Fulham FC Signs Better Leisure As Official Partner Until 2023

Fulham Football Club has signed Better leisure centres as Official Partner for the next three seasons; until the end of the 2022-2023 campaign.

During a month where gyms, swimming pools and leisure facilities are expected to reopen, Better joins Fulham FC’s portfolio of partners as the Club’s Official gym and leisure centre provider; with the partnership offering opportunities to promote a healthy lifestyle to Fulham FC fans and the wider football community.

The three-season deal will see the Better branding appear at Fulham FC’s ground, Craven Cottage, and the training facility at Motspur Park as well as access to the club’s digital and social media channels, player appearance and activations, when supporters return to matches. 

The Club’s association with Better leisure centres began during the first COVID-19 lockdown over a year ago. The leisure operator provided gym equipment for the use of the first team players who were training at home, before the football season restarted in June 2020. That season the team successfully completed the campaign as winners of the Championship Play-Off against Brentford at Wembley and promotion to the Premier League.

David Currie Regional Business Manager for Better leisure centres, said: “We are excited to be embarking on this new venture with Fulham FC.  The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of keeping physically active and how conditions related to inactivity, such as obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes significantly increase the risk of hospitalisation. 

Being in lockdown since early January has been a further challenge to the nation’s health.  We’re now focussed on communicating the benefits of exercise and encouraging local residents back to fitness; our partnership with Fulham FC will help us do this.”

GAISF Collaborates With Sportanddev To Promote Sustainable Development Initiatives

The Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) and sportanddev have signed a partnership agreement to promote sustainable development initiatives of International Sports Federations and the global sports community.

Launched as part of GAISF’s International Day of Sport for Development and Peace activities, the content-sharing partnership will see sportanddev publish sustainability.sport content on its platforms and vice versa.

sportanddev is the leading global hub for the sport and development community to share knowledge, build good practice, coordinate with others and create partnerships.

GAISF President Raffaele Chiulli said: “We are delighted to mark the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace by partnering with sportanddev to promote sustainable development initiatives by GAISF Members around the world. Sustainability.sport and sportanddev are both invaluable platforms for sports organisations aiming to champion good causes, so this partnership is a perfect fit.”

sportanddev Senior Project Manager Paul Hunt said: “We are very excited to sign this partnership with GAISF, which will help grow the sport and development community while inspiring more sports organisations to share knowledge, best practice and create new partnerships. Ultimately, this partnership will help amplify the message that sustainable development is truly at the heart of sport.”

IRONMAN Expands Partnership With Supersapiens For World Championship

Supersapiens and IRONMAN announced a major expansion of their recent agreement, which will include title partnership for the 2021 and 2022 IRONMAN World Champion-ship® in Kailua-Kona, Hawai`i as well as several marquee IRONMAN® events in Europe.

Supersapiens, powered by the Abbott Libre Sense Glucose Sport Biosensor, is the first direct-to-consumer energy management ecosystem and application for athletes that gives users real-time visi-bility into their blood glucose, allowing them to fine-tune fueling strategies for training, racing, and recovery. Their collaboration with global healthcare leader, Abbott, and proprietary set of data interpre-tation tools within their app makes Supersapiens the only energy management ecosystem that directly integrates with a Bluetooth-enabled CGM (Continuous Glucose Monitoring), pushing the future of fueling and sports performance.

In addition to the world’s premier endurance racing event, Supersapiens will also become title partner for IRONMAN Hamburg in Germany, IRONMAN France in Nice, IRONMAN UK in Bolton and IRONMAN Italy Emilia-Romagna in Cervia. Today’s announcement expands the existing partnership, announced earlier this year when Supersapiens became the Official Real-Time Energy Management System Supplier for IRONMAN and IRONMAN® 70.3® events in Europe. The original partnership between the two companies was announced in February 2021.

“As athletes, we understand the challenge, struggle, and commitment of training for endurance events like IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3,” says Supersapiens founder and CEO, Phil Southerland. “Don’t let fueling be the reason for not achieving your time goal. We’ve seen how more fueled training minutes can translate into bigger performance gains and more efficient recovery. We are truly excited to work with IRONMAN athletes. For these superhumans, they put so much time and energy in training for 1-2 key events per year. There is too much on the line for them to take a chance on fueling during race day. We look forward to seeing the personal satisfaction of goals achieved from 100’s of thousands of IRONMAN athletes around the world.”

