delighted to announce our new US broadcast deal with NBC Sports, who have been brilliant partners for the Premier League over the last nine seasons. NBC Sports has significantly strengthened the popularity of the League in the United States in that time through its fantastic coverage and promotion.

“NBC Sports’ Premier League Mornings programming is now a real institution among supporters in America, with fans getting up early to come together and cheer on their favourite club, week in, week out. It’s an exciting time for football in the US and we look forward to continuing to work with NBC Sports to bring our competition to even more fans over the next six years.”

Pete Bevacqua, NBC Sports Chairman, said: “We are excited to come to this long-term extension with the Premier League. Our Premier League team, led by Jon Miller, has been incredibly dedicated to growing the Premier League in the United States over the last nine years. This new agreement is also a testament to the hard work of production, marketing and other areas of our company, as well as the tremendous partnership that has been established with the leadership and club owners of the Premier League.”

McLaren Racing Announces New Partnership With DataRobot

McLaren Racing today announced a new partnership with AI Cloud platform leader, DataRobot, as an Official Partner of the McLaren Formula 1 team.

DataRobot delivers a unified platform for organisations across industries to unlock the full potential of AI and deliver clear impact for their business goals, powering over a trillion predictions for leading companies around the world.

As part of this relationship, DataRobot’s AI Cloud technology platform will be integrated into the McLaren Racing infrastructure, delivering AI-powered predictions and insights to maximise performance and optimise simulations. 

From this weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix, DataRobot branding will be visible on the nose of the McLaren MCL35M race cars and on the race suits of McLaren F1 drivers, Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo. 

Zak Brown, CEO, McLaren Racing, said: 

“DataRobot is a leader in its field, bringing its innovative technology and platform to top businesses around the globe. McLaren Racing continues to lead in innovation and technology, and partnerships with the likes of DataRobot allow us to progress, improve and support our team in our ongoing push for optimum performance. We are delighted to welcome DataRobot as they join our partner family for the Qatar Grand Prix this weekend.”

Dan Wright, CEO, DataRobot, said:

“Formula 1 has a long tradition of pushing the limits of racing, continuously innovating to give drivers and teams a unique edge in one of the most competitive sports on the planet. DataRobot is excited to unlock the next generation of racing with McLaren Racing, leveraging AI to transform millions of pieces of data into insights that optimise team strategy, operations and performance. This innovative partnership brings together the most advanced platforms in racing and AI, where every millisecond is key.”

Ring and Made By Sport Launch Community Fund To Support Stronger, Safer Spaces

Ring, whose mission is to make neighbourhoods safer, and UK charity Made By Sport, have today announced a new initiative to support families and youth across the UK to help create stronger spaces for communities. 

This program will support Made By Sport’s ongoing mission to champion sports-led solutions for communities, raise awareness of sport for social change, and fund initiatives to build stronger community spaces.

Ring is an Amazon company and its collaboration with Made By Sport includes a monetary donation that will create a community-driven fund. Via grants, the charity will be able to reach more local clubs and centres that are driving positive social change. 

“At Ring, we believe in our mission of making neighbourhoods safer for everyone, and that involves working with those who know their communities best,” said Dave Ward, Managing Director of Ring, Europe and International. “We are proud and humbled to support Made By Sport and the work that they do to contribute to provide and inspire young people to take a more active role in their communities. Protecting our home is about more than the four walls that we live in. Communities have always been a priority at Ring; I greatly admire Made By Sport’s positive work in this space and am delighted that Ring can support their ongoing dedication to creating safer, stronger communities.”

New research commissioned by Ring emphasises the effect that sport has on the community, with three quarters of Brits surveyed (75%) believing that sport builds community spirit. Helping maintain physical and mental wellbeing (45%), creating new connections (36%), placing an importance on teamwork (30%), breaking barriers within the community and developing strong relationships (both 28%) are cited as the main ways in which sports helps to develop community cohesion. 

Community sport has offered a level of comfort for many after a turbulent year and are set to continue to thrive. A fifth of Brits (19%) plan to join a community sports team or initiative now that restrictions have lifted, with this rising to 23% of men and almost two fifths (38%) of those aged 18-34. Meanwhile, four in 10 parents (41%) will be looking to enrol their children into a community initiative following the easing of lockdown. 

