MLB Attendance Slips Again

As the high-profile playoffs get into full swing, Major League Baseball is digesting another decline in total attendance for the marathon regular season of 162 games per team.

Total attendance of 69.67 million, a decline of 4.1% from last year, was the lowest since 2003.

Average attendance dropped to 28,830, the lowest since 2003 after 14 consecutive seasons topping 30,000.

In a season unusually cold and a large number of rained out games, attendance fell for 17 of the 30 teams.

The team with the best attendance for the sixth consecutive year was the Los Angeles Dodgers with with a record total of 3.86 million including their victorious NL West tiebreaker against the Rockies on October 1.

The Miami Marlins ranked last with a total of 811,104, the first team to finish below 1 million since the Montreal Expos in 2004.

The Expos moved to Washington D.C. and became the Nationals in the 2005 season.

New Era At Spurs As Club Confirms Headwear Partnership

English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur has announced a licensing partnership with U.S. cap manufacturer, New Era.

Under the terms of the deal, New Era will become Spurs’ official headwear licensee, and produce branded headwears to be sold across online and in-store retail channels as well as via the London club’s retail outlets.

Victoria Hawksley, Tottenham Hotspur’s Head of Retail Merchandising, said: “We are delighted to begin this exciting relationship with New Era, recognised as the leading brand in the headwear category.

“We look forward to introducing the new collection to our fans both here in the UK and in key overseas markets.”

Paul Gils, Vice President EMEA at New Era, added: “Tottenham Hotspur is built upon the passion of its fans and we are absolutely thrilled to be launching our headwear collection to those supporters at such an exciting time for the club.”

Spurs face Barcelona at Wembley on Wednesday in the UEFA Champions League group stages.

Leicester Belt Up For Vehicle Partner Deal

English Premier League football club Leicester City have named Sandicliffe Ford as their Official Vehicle Partner for the 2018/19 season.

Under the terms of the agreement, the dealership will provide vehicles to the club’s Grounds Team, Supporter Engagement Department and LCFC Community Trust.

In return, Sandicliffe Ford will benefit from brand exposure through the creation of unique content for City’s social channels.

Jonathan Gregory, Leicester City’s Commercial Director, said of the deal: “We are delighted to welcome Sandicliffe Ford to Leicester City as an Official Partner. This deal demonstrates our commitment to working with local leading companies and we look forward to enhancing Sandicliffe’s reputation as one of the most trusted businesses in the region.”

Nick Osborne, Group Commercial Manager at Sandicliffe Ford, added: “We are delighted to partner with Leicester City, a club that shares our passion for providing the very best experience for our audience. We are proud to provide key departments across the club with high-quality vehicles that will enable them to continue their great work.”

eToro Joins Final Speaker Lineup At 2018 Lausanne Summit Powered By PwC

iSportconnect is delighted to announce that eToro has joined the final speaker lineup for the 2018 Lausanne Summit, powered by PwC and in association with ThinkSport, taking place on September 25th, 2018. 

Dylan Holman, Senior Brand Marketing Manager at eToro, is the last addition to the summit programme.

In his role at eToro, Dylan leads the company’s landmark partnerships with seven English Premier League football clubs, with each deal paid for via the cryptocurrency, bitcoin. Prior to eToro, Dylan worked in the sports industry for over a decade at companies such as Fast Track, where he delivered both global and grassroots sponsorship campaigns.

Dylan will be joined at the 2018 Lausanne Summit by:

  • André Stöckli,  Head of Sponsoring, Raiffeisen Schweiz
  • Joey Tan, Head of Global Strategic Initiatives, Alibaba
  • Mo Fadl, Head of eSports, Riot Games UK
  • Kalvin Chung, Director of MnM Gaming
  • Sébastien de Chaunac, Head of Communication and Brand Activation, Formula E program, ABB
  • Andrew Ryan, Executive Director, ASOIF
  • Sébastien Audoux, Head of OTT Sports, Canal+
  • Daniel Marion, Chief of Information and Communication Technology, UEFA
  • Brent Barry, Head of eSports, Logitech
  • David Dellea, Head of Sports Business Advisory, PwC
  • Simon Morton, COO, UK Sport
  • Javier Alonso, Executive Director of Kosmos & CEO of Kosmos Tennis
  • Candice Mudrick, Senior Client Director, Newzoo
  • Felix Blank, Director of Digital Platforms, Sportradar
  • Diego Gilardoni, International Consultant, Author & China Specialist, Hofstede Insights
  • Marco Tinnirello, CEO, Eurovision Media Services

 

 

 

iSportconnect’s 2018 Lausanne Summit will bring together some of the key leaders from the world of sport business, to debate the topics that are currently transforming the industry. 