“We are excited to extend our relationship with Supersapiens as title partner for our IRONMAN World Championship, the pinnacle event in our sport,” said Andrew Messick, President & CEO of The IRONMAN Group. “As many athletes have learned the hard way, getting nutrition wrong can ruin an athlete’s race. At IRONMAN we are committed to bringing solutions and technology to our athletes to help them prepare and perform in our events. Supersapiens’ innovative technology and real-time in-sights give athletes the ability to achieve their performance goals as they endeavor for the ultimate red-carpet glory.”

“At our core, Supersapiens is a company of dedicated athletes who inherently understand the road to Kona,” said Vice President of Marketing and multiple IRONMAN finisher, Travis McKenzie. “Our innovative energy management system allows athletes to monitor their glucose levels in real-time using the Abbott Libre Sense Glucose Sport Biosensor and the Supersapiens app. Until now, effectively fueling an athlete’s training, recovery, and racing has been a guessing game. Using this innovative technology, athletes can make immediate performance gains and get a step closer to mastering the fourth discipline of triathlon.”

Golden State Warriors Signs Clorox As Official Disinfectant Product

The Golden State Warriors and Chase Center have announced a dynamic, multi-property collaboration with The Clorox Company.

Clorox will become the official disinfectant product used by the Golden State Warriors, Chase Center, Santa Cruz Warriors, Golden Guardians and Warriors Gaming Squad.

“The Warriors are committed to ensuring Chase Center features the safest and cleanest indoor environment possible,” said Chase Center General Manager Kim Stone. “We’ve seen a significant shift over the last 10 months around venue health and hygiene. As we look to the eventual return of fans, Clorox’s world-class products, Chase Center’s state-of-the-art infrastructure and our dedication to adhering to stringent cleaning and disinfecting protocols is a strong combination designed to enhance everyone’s safety at Chase Center.”

Through this collaboration, Clorox will provide disinfecting products, including Clorox® Total 360® System electrostatic sprayers, to help enhance Chase Center’s Clean Team sponsored by Clorox, a program that outlines all cleaning and disinfection protocols and focuses on frequent auditing of cleanliness and disinfection levels throughout the arena every day, including non-event days.

The collaboration between two Bay Area-based companies will also extend to the Santa Cruz Warriors and Kaiser Permanente Arena, with similar product integrations and a Clean Team program; the Golden Guardians with logo placement on player jerseys and the Warriors Gaming Squad with branding at matches.

“For more than 100 years Clorox has been a trusted brand in the home, and we’re proud to extend our commitment by teaming up with The Golden State Warriors and Chase Center,” said Heath Rigsby, VP of Out of Home at The Clorox Company. “Disinfection plays an important role in helping to create a cleaner and safer experience for everyone from staff to players to fans.”

International Skating Union Extends Media Rights Agreement With Infront

The International Skating Union (ISU) has prolonged its media rights agreement with Infront for another four seasons, further strengthening Infront’s role as the commercial partner of all seven Olympic Winter Sports Federations.

The agreement runs from 2023/24 until the end of the 2026/27 season and includes media rights across all territories worldwide excluding Canada, Japan, Korea and USA. Infront will now also cover media rights in China, expanding the scope of the initial partnership which began in 2019.

The worldwide media rights partnership includes ISU events across all tiers and championships: the annual World, Four Continents and European Championships in Speed Skating, Short Track Speed Skating, Figure Skating, and the World Synchronized Skating Championships. It also covers all ISU World Cup Speed Skating, ISU World Cup Short Track and ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating competitions.

Bruno Marty, Infront Senior Vice President Winter Sports said: ”This prolongation marks another important milestone as a long-term partner of the seven Olympic Winter Sports Federations. We look forward to working with the ISU for another four seasons, building on a successful foundation. We are happy to extend our collaboration and now include China as part of the agreement, leveraging our experience in this region and continuing to expand the sport to new markets.”

