The Football Business Headlines – August 30th, 2021
SPONSORSHIP AND PARTNERSHIP
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has agreed to a deal with sports brand Kelme for the 2021 to 2024 rights cycle. Kelme will join the AFC family of sponsors as the Official Global Supporter of AFC national team competitions and will provide sports apparel and accessories for the AFC’s national team competitions from 2022 to 2024, and the official match ball for the AFC Asian Cup China 2023. (source)
The Argentinian Football Association (AFA) has added financial services company T1Markets as the new Digital Sponsor of their national teams. The sponsorship agreement is exclusively for the European territory. (source)
The Uruguayan Football Association (AUF) has reached an agreement with Sportradar for the implementation of a monitoring system for the detection of match manipulation. Sportradar will collaborate with AUF in order to combat the manipulation of matches, by providing its fraud detection tool. (source)
ESPORTS
English Premier League Club West Ham United has entered into a partnership with the new football game UFL. UFL will create an online gaming league and a top-level experience where players will be able to create their own football clubs made up of real-life footballers and compete with other gamers worldwide. (source)
WOMEN’S FOOTBALL
UEFA has announced that Heineken has become an official partner of UEFA Women’s Football, starting from the current season and running until 2025. The partnership includes the UEFA Women’s Champions League, the UEFA Women’s EURO, the UEFA Women’s Under-19 and Under-17 Championships, the UEFA Women’s Futsal EURO, and UEFA’s Together #WePlayStrong initiative. (source)
“We are delighted to expand our fantastic 25-year relationship with Heineken through to the UEFA Women’s Champions League and UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 and 2025. This expansion demonstrates Heineken’s continued commitment to being an advocate and supporter of the whole of European football, women’s and men’s, and its amazing fans, players and coaches, who make these tournaments so special.” – Nadine Kessler, Chief of Women’s Football, UEFA
The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Football Association (CONCACAF) has announced the #WeBelong campaign that encourages industry leaders, fans, players and all those committed to providing more football and sporting opportunities for women and girls, to share their own stories of overcoming challenges, of triumph and inspiration via their social media platforms. CONCACAF W has partnered with The Sports Bra Project, a non- for-profit organization dedicated to increasing access to sports for women and girls by removing barriers to participation. (source)
INNOVATIONS AND NEW TRENDS
Major League Soccer (MLS) club Chicago Fire FC announced the creation of its new in-house marketing agency, Second Star Creative. The in-house agency is the first of its kind in Major League Soccer. The integrated marketing agency will provide consultation and services in the areas of social media, graphic design, motion graphics, paid media, events, media relations as well as brand strategy and positioning. (source)
LAW, STAKEHOLDER GOVERNANCE AND FINANCE
The United States Department of Justice has awarded the sum of USD 201 million to the FIFA Foundation as compensation for the losses suffered by FIFA, Concacaf and CONMEBOL as victims of decades of football corruption schemes. The funds will go into a newly formed World Football Remission Fund to help finance football-related projects with positive community impact across the globe. The Fund will have earmarked amounts to projects within Concacaf and CONMEBOL. (source)
“Since 2016, FIFA and the United States Department of Justice have been in close cooperation, and I believe this decision also acknowledges the significant progress we have made in terms of good governance and transparency, all of which was discussed and presented by FIFA officials and me in meetings with the authorities. Today, they know that with the FIFA Foundation this money is in good hands and will serve the purpose it is intended for.” – Gianni Infantino, President, FIFA
The Football Business Headlines – August 23rd, 2021
SPONSORSHIP AND PARTNERSHIP
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has agreed to a deal with Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) as their new media partner in the Indian subcontinent, including India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka, and the Maldives. The deal includes the rights for all major AFC national teams and club competitions. (Source)
