The NBA announce teams and date for Paris Game 2024

The National Basketball Association (NBA) today announced that The NBA Paris Game 2024 will feature the Brooklyn Nets and the Cleveland Cavaliers playing the league’s third regular-season game in Paris at the Accor Arena on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024.

The NBA Paris Game 2024 will mark the Nets’ second game in Paris, having played a preseason game in the French capital in 2008.  Brooklyn currently features 2021-22 Kia NBA All-Defensive First Team and 2023 USA Basketball Men’s National Team member Mikal Bridges, 2023 USA Basketball Men’s National Team member Cam Johnson and three-time NBA All-Star Ben Simmons.  The Nets have made five consecutive playoff appearances.

The Cavaliers will be playing their first game in Europe.  Cleveland currently features four-time NBA All-Star Donovan Mitchell, 2022 NBA All-Stars Jarrett Allen and Darius Garland, and 2022-23 Kia NBA All-Defensive First Team member Evan Mobley.  The Cavaliers won their first NBA championship in 2016 and made four consecutive NBA Finals appearances from 2015 to 2018.

The NBA Paris Game 2024 will air live on beIN SPORTS and NBA League Pass, the league’s premium live game subscription service available on the NBA App, reaching fans in more than 200 countries and territories on television, digital media and social media.  In addition to The NBA Paris Game 2024, the league and its partners will conduct interactive fan activities, NBA Cares community outreach initiatives and Jr. NBA youth basketball development programming that will bring the NBA experience to fans in the French capital.

The game and surrounding events will be supported by a roster of marketing partners, including Foot Locker, La Française des Jeux, Nike and Tissot.  Additional partners will be announced in the coming months. 

Tickets for The NBA Paris Game 2024 will go on sale at a later date.  Fans can register their interest in tickets and gain access to presale information and more by visitingNBAEvents.com/ParisGame.  NBA ID members will get priority access to the pre-sale. Special ticket packages offering premium access, VIP experiences, hospitality and local hotel accommodations are available for purchase at https://nbaexperiences.com/nba-paris-games-2024.

There have been more NBA players from France than from any other country outside North America, including 2023 No. 1 overall draft pick Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio Spurs).  Live NBA games and programming air in France on beIN SPORTS and NBA League Pass, including 45 weekend games in primetime last season as part of the league’s “NBA Saturdays and NBA Sundays” European primetime initiative. 

Leeds United announce sale to 49ers Enterprises

Leeds United Football Club can announce that the EFL has approved the sale of the Club to 49ers Enterprises, paving the way for the immediate transition of ownership.

Paraag Marathe, previously Vice Chairman and Board member of the Club, will take over as Leeds United Chairman. In this role, Marathe will oversee all aspects of the Club, including football and business operations, and drive the strategy to fight for promotion back to the Premier League in the 2023-2024 season. Marathe takes over from Andrea Radrizzani, who has been majority owner of Leeds United since 2017. Angus Kinnear, CEO of Leeds United and Board member, will remain in his current position, and continue to direct the Club’s day-to-day operations. Rudy Cline-Thomas, Founder and Managing Partner of MASTRY, will join the Board as Co-Owner and Vice Chairman of the Club.

“This is an important moment for Leeds United and we are already hard at work,” said Marathe. “This transition is a necessary reset to chart a new course for the Club. We have already appointed a highly-respected First Team Manager with a track record of success, and we are confident Leeds will field a competitive squad to contend for promotion next season. It’s a privilege to carry this torch as I know we have a responsibility to ensure this Club makes our staff, players, supporters, and the Leeds and Yorkshire communities proud.”

Cline-Thomas added, “With my family hailing from Leeds, it’s an honour to be able to uplift this incredible community. This is more than just an opportunity, it’s a personal mission. The chance to reinvigorate the cherished Leeds culture, to create a platform that attracts the world’s finest players, and build a truly global brand that celebrates diversity, is a prospect that thrills me.”

49ers Enterprises, led by Marathe and 49ers CEO Jed York, has steadily supported and increased its investment in Leeds United over the past five years. Moving forward, the group will look to enhance all aspects of the Club both on and off the pitch. Marathe, Kinnear, and the Club recently announced the appointment of Daniel Farke as First Team Manager. The Club’s leadership has also been laying the groundwork to build a successful squad by retaining key players from last season’s team as well as bringing in new talent.