The 2018 Lausanne Summit will be an opportunity for top-tier executives to experience and enjoy the unique learning and networking benefits available at this exclusive invitation-only event. All discussions will remain confidential under the Chatham House Rule.

Invitation Policy: The 2018 Lausanne Summit is an invitation-only event. Complimentary invitations will be overseen by PwC at its own discretion. If available, iSportconnect may issue a limited amount of tickets for purchase on a first come first serve basis. Invitations are personal and cannot be transferred.

For limited partnership opportunities, please contact Hugo Millns (hugo@isportconnect.com)

Kosmos CEO Alonso Will Feature At Lausanne Summit

iSportconnect is pleased to announce that  Javier Alonso, Executive Director of Kosmos and CEO of Kosmos Tennis, will feature as the subject of the Interview of the Day at the 2018 Lausanne Summit, powered by PwC and in association with ThinkSport, taking place on September 25th, 2018.

Before joining Kosmos, Javier spent 25 years in the management team of Dorna Sports, the commercial rights holder for leading motorcycling championships including the MotoGP series.

As Dorna’s Managing Director of Events, he was responsible for the organisation of all the group’s international racing events. He was also Executive Director of the World Superbike Championship.

Kosmos is a Barcelona-based holding company founded and chaired by professional football player Gerard Piqué, and backed by Hiroshi Mikitani, the Chairman and CEO of e-commerce giant Rakuten.

Earlier this year, the International Tennis Federation unveiled a 25-year, $3 billion partnership with Kosmos aimed at transforming the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas and generating substantial revenues for global tennis development.

From 2019, the competition will see 18 nations and the world’s best players compete in a week-long season finale to be crowned Davis Cup champions.

Kosmos is currently building a global portfolio of sports, media, and entertainment ventures, leveraging strategic synergies across content, platforms, technologies and geographies.

They will be joined at the 2018 Lausanne Summit by:

  • Joey Tan, Head of Global Strategic Initiatives, Alibaba
  • Stephane Fillastre, Head of Brand, Licensing & Retail, FIA
  • Sébastien de Chaunac, Head of Communication and Brand Activation, Formula E program, ABB
  • Andrew Ryan, Executive Director, ASOIF
  • Sébastien Audoux, Head of OTT Sports, Canal+
  • Daniel Marion, Chief of Information and Communication Technology, UEFA
  • Brent Barry, Head of eSports, Logitech
  • David Dellea, Head of Sports Business Advisory, PwC
  • Marco Tinnirello, CEO, Eurovision Media Services
  • Candice Mudrick, Senior Client Director, Newzoo
  • Felix Blank, Director of Digital Platforms, Sportradar
  • Mo Fadl, Head of eSports, Riot Games UK
  • Diego Gilardoni, International Consultant, Author and China Specialist, Hofstede Insights
  • Simon Morton, COO, UK Sport

 

iSportconnect’s 2018 Lausanne Summit will bring together some of the key leaders from the world of sport business, to debate the topics that are currently transforming the industry. 

The 2018 Lausanne Summit will be an opportunity for top-tier executives to experience and enjoy the unique learning and networking benefits available at this exclusive invitation-only event. All discussions will remain confidential under the Chatham House Rule.

Please contact Chloe McCombie (chloe@isportconnect.com) to register your interest in attending the 2018 Lausanne Summit.

Sandoz Foundation (Lausanne Palace) is our Hotel Partner for the 2018 Lausanne Summit. In order to book your accommodation for the event at a special rate, please click here.

Invitation Policy: The 2018 Lausanne Summit is an invitation-only event. Complimentary invitations will be overseen by PwC at its own discretion. If available, iSportconnect may issue a limited amount of tickets for purchase on a first come first serve basis. Invitations are personal and cannot be transferred.

For limited partnership opportunities, please contact Hugo Millns (hugo@isportconnect.com)

Manchester City Profits Up As Revenue Hits Record High

Manchester City’s revenues reached an all-time high of £500.5 million for the 2017-18 financial year, breaking £500 million for the first time, an increase of 44% in five years.

The club is now in its fourth year as a profitable enterprise, with profits bouncing back to a reported £10 million.

Profits reached £20 million 2015-16 before slipping to £1 million the following year.

Commercial revenues for 2017-18 grew by 7% to £232.3 million as Gatorade, Tinder and Marathonbet signed on as new partners and several of partnerships were renewed and extended.