“The AFC is delighted to enter into this partnership with FSDL, which represents another decisive step towards increasing the consumption of the AFC’s competitions and confirming football as Asia’s number one sport as outlined in the AFC’s Vision.” – Dato’ Windsor John, General Secretary, AFC
“This is a hugely significant development for Indian football. To bring Asia’s best footballing action for our fans is a key part of our long-term strategy, commitment, and desire to have as many Indian youths participate, follow, and engage with the sport. I believe the live telecast of AFC competitions to our homes will enable a generation of youth to follow the “beautiful game” and continue to raise and develop the profile of the sport.” – Mrs. Nita Ambani, Founder & Chair-Person, FSDL
Italian giants Juventus has announced a partnership with green energy company Alperia that will see the latter become the club’s Official Green Partner. Alepria will help Juventus in its path of sustainability by supplying energy from renewable sources. As part of the partnership, Alperia has created the ‘Alperia Energia Juventus’ – for each victory Juventus in the national championship and in European competitions, Alperia will give 12 kilowatt hours of 100% green energy. (Source)
Cryptocurrency platform Crypto.com has become the first Innovation & Technology Partner of the Italian Lega Serie A. The multi-year partnership will see Crypto.com feature in all match broadcasts and become the presenting partner of Virtual Assistant Referee (VAR) and Goal Line Technology. Crypto.com will also present the Lega Serie A Goal of the Month. (Source)
ESPORTS
French Ligue 1 club AS Monaco has partnered up with fantasy football platform Sorare. The partnership will see AS Monaco enter the world of NFTs (non-fungible tokens). AS Monaco fans, collectors and fantasy football players will be able to exchange and play freely with digital cards of Monegasque players. (Source)
WOMEN’S FOOTBALL
The Football Business Academy partner Iterpro will become the new front-of-shirt sponsor of Worcester City Women for the 2021/22 season. Earlier this year, Worcester City Women and Iterpro announced their multi-year partnership which saw Iterpro become the Official Technical Supplier of Worcester City Women. (Source)
“We are so pleased that Iterpro can support Worcester City Women and the wider growth of women’s football, by making our technology equally as accessible as within the men’s game. Our partnership will also commission new research to specifically enhance women’s performance on the pitch.” – Mark Savino, Chief Executive, Iterpro
The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) revealed plans for the revamp of its women’s national team competitions taking place from 2021 through 2024. The new structure will include two major centralized summer tournaments – the CONCACAF W Championship in 2022 and the CONCACAF W Gold Cup in 2024. CONCACAF will more than double the number of official senior women’s national team matches compared with the previous cycle of women’s national team competitions. (Source)
The French Football Federation (FFF) in partnership with media platform L’Équipe group has created its first fantasy league for women’s football. The fantasy league named ‘The D1 Arkema All-Star Championship’ is based on the actual results of the twelve clubs involved in the league and the performances of the players. (Source)
INNOVATIONS AND NEW TRENDS
The Football Association of Wales (FAW) will remove ‘women’s’ from its league title. The FAW has announced the launch of the Genero Adran Leagues, featuring a new structure and brand identity to signal a new chapter for women’s football in the country. The FAW has removed ‘women’s’ from the rebranded league name to create parity across all domestic leagues. (Source)
“We want our players to feel empowered every time they step onto the pitch. Football has exactly the same rules no matter what gender you identify as, what country you’re from or what language you speak. In this new chapter for the domestic game in Wales, we want to make a statement that by removing ‘women’s’ from the league name, the game remains exactly the same – it’s football.” – Lowri Roberts, Head of Women’s Football, FAW
LAW, STAKEHOLDER GOVERNANCE AND FINANCE
Major League Soccer (MLS) club Chicago Fire FC’s owner and chairman Joe Mansueto has purchased Swiss Super League club FC Lugano. Joe Mansueto was quoted saying that both the clubs will support one another and share best practices. (Source)
The Football Business Headlines – August 16th, 2021
SPONSORSHIP AND PARTNERSHIP
The Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) has signed an agreement with technology giants Lenovo to become the Official Technology Partner of Saudi football. Lenovo will provide technical support to the Saudi national teams and will be the Official Technology Sponsor of The King’s Cup tournament. (Source)
