Real Madrid and Barcelona Attack LaLiga Over New CVC Deal

Real Madrid and Barcelona have launched an attack on LaLiga after details were released earlier this week about a new deal the league has arranged with CVC that sees the company buy 10% of LaLiga.

Real Madrid’s announcement reads:

In light of the announcement of the agreement between LaLiga and CVC Capital Partners, Real Madrid states the following:

– This agreement was reached without the involvement or knowledge of Real Madrid and today, for the first time, LaLiga has given us limited access to the terms of the agreement.

– The clubs have signed over their audiovisual rights exclusively for their sale on a competitive basis for a period of three years. This agreement, by way of a misleading structure, expropriates 10.95% of the clubs’ audiovisual rights for the next 50 years, in breach of the law.

– The negotiation was carried out without competitive proceedings and the financial conditions agreed with CVC Capital Partners give them annual returns of over 20%. This opportunistic fund is the same which tried and failed to reach similar agreements with the Italian and German leagues.

– Real Madrid cannot support a venture which hands the future of 42 Primera and Segunda División clubs over to a group of investors, not to mention the futures of those clubs who qualify over the next 50 years.

– Real Madrid will convene the Assembly of Representative Members to debate the agreement and discuss the significant loss of equity, unprecedented in our 119-year history.

While Barcelona have stated:

FC Barcelona, after analysing LaLiga’s recent announcement of a strategic agreement with the CVC international investment fund, wishes to express the following position:

FC Barcelona considers that the operation that has been announced has not been sufficiently discussed with the clubs (the owners of the TV rights); that the amount is not congruent with the years of duration, and the deal affects part of all clubs’ audiovisual rights for the next 50 years.

FC Barcelona feels it is inappropriate to sign a half-century agreement given the uncertainties that always surround the football world.

The terms of the contract that LaLiga is describing condemn FC Barcelona’s future with regard to broadcasting rights.

FC Barcelona wishes to express its surprise at an agreement driven by LaLiga in which the teams’ opinions, including those of FC Barcelona, have not been taken into account. There has not even been a presentation of options offered by other competitors in order to evaluate the pros and cons in a post-pandemic situation in which there are still many questions that are left unanswered

UFC And Panini America Partner To Deliver Historic, First-Ever UFC NFT Trading Cards

UFC®, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization, and Panini America, the world’s largest licensed sports and entertainment collectibles company and the exclusive trading card manufacturer of UFC, announced today the introduction of the first-ever UFC NFT trading cards. 

The Panini UFC NFTs will be digital replicas of the popular Panini UFC trading cards, which feature UFC’s biggest fights, moments, and milestones. The Panini UFC NFTs will be available for purchase on the Panini NFT Blockchain Platform and will incorporate Panini’s unique Select and Prizm designs and will feature more than 100 UFC athletes including fan favorites Jorge Masvidal, Conor McGregor, Derrick Lewis, Amanda Nunes, Israel Adesanya among many others. 

All cards will be available, while supplies last, at: Officially Licensed Sports NFT Digital Trading Card Packs & Challenges | Panini America.

“We’re excited to work with Panini America, the premier collectible trading card company in the world, to offer fans the first-ever UFC NFTs,” said UFC Senior Vice President of Global Consumer Products Tracey Bleczinski.  “The UFC NFTs are an extension of our very popular Panini UFC trading cards and an innovative way for fans to stay connected to UFC and their favorite athletes.”

“We’re really excited about the huge growth and even bigger potential of the collectible NFT space — and our exclusive partnership with UFC is a major reason why,” said Panini America CEO Mark Warsop. “Since becoming the first trading card manufacturer to produce licensed NFTs in January of 2020, we’ve proven that the appeal of our most popular physical brands translates beautifully to the NFT arena. And we’re confident that our planned UFC NFTs will take the category to another level.”   

