The Show Can Go On – Can Brands Still Effectively Operate And Engage Across Sport In Light Of Coronavirus?

Matt Jones, Managing Director of Activation, Right Formula

Matt Jones, Managing Director of Activation, Right Formula, explains how brands can still thrive amid daily cancellations of events across the industry.

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) is resulting in worldwide impact, directly affecting every continent and our most critical industries, such as healthcare, finance and travel.

Public events and operations are on hold and facing an uncertain short-term future, and the ramifications for the sports marketing industry are significant.

Large-scale, showpiece events are being shelved by the day as a precaution, leaving brands and rights holders across the globe wondering where to turn in light of the outbreak.

In our world, we’ve seen Formula 1’s season-opening Australian Grand Prix cancelled, Formula E’s season postponed and almost every sporting league across Europe and North America either called off or forced to be staged behind closed doors. This has had big consequences for many in our industry, whose activations and participation at such events have suffered the same fate.

In this time of uncertainty, we at Right Formula feel a duty to our client base to communicate that we are here to help and suggest alternative ways forward.

There is no blanket solution to the problem, but we, as a consultancy, can help provide practical alternatives to ensure the best is made of this unfortunate situation. From closed doors come new opportunities.

Wellbeing and safety is critical to our clients, so we have been proactive internally in advising the best route and offering contingency plans that make sense for the audiences our clients still need to reach – coronavirus or no coronavirus.

While this is undoubtedly a huge challenge, we want to help use this as an opportunity to differentiate. We believe there are alternative approaches, be it digitally interactive, virtual or a combination of both, that can offer thought-leading, immersive experiences. These are just a few thought provokers as to how brands can change their methods to stay agile and active during the coronavirus crisis.

Other considerations include:

  1. A reassessment of objectives. What is needed and what is the end goal? What elements can still remain but be communicated via a different approach? Break down your physical requirements and brainstorm alternatives.
  2. Innovations for interaction. What broadcast and immersive digital technology concepts are at your disposal and within your budget?
  3. Review your existing partnership marketing assets. With every challenge comes the opportunity to look for new opportunities. By reviewing the situation and discussing renegotiating with the rights holder, alternative solutions and opportunities might be sought.

It’s clear to all of us working within sport that this is a significant challenge that affects our industry in new ways. However, as with everything, the world doesn’t stop turning so it’s important to use challenges such as this as an opportunity and seek new, alternative ways to ensure your brand continues to thrive.

June’s FIFA Congress Rescheduled Due To Coronavirus

The FIFA Congress, due to take place in June, has been rescheduled due to COVID-19 on account of the spread of COVID-19, numerous international bodies and public health authorities have advised against the organisation of international events.

Concerns over the health and well-being of participants, as well as travel restrictions in many countries, have resulted in the cancellation or postponement of many such events in various parts of the world.

Mindful of this, and given the wish of FIFA to organise a Congress which all member associations are able to attend, the Bureau of the FIFA Council decided yesterday to reschedule the 70th FIFA Congress from Friday, 5 June 2020 to Friday, 18 September 2020 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

In addition, the FIFA Council meeting planned for Friday, 20 March 2020 has also been rescheduled to a date yet to be confirmed in June-July 2020, at the Home of FIFA in Zurich, or via videoconference.

Rugby League Relocate Franchise To Canada, Hope For New York Team To Enter 2021 Challenge Cup

The Rugby Football League has confirmed the relocation of Hemel Stags to play in the Canadian capital, Ottawa, in Betfred League 1 in 2021.

The Ottawa Aces held an introductory media conference at the TD Place Stadium, which was attended by Simon Johnson, the Chair of the RFL.

Simon Johnson: “I was delighted to be present at the TD Place Stadium for the launch of the Ottawa Aces and to confirm that the Aces will enter our competitions in 2021.

“It has been a long journey to get to this point, and I congratulate Eric Perez and his partners and investors for their commitment and vision to relocate the Hemel Stags to become the Ottawa Aces, along with the wishes of the Championship & League 1 Clubs.

“That reflects the benefits to our competitions and clubs from the progress of Toronto Wolfpack through League 1 and the Championship over the last three years.

