Sportradar and UEFA inks multi-year extension

Sportradar Group AG and European Football governing body UEFA have announced a multi-year extension of their existing exclusive betting data rights agreement, expanded to include the non-exclusive right to distribute data to non-betting media.

Additionally, the agreement provides Sportradar access to certain advanced tracking. This enriched data will enhance Sportradar’s cutting-edge AI products and services, enabling Sportradar to deliver innovative technology solutions to its clients.

The agreement covers all UEFA Club and National team competitions. These include the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League, UEFA Women’s Champions League, UEFA Women’s EURO 2025, the European Qualifiers to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the European Qualifiers to UEFA EURO 2028, the UEFA Nations League, the 2025 & 2027 UEFA European Under-21 Championships, and UEFA international friendly matches.

In total, Sportradar can now offer more than 900 high-profile matches each season, marking a nearly 33% increase from the previous cycle as a result of the new formats which will be introduced for UEFA Club Competitions at the start of the 2024-25 season.

UEFA and Sportradar will also extend their long-standing integrity partnership of 15 years.
To support UEFA’s Anti Match-Fixing Unit, the cooperation includes dedicated intelligence and investigation resources, robust and systematic bet monitoring, and education services to support the prevention, detection and investigation of match-fixing.

Guy-Laurent Epstein, UEFA Marketing Director said: “Three years ago we embarked on a journey with Sportradar to tap into the value of match data for betting purposes. Sportradar brings to the table a wealth of experience in this field and we are delighted to be continuing this successful partnership for the next three years. As part of the agreement, we will also be continuing our long-standing cooperation to protect the integrity of UEFA and our member associations’ competitions.”

Carsten Koerl, CEO Sportradar said: ”We are thrilled to expand our partnership with UEFA, offering our clients and soccer fans worldwide unparalleled engagement and value through cutting-edge solutions and comprehensive data coverage. This agreement supports our strategic focus on selectively investing in long-term rights across key global sports, enabling ongoing innovation and enhancement of our offerings.”

Saudi Arabia to host inaugural Olympic Esports Games 2025

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced that it has partnered with the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Saudi Arabia to host the inaugural Olympic Esports Games 2025 in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

This groundbreaking step follows the IOC’s recent announcement that the IOC Executive Board (EB) has established Olympic Esports Games. The proposal will be made to the IOC Session, which will be held on the eve of the Olympic Games Paris 2024.

The duration of the partnership between the IOC and the Saudi NOC will be 12 years, with Olympic Esports Games held regularly.

“We are very fortunate to be able to work with the Saudi NOC on the Olympic Esports Games, because it has great – if not unique – expertise in the field of esports with all its stakeholders. The Olympic Esports Games will greatly benefit from this experience,” said IOC President Thomas Bach. “By partnering with the Saudi NOC we have also ensured that the Olympic values are respected, in particular, with regard to the game titles on the programme, the promotion of gender equality and engagement with the young audience, which is embracing esports.”

HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal, Minister of Sport and President of the Saudi Arabian Olympic and Paralympic Committee, said: “Saudi Arabia is hugely excited by the prospect of partnering with the IOC and helping to welcome a completely new era for international sport. We believe that to take part in the Olympic Games is one of the greatest honours any athlete can achieve. And we are proud to support the writing of a new chapter in Olympic history that has the potential to inspire new dreams and new ambitions for literally millions of athletes around the world.

“As a ‘first’ ever Esports Olympic Games, obviously there is still much to consider and plan with the IOC, but we are committed to hosting a special event that respects and celebrates the Olympic values while boldly seizing the momentum to drive esports forward with the international platform the sport and its athletes deserve. The world will have an open invitation to join us in 2025 and celebrate this moment together.“

Presidents Cup finds third global partner in 1Password

The Presidents Cup announced that 1Password has been named the third Global Partner of the 2024 Presidents Cup, joining Cognizant and Rolex. The Presidents Cup returns to The Royal Montreal Golf Club, Sept. 24-29.

“As excitement for the upcoming 2024 Presidents Cup continues to build, we are very excited to welcome 1Password as our third Global Partner for the PGA TOUR’s premier team event,” said Brian Oliver, executive vice president of Corporate Partnerships, PGA TOUR. “1Password has an established commitment to innovation and excellence in the cybersecurity industry, and we are thrilled that they have selected the Presidents Cup to partner with as they continue the evolution of their outstanding brand.”

