The RFU Announce Plans To Bid For 2025 Rugby World Cup

Since England last hosted the RWC in 2010 and won it in 2014, women’s rugby has grown exponentially with World Rugby stating the women’s game is the single biggest opportunity to grow the sport globally. 

The Red Roses are the number one ranked team in the world and the RFU has grown female participation in England from 13,000 to 40,000 registered players in clubs, with a growing pipeline of 80,000 girls playing in schools, colleges and universities.   

“Securing RWC 2025 would add to the impressive list of major sporting events that the UK has attracted since London 2012 reinforcing the UK’s international reputation as a leading major events’ destination and a global leader in promoting women’s sport,” said RFU Chief Executive, Bill Sweeney.  

“As well as providing great economic returns, hosting the tournament would help to further promote rugby as an inclusive sport and provide a springboard to narrow the gap between male and female participation.”

For the 2025 bid The RFU plans to adopt a multi-city and multi-region approach to delivering the tournament. This hosting model will facilitate great opportunities for people living in different parts of the country to attend the tournament, promoting rugby and enhancing participation in the sport nationwide.    

A central theme to the bid will be to deliver a legacy programme in parallel to the tournament from 2022 to 2025 for growing the women’s game across the country. The legacy programme will focus on three key strands: Creating capacity through facility development and the recruitment of female coaches and referees, creating a multigenerational legacy through a call to arms for more young girls and University women to play, and for women who didn’t have the opportunity to play to become fans, and to support international development within the home unions. 

The legacy programme will see facilities standards improved to enhance the experiences females have in hundreds of clubs through investment in facilities the programme will modernise toilet facilities, upgrade changing rooms and develop social spaces in clubs across the country.

Grassroots education and mentor programmes will aim to attract 500 new female coaches, 1,000 match officials and 60,000 new registered players.

Through partnerships with universities the legacy program will recruit and retain players and plans to create 300 club leaders of the future with activities including the staging of a Festival of Rugby event engaging 2,500 students and 150 club transition events.  

With the aim of attracting more fans of women’s rugby in the build up to 2025 renewed effort will be put on marketing and encouraging fan attendance at Allianz Premier 15s matches and club houses will be opened up to hosting female events to encouraging women who have never played or watched rugby to see rugby clubs as a place they would like to visit.

The RFU is also committed to growing the English game leading into 2025 and has created two new roles to focus on implementing an ‘Every Rose Action Plan’.

International development will see investment into women’s elite rugby directed through the Home Unions to support the development of 120 female coaches and 30 female referees. The focus on female coaches and referees will improve the player experience across the Home Nations, with high level coaching fundamental to developing competitive players and top-level match officials necessary to facilitate a high-quality league and support the growth of an underrepresented cohort in elite rugby. The long-term ambition is to drive up standards in the domestic teams to enable England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland to all qualify for RWC in 2029 for the first time in over 20 years.

A study by Sheffield Hallam University’s Sport Industry Research Centre (SIRC) demonstrated hosting the RWC in 2025 would be of benefit to the local economies of host venues around the country through job creation as well as services provided and the RWC could boost the economy by £156.25m with projections of an economic return of £5 for every £1 invested.   

The Legacy Programme could generate an estimated £86m. The values attributed to the legacy programme are based on increasing female participation in rugby and volunteering in the sport, combined with evidence on the contribution of community sport and physical activity in England to the five outcomes identified in the UK Government strategy for sport.

Sue Day, RFU Chief Operations and Finance Officer and former England Women’s Captain who represented England at three World Cups and won three grand slams said: “Securing a bid to host the Women’s RWC would be incredible. We want to leave a lasting legacy for women’s rugby in England the UK and across the world, both in terms of attracting more people to play and attracting new fans. As we have seen from other home World cups in Cricket, Hockey and Netball a RWC would further advance all women’s sport and nothing would beat watching the Red Roses compete in front of a full capacity crowd at Twickenham Stadium.”

Subject to securing sufficient private and public sector funding, the final bid submission will go to World Rugby for consideration in January 2022.

Mengniu Becomes Official Sponsor Of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022

Mengniu, one of China PR’s leading dairy product manufacturers, has entered into a partnership with FIFA to become an Official Sponsor of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™.

Mengniu, which was previously an Official Sponsor of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ , will activate branding and promotional activities in FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ stadiums, as well as and will also have  activations across FIFA’s online and mobile channels, in its role as an Official Sponsor of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™.

