Southampton FC Add learncrypto.com As Official Training Kit Partner

Southampton Football Club is delighted to announce learncrypto.com as the club’s Official Training Kit Partner.

The free crypto education platform will be the club’s training kit provider for both the first team and the B Team throughout the 2021/22 season, with Ralph Hasenhüttl’s side set to debut the new LearnCrypto-branded training kit ahead of Sunday’s Premier League clash against Wolves.

learncrypto.com is a non-profit website funded by the Yolo Group and other likeminded cryptocurrency market leaders, including the club’s Main Club Partner, Sportsbet.io.

The platform aims to make cryptocurrency accessible to everyone and is designed to help users learn about cryptocurrency with simple, relevant and engaging content.

With many people first encountering crypto through stories of fortunes being made, learncrypto.com is up front about the risks involved and encourages anyone that is thinking about investing or trading to learn what crypto is and does first.

learncrypto.com vision is to build a free learning community that inspires people to adopt cryptocurrency. Fans can create a free account, which will soon give them access to courses on the subjects currently covered within the platform’s Knowledge Base.

Sarah Batters, Director of Marketing and Partnerships, said: “We are proud to be partnering with learncrypto.com, a non-profit crypto education platform that is providing opportunities to learn about blockchain and crypto, during a time when the sector is growing exponentially.

“Keeping pace with new technologies is increasingly tough, so we support learncrypto.com’s mission to give confidence and foundational knowledge to those wanting to interact with cryptocurrencies or blockchain in the future.”

Roman German, Chief Product Officer at Yolo Group, said: “We believe in the power of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology to improve the lives of millions of people around the world, and the first step towards this is education. That’s why we’re so proud to partner with learncrypto.com and Southampton FC to spread the word about the positive impact crypto can have.

“Whether you are completely new or want to take your blockchain knowledge to the next level, you’ll find the resources you need to do your own research and be better prepared to take part in the financial revolution.”

Discovery Sports Completes Cyclo-Cross Offer With Global Long-Term Rights Agreement

Discovery Sports has further expanded its cycling offer for fans by adding the exclusive global Cyclo-cross Superprestige rights to its comprehensive portfolio of live events.

A new long-term deal will bring live and on-demand global coverage of the Cyclo-cross Superprestige series to viewers via Discovery Sports’ leading sport brands Eurosport, GCN+ and discovery+**. The eight-race Superprestige season held across Belgium and the Netherlands begins on 3 October.

Discovery Sports’ unrivalled cycling offer now includes coverage of every major cyclo-cross and track cycling event during the winter season following the conclusion of the road cycling season (including every Grand Tour, Classics race, WorldTour and Women’s WorldTour races). Discovery Sports is the home of cycling across all disciplines including mountain bike, BMX and urban cycling, every World Championship and European Championship, and every cycling event at the Olympic Games.

Guy Voisin, Director of Cycling at Discovery Sports, said: “We are pleased to continue our mission to grow cycling in all its forms and expand the reach of the sport further by securing the rights to showcase the world’s best men’s and women’s cyclo-cross riders in action with every single Superprestige race now available to watch live and on-demand across our channels and platforms.

“Through our globally recognised sports brands Eurosport, GCN+ and now via discovery+, we have the ability to scale coverage of the world’s biggest cycling events to the widest possible audience, unlocking the power of the sport for all to enjoy.”

Eurosport and GCN+ provides fans with a 360° digital cycling ecosystem, unlocking the power of the sport for the widest audience. Europe’s No.1 sport news website Eurosport.com covers all aspects of the sport; expert opinions are offered through Eurosport’s flagship podcast The Bradley Wiggins Show; and GCN+ offers exclusive documentaries, films and interactive features for fans alongside live race coverage.

As well as the widest range of world-class cycling events shown across its channels and platforms, Discovery Sports will continue in its mission to grow cycling by launching the inaugural UCI Track Champions League in November, promoted by its events management and promotion business, Discovery Sports Events.