1Password was founded with a simple yet powerful idea: Security is an inherently human problem, so security issues must be solved by focusing on people, not just systems. As a leader in human-centric security for enterprises and individuals, 1Password created Extended Access Management (XAM), a new category of software focused on securing every sign-in to every app from every device – even the unmanaged apps and devices preferred by employees that fall outside of the control of IT and security teams – to maximize productivity in today’s hybrid work environment. 1Password’s security solutions are trusted by over 150,000 businesses and millions of consumers globally.

“As a Canadian-founded company, 1Password is proud to be partnering with the PGA TOUR and the Presidents Cup in Montreal, and to further our shared core value of putting people first,” said Melton Littlepage, chief marketing officer, 1Password. “Our focus since day one has been to make strong security simple for everyone. This sponsorship will increase awareness of our new solutions to the ever-evolving challenges in cybersecurity for every company, human and family around the world.”

As a Global Partner of the Presidents Cup, 1Password will receive several benefits tied to the biennial event including premium hospitality, brand exposure onsite and significant exposure through PGA TOUR media and marketing assets, and exposure on TOUR-related media, including PGATOUR.COM, PresidentsCup.com and other digital properties.

The 15th Presidents Cup returns to The Royal Montreal Golf Club in Montreal, Canada, for the first time since 2007 following its historic 2022 staging in Charlotte, North Carolina, at Quail Hollow Club. The 2024 International Team captained by Canadian icon Mike Weir seeks to regain the Cup against the defending U.S. Team captained by Jim Furyk.

AFC extends NEOM partnership until 2029

NEOM and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) have agreed to an extended multi-year partnership, which will run from 2024 to 2029. 

Under the terms of the arrangement, NEOM will continue to serve as the Official Global Partner of the AFC national team and club competitions, as well as be the Presenting Partner of the first pan-Asian AFC Women’s Champions LeagueTM. The agreement signifies NEOM and the AFC’s drive to promote inclusivity in sport and the positive steps both organizations are making to support and amplify women’s football across Asia.   

The partnership reinforces NEOM’s presence in a new era for Asian Football, marked by AFC’s revamped club tournaments. The newly introduced AFC Champions League EliteTM Finals will see NEOM as the Official Global Presenting Partner of the eight final matches being played in Riyadh in 2025. NEOM will also be the Presenting Partner of the inaugural AFC Women’s Champions LeagueTM, promoting the top 12 women’s clubs from across Asia. 

Ultimately, the agreement further strengthens the foundations laid over the last four years as Saudi Arabia prepares to host prestigious football competitions such as the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027TM. 

The partnership between NEOM and the AFC has seen the creation of ‘Champions of Progress,’ an initiative that will use the global platform of football to drive positive change across the region by delivering activations and developing the next generation of talent, from grassroot participants to elite players across AFC competitions. The initiative demonstrates both organizations’ commitment to the development of football, underpinned by NEOM’s ambitions to be an innovative hub for sport. 

Nadhmi Al-Nasr, CEO, NEOM, said: “NEOM’s partnership with the Asian Football Confederation provides us with a valuable platform to collaborate with a global football leader, creating opportunities and positively contributing to the development of sport across Asia. Sport is a key component of Saudi Vision 2030’s ambition to develop a healthy society with strong social bonds and the extension of our partnership with the AFC supports NEOM’s aspirations to become an innovative hub for sport and its goal to have one of the most physically active societies globally. We look forward to building on the success of our relationship with the AFC and continuing our joint efforts to drive the future of football.”

Datuk Seri Windsor John, the AFC General Secretary, said: “Asian football is undoubtedly experiencing the dawn of an exciting new era, and we are delighted to extend our global partnership with NEOM. We thank NEOM for underlining their belief and confidence in the AFC’s world-class competitions, particularly as we look to herald a brand-new chapter of growth and progress for the Asian game in the coming years. This partnership renewal further reinforces the appeal of the AFC’s competitions to engage with the millions of passionate fans of Asian football and we look forward to creating more historic moments with NEOM to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes.”