Speaking about the announcement of Mengniu as Official Sponsor of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura said: “We are delighted to welcome Mengniu back as an Official Sponsor of the FIFA World Cup. Mengniu is committed to promoting a healthier world through nutritious products and safeguarding a sustainable planet. These values echo FIFA’s values of promoting healthy lives through football, as well as fair play. We look forward to strengthening our relationship with Mengniu and the wider Chinese market in the build- up to what will be a truly unique competition -– the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™.”

“Continued investment in world-class sporting assets represents Mengniu’s determination to build stronger relationships with our consumers while embodying the values of sportsmanship and encouraging active engagement of football enthusiasts and wider audiences,” said Jeffrey, Minfang Lu, the CEO of Mengniu Group. “It builds on our successful collaboration with FIFA on at the FIFA World Cup™ in Russia in 2018, and sits well with our five-year plan to develop Mengniu into an international dairy leader, a nutrition and health platform, a company with its strong cultural gene and its own sustainable development mode, and a brand loved by consumers across the world.”

Mengniu is a trusted brand for families across China PR. It has popular range of milk in both powdered and liquid form, yoghurt, pre-packaged ice cream, cheese, butter, and other dairy products.

The Hong Kong-listed group, which currently has around 40,000 employees worldwide, has, since 2017, been in the top 10 of the “‘Global Dairy Top 20’” list published by Rabobank. By the end of December 2020, the group’s annual production capacity of dairy products reached 9.90 million tons.

The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ will take place from 21 November until 18 December 2022. For more information on the event, please visit FIFA.com/WorldCup.

Esports Set To Make Historic Debut At The Asian Games 2022 In China

This week’s Meet The Team piece comes from Satvik Tandon, looking at the introduction of esports at the Asian Games 2022 in China.

Esports is a thriving global industry in which skilled video gamers compete. It is different from standard video gaming but includes competitions in a variety of video games similar to how traditional sports have competitions in baseball, basketball, and football.

The tournaments usually consist of amateur or professional gamers competing against one another for a cash price. Unlike any other traditional sport, where men’s and women’s games are split, esports is technically mixed with male, female, and non-conforming players. As well as this, esports is also open to all, regardless of physical ability.

In recent years, esports has progressed greatly. In fact, it is going to make its historic debut at the Asian Games 2022, which will be held in Hangzhou, China from September 10th to September 25th, 2022, with medals awarded in eight games. This recent announcement by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) has caused quite a stir in the industry, with many hopes and expectations.

“The decision to incorporate esports into the Asian Games was taken in collaboration with Alisports, the sports branch of Alibaba.”

The decision to incorporate esports into the Asian Games was taken in collaboration with Alisports, the sports branch of Alibaba (the Chinese online retail giant and top-tier Olympic sponsor). The Asian Electronic Sports Federation (AESF) will serve as esports’ technical delegate. They will be in charge of the Asian Games 2022 qualifying competition and management.

During this event, eight medal events along with two demonstration games will be held, reflecting the popularity and growth of electronic sports in China and Asia. Esports will be included in the category of “intellectual property,” which includes events like chess. FIFA (EA SPORTS), the Asian Games versions of PUBG Mobile and Arena of Valor, Dota 2, League of Legends, Dream Three Kingdoms 2, Hearthstone, and Street Fighter V are amongst the eight medal games. Each event will be awarded a gold, silver, or bronze medal. Apart from these eight medal events, Robot Masters and VR Sports are the two demonstration games.

All the esport events of the Asian Games 2022 will take place in the Xicheng District. The stadium is currently under construction and is expected to be finished by October 31, 2021. It will cover an area of 80,000 m2 (about 50 square miles) and have a capacity of 4,087 people. The venue will be designed with a vortex-structure for the events.

The gaming industry we see today is vastly different from even ten years ago. One of the very first esports events happened all the way back in October of 1972 at Stanford University, where students competed in the video game Spacewar. The grand prize for the winner was a one-year subscription to the renowned Rolling Stone Magazine. Even though this event was not an official esports event, it was certainly the start of something new in the world of gaming.

“Back in the 2018 Asian Games, esports was a demonstration event, meaning that the medals won by the competitors were not considered in the final medal tally.”

