Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao has signed a personal endorsement deal with global sportswear brand Anta
The annoucement of the deal comes nine months after Pacquiao was dropped by Nike for homophobic remarks after which he publicly apologised. He will wear the Chinese company’s sportswear products during training and in competitive games.
Anta Sports Products Limited announced in a statement that Pacquiao signed the endorsement deal in a ceremony at Wynn Las Vegas on Nov. 2.
“Undoubtedly Anta is very professional in the research and development of boxing products as well as the promotion of boxing events. I am looking forward to advocating professional boxing with Anta around the world,” said Pacquiao.
“Pacquiao is not only a great boxer, but he serves as a great role model for all sports enthusiasts. He is strict with his training routine and never gives up, which is in keeping with the brand spirit of Anta. Furthermore, Anta and Pacquiao are determined to inspire all customers to continue to ‘Fight On’,” said Anta brand president Zheng Jie.
Manchester City have launched an all new app for Amazon Fire TV, mind becoming the first Premier League club to launch on the Amazon OTT platform.
The app allows fans around the world to stream CityTV videos directly to a TV connected via the Amazon Fore TV platform.
The content ranges from behind-the-scenes tunnel access on match days and training sessions to player interviews and special features, such as 10-part series Global City, the app provides Manchester City fans with another unique means of getting closer to the Club and players.
Manchester City’s CityTV videos are extremely popular, particularly among millennials. Last season the CityTV YouTube channel was the second most popular football club channel in the world, with the equivalent of 150 CityTV video views every minute of the year.
Commenting on Manchester City’s newest digital innovation, Diego Gigliani, Senior Vice-President for Media and Innovation at City Football, said:
“As consumers’ viewing habits change and audiences migrate to over-the-top streaming services from companies like Amazon, we want to be there. Amazon Fire TV is a growing platform with huge potential and we’re extremely excited to bring CityTV content to it.”
City’s new Amazon Fire TV app closely follows other recent digital innovations for the Club including the launch of Facebook Instant Articles, an official Manchester City Apple News page, and an official sticker set for iMessage, which all went live earlier this month. Thanks to Facebook Instant Articles, fans can now access the latest City news from their News Feed much faster, without having to leave the Facebook environment. The Apple News page, also a Premier League club first, offers readers direct access to Club news, match reports, special features and official announcements as part of a personalised and curated reading experience. And the Man City sticker pack allows iPhone users to embed Manchester City-themed images and animations into iMessage conversations, a new capability introduced in the recent iOS10 update.
It’s the age-old question – how do you keep fans engaged during the offseason?
While the NFL regular season and play-offs take up a significant period of the yearly calendar, it’s still difficult to keep fans engaged with the team or league when the players down tools for a good few months.
Hussain Naqi is the SVP of International Development at Jacksonville Jaguars and was formerly SVP of Fan Engagement with the Jags.
He tells iSportconnect how they manage to keep the fans engaged – something which is highlighted by the fact there are just a handful of NFL regular season fixtures played outside of the US.
He said: “We have to understand what the fan wants – one of our biggest challenges is how we continue the conversation on a year-round basis. That is why we have developed a programme where we are in schools now, we have kids playing American Football on a regular basis.
“We’re able to have a variety of different age groups who are able to play the sport on a year-round basis – they can continue the conversation and become a fan. From our perspective the growth through participation model, is really the most sustainable way of growing fans and developing fans and having that year-round conversation.”
Mark Fiddes, European Creative Director at global marketing agency Epsilon, believes that the participation model is a good option.
He said: “You may have a soccer mom in the mid-west without an affiliation to a club. Yet she wants the opportunity after school to get her kid into an academy, run by a known brand like Arsenal. She starts to develop a preference for Arsenal through taking her kid through basic soccer coaching. She’s the one who will be booking the extra sessions, the branded kit and the games on TV. So fans can come from anywhere.
We tend to assume that it’s an emotional bond that brings the fan in but it could be a very rational, functional one, like our soccer mom who wants to train up her kids. On the other hand, it may be as simple and emotional as ‘my grandfather supported Fulham, so I will too.’ Fans can come from either base.