NEOM’s partnering with a globally renowned sports organization such as the AFC, significantly contributes to the liveability of NEOM’s residents and the future of the project’s dynamic economy. It champions NEOM’s ambitions of becoming one of the world’s most physically active societies, with its residents engaging with AFC events and enabling a grassroots development program targeted at youth across Saudi Arabia. 

NEOM’s partnership with the AFC has already supported NEOM’s initiatives, such as the Shuhub Community Program, which has engaged 10,000 young people around the Kingdom to date. Through this collaboration, NEOM has provided local boys and girls from football community groups with unique opportunities to participate in AFC matches as player mascots, center circle children, and the first-ever trophy handover children at the AFC Champions League 23/24 Final. With an ambition of supporting the development of future sports leaders by leveraging knowledge transfer opportunities within the AFC, the initiative aims to continue upskilling talent from within NEOM throughout the duration of the partnership.

Data technology provider Cortex launches to the sports market to elevate fan experience

MACH-powered content, data & marketing technology provider, Cortex has been launched to the sports market.

Cortex offers quick-to-deploy technologies that connect data, content and commercial inventory, elevating the fan experience and generating new multi-channel revenue opportunities, unlocking the real value of digital sports marketing.

Driving Change in Sports Marketing

After 9 years of development in direct partnership with rights holders, agencies, brands and technology leaders across the sports landscape, Cortex launches this month to better serve the digitally diverse sports marketing industry, helping them meet the demands of the modern sports fans with unparalleled agility, scalability and technical innovation.

Cortex’s cutting-edge microservices, API-first, cloud-native, and headless technologies (MACH) are delivered across four key product verticals;

● Content & Activations
● Data & Marketing
● Commercial Inventory Management
● Stadium Display

By providing interoperable products across these verticals as well as seamlessly integrating with a wide range of third party providers, Cortex helps customers create seamless user journeys, optimise digital fan experiences and unlock new commercial opportunities enabling revenue to flow and their businesses to thrive.

Core products include a sport-specific headless Content Management System, a unified SSO, a centralised Fan Data Platform, online asset allocation, standardised reporting systems and groundbreaking digital playout software. This unrivalled range of products gives Cortex customers the flexibility to build a tech stack entirely tailored to their current goals and objectives whilst future-proofing the development of their digital ecosystems.

Committed to Excellence

Cortex’s leadership team brings a wealth of experience from game-changing businesses such as Opta, WPP, and InCrowd. Their deep understanding of the unique challenges faced by sports organisations has driven the development of Cortex’s suite of products, all committed to being:

● Simple and Easy to Use: Products that are intuitive and efficient for any sports or media organisation.
● Seamlessly Connected: Enabling efficient data, content, and inventory flow across any tech stack.
● Data Powered: Leveraging data and personalization for targeted campaigns and reporting.
● Revenue Driving: Enhancing fan experiences and driving better returns from sponsorship and marketing.

Aidan Cooney, Director of Cortex said: “There has been a marked shift in fan engagement and brand investment towards digital channels, yet sports marketing continues to focus primarily on linear television audiences. The launch of Cortex is about equipping our customers with the technology to build fully integrated and connected content, data, and inventory ecosystems.

This enables sports organisations to engage fans across both digital and linear platforms, leverage data to enhance fan experiences, and seamlessly integrate marketing messages into the fan experience as an organic part of the story, wherever and whenever they engage.

Modern marketing leaders require this level of sophistication to justify increased investment. Cortex technology transforms sports marketing from opaque practices to a first-party data-driven, transparent approach with real-time performance metrics, resulting in significant revenue growth for our customers.”

Cortex is trusted by a roster of leading sports organisations including EuroLeague Basketball, Premiership Rugby, Crystal Palace FC, SA20, ECB, The Hundred and SportFive.

Captain launches to help founders and CEOs in sports

A new agency CAPTAIN, has been launched to help Founders and CEOs in Sports ‘Share Your Voice’

The Sports Industry is competitive by its nature, yet so many senior executives, wanting to drive more authority, fame and business within the industry, haven’t been able to maximise the power of building their own personal brand.

CAPTAIN, is a personal brand agency for leaders in sport.

It is the first dedicated personal content agency for founders, CEOs & commercial teams in sports.

CAPTAIN makes it effortless for these leaders to dominate their categories, drive leads and differentiate from competitors, by leveraging personal brand content on platforms such LinkedIN, newsletters and podcasting. 