IMG To Market African FIFA World Cup Qualifiers

IMG and FIFA have announced an agreement to market worldwide media rights for the African Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™.

As part of the agreement, IMG has been awarded by FIFA a total of 130 matches featuring 40 countries from across the African continent. These matches include 120 Round 2 matches and 10 home and away Play-Off games that will see five African teams qualify for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, which takes place from 21 November-18 December 2022.

Michael Mellor, SVP, Head of Football, IMG, said: “This is an extremely exciting package of matches with the growing success of African nations and at major tournaments making the World Cup qualifiers a very attractive proposition for broadcasters around the globe. A number of top African players ply their trade in the top leagues and will be household names to viewers around the world.”

Forty nations from across Africa have been drawn in ten groups of four for Round 2 of the FIFA World Cup 2022 qualification in Africa. The top country from each of group will then play a two-leg Play-Off match in March 2022 with the winners qualifying for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

IMG’s deal excludes MENA, Sub-Saharan Africa, Iceland, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland.

Northampton Saints Partner With SPOKE

Northampton Saints and SPOKE are delighted to today announce a new partnership, with the online menswear brand becoming the Club’s first Trouser and Casual Wear Partner.

As part of the agreement, SPOKE will provide the men in Black, Green and Gold with official post-match clothing for the first-team squad, coaches and performance staff – consisting of SPOKE’s signature Heroes chino and Pique polo shirt, all custom fit.  

SPOKE, launched in 2014 with the mission of creating clothes that met the needs of each individual, offer customers bespoke sizes without sacrificing quality or style, and without the luxury markup.

Offering over 400 size variations, SPOKE now retail to over 40 countries worldwide. The rapidly-growing digital start-up is making waves within the men’s fashion industry, and in sharing the Club’s values of ambition and innovation, SPOKE are a perfect fit with Saints.

“We’re thrilled to be partnering with SPOKE,” said Ulundi Makhanya, Head of Commercial Partnerships at Northampton Saints.

“Rugby players come in all shapes and sizes, and one of the challenges we have always faced in sourcing post-match clothing for our squad is finding a brand to cater for everyone’s needs – clothing that is both practical and fashionable, which fits everyone from a nimble scrum-half to a towering lock, is very difficult.

“However, in SPOKE, we have a partner who completely understands the challenges our players face, and who specialise in finding a fit for every body. A pioneering and ever-expanding retailer, we’re really excited to be working with them from this season onwards, and to help grow their brand amongst a rugby audience in future.”

“We’re delighted to partner with Northampton Saints” said Ben Farren, CEO and Founder of SPOKE.

“Elite rugby creates some extraordinary body shapes – so our custom-fit trousers are a perfect match for the team. It’s great to see these brilliant players rocking a flawless fit from scrum-half through to lock.”

Sport Industry Group Appoints New Managing Director

Sport Industry Group has revealed a leadership change, as current Managing Director Alex Coulson steps down from his dual role to commit full time as Managing Director of National Student Esports (NSE), while former Spotify exec Dylan Pugh will now lead the Sport Industry Group team.

Coulson, who has led Sport Industry Group for the last seven years, will continue in an advisory role, but will focus his time on NSE, the official body for university esports and the largest grassroots gaming community in the UK.

In his place, Dylan Pugh joins the business having recently come onboard at parent company Benchmark to lead the newly formed Sports Podcast Awards, which are designed to unite the global sports podcast community.

Pugh formerly worked at Spotify, before leaving in 2020 to set up his own podcast publisher, Pomodo. Since early 2021, he has spearheaded the Sports Podcast Awards, which now becomes part of Sport Industry Group. Prior to working at Spotify, where he was Head of Podcast Monetisation, Pugh has held leadership roles in several media and tech organisations and is a former professional rugby player, having represented Wales at sevens.

