Sky Sports to broadcast rugby league’s World Club Challenge

Sky Sports has agreed a deal to broadcast the World Club Challenge between Leeds Rhinos and Melbourne Storm on February 16 at the AAMI Park, Melbourne. It is only the third time the World Club Challenge has been played in Australia.

Sky Sports will also broadcast the Betfred Super League between Wigan Warriors and Hull FC on Saturday February 10 at the WIN Stadium, Wollongong. It is the first time ever a Super League fixture will be played outside Europe.

Sky Sports will further broadcast the first ever double-header games between Super League and the NRL teams at a single venue when Hull FC play St George Illawarra Dragons and Wigan Warriors face South Sydney Rabbitohs at ANZ Stadium, Sydney on February 17.

Sky Sports head of Rugby league, Neville Smith said: “We are delighted to be showing the World Club Challenge once again, as well as the first-ever Super League match to be played outside of Europe and an outstanding double-header in Sydney.

“These matches are going to be a tremendous part of another massive season of rugby league on Sky Sports, and we can’t wait to take you there.”

Volvo Ocean Race announces Stena Recycling partnership

Volvo Ocean Race has named Stena Recycling as an official sustainability programme partner.

Stena Recycling will activate the partnership by providing an expert speaker on sustainability at Volvo Ocean Race Ocean Summits to discuss innovative solutions to the global crisis of ocean plastics.

Stena Recycling will work along with other Volvo Ocean Race sustainability programme partners like founding principal sustainability partners 11th Hour Racing and principal partner Mirpuri Foundation.

The programme includes science and education programmes to help the race take action to prevent plastics polluting seas by maximising impact at host cities. The programme is also a supporter of the United Nations Environment’s Clean Seas campaign.

Anne-Cecile Turner, sustainability programme leader for the Volvo Ocean Race, said: “By joining the Volvo Ocean Race as a sustainabilty partner, Stena Recycling bring a wealth of experience in managing waste products such as plastic which is impacting upon the health of the world’s oceans.

“Volvo Ocean Race Ocean Summits provide a platform to showcase innovative solutions to this global crisis and Stena’s expertise and insight will help create a foundation for positive change.”

Kristofer Sundsgård, managing director Stena Recycling, said: “We need to have a circular perspective on all material in use. As a partner in the Volvo Ocean Race, we are able to spread knowledge of sustainable recycling. Where others see the end of a product cycle, we see the beginning of something new.”

India and Croatia set to compete in World Series Boxing for first time

World Series Boxing (WSB) Season VIII is set to feature teams from India and Croatia for the first time.

The format of the tournament will follow the three-group, regional regular season and global play-offs. Fans will be able to live stream the matches on WSB social media channels.

AIBA interim president Franco Falcinelli said: “In terms of the quality and excitement of boxing on show, entertainment and production levels and our global audience reach, WSB Season VII set new standards for our sport.

“In Season VIII, we can now go even further, with India’s vast and growing appetite for boxing adding a new dimension to the 2018 competition and the Croatian Knights bringing with them all of that great nation’s boxing history.”

Astana Arlans Kazakhstan general manager Sayat Abildin said: “After the dramatic Season VII final, Astana Arlans are preparing to make history and assert ourselves once more on the WSB competition.

“The boxers love the format and it has helped them develop and grow as athletes and the competition has truly brought boxing to new audiences. The team is preparing to defend the title we won last year against Cuba Domadores and we are confident that we can reach our fifth final.”

Croatian Knights General Manager Mladen Mikolcevic said: “We are delighted to have a Croatian team making its debut in the World Series of Boxing for the first time in Season VIII. The competition is part of our strategy to help our boxers to secure a successful Tokyo 2020 Olympic qualification pathway.

“Several members of the side have already amassed significant WSB experience with the likes of British Lionhearts and Astana Arlans and will be sharing that precious know-how with their teammates, allowing Croatian Knights to go into the competition confident of making a big impact and progressing through to the play-offs.”

Burnley FC names TeleTrade as official Forex trading sponsor

Burnley Football Club has announced online broker TeleTrade as its official Forex trading sponsor.