The first series of Panini UFC NFTs will be rolled out over a six-week period beginning August 9 @ 10 a.m. ET and continue through September. On sale schedule*:

August 9; 10 a.m. CT: Select Base Pack — $10

Three Select base cards per pack

August 9; 3 p.m. CT: Global Icons Insert Pack — $15

One Global Icons insert, two base Select cards per pack

August 10; 10 a.m. CT: Tie-Dye Pack — $49

One Tie-Dye parallel (numbered to 49), two base Select cards per pack

September (date TBD): Color Blast Insert Pack — $15

One Color Blast Insert, two base Select cards per pack

September (date TBD): Gold Parallel Pack — $149

One Gold Parallel (numbered to 10), nine base Select cards per pack

September (date TBD): Gold Vinyl Parallel Pack – Dutch Auction

One Gold Vinyl Parallel (numbered to only one), nine base Select cards per pack

* Release schedule subject to change

Earlier this year, UFC and Panini announced a multi-year licensing agreement naming Panini America UFC’s official and exclusive collectible trading card partner.

To learn more about Panini America’s line of exclusive UFC products, please visit www.paniniamerica.net.

SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit In Ekaterinburg Rescheduled For May 2022

SportAccord in full coordination and agreement with the Russian Federation has announced that the World Sport & Business Summit in Ekaterinburg has been rescheduled to 15-20 May 2022.

The next edition of sport’s most important global gathering has been rescheduled to its traditional spot in the sport event calendar to maximise participation from the international sporting community, with expectations that travel restrictions worldwide will have eased significantly by then.

“The Russian Federation will host a momentous edition of SportAccord in Ekaterinburg, so it is important that as many friends and colleagues as possible can gather in person from across the sporting world,” SportAccord President Dr. Raffaele Chiulli said.

“The safety and wellbeing of our delegates has always been our top priority, and the measures developed by the Organising Committee in Ekaterinburg will still be as relevant and applicable when SportAccord takes place next year.

“However, with further vaccination roll-outs over the coming months, we are confident that global travel restrictions will have been relaxed by then to enable as many delegates as possible to travel to Ekaterinburg, ensuring the ultimate success of the event for the Russian Federation and SportAccord.”

The event has already attracted significant interest from the global sports movement, with the host destination providing a bridge between Europe in the West and Asia in the East. The IEC Ekaterinburg-Expo is an outstanding venue, providing numerous meeting and conference rooms within easy reach of the main hub of SportAccord, the exhibition floor.

Individuals and organisations who have delegate passes for SportAccord in Ekaterinburg will be contacted in due course about their options.

The annual World Sport & Business Summit is a six-day event attended by leaders of the global sports community. As the only global sports industry event attended by all International Sport Federations and their stakeholders, SportAccord also brings together organising committees, hosting cities and regions, governments and administrations, rights-holders, agencies and athletes, as well as top-level experts and organisations from the sports media, technology, investment, medical and legal sectors.

Organisations interested in becoming an official partner or exhibitor for the 19th edition of SportAccord’s flagship annual event can contact SportAccord to discuss these investment opportunities by emailing sales@sportaccord.sport.

Japanese Oil Brand ENEOS Partner With AC Milan

AC Milan and ENEOS have announced a multi-year partnership, which will see the Japanese brand of premium engine oils become the new Official Motor Oil Partner of the Rossoneri.

Since ENEOS motor oil was introduced in Europe more than 10 years ago, each year has brought excellent results for the motor oil brand of Japan’s largest energy company. Today, the decision to partner with a major football club like AC Milan shows that ENEOS believes strongly in European markets and invests heavily in developing sales of its premium motor oil products in Europe.

As world-renowned brands and excellences in their respective fields, AC Milan and ENEOS join hands in what will be a partnership devoted to energy, innovation, performance and passion, all attributes that both brands have in common and that can be recognised in all aspects of their activities. Energy and innovation in particular are key aspects of ENEOS’s work and are included in the brand name “ENEOS”, a combination of the two words “Energy” and “Neos”, which means “new”.

