Brentford FC announce partnership with Boosh 365

Brentford Football Club announced a new partnership with communications service provider Boosh 365.

Boosh 365 offer communications services for large and small businesses and they have now signed up as a Brentford FC Official Club Supplier.

The firm, a Vodafone Total Communications Partner, offers broadband and mobile phone support for a variety of businesses.

Mark Rose, managing director at Boosh 365, said: “Partnering with Brentford FC is a huge honour for Boosh 365, I’m a huge football fan and love the feel of the club.

“It’s been great to be a supplier to the Club for their telecoms and even better now to be partnering with them.”

James Parkinson, Brentford FC’s commercial director, said: “Boosh 365 are a young, forward-thinking company who are working closely with Brentford FC to help redefine our mobile communications platform.”

“We’re appreciative of Boosh 365 joining our rapidly growing partnership family.”

Volvo Ocean Race release list of broadcast partners

The Volvo Ocean Race and its global distribution agency Sunset+Vine announced their initial list of broadcast partners this week in advance of the race start on 22 October 2017.

Twitter, Facebook, Apple and Samsung will bring race content to the most popular digital platforms in the world, while Spain (TVE/Teledeporte), Portugal (RTP), Brasil (TV Brasil), France (Sport+), South Africa (SuperSport), Australia (Fox Sports), New Zealand (Sky NZ), UK (Sky Sports) and Holland (NOS) all feature national channels or premier sports broadcasters covering the race programming throughout nine months.

Other premium broadcasters in top markets include J-Sport (Japan), Sport TV (Turkey), TG4 (Ireland) and Sweden’s TV3 Sport.

On the digital side, Sunset+Vine has delivered partnerships for the race with leading online and mobile platforms such as Sina.com (China), Twitter (Global), Tencent (China), Aftonbladet Sport (Sweden), Samsung (Asia) and OutsideTV.com (USA) to bring the race’s award-winning content to smartphones, desktops and tablets.

The TV programming will consist of a one-hour race preview, nine 30-minute leg summary shows and a one-hour race review in August 2018 for seven hours of TV coverage.

“With our new crew communicator, we will have video footage going right from the boats 3,000 miles at sea into the hands of sports and sailing fans in an instant,” said Leon Sefton, head of television of Volvo Ocean Race.

“Enhancing longer-form television content, we want fans to catch glimpses of our race and our incredible sailing footage on their social feeds via popular sports websites and on sports news shows in their home markets throughout the nine months of this competition.”

Andrew Piller, head of media partnerships at Sunset+Vine, added: “Volvo has taken an exciting new digital-first approach to this race and Sunset+Vine is delighted to have played a key role in leveraging across not just traditional television networks but also the digital and social channels.

“The new emphasis on digital content is a decision we made during the last cycle to provide raw and unfiltered content straight from the boats – to let the public and sports fans see what it’s like to sail around the world in some of the toughest possible conditions over 45,000 nautical miles.”

IOC launches new Candidature Process for 2026 Winter Olympic Games

In line with Olympic Agenda 2020, the Candidature Process for the 2026 Winter Olympics has been reformed to enable cities and NOCs to have more sustainable, feasible and cost-effective  Games, and to align with their local, regional and national long-term development goals.

The new Candidature Process for the Olympic Winter Games 2026 ensures a reduction in the workload for the candidates by requiring fewer deliverables, and comprises two stages:

  • A new, one-year non-committal Dialogue Stage(October 2017 to October 2018) that will provide Interested Cities and NOCs with an opportunity to engage in a collaboration with the IOC to assess the benefits and requirements related to hosting the Games.
  • A shortened formal Candidature Stage(October 2018 to September 2019) with streamlined procedures enabling those selected Candidate Cities to work closely with the IOC to ensure the best possible Games delivery and long-term legacy plans.

Cities will not be required to submit any formal proposals and guarantees, or make any presentations. The IOC will send teams of technical experts to help develop cities’ candidatures.

In October 2018, the IOC Session will invite a number of Interested Cities to participate in the Candidature Stage.

Candidates will be asked to submit a single Candidature File, due in January 2019, and the number of questions in the questionnaire has been reduced by one third.

The Host City Contract 2026 will be published in July 2018 and will include an IOC contribution to the success of the Games estimated at  $925 million.

The new process for the Olympic Winter Games 2026 builds on the recommendations of the Olympic Winter Games Strategic Working Group, composed of IOC Members, representatives from the seven Winter International Federations, National Olympic Committees, winter-sport Olympians, TOP Partners, the IOC administration and experts.

iSportconnect to help LaLiga achieve global ambitions

(LONDON) – iSportconnect today announced an expanded relationship with LaLiga to help the Spanish top flight football league achieve its global ambitions.

