Taruka Srivastav, Author at iSportConnect

“We Have The Luxury Of Appealing To A Very Broad Fanbase, Both As A Sport… And A Lifestyle”

According to a recent report by Hookit, the World Surf League is the most followed adventure sport on social media. After the enforced lay-off during 2020, WSL has restarted with an all-new season in 2021, so iSportConnect’s Taruka Srivastav spoke with WSL CEO Erik Logan to know more about their marketing strategy and sponsorship plans.

How would you describe the overall impact of the past year on the World Surf League?

In March last year, we made the decision to cancel the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then the WSL team has been working hard to resume the Championship Tour and we are proud that we’re now halfway through our 2021 season having completed our opening events in Hawaii and most recently four events in Australia.

While the tour was on hold we ran a series of one-off regional events in the US, Australia, Brazil, France and Portugal called the Countdown Series. We learned a lot from those events and were able to test our safety protocols, which put us in a really good position to restart our Championship Tour this year. We conducted in excess of 700 COVID tests throughout the Countdown Series, which were all negative.

“The WSL embraces a sustainable ethos and in 2016 founded the non-profit WSL PURE, which is on a mission to inspire, educate, and empower ocean lovers while addressing critical environmental issues.”

The complexities of international travel during this pandemic create significant logistical challenges for a global league like the WSL and there have been a number of adjustments to our schedule as we’ve moved through the year. That said, we feel really confident in our protocols and our ability to safely run events and look forward to crowning World Champions at the Rip Curl WSL Finals in California in September.

What precautions have you taken to restart the league and what has the response been like from the fans?

The health and safety of our athletes, staff, and the local communities that host us are of the utmost importance and we have a robust set of procedures in place to keep everyone safe. We’ve collaborated extensively with public health officials, medical experts, as well as local and state officials in each event location, to develop these protocols, based on guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, World Health Organization, and best practices established by other sports.

Our COVID Safety Plans are unique to each Tour stop and include measures like testing for athletes and essential staff, masks and strict physical distancing measures, temperature checks, and minimal personnel on-site. As an example, we’ve just wrapped a four-event series in Australia where all athletes and staff who traveled into the country undertook a mandatory 14-day quarantine and testing protocol before entering the general population.

We’ve seen an incredible reaction from the fans who, like us, are happy to have professional surfing back up and running.

There have been concerns about environmental damage with WSL tournaments, how do you as a league combat this and make a positive difference?

No sport relies on the ocean as much as surfing does and the WSL takes seriously its responsibility to protect our oceans and beaches. The WSL embraces a sustainable ethos and in 2016 founded the non-profit WSL PURE, which is on a mission to inspire, educate, and empower ocean lovers while addressing critical environmental issues. We work closely with the local communities that host us in order to minimize any environmental impacts of our events and take any necessary precautions to protect the natural environments that we visit.

“The pause for COVID really allowed us to accelerate the content side of our business.”

The WSL’s existing ocean conservation efforts include a series of sustainability commitments across all WSL events and offices that set a new standard for global professional sports. This included going carbon neutral. We’ve been able to offset our carbon emissions from 2018, 2019 and we are finalizing our offset for 2020 using a portfolio of 100% nature-based solutions.

We’ve also recently announced our WSL PURE grant program, which supports the work of organizations in key WSL regions working to protect and conserve the global ocean.

What are the digital offerings of WSL and how are you attracting new fans to the sport of surfing?

WSL’s primary digital offerings, and the core of our business, are our live event broadcasts and shoulder programming. The pause for COVID really allowed us to accelerate the content side of our business, WSL Studios, as well as reimagining our digital products, with our redesigned website and app.

In addition to a six-part documentary series that is in production for Apple TV+ by Box to Box Films in December and our upcoming ABC series, “The Ultimate Surfer”, which will be premiering in the US on Monday, August 23, 2021, at 10 ET and PT, we’ve released a number of new on-platform content franchises while the surfing world was on hold.

We have been experimenting with various strategies around distribution for the past few years. In 2020 we primarily focused on driving traffic to our owned and operated platforms, which told us a great deal about how our consumers interact with our content in the WSL ecosystem. In 2021, we are testing a more ubiquitous approach to the distribution of our live event broadcasts and original content by working with an expanded network of global linear partners, YouTube, Facebook, and third-party digital distributors – like Outside TV who we partnered with on our BILLY docu-series, in addition to our O+O.