“49ers Enterprises is bringing fresh leadership, management, and a commitment to investment, which I’m confident will meet our ambition to compete for promotion and remain in the top flight as an established Premier League Club,” said Kinnear. “I know Paraag, Rudy and 49ers Enterprises will keep supporters central to their plans during their custodianship and I am excited to work in realising the true potential of this great club.”

Radrizzani said, “It has been an honour to guide Leeds United over the last six years and to spend so much time with the best fanbase in the world. 49ers Enterprises have been fantastic partners for years and I’m confident they will take Leeds to the next level.”

Member Insights: The life of an activation agency working with sports rights holders

Russ Yershon is the Director of ConnectingBrands which has been working with football clubs for the last 15 years on behalf of brands who partner with them. In this article Russ explains the intimate details of what it was like to work with clubs when delivering activation projects.

Sponsoring or being a partner of a football club is big business for a brand. In the Premier League, front of shirt sponsorships are in the millions of pounds and also being a sector partner with no branding on the main kit can also be in the millions of pounds if we look at the big six clubs.

Investing multi-millions of pounds for a brand must come with a clear strategy for what they want to achieve and it’s imperative to work very closely with the commercial teams and plan how you will look to activate the many rights you have.

I’ve been lucky enough to work for many sports betting and Trading brands who partner with football clubs to activate and manage their rights. The first piece of advice I would give to a brand entering a partnership is to have a clear strategy of what you want to achieve from the partnership and then actively put a plan together with the commercial team to deliver this throughout the season.

Being proactive, on the front foot and planning before the season starts is key to being ahead of the game when looking at activation. There is a skill to maximising each asset from LED (electronic board match day advertising) to the placing and visual media backdrop logos the brand will have on the pre-and post match interviews.

When it comes to the content access day, it’s important to plan your player access days as early as possible and give yourself 10-12 weeks of planning before filming with the players. Having our own videography team who film, edit and post produce content has given us control of the process, and enables the client to achieve better results.

Working with commercial teams in the build up to the player access day can be challenging as some of the ideas we and the client have in mind are rejected by team management, due to the physicality of some of the tasks / football challenges the partner has in mind.

One of the best player access days we have delivered was last season with West Ham courtesy of client Scope Markets. We delivered a number of fun challenges with players, featuring captain Declan Rice, we also had influencer Behzinga as host and also part of the content.

Our recommendation to brands is to be as creative as you can with player access content, plus we would also highly advise that it can be beneficial to plan how the content will be showcased across the Clubs channels to maximise the number of views by fans.

The way to fully leverage a player access day is to collaborate with a media publisher, so the content you produce can be amplified and syndicated across their channel. There are many publishers such as 433, One Football, DAZN, Goal.com and SportBible who have an audience that your brand would love to reach and by engaging them in the planning process, with blessing from the football club, can benefit all parties.

Therefore, once the content is post produced, the content can sit on multiple channels (club, partner and media publisher) and type of channel (web, social media, YouTube) delivering multi-million views where the brand gets outstanding awareness.

Dealing with commercial teams can be challenging, but also very rewarding. We have had excellent relationships with commercial teams over the years and the most on the ball teams include Arsenal, Fulham and West Ham.

Setting up weekly status meetings as activation agency with the club and partner is key to consistent dialogue ensuring proactivity and reflection, which can then be used to deliver learnings for future campaigns.

I have worked with plenty of Asian facing brands and their number one priority is awareness. It’s so important for them to have maximum branding on match day and working with commercial teams to deliver that is key. The broadcast arc (area from the main camera which faces the pitch) is key to ensure the brand has the best coverage”

In addition, the key pieces of content include a signing ceremony and delivering content to promote and celebrate Chinese New Year. We have had lots of fun filming players trying to speak mandarin and sharing messages of celebration of Chinese New Year to the brand’s customers and the asian audience.

Sometimes filming can be delivered in one take, other times it may take a few and an example of that was filming on behalf of 12BET with Wolves last season where it took the players a number of takes to deliver the correct message, however, having a relaxed environment and making the players comfortable, enables us to deliver the best content for the brand..

The best type of content which works well are challenges which have a competitive edge. Filming usually takes place at the training ground once the players have finished training and when recording with 3 players, to get the best out of them you need to ensure some kind of competitive content. These are top professionals and are competitive by nature, so it works to engage them with this type of content strand.

