Ahead of the 2020/21 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship season opener in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, TAG Heuer has extended its Formula E collaboration with a new, multi-year partnership.
Having worked closely with Formula E since the Championship’s inception, TAG Heuer will continue to use its expertise as Official Timekeeper of the Championship and bring the partnership to life by awarding the TAG Heuer Fastest Lap in each E-Prix.
The collaboration between TAG Heuer and Formula E has a true impact on the sport as the driver who claims the TAG Heuer Fastest Lap is awarded one additional point, bringing them one step closer to winning the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. From Season 7, fans can get involved too as TAG Heuer Fastest Lap becomes part of the Formula E Predictor game.
The partnership extension will see TAG Heuer continue its long involvement in motorsport and maintain its strong connection across the Formula E paddock both as title partner of the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team and with double Formula E Champion Jean-Éric Vergne as brand ambassador.
Formula E and Discovery have also announced an extension of their media partnership to show the all-electric racing series live across Europe.
Discovery will utilise its extensive range of free-to-air, pay-tv and digital platforms to support the growth of Formula E in Europe.
Jamie Reigle, CEO of Formula E said: “We look forward to continuing our successful collaboration with one of Formula E’s founding partners. Extending this partnership allows us to deepen the integration of TAG Heuer into our sport. The TAG Heuer Fastest Lap is a fan favourite, because it influences the possible outcome of the World Championship on the track. Now fans will also be able to back their top pick for single lap speed as Fastest Lap becomes a feature of Formula E Predictor.”
Frederic Arnault, CEO of Tag Heuer said: “We’re thrilled to renew and deepen our partnership with Formula E, a championship whose values of innovation and high performance are a perfect match for ours. And with the introduction of the TAG Heuer Fastest Lap we look forward to thrilling moments on the track and offering our community of fans even more chances to weigh in on the outcome of the season”.
Dettol is teaming up with The Football Association to help protect participants and supporters of England’s favourite sport as part of its mission for good hygiene.
Dettol will be the Official Hygiene Partner of the England Men’s and Women’s Senior Teams, Wembley Stadium connected by EE, the wider grassroots game and St George’s Park.
The partnership sees Dettol lend its expertise to promote good hygiene habits at every level of football, from grassroot to elite national teams. Good hygiene practices have never been more important to football given the current pandemic. The FA and Dettol are therefore partnering to help reinforce best practice hygiene protocols at every level, from grassroot to elite.
In a recent survey, over 90% of English grassroots football clubs identified Cleaning & Disinfection as a priority1. Dettol will work with The FA to provide expert hygiene guidance that can be easily implemented across every level of the game.
Over 17,000 grassroots clubs, and the 1.4 million players who participate in affiliated football, will also be given access to educational materials and to a wide range of Dettol’s hygiene products, some of which are proven to kill 99.9% of bacteria and Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2 virus)2.
Dettol will also work closely with the Wembley Stadium team to explore new cleaning protocols using their products to support the return of fans to fixtures underneath the iconic arch.
The #1 disinfection brand in the UK3 will introduce similar practices to the FA’s training facility at St. George’s Park, to support hygiene measures for the nation’s male and female elite footballers.
Susan Egstrand, Reckitt Benckiser’s Regional General Manager Northern Europe; UK & Ireland, said:“We’re excited to offer our hygiene knowledge and support to the FA and the wider football family. Whether it’s fans eagerly anticipating a return to watching England play live at Wembley or players at all levels, our goal is to provide the football community with simple and effective hygiene routines when they enjoy the game they love.
Kathryn Swarbrick, The FA’s Commercial and Marketing Director, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with a major hygiene brand in Dettol who, like The FA, is committed to developing world leading practices.
“It is more important than ever before to ensure that football has all the necessary measures in place to help protect all participants and supporters. This new partnership will give us added reassurance as we look ahead to the complete return of our much-loved sport.
“As a not-for-profit organisation, we are indebted to our commercial partners for allowing us to continue to invest into the game, particularly during this challenging period.”
Ferrari and Richard Mille have signed a multi-year partnership agreement, which will see the Haute Horlogerie brand become sponsor and licensee for the Prancing Horse.
As Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow’s Team Partner and Official Watch, starting from the next F1 Season the Swiss watchmaking brand will be displayed, for example, on the team’s single-seaters and on the drivers’ helmets.