What would you say is the focus of your marketing strategy and which brands do you look to partner with?

First and foremost, the incredible brands that we partner with align with our core values. We’ve worked with brands in the endemic surf community like Billabong, Rip Curl, Quiksilver and ROXY for years, and continue to build on these incredible relationships.

“We have the luxury of appealing to a very broad fanbase – both as a sport with some of the best and most dynamic athletes in the world, and as a lifestyle well beyond that.”

Additionally, we’re now partnered with a growing roster of brands outside of the traditional surf space, including Red Bull, Jeep, Corona, Hydro Flask, Shiseido, Gillette Venus, and IKEA amongst many others! We have the luxury of appealing to a very broad fanbase – both as a sport with some of the best and most dynamic athletes in the world, and as a lifestyle well beyond that.

We are able to offer partners custom and specific integrations – across our competitive events and our extraordinary athletes, as well as through storytelling about the incredible locations we visit or sustainability and love of the ocean. Our partners can help us bring to life narratives of the world’s best surfers, on the world’s best waves, through their own channels, as well as amplifying ours.

WSL announced a global campaign called We Are One Ocean earlier this year, can you tell us the strategy behind the campaign?

We’re really proud of the work of our non-profit, WSL PURE, and we’re excited about the We Are One Ocean campaign and the impact it could have. As a global professional sports league, the ocean is our arena, our office, and our inspiration. The future of not just professional surfing, but all surfing, is directly tied to the health of the global ocean and we want to do what we can to ensure that it’s healthy for generations of surfers and aspiring athletes to come.

We Are One Ocean is focused on inspiring surfers and ocean lovers to use their voice and sign a petition calling on world leaders to adopt a target at the 2021 United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity to protect and conserve at least 30 percent of the global ocean, including international waters, by 2030. We’ve built a growing coalition of more than 80 Non-Governmental Organizations and businesses from across the world, in support of the campaign.

Norwich City Signs BK8 Sports As Principal Partner

Norwich City has announced BK8 Sports as the club’s new principal partner for the 2021-22 season.

As part of the agreement, a bespoke colourway of the BK8 logo will feature as the new front of shirt sponsor on both City’s first team match and training kits for the new season.

BK8 Sports already hold a strong position within the Asian betting market and has serious ambitions to continue to grow its brand and customer base through its partnerships within the Premier League and form strategic associations with recent trophy-winning clubs.

In 2020, BK8 launched its cryptocurrency payment gateway to support digital currencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum and USDT. In a society where cryptocurrency continues to emerge as a major currency, BK8 hopes that this partnership will increase exposure by promoting cryptocurrency to a wider audience.

A broad range of engaging and powerful activations for supporters are lined up for release over the course of the partnership.

Ben Kensell, chief operating officer at Norwich City, said: “We’re delighted to welcome BK8 as our new principal partner. It is excellent that they see the value in working with Norwich City.

“BK8 will undoubtedly be a new brand for City fans, however, they’re a well trusted name across Asia. The Premier League has an accumulative TV audience of over three billion and is broadcast into over a billion homes – a huge proportion of these Premier League fans are based in Asia.

“Supporting BK8 in marketing to this global Premier League fanbase equally affords us as a club the opportunity to further our own exposure and commercial efforts into those markets.

“Both the club and BK8 are committed to supporting the ongoing review into betting and sports sponsorship. The club continues to adhere to both an internal code of conduct, as well as the policies and guidelines put in place by the Betting & Gaming Council, when carrying out marketing campaigns with betting and gaming brands.

“The industry continues to provide a valuable source of revenue to the club that makes a meaningful difference to our wider objectives as a club.”

As part of the expansion growth strategy, Norwich City legend Darren Eadie has joined BK8 as the brand spokesperson, helping support and drive engagement both nationally and internationally for the global development of the business.

On behalf of BK8, Eadie said: “We are delighted to announce our partnership with one of the most driven and forward-thinking teams in English football.