“In Rugby League’s 125th year, as we celebrate the rich heritage of this sport, the introduction of Ottawa Aces to the competition allows us to look to a colourful, expansive and global future. They will bring a new and passionate audience to our great game. The wonderful facilities here in Ottawa will bring an exciting new element to the Betfred League 1 next season.”

Negotiations are at an advanced stage for New York Rugby League to enter the game’s oldest knockout competition at the First Round stage in early 2021 – and the trophy itself is booked on a flight to JFK this weekend to give the city a first taste of what could lie in store.

Women’s Sports Group Partners With The FA To sell Barclays FA Women’s Super League Domestic Rights

Women’s Sports Group is delighted to announce it will exclusively consult The Football Association (The FA) on the distribution of all UK media rights for the Barclays FA Women’s Super League following its appointment by The FA.

Women’s Sports Group, founded by Dame Heather Rabbatts, DBE, was formed to create new opportunities to promote, enhance and empower women’s sport. The new round of media rights sales for the 2021/22 football season onwards, which include all FA controlled women’s football club and national team fixtures, comes as women’s football exposure continues to rise with participation levels increasing.

Women’s Sports Group’s David Kogan, OBE, whose unparalleled expertise in media rights negotiation includes advising on sports rights sales for the Premier League, Football League, Premier Rugby, Six Nations and the NFL will lead on consulting The FA on the upcoming sales process.

Dame Heather Rabbatts, DBE, Founder of Women’s Sports Group, said: “The next round of media rights for women’s football is hugely important to the long-term success of the game. There has been great momentum within women’s football since last summer’s FIFA Women’s World Cup™ where over 1billion views were recorded and we will be looking to build on this to further elevate the value of women’s sport.

“Women’s Sports Group is delighted to work with The FA as we jointly look to drive value in The Barclays FA Women’s Super League and women’s football more broadly.”

Kelly Simmons, The FA’s Director of the Women’s Professional Game, added: “Women’s Sports Group was created to drive even greater value in women’s sport and we feel they are in a perfect position to help us take The Barclays FA Women’s Super League to the next level.”

Alongside Women’s Sports Group, Dame Heather Rabbatts, DBE Chairs leading strategic communications agency Vero Communications, which has an enviable track record of success with over ten years’ experience working in the business of sport.

Renault F1 Become Renault DP World F1 Team With New Sponsorship

DP World and Renault F1 Team have signed an agreement making DP World the Global Logistics Partner and Title Partner of the team, which will become the Renault DP World F1 Team as from the 2020 season.

Under the partnership, teams from DP World, Renault Sport Racing and Groupe Renault will leverage the F1 global marketing platform and collaboratively explore opportunities to increase the efficiency of their supply chain.

DP World is a world leader in trade and is rapidly transforming into the leading provider of global supply chain solutions for cargo owners. Its history goes back to 1972 at Port Rashid in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. Today, the company has a team of over 50,000 people working at more than 150 operations around the world. With a strategically-located network of ports, parks, logistics, economic zones and marine services in both mature and high-growth markets around the globe, DP World operates a vast network of interconnected infrastructure assets along the supply chain.

Jérôme Stoll, Renault Sport Racing Chairman, commented: “We are delighted and honoured to welcome DP World to the Renault family. This is an extremely interesting and exciting collaboration across multiple disciplines. We look forward to working with DP World, a leading global logistics provider, to explore ways of improving our efficiency and mitigating our environmental impact. After the ambitions expressed by Formula One to become fully carbon neutral by 2030, we are constantly evaluating ways to reduce our carbon footprint and our turnaround time. We expect that working with DP World will reveal opportunities for tangible solutions to some of the logistical challenges faced by our F1 team’s supply chain and by extension, the automotive industry at a larger scale. We also look forward to cross-fertilising our engineering skills through shared innovation.”

Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Group Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, DP World, said: “One of our strategic objectives has been to develop innovative logistics solutions for the automotive sector. This partnership is a first step in the exploration of ways to make the global automotive supply chain more efficient by lowering costs, increasing speed and transparency, and mitigating the environmental impact.

“In addition to the unquestionable value of the marketing platform, Formula 1 is the most technologically intensive sport in the world, incorporating the advanced usage of data to create ever-increasing efficiency on the track. So too, DP World leverages technology, exploits data and embraces innovation to enable more efficient logistics and smarter trade for its customers, creating a better future for all.”