Back in the 2018 Asian Games, esports was a demonstration event, meaning that the medals won by the competitors were not considered in the final medal tally. This is the second time that esports will be competed in as a medal event. The first instance occurred during the 2019 ‘Southeast Asian Games’ in the Philippines, where teams competed in Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Arena of Valor, Dota 2, StarCraft II, Tekken 7, and Hearthstone. The Philippines won gold in Mobile Legends, StarCraft II, and Dota 2. Thailand won gold in Tekken 7 and Arena of Valor, while Malaysia won gold in Hearthstone.

The world of esports is still on the rise with no hint of slowing down. The industry is growing every day. Traditional teams have now fully recognised esports, and millions of dollars in sponsorship for esports teams in large-scale events is happening. With the momentum that esports is running with, the future continues to look bright for the industry.

But will we see it taking place within the Olympic Games in due course? We shall see. There are so many options for potential games to play it would certainly be interesting to see which the IOC would choose in that scenario.

One thing is certain, it’s closer than ever…

Joanna Coates Resigns As CEO Of UK Athletics

UK Athletics have announced that CEO Joanna Coates and Performance Director Sara Symington will be stepping down from their roles.

Prior to her appointment to the role at UK Athletics in early 2020, Coates had overseen a very successful period as CEO of England Netball, which included the hosting of the 2019 Netball World Cup in England.

Her exit leaves the organisation in turmoil once again. The previously appointed CEO to the role was forced to leave before even taking up the position, an independent review last year also deemed that there needed to be significant change to the culture.

On top of all this, on the track in Tokyo British athletes put forward a very unsuccessful performance compared to recent Olympic Games.

In a brief statement released on the organisation’s website, they stated:

UK Athletics can confirm that Joanna Coates and Sara Symington have given notice from their respective roles, Chief Executive Officer and Performance Director.

https://twitter.com/HollyBradshawPV/status/1451261010191556610?s=20

Mark Munro, current Development Director, will take over as Interim CEO for a period of six months to provide strategic continuity and leadership to the staff, athletes and coaches and will prioritise working with the Board to start the recruitment process for both roles.

Chair of UK Athletics, Ian Beattie, said: “I’d like to thank Jo and Sara for their work during their time at UK Athletics and I wish them both all the best for the future”.

Sara Symington will meanwhile head to British Cycling, who today announced that has been appointed as the Head of Olympic and Paralympic Programme for the Great Britain Cycling Team.

The announcement read:

Symington is widely regarded as one of the top sport performance leaders in the country, with over 12 years’ experience as a well-respected performance director in athletics, archery and netball.

Symington, a former GBCT track and road cyclist herself, who competed at the 2000 and 2004 Olympics, will begin the role imminently.

Performance Director Stephen Park said: “The Head of Olympic and Paralympic Programme is a new role which has been created to support me in ensuring the operations of the Olympic, Paralympic and Pathway Programmes are focused on delivering against the performance strategy and associated targets, and I am delighted to welcome Sara back to the Great Britain Cycling Team in this role.

“Sara is renowned for her ability to lead sports teams and deliver results, not to mention her knowledge of Olympic and Paralympic sport, so she is the perfect addition to the GBCT as we seek to continue our legacy of success with wider social impact at Paris 2024 and beyond.

“I have respected Sara’s work throughout her career, and I am thrilled she will be able to join our Senior Leadership Team.”

Sara Symington said: “This is an incredible opportunity to play a pivotal role within cycling – the nation’s most successful Olympic and Paralympic sport.

“My experience as a leader within elite sport combined with my time spent as a rider for Great Britain means I have developed the skills to lead the team to continue to deliver medals and more. I aim to do this through building on the culture of continuous improvement and investing smartly to support priority areas and athletes.

“This is a really exciting time to rejoin British Cycling, they have just enjoyed yet another successful Olympic and Paralympic Games and are looking forward to an exciting three years of major events including the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham next year, the UCI Cycling World Championships in Glasgow and of course Paris 2024. I am excited to join this team of talented athletes and staff, and I can’t wait to get started.”

Redstrike and IPG To Team Up With New Joint Venture

The Venture  

The Dubai based Group IPG and Redstrike are delighted to announce the establishment of a joint venture to further  expand their working relationship with the aim of strengthening their combined resources to grow sports rights  globally, deliver 360 degree media productions and develop emerging sports in South-East Asia. 

