Football Association announce bid to host 2021 UEFA European Women’s Championship

The Football Association (FA) has today announced its intention to bid to host the 2021 UEFA European Women’s Championship.

Following the success of this summer’s UEFA European Women’s Championship in the Netherlands, England will officially enter into the bidding process later this year.

The FA announcement comes after March’s launch of ‘Gameplan for Growth,’ a project born to create a sustainable and successful high-performance system for women and girls football.

Martin Glenn, FA chief executive officer, said: “The Lionesses’ performances at the Euros this summer gave the country great pride. It also showed the significant impact that hosting a major European tournament can have on growing and developing women’s football.

“The KNVB and UEFA really raised the bar, hosting a fantastic tournament, and we hope and believe we could meet those standards.”

The 2017 European Women’s Championship was UEFA’s biggest-ever female tournament and the semi-final between England and the Netherlands generated a peak audience of 4m viewers in the UK on Channel 4.

Baroness Sue Campbell, FA head of women’s football, added: “I’ve seen first-hand the positive impact these tournaments can have in raising the profile and popularity of the women’s game at all levels.

“This is another wonderful opportunity to maintain the momentum around women’s football and the feelgood factor generated by the Lionesses in the Netherlands. I’m right behind the bid.”

The UK government and local authorities are also supporting the bid for this major event.

Sports Minister Tracey Crouch said: “The Lionesses had a great campaign in the Netherlands and made the country proud.

“Hosting the next European Championships would provide us with a great opportunity to further grow the game and attract the next generation of players and fans.

“I look forward to working with The FA as they develop the feasibility of their bid.”

Conor McGregor becomes Official Ambassador for Betsafe

Betsafe has announced it has signed UFC star Conor McGregor as an EU Ambassador, just weeks ahead of the Mayweather vs McGregor fight in Las Vegas on 26th August.

With Floyd Mayweather having made five trademark applications around a 50-0 record, McGregor is determined to ensure his rival’s record will not proceed beyond 49 wins.

Betsafe is offering odds of 49/1 to all new customers that the Irish star will be victorious.

McGregor and Betsafe have also teamed up to create ‘Notorious Airways’, an exclusive private jet service to fly competition winners to the most-talked about fight in history and receive a taste of the McGregor lifestyle.

Speaking about the partnership, McGregor said: “Today I’m happy to announce that I’m partnering up with Betsafe. It is an honour for me to be an Ambassador for this great brand. Although real gamblers know the odds are stacked against them, we also know that passion overcomes the odds.”

READ MORE:  Floyd Mayweather v Conor McGregor set to smash boxing betting records

The sponsorship with Conor McGregor will run for the next 18 months across Betsafe’s EU territories.

Betsafe branding will appear on McGregor’s shorts for the upcoming Mayweather fight, and a variety of exciting activations will bring Betsafe customers closer to the UFC star over the coming months.

Nicola Fitton, Managing Director at Betsafe, said: “Conor is one of the biggest athletes in the world today, defined by his extreme talent, work ethic and personality, which are values that we reflect every day at Betsafe.

“We firmly believe that passion always overcomes the odds, and there is no sports star in the world today that both inspires and embodies passion as much as Conor.”

Capital One announce new arena naming rights partnership in washington

Monumental Sports and Entertainment (MSE) and Capital One have announced that Capital One will become the new naming rights partner for the arena in downtown Washington.

The arena will be called Capital One Arena beginning immediately, with the full signage and branding shift to occur in Autumn 2017.

The arena hosts over 220 concerts, shows and events a year, including the Washington Capitals, Washington Mystics, Washington Valor, Washington Wizards and Georgetown men’s basketball matches.

“Capital One is one of the most influential local businesses in our region over the last two decades, so we couldn’t be more pleased to partner with another homegrown company to create more incredible memories for sports fans, music fans, families and friends all across our region,” said Ted Leonsis, Founder, Majority Owner and CEO of MSE.