Jan Dijkema, ISU President said: “The ISU is pleased to extend this successful partnership. We continue to offer fans the opportunity to watch the ISU Events through either a rights-holding broadcaster or an ISU Livestream in many countries. The agreement with Infront underpins our aim to further grow the popularity and exposure of the ISU disciplines worldwide. In particular, we are committed to expanding digital content and engagement.”

LaLiga To Show Live Football In Spain Via Twitch

LaLiga and GOL will offer this week’s Basque derby between Real Sociedad and Athletic Club live to viewers in Spain through the official Twitch channels of LaLiga, GOL and the renowned streamer Ibai Llanos.

Continuing its commitment to innovate with new digital consumption models, LaLiga will become the first major European football league to show a live match on the streaming service in Spain.

The match, which will kick off on Wednesday 7th April 7 at 9:00 p.m CET, will be commentated by Ibai, one of the world’s most popular streamers, accompanied by Ander Cortés.


Streaming exclusively to viewers in the Spanish territory, the programme will begin at 8.30 p.m CET with a full preview of one of Spain’s most historic and anticipated rivalries. Thanks for the interactive features offered by Twitch, viewers will have the opportunity to participate in the show and communicate with the streamers through the chat function, offering a different and immersive way to enjoy live football.


The derby can also be followed in Spain through the usual television channels: on GOL (available via free-to-air and digital TV) as well as through national operators Movistar, Vodafone, Orange and Telecable.
This initiative with Twitch reinforces LaLiga’s commitment to creating engaging digital content, offering Spanish football fans innovative experiences, creating additional ways to participate in the action and supporting new digital entertainment formats.

Sunset+Vine Secures European Professional Club Rugby Contract

Sunset+Vine has been named among European Professional Club Rugby’s (EPCR) digital partners with a brief to create content promoting the Heineken Champions Cup and Challenge Cup tournament broadcasts and the EPCR European Player of the Year campaign.

The two European tournaments restart this weekend with the Round of 16 stages and the Sunset+Vine Content Department has created innovative promos and trailers as well as beginning work on the European Player of the Year content.

The contract will run for remainder of the shortened 2021 season plus the 21/22 season and will see the Sunset+Vine team – led by Head of Content Helena Sykes – producing over 150 videos for a range of EPCR’s owned, earned and shared platforms, targeting rugby fans across the world.

‘This is a significant win for our new Content Team,’ said Helena Sykes. ‘The new department has been set up to deliver content right across the spectrum, from network commissions, to VOD films and features for our streaming clients as well as social media stories, edits and promos. And we are delighted to be commissioned to work with EPCR at a time when European rugby is increasing in profile and popularity.’

François Vergnol, Marketing & Commercial Director at European Professional Club Rugby’s (EPCR) said: “The Heineken Champions Cup is the pinnacle of club rugby. Reflecting that through dynamic marketing video content for use across a range of earned, owned and shared channels is key to our continuing growth of the reach and engagement of the tournament, as well as the Challenge Cup. We are excited to be extending our collaboration with Sunset+Vine, who have considerable experience of working with us on delivery of the tournaments to homes across the world.”

SailGP Signs Cognizant As Official Digital Transformation Partner

Cognizant has signed a multi-year partnership to be the Official Digital Transformation Partner of the elite global racing championship SailGP.

Cognizant will leverage its digital transformation and software engineering expertise to improve audience insights, enable data visualization and create an immersive fan experience for the 257 million SailGP viewers worldwide. Cognizant will also align with SailGP’s Race for the Future purpose-driven agenda, championing a better world powered by nature, with a focus on accelerating a transition to clean energy.

SailGP involves high-performing sailors racing for national teams in identical, supercharged F50 catamarans. Race outcomes are determined by sailing skills rather than any differences in sailboat design and technology. The teams utilize Oracle software to analyze the collected open-source data to make critical performance gains.

To enhance the fan experience on the eight international sail grand prix event weekends and beyond, Cognizant will transform the SailGP website to be more dynamic, and in future seasons, enhance SailGP’s mobile app as well. These enhancements will offer real-time updates on key performance metrics such as the high-performance athletes’ heart rate or the speed and distance of the boats.

