VK And Kassir.ru Named As National Supporters Of FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Russia 2021

FIFA and the Local Organising Committee have announced that VK, an online social networking operator, and Ticketing operator Kassir.ru, have become National Supporters of the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Russia 2021™, which is taking place from 19 to 29 August.

VK, the St Petersburg-headquartered company has more than 97 million monthly users and unites people across Russia by enabling them to easily communicate. Via VK’s social network service, users can send messages, share stories and photos, listen to music, play games, join communities and discover a whole new world of talented artists.

Local beach soccer supporters can follow the latest developments on FIFA’s official FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup™ VK page.

“Fans in Russia followed the 2018 FIFA World Cup action closely on our VK channel and we look forward to continuing our collaboration with VK at this exciting beach soccer event,” said FIFA Director of Marketing Jean-François Pathy. “VK is uniquely positioned to engage with the enthusiastic local Russian audience and to amplify the excitement through our growing digital fan base.”

Ivan Smelyanskiy, the Chief Marketing Officer at VK, said: “We are actively cooperating with FIFA and regularly support large sporting events. For these, we create engaging mechanics that help fans feel as much excitement as possible from the event. For other sporting events, VK has released emoji statuses with flags of the competing teams, which have been used millions of times by engaged fans. We are once again offering – this time to beach sports fans – ways for users to share their excitement and find out about important events, all on one platform.”

Ticketing operator Kassir.ru have also been announced as a National Supporter for the event.

As the largest ticketing service provider for events in Russia, Kassir.ru brings a wealth of experience to its role as the competition’s Official Ticketing Operator, and will manage the ticket sales operations as well as supporting the promotion of the tournament.

“We are delighted to bring such an experienced brand on board to support our marketing and ticketing efforts for this exciting event,” said FIFA Director of Marketing Jean-François Pathy. “The fan experience is at the heart of an event like the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup and smooth access to a ticket is the first step in each visitor’s journey to an unforgettable tournament.”

“We are very pleased that Kassir.ru has been chosen as a National Supporter and the Official Ticketing Operator of the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Russia 2021,” said Kassir.ru Commercial Director Ekaterina Kameneva. “We are looking forward to the competition. Our many years of experience in the implementation of ticket services will help all fans to be at the centre of this grand event.”

Over the last 20 years, Kassir.ru has become a go-to destination for fans seeking to attend their favourite activities across Russia, providing them with access to a wide variety of events and the peace of mind that comes with purchasing official tickets.  

Visit FIFA.com/tickets for information about applying for tickets to the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2021™. Visa is the preferred payment method for the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Russia 2021.

The FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2021™ will be held at the Luzhniki Beach Soccer Arena in Moscow. The event will feature the 16 best teams from around the world, such as Brazil, who have won the title five times, defending champions Portugal and hosts Russia.

Asian Football Confederation And Kelme Announce New Global Partnership Deal

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) today announced its partnership with sportswear brand Kelme for the 2021 to 2024 rights cycle. Kelme joins the AFC family of sponsors as the Official Global Supporter of AFC national team competitions and will provide sports apparel and accessories for the AFC’s national team competitions from 2022 to 2024, and the official match ball for the AFC Asian Cup China 2023™. 

The partnership encompasses major AFC competitions, including but not limited to the AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to Qatar™ featuring the Continent’s top-12 football nations, and Asia’s flagship national team competitions – the AFC Asian Cup China 2023™ – which will be played in ten state-of-the-art venues across China PR, and the AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022™ as well as the AFC U23 Asian Cup Uzbekistan 2022™.

As a world-renowned sports apparel company with professional football in its DNA, Kelme has accumulated more than 60 years of brand history and heritage. The brand is currently in partnership with a number of La Liga First and Second Division clubs, and has in recent years also provided professional football equipment to an English Premier League club, Russian Super League clubs and other top international sports clubs.

Moreover, Kelme has also established extensive partnerships with leagues and clubs in China PR including the China Women’s Super League clubs, Chinese League One, China League Two and others.