“Capital One shares our deep commitment to both economic and philanthropic investment in the larger Washington, D.C. community and we look forward to working closely with them. We are also proud today to be announcing a significant investment by MSE to continue improving the arena experience for every fan who comes through our doors. We want every fan’s experience at Capital One Arena to be monumental.”

MSE announced a separate £30.8 ($40 million) investment in Capital One Arena. Capital One Arena is one of the few privately-owned arenas in the country, and throughout its ownership, MSE has made over £77 ($100) million in investments to ensure it remains a best-in-class facility.

In 2016, Billboard Magazine ranked the arena 8th in the USA and 13th worldwide among top-grossing venues with a capacity of over 15,000.

In the coming months, Capital One Arena will host some of the biggest tours in the world including Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran, Guns n’ Roses, Andrea Boccelli, Jay-Z and more.

It will also host the A-10 men’s basketball tournament in March of 2018 and the East regionals of the 2019 NCAA men’s basketball tournament.

“As a top local employer and major consumer brand, Capital One has deep roots in Washington, D.C. and we are excited to strengthen our contributions to the sports and entertainment landscape in our own backyard,” said Kleber Santos, President, Retail and Direct Banking, Capital One.

“Monumental Sports and Entertainment shares our commitment to strengthening the economic and social well-being of the local community, and we are thrilled to partner with them on Capital One Arena.

“Our collaboration will be great for the D.C. community, the fans who come to support their teams, the talent and events at the arena, and exceptional for our customers who will benefit from our ability to offer access to unique opportunities and experiences at the arena that money can’t buy.”

Women’s Cricket World Cup records global viewing increase of almost 300%

More than 180 million people around the world are estimated to have watched this summer’s ICC Women’s World Cup and there was an almost 300% increase in viewing hours* in comparison to the last edition in 2013.

There was significant growth in audiences in all territories, but particularly impressive was an eight-fold increase in viewing hours in South Africa and a huge increase in viewers in India, particularly in rural areas, since 2013.

The ICC’s decision to ensure that every match was available for viewing either on television or via live-streaming as part of its commitment to the global growth of the women’s game has paid dividends.

An extraordinary 156 million people viewed the event in India, of which 80 million was rural reach and 126 million were for the final alone. India’s fine performances contributed to a 500% increase in viewing hours in their country.

In the United Kingdom the World Cup final attracted most viewers for any televised cricket this summer, while the entire event saw a 300% increase in terms of viewing hours compared to last time.

ICC Chief Executive David Richardson said: “We are absolutely delighted with the impact the Women’s World Cup has had. Instinctively we felt that the time was right to invest in women’s cricket and take it to the widest possible audience to accelerate the growth of the game and these numbers have confirmed that.

“We congratulate all eight teams for providing the entertainment, the cricket was competitive and compelling and when you have that it makes it much easier to attract an audience. The sport must now work collectively to maintain interest and continue to drive growth.”

READ MORE: England women’s cricket team to be shown on terrestrial TV for first time as ECB agrees new deal with Channel 5

ICC Head of Media Rights, Broadcast and Digital, Aarti Dabas: “The broadcast and digital numbers have far exceeded our expectations and have justified our decision to back the women’s game.

“It all goes to show that there are millions out there who are willing to follow and watch an event like the ICC Women’s World Cup and the details of these numbers are a reflection of that.”

*A viewing hour is one person watching one hour of cricket (or two people watching 30 mins each, or three people watching 20 mins each, etc.)

Fantastic Media delivers new visual identity for Premier League newcomers Huddersfield Town

Integrated marketing agency Fantastic Media have partnered with Huddersfield Town to deliver a new visual identity for the Premier League newcomers.

Fantastic were approached by Huddersfield Town after an historic season which saw the Terriers win promotion to English football’s top flight for the first time in 45 years.

A contributing factor to the club’s success on and off the field was their ‘Terrier Spirit’, a phrase coined by Head Coach David Wagner to give an identity to his team’s style of play.