When working for a brand of a club, you become a fan instantly. You have to watch the games, follow the team and hope they can achieve their objectives, as this will mean the fans are happy and for the partner, it means positively in their engagement and connection. Plus, this can also mean more live games and therefore more exposure. When it comes to tickets and hospitality, the brand can drive significant engagement by utilising them well through fan competitions and also using them wisely internally to benefit their business.

Some assets which can be very important for brands are money that can’t buy experiences. 

Like content days, it’s important for brands to have a clear strategy on how to utilise money can’t buy rights. From signed shirts, watching the players train, to VIP match day experiences, top level hospitality and also play on the pitch experience at the end of the season, executing these well to benefit the business is vital.

Whether it’s taking key clients and suppliers, entertaining customers, or hosting new prospective clients, having a clear plan and internal process is important. We constantly advise our clients to look at these rights to benefit the business so that you can see an ROI on them, or a clear benefit to long term success. Logistics can play a key part in delivering these and other rights and we take the stress out of this by our extensive experience in knowing how these types of rights are delivering and what needs to be communicated with guests to make it run smoothly”.

Most Premier League Clubs use third party suppliers to evaluate partner rights looking at their reach from brand coverage on match day and many will share results from content day, social media posts or email analysis from the brands engagement via the clubs CRM. These reports are hugely valuable for brand managers to take up the chain for the Board of Directors to see how the sponsorship / partnership is going. With the reach of the Premier League in the billions globally, having your brand visible on match day can give outstanding awareness and seeing the reporting can vindicate the reasoning on why taking up the partnership.

We are hugely passionate about our work and especially our clients’ partnership in football. With many years of engaging with commercial teams at Premier League Football clubs, we know exactly how they work and how we can get the most out of brand partnerships with them. Being proactive, on the ball, having a clear plan of how to activate rights throughout the season makes it a lot easier to make the partnership a success. When the season is up and running it can be manic, so looking ahead is very important as you can’t turn around a player access filming day in a week or two.

It’s an absolute privilege and we have such pride in working for brands who partner with Premier League Clubs and the energy we have to maximise and leverage rights of our clients ensures a constant positive approach to the relationship.

Click here to connect with Russ on LinkedIn

SEG3 2023 – The key takeaways

InCrowd’s Joshua and Ben attended the SEG3 event on the 28th and 29th June, at the iconic Emirates Stadium. Two days of incredible insight into the roles of new technology in creating valuable digital experiences. Josh and Ben sat down with Helen to discuss key takeaways from the event; what’s “hot” and what’s “not”, what the future looks like in this space and importantly how we can utilise new tech effectively for sports audiences.

Key takeaways:

  • Community sits at the heart of great fan engagement piece. The network effect cannot be understated and should be fully embraced to propagate marketing campaigns and digital platforms, by: Building communities; empowering individuals to forge their own experience; leveraging social media platforms and chat applications to drive the conversation.

  • Community presents itself at different levels, from friends watching sports around a TV at home, to swathes of fans cheering for their team in a stadium. Use of technology must enhance these social experiences as opposed to abstracting-away from them, and this should influence which technologies we use in any given scenario. This was evident in the use of Augmented Reality to enhance the at home / in-stadia experience throughbring additional stats; data and views.

  • Emerging fan engagement enabling technologies allow rights-holders and brands to connect with fans on a more personal level, by harnessing the essence of fandom: emotion, community, and loyalty.

  • The digital space allows us to engage fans beyond traditional matchday focused campaigns, enabling continuous contact points with fans even in the off-season.

  • While many WEB3 technologies are still in their infancy, it’s important to build effective user journeys using appropriate technologies to ensure that engagement experiences are made accessible to all fans, as this empowers communities to grow and creates a feedback loop of engagement.

  • Every fan is different, but gamification and fan engagement technology gives us the tools to create unique experiences for each individual, bringing them closer to the action and celebrating their personal achievements. Hyper-personalisation helps sports bodies to focus-in on who their fans are and understand them better than ever before.

  • The most successful use-cases resulted from using new and emerging technologies in applications which provided added utility to fans, solving real problems instead of using them as a off, before potentially losing interest.

Making it work for sports audiences:

Gamification and emerging Web3 technologies present a new and incredibly exiting layer of engagement opportunities on top of sports.

Although the barrier to entry is high for some Web3 technologies, other industries (including the digital fitness and gaming spaces) have demonstrated with great success that mainstream technologies can be used to great effect to deliver equally, if not more, engaging experiences right now.