“You have to go beyond the game. Fandom, whatever temperature it is, burning hot or just vaguely interested, will be developed through different ways of becoming involved in that club.”
For the last decade or so the NFL have presented fans across the globe the opportunity to see live fixtures through the International Series. Multiple games are now played in London while in 2016 a regular season game will be played in Mexico City.
Naqi believes the Series has added benefits for the Jaguars, who have an exclusive deal with Wembley Stadium.
“Particularly with respect to the Jaguars, one of the benefits of the International Series is that we are here on a regular basis. We are establishing our name and entrenching our name as London’s team. We have the ability and commitment to this market to do things that other teams can’t, I think as a general proposition, of course, the growth of the game from an NFL perspective and football generally, the more you play here, the more target point you have with the market, the more engagement you will get with fans obviously.
“With respect to the Jaguars specifically, the fact that we’re here regularly, the fact that we have specific marketing rights, that are only available to us as a function of our commitment, allows us to do some interesting things, particularly with regards to growth of the game. From a fan engagement perspective, we have a secondary schools program where we have now over 1,500 kids every week playing American football across London and the region.”
Going beyond the game is something Fiddes agrees with. Here he gives an interesting example of how a sports team have taken a different approach to fan engagement.
He continued: “Every year Fulham FC take advantage of its fantastic stadium. Interestingly, with Fulham a lot of emotional connection rests there with the ground itself, Craven Cottage. (There was uproar around the rumours of a move during the temporary stay at Loftus Road) One outstanding aspect of the ground is that it offers a fantastic view of the river.
“What a perfect spot from which to see the Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race every year! So what Fulham have done is open up Craven Cottage to be a premier venue to watch the boat race, then hosting the Oxford-Cambridge Varsity football match afterwards. Thinking imaginatively about how you can involve more people is important, in that case based on your real estate.”
“I’m interested in areas where clubs can reach out and take their mission beyond the game. Barcelona is ‘Més que un club’ – more than a club. The training system at LaMasia is world famous. There’s a brand development opportunity in that. How they take a training product into the wider world would be fascinating. It will make football better. But it will also build great business for Barcelona.”
With social media being adopted by fans and virtual reality continuing to be mooted as the next big thing, the relationship between fans and sports teams is likely to grow closer.
Finding your next fans is the biggest challenge that teams face and perhaps with Tottenham Hotspurs deal with the NFL coming into fruition over the coming years, it could be easier for American Football teams, like the Jaguars, to grow their fans across the UK.
The National Football League (NFL) UK have announced two new commercial sponsorship deals with New York Bakery and Bridgestone Tyres.
New York Bakery will be the official bagel sponsors and Bridgestone Tyres are to be league’s official tyre in the UK as well as the presenting sponsor for the first NFL International Series match at Twickenham Stadium, help when the Los Angeles Rams face the New York Giants on 23rd October.
Tim Barkey, for sale New York Bakery’s marketing director said, “American football continues to capture the imagination of more and more people in Britain and the sport offers a great platform to reach out to new people with our activities.”
“Partnering with the NFL for the first ever game at Twickenham Stadium provides an excellent platform to promote the Bridgestone brand and the game of football on a global scale,” said Phil Pacsi, vice president of sports and events marketing at Bridgestone Americas.
Katie Sadleir has been appointed World Rugby’s first General Manager for Women’s Rugby after an extensive recruitment process.
Sadleir, who represented New Zealand at the 1984 Olympic Games and won a medal at the 1986 Commonwealth Games in synchronised swimming, will take up the new role on 1 November, 2016.
Sadleir joins with a wealth of experience in sports and sports governance. As the GM Sport, she was involved from participation to performance levels and was accountable for the transformation of New Zealand’s High Performance System in 1999. From 2009-2015 she held directorships with both Sport New Zealand and High Performance Sport New Zealand. She also served as Director with the International Association of Elite Sport Training Centres, a board member on the New Zealand Swimming Federation and a New Zealand Olympic Athletes’ Commission committee member before joining World Rugby.
