LA Lakers agree jersey patch sponsorship deal with Wish

The Los Angeles Lakers have announced a multi-year partnership with e-commerce platform Wish.

As part of the partnership, Wish’s logo will be featured on Lakers jerseys from the start of the 2017-18 season. Wish’s logo will be on a patch stitched into the Lakers jersey on the front left shoulder opposite the Nike logo.

The partnership is set to include a large-scale integrated marketing program, including in-arena fan engagement, plus social and digital activation.

Peter Szulczewski, CEO of Wish, said: “We are incredibly pleased to partner with the NBA’s most iconic brand.

“The Lakers epitomize a legacy of excellence and worldwide success. This partnership symbolizes our shared focus to reach all fans, not only within the LA community, but across every continent.”

Tim Harris, President of Business Operations and Chief Operating Officer, added: “We are thrilled to welcome Wish as a new partner of the Los Angeles Lakers.

“When it came to the jersey patch, knowing its prominent placement, our goal was to partner with an innovative and ambitious global company.

“Wish more than checks that box. They are a leader in e-commerce and are constantly striving to grow and improve their brand and how they connect with their consumers. In addition, and most importantly, we are excited to partner with a company that shares our commitment to giving back to the community.”

The deal is worth $12 million to $14 million per year, according to CBS Sports.

Zurich added to 2017/18 Formula E calendar

The FIA Formula E Championship will bring circuit racing back to Switzerland for the first time in over 60 years, with the inaugural Zurich E-Prix set to take place on June 10 2018.

Zurich has been added to an exciting list of new destinations on the 2017/18 schedule – joining fellow venue debutants Santiago, Sao Paulo and Rome.

Racing had previously been forbidden in Switzerland for decades, with the last event taking place at Bremgarten circuit in 1954. However, a law change in 2015 lifted restrictions on fully-electric racing and paved the way for next year’s event.

FIA President Jean Todt, said: “I am very pleased that circuit racing is returning to Switzerland next year with the FIA Formula E Championship event in Zurich

“To be able to reintroduce this discipline to a country where it has been absent since it was banned in 1955 is an exciting prospect and the achievement of an important goal for the FIA.

“I would like to congratulate everyone involved in making it a reality, as it is important for us to continue to bring motor sport to new audiences around the world. Together with the other new events on the calendar in Santiago, Sao Paulo and Rome, I believe we have a very strong season of Formula E ahead of us.”

Alejandro Agag, Founder & CEO of Formula E, added: “The calendar for next season is shaping up to be one of the most exciting yet with four new venues – including Zurich.

“I’m thrilled that Formula E is bringing racing back to Switzerland for the first time in over 60 years. This wouldn’t have been possible without the core fundamentals of Formula E – driving the electric revolution and sustainable mobility.

“Following the recent law changes this race was also made possible with the instrumental support of our Swiss partner, Julius Baer. I would like to express our gratitude to their CEO, Boris Collardi, and his entire team for their continued belief in Formula E – we’ve again been able to break new grounds in the world of motorsport.”

Juventus announce Asia-focused partnership with Costa Cruises

Serie A club Juventus has announced a regional partnership in Asia with Costa Cruises, part of the Carnival Corporation & Plc group, the world’s leading cruise ship.

The new agreement is set to ensure the two Italian companies can be exported to a key territory for both parties while the launch of the partnership will incorporate three events in the ports of Shanghai, Shenzhen and Tianjin.

Giorgio Ricci, Juventus Co-Chief Revenue Officer & Head of Business Partnership, said: “This partnership represents the meeting of two Italian forces of overseas excellence: Juventus and Costa Cruises.

“This deal is testimony to the great attention of our Club to a fast-growing market like Asia, where the passion for football and for the Bianconeri colours is constantly on the rise. Costa Cruises is definitely an ideal Partner with whom to develop joint entertainment activities.”

Mario Zanetti, President of Costa Group Asia, added: “As a pioneer in the cruise industry in Asia, Costa Cruises continuously strives to create new and exciting onboard experiences that delight our guests and exceed their expectations.

