Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebryesus Of WHO To Be Keynote Speaker At The IF Forum

SportAccord has announced that Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), will be a Keynote Speaker at the fully virtual International Federation (IF) Forum 2021 on 25 May.

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who has been a leading figure in the global response to the Covid-19 pandemic, will deliver a Keynote Address on the theme of the conference – ‘Lessons We Are Learning from a Global Crisis and How Sport and Society Can Emerge Stronger’.

The address will follow welcome remarks by International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach and an opening address by Dr. Raffaele Chiulli, President of SportAccord and GAISF (Global Association of International Sports Federations).

Having been elected to serve a five-year term at the helm by WHO Member States in 2017, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is recognised worldwide as a leading health scholar, researcher and diplomat with first-hand experience in research, operations and leadership in emergency responses to epidemics.

“We are excited that Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who delivered an excellent address at the IF Forum 2020, will return as a Keynote Speaker at the fully virtual IF Forum 2021,” Dr. Raffaele Chiulli said. “Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus will provide a timely perspective on the role sport can play in improving health and welfare across society now and in the future.”

The 15th edition of the IF Forum will adopt a fully virtual format with expert speakers from across the global sports movement, including representatives of the IOC, umbrella sports associations and individual IFs, as well as sports industry executives.

Presentations, updates, case studies and panel sessions will be provided on several topics, including ‘Moving Forward, Pivoting and the Lessons We Are Learning’, ‘A Return to Competition and Lessons from the Bubble’, ‘Athlete Mental Health’, ‘Commercial Approaches for IFs in the New Normal’ and ‘The Virtual Experience and its Home within IFs’.

Everton Signs Up Fintech Brand Sokin As Global Payments Partner

Everton Football Club has signed up fintech innovators Sokin as its Official Global Payments Partner.

Themulti-year agreement sees Sokin, a global currency account provider which has built a cutting-edge payments platform, further boost the Blues’ growing partnership portfolio. Sokin’s partnership with Everton will see them strategically support the Club’s FX and payments needs through its global platform.

Founded by Vroon Modgill in 2019, Sokin is the first payment provider to enable unlimited global payments for both consumers and businesses for a fixed monthly fee.

Headquartered in London with 10 offices around the world, Sokin offers a quick and transparent subscriber platform that opens up global access to FX transfers and payments, allowing people and businesses to seamlessly move money in 38 currencies and 200 countries and territories*.

Alan McTavish, Commercial Director at Everton, said: “We are delighted to welcome Sokin on board as our newest Club partner and look forward to helping them promote their leading global payments offering to millions of our fans and followers around the world.

“Working with such a global brand is an integral part of our commercial growth strategy. Sokin is a truly innovative, forward-thinking company that puts its customers and customer experience at the centre of its operation and is a perfect fit within our exciting partnership portfolio.”

Vroon Modgill, founder and CEO of Sokin, said: “We are truly excited about partnering with a globally-recognised, ambitious, and storied football club like Everton – a football club renowned for caring about its supporters and its community. This ethos is a fantastic fit for Sokin’s services. As a leading financial service provider, we exist to make global payments simple and offer a trouble-free service that our customers – can trust.

“We look forward to seeing the Sokin name appear around Goodison Park – one of football’s most iconic stadiums – and embarking on this journey together; Sokin – the People’s Card, working with the People’s Club.”

European Tour Adds Zoom To Its Partnership Portfolio

The European Tour has announced a multi-year partnership with Zoom Video Communications, Inc.

As the European Tour’s Official Unified Communications Partner, Zoom will provide comprehensive communications services including virtual and collaborative experiences for media, commercial partners, hospitality guests and the Tour’s global fanbase, through exclusive live-sport experiences.

Zoom will deliver virtual press conferences and facilitate key stakeholder activities at tournaments via the new Zoom Media Centre launched at this week’s Betfred British Masters hosted by Danny Willett at The Belfry, whilst also providing its services to the European Challenge Tour and Legends Tour.