Richard Mille will also support other Ferrari’s motorsport activities as Official Timekeeper, sponsor of Competizioni GT and the Ferrari Challenge series, partner of Ferrari Driver Academy, technical partner of Ferrari Esports Series and FDA Esports Team.
Ferrari and Richard Mille will also have their respective research and design teams start a collaboration in order to create an exclusive range of limited edition watches, an expression of the two brands’ technological excellence and distinctive style.
SentinelOne, the autonomous cybersecurity platform company, has been named the official cybersecurity partner of Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team as Aston Martin makes its return to Formula One racing in 2021.
The partnership with Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One™ Team follows SentinelOne’s ongoing partnership with Aston Martin Lagonda. In 2018, the storied high-performance automotive manufacturer selected SentinelOne’s Singularity XDR platform to revolutionize its approach to cybersecurity and protect every Aston Martin cloud workload, IoT device, and endpoint with AI-powered technology that prevents and adapts to cyberattacks at machine speed.
“The parallels between Aston Martin and SentinelOne are strong, and it is an honor to support Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One™ Team’s much anticipated return to the top tier of global motorsport,” said Tomer Weingarten, CEO and Co-founder, SentinelOne.
“We both share a relentless passion for innovation and desire to disrupt the status quo, and an appreciation of the significance of speed. These core principles are at the soul of this partnership and represent the power of Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One™ Team and SentinelOne.”
SentinelOne’s Singularity XDR platform continuously evolves to proactively secure global enterprises and Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One™ Team against advanced threats. Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One™ Team handles massive amounts of data across a complex, dynamic infrastructure. In order to stay competitive, all of that information must be secured.
As the official cybersecurity partner, SentinelOne empowers Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One™ Team with adaptive cybersecurity that autonomously blocks threats in real time. SentinelOne is protecting the team – both on and off of the track – from every attack at every stage of the threat lifecycle.
“I am delighted that SentinelOne will be one of Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One™ Team’s key partners as we take Aston Martin back where it belongs, the top table of international motorsport, namely Formula One™,” said Lawrence Stroll, Chairman, Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One™ Team.
“Tomer and I have enjoyed our discussions, and it is clear that our two companies have much in common. Ours will be a very real partnership, delivering genuine performance enhancements to the safe and smooth running of our team.”
The Jockey Club, one of the UK’s largest sports businesses has appointed Helene Sharrock as its Chief People Officer.
Helene will join on 17th May from major retailer, M&S, where she is Head of HR and responsible for people strategies designed to achieve long-term sustainable business growth through change.
Prior to joining M&S, Helene was Head of HR within BT’s Consumer division, which included Brand, Content, Strategy and BT Sport. Previously she worked for BT’s Technology, Service and Operations division and at both ESPN and ITN.
In her new role she will be responsible for leading the People and Talent Agenda for The Jockey Club.
Helene Sharrock said: “I am proud to be joining The Jockey Club at such an exciting time for the business. The deep heritage of the organisation, the passion of the people within it, and the vision of Nevin and the leadership team present an incredible opportunity.”
Nevin Truesdale, Chief Executive of The Jockey Club, said: “I’m thrilled to welcome Helene to our team. She will play a lead role in driving our people agenda over the next few years as we continue to innovate, welcome and retain talent and support the wellbeing and development of colleagues throughout The Jockey Club.”
Hookit’s 2020 Sponsorship Year In Review is compiled to allow marketers to benchmark their brand against other brands in their segment who are also investing in sports sponsorship as well as across industry verticals. This report focused on nearly 8,000 brands sponsoring major professional sports leagues, teams, and athletes.
Despite the pandemic, sports properties were still able to drive $7.9B in sponsorship value for partners through their social media channels. Though total posts by sports entities and the interactions on those posts were down across the board in 2020 compared to 2019, the world of sports continued to grow, adding over 2B new social followers. When it comes to value for brands, COVID-19 and the global sports shutdown beginning in March had a significant impact, likely causing a loss of over $600M in sponsorship value. While a massive amount of value was lost, sports entities were able to pivot many activations to digital this year as “make-goods” for in-person activations that couldn’t happen due to the pandemic.
These make-goods contributed to an overall +8.3% rise in sponsorship value generated through deliberate brand promotion in 2020 over 2019.Overall, global apparel giant, Nike, once again dominated all brands in terms of sponsorship value received from the sports ecosystem with over $470M in AAV (Adjusted Ad Value). Apparel & Accessories brands combined to be the #1 industry in sponsorship by value received.