“Our Regional Partnership with Italian football giant Juventus not only enriches our onboard offerings, but also further accentuates Costa Cruises’ Italian DNA. We look forward to exploring innovative partnerships with other iconic Italian brands to bring Italian culture to life for our guests.”

Costa Cruises and the reigning Siere A champions will collaborate to offer guests a series of entertainment experiences on board, including a Juventus museum, access to official merchandise and themed television content.

Facebook and Amazon will ‘enter the mix’ for Premier League TV rights, says Manchester United chief Ed Woodward

Facebook and Amazon will “enter the mix” when the next Premier League television rights deal is negotiated, according to Manchester United’s executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward.

Premier League action has predominantly been broadcast on Sky Sports since the division’s inception in 1992, while BT Sport entered the market three years ago. The current domestic and overseas deals, which end in 2019, are worth a staggering total of £8.3 billion.

But the broadcasting sector is shifting as fans’ viewing habits change. Facebook recently showed an interest in digital rights for the Indian Premier League while Amazon has agreed a deal to live stream NFL games.

The 2019-21 Premier League rights package will be sold early next year and Woodward expects the internet giants to throw their hats into the ring: “Absolutely I think they will enter the mix and we would welcome the interest.

“Anecdotally there was strong interest in the last cycle. We are hearing it round the Premier League table now and from a European perspective as well in terms of the Champions League rights and Europa (League),” Woodward said on an investors’ conference call discussing the club’s latest financial results.

“We are going to see an increasing engagement from these organisations and it is going to be increasingly important to digitally engage with fans. We think we can be complimentary to partners like this.”

Do you agree with Ed Woodward? Have your say on iSportconnect’s Community page.

GolfBox and PGAs of Europe sign software agreement

GolfBox and the PGAs of Europe have signed an agreement to work together promoting the GolfBox ProPlanner and utilising the tournament software package that has proven to be so successful thus far.

The agreement will see the Association promote the latest addition to GolfBox’s software suite, ProPlanner, a business suite designed specifically for PGA Professionals that gives a complete overview of their administration.

The proven GolfBox Tournament software will also be promoted and used at all of the Association’s Championships and Sanctioned Events making use of the infrastructure and live scoring that serves over 20 major partners in golf.

Chief Executive of the PGAs of Europe, Ian Randell, added: “This partnership with GolfBox comes after an in-depth review of our tournament requirements and clearly the proven package that GolfBox has developed meets all of our needs and then some.

“The ProPlanner software is something that has the potential to make PGA Professionals’ lives easier and their work more efficient by bringing together a range of services in one easy to use suite. We are looking forward to working with the GolfBox team to enhance our tournament operations, promote their products, and insure a mutually beneficial partnership.”

Christian Færgemann, CEO of GolfBox, said, “For several reasons, we are very proud of our new partnership with the PGAs of Europe. First of all, we at GolfBox are pleased to be working with the PGAs of Europe, from managing all PGA of Europe’s tournaments, to offering ProPlanner for its members. On a strategic level we hope this agreement will open up for more work with those national associations.

“Specifically for ProPlanner, we see this approval by the PGAs of Europe as a great opportunity to get closer to all club professionals in Europe, we will be delighted to help their businesses grow by providing this proven software. Our trademark has always been, high-level service and reliable solutions, and still is.”

TOTO announced as official sponsor of Rugby World Cup 2019

World Rugby has today announced TOTO as an Official Sponsor of Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan.

TOTO, one of the world’s leading suppliers of bathroom fixtures, is sponsoring the showcase event for the first time and the announcement comes at a time when the host nation is celebrating two years to go.

TOTO will play its full part in the promotion of Asia’s first Rugby World Cup, connecting people across the host nation and fans from around the world through its activations in Japan.