This ‘never say die’ attitude was evident in games last season and permeated every aspect of the club, from the Boardroom to the terraces. Fantastic Media took this theme, developing a new Terrier as the visual representation of this Terrier Spirit.

Huddersfield Town’s Commercial Director, Sean Jarvis, said: “Fantastic Media has a great reputation in the sports marketing sector and have also been a long-term supporter of the club, so it was natural that we chose them to create this new Terrier.

“We wanted something that epitomises our Terrier Spirit; that shows our tenacity, determination and focus. Taking our iconic Terrier to a new level is important as the Club goes to the pinnacle of the football pyramid in all other areas.

“Fantastic did a great job of creating this new Terrier Identity as can be seen by the overwhelmingly positive reaction to it by our fans.”

Paul Whitcroft, Creative Director at Fantastic Media, added: “The aim was always to create a Terrier that the fans could be proud of as well as reflect the club’s position at the top of the football ladder.

“Key to the development was longevity, we wanted something that looks Premier League but can be a permanent part of the club’s identity.

“We took the character traits of a Terrier and the team; pride, tenacity, hard work and fight as inspiration for this new identity.”

The visual identity was developed at the agency after a business Insight workshop between the club and Fantastic.

Fox Premium to broadcast Mayweather-McGregor fight in South America

Fox Premium has secured exclusive television broadcast rights in South America – excluding Brazil – for this month’s super-fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr and Conor McGregor.

The bout, which is scheduled to take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on August 26, is widely expected to break global records for pay-per-view sales.

Fox is set to broadcast the clash exclusively in Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela on its pay-TV channel.

Fans will also be able to tune in via the Latin American broadcaster’s OTT platform, Fox App Premium Access, but it has not yet been announced how much the fight will cost subscribers.

The highly-anticipated bout, which will see McGregor take part in his first-ever boxing contest, has been priced at differing levels across the globe.

US fans will have to pay US$89.95 while Sky Sports saw off competition from BT to secure exclusive UK rights and have made the bout available for US$26.35.

England women’s cricket team to be shown on terrestrial TV for first time as ECB agrees new deal with Channel 5

ECB and Channel 5 today announced an extension to their existing deal, covering highlights of all England women’s home games. This will encompass Tests, ODI and T20 internationals on free-to-air television until the end of 2019 and include the next women’s home Ashes series with Australia.

The new deal represents a further boost for the women’s game following England women’s recent triumph over India in the ICC Women’s Cup Final at Lord’s – a match which was played in front of a sell-out crowd and attracted TV coverage in 139 countries worldwide.

ECB’s Director, England Women’s Cricket Clare Connor said: “The move to show England women’s cricket highlights on terrestrial TV is another huge step forward for international women’s cricket. The ticket sales and viewing figures from the ICC Women’s World Cup showed there is a growing audience for our game and this platform will give us the chance to further capitalise on that.

“We are overwhelmingly proud of our World Cup winners and it will be wonderful for even more fans to be able to watch them in action from next year.”

Paul Dunthorne, COO of VIMN UK, Northern and Eastern Europe commented: “We’re delighted to offer the world-conquering England women’s cricket team a terrestrial TV platform as cricket continues to broaden its appeal – and attract even more women and girls to the sport.”

Channel 5’s highlights, the only international cricket available to free-to-air audiences, have been a mainstay on the channel since 2006. The highlights package will continue to broadcast in its primetime slot, allowing viewers the chance to take in all the key events, as close as possible to the end of play.

This new deal sits alongside Channel 5’s ongoing commitment to provide a wide variety of sporting content, with Aviva Premiership Rugby highlights and five live games, live boxing, live motorsports including Formula E, highlights from MotoGP and the FIA World Rally Championship, as well as weekly football highlights from across the EFL.

Viewers will have the chance to watch highlights from all of England’s men’s and women’s home games, including the men’s 2019 Ashes. This year, the channel is showing highlights from England’s forthcoming home international series against the West Indies.