“Energy and Innovation are the two key words for this partnership” – said Casper Stylsvig, AC Milan Chief Revenue Officer. “ENEOS brand mark symbolises among others Energy and Innovation and those two words summarise perfectly what AC Milan is all about on the off the pitch. In fact, whilst off the pitch we pride ourselves in being one of the most innovative football clubs, always paying attention to the latest trends, on the pitch our players, both of our men’s and women’s team, play every single game with energy, always striving for success. We are truly proud to welcome ENEOS to our family of partners.”

Mr. Shinji Oka, Managing Director of ENEOS Europe, also expressed great satisfaction for the new partnership:

“ENEOS has always been active in supporting sports through sponsorships. We have seen partnerships in motorsports, basketball and other football clubs, but we believe this partnership represents a big leap for us. Partnering with a Club that has made the history of football in Italy, Europe and across the globe will make ENEOS popular among all European football fans, reaching a wider audience and enhancing our brand awareness. We are very happy that ENEOS and AC Milan can begin together this new journey, as a winning formation.”

Getir Announces Global Partnership With Tottenham Hotspur

Getir, the pioneer of ultrafast grocery delivery, is pleased to announce that they have signed a three-year partnership with Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. Getir is to become the Premier League team’s newest global partner, joining the Club as an Official Global Partner.

The new agreement caps a very busy year for Getir. Despite only launching in the UK in January, Getir already delivers groceries in minutes across London, Birmingham, Manchester, Brighton, Cardiff, Liverpool and Bristol, and expects to operate in up to 15 UK cities by the end of 2021. It also marks Getir’s first sporting partnership in the UK and continues the brand’s commitment to working with some of the world’s leading sports organisations.

“It is our great pleasure to support and stand by the side of sports and athletes, we will continue to respect and value them. It’s great to now be able to deliver this in the UK with our first football club partnership with Tottenham Hotspur. We have worked hard to deliver groceries in minutes, and much like on the pitch where every second counts, we are focused on delivering state-of-the-art tech and creating unique experiences for fans” says Turancan Salur, Getir UK General Manager.

“We have seen great appetite for our online grocery delivery service, and we know that people crave convenience, but we also give time back so customers can enjoy doing the things they love, things like watching Premier League football.”

Todd Kline, Chief Commercial Officer of Tottenham Hotspur commented: “We are delighted to announce this new partnership with Getir and we’re looking forward to supporting them with their rapid growth in the UK and across Europe. Getir pride themselves on being innovative, are dedicated to minimising their impact on the environment, and put people, as well as world-class technology, right at the heart of everything they do. We look forward to working closely with them in the years to come.”

Getir was founded in 2015 as the world’s first ultrafast grocery delivery service in Istanbul and has grown rapidly in recent years. This includes successful market entries into the UK (January 2021), Netherlands (May 2021), Germany, & France (June 2021). Customers can order groceries via the app and choose from over 1,500 everyday products in minutes – seven days a week, day and night, including everything from fresh fruits and vegetables to personal and home care products. All Getir riders are directly employed, with all scooters and bikes being electric to ensure a sustainable and noise reducing approach to grocery delivery services.

Penn National Gaming to Acquire Score Media and Gaming, Creating North America’s Leading Digital Sports Content, Gaming and Technology Company

Penn National Gaming, Inc. (“Penn National” or the “Company”) and Score Media and Gaming, Inc. (“theScore”) announced today that they have entered into a definitive agreement whereby Penn National will acquire theScore, a leading digital media and sports betting and technology company, for approximately US$2.0 billion in cash and stock.

Under the terms of the agreement, theScore shareholders will receive US$17.00 in cash and 0.2398 shares of Penn National common stock for each theScore share, which implies a total purchase consideration of US$34.00 per theScore share based on Penn National’s 5-day volume weighted average trading price as of July 30, 2021. The transaction has been unanimously approved by the boards of directors of both companies and is currently expected to close in the first quarter of 2022. Upon completion of the transaction, current Penn National and theScore shareholders will hold approximately 93% and 7% respectively, of the Company’s outstanding shares. Penn National expects to fund the approximately US$1 billion cash portion of the consideration using existing cash on its balance sheet.