The announcement comes following the successful return of the Sport Industry Awards 2021, which saw the industry’s biggest night of the year reunite the sector. More than 1,200 people descended upon Evolution London to celebrate the very best the industry has to offer after an enforced absence, delivering a night that was more emotional, inspiring, and invigorating than ever before.

Nick Keller, CEO of Benchmark said: “Both the Sport Industry Group business and brand have grown hugely under Alex’s leadership. His knowledge of and dedication to the sport industry is exemplary and so we’re very happy that he is staying connected to the business. I’m equally excited to see how he continues to develop NSE and use his expertise to support the UK’s largest grassroots gaming community.

Meanwhile, Dylan is well placed to build on a brilliant platform and use his significant experience in audio to bring the Sports Podcast Awards, the latest addition to the Sport Industry Group portfolio, to life.”

Pugh joins at the same time as two other new recruits to the Sport Industry Group team with Molly Reynolds, Project Executive and Brian Matovu, Content and Marketing Executive, expanding the roster (pictured above alongside Coulson and Pugh). The team behind the world’s largest commercial sports awards are also actively recruiting a Head of Content and Marketing.

Dylan Pugh, Managing Director, Sport Industry Group, said: “I’m extremely excited for this opportunity, particularly given the momentum we now have after finally welcoming the industry back together for the Sport Industry Awards 2021. The energy around the room – and the industry at large – was palpable and I can’t wait to build on that moving forward.

“Sport Industry Group has an incredible means of bringing people together, celebrating success, and driving us all forward as a collective, and I cannot wait to build on the success that Alex and the rest of the team have put in place. Particularly now, with the Sports Podcast Awards, and as audio becomes an even bigger part of our lives and the business. It’s a really exciting time.

“A huge thank you to Alex, the entire Sport Industry Group team, and to Benchmark for this opportunity.”

Under Coulson Sport Industry Group has expanded significantly and now boasts an impressive and diverse group of properties, all aimed at developing, inspiring, and nurturing the sport industry.

Existing properties continue to grow more impactful each year, with the Sport Industry Daily, Sport Industry Awards and Sport Industry NextGen now informing, honouring, and educating more than ever before, while new properties have brought the industry increased digital tools and experiences.

Among them are Sport Industry Spotlight, a series of online and bespoke events tailored to specific audiences and areas of expertise and Sport Industry Slack, which brought the industry together at a time of need. The recently launched Sport Industry Jobs, meanwhile, is now playing a crucial role as we all shift to a more balanced working lifestyle.

Alex Coulson, Managing Director, NSE & Advisor, Sport Industry Group, added: “I’m immensely proud and grateful of everything we’ve been able to achieve at Sport Industry Group, and I can’t wait to see what Dylan and the team do with the platform we already have.

“The business has changed significantly over the last seven years – above all we value our privileged position at the heart of the sport business community. Sport Industry Group is perfectly placed to support the industry and collectively continue to grow and strengthen.

“I’ve loved my time at Sport Industry Group, and the industry itself has been my home for a long time too. Fortunately, though, I won’t be going far and I look forward to supporting from the sidelines and bringing the best of the sport industry to the esports community – and vice versa.

“A big welcome to Dylan and a huge thanks to everyone I’ve worked with while at Sport Industry Group, it’s been a fantastic journey and one I’m glad is set to continue.”

Capgemini Becomes Worldwide Partner Of The Ryder Cup Through To 2027

The PGA of America and Ryder Cup Europe today announced a new six-year partnership with Capgemini that will begin at this year’s Ryder Cup. Following this inaugural year as a Worldwide Supplier to the 43rd Ryder Cup, Capgemini’s status will elevate to that of Worldwide Partner for the 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome, 2025 Ryder Cup in Farmingdale, N.Y., and the 2027 Ryder Cup in County Limerick, Ireland, where its industry-leading digital transformation capabilities will help to enhance the Ryder Cup for its fans and organizers.