As part of the relationship iSportconnect will do what it does best: build new connections, and deepen existing ones, between LaLiga and major players in the sports business community to support LaLiga’s drive to grow its brand and brand partnerships on the global stage.

“We are thrilled and honoured to work with an iconic sports organisation such as LaLiga,” said Sree Varma, founder and CEO of iSportconnect.

“We can’t wait to put our platform at the service of LaLiga in the global sports business community. LaLiga is already a global success and this partnership promises even better days ahead.”

LaLiga has been focused on global growth following the first centralised sale of TV broadcast rights in 2015. LaLiga President Javier Tebas has set forth a clear vision to grow the brand as well as the audience for the Spanish football league, widely considered to be the world’s best.

In the 2016/2017 season, LaLiga attracted a record viewership of over 2.5 billion globally. This season the TV broadcast is an even bigger spectacle thanks to continued technological innovations.

“LaLiga has seen a tremendous increase in terms of global brand and sponsoring awareness,” said Adolfo Bara, General Manager Marketing & Sales at LaLiga.

“For us, it is key to partner with top international business/sports platforms that help us increase our profile and awareness among key stakeholders in the industry. iSportconnect through its network and private events gives us tremendous support on global expansion strategies.”

About iSportconnect:

iSportconnect was launched in 2010 with the aim of bringing together sports business professionals around the world in a sports business networking community enabling them to meet one another, find information and obtain access to a wide range of relevant services.

The platform is now the largest global private network of sport business executives, where membership is exclusive and follows a strict door policy.

Sky Sports and At The Races secure 2017 Breeders’ Cup Classic broadcasting rights

At The Races and Sky Sports will broadcast the 2017 Breeders’ Cup Classic exclusively live on 4th November, giving viewers the chance to watch superstar racehorse Arrogate’s last ever run before retirement.

Arrogate, renamed the world’s best horse, with an official rating of 134 and the thoroughbred who has won more prize-money than any other, will be retired to stud after running in the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic race to be held this year at Del Mar, California.

At The Races will be the only place to watch every Breeders’ Cup World Championships race live in the UK this year. The channel will mix its own live studio production with full NBC coverage on both Friday 3rd and Saturday 4th November.

Attheraces.com, one of the UK and Ireland’s largest racing website, will again host a dedicated Breeders’ Cup event website.

Sky Sports will pick up NBC coverage late on Saturday night with their own studio presentation including all the news, build-up and live race action from sixty minutes before Post time for the feature Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Matthew Imi, chief executive, At The Races said: “Arrogate should make this year’s Classic very special and the Breeders’ Cup continues to be a wonderful and unrivalled international showcase for our sport.

“We look forward to following all the stories and excitement again with coverage across our TV, website and social media channels.”

Craig Fravel, president and CEO of Breeders’ Cup Limited, added: “At The Races has always been a great partner for the Breeders’ Cup and we value the dedicated and committed coverage it provides.

“We are particularly delighted this year, working with ATR, to have secured additional coverage on Sky Sports for the Breeders’ Cup Classic.”

Lagardère Sports and Entertainment launches global partnership marketing agency

Lagardère Sports and Entertainment has launched Lagardère Plus, a global agency with a mission to transform traditional brand sponsorships into highly inventive and impactful marketing platforms.

The new agency incorporates Lagardère Sports and Entertainment’s existing global consulting businesses, including agencies akzio! and Zaechel Int. in Germany, and Sponsorship 360 in France.

“From sports, music and entertainment, to culinary and cause marketing, Lagardère Plus will help brands and properties get the attention they need in a distracted world,” said Andrew Georgiou, CEO of Lagardère Sports and Entertainment.

“As media fragmentation affects many of the marketing channels that CMOs have relied on for decades, partnership marketing becomes absolutely vital for brands to connect with their audiences. Lagardère Plus combines global expertise and experience with highly knowledgeable local teams to deliver exceptional results.”

As part of this new effort, Lagardère has acquired Brave, a London-based agency with an impressive track record in developing and delivering creative campaigns for global brands including Amazon Prime, Brown Forman, and Greenpeace.

Sina Sports to broadcast Volvo Ocean Race in China

The Volvo Ocean Race and Sina Sports in China have agreed to a content partnership that will see the video and digital coverage from the upcoming Volvo Ocean Race 2017-18 distributed across the Sina Sports platforms.

Along with an 11-part television series that begins in October and runs monthly through July 2018, Sina Sports will also feature weekly race updates, regular news highlights and streaming of race leg starts, in-port races and leg finishes and arrivals of the fleet into each port stopover.

Sina Sports will also distribute highlights on the popular Weibo platform in China, which will be showing the race’s weekly update.