World Rugby Chairman, Bill Beaumont, said: “We are delighted to be welcoming TOTO to the Rugby World Cup commercial programme for the first time as an Official Sponsor of Rugby World Cup 2019. They are a leading global brand and are excited about supporting the tournament in their home nation.”

President and Representative Director of TOTO LTD Madoka Kitamura added: “We are honoured to participate as an Official Sponsor of Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan. In line with our corporate identity to create an enriched and more comfortable lifestyle and culture, we are looking forward to contributing to the success of the tournament.”

The Rugby World Cup 2019 commercial programme now features a full inventory of six Worldwide Partners: Emirates; Heineken; Land Rover; Société Générale; DHL and Mastercard, all confirmed in record time with record value, and Canon and TOTO Ltd as official sponsors.

UEFA launch Nations League with aim of ensuring ‘continued success of international football’

UEFA has confirmed the final competition rules and regulations for the UEFA Nations League, less than a year before the first match is played on 6 September 2018. The new logo for the tournament was also unveiled following the UEFA Executive Committee meeting in Nyon.

The new national team competition aims to ensure the continued success of national team football by replacing most friendlies with competitive matches and by allowing all nations to play against equally ranked teams.

The format of the UEFA Nations League will feature promotion and relegation and see the 55 European national teams divided into four leagues in accordance with UEFA’s national association coefficient rankings on 11 October 2017. League A will include the top-ranked sides and League D will include the lowest.

Each league will be sub-divided into four groups of three or four teams, and teams will play each other home and away between September and November 2018, thus playing four to six matches within the dates already foreseen by the international match calendar.

The group winners will gain promotion and those who finish bottom will be relegated.

The four group winners of League A will qualify for the UEFA Nations League Finals, to be played in June 2019, with two semi-finals, a third-place match and the final. One host country will be appointed by the UEFA Executive Committee in December 2018 from among the finalist teams.

National teams will thus either be competing to become UEFA Nations League winners, or be fighting for promotion and to avoid relegation.

The League Phase Draw for the UEFA Nations League will take place at the SwissTech Convention Centre in Lausanne on 24 January 2018, when the new UEFA Nations League trophy will also be unveiled.

The new UEFA Nations League format

UEFA EURO 2020

Qualifying for UEFA EURO 2020 remains largely the same, although the European Qualifiers will now begin in the March following a major tournament instead of immediately in September. The teams will be split into ten groups of five or six, and the top two from each group will qualify for the final tournament, determining the first 20 places.

The last four EURO places will be won through the European Qualifiers play-offs, which will be contested by the 16 UEFA Nations League group winners.

If a group winner has already qualified via the European Qualifiers, then their spot will go to the next best-ranked team in their league. If a league does not have four teams to compete, the remaining slots are allocated to teams from another league, according to the overall UEFA Nations League rankings.

Each league will have a path of its own and each path will feature two single-leg semi-finals and one single-leg final. The winner of each path will win a ticket to UEFA EURO 2020.

The Jockey Club offers £1 million to win its 2017/18 ‘Chase Triple Crown’

Jockey Club Racecourses today announced it will offer a £1 million bonus for winning its Chase Triple Crown in the 2017/18 Jumps season.

The cash prize will be awarded to connections of a horse winning the three elite Grade 1 races that make up the Chase Triple Crown at its courses: the Betfair Chase at Haydock Park in November, the 32Red King George VI Chase at Kempton Park on Boxing Day and the Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup on the final day of The Festival next March.

Paid over-and-above Grade 1 prize money, it was initially introduced as an incentive for the 2015/16 Jumps season in memory of the late Kauto Star – the only horse to have won the Chase Triple Crown since the Betfair Chase was first run in 2005.

The £1 million bonus then returned for last season and, based on demand, it will now be offered for a third successive season by Jockey Club Racecourses, the UK’s leading racecourse group which stages 85% of Grade 1 Jump racing in Britain and is governed by Royal Charter to reinvest all its profits back into the sport.

Colin Tizzard’s Cue Card came agonisingly close to winning the bonus two seasons ago but, after winning the first two Grade 1 contests, fell just three fences from home when disputing the lead in a Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup eventually won by Don Cossack.