The top 5 industries (Apparel & Accessories, Financial, Automotive, Beverage, and Travel) accounted for 58% of the total sponsorship value created across the entire sports ecosystem. Gambling brands saw significant gains over 2019, with many over doubling the number of sports properties promoting their brand and growing the value received from partners by over 130% as a category.
Download the full report – https://go.hookit.com/2020yir
Cisco Webex and the PGA of Australia are teaming up to present “The Players Series,’ a new series of tournaments that brings Australia’s leading male and female golf professionals, together with elite amateur junior golfers to compete in the same field for the same prize purse.
Delivering on Cisco Webex’s mission to ‘power an inclusive future for all” The Players Series embodies the fundamental qualities of what we as a company and our solutions deliver to our customers and users globally.
Webex will be working with the PGA of Australia to make this groundbreaking hybrid sport experience a resounding success and expand on the great work both organizations are doing to break down the barriers that keep us apart
As the official presenting partner, Cisco Webex video collaboration technology will be integrated across The Players Series” starting with the TPS Sydney, which will be held at Bonnie Doon Golf Club from 4-7 March 2021. Athletes, fans, organizers and broadcasters will all benefit from having exclusive access to the event via immersive video experiences, irrespective of where they are in the world.
Cisco Webex’s partnership with the PGA of Australia builds on our global relationship with professional golfing associations and emerging athletes to help evolve the game in this ever-changing world. The Players Series, presented by Cisco Webex, is anticipated to grow rapidly over the coming years with more tournaments to be announced for the 2021/22 tour season.
Daniel Weston, former German cricketer, founded the European Cricket League in 2018 – also dubbed “the Champions League of European Cricket” – with the aim to popularise the sport further in Europe. iSPORTCONNECT spoke with him to find out about the story behind the league, their sponsorship and future plans.
What was the idea and story behind the European Cricket League, what was the idea behind starting it?
Well I was originally born in Australia where I grew up playing cricket from an incredibly young age. I played underage cricket ther and then went on to play for Western Australia premier league cricket. First-class cricket in Australia was pretty hard and had very high standards of course and I was also committed to my business and technology. I started a tech business when I was 18 and at that time I fascinated by the European history and culture.
By the time I was 23 I got an offer to sell my first business. So after that, I thought it was a great time to travel because l was putting a lot of pressure on me as a cricketer and not enjoying it much so I decided to take a little bit of time away from the game. I went and travelled to Europe where my first destination was Munich and I ended up meeting a German-Australian businessman with whom I thought of a business together.
“I thought, this is really strange. 10,000 people wanted to see a Facebook Live video of the German national cricket team!”
In Munich I discovered a cricket club and got involved at a very social level which was different from the high performance cricket I’d played before. I headed back to Australia for a short time but after marrying my girlfriend I settled in Munich. When I revisited the club, it was mainly Indian students who were very much committed to playing, very passionate, a lot of energy to their game, rather than just having fun. They really wanted to win and compete, so I thought wow, this is a changing landscape of cricket in Munich at least. And because I had then spent seven years in Germany I was qualified to play in ICC competitions for Germany.
And when I was playing for Germany, I discovered really quickly that again, it was not just a lot of very committed Indian cricketers, but also a lot of committed Afghan cricketers who had become refugees in Germany. So the more I got involved in cricket in Germany, the more I discovered the potential for growth.
We were playing in an ICC tournament and the discussion around the table was that we just won five games in a row. Everyone was wondering how we were so good after beating teams like Sweden and France, and noting that we should get sponsors and how big German companies like Audi, Siemens should sponsor German cricket. The next day, we played Sweden again, as we were walking off the pitch, there was a brother of one of the players doing a Facebook Live from his mobile phone. And the Facebook Live of us winning and walking off the field got 10,000 views. And I thought, this is really strange. 10,000 people wanted to see a Facebook Live video of the German national cricket team!
I then met the guys who were behind the UEFA Champions League and pitched the idea of starting the Champions League of European cricket. Because as soon as we were promoting the sport in these European countries, I knew that would grow because that’s how European sport is. It’s about clubs that go into leagues that get promoted or relegated, similarly to football.
