FIFA’s Fatma Samoura To Oversee CAF

CAF and FIFA have appointed FIFA Secretary General and iSportconnect’s Most Influential Women in Sports 2019 Fatma Samoura as “FIFA General Delegate for Africa” for a 6-month period from 1 August 2019 to 31 January 2020.

The decision comes after the President of CAF Ahmad Ahmad proposed to its Executive Committee gathered in Cairo on 19 June 2019, to seek FIFA’s expertise to assess the current situation in the African governing body and help to conclusively accelerate the implementation of the ongoing reform process destined to ensure that CAF functions with transparency, efficiency while abiding to the highest governance standards.

As part of this process, it was also agreed that FIFA and CAF will undertake as soon as possible a full forensic audit of CAF.

Meanwhile, Samoura will be assisted by a group of experts who will work in a spirit of partnership with President Ahmad and his team in several areas, which include amongst others:

– To oversee operational management of CAF, including governance and administrative procedures,

– To ensure the efficient and professional organization of all CAF competitions;

– To support the growth and development of football in all countries and regions of CAF;

Team GB Builds Link With Purplebricks Until 2020

The British Olympic Association (BOA) has named real estate agent Purplebricks as Team GB partner until 2020.

Under the deal, Purplebricks will be turning its usual ‘sold’ boards to special ‘gold’ versions, featuring the Team GB logo. These special boards also reflect Purplebricks own ‘gold’ from review site Feefo.

Purplebricks will be mobilising the support of their own team of more than 600 local estate agents in a series of campaigns and initiatives under the banner of ‘TeamPB’.

Tim Ellerton, Commercial Director for the British Olympic Association added: “Just over a year away from Tokyo 2020 we are delighted that Purplebricks has recognised the power of Team GB and Olympic athletes to bring our communities together.

“Their visibility across the streets of the UK gives us a great presence as we build up to the Olympic Games and their innovation and customer focus makes them a perfect partner for Team GB.”

Vic Darvey, Purplebricks’ CEO said: “We are delighted to announce our partnership with Team GB. Purplebricks is a proudly British company and we’re excited about how we can bring support for our heroic athletes to the streets as we build up to Tokyo 2020.

“This sponsorship was a natural next step for our business as, like Team GB, our ‘Team PB’ has the ambition and drive to win. We have hard working, experienced estate agents across the country – and we intend to use that local reach to move every community behind our athletes over the next year.”

 

PSG Seals BULK HOMME Partnership In Asia

Paris Saint-Germain has teamed up with BULK HOMME, a men’s skincare brand in Japan.

As per the agreement, BULK HOMME will be able to associate its image with that of the Parisian club and its stars within the framework of promotional campaigns. The skincare brand will be displayed on the LED panels around the pitch when Ligue 1 matches are broadcast all over Asia.

Sébastien Wasels, Managing Director of Paris Saint-Germain Asia-Pacific, announced: “We are delighted to welcome BULK HOMME into the Paris Saint-Germain family. We share the same ambitions for developing our brands in this region and are both attached to the virtues of sport. Today, Asia represents more than a quarter of our global fanbase. This partnership shows the Club’s increasing attractiveness in the continent and is perfectly in line with the Paris Saint-Germain’s ambitious strategy in Japan that included this year the successful opening of an official store in Tokyo, which is a first for a European club and also the launch of the club’s website in Japanese.

“Ever since the opening of the club’s APAC office, Paris Saint-Germain has been one of the most dynamic club in the region. Several exciting projects are in the pipeline, some of which will be announced during the Club’s forthcoming tour in China this summer.”

Takuya Noguchi, Managing Director of BULK HOMME, announced: “This is a fantastic opportunity for our brand to associate itself with Paris Saint-Germain’s image. There is no doubt that Paris Saint-Germain is the European sports brand whose influence has grown the most in Japan in recent years. We are planning to develop a few joint projects such as creating collaborative products by integrating two brands both inside and outside Japan.”

FITEQ Partners Eurosport For Boosting Teqball

The Fédération Internationale de Teqball (FITEQ) has partnered with broadcaster Eurosport.

The deal kicks off this month with coverage of the African Beach Teqball Cup on Tuesday 18th June in Sal, Cape Verde as part of the African Beach Games run by the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA).

It is the first time FITEQ has partnered with a broadcaster and is aimed to promote international exposure and awareness of teqball and FITEQ’s international events throughout the year, including the 3rd Teqball World Cup later this year.

FITEQ Vice-President and co-founder Viktor Huszár said, “We believe the partnership with Eurosport will make a significant contribution to growing awareness of teqball in new territories, increasing uptake of the sport and driving interest in our events and competitions. We’re delighted to get this underway at the African Beach Teqball Cup and look forward to introducing the sport of teqball to more and more people throughout the world.”

MLS And The Home Depot Unveil Summer Campaign

Major League Soccer and The Home Depot have extended their association until 2022.

As part of the extension, a collaborative ‘Summer of Soccer Brand’ campaign has been unveiled which features MLS MVP Diego Valeri of the Portland Timbers; Diego Rossi, the 21-year-old star of LAFC and the Uruguayan National Team; Chicago Fire and German National Team icon Bastian Schweinsteiger; and 22-year-old Daniel Salloi, the standout striker for Sporting Kansas City.