In doing so, Zoom will assist the European Tour to achieve its sustainability goals moving forward, specifically contributing to its remote operations including tournament planning, which will reduce its carbon emissions by using its virtual communications services and enhanced collaboration services in the future.

Guests of Zoom and the European Tour will also be offered the chance to join the Virtual Clubhouse through Zoom at select events to experience a range of innovative spectator engagements.

Guy Kinnings, Deputy CEO European Tour, Ryder Cup Director and Chief Commercial Officer, said: “We are delighted to welcome Zoom as the Official Unified Communications platform of the European Tour. The way each of us interacts has changed considerably over the past 12 to 18 months and we are excited to fully leverage the broad capabilities and services of Zoom to our wider business, creating innovative solutions for driving future engagement with players, media, partners and our fans.”

Michael Cole, Chief Technology Officer at the European Tour, added: “Leveraging the cloud-based and unified communications of Zoom will enable the European Tour to become even more agile as an organisation and provide unparalleled levels of collaboration in the delivery of our world-class global tournaments.”

Janine Pelosi, Chief Marketing Officer at Zoom, said: “We are thrilled to enter a multi-year partnership with the European Tour. Through a combination of virtual and on-site activations we will provide a seamless hybrid and collaborative model shaping the future of sports events for all stakeholders involved including media, commercial partners, hospitality guests and the fans.”

Williams Racing Signs VuzionAs Acronis Cyberfit Delivery Partner

Williams Racing has agreed partnership with Vuzion, a UK-based cloud distributor, as the Acronis #CyberFit Delivery Partner, in line with the Cyber Protection Partnership between Williams and Acronis that was renewed earlier this year.

Since Williams and Acronis first partnered at the start of the 2018 Formula One season. Acronis has helped the team manage growing volumes of data without compromising the security and flexibility mandated by the sport.

Williams has benefited from Acronis Cyber Protect since 2020, a unique AI-enhanced solution that integrates data protection with cybersecurity, preventing cyberattacks and helping the team avoid downtime. Acronis uniquely combines automation and integration, ensuring the prevention, detection, response, recovery, and analysis needed to safeguard all workloads while streamlining protection efforts. Acronis technology is designed to address the safety, accessibility, privacy, authenticity, and security (SAPAS) challenges of modern organizations at the highest levels of business and competitive sport.

The Vuzion logo will be proudly displayed on the FW43B for eight races throughout the season, the first of which will be the Monaco Grand Prix.

Tim Hunt, Chief Marketing Officer for Williams Racing, said: “We are delighted to welcome Vuzion to Williams as Acronis’ #CyberFit Delivery Partner. The values we share with Acronis, to push technology and innovation is pivotal to both parties. Introducing Vuzion as the Acronis #CyberFit Delivery Partner helps drive continuous improvement that we are all working towards and I look forward to working with Vuzion as the team embarks on its next chapter.”

Michael Frisby, Managing Director, Vuzion, commented: “At the heart of Vuzion’s values, is a passion to be the best partner we can be each day for our vendors and resellers. We are only successful if our partners are successful! Our #Cyberfit Delivery Partnerships with Acronis and, by extension, our shared commitment to the Cyber Protection Partnership with Williams, are tied to that philosophy.

“Vuzion has the spirit of a Formula One competitor, where you must be the best you can be, every day. Like Williams Racing, Vuzion is continually pushing for marginal gains in how its team and systems operate.

“Just as Williams focus on finding every tenth of a second in performance, so Vuzion and Acronis strive to provide their joint resellers, the very best service to power the ultimate cyber protection for their customers.”

Jan-Jaap Jager, the Board Advisor and Chief Revenue Officer at Acronis added: “We are proud to support one of the most iconic Formula One teams on the grid together with Vuzion. Motorsport depends on data-driven decisions in the office and on the track. With Vuzion’s support of our partnership, we’ll ensure Williams receives the best technology and service to maximise their #CyberFit potential.”

Sportradar Bolsters Cricket Portfolio With InteractSport Acquisition

Sportradar has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire InteractSport, a sports data and technology company with partnerships across a range of leading sporting organisations with a particular depth and expertise in cricket.