Jay Snowden, President and Chief Executive Officer of Penn National, commented, “We are thrilled to be acquiring theScore, which is the number one sports app in Canada and the third most popular sports app in all of North America. theScore’s unique media platform and modern, state-of-the art technology is a powerful complement to the reach of Barstool Sports and its popular personalities and content.”

Mr. Snowden continued, “We are now uniquely positioned to seamlessly serve our customers with the most powerful ecosystem of sports, gaming and media in North America, ultimately creating a community that doesn’t currently exist. Users will enjoy a unique mobile sports betting and iCasino platform with highly customized bets and enhanced in-gaming wagering opportunities, along with highly engaging, personalized sports and entertainment content, and real time scores and stats. We believe this powerful new flywheel will result in best-in-class engagement and retention.

“Importantly, the transaction provides us with a path to full control of our own tech stack. theScore has developed a state-of-the-art player account management system and is finalizing the development of an in-house managed risk and trading service platform. This should lead to significant savings in third party platform costs and allow us to broaden our product offerings – providing the missing piece for operating at what we expect to be industry leading margins. In addition to the synergies, we’ll be gaining access to theScore’s deep pool of product and engineering talent and data-driven user analytics which will help drive our customer acquisition, engagement, retention strategies and cash flows,” said Mr. Snowden.

“Operators that have achieved early online market share have done so primarily through first mover advantage, leveraging existing customer databases and significant marketing spend. We believe the long-term winners will be defined by best-in-class products, bespoke content, efficient customer acquisition, multi-platform reach and broad market access,” concluded Mr. Snowden.

John Levy, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of theScore, commented, “This deal brings together two companies that share a vision for how media and gaming intersect, and we could not be more excited to join the Penn National family. I’m proud of theScore team and all of our accomplishments, and believe the time is right to take the next step and align with a company in Penn National with the resources and scale to accelerate our business. We are excited to join forces with Penn to form the most powerful media and gaming company in North America.

“We’ve built an innovative, technology-led integrated media and gaming business that has us poised for success across North America, including the highly anticipated upcoming rollout of commercial sports betting in Canada,” continued Mr. Levy. “With Penn’s support, we will continue to invest in building our Canadian operations, growing our footprint and expanding our workforce. On a personal note, Benjie and I are very much looking forward to continuing to head up theScore as part of the new combined company.

“We have been strategic partners with Penn National since 2019 and have come to realize that they have the same strong culture and appreciation for how to grow a business. Jay and his team have done a tremendous job building an exceptional retail business and online gaming platform in partnership with Barstool Sports and we are confident that by combining our leading sports media brand and proprietary technology, we will solidify Penn National as a market leader,” concluded Mr. Levy.

Jon Kaplowitz, Head of Penn Interactive, commented, “This is a significant milestone for Penn Interactive and Penn National. With the acquisition of theScore, we will have greater ability to innovate and offer a best-in-class product to our customers. Personally, I am excited to join forces with John, Benjie, and the rest of theScore team who have proven to be great partners and amazing thought leaders in our industry.”

Benjie Levy, President and Chief Operating Officer of theScore, commented, “The combination of theScore and Penn National creates a first-of-its-kind vertically integrated media and omni-channel gaming business, which brings together world-class technology, highly engaging sports content and unparalleled reach. With our accomplished team in place, this deal bolsters our ability to grow our already strong North American presence from our base in Canada and primes us even further to capitalize on the huge upcoming betting opportunity in our home country. Over time, we’ve built our loyal user base and relationship with fans by authentically delivering deeply personalized products. That is an approach that seamlessly fits with Penn’s current strategy and digital offerings and will provide for material long-term benefits as we collaborate to even more deeply integrate across our platforms.