“BK8 shares the club’s aspiration to seek continuous improvement. It is the undying desire to achieve greater heights in an unforgiving environment that brought us together. We’re all really looking forward to the season ahead with Norwich City back where they belong, in the top-flight.”

CEO of Outlast Sports and Entertainment, Salauddin Sinnakandu, who helped bring the two organisations together, said: “The synergy between the two brands and the voracious appetite to engage the supporters in Asia meant it was a no brainer to bring them together and to later help build activation programmes in the region for both brands.”

USA Cycling Taps FloSports For Streaming In North America

USA Cycling, the national governing body for the sport of cycling in the United States, and FloSports, a leader in sports streaming and original content, have signed a three-year partnership to bring elite cycling competition to fans in North America starting in June 2021.

Each year, the partnership will feature multiple cycling events on FloBikes, considered one of the leading destinations for live and on-demand cycling races, content, news, and analysis.

The partnership will begin with the USA Cycling Professional Road National Championships in Knoxville, Tenn., on June 17-20, 2021, followed by a series of major competitive events scheduled throughout the year, including the USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championships, Mountain Bike National Championships, BMX Freestyle National Championships, and Collegiate Track National Championships. As part of the new agreement, FloSports also becomes the Official Sponsor of USA Cycling through the 2023 season.

FloSports’ continued investment and support of underserved sports around the world has made it into one of the leading live sports streaming services in the industry. The new partnership with USA Cycling is the latest in a series of national governing bodies (NGBs) and international governing bodies, including USA Wrestling, Union Cycliste International (UCI), United World Wrestling (UWW) and others, that have recognized the value that FloSports can bring to their organizations.

FloSports’ excellence in delivering high-quality and comprehensive coverage of these various NGB’s competition events has led to an increase in viewership and engagement among their fans over the past year across all categories.

“This is an amazing time for cycling in the United States, and as we champion the sport, it is exciting to welcome FloSports to our team,” said USA Cycling Chief Commercial Officer, Bouker Pool. “As we welcome back our National Championships and look forward to the Olympics, we are delighted to have a platform that not only showcases our live events but serves as a home for USA Cycling content featuring our athletes and coaches with interviews, stories, and features.”

“Our new partnership with USA Cycling cements our comprehensive coverage of elite, exciting cycling competition events in North America,” says Ryan Fenton, Director, Global Rights Acquisition at FloSports. “Our goal is to create a dedicated home for USA Cycling by sharing the compelling stories of the top American riders while also promoting the many competitive disciplines seen across the sport. USA Cycling is one of the most important cycling governing bodies in the world and FloSports is looking forward to collaborating with the USA Cycling team.”

BT Sport To Continue As Exclusive Broadcaster Of Ligue 1 In The UK And Ireland

BT Sport is to continue as the exclusive broadcaster of France’s top domestic football league, Ligue 1 Uber Eats, in the UK and Ireland until 2024, in a deal agreed with beIN MEDIA GROUP, the global sports and entertainment network which holds global broadcast rights to Ligue 1 Uber Eats.

Featuring the likes of Paris Saint-Germain stars Kylian Mbappé and Neymar, AS Monaco’s Cesc Fabregas and Marseille’s Dmitryi Payet, Ligue 1 Uber Eats matches on BT Sport will be exclusively live several times a week, with more than 200 per season.

The broadcaster’s coverage will also include the annual Trophée des Champions – the annual match between the champions of Ligue 1 Uber Eats and the winners of the Coupe de France – as well as a range of programming covering the French League. Completing BT Sport’s coverage will be the Ligue 1 Uber Eats promotion/relegation play-off matches at end of each season between a side from Ligue 2 BKT and a side from Ligue 1 Uber Eats.

Last season, Ligue 1 Uber Eats finished finely poised with just five points separating the top three of Lille, Paris Saint Germain and AS Monaco. Lille captured the title for the first time in a decade in part thanks to eye-catching displays from forward Jonathan David who is being linked to a host of clubs around Europe. AS Monaco enjoyed a resurgent season under former Bayern Munich manager Nico Kovac and Spanish midfielder Cesc Fàbregas. Meanwhile, Paris Saint-Germain entered in a new era under the tutelage of former Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino. Memphis Depay’s Lyon missed out on a top three berth by two points and therefore miss out on UEFA Champions League qualification for the second year in a row.