Made By Sport supports organisations across the UK to raise awareness of the power of sport to change lives, and to raise funds for the organisations shaping a stronger future for young people and encouraging them to take an active role in their communities. When it comes to community sport, almost a third of Brits (30%) agree that sport teams/initiatives play a big role in their community, with a quarter (26%) citing sport as a way for them to connect better with the community and a further 24% admitting they enjoy meeting new people through community sport. 

Sophie Mason, CEO of Made By Sport says: “We started Made By Sport with the mission to champion the power of sport to change lives, and to raise vital funds for community-driven organisations that help to transform the lives of young people across the country. We are passionate about what sport does, not just what it is.

“Sport is a crucial part of growing up, teaching us life lessons, and acting as a solution, and even life saver, for many young people. We’re excited to work with Ring, a company that shares in our mission and with their support, we are eager to further raise awareness of the impact of sport, and to help create, support, and shine a light on, the local spaces that provide invaluable contributions to community safety.”

HBL Retains Title Sponsorship Of Pakistan Super League To 2025

Pakistan Super League has received a major boost from HBL who have reacquired the title sponsorship of the PCB’s pinnacle tournament for another four-year cycle (2022-2025).

HBL not only exceeded the reserve price in reacquiring the rights but sealed it with a 55 per cent jump from last cycle, which speaks volumes of their belief in the PSL brand.

HBL earned title sponsorship rights following a public tender process in which seven interested parties had collected the bid documents.

PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja: “I am delighted that the HBL have further strengthened their bond and relationship with the Pakistan Cricket Board by committing to support the Pakistan Super League for another four years. Reality is that HBL, in fact, have been investing in the future stars of Pakistan cricket through PSL for which we are eternally grateful.

“Their decision to continue the partnership is also a validation and endorsement of the brand and product the HBL PSL has become, thanks to the untiring efforts of the Pakistan Cricket Board staff and our valued franchises. Both the PCB and franchises, with the patronage of HBL, have worked tirelessly to make the league glamorous, entertaining and exciting for the fans as well as the shortest format specialists who are keen to feature in it.”

HBL Chief Operating Officer Sagheer Mufti: “HBL is pleased to renew its commitment to Pakistan’s largest sporting platform, Pakistan Super League (PSL) for a further four years. This will mark HBL’s support for this national initiative for 10 years, since its inception in 2016. HBL remains committed to playing its part in promoting Pakistan and cricket.”

HBL Chief Marketing & Communications Officer Ali Habib: “HBL is all about ‘enabling dreams’ and this synchronizes perfectly with PSL’s philosophy to provide an enabling platform to the young, emerging cricketers of the country. HBL wishes PCB all the success in staging this mega sporting platform that provides fans the world over the opportunity to enjoy the best that cricket has to offer.”

Fortinet Becomes Official Cybersecurity Partner Of The European Tour

The European Tour today announced a multi-year partnership from the 2022 season onwards with Fortinet, a global leader in broad, integrated and automated cybersecurity solutions. As an Official Tour Partner and Official Cybersecurity Partner, Fortinet will provide its expertise and innovative security solutions to support the Tour’s digital innovation journey.

The European Tour hosts one of the largest and most complex “Bring Your Own Device” environments in the sports industry, with up to 25,000 fans, media and key stakeholders attending tournaments each day on its flagship European Tour – which becomes the DP World Tour next season – spread across a 47-tournament season in 27 countries. The Fortinet Security Fabric – which offers a broad set of automated, integrated solutions supported by advanced threat intelligence and AI-enabled security services – will enable the European Tour to enhance its security analytics, reporting and response capabilities at its various tournaments, as well as implement a zero-trust security approach.

The European Tour also operates a hybrid cloud environment for its office and tournament-based services around the globe. By partnering with Fortinet, the Tour will benefit from Fortinet’s adaptive cloud security solutions to bring advanced security, broad visibility and control across the Tour’s cloud infrastructures and increase the speed of its operations.

Speaking about the new partnership Michael Cole, Chief Technology Officer at The European Tour, said; “In recent years we have pioneered the Tournament-As-A-Service concept, which packages intelligent and connected golf course systems into a cloud-based “smart city” solution that can be rolled out at any tournament. As we continue to bring this concept to life, Fortinet’s platform approach, through its Security Fabric offering, will further enhance the management, monitoring and agility of this complex operation and make sure we give our various stakeholders – whether that be fans, media, partners or players – an exceptional and secure experience.”  