The joint venture will also see IPG become the cricket and media arm of Redstrike and will be led by Redstrike  Commercial Director and former Commercial Director of Cricket Ireland, Dennis Cousins 

Redstrike IPG will oversee all commercial activity for the Sri Lanka T20 Cricket League (LPL) which is due to take place  in December 2021. The company will have a presence in both Dubai and Dublin and will work in partnership with  other Redsrike and IPG’s offices in the UK, Asia, South Africa, Pakistan and India. 

Redstrike IPG recently acquired the Commercial Rights of the Scotland versus Zimbabwe T20 series which took place  in September and was livestreamed globally. The new venture is also currently in the process of evaluating and  acquiring other cricket and sports rights globally.  

The Vision  

Redstrike’s Vision for this Joint venture is to expand and acquire new media and commercial rights in emerging  markets, not only in cricket but within all sports associated with IPG and Redstrike. Redstrike will use the export  champion program and it’s best in class services to create a long lasting and successful Joint Venture with IPG. 

Redstrike is proud to be the only UK department of International Trade Export Champion for Sport, allowing access to a network of over 275 International Trade Advisers, complete support from and access to British embassies abroad, gaining Redstrike governmental support in almost any nation.  

Mr. Anil Mohan, CEO, The IPG Group, said 

“I’m delighted to formalise our partnership with Redstrike by creating this new joint venture. Working with Redstrike  is a natural step for IPG to grow our media business globally through the Redstrike network and utilising the vast  expertise that Redstrike have working with sports organisations globally. From the outset, I’ve been excited by the  vision of Mike Farnan and am confident that our own experience and relationships and foot-print in South-East Asia, especially in cricket, will open new doors for Mike and his team through Redstrike IPG.” 

Mr. Mike Farnan, Group CEO Redstrike, said 

“Having joined the advisory Board of The IPG Group a number of months back, it became apparent quickly that  there were huge synergies between both Redstrike and IPG that could be built on to create new opportunities for both brands. Delivering 360 degree experiences across multiple sports and acquiring new sports rights is high on the agenda for Redstrike IPG. While Redstrike has grown our own range of services over the last number of years, working with Anil will now enable Redstrike IPG to exploit new media opportunities through IPG media  services.” 

Mr. Dennis Cousins, Managing Director Redstrike IPG, said 

“Managing the Redstrike IPG Joint Venture is something which I’m really looking forward to. I’ve been hugely  encouraged by the visions of both Mike and Anil and this is a challenge that I’m relishing. There are not only  significant opportunities for both organisations to grow in South-East Asia, but in Europe too where Redstrike are a leading sports rights owner and where IPG have built up a strong reputation for high quality TV production  especially in cricket. Having the opportunity to lead the team and combine the resources of Redstrike and IPG will  enable us to open up new opportunities globally and to provide more added value to our existing client base.”

Borussia Dortmund Become The Latest Team To Sign Up With Horizm

Borussia Dortmund has become the latest UEFA Champion’s League (UCL) winners to choose Horizm’s AI powered platform to manage their digital assets. Dortmund is the first Bundesliga team to join Horizm’s growing roster of football clients and they join fellow UCL winners Real Madrid, Inter Milan and current Champions, Chelsea in choosing to work with the digital asset monetization specialists.

Dortmund is one of the most successful teams in German football, winning the league championship eight times and the DFB Pokal, the national cup competition, five times. The club is famed worldwide for its passionate following with their stadium, the Westfalonstadion, boasting the highest average attendance of any club in the world. Dortmund also have a big digital fanbase with just under 24m followers across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Through this new agreement, Dortmund will be using Horizm’s tool better understand and evaluate this digital relationship and how it can be used to drive additional commercial revenues for the club.

Commenting on the new agreement, Alexander Mühl, Head of Digital, Innovation and E-Business, Borussia Dortmund said:

“Understanding the performance and reach of content on our digital channels is crucial to how we connect with our millions of fans worldwide but also to spot and analyse commercial opportunities. We are always on the lookout for innovations that help us to improve on these fields and this new agreement with Horizm, will give us a better picture of digital relationship we have with our fans and enable us to deliver more value for partners.”

Sam, Grimley, Head of Commercial, Horizm added:

“We are very proud to work with Dortmund – the club are synonymous with their huge, passionate following and together we can help them maximise the revenues they generate through their digital audience”.

The addition of Borussia Dortmund to Horizm’s football client list means Horizm now support teams across 13 different leagues, around the globe, including all of the top six leagues in Europe.