The worldwide partnership with the Ryder Cup, one of the most significant events in golf, which brings together the best of the best from around the world through team competition and helps advance the sport across the globe, is a momentous first step in Capgemini’s golf story. This partnership reflects Capgemini’s focus on building and celebrating talent, team spirit and high performance – all of which are at the heart of both Capgemini and the Ryder Cup.

This year’s Ryder Cup, the biennial men’s team contest between Europe and USA, was postponed from September 2020 and is set to begin on the Straits course at Whistling Straits, Kohler, Wisconsin, from September 21–26. Capgemini will feature prominently in its new role at Whistling Straits and will look to provide technical support and transformational solutions to the PGA of America and Ryder Cup Europe throughout the course of the six-year sponsorship.

As a global leader with almost 300,000 team members in 50 countries, including well-established operations across Ryder Cup host countries in the United States and Europe, Capgemini will promote the Ryder Cup across all its international locations to further grow a diverse global fanbase.

Through its deep technology and business transformation expertise, Capgemini will be a true partner to the Ryder Cup, working with Ryder Cup Europe and the PGA of America to constantly adapt, master and apply the latest innovations in technology and sport through the lens of precision and accuracy, which are fundamentals of success in both industries.

Aiman Ezzat, Chief Executive Officer of Capgemini said: “At Capgemini we share the values of golf and its premiere team competition, the Ryder Cup, an incredible international event and great opportunity for the Group. I am thrilled that Capgemini will bring its deep expertise in technology to the world of golf for the first time in 2021 and for the coming years. This new long-term, worldwide partnership reflects the international breadth and diversity of the Capgemini Group and what international teams, comprising top talent, can accomplish when working together toward a common goal.”

“Capgemini’s reverence for the Ryder Cup and respect for its values provided both sides with an ideal starting spot to begin our relationship,” said PGA of America President Jim Richerson. “We’re very

happy with our new partnership with Capgemini and look forward to welcoming them to the Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits, but we love the path we are taking together toward Italy in 2023, New York in 2025 and Ireland in 2027.”

Guy Kinnings, the European Tour’s Deputy Chief Executive, Ryder Cup Director and Chief Commercial Officer, said: “The Ryder Cup is a truly global sporting event which connects people around the world so we are delighted Capgemini, a global leader in the technology industry, will be part of our commercial family for the next four editions, including as a Worldwide Partner from Rome onwards. Technology plays such an integral role in a modern Ryder Cup and Capgemini’s innovation and expertise in this area will unquestionably enhance our ability to successfully deliver one of the world’s most watched sporting contests.”

The Ryder Cup announcement comes on the heels of Capgemini becoming a Worldwide Partner of Rugby World Cup France 2023 and joining World Rugby as its Digital Transformation Partner. Both the golf and rugby partnerships lead Capgemini’s sponsorship strategy of embracing global sporting events that are driven by team spirit, precision and high performance.

How Sports Clubs And Organisations Can Counteract Modern Content Challenges

How do you approach the modern expectation of constant content across multiple platforms with a limited team and resources? Infront X believe they have the solution.

The world of content is becoming more and more challenging for all involved in it. There is now an expectation for most sports organisations to push out a tremendous amount of content on a daily or weekly basis.

With that expectation comes the challenge of resources, a pain point highlighted by Damian Browarnik, Chief Innovation Officer of Infront X and Managing Director of Infront X Lab,  during our Content & Distribution eMasterclass in August.

“There is the need to create high quality, engaging content. That’s costly and time-consuming, many teams don’t have the necessary funds and time to do this.”

A couple of years ago, Infront Sports and Media launched iX, which was recently integrated with the company’s innovation branch, Infront Lab, to create Infront X, a full service, digital media solutions, business and sports tech research and development unit.

“Creating content in today’s sporting environment and for today’s fans is a hard task,” Browarnik explained. “You need to cater to different languages, age groups, preferences and so on. But before content teams can even think about tailoring content, they have the issue of resources.