This acquisition is anticipated to close in the 2nd quarter of 2021, subject to regulatory approvals.

Cricket is one of the most popular sports in the world with a global fanbase of more than two billion.  By combining Sportradar’s leading commercialisation and distribution framework with InteractSport’s products, content creation capabilities and subject matter expertise, Sportradar is creating the opportunity to unlock significant growth within regional and global markets for its customers.

InteractSport’s product suite includes:

·       A comprehensive suite of digital sports management platforms featuring competition management capabilities, electronic scoring, registration management and fan-friendly web and mobile applications;

·       A world class data collection tool for cricket with the ambition and the ability to revolutionise how the story of cricket is communicated to fans;

·       An automated live streaming and in-game production and management solution for cricket, known as ‘FrogBox’.

Currently, InteractSport partners with leading cricket boards such as Cricket Australia and the England & Wales Cricket Board, in addition to their other well established and distinguished sports partners such as Netball Australia and Football Australia.

Carsten Koerl, Sportradar Group CEO, said: “This acquisition provides Sportradar with the opportunity to widen its data and content offering. With cricket being one of the most popular sports in the world, we see this as a growth opportunity for the company, especially given the significance of the sport in the Asian region.

“I have tremendous admiration for what Sam Taylor and his team have accomplished to date. I look forward to working with him and InteractSport in continuing to drive value for our sports partners and deliver great products and services to our customers around the world.”

Sam Taylor, CEO of InteractSport, said: “InteractSport has always been driven by innovation and delivering cutting edge solutions that benefit sports organizations and their fans.  Aligning with Sportradar is a natural step in achieving our company vision – it enables us to scale our operation to develop exciting new products, reach new markets and deliver even greater benefit to our current and future customers.  

“We are excited by the opportunity to combine InteractSport’s digital and data capture solutions with Sportradar’s market-leading capabilities in commercialisation and distribution, and the value this can bring to our platform partners, their digital and high performance teams, and the billions of fans the sports we work with have around the world. Our team is thrilled to be joining the Sportradar family and we can’t wait to get cracking.” 

The agreement with the Melbourne based company will be the third acquisition for Sportradar to date in 2021, most recently with the announcement to acquire US based Synergy Sports. Sportradar continues to expand its Asian presence, recently partnering with the Asian Football Confederation and the K League to expand its regional footprint.

Tour Of Britain Signs Pearl Izumi As Technical Clothing Partner

PEARL iZUMi has been appointed the official technical clothing partner of the Tour of Britain, Women’s Tour and Tour Series, the UK’s leading cycle events, for 2021.

Founded in 1950, PEARL iZUMi has used cutting-edge technology and a passion for cycling to craft market-leading jerseys, outerwear, essentials and footwear for athletes on two wheels for over 65 years.

This partnership with SweetSpot, organiser of both races, will see PEARL iZUMi make the much-coveted leaders’ jerseys for the Tour of Britain, Women’s Tour and Tour Series. COVID-19 prevention – including face masks – will also be provided.

PEARL iZUMi has an historic link to SweetSpot’s acclaimed events, having been the title sponsor of the Tour Series between 2013 and 2016. It has been a brand at the forefront of cycling for many years and has a reputation for manufacturing high-quality cycling apparel across all disciplines, particularly road cycling. The cutting-edge technology used within PEARL iZUMi products and the racing pedigree of the brand makes it an obvious fit for the Tour of Britain, Women’s Tour and Tour Series. It is also on a mission to make 90% of its product line-up from recycled, renewable or organic material by 2022.

Hugh Roberts, SweetSpot chief executive, said: “We are excited to welcome PEARL iZUMi back into our partner family. It was a driving force in our Tour Series events and we know it will bring innovation in design and fabrics to our much-coveted race jerseys. We’re looking forward to welcoming racing back to the roads of Britain.”