Andreas Samatas, director of Teletrade Europe said: “It ​​is ​​truly​ ​a cause for celebration to​ ​have the ​chance ​to ​work​ ​with ​a ​​historic ​football club​ that ​shares the same principles of responsibility and excellence.

“Burnley Football Club known ​for being ​one ​of ​​the ​smaller ​​football ​clubs​ ​ever ​to be playing ​in ​the most competitive league in the world, the​ ​Premier​ ​League has demonstrated that persistence and hard work can get you to the top of your league.

“Their example is inspiring both for us and our traders, as we strive day in, day out to provide the best possible services for our traders to succeed in the fierce and exciting world of the financial markets.”

Anthony Fairclough of Burnley FC added: “This is a very first for Burnley Football Club, having struck a deal with a Foreign Exchange Company and we are proud to have finalized, yet another international partner.

“It demonstrates the global platform we now find ourselves on and TeleTrade can take full advantage of our world presence and the billion households the Premier League transmits to. This is a deal that will take us to December 2018 and hopefully many years beyond.”

Boston Red Sox announces Samuel Adams as official beer partner

American baseball team Boston Red Sox has named local brewer Samuel (Sam) Adams as its official beer partner.

As part of the agreement, there will be two Sam Adams experiential bar areas: the right field roof deck will now be known as the ‘Sam Deck’, and a bar area located beneath the third base stands will be known as ‘Sammy’s On Third’.

Sam Adams will also have the opportunity to partner across New England and in Fort Myers at JetBlue Park.

Jim Koch, founder and brewer of Sam Adams, said: “I moved to Boston the year of the ‘Impossible Dream Season’. Now visitors to this historic ballpark will enjoy the freshest Sam Adams beer, while watching an incredible team, playing under our sign over in right field. It’s my personal impossible dream come true.

“We got our start right here in Boston, and for the past three decades we’ve worked our butts off to stay independent and brew great beer. As the official beer of the Red Sox, we get to celebrate our New England roots with millions of other fans as soon as the season kicks off.”

Sam Kennedy, Red Sox president and CEO, said: “Both the Red Sox and Sam Adams are rooted in Boston tradition and history, and Jim Koch and the entire team are as passionate about beer as we are about baseball. We are excited for this long-term partnership, and look forward to working collaboratively to represent Boston through our two brands.”

Sam Adams has also served as the official beer of the Boston Marathon for several years.

England Sevens announces Karma Resorts as official supplier

The Rugby Football Union (RFU) named Karma Resorts as an official supplier to England Sevens for the 2017/18 season.

The partnership includes all 10 legs of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series, the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in 2018, including a training camp at Karma in Bali, and the 2018 Rugby World Cup Sevens in San Francisco.

Karma Resorts is already the sponsor for Rosslyn Park HSBC National Schools Sevens, the world’s largest school rugby tournament.

John Spence, chairman and founder of Karma Group, said: “We are tremendously excited to come on board as sponsors of England Sevens Rugby.

“Karma has long been a proud supporter of English rugby, developing great friendships with the many England players who have stayed at our resorts, and hosting the England Sevens team training camp in Bali shortly before they went on the win the Hong Kong Sevens. We are looking forward to another wonderful season of sevens rugby for England.”

Simon Amor, head of England Sevens, said: “The opportunity to have the support of Karma Resorts and stay at one of their World Class resorts at a critical time in our season will have a huge benefit, aiding the players’ recovery and preparation, putting the team in the best place possible to achieve our goals.”

Yunfeng Capital becomes major shareholder in Formula E’s regional partner in Greater China

Yunfeng Capital is to become a major shareholder in Enova Holdings Ltd – Formula E’s regional partner in Greater China.

Yunfeng is a private firm established by Alibaba’s founder Jack Ma and David Yu, founder of Target Media. The announcement was made by Formula E’s founder and chief executive officer Alejandro Agago at a press conference alongside David Yu, co-founder and chairman of Yungfeng Capital, and Yin Xiao Ming, president of Enova Holdings Ltd.

The decision will allow Formula E to grow its presence within Greater China, boosting the prospects of the series in one of the most influential electric vehicle markets in the world.