“Kelme has established its presence as one of the world’s leading sporting apparel companies and we thank them for their belief and confidence in the AFC and Asian football.

“The AFC’s commitment to deliver world-class competitions is stronger than ever and together, we are confident of creating a mutually beneficial partnership that will enable both the AFC and Kelme realise our shared ambitions.”

Mr. Ke Yongxiang, President of Kelme remarked: “We are very pleased to partner with the AFC, who we will collaborate with closely to promote football development in Asia and the rest of the world. For decades, football has been at the core of our brand and we are dedicated to continue challenging ourselves to drive innovation and to supply high-quality equipment to the sport industry. We are hence looking forward to collaborating with the AFC on the upcoming national team competitions including the AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to Qatar™ and the AFC Asian Cup China 2023™.”

This partnership deal was secured and will be managed by the AFC’s exclusive commercial partner Football Marketing Asia (FMA). The partnership includes rights to a comprehensive set of tailored digital promotional content and innovative advertising formats.

Patrick Murphy, Board Member and CEO at Football Marketing Asia commented: “We are delighted to welcome Kelme to the family of AFC national team football sponsors. Kelme’s strong football heritage makes it a wonderful fit with AFC competitions, being a brand driven at its core by innovation and a desire to promote football in Asia and beyond.

“As the supplier of sports apparel and accessories, as well as the official matchball for the AFC Asian Cup China 2023TM, Kelme will enjoy great brand exposure and our team at FMA is very excited to begin collaborating with Kelme on bringing unique experiences to fans of Asian football through digital and traditional channels.”

HERO CPL Teams Up With Socios.com To Increase Fan Engagement

The Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL)and Socios.com, the leading blockchain provider for the sports industry, have announced a partnership that will see the CPL join a roster of 50+ sport organisations worldwide in leveraging blockchain technology to engage with their fans. 

Hero CPL is one of the world’s most popular T20 cricket tournaments with over 500 million viewers tuning in to the tournament in 2021. This partnership will allow their millions of fans to enjoy new and exciting opportunities to engage with the organisation.  

Hero CPL join a 50+ strong network of major sporting brands who have embraced Socios.com to improve engagement with their global fanbases, including football giants FC Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, AC Milan, Manchester City,  Atlético Madrid, Valencia CF and the Argentina and Portugal National Teams, Formula One™ teams Aston Martin Cognizant and Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN, MMA giants UFC and PFL as well as up to 10 top NBA franchises.

Socios.com is a direct-to-consumer (D2C) platform that leverages blockchain technology to provide the world’s leading sporting organisations with the tools to engage with their global fanbases. They are the creators of Fan Tokens, digital assets used by major sport brands to increase fan engagement and boost their digital revenue thanks to the Socios.com app, home to a growing digital community of over 1,2 million sport fans that are enjoying unprecedented opportunities to engage with the brands they love. 

These opportunities include having a say and a vote in a number of fan-related decisions through regular polls, access to exclusive promotions and discounts, and the chance to win unique prizes and rewards such as free tickets, VIP experiences, etc. 

Created by Chiliz, the leading blockchain provider for the global sports and entertainment industry, Socios.com has multiple office locations around the world and has already opened new regional headquarters in Madrid, Istanbul, São Paulo and Buenos Aires. The company will open a new office in North America in the near future. 

Pete Russell, Hero CPL’s CEO, said: “The fans of Hero CPL are central to our success and our future, and we are really excited at the prospect of giving them even more opportunities to be involved in the tournament. We are very excited to be the first cricket league to partner with Socios.com and we are very much looking forward to start working together.” 

Alexandre Dreyfus, CEO of Chiliz and Socios.com, said: “We are very proud to welcome the CPL to our growing roster of global sport brands. The CPL is a young and innovative competition that is very much aligned with our emphasis on tech-led innovation and fully understands the huge potential global fan engagement offers.”

AFC Bournemouth Partner With QuinnBet

AFC Bournemouth have agreed a partnership with QuinnBet until the end of the season.