Kellie Parsons, marketing director at Madison, said: “It is great to once again be partnering up PEARL iZUMi with the Tour Series, as well as adding the Tour of Britain and Women’s Tour. PEARL iZUMi cycling apparel really is market-leading, so it makes perfect sense for us to get the brand in front of racing fans with a high level of technical knowledge. After such a turbulent time, we cannot wait to get stuck back into some bike racing.”

ŠKODA will continue as partners of the mountains classification and jersey in the Tour of Britain and Women’s Tour, while SweetSpot are looking for new partners for both the prestigious points and sprints jerseys in the two events.

Hampshire Cricket Extends Partnership With Gallagher

Hampshire Cricket has announced an extension to the Club’s partnership with global insurance, risk management and consulting services company, Gallagher.

The extended partnership is a continuation of the strong relationship held between Hampshire Cricket and Gallagher, with their branding continuing to feature prominently on the team’s County Championship playing kit.

As part of the agreement, Gallagher branding will also continue to feature in a number of locations across The Ageas Bowl.

Gallagher is known for its support of grass roots sports and is also the title partner of Premiership Rugby. The broker works with sports clubs across the UK providing specialist insurance products and services.

With significant reach internationally, the organisation employs over 32,000 people and their global network provides services in more than 150 countries, offering relevant and impactful professional advice across many international territories.

Tom James, Hampshire Cricket’s Head of Sales & Commercial Partnerships, said: “We are delighted to be continuing our partnership with Gallagher, a company with global partnerships throughout the sporting world. We share their ethos of having a positive impact in the local community, in both business and sport, and look forward to another season working together.”

Andy Edwards, Head of the Gallagher Southampton Offices, said: “We are huge cricket fans at Gallagher and so naturally, are delighted to be continuing with our partnership with Hampshire Cricket for the upcoming season.

“Supporting sport in the communities where we are based is something we are very passionate about, and partnering with a local club that has a longstanding and recognised history in county cricket is a huge source of pride for us. After a challenging year for sports, we are looking forward to the forthcoming season and enjoying some play alongside the fans over the coming months.”

Recast Raises $8.2m In Series A Round Of Investment

Recast, the UK based sports Over-The-Top (OTT) platform, has raised $8.2 million (£5.9m) in its Series A round of investment.

The success of the round follows increased demand from rights holders looking for alternative ways to monetise their video content as consumption and payment patterns continue to evolve.

Among the investors is Simon Bax, former Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President at Pixar, the digital animation giant behind the Toy Story and Finding Nemo franchises which sold to Disney for US$ 7.4bn in 2006. He joins a host of High Net-Worth Individuals (HNWI) including West Indies batsman Chris Gayle, strategic investor Riva Technology and Entertainment – the gaming, tech and entertainment firm – Private Equity firm Visor International as well as other Family Offices in a round which sees Recast’s valuation grow to $29 million (£20.9m).

The money raised will principally be used to further develop the Recast platform, currently in BETA in the UK. Recast will also invest in expanding its geographical footprint as the appetite from rights holders indicates significant demand to reach a global audience.

Recast CEO and founder Andy Meikle said: “The caliber of this investment group reflects the response from the rights holders around the world and Recast’s major potential, particularly as we’re just getting started. We’re often congratulated on how ‘disruptive’ our model is, but in our view the industry has already been disrupted and we’re providing a revolutionary solution.”

Recast’s OTT micropayment offering hits the market at a time where the global sports organisations are facing numerous challenges with traditional distribution. Rights holders and content creators are struggling to monetise audiences, face regular abuse on social media channels, which has resulted in a social media boycott for many, and are seeing an increasing consumption of content through pirated channels, which has only been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Recast, which allows rights holders to set up and run their own direct-to-consumer channel for free, addresses these challenges head on. An incentivised sharing model, a platform free from abuse, and the ability to monetise views through micropayments are just some of the reasons why Recast is receiving an overwhelming response from the industry.

Alongside Andy Meikle, Recast has recruited some of the most highly regarded names in tech and sport including Simon Clegg CBE, former Chief Executive of the British Olympic Association, JC Oliver, former Global Head of Innovation at Microsoft, and Chris Stafford, former co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Fanduel.