Extreme E Expands Coverage In Ukraine With Setanta Sports

Extreme E, has today confirmed Setanta Sports as its latest broadcaster in Ukraine.

As part of the series’ growing expansion in Ukraine, Setanta Sports will air Extreme E’s full debut season, including the live race feed, highlights, preview, review and magazine shows on its Setanta Sports and Setanta Sports + channels, as well as on-demand on its digital outlet: https://www.setantaplay.tv.

With its population becoming increasingly aware of the negative impact of air pollution caused by fossil fuel, Ukraine’s electric car market has shown significant growth in recent years. In 2020, the number of electric cars on the roads grew by 375 per cent since 2018, and the country currently boasts the biggest number of public charging points compared to its nearest EU countries – with more than 8,500 (a 57 per cent increase compared to the same period two years ago).

Ali Russell, Chief Marketing Officer at Extreme E, said: “We are thrilled to be announcing Setanta Sports as our latest broadcaster. As a sport for purpose championship which is committed to amplifying the benefits of electrification, it is important to further the exposure of Extreme E in a market where EV sales are continuing to increase.

“There is an even greater purpose to our championship than the radical racing on show, with the need to reduce carbon emissions and combat the climate crisis, something which Ukraine has clearly recognised. As we expand our coverage in Ukraine by partnering with Setanta Sports, I am confident that there will be continued interest in the action-packed wheel-to-wheel racing delivered by Extreme E, as well as the wider storytelling around electrification, the environment and the series’ gender equal platform.”

Following the races in Saudi Arabia, Senegal and Greenland the series now goes on to visit Sardinia (23-24 October 2021). The locations that the championship visits are all, in some way, affected by environmental issues such as desertification, deforestation, melting ice caps, plastic pollution, and rising carbon emissions. By holding races in areas that are suffering at the hands of the environmental crisis, the aim is to raise viewers’ awareness and interest in environmental issues.

European Leagues, ELEVEN And OneFootball Strike Groundbreaking Global Nine Competition Broadcast Deal

ELEVEN and OneFootball will broadcast live matches and highlights from nine European professional football leagues across the world in a landmark collective deal with The Association of European Professional Leagues (European Leagues).

‍

For the first time ever, European Leagues worked with nine of its members to bundle their broadcast media rights outside their domestic markets. Thanks to the joint initial three-year deal with ELEVEN and OneFootball, football fans around the world will be able to view top-tier matches live and for free from the following professional leagues: Danish Superliga, Icelandic Top Football, Professional Football League of Kazakhstan, Latvian Optibet Virsliga, Northern Ireland Premiership, Norwegian Eliteserien, Polish Ekstraklasa, Slovak Fortuna Liga, Swiss Super League.

Chris Gerstle, Head of Business Development and Knowledge Centre for European Leagues, told iSportConnect earlier this year: “We believe a centralised international media rights offering of multiple, top-tier European professional football will increase opportunities for fans to engage with leagues they may have previously been unable to view due to archaic media agreements and outmoded forms of program distribution.

“The breadth of league rights included in this RFP will also better enable fans to follow players from their respective home markets that play professionally in Europe, often moving between leagues and clubs.”

This new strategic partnership will allow fans worldwide to view year round “non-stop” free-to-air live action, with matches delivered from both winter and summer leagues including regular UEFA Champions League participants such as FC Copenhagen, BSC Young Boys, and Legia Warsaw. Live matches will be available across select ELEVEN linear channels, and the ElevenSports.com and OneFootball platforms, and will be complemented by shoulder programming, highlight clips, archive material, and editorial.

‍

On top of securing guaranteed international broadcast revenues, for the first time these nine leagues and their clubs will be able to reach their existing passionate fans wherever they are. By showcasing both the elite football talent in their competitions and their highly competitive championships, leagues and clubs will also find new supporters by tapping into the huge audiences across the globe that OneFootball and ELEVEN afford.

‍

The partnership kicks off this weekend with live matches from six leagues, including Professional Football League of Kazakhstan, Northern Ireland Premiership, Norwegian Eliteserien, Polish Ekstraklasa, Slovak Fortuna Liga, and Swiss Super League. The structure of the agreement will allow further members of the European Leagues to easily join the partnership at any time.