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has announced OneFootball as their new media partner in the United Kingdom, Italy, Netherlands, Malta, and San Marino. OneFootball will broadcast the final round of the AFC Asian Qualifiers as well as the 2021 and 2022 editions of the AFC Champions League. (Source)
“We are delighted to enter into this partnership with OneFootball to increase the consumption of our competitions in a region that shares the same passion for football, and we thank OneFootball for their faith and belief in the future of the game in Asia.” – Dato’ Windsor John, General Secretary, AFC
The South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) has announced logistics company DHL as the new Official Sponsor of CONMEBOL Sudamericana and Official Logistics Partner of CONMEBOL Libertadores. The agreement will run until December 2022. (Source)
ESPORTS
Eredivisie giants AFC Ajax has extended its existing agreement with Electronic Arts. Through the new agreement, the Dutch club will be offering club-specific content to Ajax fans and FIFA players, increasing Ajax’s in-game visibility and setting up unique initiatives for fans. (Source)
“Esports remains an important pillar for Ajax. Within Esports we not only have the ambition to belong to the world top in sport, but also want FIFA players all over the world to come into contact with our club and philosophy. Electronic Arts is an authority in the world of esports and an important partner supporting us in that ambition.” – Menno Geelen, Commercial Director, AFC Ajax
WOMEN’S FOOTBALL
The Official emblem and slogan for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Costa Rica 2022™ have been unveiled. The emblem incorporates distinctive red and blue flashes of colour from the Costa Rican flag, the expressiveness of a traditional carreta and also features design elements inspired by Costa Rica’s rich biodiversity and vibrant culture alongside exclusive typography inspired by leaves and foliage. The tournament slogan, Vamos Juntas is a statement of sisterhood, sustainability and legacy. (Source)
“The FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup 2022 is the perfect platform for a new generation of football stars to further grow and blossom. It will be a tournament that will showcase the world’s best upcoming talent in women’s football, many of whom will hope to go on to even greater things in Australia and New Zealand in 2023.” – Sarai Bareman, Chief Women’s Football Officer, FIFA
LAW, STAKEHOLDER GOVERNANCE AND FINANCE
The Football Association of Maldives (FAM) recently launched the “FAM Child Safeguarding Policy” in partnership with Advocating the Rights of Children (ARC). The policy aims to create a safer environment for children involved in Maldivian football, free from all forms of violence, abuse, neglect or bullying. The policy focuses on five principles of safeguarding: Best Interest of the Child, the Rights of Children in Football, Non-discrimination, Adult’s Responsibility to Protect Children and the Role and Responsibility of FAM in Protecting Children in Football. (Source)
US businessman John Textor has joined English Premier League club Crystal Palace’s Club Board of Directors as an investor, director and fourth partner. Textor’s investment will significantly reduce debts at Selhurst Park and help to redevelop the stadium. (Source)
STADIUM DEVELOPMENT AND FAN ENGAGEMENT
English Premier League club Leicester City FC has unveiled plans for public consultation for the expansion of its home ground King Power Stadium’s capacity to 40,000 and significant developments to the surrounding areas. The plans will include proposals for the addition of 8,000 seats at King Power Stadium and a 220-room hotel and a multi-purpose event and entertainment arena. (Source)
The Football Business Headlines – August 9th, 2021
SPONSORSHIP AND PARTNERSHIP
The English Football League (EFL) has announced a three-year partnership with eBay to help small businesses power local communities around 72 EFL clubs. The partnership will see the launch of ‘Small Businesses United’ through which eBay will donate advertising spaces at EFL grounds to the small businesses. (Source)
“We are really pleased to be able to support growing businesses through all 72 EFL clubs and the ‘Small Businesses United’ initiative. It is a fantastic opportunity for supporters of our Clubs to see their own businesses advertised in EFL stadia nationwide, and demonstrates again how the EFL can support positive and impactful local community activation on a national scale.” – Ben Wright, Chief Commercial Officer of the EFL