So I pitched that to Frank [Leenders], Roger [Feiner], and Thomas [Klooz]. And they said, “Look, it sounds fascinating. The number of views that you got, 52 million views, for Germany Korea was incredible. Let’s start the European Cricket League as the Champions League of European cricket. But let’s also start European cricket network at the same time, because it’s a digital platform for the promotion of the sport.” And that meeting was a turning point in my life and the beginning of ECL.
So how are you getting backing for the competition through sponsors?
We are in partnership with Dream11 and Fancode who are both quite terrific and very supportive of us. They’re willing to take risks on passionate people who are looking to grow the game, but it has been very difficult at the same time.
We’re also in the stage of planning professional events but we haven’t got a past five-year or ten-year record so we’re a little bit unknown. Covid-19 has made things more difficult but that said, three years down the line; it will be much easier for us to discuss sponsorships with brands like KFC or a Coca-Cola.
How are more federations getting involved?
I have always supported the German federation in a big way and also all the national teams. For the first edition of the ECL, we were brainstorming as to what countries do we start with and I did a social media analysis to figure out what the best eight countries were, and that included Denmark, France, Italy etc.
“We have a good relationship with them [The ICC] and we make sure we’re playing by the rules and they are happy with it.”
I reached out to these federations with the ECL idea and they were all quite interested. The first event was awesome which led these organisations to have more trust in us and we’ve continued to work together. From eight federations to now 16, we have great federations coming in like Austria, Czech Republic, Sweden and are looking forward to expanding further.
What are the thoughts of major organisations such as the ICC, ECB about ECL?
The ICC is a professional organisation and we have a good relationship with them and we make sure we’re playing by the rules and they are happy with it. We’re doing things the right way as there have been incidents previously where people with big ambitions have tried to do things without the ICC but it never ends well.
With the ICC, we make sure everything is transparent and within the guidelines of what they want.
What are your plans for 2021 season?
At the moment we’re in Barcelona doing the Spanish European Cricket Series event and then we will move to Italy for five weeks, before heading to the Czech Republic, Austria and Germany, all while adhering to the COVID-19 protocols of course. Then comes a 16-team cricket league in Barcelona until June and that’s the first half of the year totalling around 500 matches. After ECL, we have European Cricket Series events around the Europe which will all be livestreamed.
Major League Soccer has announced that Sola Winley has been named Executive Vice President and Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer.
In this capacity, Winley will lead the efforts to increase representation, advancement and retention of underrepresented groups in the front offices of the league and clubs, as well as the technical and coaching staffs with the teams. He will also oversee MLS’ initiatives to drive access, exposure, opportunity and participation in soccer in underserved communities, and will develop strategies to increase diversity among the league’s vendors and partners.
Winley, who began his role with the league Feb. 16, will report directly to MLS Commissioner Don Garber. Among the many key stakeholders Winley will be working with is the MLS Committee for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, which is comprised of MLS owners, leadership from Black Players For Change, league and club executives, coaches and former players. Winley also will collaborate closely with members of the league office’s employee resource groups. In addition, he will work closely with MLS NEXT, the league’s elite youth development platform, to build upon efforts to create a more aware and responsible youth soccer community.
“Sola’s experience and expertise make him uniquely qualified to lead MLS in our ongoing efforts to establish programs to enhance diversity, equity and inclusion in our league office, at the club level, and throughout the sport of soccer,” said Commissioner Garber. “I am confident his insight and strategies will build upon what we have previously done and make MLS an even more inclusive and stronger league moving forward.”
Throughout a 27-year career that has included tenures with the National Football League, A+E Television Networks and his own consulting and advisory companies, Winley has partnered with CEOs and advised senior teams on leadership and organizational development, executive coaching, diversity and inclusion and strategic communications across a range of industries. In this capacity, Winley also developed and implemented leadership and training programs designed to prepare and advance mid-level executives of color into senior positions.
At A+E Networks, Winley served as Executive Vice President of Corporate Strategy and Planning and was a member of the executive team. While there, Winley established the company’s first multi-cultural committee, which served as a valuable internal feedback and business resource. He also led A+E Networks’ corporate values and community outreach efforts, including an alliance with Dr. Bernice King and the King Center on a series of vignettes to support the 50th Anniversary of the Martin Luther King Assassination, and a series of roundtable discussions with leading civil rights organizations including the NAACP, ADL, Color of Change, and the Advancement Project.
Winley also played a significant role in supporting A+E’s efforts to broaden and diversify its brand, content, and marketing communications strategy with input on History’s reimagining of the iconic ROOTS mini-series, A&E’s Divided States limited documentary series and its Shine a Light Concert for Progress on Race in America, among many others.