“The transaction will provide theScore with immediate scale and resources, the benefits of which will enable employees to better execute on the combined companies’ business plan and deliver enhanced integrated product offerings to our customers,” continued Mr. Levy. “The transaction also provides theScore shareholders immediate liquidity at a substantial premium and an opportunity to participate in any future upside of the combined company.”

Compelling Strategic and Financial Benefits:

Penn National anticipates that the acquisition of theScore will provide adjusted EBITDA accretion by Year 2, an incremental $200mm+ medium term adjusted EBITDA, and $500mm+ of incremental long term adjusted EBITDA upside.

Bringing Technology In-House:

The acquisition of theScore will allow Penn National to better manage all critical aspects of its technology stack, leading to greater control over its product development roadmap, reduced costs, and an enhanced customer experience. It will also allow Penn National to drive margin expansion by eliminating fees and expenses currently being paid to third party technology and service providers.

Strong Commitment to Canada:

Penn National believes the Canadian gaming market represents a compelling opportunity for growth. Penn National intends to operate theScore as a stand-alone business, headquartered in an expanded Toronto office, that will continue to be led by the Levy family with the same operating philosophy that has driven the company’s success to date. The business will continue to utilize ‘theScore’ app and brand that consumers have come to trust.

Penn National was attracted to theScore, in part, for its ready access to a deep pool of Canadian engineering and technology expertise. Penn National expects to leverage Canada’s world class technology talent pool to expand theScore’s engineering and production workforce based in Ontario as the business scales.

Volumetric Cost Savings:

The transaction will create a further scaled North American sports, online gaming and media business. This broader reach will provide volumetric savings for content fees, payment expenses, and other services, including the elimination of public company costs.

Enhanced Customer Acquisition and Retention:

theScore is the third largest sports app in North America and number one in Canada, with highly engaged users spending 113 minutes per month in-app*. Early results show the power of theScore’s integrated media and betting ecosystem to better engage and retain users; theScore Bet users with theScore media app compared to theScore Bet users who do not have theScore media app produce 88% higher handle/user, place 3x the number of bets/user, and generate a 91% increase in day 30 retention**. This increased cross-promotion ecosystem between theScore and Barstool is expected to lead to higher revenue.

Expansion Into New Verticals:

This acquisition underscores Penn National’s focused, disciplined investment strategy which positions us at the epicenter of sports, media, gaming and technology and provides us with multiple channels for future growth. In addition, this transaction accelerates Penn National’s strategy to enter into other adjacencies that leverage the Barstool and theScore brands and consumer appeal, such as the highly coveted esports media vertical.

Financing:

Penn National will fund the acquisition through a mix of cash on hand and common stock. We expect the transaction, at the time of close, to be leverage neutral to our lease-adjusted net leverage of 4.0x as of June 30, 2021.

Strengthening Africa’s Football Ecosystem

For the longest time, we have been talking about improving football in Africa. However, nothing much seems to have happened. If anything, it always looks like we are regressing or, at best, staggering, judging by our performances at international competitions and our governance record. It is easy to look at these two aspects of the football industry and make conclusions about how badly we are doing as a continent. However, as a continent, we are yet to take an in-depth look at the whole ecosystem to identify challenges and opportunities therein. 

A recent report by the Africa Sports and Creative Institute (ASCI) titled “The Sports Ecosystem in Africa – A Potential Economic Lever” identified six areas that we need to address to build a robust sports industry in Africa:

  1. Data and information on the market, the various ecosystem stakeholders and their performance – infrastructure/governance 
  2. Training of students and professionals on the challenges (and opportunities) in the sports industry – education 
  3. The leadership of public authorities and institutions – governance 
  4. Business environment – governance/education
  5. Perception of Sports as a commercial product designed to satisfy fans – education 
  6. Innovation to adapt to this new era  – infrastructure/education

Much of what ails the sports industry in Africa is epitomised and even magnified in football, the continent’s and indeed the world’s most popular sport. Despite Africa finding pride in producing some of the game’s best talents for so many years, we have little to show in terms of the economic contribution of the sport. A Harvard Kennedy School paper in 2017 estimated that all Africa’s football clubs combined have a turnover below US$400m (Europe’s top 10 clubs all make more individually). 

