MLS and Fanatics announce new long-term global partnership

Major League Soccer (MLS) and Fanatics have today announced a long-term global agreement, which will begin in 2019.

In addition to extending the long-standing ecommerce relationship between the two organisations, the multi-channel deal is highlighted by Fanatics gaining worldwide rights to exclusively produce MLS fan gear apparel, headwear and hard goods across all retail and wholesale channels.

Fanatics, who recently acquired leading apparel brand Majestic, is set to use its agile supply chain and vertical manufacturing model to activate new MLS licensing rights across a wide array of categories the company specialises in.

Under the new agreement, Fanatics and MLS will also work together to identify and secure additional companies to grow the overall assortment of high quality products available to fans worldwide.

Kathy Carter, President of Soccer United Marketing, MLS’ commercial arm, said: “Fanatics has been a strong digital commerce partner of the League and our Clubs and we are looking forward to expanding our partnership and capitalizing on their expertise in licensed sports merchandising.

“We will be working closely with the Fanatics team to substantially expand our fanwear product assortments across all MLS Clubs, starting with the expanded categories that the Fanatics and Majestic brands will be bringing to the market.”

Gary Gertzog, Fanatics President of Business Affairs, added: “MLS fans are some of the most passionate and tech-savvy across the entire sports landscape, and we are excited to expand our partnership with this rapidly growing league to provide a significantly enhanced multichannel assortment of unique and timely products from both our Fanatics and Majestic brands as well as other top companies worldwide.

“Our philosophy of faster speed-to-market of merchandise will ensure fans can celebrate the players and teams they love in real-time, including special items for championship moments, record-breaking feats and breakthrough performances.”

The new agreement complements MLS’ existing partnership with Adidas – the official sponsor for the League, its clubs, MLS youth academies and youth affiliated clubs – for all products worn on the field by MLS athletes and technical staff.

AirAsia becomes UFC Official Airline sponsor

The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has announced a partnership with AirAsia as its Official Airline Sponsor.

As part of the collaboration, AirAsia will obtain rights to signage and branding inside UFC’s “Octagon” during the event in Shanghai and selected international UFC events in 2018.

AirAsia will also serve as presenting sponsor of select UFC Fan Experiences throughout the region, and it will be integrated across multiple UFC-based social and digital platforms, as well as having a presence during live-event broadcasts and on UFC.com.

As part of this partnership, Air Asia will also select an Asia-based athlete who will be awarded an all-expenses-paid scholarship that includes travel to the United States and training at the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas, NV.

UFC Asia-Pacific president Kevin Chang said:  “AirAsia is an innovative and fast-growing brand, we thank them for the support and we’re looking forward to creating engaging branded content for fight fans and AirAsia customers to enjoy.”

“The UFC expanded from their first event in Denver to the rest of the US and then to Asia-Pacific and the world, while AirAsia grew from a small domestic airline into Asia’s largest low-cost carrier that now flies to the US.

“Opposite directions but chasing the same dream, and we are thrilled to team up with a brand that shares our drive and vision.”

Eurosport agree deal with World Snooker to broadcast Shanghai Masters

World Snooker and Eurosport announced that the sports channel will broadcast the Shanghai Masters world ranking event.

The tournament is a new addition to the World Snooker calendar, and World Snooker and Eurosport have now agreed to add it to this season’s roster of events to be broadcast by the channel.

The 2017 Shanghai Masters runs from 13-18 November and will feature top stars including Ronnie O’Sullivan, John Higgins, Mark Selby, Judd Trump and defending champion Ding Junhui.

Promoted by Shanghai Juss Sports, the event will be staged at Shanghai Indoor Stadium, with record prize money of £700,000 ($815 thousand).

The Shanghai Masters will be broadcast on Eurosport and Eurosport Player in 54 countries and territories on Eurosport across Europe.

Gullivers Sports Travel becomes Netball World Cup 2019 Official Travel Office provider

Netball World Cup 2019 has announced the appointment of Gullivers Sports Travel as Official Travel Office provider for the event.

The event takes place from 12-21 July 2019 and will see the top 16 teams in the world go head-to-head at Echo Arena Liverpool.

As Official Travel Office provider, Gullivers Sports Travel will be responsible for developing, promoting and fulfilling packages for travelling fans from the UK and overseas through appointed official travel agents.

Netball World Cup 2019’s Event Director Lindsay Impett said: “We are delighted to have appointed Gullivers Sports Travel to work with us to provide high-quality and memorable experiences for fans travelling to the Netball World Cup.

“Gullivers Sports Travel has a proven track record of delivering for sports fans all over the world and we look forward to working with them to create something special for this event.