John Maddison, EVP of Products and CMO at Fortinet said; “The European Tour delivers an amazing experience – in equal measure for their fans and world class golfers. As the European Tour’s Official Cybersecurity Partner, our company will bring its deep expertise in cybersecurity innovation to the world of golf.  We are thrilled to be working together with the European Tour to accelerate its digital innovation journey thanks to the Fortinet Security Fabric, enabling broad visibility, seamless integration and granular control and automation.”

Max Hamilton, Commercial Director at the European Tour, added; “Following the ongoing and extensive transformation of the European Tour’s technological landscape, we have been keen to find a new partner that will help protect our investments and keep us at the forefront of technology in sport. Technology plays such an integral role in modern golf and Fortinet’s innovation and expertise will enhance our ability to successfully deliver a secure experience. It’s a true partnership in every sense of the word and further demonstrates our excellent commercial momentum.”

Paris Saint-Germain And Delivery Service Gorillas Unveil Multi-Year Partnership Agreement

Paris Saint-Germain and Gorillas have announced today a multi-year partnership agreement. The European leader in instant on-demand groceries and fast delivery service Gorillas becomes Paris Saint-Germain Grocery and Delivery Partner.

As the fastest growing players in their respective field, Paris Saint-Germain and Gorillas have a strong brand synergy and a common ambition to offer the best experience to their fans and to their communities around the world. Through this first global sport sponsorship, Gorillas plans to strengthen its footprint in Europe and to benefit from Paris Saint-Germain’s multi-million fan base across leading platforms.

The Gorillas brand will be present at the Parc des Princes all year round, and they will offer engaging content with a roster of world-class sports talent and unique experiences to its communities. This partnership will kick off in the iconic Parc des Princes stadium on Saturday, November 20th, on the occasion of the game between FC Nantes and Paris Saint-Germain.

Marc Armstrong, Chief Partnerships Officer at Paris Saint-Germain announced “We are delighted to welcome Gorillas to the Paris Saint-Germain partner family. Both of our respective brands have developed a strong lifestyle footprint with the aim of positively impacting the experiences of our communities and audiences. We are looking forward to working closely with Gorillas and innovating together at a fast pace.”

Ugur Samut, Co-founder and Chairman of the Board at Gorillas said “It is a great honor for our first global sport sponsorship to support one of the most successful football teams in Europe with whom we share many key values ​​such as boldness, authenticity and team spirit. Gorillas’ brand DNA is at the intersection of sport and lifestyle, making this partnership with a true love brand like Paris Saint-Germain an incredible fit.”

UFC Fight Pass And Cage Fight Series Reach Multi-Event Distribution Agreement

UFC FIGHT PASS®, the world’s leading streaming service for combat sports, today announced a multi-event partnership with European-based mixed martial arts promotion Cage Fight Series.   The first event will debut on UFC FIGHT PASS on Saturday, February 12, live from Graz, Austria.

“We’re thrilled to add Cage Fight Series to UFC FIGHT PASS,” said Crowley Sullivan, Vice President and General Manager, UFC FIGHT PASS. “Our subscribers are in for an action-packed 2022 as we continue to add combat sports content from all over the world.  Cage Fight Series is our latest addition to showcase up-and-coming talent from Central Europe.”

Established by martial artist brothers Gerhard and Michael Ettl in 2007, Cage Fight Series is one of the largest mixed martial arts promotions hosted within Austria and Germany. With this new partnership, Cage Fight Series will be available in over 200 countries and territories only on UFC FIGHT PASS.

“It is a great honor for CFS to partner UFC FIGHT PASS,” said the Ettl Brothers, Co-Founders of Cage Fight Series. “Cage Fight Series has been developing young, local talent since its inception in 2007 and now it crowns its tenth edition with a partnership that will bring global exposure to our athletes.”

UFC FIGHT PASS features live events from dozens of combat sports promotions around the world. Subscribers of the platform also have 24/7 access to the world’s largest fight library featuring over 20,000 bouts, as well as every fight in UFC® history.