Further, financial data is almost entirely inaccessible for many African clubs, leagues and national associations/federations, making it impossible to assess the total economic value of the game on the continent. We can attribute this lack of data/information on the industry to the casual approach the continent has had towards sports. Historically treated as a pass-time/leisure activity, little investment has been channelled into setting up systems to explore social and economic benefits on the continent. Further, in times of austerity, funding for sports programmes is often the first to be cut, as evidenced by the lack of community sports infrastructure development in the last 40 years.

To remedy this situation, Africa must invest heavily in developing human capital for the sports industry. The continent needs to create, streamline and regulate sports management programmes for both current and future practitioners. There are very few sports management courses available on the continent. Also, what we have is still more inclined towards physical education (PE) and not management and administration, which is vital for the smooth-running and growth of the sector. Most aspiring sports management professionals usually have to attend programmes abroad. These programmes are often expensive and not tailored to the African market. As a result, graduates often opt to stay abroad where their acquired knowledge is applicable, and the quality of opportunities is much higher. 

Another vital facet of education is research. Currently, there are no known think tanks for sports development on the continent. Our rich history in football, for example, is poorly documented and not easily accessible. As a result, we can say that our industry is driven by talent and passion, which cannot be fully exploited due to limited knowledge. Africa thus needs to invest in knowledge creation and dissemination systems to benefit from its natural endowments. 

By investing in the education of students and professionals in sports management and further giving them opportunities in established institutions such as our national associations, we can begin to transform the ecosystem to contribute to the economic and social development of the continent. The continent needs a new crop of leaders who can position the sports industry for investment from governments (local, national and supra-national) and the growing private sector, creating the right business environment.

However, more is required to achieve a business-friendly environment, especially regarding governance and the roles various public institutions play in developing the industry. A crucial area that needs improvement is the involvement of the government in the running of football. Local, national and supra-national (AU) governments need to play a more significant role, a departure from years past when football development was the preserve of National Associations (and FIFA, CAF). 

Already we see excellent collaborations in countries like Benin. FIFA, Benin Football Federation, and Ministries of Education and Sports are developing programmes and infrastructure for sports. We can replicate this kind of work in other countries through Pan-African collaboration supported by bodies like the African Union Sport Council and its regional chapters and the regional football organisations. These organisations must work together seamlessly with well-defined roles and responsibilities. At the moment, there seems to be a lot of redundancy and bureaucracy.

To support football development, we require financing from various sources, including government, local and international businesses, international development agencies, etc. A sure way of attracting and maintaining funding is by promoting good governance and individual ethics. Football management in Africa needs to be more transparent and accountable. 

Lastly, a more entrepreneurial mindset must be taught, especially to young people who wish to get involved in the industry. More people should be willing to work and set up businesses outside of the traditional structures to help build a thriving ecosystem. For example, Africa lags in the area of quality infrastructure where PPPs can play a significant role. However, very few local private entities are exploiting this opportunity. Another area that needs innovation and entrepreneurship skills is in the digital space. W. need to develop digital solutions tailored to the African market as opposed to importing technologies. A myriad of opportunities exists in these spaces. 

The proposed topics for season four of The Africa Football Business Show:

  1. Strengthening Africa’s Football Ecosystem (SP) – 12th August
  2. The Hypercommercialisation of Football – Which Way for Africa (SS) – 26th August
  3. Training Compensation and Solidarity Payments (SS) – 3rd September
  4. Financing Football Development in Africa – 9th September
  5. Legal Issues in African Football – Curbing Match-fixing – 23rd September
  6. Developing Football Coaches in Africa (SS) – 30th September
  7. Technology and Innovation in Football – 14th October
  8. Legal Issues in African Football – Football Intermediaries – 28th October
  9. Building the Women’s Game in Africa (SS) – 4th November
  10. Piecing together Africa’s Football History – 18th November
  11. Leveraging Football Events – 2nd December

Arsenal Launch New Fan Engagement Aspect ‘My Arsenal Rewards’

Arsenal will raise the bar on fan engagement ahead of the 2021/22 season with the launch of My Arsenal Rewards, a ground-breaking rewards programme that brings members closer to the club they love.