With momentum and anticipation building ahead of Women’s Rugby World Cup 2017 in Ireland, the new role underpins World Rugby’s commitment to the women’s game, which captured the imagination of millions of new fans when rugby sevens made its debut at the Olympic Games last month.
Sadleir, who lived in Canada before moving to New Zealand, will be responsible for the development of the women’s global game, increasing participation numbers and will have input into the women’s high-performance strategy.
Sadleir said: “I’m very excited about joining the team at World Rugby and contributing to a truly global sport.
“My focus will be on moving the women’s game forward and capitalising on the global excitement and potential following rugby’s involvement in the Olympic Games last month.
“One third of all participants from our Get Into Rugby programmes are women and the aim is to keep these participants in the game as registered players. This will involve developing competition pathways at both national and international level, as well as improving the performance of national teams. I’m really looking forward to engaging with all our unions as well as learning from other sports that have positively developed women’s sport.”
World Rugby Women’s Advisory Committee chairman and Australian Rugby Union CEO, Bill Pulver said: “It’s great to see someone of Katie’s calibre join the team at World Rugby, and bring a wealth of experience to the Women’s GM role.
“With the massive lift given to the women’s game from the Olympics and Women’s Rugby World Cup 2017 less than a year away, she has all the attributes to ensure the continued sustainable growth and success of women’s rugby.”
by Populous’ Scott Radecic, foreword by Richard Breslin,
With the NFL 2016 regular season underway, American football fans return to stadiums across the United States – and the world in the case of the NFL’s burgeoning international series – to revel in the action. They do so with a host of alternative and competing game experiences at hand, from home theatres to pubs to mobile streaming. So what keeps them coming back to the in-person experience?
As my colleague Scott Radecic explains, NFL franchises continue to renovate stadiums with the help of experts like Populous to offer fans the best of both worlds: the comforts of home and face-to-face camaraderie.
The NFL fan experience is evolving and no one can deny it. According to a survey by ESPN.com, only 29% of NFL fans prefer to watch the game in person at a stadium, compared to 41% in 1998. Why you ask? There are more NFL fans than ever before with more access points including television, the internet, smartphones and tablets. To be a fan, you don’t have to have season tickets, you simply have to have internet access. While this accessibility has allowed the NFL to reach a record-high popularity, it has also left architects, stadium managers and owners exploring how we can entice fans to return to the stadium.
Now, we’re taking our cues from what fans enjoy most about the in-home experience – the unparalleled accessibility to information and the comfort factor – and finding ways to transform the stadium experience accordingly.
A number of NFL stadiums have recently undergone large-scale renovations, with the primary focus of creating an experience that is intimate, driven by access to technology and other fans and in turn, provides clear value for the ticket price. Populous has taken this issue on, leading innovative renovations that are reshaping the experience of attending an NFL game. There are a number of ways we’re accomplishing this, most of which fall under one of the following categories:
1. Fan engagement
The evolving expectations of fans are undoubtedly at the core of innovation in the NFL. When fans reach the stadium, how do we capture their attention? How do we ensure their experience is as comfortable as it would be at home? What opportunities can we offer fans who attend a game that they simply wouldn’t get at home? We’re answering these concerns by exploring ways to provide fans in the stadium with exclusive content and access. We’re also planning for bigger scoreboards and videoboards with clearer pictures. We’ve improved the Wi-Fi availability within stadiums so fans can stream content constantly and share their experience without losing track of their fantasy football team. In addition, we’ve created smaller neighborhoods of seats within the stadium, ensuring that fans feel they are part of something more intimate. From loge boxes to club seating, there are more options and experiences to keep fans coming back.
2. Technology
Technology and the way that the modern fan engages with the game socially has played a crucial role in the decisions we make when renovating an NFL stadium. We’re not just planning for current technology…we are planning for where technology will be 5, 10 and 15 years down the road. Fans expect to be able to share their tweets, videos and photos in real time and have them displayed in the stadium. In addition, virtual reality and access to stats and data that users at home don’t have will further differentiate the stadium experience and cater to the fantasy football fan.