Rachel Knight, Sports Rights Director, BT Sport said: “We want to provide customers with the best sport from across the world and to deepen our relationships with the best leagues and competitions, so we are delighted to secure continued coverage of Ligue 1 Uber Eats until 2024. European football has always been a key part of our line up, with exclusive coverage of the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League alongside other domestic European football leagues.”

Martin Aurenche, Vice President of Sports Content and Acquisitions at beIN MEDIA GROUP said: “We are delighted to continue to help grow French football internationally with this new partnership with BT Sport in the U.K. and Ireland until 2024. Ligue 1 Uber Eats showcases some of the best teams and talent in the world, while last season’s championship race was one of the most competitive in Europe. We look forward to many exciting times ahead for French football.”

Mathieu Ficot, Deputy CEO, Ligue de Football Professionnel said: “Visible on BT Sport since the launch of the channel back in 2013, Ligue 1 Uber Eats enjoyed a large exposure and high-quality editorial treatment in the UK and Ireland. We are glad to expand this collaboration up to 2024 and look forward to offering another exciting football season to our British and Irish fans.”

ICC Agrees Long-Term Strategic Partnership With BharatPe

International Cricket Council has agreed a long-term strategic partnership with BharatPe.

The agreement will ensure BharatPe’s involvement and integration at all ICC events throughout the term. These include the upcoming ICC World Test Championship (Southampton, UK 2021), ICC Men’s T20 World Cup (India, 2021), ICC Men’s T20 World Cup (Australia, 2022), ICC Women’s World Cup (New Zealand, 2022), ICC U19 Cricket World Cup (West Indies, 2022), ICC Women’s T20 World Cup (South Africa, 2022), ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup (India, 2023) and ICC World Test Championship (2023).

As a prestigious Partner of ICC, BharatPe will promote the association across broadcast and digital platforms, as well as execute in-venue brand activations at all the ICC events. In addition to extensive and integrated brand presence for BharatPe across a host of ICC events, this partnership will also enable BharatPe to roll out innovative campaigns to connect and engage with millions of cricket fans and shop owners across the country.

The ICC partnership is an organic extension to BharatPe’s existing brand strategy centered around cricket. The company currently has its own ‘Team BharatPe’ comprising of 11 Indian cricket stars as its brand ambassadors, namely, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul, Mohammed Shami, Ravindra Jadeja, Suresh Raina, Shreyas Iyer, Prithvi Shaw, Sanju Samson, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Shubhman Gill.

Speaking on the association, Anurag Dahiya, Chief Commercial Officer, ICC “We are pleased to have BharatPe on board as a partner for all our marquee tournaments, beginning with the final of the ICC World Test Championship between India and New Zealand to be held in Southampton in June.

Our women’s and men’s events, provide leading brands an unparalleled, high-reach platform for conversations with very involved and passionate fans. Our commercial partners have greatly benefitted from working with us on our events and 2021-23 presents a unique opportunity with 5 senior level World Cups taking place, which will set the stage for reaching out to an unprecedented numbers of cricket fans.”

Speaking on this strategic partnership, Ashneer Grover, Co-Founder and CEO, BharatPe said, “We are excited to enter into a strategic association with ICC and look forward to partnering with them for the world’s most prestigious and celebrated cricketing tournaments over the next 3 years. We believe that cricket is one of the biggest unifiers – that cut across geographies and/or languages.

“I am confident that this association will enable us to build a stronger relationship with our existing merchants, as well as engage better with millions of new, small merchants across the length and breadth of India. It is a matter of immense pride for us that BharatPe, a truly Indian company that started its journey just 2.5 years ago, will be representing the nation on global platforms of ICC.”

Johan Eliasch Elected As The New President For International Ski Federation

International Ski Congress delegates have elected Johan Eliasch (GBR) as the new FIS President to take over for outgoing President Gian Franco Kasper.