These individuals are at the forefront of driving innovation and change within the industry, but often struggle to produce high-quality content consistently, due to time, resource and content expertise.

This conflict hinders their ability to leverage personal branding for professional growth and industry influence.

CAPTAIN ensures that sports executives maintain and grow a consistent and influential presence online.

How CAPTAIN helps you share your voice

  • Dominate Your Category: Establish yourself as a leading voice and authority.
  • Drive Leads and Growth: Reach more potential clients and partners.
  • Attract Top Talent: Stand out as an innovative leader.
  • Differentiate from Competitors: Highlight your strengths and unique narratives.
  • Create Great Stories: Share resonant stories that drive engagement.

CAPTAIN is founded by Rich Johnson, a content and brand marketer with 14 years in the industry, spending time at Manchester United, Social Chain, New Balance and INEOS. 

Rich said, “I’ve been creating my own thought leadership content for many years, focused on a specific industry niche. This has led to amazing commercial opportunities and valuable business relationships that wouldn’t have been possible without sharing my ideas and tapping into the leverage that personal content brings.

“When leaders in sport started asking for help with their own LinkedIN strategy, I realised the need to solve this problem.

“With every client to date, their personal content is now outperforming their company account content. We are in the era of personality over branded company platforms. In my view, every founder and CEO in sports should be focusing on creating their own personal content. The need will only become greater.”

CAPTAIN is already working with Founders and CEOs across the sports industry, including sports rights-holders, agencies and sports tech companies.

CAPTAIN is part of Sports 3.0 – Sports 3.0 creates specialist agencies at the intersection of sports content, media, and technology.

Raising the stakes: how the integration of gambling has become a controversial game-changer

David Granger, director of Arc & Foundry Creative spotlights how the rise in betting opportunities and sponsorship has been mirrored with the occasional downside of mixing gambling with sport.

For my geographical sins, I’m a Leicester City Football Club fan. And, if you ever need an example of the ups, downs, highs, lows and highs again of following a team, then the euphoria and inevitable subsequent despair of following the Foxes is your shining example. Only Leicester could get promoted and find supporters crestfallen as we’re down a manager, a star midfielder and several (exact number TBC) points.

The latest chapter in city’s saga involves the new sponsor announcement. Gambling site BC.GAME is our new front of shirt which has sparked no small degree of controversy among the faithful.

The Foxes Trust, which represents supporters’ interests, is less than happy with the decision, and has expressed in no uncertain terms its concern over the club’s decision to partner with BC.GAME.

It’s the latest example of the deeper integration of betting and sport, becoming increasingly prevalent and contentious. It’s reshaping our business and engagement with fans.

Not always welcomed with open arms, while betting companies and apps brings opportunities and revenues, it also has its challenges and debate over how close it is to an alcohol or tobacco situation.

The integration of gambling and sport has become far more immersive that straight bookmaking. Betway’s partnership with West Ham allows fans to place bets directly through the club’s app and in kiosks at London Stadium, Paddy Power’s ‘Fan Denial’, features hysterical reactions to disastrous results on social media, while the excellent BetFred Insights gives everyone exceptional background on the day’s fixtures.

The sports betting industry is – obviously – a lucrative source of cash for leagues, clubs and broadcasters. In 2022, the UK Gambling Commission reported online gambling yield, including sports betting, reached £6.4 billion – and this has helped contribute to increased sponsorship. In the 2021-22 season, nine out of 20 Premier League clubs had betting companies as shirt sponsors. Next season? It’s gone up to 11. The one concern this will raise is where more than half the Premier League are going to find new sponsors in new sectors before the ban on betting sponsorship falls in the 2026-27 season.

It’s not just the teams who will face challenges. As betting extends its prevalence, federations face the challenge of ensuring the integrity of sports. The FA has, as you’d hope, strict rules banning players, coaches, and officials from betting on football, as England’s Kieran Trippier found out, while playing for Atletico Madrid. In 2020 he was banned by the FA  for 10 weeks for breaching betting rules.

As well as financial concerns there are ethical ones, particularly regarding young fans which has led to calls for stricter advertising regulations – some pushing for a complete ban on gambling sponsorships, similar to tobacco. While The collection and use of user data for personalized experiences raise privacy concerns. The Premier League’s official betting partners have access to official league data, including player stats which has sparked conversations about data ownership and usage rights. Some argue players should get a say in how their performance data is monetized.

