Australia Reaffirms Interest To Host FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023

Football Federation Australia (FFA) has welcomed the unanimous decision made by the FIFA Council to expand the FIFA Women’s World Cup from 24 to 32 nations, commencing with the next edition of the tournament to be held in 2023.

Following the FIFA Council’s decision to expand the size and format of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, FFA has intended to reconfirm its position as a Bidding Nation for the tournament in 2023 and is awaiting the updated requirements documentation due to be delivered by FIFA later this month.

FFA Chair Chris Nikou said: “Australia stands ready to work with FIFA to deliver an historic 32 nation FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023. The groundwork that has been completed by our Bid Team, which includes gaining the official support of the New South Wales Government as recently as Tuesday this week, means that Australia is well advanced in many of the elements required to Bid to host the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023. This follows an earlier commitment of support for FFA’s bid by the Commonwealth Government of Australia, including the provision of $5m in funding to prepare a bid.

“FFA will await the updated documentation from FIFA and, once received, will work diligently with relevant stakeholders to adjust features of our original and ongoing planning to address the expanded competition requirements.”

NBA Partners Dapper Labs For A Blockchain Game

 

The National Basketball Association (NBA), National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) and Dapper Labs, the  consumer blockchain company and creator of CryptoKitties have announced the development of NBA Top Shot, a new digital platform for basketball fans to collect, trade, and own some of the greatest moments in league history on blockchain.

NBA Top Shot will feature a social experience built around digital collectibles as well as a complementary head-to-head game designed to create a fun, authentic and accessible fan engagement on blockchain. Like other sports games or fantasy brackets, fans who play the game are tasked with creating their ideal squad, but in this game, their rosters are built by acquiring live in-game moments from the NBA season.

These moments, such as a Kevin Durant 3-point shot, or Joel Embiid dunk, which are acquired as digital collectibles or tokens, can then be either owned forever or used to compete against other players in online tournaments and leagues on-chain. By introducing innovative features and mechanics to the team-building experience, and simplifying the head-to-head gameplay, NBA Top Shot will offer a fun and compelling experience that is accessible to basketball fans of all ages.

Roham Gharegozlou, CEO of Dapper Labs said: “Dapper Labs is proud to work with the NBA and NBPA to create an unparalleled digital experience for sports fans. Through NBA Top Shot basketball fans can engage with their favorite players, teams, and each other in entirely new ways. We use the latest in blockchain technology to create assets and experiences that are guaranteed limited edition and authentic, not to mention portable and permanent in a way nothing digital has ever been before.”

 

“Dapper Labs’ innovation and expertise make them a perfect partner to introduce this groundbreaking game and what we believe will become coveted digital collectibles for basketball fans around the world,” said Adrienne O’Keeffe, NBA Senior Director, Consumer Products & Gaming Partnerships.

“NBA Top Shot is an entirely new way for fans to connect with their favorite athletes,” added Josh Goodstadt, Executive VP of Licensing for THINK450, the commercial arm of the NBPA. “We believe blockchain technology creates a truly unique product that fans can collect, manage and engage within a fun environment, and we are excited to partner with Dapper Labs to introduce these groundbreaking digital assets to the NBA community.”

The NBA Top Shot collectibles experience is set to launch in the fall, with the game to follow in early 2020. For more information on Dapper Labs, its partnership with NBA and NBPA and the launch of NBA Top Shot, please visit nbatopshot.com.

FIFA Council Approves Expansion Of The FIFA Women’s World Cup To 32 Teams

 

The FIFA Council has unanimously agreed to a proposal to expand the number of teams taking part in the FIFA Women’s World Cup from 24 to 32, with effect as of the next edition of the tournament in 2023.

Since the bidding process for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 is already underway − with the nine bidders initially expected to submit their bid books on 4 October 2019 – the FIFA Council exceptionally made this decision remotely.

FIFA’s decision-making body voted in favour of adopting the 32-team format and, as a consequence, updating the hosting requirements and the timeline of the bidding process for 2023. The key milestones of this updated timeline are:

– August 2019: circular to be sent out with a short time window for:

current bidding member associations to reconfirm their interest in bidding

any other eligible member associations to express their interest in bidding

– December 2019: deadline for bid submission

– April 2020: expected publication of Bid Evaluation Report

– May 2020: expected appointment of host(s)

The FIFA administration will also initiate a consultation process with the confederations in order to develop a proposal for the slot allocation, which should be approved by the FIFA Council.

“The astounding success of this year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup in France made it very clear that this is the time to keep the momentum going and take concrete steps to foster the growth of women’s football. I am glad to see this proposal – the first of several − becoming a reality,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

“The expansion reaches far beyond the eight additional participating teams: it means that, from now on, dozens more member associations will organise their women’s football programme knowing they have a realistic chance of qualifying. The FIFA Women’s World Cup is the most powerful trigger for the professionalisation of the women’s game, but it comes but once every four years and is only the top of a much greater pyramid. In the meantime, we all have a duty to do the groundwork and strengthen women’s football development infrastructure across all confederations.”