Founded in 2017, QuinnBet is a rapidly growing brand in the iGaming sector, providing a hugely popular, licensed online Sports betting and Casino platform in the UK and Ireland.

The season-long agreement will see QuinnBet become the club’s Official UK and Republic of Ireland betting partner and back-of-shirt sponsor. QuinnBet, will have their logo on the back of the men’s first-team home, away and third shirts for matches this season.

As part of the partnership, QuinnBet are keen to work closely in line with the club’s community ethos and as a result, will provide valuable support to the club’s Community Sports Trust.

The firm are also extremely passionate about supporting projects based on health, wellbeing, education and are also determined to provide clear education on gambling and addiction.

On top of this, supporters will also have the opportunity to win match tickets and signed merchandise from the club’s newest partner.

Commercial director Rob Mitchell said of the deal: “We’re delighted to partner with QuinnBet in what is a lucrative deal for the football club.

“We felt that the ambition and ethos of QuinnBet was close to ours and are delighted that not only will they be receiving some great benefits from us, they’ll also be helping the local community within our Community Sports Trust by providing education and funding.

“Any messaging and campaigns that we will be involved in will have a clear emphasis on responsible gambling and the importance of remaining in control.

“Thank you to Peter Halpin from Halpin Sport for introducing us to QuinnBet and helping secure this partnership.”

QuinnBet’s Managing Director, Stephen Kelly added: “We are delighted to partner with a club that has the long traditions and history, as well as some fantastic recent achievements in the Premier League.

“Like the Cherries, we operate in an industry dominated by large competitors, but that doesn’t detract from our ambitions to climb to the top. To get there, our philosophy is simple and based on providing unrivalled customer support, together with giving more back, and always promoting responsible gambling as an integral part of our ethos.

“To this end, we are especially pleased to be partnering with Bournemouth’s Community Sports Trust to promote wellbeing, education, and awareness around gambling.”

Supporters will have the option to purchase the QuinnBet logo to be printed on the back of their shirts, with all profits being donated to the Cherries Community Fund.

Their logo will not be available to print on children’s shirts.

Goal.com Owners Footballco Acquire Calciomercato.com To Add To Portfolio

Footballco has acquired Italy’s leading digital football platform, CalcioMercato.com. The deal adds the business to Footballco’s current portfolio of global and local brands, including Goal, the world’s most popular digital football destination.

Footballco was formed in 2020, following the spinoff of DAZN’s leading football publishing division and subsequent majority investment by Integrated Media Company (IMC), an affiliate of US private equity giant TPG.

Through its current roster of football media brands, Footballco reaches more than 400 million football fans around the world each month, which will now be bolstered by CalcioMercato.com’s 12 million monthly visitors.

CalcioMercato.com will take Footballco’s existing position in the market, currently supported via Goal’s Italian edition and its distributed video player, to a new level in what is a strategic and growing digital economy, with Euro 2020’s newly crowned champions.

Juan Delgado, CEO of Footballco said: “This represents a strategic acquisition for us, not only making Footballco the top football platform in Italy, but also in complementing our domestic European footprint – the world’s largest digital football advertising market”.

“While CalcioMercato.com’s audience is sizable, it was important for us to complement and add to our engagement across the continent, now having local champion brands in Germany, Netherlands, UK and Italy, hosting three of the four most competitive and valuable football leagues in the world.

“We recognise that being number one both pan-regionally in Europe, but also domestically in top football markets, is key. Being able to offer brands and other partners both local and pan-regional opportunities to reach football fans, makes us the best option to engage with the sport.”

Carlo Pallavicino, founder, majority shareholder, publisher of Calciomercato.com said:

“Over the past 25 years Calciomercato.com has experienced constant growth and established itself as the daily reference point for millions of passionate football fans.

“Becoming part of Footballco means that we can build on these strong foundations and service both brands and our fans in ways that have not been possible before.

“It should not go unrecognised that the reason we are where we are today is because of the hard work and creativity of our CEO, Cosimo Baldini and the combination of experienced editorial leadership from our director and seasoned journalist, Stefano Agresti and the passion and dedication of our editorial staff.”