The response has been to mitigate against some of the excess and the horror stories. The ‘When the Fun Stops, Stop’ campaign, put out across sports broadcasters, aims to promote responsible betting practices. Additionally, GambleAware’s ‘Bet Regret’ campaign, which partnered with the Football Supporters’ Association, targets young male fans to promote moderation in betting.

For now, and until 2026, betting will keep investing in football and teams will keep benefiting from money from the gaming industry. Perhaps the more pertinent question is whether it is sport’s duty to police the ethics of its backers or whether it is the public’s choice to choose where to place their cash. So, fear not, I’ll still be getting my Leicester shirt for next season.

View From The US: How Sports Teams, Leagues and Owners Make Money

In this View From The US piece, Kurt Badenhausen, sports valuations reporter at Sportico evaluates how sports teams, leagues and owners are making money.

The NFL just wrapped up another monster season off the field that will have league revenue top $20 billion. The Super Bowl had a record 123 million viewers, and the Chiefs walked away with the trophy for the third time in five years. Consolation prize for the other 31 NFL owners: A $400 million-plus check from the league from equally shared revenue.

The sources of how sports teams and leagues make their money has not changed much over the past 40 years. Tickets, sponsorships and broadcast rights continue to be the main buckets of revenue, while concessions, parking, merchandise and non-team events fill out the income statement. Doesn’t matter if you are the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys or MLS’ CF Montreal, which represent the most and least valuable franchises within the five major sports leagues in North America.

But the size of those different buckets has shifted and varies dramatically from league to league, which impacts how bankers and investors value these clubs.

Here is a breakdown of how the major sports leagues and their teams generate their revenue.

NFL

The average NFL franchise is worth $5.14 billion, and the gap between the least valuable (Cincinnati Bengals) and most valuable (Cowboys) is barely two times. It is the narrowest spread of the five major sports leagues—MLB is 7x—and a function of the league’s economic system, whose roots trace to the early 1960s when New York Giants owner Wellington Mara supported TV revenue being shared equally among all teams, despite the market size.

Mara’s decision means that each team will receive roughly $400 million from the NFL in 2023 from league media and sponsorship deals. TV is driving the train, with the most recent set of renewals from ESPN, NBC, CBS, Fox, Amazon and YouTube worth $125 billion.

Each team also gets just over $20 million as part of the NFL’s ticket sharing agreement, which calls for 34% of each team’s ticket revenue to go toward a general pool to be shared equally. The result is 66% of the $18.7 billion in 2022 NFL revenue was distributed in equal allotments to the 32 teams.

NFL teams only have 10 home games a year, including preseason, but they still generate more than $3 billion a year in ticket and suite revenue, or 17% of their total. And while MLB, NBA and NHL teams fret over their regional sports network contracts, the NFL is once again sitting in the catbird seat. Almost all the TV inventory is controlled at the league level—thank you Mr. Mara—and the only local media rights are from radio and preseason games.

MLB

Speaking of fretting about RSNs, no league is more impacted than Major League Baseball. Local media—mostly TV—represented 23% of the $10.9 billion in revenue the 30 teams generated in 2022. The percentage is twice as much as the NHL, and the NBA’s 13% exposure will dip when it completes its next round of national TV deals this year.

During the 2023 season, Diamond Sports Group, which controls the Bally Sports RSNs, dropped its rights deals with the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres. Bally Sports is set to broadcast games for 12 MLB teams this year after a bankruptcy judged recently approved agreements that will have games for the Texas Rangers, Cleveland Guardians and Minnesota Twins broadcast through the 2024 season. The jury is out on how many years it will take those teams to make up the economics of the lost rights fees for those deals, which in the Rangers’ case is more than $100 million annually.

Baseball provided a perfect foundation for RSNs as they proliferated through the 1990s and 2000s. The sport delivered a six-month season of highly rated three-hour games, mostly in primetime, along with shoulder programming of pre- and post-game shows.

Baseball RSN ratings remain, and the sport is the No. 1 programming in primetime on cable in most MLB markets. The Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and many other teams command high rights fees from RSNs that are still profitable.