Launching for the new season, My Arsenal Rewards is the first of its kind for a football club, with the new programme giving the club’s paying members the opportunity to turn their everyday interactions with the club into incredible rewards, prizes and money-can’t-buy experiences. 

Arsenal members will earn points for attending matches, purchasing tickets, shopping at Arsenal Direct, official club stores and with Arsenal partners using the My Arsenal Rewards card, and engaging in competitions, quizzes and polls in the My Arsenal Rewards hub. The My Arsenal Rewards hub will be easily accessible through Arsenal.com and the official club app.

Match attendance and ensuring a full Emirates Stadium is one of the key drivers for My Arsenal Rewards, and season ticket holders will also earn points even if they can’t attend a match themselves by ensuring their seat is used through official exchange and ticket transfer channels.

My Arsenal Rewards points can then be redeemed for exclusive Arsenal related rewards, prizes and money-can’t-buy experiences, such as:

  • A chance to play on the pitch at Emirates Stadium
  • A tour of our London Colney Training Centre
  • A matchday experience in the new My Arsenal Rewards hospitality box
  • Opportunities to attend Mikel Arteta’s post-match press conference 
  • Home and Away match tickets including hospitality offerings
  • Arsenal partner gifts and rewards

The all new My Arsenal Rewards membership card will work as an electronic matchday ticket, a rewards card and for UK based adult members, a payment card powered by Barclays. The payment element can be used for all online and offline club purchases at Emirates Stadium, all club stores and anywhere that accepts Visa as a payment method.

My Arsenal Rewards members can also take advantage of benefits and rewards with club partners including adidas, Cadbury and Socios who are already signed up to the programme as featured partners.

A number of high street and online brands have also joined up to My Arsenal Rewards as affiliates. This has the dual benefit of members being able earn points when spending with their new My Arsenal Rewards membership card, and club partners and affiliate retailers being able to get closer to supporters by offering incentives and rewards to Arsenal members directly through the programme. In addition to club partners, other participating brands include, Boots, Go Ape, Sainsbury’s and Halfords among many more.

Peter Silverstone, Arsenal’s Chief Commercial Officer, said:

“Throughout our long history we’ve always worked hard to strengthen our relationship with our fans and we’re proud of the Arsenal membership programme that is still one of the best in world football. We’re proud to be blazing a trail by taking fan engagement to a new level with the launch of My Arsenal Rewards. This is a first of its kind programme which offers our members meaningful rewards and money-can’t-buy experiences for their engagement and interaction with the club they love.

“Together with recently announced fan focused initiatives, including the Amazon All or Nothing documentary and the launch of the $AFC Fan Token on Socios.com, the introduction of My Arsenal Rewards reaffirms our aim to revolutionise the fan engagement space and bring our supporters closer to the club they love.

“We’re proud to be at the forefront of this movement. We want current and future Arsenal fans to perceive Arsenal once again as the world’s most innovative football club – we want to bring pride to our fans with leadership on and off the pitch. The My Arsenal Rewards programme epitomises this desire. We’re excited to innovate and evolve our offer in the coming years to give My Arsenal Rewards members the most engaging and rewarding experience in world sport.”

John Cooper, Head of Sports & Entertainment at Barclays, said: 

“We’re delighted to be working with Arsenal to bring this ground-breaking innovation in fan engagement to life. The all-in-one membership card uses the best of Barclays payment technology to deliver a seamless experience for fans and allows the club to engage with its loyal supporters more meaningfully.”