Emirates extends FA Cup sponsorship until 2021

Emirates and The Football Association announced today a three-year contract extension to their successful existing partnership. The agreement will see the tournament continue to be named The Emirates FA Cup through until 2021.

In 2015 Emirates became the title partner of the FA Cup, the oldest cup competition in football.

Sir Tim Clark, President of Emirates Airline said: “We remain incredibly proud to continue our role as the first ever title sponsor of such a prestigious and historic tournament. The spirit of this competition, bringing together both small clubs and Premier League giants alike to face each other before an audience of passionate fans is what drives us to continue our investment in this tournament.”

“Through our support of the Cup, Emirates remains committed to the sport of football and its continued development. We look forward to the future of our partnership and helping to connect fans across the globe to one of the world’s most celebrated sports.”

Mark Bullingham, FA Group Commercial Director added: “Working alongside such a well-established and iconic global brand has helped us to make the competition more accessible to fans across the world. With the support of Emirates, last season’s competition reached over 912 million fans worldwide.”

“The partnership will also allow us to continue our investment into the game at all levels. We look forward to continuing to work together to ensure the Emirates FA Cup remains the best loved and revered domestic cup competition in the world.”

The competition continues with the preliminary round on the weekend of 18/19 August and will culminate in a showpiece final at Wembley Stadium on Saturday 19 May 2018.

Paris 2024 bid team to discuss esports inclusion for Olympic Games

Esports could be part of the Olympic Games as early as 2024, with the Paris bid team open to discussions about the matter with the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Competitive video gaming has grown significantly in recent years, having attracted a global audience of roughly 320 million people in 2016.

Esports will be included in the 2022 Asian Games and Tony Estanguet, Paris 2024 co-president, has left the door open for a landmark competition in the French capital in seven years.

READ MORE: Power up – number-crunching the incredible growth of esports

“We have to look at it because we can’t say, ‘it’s not about Olympics,'” Estanguet told the AP news agency.

“The youth are interested, so let’s meet them. I think it’s interesting to interact with the IOC and the esports family to better understand what the process is and why it is such a success.

“There is some time to look at it, to interact, to engage. I don’t want to say ‘no’ from the beginning.”

Projected Revenues ($m) and Audience (millions) generated by esports (Source: BBC)

Paris’ hosting of the 2024 Games is expected to be officially approved at an IOC congress in Lima, Peru in September.

The 2024 programme of events will be ratified after the 2020 Games in Tokyo.

Estanguet added: “We will spend some time after Lima to engage with new people and stakeholders.

“The IOC will have the last say if they want esports on the programme. Let’s discuss among ourselves.”

Swansea COO Chris Pearlman backs Letou shirt deal to boost club’s footprint in Asian markets

Swansea City’s plans to expand their footprint into Asian territories will benefit significantly from their partnership with shirt sponsor Letou, according to Chief Operating Officer, Chris Pearlman.

Letou, the global gaming brand which was established in Asia in 2004, became the Swans’ shirt sponsor earlier this summer, and has a strong presence in some of Swansea’s key target markets such as China, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia.

Speaking at the launch of Swansea’s new third kit, Chris Pearlman said: “Asia is a key market for Premier League clubs. A quick glance at this season’s Premier League kits and the stadium attendances at the biennial Premier League Asia Trophy demonstrates the importance of the continent.

“The market is growing, football is becoming more popular than ever and the fans are extremely passionate.

“Swansea City were thrilled with the success of our tour in the United States this year. As we begin the process of looking toward next summer, one of the areas we are going to be taking a close look at is South East Asia which we recognise is an important market.”

Letou CEO, Paul Fox, also expressed his excitement about the deal: “Although I was born in the UK, I now live in Asia and have experienced first-hand the passion of the fans, making it an important market for Premier League clubs.

“Both Letou and Swansea consider further growth in South East Asia vital over the next 12 months and by working closely together, we’ll maximise our chances of reaching our targets.”