Following consultation with a range of horsemen and extra publicity for Jump racing as a result of the bonus being offered, the initiative returned for the 2016/17 Jumps season.

Cue Card was again successful in the Betfair Chase but with wins for Thistlecrack in the 32Red King George VI Chase and Sizing John in the Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup there was no bonus winner.

The seven figure sum would be split between connections, with 65% going to the winning owners, 15% to the trainer, 10% to stable staff at the winning yard and 10% to the jockey, split a third per race if different jockeys ride the horse.

Paul Fisher, Chief Executive of Jockey Club Racecourses, said: “Since we introduced the bonus in 2015/16 it has really caught the public’s imagination. Cue Card coming so close two years ago helped grow the interest levels in not only these three races but Jumps racing across the board.

“Last year was exactly the same and for trainers like Jessica Harrington to be saying they are specifically targeting the Chase Triple Crown this season is fantastic. To see a horse prove itself as the best staying chaser by winning all three of these races and the £1 million bonus would be superb for our sport.”

Fisher also stressed the bonus would again be insured, adding: “As has been the case over the past two years we have used some of our marketing budgets for the three races to insure the bonus for a modest sum for the 2017/18 season. Jockey Club Racecourses will this year contribute a record breaking £22.9 million to prize money and we continue to reinvest every penny we make in profit back into British racing.”

Amazon Prime Video to deliver ‘Next Gen’ ATP Finals coverage

ATP and ATP Media have announce Amazon Prime Video as an official streaming partner of the ATP World Tour. The new deal covers the worldwide distribution of the Next Gen ATP Finals through Amazon Prime Video.

Starting in 2017, Amazon will have worldwide OTT rights (excluding China), and the full exclusive rights in the U.S., to distribute the Next Gen ATP Finals, outside of ATP’s OTT channel, Tennis TV.

This new event, held in partnership with the Italian Tennis Federation and the Italian National Olympic Committee, takes place from 7-11 November in Milan and will showcase the very best men’s tennis players aged 21-and-Under, as well as introducing many new innovations to the game.

Chris Kermode, ATP Executive Chairman & President, said: “Innovation is at the heart of everything we’re doing with the Next Gen ATP Finals, and the way in which we present and broadcast the event is central to that.

“Our agreement with Amazon will give this year’s inaugural tournament in Milan an international reach in a digital space that is only becoming increasingly important in the world of sport & entertainment.”

Greg Hart, Vice President of Amazon Video, added: “We know live sports attracts a passionate fan base, many of whom are Prime members. We are thrilled ATP has awarded distribution rights to Amazon, showing their commitment to streaming live sports.”

Stuart Watts, COO ATP Media, said: “The synergies between a global brand such as Amazon and the future of our sport being showcased at the Next Gen ATP Finals are clear for all to see. This is an exciting deal that will not only bring great coverage for the Next Gen ATP Finals but will also offer a huge boost to the global reach of tennis.”

Atletico Madrid’s Metropolitano Stadium to host 2019 UEFA Champions League final

Atletico Madrid’s Estadio Metropolitano has been chosen to host the 2019 UEFA Champions League final.

Built on the site of the former Estadio Olímpico de Madrid in the Spanish capital, the stadium has a capacity of 68,000.

The decision was taken at Wednesday’s UEFA Executive Committee meeting in Nyon.

The Metropolitano Stadium hosted its first game on Saturday as Atletico beat LaLiga rivals Malaga 1-0 courtesy of Antoine Griezmann’s winner.

The 2018 final will take place on 26 May at Kyiv’s NSK Olimpiyskyi Stadium.

Meanwhile, the 2019 Europa League final will be held at Baku’s Olympic Stadium and the 2019 UEFA Super Cup will be staged at Beşiktaş Stadium, Istanbul.

Budapest’s Ferencváros Stadium will play host to the 2019 UEFA Women’s Champions League final.