“The Official Travel Office programme will allow fans the chance to enjoy the event alongside the many other experiences Liverpool has to offer visitors from the UK and overseas.”

Gullivers Sports Travel’s Managing Director Sam Seward said: “As the longest-running sports tour operator in the UK and having operated netball tours for over 40 years, we fully understand the needs of the travelling fan and we look forward to supporting the Netball World Cup 2019 by providing event tickets, merchandise, bespoke events, and carefully selected hotels to supporters for a hassle-free, great value way of attending the Netball World Cup 2019 in Liverpool.

“Hosting the event in Liverpool provides a fantastic opportunity for netball fans of all ages to enjoy the unique atmosphere and world-class netball that is on offer.

“Our extensive network of travel contacts and suppliers is the perfect way to ensure that those travelling from the UK and overseas are guaranteed a great experience.”

Next Gen ATP Finals receive strong commercial support ahead of inaugural event

Numerous well-renowned brands in the world of tennis are endorsing the inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan, set to take place at the Fiera Milano from 7-11 November.

The tournament will showcase  21-and-Under players competing in an experimental format that will feature numerous innovations and rule changes to the game.

Commercial partners for the tournament include:

PEUGEOT
As Official Car and Platinum Partner of the tournament, PEUGEOT will receive significant on-court brand exposure at the event. The French car manufacturer will as well provide 20 vehicles as part of the tournament’s official transportation service.

EMIRATES
As Official Airline and Premier Partner of the ATP World Tour, Emirates in Milan will be present via the net branding, in line with more than 60 events on the Tour.

RADO
As Official Timekeeper and Gold Partner of the event, RADO-branded clocks will be featured on-site and around the main match court. Additionally, RADO will sponsor the Shot Clock, one of the numerous innovations to be tested at this year’s tournament.

A 25-second Shot Clock will feature in between each point during matches, as well as being used for a 5-minute countdown from the beginning of the walk-on to the start of each match.

LOTTO
As a Silver Partner, Lotto will dress the tournament’s ball kids on the court, as well as occupying a booth in the tournament Fan Zone.

HEAD
As an Official Partner and official Tennis Ball of the ATP World Tour since 1994, HEAD will supply HEAD ATP balls for the tournament.

TECNIFIBRE
The Paris-based Official Stringer of the ATP World Tour will provide the stringing service of the Tournament. Tecnifibre will perform the professional service for players in the Fan Zone, where a wide range of Tecnifibre products will be displayed.

Angelo Binaghi, president of the Italian Tennis Federation, said: “Our tournament’s mission to experiment with change has received strong commercial backing and provides a great foundation for the event in year one.

“We are committed to looking to the future, with an innovative presentation of the sport, not just on the court but across all elements of the tournament. We look forward to an exciting inaugural event.”

Middlesex Cricket appoints We Are Disrupt

Middlesex Cricket has today appointed We Are Disrupt to support the delivery of their women and girls’ cricket strategy.

Richard Goatley, Chief Executive of Middlesex Cricket, said: “At Middlesex Cricket, we are committed to making cricket a sport for all, regardless of gender, age or ethnicity. With an incredible victory for England Women at the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2017 in front of a capacity crowd, we believe we are on the cusp of a revolution in the sport.

“Middlesex Cricket’s ambition is to be leaders in this revolution by increasing the number of opportunities for women and girls to play cricket at a community level, attracting more female fans and supporting Middlesex Women to success. We are very much looking forward to working with We Are Disrupt to make all this happen.”

Emma Lax, Managing Director of We Are Disrupt, added: “We are very excited to be appointed by Middlesex Cricket to deliver their strategy for women and girls’ cricket, enabling them to unlock additional revenue to invest in the growth of the game.

“Our team are passionate about ensuring that cricket is a sport for all and we are excited by the opportunity to partner with the Middlesex Cricket to achieve this.”

The aim of the strategy is to unlock the commercial opportunity of women and girls’ cricket, enabling them to accelerate the development of the game across London.

The Ticket Factory announced as national supplier for IAAF World Indoor Championships Birmingham 2018

The Ticket Factory has been announced as a national supplier for the IAAF World Indoor Championships Birmingham 2018.

More than 500 athletes from 150 countries are expected to take part in the six competition sessions of athletics that the Championships will bring to the city. Around 25,000 spectators are expected to flock to Arena Birmingham, making the Championships the most significant indoor sports event to be held in Birmingham for 15 years.

The price of tickets varies for each session, with three categories of ticket offering great choice as well as great value.