Jen Cramer, MLS Senior Vice President of Partnership Marketing. “The Home Depot’s ‘Summer of Soccer’ brand campaign is a great example of how The Home Depot authentically incorporates MLS stars into their marketing to provide fun and immersive experiences, like tailgate parties, to fans. The Home Depot has been a long-term and valued partner of MLS. We are delighted to expand our partnership and look forward to working with them for many years to come.”

Drew Keenan, Sr. Director of Media Planning and Buying at The Home Depot said: “Through this partnership, we’ve had the opportunity to host millions of soccer fans at tailgates and experiential events. We look forward to continuing to engage with this fan base.”

Manchester City Signs YuYuan Art As Culture Partner

Manchester City has named YuYuan Art as its Official Art, Culture & Football Education Partner.

The multi-year partnership will see YuYuan Art support City’s global community work and football education programmes. There will also be art education displays at the Etihad Stadium, along with match day branding.

The new partnership will work with City Football Group’s family of established football clubs including Manchester City, New York City FC, Melbourne City FC, FC Girona, Yokohama F. Marinos and the most recent addition, Sichuan Jiuniu FC.

YuYuan Art Gallery in Shenzhen, Scott Munn, Chief Executive for City Football Group China, said: “China is an extremely important and exciting football market, which we have been focused on for some time.”

“That is why we are so thrilled to be welcoming YuYuan Art into the City Football Group family.  It is a unique and creative partnership where two organisations with a heritage of community values are collaborating to empower the lives of others. With a truly global approach, we’re excited to work together to create something new and meaningful.”

Andy Guo, CEO of YuYuan Art Investment Group, commented: “YuYuan Art are touched by the spirit of Manchester City. With the form of culture and art education, we will bring the core values of Manchester City to China, and spread the positive energy of football through art.”

 

Hampshire Cricket To Serve Domino’s Pizza

Hampshire Cricket has teamed up with pizza delivery company Domino’s.

The partnership will be launched at Hampshire’s first Vitality Blast fixture of the summer, an ‘el clasicoast’ clash against Sussex Sharks on July 19.

The Ageas Bowl’s Head of Sales & Commercial Partnerships, Tom James said: “We’re really excited to welcome Domino’s as a partner of Hampshire Cricket. To add to the excitement and atmosphere of our Vitality Blast games here at the Ageas Bowl will be great for the fans.”

Solent Pizza T/A Domino’s Pizza’s Marketing Manager, Michelle Jay, said: “We are thrilled to be working with Hampshire Cricket. This is an exciting partnership for our brand and we will be able to organise a lot of fun activities for the fans over the summer. The Vitality Blast is a great thing to be a part of and we are looking forward to what we can do together as partners.”

Aston Villa Signs BR88 As First Official Sleeve Partner

Aston Villa has named Asian betting and gaming company BR88 as its first Official Sleeve Partner.

Under the deal, the BR88 logo will feature on the sleeve of first team and adult replica shirts. It will further join W88 and Kappa as a Principal Partner of the Premier League club.

Nicola Ibbetson, Chief Commercial Officer at Aston Villa, said: “We’re very pleased to welcome BR88 to Aston Villa as our first ever Sleeve Partner on our Club’s prestigious kit. We’re looking forward to working with BR88 to engage our global audience with a unique and exciting user experience across their platforms. This is an excellent commercial agreement for the Club.”

Morgan Lee, Business Development Director of BR88, said: “This exciting new Partnership between Aston Villa and BR88 gives both parties an amazing opportunity to reach a new global audience, while BR88 will jointly engage with the Club’s existing worldwide fanbase. BR88 are delighted to be the first Official Sleeve Partner of Aston Villa Football Club in their return season to the Premier League.”

 

Qatar To Host 2019 ANOC World Beach Games

The Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) has announced that the 2019 ANOC World Beach Games will be hosted by the Qatar Olympic Committee.

The Qatar government has provided ANOC with financial guarantees and has a proven track-record in successfully hosting international events, including world championships in swimming, handball, gymnastics and cycling.

The event was originally slated to take place in San Diego, California,. which withdrew as the host in May.

ANOC Secretary General Gunilla Lindberg said: “Work has been continuing to ensure our inaugural ANOC World Beach Games is a universal, elite event, with more world-class athletes from around the world qualifying every week. The Games was conceived with the needs of NOCs and athletes in mind, and ANOC is in no doubt that the decision to relocate the inaugural edition to Qatar makes prudent financial and sporting sense.

“We are delighted to have established a partnership with the highly experienced team at the Qatar Olympic Committee, backed up with the enthusiastic support of the Qatar government.”

 

ESPN Player To Livestream Lacrosse Across EMEA

ESPN Player has acquired rights to Major League Lacrosse (MLL) across EMEA.

The streaming service will deliver expanded coverage of the 2019 season starting with its first game this Saturday.

For the 2019 season, the direct-to-consumer sports streaming service will feature a live game every week, from 15 June through to 21 September.

ESPN Player will also bring subscribers exclusive coverage of the MLL All-Star game (27 July) and the Playoff and Championship games on 4-6 October, bringing the total of live games to 18.

Coverage begins with New York Lizards welcoming the Chesapeake Bayhawks – both teams reached the Playoff semi-finals last year.