Local media is a critical revenue stream for MLB, but it still trails tickets (31%) and central revenue (26%) across the 30 clubs. Those percentages should be up in 2023, as the sport’s non-RSN business had a strong year as fans embraced the rule changes that shortened games and introduced more action that led to record ticket and sponsorship revenue.

NBA

The NBA operated for many years like the NHL and MLB, where gate receipts drove the business. NBA Finals games were still shown on tape delay as recently as 1981. But the NBA has started to morph closer to the NFL’s business model with a bigger and bigger check from the league office doled out annually. The move is reflected in the rise of the floor price to buy an NBA team, which is now $2.7 billion, more than double from three years ago.

Central revenue, which is largely derived from the broadcast deals with ESPN and TNT, was 44% of the $10.9 billion in total revenue the 30 teams generated during the 2022-23 season. Most teams are expecting the next round of TV deals to include a 100% to 150% increase on the current $2.6 billion-a-year value. That would push the NBA’s shared revenue even higher.

Ticketing and suites represent 26% of league revenue, which are goosed by $3,000 courtside seats in New York and Los Angeles.

NHL

NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB teams all generate similar amounts from tickets and suites, with the range between $2.9 billion and $3.3 billion for the four leagues, but that total represents a much bigger share of revenue for the NHL, which has smaller TV deals compared to the other three leagues.

The NHL remains a gate-driven league, with the category representing 44% of revenue for the 2022-23 season. A long playoff run can be a bonanza for teams, which get to keep 65% of the ticket revenue in the postseason and typically raise prices each round. NFL playoff ticket revenue almost all goes to the league, while MLB teams send the bulk of their revenue to the league until after the first three or four games of a series.

NHL teams benefit from operating their arenas by capturing revenue from league events, which are included in the “other” category in the pie charts above. The Los Angeles Kings own and operate Crypto.com Arena through AEG. They built four new courtside bunker suites in the arena ahead of this season, and all but one of them were snapped up under long-term contracts at a cost of $5 million per year. Suite-holders will have access to the myriad of concerts and premium events hosted at the arena, such as the Grammy Awards and 2028 Summer Olympics.

MLS

Major League Soccer teams got a shot of rocket fuel last year with the arrival of Lionel Messi, which helped boost total revenue 27% to $2 billion. Seating (39%) and sponsorships (29%) represent the bulk of league revenue, and clubs that operate their buildings also benefit from hosting non-MLS events.

The league’s economics had another transformation in 2023, as local TV rights went away with the arrival of Apple as the league’s broadcast partner. Only a few teams, such as LAFC, had local TV deals that were profitable. Most teams were on the hook for production costs with little rights fees that caused net losses on the broadcast side.

On the league side, it generates revenue from broadcast and sponsorship deals, as well as Soccer United Marketing (SUM). Those revenues are identified within the central revenue category in the pie charts. The reality is that teams don’t actually receive an annual check from MLS, as its single-entity structure means player contracts are “owned” and paid by the league. The cost of players and league operations outstrips central revenue, requiring teams to fund those expenses via an annual assessment.

Global Football

The 20 soccer clubs with the highest revenue are all based in Europe. They generated a total of $11.2 billion in revenue for the 2022-23 season, according to Deloitte. Many European teams are looking to invest in their stadiums to catch up to the American venue model. Tottenham opened its $1.3 billion stadium in 2019, and Real Madrid is wrapping up its own major renovation to Santiago Bernabeu. Chelsea, Barcelona, Inter Milan, AC Milan and Manchester United are among the clubs looking at major stadium renovations or new buildings.

Teams generate most of their money from commercial (42%) and broadcasting (40%), with merchandise sales included in the commercial component. Bayern Munich had the highest commercial revenue last year at $448 million, based on current exchange rates. Manchester United ranks first for broadcast revenue at $368 million, while Barcelona ($178 million) was No. 1 for matchday revenue.

Leicester City signs BC.GAME as principal partner

Leicester City has announced multi-year partnership with BC.GAME as Principal Partner of its Men’s First Team.

The new partnership – one of the most valuable in Leicester City’s history – will see BC.GAME’s branding appear on the shirt-fronts of Leicester City’s Men’s First Team and adult replica shirts from the 2024/25 season.

The Club’s 2024/25 men’s home shirt by adidas will be launched at 0900 BST on Saturday 6 July.

Long-term partner King Power will retain a strong presence among our teams as Leicester City’s new Training Wear Partner.