Singtel And Starhub To Broadcast EFL Matches In Singapore

Singapore football fans will now be able to watch live English Football League (EFL) matches from the Sky Bet Championship and Carabao Cup, after an agreement was reached to broadcast fixtures throughout the 2019/20 season.

Selected matches will be shown on Singtel and StarHub across their respective pay- TV, mobile and OTT platforms. Singtel customers can catch the games on mio Sports channel 111-113 while StarHub viewers can watch it on HubSports 201, 202 and 204.

Teams such as Cardiff City, Derby County, Fulham and Huddersfield Town will begin their fight for promotion to the Premier League this weekend when the 2019/20 season kicks off.

Fans will be able to tune in this Friday to the opening fixture of the season between Championship sides Luton Town and Middlesbrough

The new deal, initiated by Singapore-based sports agency Reddentes Sports and the English Football League’s official global distributor, Pitch International, will also see selected Sky Bet League One and League Two fixtures shown on Singtel and Starhub.

 

Manchester City Signs Partnership With Melco Resorts & Entertainment In Japan

Manchester City has signed a new partnership with Melco Resorts & Entertainment to become the Club’s Official Partner in Japan. Melco will also partner with City Football Group sister club in Japan, Yokohama F. Marinos.

Melco develops, owns and operates integrated resorts throughout Asia, Australia and Europe. Through this partnership, Melco will also become the Community Presenting Partner of Yokohama F. Marinos to create and implement community programmes and events around the world.

Damian Willoughby, senior vice president of partnerships at City Football Group, said: “We are delighted to welcome Melco into the City Football Group family. Melco and Manchester City share a common approach to have entertainment at the heart of everything we do, providing great experiences for our fans and visitors. We are also both committed to using football as a force for good and are excited for the launch of Melco’s new community football programme in Japan.”

Lawrence Ho, Chairman and CEO of Melco, said: “Building successful teams and successful partnerships have a lot in common. At Melco, we look for shared ambition and 21st century values. And in Manchester City and Marinos we have found perfect partners – businesses that excel at entertaining, whilst putting community first. Melco’s connections to Japan run deep, so being able to support grassroots community programmes across the country is an exciting opportunity for us all.”

FIFA, LaLiga And Others Release Joint Statement Regarding beoutQ Activities

FIFA, the AFC, UEFA, the Bundesliga, LaLiga, the Premier League and Lega Serie A have released a join statement regarding the activities of beoutQ in Saudi Arabia.

The statement is as below –

We, the rights holders of various football competitions, collectively condemn in the strongest possible terms the ongoing theft of our intellectual property by the pirate broadcaster known as “beoutQ” and call on the authorities in Saudi Arabia (KSA) to support us in ending the widespread and flagrant breaches of our intellectual property rights taking place in the country.
Since May 2018, we have collectively been working with an international legal counsel to monitor and compile evidence against beoutQ, whose broadcasts are regularly and on an industrial scale made available on an illegal basis. Following thorough analysis by technical experts of how beoutQ operates from a technical perspective, we are satisfied that beoutQ is operating specifically to target customers in KSA and is utilising the facilities of at least one KSA-based entity.
Over the past 15 months, we spoke to nine law firms in KSA, each of which either simply refused to act on our behalf or initially accepted the instruction, only later to recuse themselves.

As copyright holders we have reached the conclusion, regrettably, that it is now not possible to retain legal counsel in KSA which is willing or able to act on our behalf in filing a copyright complaint against beoutQ. We feel we have now exhausted all reasonable options for pursuing a formal copyright claim in KSA and see no alternative but to pursue beoutQ and a solution to this very serious problem of piracy by other means.

BeoutQ’s infringement of our rights inevitably harms every aspect of the industry, from the rights holders to legitimate licensees, consumers and fans, participants (including players, clubs and national teams) and ultimately, the sport itself.

We have welcomed previous statements by the Saudi Ministry of Culture and Information and the Saudi Government against beoutQ. However, given the scale of beoutQ’s piracy in KSA and that the piracy continues unabated, we request that the Ministry and the Saudi Government take swift and decisive action against beoutQ.

We are committed, collectively and individually, to working with all relevant authorities to combat the beoutQ piracy.

Eurosport Joins Forces With International Sambo Federation

 

Eurosport has partnered with the International Sambo Federation in an agreement that will see the martial arts sport showcased in up to 65 countries across Europe and the Asia-Pacific regions.

Eurosport will show live coverage of the annual World Championships in November and extended highlights of the yearly World Cup in Europe and Asia-Pacific. Coverage in Europe will be simulcast on Eurosport’s OTT streaming service, the Eurosport Player.

Eurosport’s four-year partnership with the International Sambo Federation will be supported by a dedicated television and digital campaign as well as a host of unique content to help engage audiences through compelling story-telling.