3. Social gathering spaces
By repurposing under-utilized areas of the stadium, we can create unique experiences that rival and exceed what you experience at home. This is done in a variety of ways, but most prominently by creating social gathering spaces, branded environments, various premium seating options and engaging sponsor access points. These social gathering spaces become experiences in themselves functioning as destinations within the destination. This may include a full-service sports bar with clear sightlines and a close proximity to the field or a technology hub. An increasing fear of missing out on something special drives younger generations to be seen in one-of-a-kind environments.
Populous is working with our NFL clients to find innovative ways to give unparalleled access to fans and create experiences that will not only rival the in-home experience but exceed the expectations of the modern fan. Whether through branded social gathering spaces or the integration of the latest technology, we’re creating destinations that make the in-stadium experience both incredible and irreplaceable.
Richard Breslin is a Senior Principal at Populous and a Director of the Asian/Pacific office headquartered in Brisbane. Richard also sits on the worldwide strategic Board of Populous and is responsible for all of the firm’s projects in New Zealand and Australia.
Richard is currently leading the Populous team on the Darling Harbour Live project in Sydney in a HASSELL+ Populous joint venture. The $1B project includes the design of a convention centre, exhibition centre and theatre. He was Director in charge of the redevelopment of Margaret Court Arena in Melbourne.
In 1997, Richard began work with the team on the design of Stadium Australia (now ANZ Stadium), the main venue for the Sydney 2000 Olympics before moving to London where he worked on Wembley Stadium, and the design of the Soccer City Stadium in South Africa, for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He was also project leader for Populous’ successful master plan for the London 2012 Olympic Park.
In 2007, Richard headed home and led the teams on Eden Park redevelopment in Auckland and Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin in preparation for the 2011 Rugby World Cup
Richard’s
Scott Radecic is a senior principal at Populous and a leader of the firm’s National Football League market.
Throughout his 30-year career, he’s built extensive experience in all areas of sports facility strategic planning, design, budgeting and project management and has become a trusted advisor to professional teams across the nation.
The ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia and European Tour are set to introduce a revolutionary new format in 2017 as the inaugural World Super 6 Perth features 54 holes of stroke play before the final 24 players battle it out over a dramatic final day six-hole shoot-out.
To be played at Lake Karrinyup Country Club from 16-19 February, drugs | 2017 and co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour of Australasia and European Tour, thumb the World Super 6 Perth will be a world-first in professional golf.
The World Super 6 Perth is a new golf tournament aiming to retain the traditions of the game whilst appealing to a broader market. “This is an exciting day for international golf as we launch the World Super 6 Perth; a golf tournament which is set to change the way people view golf,” said Brian Thorburn, CEO of the PGA of Australia and PGA Tour of Australasia.
“Cricket has Twenty20, Netball has Fast5, Rugby Union has Rugby7’s and now golf has the World Super 6 Perth.”
A huge proponent for golf’s need to adapt and find a shortened format, Keith Pelley, Chief Executive Officer of the European Tour, is excited to see the World Super 6 Perth make its debut in 2017.
Pelley said: “This initiative was something that we spoke about at great length to our Tournament Committee, led by Chairman Thomas Bjørn. We are thrilled to participate in this because, at the European Tour, we believe that golf needs to look at new and innovative formats.”
The ground-breaking World Super 6 Perth will also showcase the changing face of Perth and attract millions of dollars in exposure for Western Australia. “I think this type of competition will appeal to all golfers, but especially to a younger demographic, and will encourage competitors to play aggressive and attacking golf,”said Western Australian Premier and Tourism Minister Colin Barnett.
“Golf is very popular throughout the world, especially Europe and Asia, and has a high appeal for many people in some of our top tourism markets, including Singapore, China, Malaysia and the UK.”
“The World Super 6 Perth will deliver valuable national and international media coverage of WA throughout the four-day broadcast, not only through the stunning scenery at Lake Karrinyup, but also through vignettes and billboards shown throughout play.”