The launch of the 2024/25 LCFC Women home shirt – and announcement of the team’s Principal Partner – will take place on Saturday 20 July, ahead of the start of the Barclays Women’s Super League season in September.

A community-based, online cryptocurrency gaming platform, BC.GAME has an established presence in football through its partnership with the Argentine Football Association, while the company has also invested progressively in the developing E-Sports market. A socially responsible platform, BC.GAME seeks to provide an enjoyable and safe gaming experience, taking measures to protect its players from any harms of gambling, including online tools to help players stay in control, identify problem gambling and seek help.

BC Game was founded in 2017 and has grown rapidly due to the rising popularity of cryptocurrencies and the increasing interest in blockchain-based applications. Supporting a wide range of cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), its platforms use the benefits of blockchain technology to provide crypto enthusiasts with a transparent, fair and secure gaming environment, where outcomes can be independently verified through the integrity of the blockchain.

Its partnership with Leicester City will see BC.GAME incorporating dedicated messaging within its partner inventory to promote responsible gambling.

Leicester City Chief Executive Susan Whelan said: “We welcome BC.GAME to Leicester City – an opportunity to work with an innovative partner in a new category for the Club. As a leading global operator in a rapidly evolving environment, BC.GAME already have a history of successful relationships in sport and we look forward to the development of a mutually beneficial partnership.

“The ability to attract high-value partners upon our return to the Premier League is vital to our determination to re-establish Leicester City among the game’s elite, to continue to invest in a competitive squad and to ensure the best possible experience for our supporters.”

Rayne Davis, Director of Marketing and Affiliates for BC Game, said: “We are excited to join forces with Leicester City, a club with a rich history, a passionate fanbase and authentic global appeal. This partnership represents a unique opportunity to introduce a new brand of exciting, safe and responsible online gaming to new audiences, and we look forward to a successful collaboration.”

ELEVEN SPORTS to broadcast Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 matches in Poland

Bundesliga International has agreed to a four-year broadcast deal with leading Polish sports broadcaster ELEVEN SPORTS, beginning an exclusive partnership in the Polish market from the start of the 2025-26 season. The package contains all 617 games of the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2, as well as the German Supercup, which takes place at the start of each season between league and DFB Pokal winner, and the all-important Bundesliga play-off matches that take place at the end of every season.

In addition, ELEVEN SPORTS will already begin broadcasting the Bundesliga in January 2025, showing selected Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 matches from the second half of the 2024-25 season on a non-exclusive basis.

As part of the agreement, ELEVEN SPORTS will make several games each matchday available on its most prominent linear channel, as well as offering Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 on its own Over-The-Top (OTT) platform. As a part of this close and growing collaboration, the Bundesliga and ELEVEN SPORTS will also join forces to prominently feature the Bundesliga and its clubs in the Polish market, including potential friendly matches and further on-ground activities.

The deal allows for fans across Poland to experience the best of German football. The legacy of players such as Łukasz Piszczek, Jakub Błaszczykowski and Robert Lewandowski has made Poland a key market for the Bundesliga with the German league being one of the most popular and viewed European leagues in the country.

Bundesliga International Chief Marketing Officer Peer Naubert said: “Building on our former collaboration with ELEVEN SPORTS underscores our dedication to re-establishing a successful partnership, including that of our passionate fanbase, which extends beyond Germany to reach fans across Europe and around the globe.

“Poland holds a special place in the Bundesliga’s heart by consistently producing top-tier talent, that enriches our league’s legacy. To date, 117 Polish footballers have been signed in the Bundesliga, more than in all other European top leagues combined. Interest in the Bundesliga surged in 2023 as well, growing its fanbase in Poland by an additional 10% compared to the previous year. We’re thrilled to witness the Bundesliga’s continued growth and success in this pivotal market.”

COO of ELEVEN SPORTS Patryk Mirosławski said: “The German league is undoubtedly one of the strongest in the world, as shown by the last edition of the European competitions – Borussia Dortmund reached the final of the UEFA Champions League, and Bayer 04 Leverkusen played in the final of the Europa League. We are glad that after a break of several years, these exciting competitions are back on ELEVEN SPORTS and we guarantee that, as always, our viewers will receive a well-packaged product. The Bundesliga in Poland is coming home.”