Advising on the acquisition were financial advisers Vitale and Co.

As well as being home to some of the biggest football media brands in the world, Footballco helps brands to find their voice in football by leveraging a global understanding of the modern fan.

Champions Hockey League Signs Two New Sponsorship Deals

The 2021/22 Champions Hockey League (CHL) season will welcome APK-Invest and mycasino as new sponsors when the competition begins on 26 August. The agreements were brokered by Infront, the league’s exclusive media and marketing partner.

APK-Invest, the national leader in large-scale agro-industrial production in the Ukraine, has been named an Official Sponsor, signing a three-year agreement. The deal provides APK-Invest with extensive brand exposure through traditional and digital activation opportunities across all rounds of the competition. This includes prominent advertising at all games such as under-ice presence (starting with the Playoffs), its logo on all official media backdrops and the CHL website plus advertising banners on the website and within the official CHL app.

Infront also secured mycasino, one of Switzerland’s first licensed online casinos, as an Official Sponsor for CHL games in Switzerland. The agreement allows mycasino to advertise at Swiss teams’ home games. Its logo will also feature on various highlight videos of Swiss teams published by CHL on Twitter geo-targeted to Switzerland plus other digital activations and rights. 

Swiss sports betting platform Sporttip has signed the first purely digital agreement with the CHL for the upcoming season. A custom-made Sporttip betting widget geo-targeted to Switzerland will be prominently placed on the CHL website and within the official CHL app so fans can see all live-odds of their favourite participating teams. Furthermore, Sporttip will be featured prominently in all game centres on the CHL website and within the CHL official app within Switzerland with a web banner at the heart of the action linking to Sporttip’s website.

Martin Baumann, CEO of the Champions Hockey League, said: “We are proud to welcome APK-Invest and mycasino to the CHL family. Both brands are leaders in their markets and are known for producing and offering innovative products and services of the highest quality, sharing the attributes that the CHL brings to European ice hockey. The brands’ inclusions are perfect examples of the CHL and Infront’s enthusiasm to expand the competition into new markets, reaching new fan bases, opening new commercial doors and continuously developing European ice hockey.”

It means both brands join GT Radial as new Official Sponsors after the tyre manufacturer recently signed a three-year agreement. GT Radial has made digital a primary focus, using CHL’s fast-growing online and social media activity to improve its presence in Europe. It will also leverage onsite activations with fans, creating money-cannot-buy experiences when possible. 

The new sponsors join the existing network of long-term partners, including the Official Presenting Sponsor Engelbert Strauss, Europe’s leading workwear and utility brand, presenting a complete rebranding in its seventh season. Furthermore, Official Sponsor Škoda and Official Partners LGT and Warrior have been using the CHL and its popular digital platforms for several seasons. 

Michael Witta, Infront Vice President Marketing Sales and Services said: “This is a perfect example of how we have worked with the CHL to expand into new markets and secure new sponsorship deals on top of the valuable commitment of our long-term partners. All brands hold the values of performance, precision, and speed very highly, underlining the synergies between them and the CHL, paving the way for further cooperation.”

GAISF Opens Host City Selection Process For Various World Multi-Sport Games

GAISF has launched the host city selection process for future editions of various world multi-sport events, including the World Urban Games, World Combat Games and World Mind Games.

The world multi-sport events bring the best of sport to host cities, driving global exposure and creating the perfect bridge between elite sport and local communities.

GAISF and SportAccord President Raffaele Chiulli said: “We are delighted to open the host city selection process for future multi-sport Games. All of these events bring the best of sport to the heart of a city, while engaging with youth communities through inspiring initiatives to encourage greater participation in physical activity.

“We are also excited to be working with SportAccord from an operational perspective on the delivery of these various events. SportAccord has extensive experience in the organisation of world-class events and a thorough understanding of the global sports community and multi-sport event landscape.”