Partners all developed engaging activations during the year, most notably SAP, Wix and UBTECH.

Broadcast revenues were up 4% to £211.5 million.

Matchday revenue increased by 9% to £56.7 million.

Club Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said “most of the developments visible today are the result of a carefully crafted strategy — one in which organic evolution has also been allowed to thrive.”

Manchester City CEO Ferran Soriano (in photo) said: “We recognise that the sporting challenge continues. Consistent domestic success and further development in the Champions League will be our focus in 2018-19 and the seasons to come.”

The photo comes from the 2014 iSporconnect Brands Masterclass hosted at City Football Group headquarters, in which he took part in a two-way session with WPP Chairman Sir Martin Sorrell.

UK Athletics Chief Steps Down

UK Athletics Chief Executive Niels de Vos is stepping down after eleven years at the governing body, effective at the end of this month.

Nigel Holl, UKA’s Strategy and Partnerships Director, will assume the role of Interim Chief Executive.

An open recruitment process will commence shortly.

With De Vos at the helm, the UK delivered the successful IAAF World Championships and World Para Athletics Championships and established the Anniversary Games as well as this year’s newly-launched Athletics World Cup.

Richard Bowker, Chairman of UKA said: “Niels has been a fantastic servant to not only UKA, but the sport of Athletics as a whole. The sport has grown and been hugely successful under his leadership. Today’s announcement is the culmination of a number of months dialogue about his ambitions to set up his own business. He leaves with our enormous thanks and we wish him well for the future.”

UK Athletics will retain the departing CEO’s services in a limited capacity so that a number of important issues where he has led discussions and negotiations can be wrapped up.

Shakhtar Donetsk Links With HYPE Sports

Ukrainian football club Shakhtar Donetsk has teamed-up with Israel-based HYPE Sports Innovation to become an accelerator of sports start-ups.

The Ukrainian side will launch the SPIN accelerator, a programme aimed at inviting Ukrainian start-ups to propose innovative solutions in areas related to sport, such as fan engagement, big data, smart stadium, and more.

The start-ups selected during the selection process will then be invited to become partners of Shakhtar FC.

Tel Aviv-based HYPE runs a network of 8 SPIN Accelerators around the world as well as activities with federations and brands, connecting them to thousands of sports start-ups.

The company’s activities are aimed at leading to investment and implementation of innovation in the various leading sports sectors globally.

“Thanks to the operation of the accelerator, the Ukrainian sports start-ups will be able to become a part of the global sports and IT market for the first time ever and to receive funds for their development,” said Yuriy Sviridov, FC Shakhtar Communications Director.

He added: “Shakhtar is interested in new technology that will enable the club to raise the fans’ interest in attending matches and help the team to win every game and claim trophies.”

Amir Raveh, HYPE Sports Innovation’s Founder and President, said: “It’s our honour to partner with Shakhtar, a team that has such impressive achievements on local and European level.”

AS Roma Teams With EA Sports

Serie A club AS Roma has a new partnership with video game developer Electronic Arts.

Under the two-year agreement, EA Sports and AS Roma will offer each other significant visibility on their communication channels, and will jointly develop exclusive content for the next EA Sports FIFA 19 game, which will be released on 28 September.

AS Roma will also be among the available teams in the FIFA 19 demo.

Juventus Debt Burden Doubles

Serie A club Juventus has reported a big increase in its debt load as part of a disappointing annual report including a loss for the 2017-18 financial year.

Debt rose to €309.8 million, an increase of 90.7% from the previous year.

The Turin-based club, which won its seventh league title in a row and 36th in history last season, reported a loss of €19.2 million for the year ending June 30, after showing profits of €42.6 million in the 2016-17 financial year.

This negative result reflects a 10.3% decrease in overall revenues to €504.7 million.

However, sponsorship and other commercial revenues rose 16.2% to €86.9 million.

The club also trimmed operating costs by 4.3% to €383.2 million from €400.6 million the previous year).

Juventus Chairman Andrea Agnelli (in photo) will preside over a Shareholders’ Meeting to approve the results on October 25.

The Juventus Shareholder’s Meeting is called for 25 October 2018.The seven-time Serie A champion will be expecting the commercial power of new signing Cristiano Ronaldo to help turn the tide this season.

That has been reflected in the share price of the club, which has doubled since the signing of the Portuguese star during the summer.

The report said: “The 2018/2019 financial year, currently forecast to end in a loss, will be as usual strongly influenced by the performance of sports results and in particular the UEFA Champions League.”