Agago said: “I’m delighted to see this strategic investment from Jack Ma and David Yu in one of the most important regions for Formula E. Greater China has been fundamental in the growth of the series and it remains fundamental for the growth of electric vehicles (EV) too.

“As an EV manufacturer, if you can crack China, you can crack anywhere. With four races in the region since Formula E’s inaugural year in 2014 – two in Beijing and two in Hong Kong – I’m looking forward to seeing electric street racing continue to grow here.”

Yu said: “Yunfeng is a leading internet media investor, specialising in the technology, entertainment and sport sectors – so it makes great sense for the company to collaborate with Formula E. I’m very excited about the future of this great motorsport series in China.”

Ming added: “Enova has been working with Formula E since the very beginning, having hosted the first-ever race in Beijing and again in Hong Kong. The purpose of the investment is to help Formula E on its journey to expand in this region and worldwide – especially in the realm of digital to appeal to a younger audience.”

EFL live streams matches for the first time to the UK audience

The English Football League (EFL) live streamed Checkatrade Trophy matches to fans in the UK for the first time on Saturday (1 December) as part of the recently announced domestic broadcast partnership with Sky Bet. 

Viewers will be able to watch matches up to the quarter-finals on EFL’s live streaming platform iFollow for £5 while the existing annual or monthly iFollow subscribers will be given access for free. The semi-finals and final will be screened live on Sky Sports.

However, games that involve teams from the Premier League will be broadcasted but are subject to the agreement that both clubs can provide the service under the same terms and conditions and with the same safeguards to protect the interests of both clubs and their supporters.

EFL chief executive, Shaun Harvey said: “The ability to live stream EFL matches is an exciting new innovation that is already having a major impact for overseas fans of EFL clubs since we launched iFollow ahead of the 2017/18 season.

“This opportunity is being extended to UK-based fans from next season, as we develop plans to deliver live domestic streaming for any non-Saturday 3pm league and live TV games. I am confident that this latest development will bring the competition to a new audience as interest and excitement grows throughout the knock-out stages.”

Betway renews partnership with World Snooker until 2020

Betway has extended its association with World Snooker as title sponsors of the UK Championship until 2020.

This year the tournament will feature title defender Mark Selby along with Ronnie O’Sullivan, Judd Trump, John Higgins, Shaun Murphy and Neil Robertson.

World Snooker chairman, Barry Hearn, said: “We are delighted to welcome Betway on board for at least another three years, especially as they are such a fantastic team to work with.

“This year we celebrate 40 years of the UK Championship and remember the iconic moments that this marvellous tournament has produced. Last year we saw an incredible final between Mark Selby and Ronnie O’Sullivan which proved the remarkable skill of the players at the top level.

“Now the players are writing a new chapter in the history of this event, and the eyes of the world are watching with a global television audience of over 400 million fans. The exposure for Betway’s brand both in the UK and overseas is exceptional. We look forward to working with them for many years to come.”

Betway CEO, Anthony Werkman, added: “The Betway UK Championship is a fantastic event to be involved with and we’re really happy to be extending our partnership for a further three years.

“Continuing our sponsorship in snooker, and particularly with a top level event like the Betway UK Championship, is really important as we look to build on the strong growth we have achieved in recent years.”

BAMMA announce new broadcast deal with ITV

Europe’s Mixed Martial Arts Entertainment Brand, BAMMA, has partnered with ITV to broadcast live television coverage of the competition, including ‘BAMMA 33: Scope Vs. Lebout’ later this month.

BAMMA managing director, Ashley Bothwell, said: “Together with ITV we will aim to bring MMA to an unprecedented number of homes in the UK.

“We can’t think of a more perfect domestic TV partner for the BAMMA brand and believe this deal signifies a significant public and industry acceptance and recognition of mixed martial arts.”

BAMMA was launched in 2009 and has since forged its place as the most exciting and entertaining MMA in Europe and a home to elite fighters from around the world, drawing unrivalled domestic viewing figures.

ITV4 is an established home to leading sports and this deal brings BAMMA on to a platform which regularly shows a heavyweight sporting line up including Racing, French Open tennis, the Tour de France, live international and Europa League football, live Boxing, PDC Darts, Snooker and Motor Sports.