The winners of this year’s STA Start Up Awards in London are set to be announced – and you can get a ‘virtual seat’ and watch events unfold, right here at iSportconnect.
The prestigious London-based ceremony, which celebrates new tech businesses, will be broadcast via live stream, only iSportconnect from 12 noon tomorrow (26th).
The STA Start Up Awards is part of the annual Sports Technology Awards, which has been running since 2014.
Yahoo Sport is the new headline sponsor of the UK’s annual Sports Technology Awards.
Renamed as the Yahoo Sports Technology Awards, this year’s London-based event will take place on May 3rd.
The US tech giant will sponsor both this and next year’s ceremony.
Nicholas Petche, Editor in Chief, Yahoo UK, said of the partnership: “The Awards reveal worldwide sports innovations unlike any other body and this relationship ensures we are uniquely positioned to inform our millions of Yahoo Sport readers of these game-changing technologies.’
Highlights of next week’s award ceremony will be broadcast on iSportconnect.
The Stars Group is set to acquire British-based Sky Betting & Gaming (SB&G) for a reported £3.4bn (€3.88bn).
It follows the decision by Sky Betting & Gaming’s majority owner CVC and partner Sky to sell to the Canadian online gambling giant.
According to reports, the acquisition will create the world’s largest publicly listed online gaming company.
Sky Betting & Gaming has some of the UKs best known betting brands including Sky Bet and Sky Vegas.
An announcement confirming the deal could be made as early as today (Monday).
Since the introduction of Financial Fair Play (FFP) in 2010, it’s been fiercely debated in footballing circles whether the UEFA regulations have made any difference to the game. It seems almost every year at least one major club’s transfer activity comes under close scrutiny.
Only last summer, Paris Saint-Germain’s signing of Barcelona striker Neymar for a world record fee of £200M (€228M) triggered cries of foul play from rival sides. Monaco’s Kylian Mbappe also joined the Ligue 1 giants for £156M (€178M). Few onlookers believed that the Qatari-owned club met the UEFA FFP requirements, designed to restrict financial losses and stop clubs spending beyond their means.
UEFA launched an investigation into PSG a few weeks later, but little else has happened since.
So is Financial Fair Play actually making a difference to football teams across Europe?
UEFA’s MD for Financial Sustainability & Research, Andrea Traverso, spoke to iSportconnect at the recent Finance Masterclass in London. He believes Financial Fair Play is making a difference:
Despite its questionable progress, other sports are watching on with interest. Mitesh Velani, CEO of Saracens RFC, told iSportconnect that rugby’s growing wealth could mean a similar system being implemented into their game:
Ed Hepworth is former Vice President of Strategy & Operations at NBA. Speaking at iSportconnect’s Finance Masterclass, he explained that creating a level financial playing field, especially for football clubs, is easier said than done.
Financial Fair Play has certainly altered the landscape of European football in recent years. However, it remains to be seen if the UEFA regulations will make much difference to elite club spending, or result in achieving the ultimate goal of a level playing field for teams cross the Continent.
International Federations cannot afford to link up with commercial partners that conflict with their ethical outlook, delegates heard during a lively SportAccord Summit debate in Bangkok on socially responsible marketing.
Caroline Baxter Tresise, from the Sector for Social and Human Sciences at UNESCO in Paris, warned IFs that failing to apply rigorous due diligence of potential partners and their industries can lead to dire long-term consequences.
“It is important for the smaller Federations to understand that the long-term impact can be devastating,” she said. “You need to evaluate brand sponsorship case by case so it does not conflict with your IF’s ethical statement. Public policy has a huge role to play here, as well as the IOC.”
However, Edelman’s Director of Public Affairs, Craig Woodhouse, called on sports to take the lead in setting the right example. “People want business to lead change rather than wait for the change to be led by the government,” he said. “It can never be enough to say, ‘we obey the rules’. If you want to take the consumer with you, you have to go further; you have to lead the way.”
This year’s SportAccord conference is due to end today (20th).
Arsene Wenger is to leave Arsenal at the end of the season, bringing the curtain down on a 22-year reign as manager.