Founding Investor and Executive Chairman, Simon Clegg said: ‘To oversubscribe in the current climate and in such a short window is testament to the belief that an alternative model is needed and Recast offers that solution. We’re very pleased to welcome a great range of strategic investors to the cap table, which only strengthens our position as we expand our offering globally.”

Novak Djokovic To Continue As Global Footwear Ambassador For ASICS

ASICS has announced multi-year partnership extension with Novak Djokovic as its Global Footwear Ambassador.

Since joining ASICS in 2018, he has achieved six major titles and he has climbed to #1 overall, currently holding the record for most weeks ranked number one. Novak Djokovic’s athleticism, commitment and spirit on court are the embodiment of ASICS as a true sport performance brand.

The long-term partnership will help ASICS further expand its global tennis footwear business through Novak Djokovic’ continued insights and feedback on the production of tennis footwear as a world class player.

“My footwear is a crucial part of my technical equipment,” said Novak Djokovic. “Extending my partnership with ASICS ensures that I will be able to keep on playing in the best possible technical footwear and at the same time help product research, development and innovation for all tennis players who wear ASICS. I look forward to playing in the COURT FF™ Novak over the coming years.”

“Djokovic has already established himself as one of the best tennis players of all time. Over the coming years he will be able to build on his achievements and do so wearing ASICS footwear – it is a great honour and opportunity for the brand to be associated with Novak Djokovic as a player and a globally recognizable ambassador of the sport” said Yasuhito Hirota, President and COO of ASICS Corporation.

UEFA Agrees Three-Year Partnership With FedEx

FedEx Corp. and UEFA have signed a three-year agreement to sponsor FedEx from the beginning of the 2021/22 season to the 2023/24 season The three consecutive UEFA Champions League (UEFA Champions League). 

The agreement also includes sponsorship rights for the UEFA Super Cup, UEFA Youth League finals, UEFA Champions League Futsal finals and UEFA eChampions League .

This sponsorship is based on the existing relationship between FedEx and UEFA. FedEx became the main sponsor of the UEFA Europa League in 2015 and the UEFA National Team Football sponsor in 2019. FedEx is also the official logistics partner of the 2020 European Football Championship (UEFA EURO) to be held in several European host cities in the summer of 2021.

This new sponsorship of the UEFA Champions League reaffirms FedEx’s status as a long-term sponsor of UEFA.

In 2016, FedEx became the first sponsor to cooperate with UEFA Foundation for Children, using football as a tool to create a positive social impact in communities around the world. In addition to sponsoring the UEFA Europa League and the 2020 European Football Championship, FedEx and the UEFA Foundation have built multiple safe community football stadiums in Spain, Poland, Brazil, and South Africa, and launched the co-funded “Football Driven” The “Football for Employability” project has benefited many young people in Romania, Hungary, the United Kingdom and Ireland. FedEx also cooperated with non-profit organizations in Stockholm, Sweden, Lyon, France, and Baku, Azerbaijan, inviting local children to serve as player mascots in the UEFA Europa League final. This all-female player mascot lineup is still in the history of football. See you first.

Brie Carere, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing and Communications Officer of FedEx Corp. said: “Our global sponsorship of the UEFA Champions League will bring unparalleled opportunities for our brand, team members, customers and communities to match our brand with world-class athletic performance. Being consistent allows us to use the enthusiasm and emotion generated by sports to build a connection between our services and the audience, and allows us to contribute to the local community.”

“We will continue to explore strong social responsibility cooperation with UEFA Children’s Fund, just like we have done in the entire UEFA European League.”

UEFA Marketing Director Guy-Laurent Epstein said: “FedEx has proven to be a valuable partner of UEFA. We are very pleased that FedEx will continue to develop with us. The cooperation between the two parties began in 2015 and now they continue to support our The flagship club competition-the Champions League. The Champions League is the greatest club competition in the world. We look forward to working closely with FedEx in the next three years to help them launch many projects. They will not only benefit the football world, but also have a positive impact on the environment. .”