Eliasch was elected as the new FIS President after just one round of voting. He earned 54.82 percent of the vote with 65 votes. Behind him was Urs Lehmann (SUI) with 26 votes (21.85%) followed by Sarah Lewis (BEL) with 15 votes (12.61%) and Mats Arjes (SWE) 13 votes (10.92%)

“I’m incredibly humbled to be chosen as your president.” Eliasch said to the Congress after his election. “I want to thank FIS for organizing such a professional virtual congress. I would especially like to express my gratitude to Gian Franco Kasper, whom I have known for many years. We would not all be sitting here today if it wasn’t for him.

He continued, “I will be engaged, open-minded and transparent and a president that represents all nations and all disciplines and now let us go to work.”

RLWC2021 Signs Selco Builders Warehouse As Official Tournament Partner

Rugby League World Cup 2021 (RLWC2021) has signed Selco Builders Warehouse as the latest official tournament partner.

Selco, one of the UK’s leading builders merchants, has 70 branches across the UK and has been serving tradespeople since 1895, coincidently the year Rugby League was formed.

Recently announced as the National Builders Merchant of the Year (51+ branches), each Selco branch stocks over 15,000 trade products, with many more available from the company’s website (www.selcobw.com).

As part of the agreement, Selco will receive extensive marketing rights for the tournament, including tickets, brand exposure at all matches, digital and social content, an exclusive Selco Builders Warehouse award and player appearances for in-branch events.

RLWC2021 will create history via the Men’s, Women’s and Wheelchair competitions being held simultaneously for the first time at a major sporting event, with some of sport’s most iconic venues including St James’ Park, The Emirates Stadium, Elland Road, Copper Box and Old Trafford hosting matches.

Jonathan Neill, Commercial Director at RLWC2021, said: “We believe there is a fantastic partnership opportunity for Selco Builders Warehouse and Rugby League World Cup 2021. Core Rugby League fans over index in the builders and repair and maintenance sector – for example, 10% of RLWC2021 fans are skilled manual workers.

“With the tournament transcending the sport, and every minute of every match live on the BBC in the UK, this also increases the audience engagement significantly. Via sponsorship activation, this presents Selco Builders Warehouse with an exciting opportunity to meet their brand and business objectives with the tournament. It’s superb news to welcome another new brand and values led organisation to Rugby League World Cup 2021.”

Carine Jessamine, marketing director of Selco Builders Warehouse, said: “Rugby League World Cup 2021 will capture the imagination of the English sporting public this autumn.

“Any time that a major sporting event comes to this country, sports fans will get behind it and this will be no different.

“It’s a fantastic partnership to be involved in and there will be exciting benefits and opportunities for customers, colleagues and suppliers.

“We have had experience with Rugby League before, through partnerships of London Broncos, Leeds Rhinos and Warrington Wolves, so we know it’s an excellent avenue for us to reach our core trade customer base.”

Orlando To Host Global Soccer Superstars In Florida Cup

The FIFA 2026 World Cup candidate city of Orlando will play host to some of the biggest names in international soccer following the announcement of a series of world class matches to be hosted in the city.

Orlando’s Camping World Stadium has been chosen as the venue for the 2021 Florida Cup featuring 2020 FA Cup winners Arsenal, Everton from the English Premier League and this year’s Italian Serie A champions Inter Milan, alongside Millonarios FC, the all- conquering Colombian team.

“We are so happy to be able to bring such a powerful international lineupto Orlando as we connect Europe and South America once again at this summer’s event,” Florida Cup CEO Ricardo Villar said. “We look forward to delivering an outstanding training experience for our participating clubs, while also providing an exciting week of action and entertainment to local fans and club supporters in Central Florida for the festivities.”

The festival of football will take place on 25th and 28th July. Tickets went on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. ET on Thursday, June 3.The news adds to the buzz around Orlando’s “Summer of Soccer”, which also sees the city playing host to international matches of the prestigious CONCACAF Gold Cup, also in July.

PCB Collaborates With Facebook To Broadcast Super League Globally

The Pakistan Cricket Board is collaborating with Facebook to bring the Pakistan Super League (PSL) to the global audience via the platform’s Paid Online Events.

The HBL PSL is extremely popular not only in Pakistan but amongst the Pakistani diaspora and cricket fans across the world. The tournament features top cricket players from different nations which sparks a global interest in the event. This exciting partnership with Facebook allows global reach for the HBL PSL, especially in non-traditional cricket markets, like never before.