Following the successful inaugural 2019 edition of the GAISF World Urban Games in Budapest, GAISF has scheduled a second edition for 2023. The initial version included BMX freestyle, inline roller freestyle, parkour, breaking, 3×3 basketball and freestyle flying disc, together with laser run and indoor rowing. The World Urban Games places sport at the heart of a family-friendly city-centre festival that also includes music and art.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia was recently selected as the next host of the World Combat Games with Riyadh set to become the beating heart of martial arts combat sports in 2023. Finally, the World Mind Games are a multi-sport event centred on the gymnasium of the mind and highlighting the great value of the mind sports.

City representatives who want to learn more should not hesitate to contact GAISF Director and SportAccord Managing Director Nis Hatt at nis.hatt@sportaccord.com

Sigma Sports Appointed Official Retail Partner For Tour Of Britain And Women’s Tour

Sigma Sports will partner with the Tour of Britain and Women’s Tour in 2021 as the Official Retail Partner to Britain’s leading professional cycling events.

The partnership will begin with the upcoming Tour of Britain that begins in Cornwall on Sunday 5 September and include the Women’s Tour (4 – 9 October).  The agreement builds on the success of the partnership at the last running of both events in 2019, which saw Sigma Sports producing behind the scenes content from both events across their channels.

Sigma Sports will also present the Sigma Sports Points jersey in the Women’s Tour, awarded to the race’s most consistent finisher.

Commenting on the announcement, Sigma Sports Managing Director Ian Whittingham said, “We are incredibly proud to be supporting the Tour of Britain and Women’s Tour in 2021. For a number of years there has been a close affinity with Sigma Sports and the British racing scene, so to actively be partnering with two of the biggest races in the UK is a huge honour for us.”

Through the partnership with Britain’s leading professional cycle races Sigma Sports will receive branding, hospitality and activation rights across the Tour of Britain and Women’s Tour, in addition to exclusive content opportunities at both events for their popular social media platforms.

Miles Rose, Commercial Director for race organisers SweetSpot said; “We are delighted to announce we are partnering with UK cycling retail experts Sigma Sports, as our official Retail Partner for the Tour of Britain, and to be our Points Jersey Partner for the Women’s Tour. Thanks to Ian and the Sigma Sports team for supporting our events this year, coming out of the past two years of no events it means the world to us.”

This year’s Tour of Britain begins in Cornwall on Sunday 5 September, and includes a team time trial in Carmarthenshire (stage three), hill-top finish on the Great Orme, Llandudno (stage four) and a first-ever finish in Edinburgh (stage seven). The 2021 champion will be crowned in Aberdeen on Sunday 12 September. Live coverage will be available on ITV4 in the UK, as well as in over 150 countries worldwide.

Boost Drinks Becomes Official Global Partner Of Leeds United

Boost Drinks, Leeds based leading functional drinks brand, has announced an exciting agreement with Leeds United FC to become the ‘Official Energy Drinks Partner’ of the club for the 21/22 football season.

The partnership will see two energetic and ambitious local Yorkshire brands come together, in front of a huge audience both nationally and globally, with Leeds United experiencing the fastest growing digital following in the whole of the Premier League last season.  With Boost drinks huge growth agenda and Leeds United recent return to the premiership, following a 16 year absence, there has never been a more exciting time for the two brands to partner up, as fans return to the stadium following a difficult period during Covid 19.

As the new Official Energy Drinks Partner, Boost Drinks will be promoted throughout Elland Road and the Thorp Arch Training Ground, with a range of Boost products available on matchdays at the stadium and at the official Leeds United retail stores.

The new deal will see Boost branding through the LED advertisement boards around the pitch and advertising on the big screen and billboards outside of the ground. The Boost Drinks logo will also appear on the media backdrops used for interview opportunities with Marcelo Bielsa and the first-team squad.

The new agreement will involve a range of other initiatives, including fan and player activations with Boost appearing on Leeds United digital content to further promote the brand on both a national and global scale.