As it stands, the sports industry is somewhat at the start line but by embracing new technology and applying them in a way that works for sports audience and doesn’t just “tick the technological innovation box”, we can bring fans closer to the action; build valuable communities; help fans feel rewarded and valued; and open up the excitement & passion of fandom to fans of all walks of life, irrespective of their individual circumstances or ability to attend.

By enabling all-new digital inventory for rights-holders and brands, and by building upon the habits, emotions and communities which sit at the core of sports fandom, these technologies are set to revolutionise the digital sports experience for fans around the world.

Furthermore, the benefits don’t stop with the fan; there is a wealth of untapped commercial benefits for any club, league or rights-holder who wants to maximise on this opportunity to create added value. The ability to reach new audiences domestically and internationally through connection and the capture of first party data brings the ability to incentivise new habit-forming behaviours among fans including membership/ticket purchases, and educating & encouraging fans to engage with other teams beyond the first-team. There is also the opportunity to create significant new revenue streams for brand partners and sponsors across the array of brand new, high traffic and high engagement digital inventory.

Want to discuss this further with InCrowd’s experts? Get in touch via enquiries@incrowdsports.com in order to set up a no obligation, 30 minute chat.

The World Round-up: what have we learnt over the past five weeks

Over the last five weeks we have been jetting around the world and had fantastic insights from the US, Africa, Lausanne, Asia and the Middle East.

“Last year, Sportico valued the Senators at $655 million, 27th in the 32-team league. The Senators have missed the playoffs in six straight seasons, generate the NHL’s third lowest revenue and consistently lose money.”

Sportico’s, Kurt Badenhausen, Scott Soshnick and Eben Novy-Williams, look into the recent sale of the Ottawa Senators for almost $1 billion. Read it here

“The world of sports management increasingly focuses on achieving two important goals: fan loyalty and retention. Although these concepts may appear similar, they possess distinct strategies that differentiate their implementation. This article aims to explore the strategies that drive fan loyalty and retention while providing some examples.”

Michel Cutait, Acting Secretary General of the World Obstacle Federation, looks into how federations and teams can improve fan engagement through memberships. Read here

“The signings of such football stars as Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema by the Saudi Pro League have made headlines worldwide. Yet the logic of such signings is not well-understood, and it is easy to dismiss as no more than a spending spree.”

Adam Paker, Partner at Portas Consulting, looks into the the profound changes in Saudi football beyond Ronaldo and Benzema. Read Adam’s thoughts on one of the hottest topics in sport here

“Content is King, but Distribution is clearly the Queen as OTT in post-pandemic Asia has come on par, and, in some places, is beginning to exceed audience share compared to traditional television.”

Unmish Parthasarathi, the Singapore-based Founder of Picture Board Partners, the Strategy, Innovation & Venture Development boutique, reflects on why, how & who is making OTT more mainstream. Read Unmish’s views here

“Kenya’s government has taken a significant step forward by embracing digital technology with the launch of a mobile application for its flagship talent development programme, Talanta Hela, which literally translates to Monetise Talent in Swahili.”

In this week’s View From Africa piece Cynthia Mumbo, CEO of SportsConnect Africa, shines a light on how Kenya’s government is moving forward in its embracing of technology. Read the rest of Cynthia’s piece here

Meet the Member: “It is going to inspire and it is going to be the hottest ticket in town”

Jane Fernandez is the COO (Australia) of the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023. Last year, she spoke to iSportConnect’s Content Manager Alex Brinton from Sydney, now with a matter of hours before the tournament kicks off we take a look back at the interview.

When was the idea of hosting the tournament first come about and how did that process play out?

A number of years ago Football Australia always had hosting these major football events as part of their strategy. The Women’s World Cup was one of those.

And when I was working on the AFC Asian Cup, with my colleague, Mark Falvo, who’s the COO of Football Australia, we entertained the idea of bidding for the 2019 tournament. 

We just weren’t ready. It wasn’t the right time. And they say timing is everything. And thankfully, we went forward and bid for 2023, and here we are today.

Both Australia and New Zealand are sports-mad countries. But football isn’t traditionally one of the biggest. How big is the fan base going to be for this tournament?

In Australia, football is the largest participation-based sport. There are over 2 million participants in our game here. And as you say, Australians and Kiwis are sports mad, we love going to major sporting events. We have a strong supporter base of those that are very proud of their countries, and really love watching international sport. 