There are £5 tickets available for children aged 2 to 16, students and people over 65 and, thanks to the supplier agreement with The Ticket Factory, no fees are being charged on these tickets, keeping the cost as low as possible for purchasers.

Phil Mead, Managing Director of The Ticket Factory, said: “As a flexible and agile ticketing agent, focusing on driving sales through the customer experience and smart use of data, we’re offering sporting bodies a credible alternative to the traditional operators.

“Our blend of technology, insight, digital marketing and old fashioned operational service is really starting to hit home in the sports market.

“Over the last 12 months we have significantly strengthened our position within the sports sector, working with a number of national governing bodies and high profile sporting events. This new contract with the IAAF World Indoor Championships Birmingham 2018 takes it a step further.”

Joan Durose, Championships Director, added: “We are delighted to have The Ticket Factory on board as a national supplier and they have already helped us to sell thousands of tickets for this event.

“The Championships is fantastic value as a family of four can see the IAAF World Indoor Championships for just £50, ensuring that this event is accessible for the people of Birmingham and athletics fans across the country.

“Thanks to strong ticket sales in recent weeks we already know that we’ll have big crowds at Arena Birmingham, which is a fantastic venue for indoor athletics, as it allows spectators to get up close to the action.

“The atmosphere is always amazing at the Indoor Grand Prix, so we are expecting spectators to raise the roof in March when the world’s best athletes will be in Birmingham.”

Zoë Collins appointed new Chair of Women in Sport

Zoë Collins has today been appointed as the new Chair of Trustees for the UK’s leading women’s sport charity.

Collins is responsible for setting the creative direction and delivery of all TV and digital content for the Jamie Oliver brand.

She has worked as a communications professional in both a corporate and social change environment and is passionate about sport and healthy, active lifestyles, having built her career around the promotion of healthy eating over the last 15 years.

Collins said of her appointment: “I am delighted to become Chair of the Board of Trustees for Women in Sport. The charity has a pivotal role to play in empowering women and girls to regularly participate in sport and reap all the benefits it offers, as well as educating and supporting the sport sector itself as to the benefits of diversity.

“Building on my experience of working with Jamie on food and nutrition campaigns, I am excited to now be taking those same principles and values into other areas and to be leading such an influential and important charity.”

Ruth Holdaway, CEO of Women in Sport, added: “There is still much to be done before we can say that the gender gap in sport is finally closed, and that every woman and girl in the UK feels empowered by the benefits of an active lifestyle.

“Zoë brings a wealth of influencing and social change campaigning experience to the charity, and is extremely well placed to lead our work to drive this important agenda forward. We can’t wait to start working with her.”

The appointment follows Sally Hancock’s decision earlier in the year to stand down from the role at the end of her four-year term this month.

‘The Oscars of Sports Technology’ now open for 2018 entries

As the leading mark of excellence in sports technology internationally, The Sports Technology Awards are now widely regarded as making a tangible commercial difference to the businesses which are recognised by them.

NBA, Hawk-Eye, Draft Kings, WTA, Football Whispers, LA Dodgers and PGA have all submitted entries to the Sports Technology Awards in the past with winners and shortlistees reporting tangible business returns following their triumph.

For the past winners, success has come in the form of reduced sales cycles, quicker inbound investment, improved staffing and elevated client discussions.

The Awards believe that theirs are the most transparent and fair judging process in the sector and at £245+VAT,  offer entry fees priced to be affordable to all sizes of marketing budget.

Vivion Cox, CEO of Football Whispers, 2017 Winner Outstanding Start Up, explained the positive impact The Sports Technology Awards has had on his business: ‘I would 100% recommend the STAs to any organization…it allows you to compete and stand out from the crowd.

The level of names and brands associated with the event is of an extremely high caliber so if people are looking for an award to increase credibility, this is absolutely the one to go for. The kudos we have received has resulted in tangible partnerships with people reaching out to contact us from all parts of the world.’

Enter now at www.sportstechnologyawards.com or call the sales team on +44 (0) 20 3198 2771

Real Madrid enters into social media partnership with Weibo

LaLiga football club Real Madrid has entered into a new partnership with Chinese social media platform Sina Weibo.

As part of the agreement, Weibo will become the reigning Champions League holders’ official Chinese-language social media platform, with content set to focus on team training, fan engagement and player videos.

Madrid already count Facebook and Twitter as official social media partners and the agreement with Weibo arrives after the recent news that Los Blancos will open an office in Beijing to help boost their growth in China.

Madrid’s Weibo account currently boasts almost 3 million followers while star players such as Cristiano Ronaldo also have significant fanbases on the platform.