The Toronto Raptors have announed there President Masai Ujiri has signed a multi-year contract extension and that they have promoted Jeff Weltman to general manager and Bobby Webster to assistant general manager/vice-president basketball strategy.
Ujiri will continue to oversee basketball operations as president of the club.
“I am grateful to the Board and Mr. Tanenbaum for the opportunity to continue our progress to build the Raptors into one of the top franchises in the NBA, medstore ” said Ujiri. “I’m also excited that Jeff and Bobby are being rewarded for their hard work and valuable contributions to our program. My family thanks the NBA, viagra buy Raptors players and coaches, staff, Raptors fans, the city of Toronto and Canada for this opportunity. Toronto is home for us.”
“The gratitude and respect we hold for Masai and our Raptors senior management team are reflected in our Board’s action to extend Masai’s contract,” said Larry Tanenbaum, Chairman of the Board. “We are excited to build on our team’s success and to give Masai our full support in delivering to our fans and to our country the Toronto Raptors’ first NBA championship.”
Ujiri was named president and general manager May 31, 2013. In addition to his role with the Raptors, Ujiri has been tireless in his efforts to promote and develop the game of basketball throughout Africa. He is the founder of the Giants of Africa Foundation, which launched the Top 50 and Big Man camps in his homeland. He has also served as the director of the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders program since 2002.
“We take great pride in the strength of our senior leadership with MLSE’s teams and the Raptors are a prime example of that,” said Michael Friisdahl, President and CEO at MLSE. “
“The stability this move brings is important for the team and its fans and we look forward to building on the Raptors’ success under Masai’s continued leadership.”
Sophie Morris, Strategic Marketing & Sponsorship Director of Millharbour Marketing, a partner of iSportconnect, was elected to the Board of Directors of the European Sponsorship Association (ESA) at its AGM on Wednesday 6th July.
ESA is the voice of the sponsorship industry in Europe. It seeks to inspire, educate and raise standards. As a membership association it strives to lead the industry through activities relating to policy and governance, corporate responsibility, education and training, provision of information and networking.
Sophie has 15 years marketing experience and was most recently a Director of Marketing in financial services. She led sponsorship of the Barbarians rugby games for four years, before starting her own consultancy, Millharbour Marketing in 2013.
She read Business Studies & Marketing Management at University; has the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) Diploma and Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing and has been a Chartered Marketer since 2007. She also sits on the Rugby Football Union (RFU) Rugby Growth Committee, is a judge at the UK Sponsorship Awards and a speaker at international industry conferences.
Speaking about her election to the ESA Board of Directors, Sophie said “It’s an honour and a privilege to have been elected to the ESA Board and to represent the €25bn sponsorship industry across Europe. My aim is to make sponsorship a more fundamental part of the marketing mix: more effective for brands, more valuable for rightholders and more engaging for audiences. I look forward to being part of ESA’s efforts to educate and inspire sponsorship and marketing executives, increase best practice and drive the industry forward.”
Karen Earl, Chairman of ESA, said “We’re pleased to have Sophie on the ESA Board and think that her skills will add enormous value to ESA’s drive to protect and promote the sponsorship industry”.
England Hockey, the ECB and England Netball have announced they will be working together on a project called Team Up for their upcoming home Women’s World Cups.
The next three years are a unique period for women’s team sports. England will host three consecutive Women’s World Cups; 2017 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, 2018 Women’s Hockey World Cup and the 2019 Netball World Cup.
The initiative was launched at a special event at the finals day of the Hockey Champions Trophy, with Alex Danson and CEO Sally Munday representing England Hockey. This a significant date as it is exactly one year to go until the start of the ICC Women’s World Cup in 2017 and we are really looking forward to what we can collectively achieve for women’s sport.
It is vital that we use the World Cups to develop a participation legacy for our sports and we recognise that schools play a large part in the development of a sporting habit for girls. Since London 2012, hockey participation has grown hugely, and today’s announcement is another milestone for the sport.
As part of this Team Up project we want to support schools to deliver our sports to ensure all girls get the opportunity to take part and love playing a team sport.