The other thing that we have here is that we’re both very multicultural. Over 300 languages are spoken, over 200 nationalities represented. And we saw during the Asian Cup that matches like Iraq v Iran can sell out stadiums.

It was just so, so exciting. It’s a true reflection of the multicultural nature of Australia and New Zealand as well. The supporter base will be huge, every person will have a second team and maybe even a third team. We’re confident of seeing all of the fans in the stands, singing in full voice and supporting every team, all 32 teams that are going to participate in this competition.

There are big challenges around two nations hosting a tournament – as opposed to one – how have you dealt with that?

The first challenge was the COVID pandemic. We actually won the bid during the pandemic. Then we recruited our staff during the pandemic as well. So a number of staff, a large number of my heads of department, actually didn’t meet in the flesh until a year into the job. 

It is going to be a tournament of firsts. The first time a FIFA Women’s World Cup will be held in the Asia Pacific region, the first time in the southern hemisphere and the first time it will have 32 teams, the best footballers in the world coming from 32 countries. 

That brings with it the opportunity to increase participation, to really excite more girls and boys to lead active healthy lives, to put on their football boots, have a kick, and to really enjoy the game that we all love.

What exciting things can the fans expect when they attend games?

This FIFA Women’s World Cup will be the biggest event we’ve hosted in Australia since the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. This is going to be an absolute moment in time and people will have memories for a lifetime. 

You know, I can see people saying ‘Where were you on the 20th of August 2023? When that winning goal was scored at Stadium Australia in the final of the FIFA Women’s World Cup.’

We will see the best footballers in the world taking centre stage, but it will also be a connection between sport, art, music and culture. We’re going to bring our cities to life through the FIFA fan festivals. So, fans can really taste football outside of the stadiums as well. This will be a huge community celebration and using football as the platform, as the tool to bring people together.

After the Euros, everyone is calling it a turning point, not just for women’s football, but for women’s sport. Have you got the same impression on the other side of the world?

We’ve been watching here and soaking it up, taking it all in, what an unbelievable tournament. I think women’s sport in Australia and New Zealand has really seen this growth, this momentum for a number of years now. I was lucky enough to be at the 2020 Women’s T20 World Cup final at the MCG. I remember sitting in the stands and really feeling then that this is an absolute turning point in women’s sport and in women’s major sporting events. 

We’ve seen that growth across all sports, and specifically in football. We know that the Matildas are now such a household name, such a strong brand, attractingthousands of fans to games. 

It does take time. But absolutely the momentum is 100 per cent behind it.

Is it the perfect time to be hosting a Women’s World Cup?

I believe this is absolutely the perfect time. As I said, you can see this growth is on an upwards trajectory. We’ve just seen 50,000 people attend the Morocco v South Africa match at the Africa Cup of Nations. This is the moment I think, and I really do believe that in the winter months next year, we’re going to see that this tournament will capture hearts and minds. It is going to take people to this next level of understanding and appreciation. It’s going to inspire, it’s going to entertain, and it’s going to be the hottest ticket in town.

A lot of brands have thrown their support behind women’s football at the moment. How much of a boost is that?

Investing in the game is absolutely critical for its success. It’s critical for its commercial sustainability. We know greater investment leads to a better product and a better outcome. For the first time FIFA has actually implemented a standalone commercial pillar for the women’s game. It’s fantastic that we’ve now got Visa onboard, we’ve got Xero onboard. And there’s more to come.

If lots of money does find its way into the women’s games, and it’s starting to, is that only a good thing?

I believe so. I believe it’s a great thing that smart investors got on board from the very beginning when this growth started. And you know, there are a lot more investors out there now who know that this is a great product. This is something that we want to be part of now. But they shouldn’t wait. They should get onside now, and really ride that momentum with us.

Both countries are in the fortunate position of having a large amount of sporting infrastructure in place already and you’ll be utilising some of each country’s biggest stadiums. How much of a statement is it that you’re going to use in places like Stadium Australia and the Cake Tin in Wellington?

They’re the most prestigious, the biggest venues. And they’re the venues that have held Olympic Games and amazing tournaments for other sports as well. I believe it is an absolute sign of the importance and the level at which we will be delivering the FIFA Women’s World Cup at.

I can’t wait to be there in the stands at the final at Stadium Australia with a full house. But I think it is a really important message that the competition will kick off here in Sydney on July 20 at our brand-new Sydney Football Stadium. It places the FIFA Women’s World Cup at the top of major sporting events, which is exactly where it should be.