HBL PSL’s latest arrangement with Facebook will not only bring the live action to fans globally for the 20 remaining matches of the HBL PSL 6 but also help the PCB explore newer avenues for revenue generation.

Facebook Paid Online Events will help the Board monetize the matches by requiring fans to pay a nominal one-time sign-up fee to access the live broadcast. The broadcast can then be watched anytime.

Policy Lead Pakistan for Facebook, Sehar Tariq: “We are excited to partner for HBL PSL this year. The league has gained popularity around the world. With support from PCB we have been able to connect HBL PSL’s global fan base to view their matches around the world while also supporting PCB to build a new revenue stream and support their business.

We hope that Paid Online Events will enhance the experience of the HBL PSL for all cricket lovers across the world.”

PCB Head of Broadcast Rights and Business Development, Shoaib Naveed: “Providing fans ease of access and enhancing the viewership of Pakistan cricket globally is a main feature of our broadcast strategy and part of the PCB overall Digital Transformation aims.

“This partnership for the remaining matches of HBL PSL 6 with Facebook has provided us with a unique platform, and it’s great to be partnering with the largest social media platform in the world.”

The online events will be accessible globally except in the USA, Canada, Caribbean, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Sub Saharan Africa, the Middle East, Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and Maldives; where the PCB has existing rights agreements with international media partners.

Facebook’s sports partnerships team works closely with PCB, and other organizations in Pakistan to help them achieve their fan growth and engagement, as well as monetization goals using Facebook’s platform and products.

World Paratriathlon Series Names Volvo Car UK As Presenting Partner

Volvo Car UK has announced its title of Presenting Partner of the World Paratriathlon Series, Leeds.

Triathlon is widely regarded as one of the most gender-equal sports in the world and this announcement forms part of the brand’s deepening commitment to British Triathlon, and promoting further equality within the sport.

Alongside the announcement, Volvo has revealed two new brand ambassadors, Claire Cashmore and Dave Ellis, athletes who will be racing in the AJ Bell 2021 World Triathlon Para Series Leeds presented by Volvo on Saturday 5^thJune.

Claire and Dave are two of the UK’s leading paratriathletes, both having World Championship titles under their belts. At the age of sixteen, Claire made her debut at the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens as part of the swimming team and has since participated in all three following Games in Beijing (2008), London (2012), and Rio de Janeiro (2016). Claire is the current ITU World Champion and has seen previous success in the Paralympic Games having won gold in the 4x100m Medley in Rio 2016 and silver in the SB8 100m Breaststroke.

Claire Cashmore, Paratriathlete and Volvo Car UK ambassador, said: “As a female paratriathlete, it’s so important to me to work with brands that champion sustainability. I was recently with Volvo to raise awareness of their Recycled Road initiative on the Harrogate Road just outside of Leeds. They resurfaced the road with waste plastics and recycled steel from end-of-life cars, and I’m really excited to be working with a brand who are constantly looking for innovative ways to improve road safety for all users, it’s essential for a more sustainable future.”

Dave’s career started in 2013 and boasts an impressive roll of honour, including gold at the Great Britain Paratriathlon National Championships in 2019. Having previously been a three-time World and European ITU Champion, Dave is one of the most successful paratriathletes representing the UK at an elite level.

Dave Ellis, Paratriathlete and Volvo Car UK ambassador said: “As a paratriathlete, it’s fantastic to see the work that Volvo is doing to support the sport. Its wider commitments to safety and sustainability are impressive and I’m excited to learn more. I can’t wait to race on home soil at the World Paratriathlon event in Leeds this weekend.”

Andy Salmon, British Triathlon CEO, said: “I’m delighted that we’ve been able to make AJ Bell 2021 World Triathlon Leeds a full festival of triathlon through the addition of the World Triathlon Paratriathlon Series

Providing British elite paratriathletes with the opportunity to race on home soil and in-front of a home crowd is something I’m so pleased we are able to do, as well as being able to showcase the best of paratriathlon as the top paratriathletes from around the world head to Britain to race at AJ Bell 2021 World Para Series Leeds Presented by Volvo.

My thanks go to Volvo Car UK for supporting the event as the Presenting Partner of the paratriathlon races and their commitment to paratriathlon in this country.”