“There is the need to create high-quality, engaging content. That’s costly and time-consuming, many teams don’t have the necessary funds and time to do this. But there’s also the issue of how many platforms there are that fans expect content from, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and others…

“This also leads to the issues of workflows and analytics, teams want a better view of this but do not have proper platforms. You need to plan properly and then replan according to the performance, which is a tedious and repetitive process.”

So when all of this is clicking, how does it benefit the organisation overall?

“The goal here is to reach what we call content maturity,” he explains. “Having a high level of content maturity means that you can create consistent content where you can leverage the technology to improve your workflows. You can then share your content across all platforms to fit your fans, and then you can provide sponsors with the content to enable monetisation.”

Over the past eighteen months, particularly during the main Covid period across the summer of 2020, creating content for all sporting teams and organisations was even more vital than ever, and the ease at which they had the ability to do so was critical for the business.

“Content X automatically generates content plans and campaigns. It’s then able to produce relevant highlights, including graphics, and even writes the copy for them.”

To try and provide a resolution to this content issue, which affects many around the sports industry, Infront X Lab developed Content X, a new product which eases the content production workflow. 

“Content X automatically generates content plans and campaigns. It’s then able to produce relevant highlights, including graphics, and even writes the copy for them. So you have everything in one place and then all the content team has to do is to review the post and approve it. If they want to tweak it a bit they can, but automating this process will save several hours a day.”

The modern day, worldwide nature of sport also plays into this. Teams and leagues now have access to not just their existing, local fans, but potential new ones from all around the world as well. There is only one drawback: it means operating in different languages and spending additional time or monetary resources to hire a person or team to create content for those markets.

Browarnik noted that the platform is able to not only facilitate the creation of content in different languages, but organisations can use key players or influencers from those countries as advocates who share the content to create better engagement. The ease at which both the organisation itself and partners can share content from the system simplifies this process even more.

“This is a tool that allows you as the content owner to share the content with your partners. It could be with broadcasters, with players, sponsors that have the rights to share or even influencers,” Browarnik added.

Of course, once this has occurred, another key part of content and social media that is extremely valuable for organisations is analytics, with sponsorship deals being monitored to ensure they are producing the greatest value possible for brands.

The difficulty within this comes from the fact that there are many numbers and figures across  numerous platforms to monitor, which is yet another aspect that takes up a great deal of time. Brownarik noted that Content X is able to provide a solution to this issue.

“This analytics area is key. You can determine how effective each post is based on the channels and discover the true media value behind the content.”

“Once you share your post you’re able to track the content that was shared by your partners and then check the performance to see whether the value is there. There are additional tools within the platform that will allow the content owner to really see what’s going on and they can even reply directly [to fans] from our platform.

“This analytics area is key, you have the holistic view of the performance and you can track all the content, whether it’s on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and so on. You can determine how effective each post is based on the channels and discover the true media value behind the content.”

Steve Elworthy Appointed Chief Executive Of Surrey County Cricket Club

Elworthy joins the Club from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), where he was Managing Director: Events and Special Projects, a role he took on after concluding his appointment as Managing Director of the ICC World Cup 2019. In 2018, he was awarded an MBE for services to cricket.

Prior to this, Elworthy had delivered seven ICC World Events across two countries, served three years as the ECB Director of Marketing and Communications and was the Commercial Director for Cricket South Africa.

Before entering cricket administration, Elworthy was a professional cricketer for fourteen years, representing provincial teams in South Africa, as well as both Lancashire and Northamptonshire in county cricket. Between 1998 and 2002, he won four Test and 39 One Day International caps for South Africa, before retiring from the game in 2003.

In addition to his work at the ECB, Elworthy has also held a number of non-executive positions including serving on the boards of GB Basketball and the Netball World Cup and as Chair of the World Netball Bid Committee for the 2025 and 2027 World Cups. He is the current Chair of the Netball Super League and the UK Sport Representative on the Cycling World Championships Glasgow 2023 Board.