The Swedish Football Association (SvFF) has announced a collaboration with live streaming service Spiideo. The partnership will enable all football teams throughout Sweden to automatically record and stream games and training sessions through Spiideo’s advanced video recording solution. Furthermore, all amateur and semi-professional teams in Sweden will now have access to Spiideo’s core technologies, Spiideo Play and Spiideo Perform. (Source)
The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) has teamed up with Singaporean online game developer Garena to join the mobile game Free Fire. Free Fire will become the new sponsor of the Brazilian football teams and new Brazilian team skins will be launched across the gaming platform. The Free Fire brand will also be on the advertising boards at the Seleção training camps, backdrops for interviews, and ticket art. (Source)
The Football Business Academy partner Socios.com has announced that three more football clubs have launched fan tokens on the Socios.com app. Premier League clubs Leeds United and Everton will launch the $LUFC fan token and $EFC respectively to bolster fan engagement. Dinamo Zagreb will become the first Croatian club to enter into an agreement with Socios.com by launching the $DZB fan token. (Source)
ESPORTS
AS Monaco Esports has announced a partnership with loot box platform GGDROP. GGDROP will become the Official Partner of the AS Monaco DOTA2 team. GGDROP will also be helping introduce great digital events and engaging content around the AS Monaco Gambit DOTA2 team. (Source)
WOMEN’S FOOTBALL
Aris Thessaloniki FC (Aris FC) has announced that it will undertake the management and professionalization of the amateur women’s football team of Aris Thessaloniki Athletic Club (Aris AC). This will be the first professional women’s football club in Greece. The objectives of the club will be sporting success and building international relationships to benefit women’s football. This includes working alongside experts and organisations (FIFA, UEFA, ECA, NWSL, FAWSL) that share similar objectives. (Source)
INNOVATIONS AND NEW TRENDS
Two European football heavyweights have launched official accounts Xiaohongshu. Juventus FC and FC Barcelona continued to expand their digital footprint in China by launching official accounts on China’s leading lifestyle platform. Juventus will share football-centric content including match updates, behind the scenes, and other exciting happenings to fans on Xiaohongshu. For FC Barcelona, the collaboration with Xiaohongshu will bring Chinese fans closer to Barça than ever before through exclusive lifestyle driven content focusing on Barcelona’s rich culture. (Source)
LAW, STAKEHOLDER GOVERNANCE AND FINANCE
With a view to raise awareness for better mental health, FIFA has launched a new campaign named #REACHOUT. The campaign supported by past and current football players is designed to raise awareness of the symptoms of mental health conditions, encourage people to seek help when they need it, and take actions every day for better mental health. (Source)
“This campaign is very important in raising awareness about mental health conditions and encouraging a conversation which could save a life. In FIFA’s Vision 2020-2023, we pledge our commitment to make football work for society. FIFA is proud to launch this campaign, supported by the World Health Organization, to encourage people to #ReachOut.” – Gianni Infantino, President, FIFA
LaLiga has announced a strategic agreement with global investment fund CVC called ‘Boost LaLiga”. The agreement will see a cash injection of 2.7 billion euros into the competition and its clubs. The investment plan will provide LaLiga and the Clubs with all the necessary resources to fulfil its transformation strategy,while at the same time bolstering the competition and transforming the fan experience. 90% of the 2.7 billion euros proposed to be invested by CVC Funds will be earmarked for the clubs, including women’s football, semi-professional and non-professional football under the guidance of the Royal Spanish Football Federation and the Higher Sports Council. (Source)
The Football Business Headlines – August 2nd, 2021
SPONSORSHIP AND PARTNERSHIP
Italian club AS Roma announced a three-year partnership with Zytara Labs, in collaboration with DigitalBits Foundation, which will see the blockchain enterprise become the Serie A club’s Main Global Partner. DigitalBits logo will feature on the front of the club’s home, away and alternate shirts for the club’s Men’s, Women’s and Youth teams. The DigitalBits blockchain will be completely integrated with the club and AS Roma will become amongst the world’s first football organization to embrace blockchain technology. (Source)
“DigitalBits is a blockchain known for its speed, efficiency, and sustainability: traits that mirror the values of our club and will allow us to deepen the engagement with our fans worldwide in numerous ways.” – Guido Fienga, CEO, AS Roma