Jacco Swart, Managing Director, European Leagues: “It is fantastic to see this international media rights partnership happening between 9 members of our Association and ELEVEN and OneFootball.  It represents another innovative example of how we at the European Leagues aim to provide valuable services to our member leagues. We are uniquely positioned to take advantage of opportunities such as these and we will continue to support the development of our members in relation to league business development. I’m excited about how we can leverage both the ELEVEN and OneFootball platforms to amplify the international reach of our member leagues and their clubs. Our intention is for sure to increase the number of participating leagues over time and to keep on exploring new business areas so as to collaborate with the companies we partner with in the most mutually beneficial way and grow the relationship over the long-term.”

‍

Pedro Presa, Chief D2C Officer, ELEVEN Group: “We’re so excited to bring this fantastic offering of top-tier European leagues to our pioneering ElevenSports.Com platform. We want to deliver for fans who were previously unable to watch the teams they love play and we want to give all football lovers the chance to discover new leagues and players. This new deal enables us to deliver on that mission in a big way via OTT, linear distribution, and original content, and we can’t wait to get started.”

‍

Nikolaus von Doetinchem, VP OTT & Media Rights, OneFootball: “OneFootball is thrilled to be part of such a ground-breaking deal, setting a new precedent in the wider football media rights industry. This deal provides obvious benefits to fans around the world who will now have access to a huge range of live action at their fingertips, for free. Partnering with OneFootball gives these nine leagues and their clubs an unprecedented global audience and we are convinced that many other leagues will see the benefits of agreements like this over the course of this season and beyond. We look forward to getting started this weekend.”

RECUR Announces Seven Top Collegiate Partnerships Ahead Of NFTU Platform Launch

RECUR, the technology company that designs and develops on chain branded experiences allowing fans to buy, collect, and resell digital products and collectibles (NFTs), today, announced seven additional collegiate university partnerships for NTFU, its new collegiate sports NFT marketplace.

Florida State University, Mississippi State University, Michigan State University, Texas Tech University, Virginia Tech, West Virginia University, and The University of Utah have officially announced partnerships with RECUR to bring their college sports moments as digital collectibles to fans everywhere. These premiere universities join the Pac-12 Conference, as well as Syracuse and Louisiana State University, who announced their formal partnerships with RECUR last month.

“We are thrilled to welcome these incredible universities to our NTFU network,” said Trevor George, Co-CEO of RECUR. “As we bring these schools’ biggest moments to life as NFTs for the first time, we couldn’t be prouder to help their fans, students and alumni engage with their favorite schools in an entirely new way.”

The NFTU marketplace will launch in 2022. For more information, please visit www.recurforever.com and follow @_NFTU on Twitter.

NBA And Tissot Announce Multiyear Renewal

The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Tissot today announced a multiyear extension of their marketing partnership, which will expand upon the global agreement that began in 2015.  As the Official Watch and Official Timekeeper of the NBA, the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) and the NBA G League, the partnership will continue to champion Tissot’s precision timekeeping, performance and style to fans across the globe.

To commemorate the extension, Tissot is bringing NBA fans closer to the game through its recently launched T-Touch Connect Solar timepiece.  The hybrid Swiss watch that combines a traditional masterpiece with connected functionalities now allows NBA fans to track their favorite teams.  Features include access to key information such as game schedules and team standings.  In addition, users will soon be able to follow NBA games live through the watch’s silent notifications, which will provide game scores and key statistics.  The watch is available for purchase immediately at Tissotwatches.com and select jewelers nationwide.

“Tissot is honored and happy to renew its contract with the NBA,” said Sylvain Dolla, Tissot CEO.  “Being the Official Timekeeper of this league offers a tremendous potential of growth as well as a deep feeling of pride.  Tissot’s aim is to continue to develop watches and timekeeping solutions that will enhance the NBA experience for all basketball fans.”

The brand, which counts top NBA players including Damian Lillard, Clint Capela and Klay Thompson as brand ambassadors, is a fixture at major NBA events, including NBA All-Star, the NBA Draft presented by State Farm, and NBA Summer League.

 “We are thrilled to tip off the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Season by renewing our partnership with Tissot,” said Salvatore LaRocca, NBA President, Global Partnerships.  “Tissot is synonymous with the excitement of our game through its state-of-the-art oncourt timekeeping system in all of our NBA arenas and it continues to bring our fans around the world closer to the NBA through its T-Touch Connect Solar timepiece.”

Tissot and the NBA developed an innovative precision timekeeping system that has been used in all 29 NBA arenas since the start of the 2016-17 NBA season.