Speaking today, Steve Elworthy said: “I have been incredibly lucky to have worked closely with Surrey CCC over the years, especially when hosting major global cricket tournaments. Surrey is the biggest club in the country and to be offered the opportunity to work with Richard Thompson and the Board, the Surrey team and players is a huge honour.

“The club is steeped in history and has deep-seated roots in the community, and I look forward to taking over the fantastic work already put in place, driven by my predecessor Richard Gould and brilliantly supported by Charlie Hodgson, in the interim.

“The Kia Oval is one of the biggest grounds in the country, one of the world’s greatest sporting venues and has hosted some of the most iconic matches ever seen. The location in Lambeth, SE11, and the outstanding facilities support the already well-established destination of choice.

“The Galadari Stand is a significant addition to the club and ground which provides brand new Members’ facilities and enhances the Club’s conferencing and events business.

“Having played at The Oval when representing South Africa in the 1999 Cricket World Cup, I am looking forward to getting back to cricket and working with the women’s and men’s teams. Cricket, on and off the field, has been part of my life since I can remember, and its values and comradery have helped shape my drive to keep this amazing sport healthy and vibrant – I am truly excited about the opportunities ahead.”

Richard Thompson, Chair of Surrey County Cricket Club, said: “I am absolutely delighted to welcome Steve Elworthy to the Surrey family. His reputation and achievements in cricket go before him and I have no doubt of the positive impact and difference he will make for Surrey County Cricket Club and The Kia Oval.

“The Club has only had two Chief Executives in the past 25 years and continuity has been a huge part of our success. This year we have produced more England players than we have for a generation, attracted a record number of Members, opened the incredible new Galadari Stand and continued to develop a hotel adjacent to the ground.

“Surrey CCC is in great shape and remains very ambitious for future success – on and off the field. I have no doubt Steve is well very equipped to help the club fulfil its full potential.”

Thompson added: “I would also like to play tribute to our Interim Chief Executive, Charlie Hodgson. He has done an outstanding job over one of the most challenging seasons I can ever remember. The club owes a debt to Charlie’s commitment and hard work for the club I know he loves dearly.”

Tom Harrison, ECB Chief Executive Officer, said:

“Steve has done so much in his time at the ECB, we’ll miss him hugely. He has played a huge part in the development of cricket in England and Wales over so many years, including the success of major events like the ICC Women’s and Men’s Cricket World Cups in 2017 and 2019 and The Hundred this year.

“Over the past 18 months his work has been crucial in enabling us to play cricket through the Pandemic. He has a vast knowledge and understanding of cricket in this country and internationally, and is a man of great integrity who cares passionately about the game.

“Steve has been a good and trusted friend and while I am very sad he will be leaving, I am delighted for him personally. Surrey is a great club, they deserve the very best and in Steve they have it.”

UEFA Release Statement On FIFA’s Proposals For Biennial World Cup

UEFA have a released the following statement in response to FIFA’s continued push for a FIFA World Cup every two years, enforcing their view that ‘Proper consultation, rather than media announcements’ is needed to assess the ‘impact and consequences of potential radical move’.

In May 2021, the FIFA Congress mandated the FIFA administration to conduct a study into the feasibility of a Men’s and Women’s World Cup every two years.

UEFA assumes that the word ‘feasibility’ encompasses all effects and consequences and includes all issues relating to:

  • the calendar, formats and access of the final and preliminary competitions;
  • the impact on existing club and national team competitions, their sporting and commercial opportunities;
  • the impact on players’ physical and mental health;
  • the impact on fans, their desire to see more frequent tournaments of this standing, the sustainability for them of more frequent travelling;
  • the impact on the broad football eco-system, by which we mean assessing the balance of opportunities that national teams from all 211 FIFA member associations would have to develop in such a radically changed scenario;
  • the impact of more frequent World Cup final tournaments on the value and appeal of the event and its brand;
  • the impact on other vital parts of football, such as women’s competitions that are in a phase of rapid expansion which requires enhanced visibility and exclusivity spaces;
  • the impact on youth tournaments, which have minimal commercial implications but have everything to do with the development of young talents;
  • the impact on the global sports system and respect that football, as the most followed sport worldwide, must show to consolidated spaces of exposure and exploitation used by other sports.