The women’s T20 World Cup was hosted in Australia just before the pandemic it was a huge success for the crowd over 80,000 attending the final. So, there’s obviously great interest in women’s sport in the country. What does success look like for you from this tournament?

Our aim is always to continue doing better to take this tournament Beyond Greatness. We know in France, there were 1.1 million attendees, we want to take that to 1.5 million, we know the broadcast was over a billion, we want to continue to grow that let’s get to 1.2 billion. 

I think ensuring that there is continual growth, continual investment in the FIFA Women’s World Cup, to make sure that we can take it to the next level. I think that’s what this is all about. It’s also about ensuring that the legacy outcomes are achieved through hosting the tournament. You know, the data, the numbers that are critical around viewership, and attendees, but also, the social and economic benefits are really critical as well.

What can the legacy of this tournament be both in the host countries and around the world?

Well, globally, FIFA are investing over $1 billion dollars into the investing in women’s football and the growth of women’s football. We have a target of 60 million women and girls playing football by 2026. So from a participation base, we want to absolutely continue to grow that right across the globe. We also want to make sure that we’re investing in the development of female leaders in football. 

Football Australia and New Zealand Football are bringing their legacy plans to life. They are really focused on participation growth, with the target of getting to 50:50 by 2027. 

The investment in facilities is another really important legacy outcome, and will have a real impact from hosting the tournament. 

There’s the leadership pillar ensuring domestically, female leaders are developed to continue to be working in and leading the game. We want football to be the sport of choice for women and girls both on and off the pitch. So developing female leaders, coaches, referees, administrators is really, really critical. 

Obviously, there’s a high-performance pillar. We want to keep investing in the development of the game. And then there is no better way to remind the world that Australia and New Zealand are open for business. So ensuring that from a tourism perspective and an International Relations perspective, we are front and centre and that is the power of football. That is the power of the global game. 

It opens doors internationally. It’s a sport that the world plays and the opportunities are just endless.

The House View – The opportunity in sporting jeopardy

Wimbledon makes me think about the great future that lies ahead for women’s sport. That’s because of the prize money: £2.35 million for both the men’s and the women’s champions.

What feels me with optimism is not just that the jackpots are equal.

It’s that they are so big.

And the gap between the winners and the runners-up, who ‘only’ get £1.175 million, is also big.

I have to confess that I can find it difficult to root for any of the female tennis players. Frankly, I often find it hard enough to tell them apart.

But it’s easy to know exactly what they are playing for at Wimbledon. The big bucks.

And that to me that is the key to irresistible professional sport. Excellence is all very admirable. But pros compete for money. It’s what distinguishes them from amateurs and what makes pro sports more compelling, when it’s done right.

And I’m afraid that a lot of men’s sports don’t get it quite right. I’m talking about team sports.

Take baseball, for example. There was a time when winning the World Series meant that the average player could more or less double his annual pay. Making twice as much is a pretty serious incentive. And every casual fan was aware of the big money at stake.

Nowadays with guys on multi-million-dollar guaranteed salaries the monetary upside for winning the Series is a lot less meaningful.

Frankly I sometimes even find myself wondering what high-priced team players are playing for.

To win a ring? A cup? A trophy?

Really? 

The papers, especially the British papers, always talk about ‘how much is at stake’ in a match.

Really?

What exactly is at stake for an individual player making £10 million?

I make an exception for the importance of national team competition, which is a more complex phenomenon.

But a Champion’s League place for a club?

How exactly is that an incentive for the player? 

To me it’s like an actor being in a hit film. Great for the producers. But kinda so what.

Now, if the players on a team stood to win, say £10 million each, for a Champion’s League spot, that would be a different proposition.

If there are huge win bonuses like that already in place, why are they not in the headlines? That’s a great story. Why isn’t being told? Headlines are always all about player transfers. How about player win bonuses for tomorrow’s game?

Now I’m not saying that players need more incentive to play harder. They give their all or they wouldn’t be there, right?

I’m saying that fans can always use more incentive. 

More incentive to care about every game all season long. More incentive to pay attention and stay engaged.

Especially casual fans with lots of other entertainment options.

I’m all for bringing more of what I call ‘authentic jeopardy’ to professional team sports.

The team wins, you make those big bucks.

You lose, not so much.

And this where I see a fantastic opportunity for women’s sport, football especially.

We hear about how attending a women’s football match is so different, so much nicer and more family-friendly. than going to men’s events.