Super League Appoint CSM To Secure Commercial Partners

The Super League has appointed CSM Sport & Entertainment to develop its commercial proposition and find new partnership opportunities ahead of the 2022 season. 

The Super League is the top-level tier of the British Rugby League system, made up of twelve teams – 11 within the UK and 1 in France. 

On the announcement Rhodri Jones, Super League chief commercial officer commented:  

“We are delighted to be able to continue our relationship with CSM for the 2021 season and beyond. We’ve worked with CSM over a number of years and look forward to continuing to attract further commercial partners that share our brand values and will help grow the Super League competition.”  

Charlie McEwen, CEO of Rugby and Special Projects CSM commented: 

“CSM has a strong heritage in Rugby League and we are delighted to be working with Super League once again. Building on our recent success of securing Cazoo as the presenting partner of the Rugby League World Cup we are looking forward to bringing in a new portfolio of brands for the Super League ahead of their 2022 season.” 

CSM have a successful track record in Rugby League and were responsible for securing partners such as Ronseal, First Utility, Foxy Bingo, Alcatel Lucent, Brut, Dacia, Cazoo and Batchelor’s Mushy Peas. 

Hong Kong Sevens Tournament Forced To Cancel For Second Straight Year

Given growing uncertainty over emerging coronavirus variants and on-going travel restrictions globally, the Hong Kong Rugby Union (HKRU) and World Rugby have taken the difficult decision to cancel the Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens 2021, which was scheduled for 5-7 November.

The decision follows detailed and constructive dialogue with World Rugby and the participating unions and relevant Hong Kong government bodies and has been taken with the health and wellbeing of the rugby community and the wider public as top priority.

The HKRU has exerted significant efforts to stage the tournament in 2021, including consulting professional medical advisors, and planning to implement physically distanced seating, full on-ground bubbling of teams and operations staff, and a split in schedule into daily time-limited sessions to allow for enhanced venue sanitizing.

However, the difficulties and uncertainties around travel restrictions and the rising global concern over emerging variants, combined with the pressing timelines behind staging one of Hong Kong’s premier international events – now just 92 days out from kick-off – made hosting the tournament to the HKRU’s exacting standards unfeasible.

Continued restrictions around international travel have significantly complicated the participation of numerous teams for November, including those from high-risk travel areas that are forbidden from entering Hong Kong at present. Increasing domestic lockdowns and tightening quarantine restrictions around outbound travel present further complications for teams from across the world.    

The HKRU remains fully supportive of community virus suppression efforts in Hong Kong, and its paramount interest is to avoid any risk to the safety of athletes, officials, spectators and staff, and the wider community at the present time.

 “We are of course disappointed not to host the world-famous Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens in 2021,” said Mr Robbie McRobbie, Chief Executive of the HKRU. 

“While in many ways we are even better prepared to host than we were a year ago, concerns over the Delta variant and intensifying travel restrictions have complicated matters significantly. Given these trends, the decision to cancel was painful, but not difficult, particularly with expectations high that with vaccination rates increasing daily, we can welcome the Sevens back in true rugby style in April. 

“After watching a stirring Olympic sevens, we know that fans will be disappointed at this news, but rest assured, we are busy preparing for a spectacular Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens in exactly 239 days, but who’s counting? We are already planning 2022, and looking forward to returning with an event that will be one of the most memorable in our 45-year history. 

“We’re also very encouraged by the progress Hong Kong has made in suppressing the virus. Given the success of these community-wide efforts, thousands of players from four to 40-plus can look forward to the return of rugby at the end of summer. For some this will be the first competitive action they have had in over a year, so we are also busy planning a very special season ahead,” added McRobbie.

No tickets were placed on sale for the 2021 tournament. 

The HKRU remains appreciative of the significant and sustained efforts exerted by all parties including the participating teams, World Rugby, other tournament hosts, HKRU commercial partners, and of course the athletes themselves. 

The 2022 Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens is scheduled for 1-3 April.