SailGP is a member of the UN Climate Neutral Now Initiative and became the first championship in the sailing world to be certified as carbon neutral by reducing and offsetting its carbon footprint, as well as committing to being fully powered by nature by 2025. As a climate-positive sport, SailGP works with host cities in implementing innovative solutions to mitigate climate change. SailGP also recently launched an extensive program to fast-track female athletes’ training and development for participation in the championship to advance gender equity in sailing.

“We are pleased to be SailGP’s Official Digital Transformation Partner, bringing Cognizant’s expertise in digital transformation and software engineering to the forefront of the first climate-positive sail racing championship in the world,” said Ursula Morgenstern, President, Cognizant Global Growth Markets. “Many of our clients are sailing enthusiasts. It is an honor to align with an organization that has demonstrated similar growth and is committed to a sustainable future, as well as diversity and inclusion.”

Throughout the multi-year partnership, Cognizant will collaborate with Oracle in augmenting the capabilities of Internet of Things (IoT) technology operating on each of the eight SailGP F50 catamarans to inform decisions, improve performance and, ultimately, make the boats go faster. The F50 fleet is referred to as a ‘smart city on water,’ with each boat generating 30,000 data points/sec—one of the most sophisticated IoT devices in the sports space.

“This is the second major global partnership that we have announced prior to our second season and we are thrilled to join forces with another like-minded partner that shares our commitments and values,” said Sir Russell Coutts, CEO, SailGP. “Starting today, Cognizant will actively participate in SailGP’s development and our Race for the Future purpose-led agenda, aimed at accelerating change to a cleaner and more inclusive future.”

Previously this year, Cognizant announced a series of strategic sports sponsorships, including being named the title partner of the Aston Martin Formula One Team, a Global Partner of the PGA TOUR’s Presidents Cup, and a title partner of the LPGA Tour’s Founders Cup. Other initiatives include a strategic partnership with XPRIZE to fight COVID-19 through AI and a five-year, $250 million corporate social responsibility commitment to help create stronger, healthier and more inclusive communities as they emerge from the pandemic.

Sarah Lewis Announces Candidacy For FIS President

Sarah Lewis OBE OLY has announced her candidacy for President of the International Ski Federation (FIS – Fédération Internationale de Ski), the world’s largest winter sports governing body.

The official candidacy nomination has today been submitted to FIS by the Royal Belgian Ski Federation, of which she is a member.

The candidacy could ultimately make her the fifth and first female President in the 97-year history of FIS, founded in 1924 and whose disciplines now represent over half of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games programme.

Lewis is pledging to transform FIS into a global movement for world skiing and snowboarding as part of her FIS Piste Map – the blueprint for the future of the organisation.

She will further integrate the 135 member ski and snow sport National Associations and the athletes into the governance, drive a digital transformation to strengthen commercial potential and introduce crucial governance reforms to future-proof FIS.

She is also pledging to implement a Covid Recovery Fund for National Associations, renounce a presidential salary and introduce financial efficiencies notably in these unprecedented times. Boosting gender diversity, athlete, youth and emerging member nations initiatives, strengthening the all-important symbiotic relationship between ski, snow sport and tourism, and focusing on sustainability, the environment and legacies for the mountain regions hosting global events are also important priorities.

FIS, whose current President Gian-Franco Kasper stands down after 23 years, will see its first contested and virtual election in its history, on 4 June 2021.

Lewis was Secretary General of FIS for twenty years until last October, when her departure was announced – she is now running for President in this “new era” of FIS.

She had always stated that she would not declare a candidacy to run as President before the conclusion of the FIS World Cup and Championship season, to maintain complete focus on the sport and athletes.

“We are entering a new era for FIS and global sport – an era that requires FIS to tackle its role in a changed, more inclusive and demanding society, and an era that FIS must embrace for growth, a healthy future for our sport, with our athletes at the centre,” she said.

“We have been presented with a unique opportunity – to elect a 21st Century President, whose full focus is to work hand-in-hand with the National Associations and stakeholders, leading FIS on a strategic transformation to become a global movement for world skiing and snowboarding.

“I have devoted myself to our sport as an Olympian, to FIS and our community, and to the Olympic Movement as a participant, manager and a leader.

“I am now making this journey for one reason – to work together to build a FIS that is fully representative of the global ski and snow sport community, and fully equipped to take us well into the second centennial of FIS, with a crystal clear plan, transparency and accountability. Together I believe we can achieve much more.”