As part of its content strategy, Eurosport will work in collaboration with the International SAMBO Federation to develop a series of new programming including a Sports Explainer episode to help viewers better understand the sport, profiling some of the greatest athletes to grace the sport in SAMBO Legends in addition to a SAMBO-themed Zoom episode where viewers will be given an in-depth analysis of the techniques in the sport.

Laurent Prud’homme, SVP Rights Acquisitions and Syndication, Eurosport, said: “We are thrilled to be working in partnership with the International SAMBO Federation to help enhance SAMBO’s global reputation as a world-class sport through our television and digital coverage. Over the next three years, Eurosport will work along with the FIAS to develop a bespoke editorial strategy that will ultimately raise the appeal and awareness of the sport.”

Vasily Shestakov, President of the International SAMBO Federation, added: “It is a great honor for the International SAMBO Federation to cooperate with the Eurosport, which is the sports broadcasting leader in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. Thanks to these efforts, hundreds of millions of people all over the world will be able to witness the main international SAMBO events.

“I believe that in the nearest future all the martial arts fans will be able to experience unforgettable emotions enjoying the SAMBO fights live. Therefore, the number of fans of our sport, which was recognized by the International Olympic Committee last year, will exponentially increase.”

 

Riot Games Partners Sportradar For Integrity Services

Sportradar has partnered video game developer and esports competition organizer Riot Games for integrity services.

Under the terms of the deal, Sportradar Integrity Services will monitor the global betting activity taking place with relation to domestic and international League of Legends esports competitions organized by Riot Games and report any potential integrity issues to the company.

Sportradar Integrity Services is also providing Riot Games with access, as needed, to its specialized Intelligence and Investigation Services unit, and the companies will work together to review the esports organizer’s in-house integrity policies, procedures, and future educational programs for professional esports competitors.

While Riot Games has long taken steps to safeguard the integrity of its matches, Sportradar Integrity Services will enhance and build upon these measures, using its years of sporting integrity expertise to protect League of Legends competition. Sportradar currently monitors more than 300,000 sporting matches around the world each year, and its services support more than 80 of the most prominent US and international sports bodies, including the NBA, FIFA, MLB, NHL, and the International Cricket Council (ICC).

“Through this partnership, Riot Games is bolstering its capabilities by implementing an effective and innovative integrity program,” said Andy Cunningham, Head of Integrity Services and League Relations, North America at Sportradar. “With legal sports betting expected to grow over the next several years, especially in the U.S., we are encouraged by Riot’s proactivity, as it looks to maintain and further establish its leadership position in the esports space.”

“The competitive integrity of our sport is of the utmost importance for Riot Games. As our sport continues to grow, it’s important that we monitor developing trends and ensure we have the necessary mechanisms in place to account for shifts in our industry.” said Doug Watson, Head of Esports Insights at Riot Games. “This partnership with Sportradar enables us to protect our players, teams, and competitions and continue to deliver a best-in-class product to our fans.”

Zion Williamson Signs A $45M Contract With NBA2K

Zion Williamson signed his first pro contract with NBA2K that could be worth as much as $45 million over the next four years.

The former Duke standout will make his video-game debut in NBA 2K20 when it launches on Sept. 6. A person familiar with the terms said Williamson and 2K agreed on a three-year contract reported The Associated Press.

Williamson said: “I’ve dreamed of being a part of the game and joining this global phenomenon, where people around the world can play as me. I’m ready to put my imprint on basketball culture and be a part of the team that represents what’s next in the sport.”

Fulham FC Signs Football Index As Training Kit Partner

Fulham Football Club has signed a new partnership with Football Index as the Club’s new Training Kit Partner and Official Football Stockmarket Partner for the 2019/20 season.

As part of the deal, the Football Index logo will feature on all first team training kit and coaching staff attire. In addition, the Football Index brand will receive prominent visibility at Craven Cottage as well as benefit from the delivery of novel digital and social content throughout the season.

Football Index offers customers the opportunity to buy and sell virtual shares in over 3,000 footballers, making money through dividends and the appreciation in their value rather than via more traditional methods such as on the results of matches.

The platform replicates the stockmarket, allowing players to acquire shares in footballers and build their portfolios to sell at a profit. The partnership highlights the current excitement around the football club and its marketing clout withambitious and dynamic brands who are keen to associate themselves with London’s Original Football Club.

Fulham Football Club CEO, Alistair Mackintosh said: “I’m pleased to welcome Football Index as an official Club partner for this coming 2019/20 campaign.  Everyone at the club is focused on having a successful season and I’m glad that Football Index have made the decision to enjoy this journey with us.”

Neil Kelly, Chief Executive Officer of BetIndex Ltd, Football Index’s parent company, added: “We’re delighted to associate the Football Index brand with such a historic and ambitious club. We’re very much looking forward to supporting Fulham FC throughout the upcoming season – a campaign I’m sure will be both exciting and rewarding.”