Why not make the actual competition on the pitch more dramatic too?

Try making it about big jackpots. And promoting that.

By adding more ‘authentic jeopardy’ to the competition, making the rewards for success versus failure outsized, women’s football can become a truly differentiated product instead of just a female version of the men’s game. 

By Jay Stuart, Content Director iSportConnect

Compare the Market announced as new Principal Partner of The Hundred

The Hundred has today announced a new partnership with Compare the Market, who will become the Principal Partner of the competition.

Alongside the excitement of the unmissable 100-ball competition and live DJs and music at each ground, Compare the Market will be adding to the experience with the help of its Meerkat characters and newest family member, Carl the wombat. Compare the Market have also teamed up with leading online gamers to help engage new audiences in-ground and at-home.

Combining a short, fast format of world-class cricket, with each game lasting less than three hours, and incredible entertainment beyond the sport, The Hundred is making cricket more accessible and reaching a broader audience.

In 2022, The Hundred attracted a total of 14.1m viewers across Sky and BBC. In addition to this, more than half a million fans attended matches, including a rise in family spectators compared to 2021. 

Sanjay Patel, Managing Director of The Hundred said: “As we approach the start of this year’s competition, we are delighted to be able to announce Compare the Market as Principal Partner of The Hundred. 

“Compare the Market are one of the most recognisable UK brands. They will add even more fun and entertainment to go alongside the world-class cricket on show, and that is what The Hundred is all about. This partnership will spread the reach of cricket to more families across England and Wales, and we are looking forward to what Compare the Market has in store for the third edition of the competition in August.”

Mark Bailie, Chief Executive Officer of Compare the Market, commented: “The Hundred has become a much-loved fixture on the sporting calendar, offering up an exciting and energetic new take on cricket.

“The Hundred plays a critical role in cricket’s drive to become the most inclusive sport in the country, and that’s something we are proud to support. 

“Bringing together our entertaining brand with one of the most entertaining sports is an exciting partnership and we’re looking forward to revealing the plans we have in place to support this year’s competition and beyond.’’

The View From Africa: Kenya’s Talenta Initiative goes digital: changing talent scouting and monetisation

In this week’s View From Africa piece Cynthia Mumbo, CEO of SportsConnect Africa, shines a light on how Kenya’s government is moving forward in its embracing of technology.

Kenya’s government has taken a significant step forward by embracing digital technology with the launch of a mobile application for its flagship talent development programme, Talanta Hela, which literally translates to Monetise Talent in Swahili. The Kenyan government’s unique platform promises to streamline the process of identifying and fostering exceptional individuals while also giving chances for them to monetise their abilities. The Talanta Hela app is poised to revolutionise talent management in sports and creative sectors because of its user-friendly layout and simple registration process.

Government of Kenya’s Goals and Objectives

The Kenyan government, through its Talanta Hela initiative, has set forth ambitious goals in the realm of talent development. By digitising the process and utilizing a mobile application, the government aims to achieve the following objectives:

  1. Identify Hidden Talents: Kenya’s government is dedicated to identifying and cultivating talent from all throughout the country. The Talanta Hela app enables talented individuals to demonstrate their talents by offering a user-friendly and accessible platform, guaranteeing that no potential ability goes undetected or unexplored.
  2. Nurturing and Skill Enhancement: Once identified, the chosen talents are given thorough advice and support to help them improve their skills. Through training programmes, workshops, and exposure to professional contexts, the government hopes to assist these persons in developing their abilities and reaching their full potential. They will be trained at the Kenya Academy of Sports which is also a government institution.
  3. Monetisation and Economic Empowerment: Recognising the significance of economic empowerment, the Talanta Hela app allows athletes and creatives to monetise their abilities. The government hopes to establish sustainable careers in sports and the creative sectors by exposing these persons to numerous options such as endorsements, sponsorships, and professional contracts. 