While waiting to learn the detailed results of the study commissioned by the FIFA Congress that will cover all the mentioned areas, UEFA acknowledges that FIFA has presented a proposal entailing a doubling of World Cup final tournaments as of 2028 as well as Confederations’ final tournaments as of 2025, combined with massive restructuring of the dates reserved by the International Match Calendar for the matches regularly played by all 211 FIFA member associations.

We are grateful for the attention reserved to the UEFA European Championship, with the proposed double frequency of its final event, but we prefer to address such a sensitive matter with a comprehensive rather than speculative approach.

UEFA is disappointed with the methodology adopted, which has so far led to radical reform projects being communicated and openly promoted before having been given, together with other stakeholders, the chance to participate in any consultation meeting.

There are real dangers associated with this plan:

  • the dilution of the value of the No.1 world football event, whose quadrennial occurrence gives it a mystique that generations of fans have grown up with;
  • the erosion of sporting opportunities for the weaker national teams by replacing regular matches with final tournaments;
  • the risk to sustainability for players, forced to engage in summer high intensity competitions every year instead of longer recuperation breaks in alternate years;
  • the risk for the future of women’s tournaments, deprived of exclusive slots and overshadowed by the proximity of top men’s events.

These are just some of the serious concerns that the FIFA proposal provokes at first glance and they cannot be dispelled simply with unsubstantiated promotional slogans on the supposed benefits of a thicker calendar for final tournaments.

UEFA is of the opinion that the future of the international calendar should be the subject of genuine consultation and exchange between FIFA, the confederations and key stakeholders of competitions, kicking off with an open discussion on perceived problems and considering a range of solutions that will be identified in the course of the debate, taking into account the interest of the game and the legitimate point of view of the different parties.

In this phase, the respect for a consultation process with the stakeholders – which should be unbiased – would suggest abstaining from promotional campaigns of unilaterally pre-determined concepts that nobody has been given the possibility to see in detail and which have wide-ranging, often unexpected, effects.

On 14 September, UEFA and its 55 member associations asked FIFA to organise a special meeting with them to be able to voice their concerns on the impact of such plans. UEFA and its 55 member associations have to-date not yet received a reply from FIFA on this request.

DAZN And Common Goal Unite In Multi-Year Global Partnership

Sports streaming platform DAZN and pledge-based social impact football movement Common Goal have united in a global partnership to jointly tackle some of the most vital issues of our times. The partnership stems from a shared belief that sport can be a catalyst for social change as well as a deep-rooted “common goal” – a mission to drive long-term, solution-oriented change around critical issues at the intersection of sport and society.

DAZN is making a multi-million dollar pledge to Common Goal alongside a 1% global employee time and resource commitment in a long-term partnership that will collectively focus on three fundamental and deep-rooted issues, within and beyond football: gender equity, racial justice, and cultural diversity.

DAZN will foster open and meaningful dialogue around these three issues by leveraging the power of content and storytelling across its ecosystem of platforms, channels, and partners. The platform will also contribute towards action-oriented change via Common Goal’s own social impact initiatives and local community partners around the world, all with the goal of tangibly contributing towards levelling the playing field. Over the next two years, this partnership will strategically and meaningfully utilize the resources and networks of both organizations to maximize impact beyond any individual effort.

“The Common Goal movement has shown that football can only fulfil its true potential as a force for positive change for people and planet when we work together. This groundbreaking partnership with DAZN is a celebration of a shared commitment to taking action right now,” said Jürgen Griesbeck, CEO and co-founder of Common Goal. “We look forward to getting to work on bringing the partnership to life and in doing so empowering girls, boys and young people around the world to fulfil their potential. We hope that DAZN’s leadership inspires other industry stakeholders to join the Common Goal movement.”