Lewis, who put on skis aged five, has spent her life in snow sport. By the age of 15 she was training internationally, becoming a ‘citizen of the world’, and at 24 she represented Great Britain at the 1988 Olympic Winter Games in Calgary.

In 2000, after two years as FIS Director, she was appointed Secretary General.

She has made it her mission to understand the global landscape and has actively participated in competitions and events in 59 member nations over the years, while taking every opportunity to promote FIS and snow sport as a member of the International Olympic Committee Programme Commission, sitting on three Olympic Winter Coordination Commissions and two Youth Olympic Games Commissions, and working at five Olympic Winter Games.

Lewis has also served as Secretary General of the Association of International Olympic Winter Sports Federations (AIOWF) and Chair of the World Anti-Doping Agency Independent Observers at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

In 2018, she was awarded the title of Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for her services to sport.

San Jose Earthquakes And PayPal Agree A Historic 10-Year Stadium Naming Rights Deal

The San Jose Earthquakes and PayPal Holdings Inc. have announced a multi-year sponsorship agreement that includes naming rights for the Major League Soccer (MLS) team’s stadium located in San Jose, California, which will be called PayPal Park.

The 10-year partnership is built to celebrate Quakes fans, the San Jose community, and local small businesses, and will reimagine the future of live event experiences for sports fans by leveraging PayPal’s innovative payments technology.

“PayPal is deeply committed to San Jose, and we are excited to partner with the San Jose Earthquakes to introduce PayPal Park to our passionate Quakes community and local small businesses,” said Dan Schulman, president and CEO, PayPal. “This is a unique opportunity to partner with a valued sporting brand and strong community of fans, as we draw on our digital payments technology and work together to redefine the future of live event experiences.”

“We couldn’t be more thrilled to find a stadium naming rights partner that aligns with our vision of uplifting the local community,” said Earthquakes Chief Operating Officer Jared Shawlee. “PayPal is a highly respected global brand with its headquarters less than two miles from our Front Office. We’re excited to partner on a number of initiatives that aim to support local small businesses and underserved youth, while also making the stadium a more touchless experience for our guests.”

PayPal and the Earthquakes’ commitment to the San Jose community will be an integral part of the matchday experience. PayPal Park will feature a 250-seat reserved section of the stadium that will host underserved members of the community and provide them with access to complimentary tickets and transportation to and from home matches. Local youth and nonprofit organizations will be invited to Earthquake’s training sessions and have opportunities to play games on the stadium field. Additionally, Quakes fans will be given special offers and discounts, giveaways, and surprise and delights from PayPal and Venmo.

“We are thrilled to have San Jose’s stadium and great social gathering space bearing the name of a hometown employer, community partner, and global industry leader in PayPal,” said San José Mayor Sam Liccardo. “PayPal’s partnership with the Quakes prominently positions two authentic, wildly popular San Jose brands at our city’s gateway, greeting millions of visitors travelling annually through our airport into Silicon Valley.”

The community-first partnership will offer San Jose and Bay Area small businesses opportunities to reach new audiences and partake in events and programs that fuel their growth. For each home game, PayPal and the Quakes will spotlight a small business, driving exposure through signage, curated social media promotion and other marketing activities. PayPal Park will also explore expanding the utility of the stadium to facilitate other events that bring together the local community and small businesses.

PayPal Park will be outfitted with PayPal’s digital payments technology, including the ability to pay touch-free with QR codes at point-of-sale (POS) systems around the stadium and feature benefits like fast lanes that provide fans paying with PayPal or Venmo a quicker checkout experience. These advancements will help transform PayPal Park into a leading-edge, post COVID-19 venue that offers new and seamless ways to maximize how fans experience live events. In addition, the Quakes will further embed the brand’s payment solutions throughout its digital properties and feature PayPal at multiple touchpoints throughout the fan journey.

“This is a landmark partnership for our club,” said Earthquakes Vice President of Strategy Ian Anderson. “It’s been great working with the team at PayPal to build a program that will positively impact many members of our community and bring world-class technology solutions to our venue. We look forward to hosting fans at PayPal Park for years to come.”