Challenges that may be faced

While the digitalisation of Kenya’s Talanta Hela plan has various benefits, it is critical to recognise and solve the possible issues that may develop throughout its implementation. Some of the difficulties that this initiative may confront are as follows:

  1. Barriers to Technology: Despite attempts to assure accessibility, not everyone has access to cell phones or dependable internet connections. This may limit the involvement of brilliant persons who lack the technological tools required to interact with the Talanta Hela app.
  2. Digital Divide: In certain regions or communities, there may be a significant digital divide, resulting in unequal access to technology and digital literacy. This divide could hinder the initiative’s ability to reach and identify talented individuals from underprivileged areas, potentially perpetuating existing disparities.
  3. Connectivity and Infrastructure: Adequate network connectivity and infrastructure are critical for a digital platform’s successful operation. Talent submission, assessment, and communication procedures may be hampered in places with low or unpredictable network access, resulting in delays or challenges in the talent management process.
  4. User Adoption and Awareness: It is critical for the Talanta Hela app’s success to ensure widespread adoption among skilled individuals. The effort may confront difficulties in raising knowledge about the app and its benefits, as well as persuading talent to engage actively and submit their profiles. To solve this obstacle, education and awareness activities will be critical.
  5. Data Privacy and Security: Concerns concerning data privacy and security arise from the digitalization of talent profiles and personal information. Protecting sensitive personal data and maintaining safe information transit and storage will be critical. To earn the trust of talent and stakeholders, the government must enact strong data protection safeguards. Kenya is now one of the top African countries in this field.
  6. Talent Evaluation and Bias: While digitalisation can assist decrease some biases, the possibility of subjective judgement or biases in the talent scouting and selection process remains. It is critical to have clear and objective evaluation standards in place, as well as to guarantee that talent selection is based on merit and potential rather than personal preferences or external influences.
  7. Resource Allocation and Sustainability: The Talanta Hela plan requires adequate resources, including financing, technical infrastructure, and qualified staff, to be implemented successfully. Long-term sustainability and procuring required resources can be difficult, especially in resource-constrained regions. To address this, the government is carrying out the initiative through the Kenya Academy of Sports, a government body tasked with developing sports talent.

Positive Effects of the Kenyan Initiative

The digitalisation of Kenya’s Talanta Hela programme has various positive consequences for both athletes and the sports business scene in general:

  1. Increased Accessibility: The availability of the Talanta Hela app on both Android’s Play Store and Apple’s App Store ensures that talents from diverse backgrounds can participate in the scouting process. This inclusivity allows for a more comprehensive talent pool, ensuring equal opportunities for aspiring talents regardless of their technological preferences.
  2. Efficient Talent Identification: The availability of the Talanta Hela app on both the Android Play Store and the Apple App Store means that talents from varied backgrounds may participate in the scouting process. This inclusion provides for a more diverse talent pool, guaranteeing equal opportunity for budding talents regardless of their technological inclinations.
  3. Enhanced Transparency: Throughout the talent scouting and selection process, the Talanta Hela app provides transparency. A scout is allocated to each talent profile, and selections are made based on objective evaluation criteria. This digital platform offers a fair and transparent approach that eliminates bias and creates equal opportunity for all participants.
  4. Real-time Updates and Notifications: The digital portal provides talent with real-time information on the status of their profiles. The app keeps talents informed every step of the journey, from submission to review and invitation to physical testing, decreasing ambiguity and fear while encouraging a sense of connection and involvement.

The Case for a Digital Platform in Kenya

The decision by the Kenyan government to adopt a digital platform for the Talanta Hela initiative holds several advantages over a purely manual system:

  1. Efficiency and Scalability: The Kenyan government assures a more effective and scalable talent scouting process by using digital technologies. The automation of numerous procedures, such as profile submission, review, and notification, enables the initiative to efficiently manage a higher volume of talent, therefore increasing its reach and impact.
  2. Standardisation and Quality Control: The Talanta Hela app guarantees that talent evaluation is standardised and consistent. It lays out clear standards for submitting talent, and the digital format allows for the addition of important material such as videos and skill descriptions. This standardised technique encourages fair evaluation and quality control, ensuring that skills are evaluated using objective criteria.
  3. Data Analytics and Continuous Improvement: The use of a digital platform makes data collecting and analysis easier, offering significant insights into talent trends, preferences, and scouting habits. This data may be used by the Kenyan government to make data-driven choices, improve the talent management process, identify areas for development, and adjust offers to match the changing demands of people and industry stakeholders.

Conclusion

The government-led digitalisation of Kenya’s Talanta Hela programme represents a key milestone in the field of talent scouting and management and is a first for an African nation. The effort intends to find hidden talents, cultivate their abilities, and facilitate economic empowerment by utilising a smartphone application. The programme was recently established, so it will be fascinating to observe how the sports world, both local and worldwide, responds to this new effort, as well as the long-term influence the initiative has on sports talent and the sports business sector.