Founded in Leeds in 2001, Boost Drinks is the third largest selling energy stimulation brand. As well as their popular energy drink range featuring a wide range of flavours, Boost also hold the 2nd largest selling range of isotonic sports drinks, as well as ready-to-drink iced coffee and flavoured protein shakes. Earlier this year, Boost also secured a partnership with brewery Hall & Woodhouse to take on full responsibility for the sales, marketing and distribution of the Rio soft drinks brand’.

Simon Gray, Founder and CEO, at Boost Drinks and lifelong Leeds United fan, said: “Leeds United are a huge Premier League club with a global fanbase, including some of the most passionate supporters in the industry. We recognise that we share a similar value set with Leeds United, we are both brave and ambitious challenger brands and are enjoying strong achievements. It’s an honour to be able to associate ourselves with such a prestigious club steeped in history.

“The Boost brand and our portfolio have gone from strength-to-strength with us celebrating our 20th Anniversary this year. We are confident that our work with the club will help further increase our brand awareness, as well as provide the national and international fanbase of this brilliant club with some unique opportunities to get involved in throughout the coming months.”

Paul Bell, Executive Director at Leeds United, added: “We are delighted to announce our new partnership with Boost Drinks at the start of another exciting season in the Premier League. Boost is a strong challenger brand within its sector and shares similar values to the Club and we are looking forward to working with and supporting Boost on the next phase of it’s brand growth both in the UK and Internationally.  The club are looking forward to welcoming supporters back to Elland Road after a challenging 18 months away and we’re thrilled they’ll now be able to purchase Boost Drinks around the stadium on matchdays.

Extreme E Increases Global Reach With Extended DAZN Deal

Electric SUV motorsport series, Extreme E, has announced today that it is extending its partnership with global sports streaming platform DAZN.

DAZN, which already airs Extreme E’s events in Japan, will carry the live and on-demand streaming of the championship’s X Prix events as well as the magazine programme, preview and review shows – in English – to its rest of the world territories.*

DAZN is the world’s leading sports streaming platform. Created in 2016 by fans for fans, it leads the change to give affordable access to sport anytime, anywhere. DAZN is available on internet-connected devices, including smart TVs, smartphones, tablets, PCs, game consoles, streaming sticks and set-up boxes. In December 2020, DAZN expanded to become available in more than 200 countries and territories, reinforcing the commitment to become a global sports destination platform.

Ali Russell, Chief Marketing Officer at Extreme E said: “I am delighted to be bringing Extreme E to so many more territories through our extended partnership with DAZN. As a sport without spectators on site, it is vital for us to reach as many people as possible and the best way to do this is through a screen.

“As a premium OTT platform, DAZN is hugely valuable to us in developing a youth orientated audience which is an incredibly important market to our championship. We know that DAZN’s key audiences are particularly passionate about issues surrounding equality and the environment, both of which are key pillars of Extreme E. We look forward to bringing more thrilling action to DAZN, as well as the wider messages surrounding electrification, environment and equality.”

Tom Burrows, EVP Rights Strategy, DAZN, said: “This new agreement extends our successful partnership with Extreme E, a truly special motosport experience, to DAZN subscribers around the world. The continued focus around the environment and equality in sport is what sets Extreme E apart from other racing competitions and we are extremely proud to showcase these small steps towards big change on our platform.”

The inaugural X Prix – the Desert X Prix – took place in Saudi Arabia in April highlighting the effects of desertification, followed by the Ocean X Prix in Senegal at the end of May which focussed on ocean health and issues surrounding rising sea level and plastic pollution. Next stop is Kangerlussuaq in Greenland for the Arctic X Prix, which takes place this weekend (28-29 August), and will highlight glacial retreat and how that impacts our planet, followed by the Island X Prix in Sardinia on 23-24 October, with the fifth and final X Prix location of Season 1 to be confirmed.

Through a variety of Legacy Programmes, the series will leave a long-lasting positive impact to support communities surrounding the areas in which it races, including turtle conservation along the Red Sea coastline,  planting one million mangroves in Senegal – the best natural defence against rising sea level as well as being a huge carbon store – plus a climate education programme for young people in Greenland in collaboration with UNICEF.