“It is brilliant to see the Common Goal movement, with now over 200 player and manager members, being embraced by DAZN, an important and innovative force in global sport,” said Manchester United player Juan Mata, who co-founded Common Goal in 2017. “Through this long-term partnership, DAZN is demonstrating its commitment to racial justice, gender equity and cultural diversity in a tangible and powerful way that will enable us to tell the stories of many player activists and young people around the world who are positively impacted by Common Goal.”

“As a global broadcaster, media company, and industry disruptor, DAZN was not only born out of the desire to make sports accessible for all, we have also quickly grown to understand it is our responsibility to take action,” said James Rushton, Co-CEO of DAZN. “Common Goal exists to unite the global football industry and tackle the greatest social challenges of our time, and we are committed to working hand in hand with them to change the game together.”

“At DAZN, we believe we can, and so, we must be a part of the ongoing solution. Together with Common Goal, we’ll collectively tackle the critical barriers of sports inequality in a way that aims to galvanize the football world and create lasting, equitable impact,” said Nancy Elder, Chief Communications Officer at DAZN whose role includes overseeing the company’s diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. “Building on the work done before us, and as we embark on what’s hopefully a long journey ahead, we are committed to using our global platform to drive positive social change in our communities and throughout the industry.”

As part of its pledge, DAZN has committed to leveraging its storytelling and creative expertise to examine the defined issues as they relate to sport, while showcasing solution-oriented goals and actions via co-branded and co-produced content with Common Goal. This content will leverage both partners’ global ecosystem of diverse and powerful voices in football, the wider sports community, and beyond.

“This partnership between Common Goal and DAZN will really help accelerate the positive change we want to see in football and society,” said Chelsea FC star Pernille Harder. “We know that we can only achieve all that we strive for by working as a team and DAZN’s partnership with Common Goal will enable the movement to scale its work driving LGBTQ+ inclusion, racial equity, and female empowerment.”

In addition, DAZN has also pledged to directly support several dedicated Common Goal initiatives around the issues of gender equity, racial justice, and cultural diversity via a network of high-impact grassroots community organizations across the world, including a particular focus on those with presence in key DAZN markets. These initiatives will directly reach tens of thousands of individuals – all laddering up to Common Goal’s long-term goal of positively impacting 100 million young people by 2030 – and include:

  • Common Ground: Reaching young people most affected by the pandemic in Germany by using street football to develop core life skills and abilities, with an approach that leaves no child behind – regardless of their gender, ethnicity, religion, ability or sexual orientation.
  • Global Goal 5 Accelerator: Aimed at driving gender equity through football by growing girls’ participation in football programs on the field, increasing the proportion of female coaches on the sidelines, and arming key organizations with an applicable, expert-designed curriculum around gender equity in football.
    • This initiative ties directly to DAZN’s long-term mission of inspiring the next generation of players as part of its new global broadcasting deal with the UEFA Women’s Champions League, another multi-year partnership that will make the competition available on DAZN and free for the world to see on YouTube starting this season – giving the competition and players (dozens of whom are Common Goal members themselves) more visibility than ever before, marking a groundbreaking move to grow the sport.
  • Anti-Racist Project: Action-focused program to end racism in football by addressing systemic issues at their core though comprehensive anti-racism training for decision-makers (inc. owners, executives, and presidents), coaches (both professional and grassroots), players at all levels, and fans.
  • Play Proud: Coach-centered exchange program working to make grassroots sports more inclusive for LGBTQ+ children and young people, especially those previously excluded, by educating and upskilling coaches around youth inclusivity, safe spaces, and marginalized recruitment and retainment.

Whether you’re a fellow broadcaster, media channel, federation, team, player, or fan, we welcome and invite you to visit www.common-goal.org and www.DAZNgroup.com to learn more, get in touch, and join the movement.