The 68 year-old will depart the English Premier League club with a year still left on his contract.
The Frenchman led the Gunners to three Premier League titles and seven FA Cups, including the Double on two occasions in 1998 and 2002. However, they lie sixth in the table and are due to miss out on Champions League qualification for the second successive year, unless they win the Europa League.
“I am grateful for having had the privilege to serve the club for so many memorable years,” said Wenger. “I managed the club with full commitment and integrity.
“To all the Arsenal lovers, take care of the values of the club.”
The search for a successor to Wenger is now underway, with an appointment due as soon as possible.
According to this year’s Deloitte Football Money League, Arsenal are the 6th wealthiest club in the world, with recent revenue figures of £487.6M.
Crystal Palace are celebrating after been given the green light to build a new iconic Main Stand at their Selhurst Park stadium.
It follows Croydon Council’s decision to finally grant permission for the project to go ahead.
The scheme, which is expected to cost up to £100M, will increase the English Premier League side’s ground capacity from 26,000 to more than 34,000. The project is expected to generate more than £15M for the local economy and create hundreds of new jobs.
The plans are also expected to be approved by the London Mayor, Sadiq Khan.
The Eagles are hoping to begin work on the new stand at the end of next season, with likely completion in 2021.
Crystal Palace Chairman, Steve Parish, said: “I am absolutely delighted that Croydon Council has backed our plans for Selhurst Park. This project will not only transform the stadium, which has been our home since 1924, but it will also have a positive impact on the south London community. I wish to thank the lead officer and the councillors for their support, and for all the hard work that has been put in by the council over the last few months to ensure this application was heard so quickly.
He added: “I want to thank everyone who voiced support and those connected to the club who worked so hard over the last few months towards this very important step in the dream of a new Crystal Palace for Crystal Palace”.
Spanish football league LaLiga recorded free cash flow of €262m (£229.5m) in the 2016/17 season, following record investment of €1.146bn (£1.003bn).
The figures, published in the latest edition of the Professional Football Financial Report, include data on revenue, expenses and debt performance. Around €406m (£355.6m) was spent on improvements in infrastructure, whilst €740m (£648m) was invested in member club playing squads.
One of the key findings in the report showed clubs’ total revenues surpassed the €3.5bn (£3.06bn) mark last term, reaching €3.662bn (£3.208bn). This represents an increase of €495m (£433m) on the previous season and equates to an annual increase rate of 15.6%.
The clubs’ total revenues also increased by 64% compared to the 2011/2012 campaign, with broadcasting income enjoying significant growth, rising from €729m (£638.6m) to €1.455bn (£1.274bn).
The largest ever global study into the long-term health of athletes has been launched by the World Olympians Association (WOA) at this year’s SportAccord Summit in Bangkok.
Led by university sport injury professor and former Olympian, Dr Debbie Palmer, the landmark initiative is targeting more than 10,000 former competitors who no longer compete at an elite level. The move has the full support and backing of the International Olympic Committee.
The project intends to generate ground-breaking data on the long-term health of Olympians and identify the risk factors associated with elite-level sport in this area.
WOA President Joël Bouzou, International Ski Federation Secretary General, Sarah Lewis and World Rowing President, Jean-Christophe Rolland, announced the study’s launch at the Bangkok Convention Centre. Rolland and Lewis, both former athletes, are the first two Olympians to complete the health assessment.
WOA President, Joël Bouzou, said: “We are proud to launch WOA’s Olympian health study, which will greatly enhance the limited existing knowledge of the long-term health impact on Olympians. Our aim is to use this analysis to inform evidence-based recommendations and best-practice guidelines to benefit Olympians and other elite athletes.”
Dr Debbie Palmer, of Edinburgh Napier University, added: “Elite athletes are known to be exposed to high impact training and competition loads, leading to increased physiological demands that can be associated with a heightened risk of injury. This study seeks to better understand what those risks are and how they can be mitigated.”
The project is being promoted to all International Federations at the GAISF General Assembly tomorrow.