“AS Roma will be expanding the collective imagination by demonstrating how blockchain technology can be leveraged to elevate the connection between sports teams and their community of fans and other supporters.” – Al Burgio, Founder, Zytara and DigitalBits
Work and utility brand Engelbert Strauss has agreed on a three-year deal to partner with the UEFA Europa League and newly launched UEFA Europa Conference League until 2024. Engelbert Strauss will enjoy rights across both the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Europa Conference League as well as an exclusive association for all UEFA matches that will be played on Thursday evenings. (Source)
FIFA has announced that New World TV has been awarded pay-TV rights in French-speaking Sub-Saharan Africa for the FIFA World Cup 2022™ and the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™. New World TV has also acquired the French language pay-TV rights across French-speaking Sub-Saharan Africa for selected additional events, such as the FIFA Arab Cup 2021™, FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2023™, and FIFA´s men’s and women’s youth tournaments taking place in 2022 and 2023. (Source)
ESPORTS
English Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Wolves esports has partnered up with North American esports side Evil Geniuses. The ground-breaking partnership will see both teams reach new geographic markets. The Wolves branding will be featured on Evil Geniuses’ uniforms, and the Evil Geniuses’ logo will feature a splash of gold during the launch as part of the partnership. In return, Wolves’ Chinese team will help power Evil Geniuses expansion into the Asian market. (Source)
WOMEN’S FOOTBALL
The Scottish Football Association has launched a new girls’ and women’s football strategy named ‘Accelerate Our Game’. The new strategy has a series of key objectives to help drive the game forward and harness the power of women’s football to change perceptions. As part of the plan, Hampden Park will become the home of the Scotland women’s national team. The key objectives of the plan are:
- Increase participation and have over 25,000 registered players by 2025
- Professionalise the elite club game
- Qualify consistently and compete at major tournaments
- Showcase the game so that it is valued by stakeholders and the general public
- Double commercial revenues
- Ensure women’s football is appropriately represented and has a voice on key decision-making bodies (Source)
LAW, STAKEHOLDER GOVERNANCE AND FINANCE
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) is developing a football competition called ‘The CAF Pan-African Schools Football Championship’, an intercontinental schools soccer tournament for both boys and girls focusing on grassroots growth and development. The tournament will be divided into three levels:
- The National School Football Championship to be held in March and August 2022 wherein each CAF Member Association will organise a national competition with its school’s football teams.
- A Zonal Championship organized by each CAF zone where winners from national tournaments will compete between September and December 2022.
- The Pan-African Interschool Championship finals where finalists of the zonal championship will meet: both boys and girls. (Source)
“The best investment we can make to ensure that African football is amongst the best in the world and self-sustaining is to invest in schools and youth football development infrastructure for boys and girls.” – Dr. Patrice Motsepe, President, CAF
The Malta Football Association has its first-ever strategy which will serve as the basis for the association’s commitment to raise the game across all levels. The plan covering the period till 2024 has set out eight goals with four areas of key importance:
- further technical and infrastructural development;
- growth and sustainability of football clubs, strengthening protection through a legal framework;
- broadening the exposure and commercial value of the association and the domestic competitions;
- improving good governance by strengthening the compliance and integrity aspects. (Source)
About The Football Business Academy Master Degree in Football Business
The Football Business Academy is a Swiss-based high level international educational institution whose goal is to professionalize the management of the football industry and facilitate the insertion of qualified professionals and future leaders in the game. Its flagship program, a Professional Master in Football Business, was codeveloped with international football industry experts from around the world around one foremost objective: to provide Candidates with all the necessary tools and an optimal learning environment in order to succeed in this passionate and dynamic industry.