“This is a moment in our world and our sport where the responsibility of creating lasting initiatives that can make a significant cultural difference is personally important to me,” said Winley.
“I am humbled to be Major League Soccer’s first Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, and look forward to building on and amplifying the important work that has already begun across the league. As the world’s game, soccer is already uniquely positioned to lead positive social change. We will work with all league stakeholders and leverage our platforms to scale impact and together create opportunities to increase access, equity and representation on and off the field. I look forward to working with my colleagues at the league, with the clubs, and leaders across the sport of soccer on programs not only in our MLS communities, but everywhere the game is played.”
The UK Culture Secretary has announced the latest tranche of funding from the Government’s Sport Winter Survival Package, providing a boost to women’s sport.
The Women’s Super League and FA Women’s Championship will receive a combined £2.25 million of grant support for essential league costs, in addition to a proportion of 250,000 free Covid-19 lateral flow testing kits being made available by the Government to elite sports, with women’s sport designated as a priority.
In netball, England Netball and the Vitality Netball Superleague will receive a total of £4.2 million in grants, which has already provided the expanded league with the confidence to start its 2021 season on 12 February.
In basketball, British Basketball League clubs – including Women’s British Basketball League clubs – will receive £2.5 million in grants and loans, whilst Basketball England will receive a £200,000 grant.
Badminton England will also receive a grant worth £1.3 million. The grant funding for England Netball, Basketball England and Badminton England is designed to cover essential costs to ensure the survival of these organisations.
This is the second tranche of funding to be announced from the Government’s £300 million Sport Winter Survival Package that is focused on helping those major spectator sports severely impacted by coronavirus restrictions survive the winter.
It follows the first announcement in January confirming that Steps 3-6 of the National League system will receive up to £10 million to protect the immediate future of approximately 850 clubs over the winter period.
Submissions for support have been made from individual sports to an independent decision-making Board, supported by Sport England.
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said: “We are committed to helping our treasured sports through these challenging times. And today’s announcement is more evidence of our support for them.
In particular, Women’s sport has faced acute pressures. The past few years have seen fantastic progress – with greater participation, employment, commercial opportunities and visibility in the media. I am determined not to let it take a back seat again.
This targeted funding will enable sports to keep playing and inspire many more stars of the future.
Chair of the independent Board, Sir Ian Cheshire said: “Following thorough conversations with each party to assess their individual needs, the Independent Board is pleased to be able to confirm a substantial package of survival funding for netball, badminton, basketball and women’s football, totalling over £10 million.
For those confirmed as recipients of support as part of this second tranche, this funding is vital in helping keep their respective clubs and leagues operational at this time.
Meanwhile an initial 19 clubs across Steps 1-2 of the National League system will be offered loan packages worth up to £5.4 million. Whilst discussions remain ongoing with other clubs across the system, clubs in Step 1 will also receive free Covid-19 testing kits from the Government.
It follows a provisional £11 million in low interest, long term loans being offered to clubs in Steps 1-2. Clubs are being assessed as quickly as possible to help those most in need.
In all, 250,000 free lateral flow Covid-19 testing kits worth £1.5 million are being made available to selected elite sports in need, due to the financial impact of testing on their ability to continue competitions as planned. It will ensure that the health and safety of elite athletes remains a priority, any Government funding directly benefits clubs and resources are not diverted to testing.
In addition to women’s football and National League Step 1 clubs, England Netball, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and Rugby Football League (RFL) women’s competitions are in discussions with the Government to take delivery of testing kits which will allow clubs to maintain their competitive schedules should they choose to do so.
It follows the Government recently acquiring new testing capacity. Testing kits will be distributed through the same channels as the Government-wide asymptomatic testing programme, with the current supply expected to support sports through to the end of March 2021. The offer will be extended to more potential recipients in due course.
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden added: “We promised to support our national sporting life when we had to postpone the return of fans. Once again, we are doing just that. These free testing kits will help ensure the health and safety of elite athletes in competition remains paramount and mean resources can be focused on protecting the future of sports as we recover from the pandemic.
“The Sport Winter Survival Package is a sector-specific intervention that is on top of the multi-billion pounds worth of business support that has been made available by the Government, including the furlough scheme, business rates relief and business interruption loan scheme that has helped many sports clubs to survive.”