“Since 2008-09 when the race first stopped in Qingdao, China has been a critical market for the global growth and visibility of the Volvo Ocean Race,” said Volvo Ocean Race Chief Digital Officer Jordi Neves.

“Over the past decade, that growth has seen a Chinese boat in the fleet, numerous Chinese sailors and several highly successful stopovers in China. Partnering with an outlet like Sina, which commands such a broad reach, will further our efforts to reach new sailing and sports fans in China and across Asia.”

This edition of the race also features stopovers in Hong Kong and Guangzhou in January and February 2018.

Morocco replaces Kenya as host of African Nations Championship

The Emergency Committee of the Confederation Africaine de Football (CAF) unanimously decided to grant the organization of the 5th edition of the Total African Nations Championship (CHAN) to the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, replacing Kenya.

Morocco presented its candidature following the withdrawal of Kenya, decided on 23 September 2017 in Accra, Ghana.

Following the withdrawal, The CAF put together an Emergency Committee to conduct the bidding process to select a new host country.

The candidacy of Morocco was preferred to that of Equatorial Guinea.

Total CHAN,  taking place from 12 January to 4 February 2018, will bring together 16 national teams composed exclusively of players playing in the national championships of their respective countries.

Fulham FC and Adidas extend partnership until 2023

Adidas and Fulham FC announced a new partnership extension until 2023.

Adidas and Fulham have a long history together, having originally partnered in 1977/78 and then again in 1997/98.

The two came back together for the 2013/14 season and this extension will keep the club in the three stripes up to the end of the 2022/23 campaign.

The announcement of this long-term deal coincides with the re-opening of the newly refurbished and stylish Stadium Store at Craven Cottage which is situated within the Johnny Haynes Stand.

Casper Stylsvig, chief revenue officer of Fulham FC, said:  “We have established a successful partnership with Adidas over the past few years and are delighted this has now been extended.

“Adidas is a prestigious brand which continues to demonstrate best in class qualities. We share common goals to bring success and realise our ambitions during the coming seasons, demonstrated by a mutual commitment by both parties with this long-term extension.”

Gavin Thomson, managing director of Adidas UK, added: “The extension of our partnership with Fulham FC was a simple decision for us; the club is building on their unique history as London’s original football team and are looking to the future, which we look forward to creating with them.”

SportAccord convention is the only event guaranteed to have all international sports federations present

Making choices can be tricky when it comes to selecting which events to attend for organisations involved in the business of sport.

With so much to consider, as well as Asia-Pacific set to overtake Europe in sponsorship spend, organisations who want to ensure they make the most from their investments, should register and become involved in the SportAccord Convention 2018 to be held in Bangkok, Thailand.

Why? SportAccord Convention is the only global sports business event guaranteed to have all the international sports federations present.

Delegates can rest assured they will have access to 109 Members and Associate Member organisations, as well as 7 Observers, during the world sport and business summit.

SportAccord Convention offers a unique and exclusive networking environment, placing stakeholders in the perfect position to meet the key decision-makers in sport. Here are some compelling reasons for anyone who has a vested interest in sport, to invest and become an exhibitor at the 16th edition in Bangkok, Thailand.

  • APAC is becoming the hottest global market with sponsorship growth expected to reach record levels
  • Nearly 40% of confirmed exhibitors are international sports federations who are actively looking to engage
  • Over 30% of exhibitors are cities and regions – just under half of these organisations are partners too
  • Every sport needs equipment manufacturers to operate an event
  • 43% of the exhibition floor space has been reserved already – booths are being snapped-up quickly
  • Exhibition booths always sell-out well in advance of the Convention
  • For the first time, all delegates will pass through the exhibition area to access the conference auditorium and meeting rooms
  • The SAC Café is larger than ever and located within the exhibition zone with many great locations for delegates to network and take in the experience
  • Top speakers are signing-up for the #SAC2018 conference programme with the highly topical theme – Uniting a Global Audience: Marketing & Sponsorship for the Future

Commenting on the reasons why The World Games 2021 Birmingham (TWG 2021 BHM) and Greater Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau (GBCVB) have secured an exhibition booth (No. 113), Steve Mistrot, Sport Director, TWG 2021 BHM said:

“SportAccord Convention provides opportunities to develop relationships with the IWGA Member Federations. Partnering with GBCVB this year as Exhibitors provides valuable visibility for both organizations:

“For TWG 2021 BHM, a branded space to meet with IWGA Member Federations; for GBCVB, visibility to market Birmingham as a viable host for future events.”

Entry-level booths for SportAccord Convention will start at 6m² and include 4 delegate passes (increasing with booth size), graphics, TV, furniture, information counter, Wi-Fi, power, lights and carpet. Visit the website for further information including the Official Schedule or to register, and become an exhibitor, partner or delegate.