About DP World:
We are the leading provider of smart logistics solutions, enabling the flow of trade across the globe. Our comprehensive range of products and services covers every link of the integrated supply chain – from maritime and inland terminals to marine services and industrial parks as well as technology-driven customer solutions.

We deliver these services through an interconnected global network of 127 business units in 51 countries across six continents, with a significant presence both in high-growth and mature markets. Wherever we operate, we integrate sustainability and responsible corporate citizenship into our activities, striving for a positive contribution to the economies and communities where we live and work.

Our dedicated, diverse and professional team of more than 56,000 employees from 134 countries are committed to delivering unrivalled value to our customers and partners. We do this by focussing on mutually beneficial relationships – with governments, shippers, traders, and other stakeholders along the global supply chain – relationships built on a foundation of mutual trust and enduring partnership.

We think ahead, anticipate change and deploy industry-leading technology to create the smartest, most efficient and innovative trade solutions, while ensuring a positive and sustainable impact on economies, societies and our planet.

How LaLiga’s Economic Controls Go Beyond Financial Fair Play

The strength of LaLiga is often referred to in terms of international trophies being won by Spanish clubs, but an equally if not more important measure is long-term financial health. Since 2013, with the clubs’ support, the league has made this a top priority and introduced a set of measures that ensure responsible spending across all clubs playing in LaLiga Santander and LaLiga SmartBank.

As well as getting a balanced financial situation and creating clear spending plans, these measures (called economic controls) have introduced squad cost limits that impose strict budgets before the transfer window opens. By taking this proactive approach, the league is adding features that are not included in UEFA’s mandatory Financial Fair Play rules.

“To create the best league it is essential that all clubs are financially sustainable,” said Jose Guerra, corporate general director at LaLiga. “Through our system we help clubs to spend freely and compete at the top level, without the risk of creating an unsustainable debt. No other league has something as comprehensive as this.”

Increasing disposable incomes
LaLiga economic control is implemented by a group of analysts who review the finances of every club before establishing a squad cost limit. With this number, clubs go into the new transfer window knowing the total amount they can spend on first team players and top coaching staff. Funds can be divided between transfer fees or wages according to the club’s preferences, as LaLiga does not impose a wage cap.

The rules are always evolving in line with changes in club operations and the participation of the clubs is key for this evolution.

In the event of disagreement between club and league, clubs can turn to independent bodies to settle any differences that may exist.

Applying these budgets over the coming seasons, the controls ensure that every club takes a long-term approach to how they spend their incomes. By working within strict limits, clubs are saving money year-on-year that is being invested into growth projects. Coupled with ongoing commercial activities, the financial health of the whole league is increasing.

To read the full piece and subscribe to the LaLiga Global Fútbol Newsletter follow this link: https://newsletter.laliga.es/global-futbol/how-laliga-economic-controls-go-beyond-financial-fair-play/rrss

FIBA Team Up With Ticketing Service TicketSocket For Five Years

FIBA and TicketSocket, a ticketing service operating worldwide, have entered into an agreement to provide state of the art ticketing solutions for FIBA events around the globe.

As part of this five-year partnership, TicketSocket will build a fully customized white label ticketing solution that will be made available to Local Organizing Committees of FIBA events, which in time may be offered to FIBA’s member federations as well.

TicketSocket is leading the way in empowering brands and sports event rights holders and organizers to secure control over a strategic area of their business. TicketSocket’s white label ticketing and registration solution allows organizations to own their branding, have full control over revenue and ticketing fees, increase overall sales with the right social marketing tools, and, most importantly, own their own customer data. TicketSocket is among the few companies who can provide truly international coverage and is trusted by some of the largest event organizations.

The partnership will allow participating Local Organizing Committees and National Federations to maximize the revenue generated from ticket sales of FIBA events and also allow FIBA to build a global database of basketball fans. With this partnership, TicketSocket becomes the Official Global Ticketing Provider of FIBA and Preferred Ticketing Provider of FIBA which gives access to association and IP rights as well as sponsorship exclusivity in the ticketing category.

FIBA Secretary General, Andreas Zagklis said: “We are very happy to welcome TicketSocket on board as FIBA’s Preferred Global Ticketing Partner. This partnership will not only be a great benefit to our Local Organizing Committees and National Federations by providing them with a resource to help maximize their ticket sales and revenue, but it will also help us in our strategic objective of enlarging the FIBA family. We are confident this partnership will be successful for both organizations and we look forward to a successful collaboration.”

Mark Miller, CEO and Co-Founder of TicketSocket said: “We are all thrilled to be joining the FIBA family today. The TicketSocket solution will enable FIBA’s National Federation members and Local Organizing Committees to have more control and more choice over their ticketing needs at events. This partnership provides them with a turnkey solution that will greatly benefit the basketball community worldwide.”

This agreement was brokered by FIBA Marketing, the strategic partnership between FIBA and Infront.

Coronavirus Sees The Four Major Active US Sports Announce Locker Room Closure

The four major sports with league seasons currently taking place have released a joint statement temporarily banning reporters from entering locker-rooms before and after games due to fears concerning coronavirus.

This decision has been taken a precautionary measure with the spread of the disease beginning to spread in the United States.

Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, the National Basketball Association, and the National Hockey League issued the following joint statement:

“After consultation with infectious disease and public health experts, and given the issues that can be associated with close contact in pre- and post-game settings, all team locker rooms and clubhouses will be open only to players and essential employees of teams and team facilities until further notice. Media access will be maintained in designated locations outside of the locker room and clubhouse setting. These changes will be effective beginning with tomorrow’s games and practices.

“We will continue to closely monitor this situation and take any further steps necessary to maintain a safe and welcoming environment.”

LaLiga Will Be Played Behind Closed Doors For The Next Two Weeks

In accordance with information from the High Council of sports (CSD), LaLiga Santander and LaLiga SmartBank matches will be played behind closed doors, starting today (March 10) and for at least the next two weeks.

LaLiga will continue to be in permanent contact with the Ministry of Health and the CSD to follow its recommendations and / or decisions, prioritizing the health of fans, players, club employees, journalists, etc., due to the COVID-19 health crisis.

For several weeks, LaLiga has been working on alternative plans in coordination with UEFA in case health authorities decide to suspend any match, creating a plan to play these matches.

Meanwhile in Italy, which has been extremely highly affected, sport has been completely cancelled until the 3rd of April.

Formula 1 Announces Long-Term Global Partnership With Saudi Aramco

Formula 1 has today announced a new long-term Global Sponsorship deal with Saudi Aramco, the world’s leading integrated energy and chemicals company.

This latest deal could be seen as Formula 1 moving one step closer to a Saudi Grand Prix.

Aramco will become Formula 1’s sixth Global Partner alongside DHL, Emirates, Heineken, Pirelli and Rolex.

Aramco selected Formula 1 as its first global sponsorship platform in recognition of the sport’s dynamic appeal and growing global fan base. Formula 1’s international platform will connect Aramco to an engaged audience of 500 million fans and allow it to better communicate its success stories to the world.

Formula 1 and Aramco will combine their considerable shared expertise to identify opportunities for the advancement of sustainable fuels, enhanced engine efficiencies and emerging mobility technology.

Following the announcement of Formula 1’s sustainability plans in November 2019, this partnership has the potential to further develop and accelerate its plans towards a power unit fueled by advanced sustainable fuels.

The deal will include trackside branding for Aramco at most races, title rights to the US, Spanish and Hungarian Grands Prix in 2020, broadcast integration and exposure through our digital platforms to showcase Aramco’s position as an innovator in transport technology.

Chase Carey, Chairman, and CEO of Formula 1, said: “We are delighted to welcome Aramco to the Formula 1 family as a long-term Global Partner as we start our 2020 season. We are looking forward to sharing our combined expertise and working with Aramco on technological innovation and we will benefit hugely from its capabilities and expertise in the fuel and energy sector.”

Aramco President and CEO Amin H. Nasser said: “We are excited to partner with Formula 1, a strong global sports brand with millions of fans around the world. As the world’s largest energy supplier and an innovation leader, we have the ambition to find game-changing solutions for better-performing engines and cleaner energy. Partnerships like these are important to help us to deliver on our ambitions.”