The Football Business Headlines – July 26th, 2021
SPONSORSHIP AND PARTNERSHIP
English Premier League giants Manchester United has announced a global partnership with renewable fuels production company Renewable Energy Group, Inc. The Premier League club will work with the Delaware-based company to raise awareness of the company’s biofuel products and encourage positive environmental change. (source)
Stevenage FC, the-Hertfordshire based English Football League Two club that came into global prominence through its activation activities with Burger King, has agreed on a two-year sponsorship with Prime Gaming, a part of the Amazon Prime home. The partnership will see the Prime Gaming logo appear on both the Stevenage FC First Team and replica shirts for the next two seasons. (source)
Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund and Singapore Premier League (SPL) club Lion City Sailors have agreed on a two-and-a-half-year partnership focusing on youth development and knowledge sharing. A series of youth development programs, coaching, educational and professional exchanges, and football training camps in Germany will be implemented as part of the collaboration. (source)
“We will be working closely to implement creative and innovative activities with LCS in the coming months that harness the passion of our clubs and connect with our fantastic fans in and around Asia.” – Suresh Letchmanan, Managing Director, BVB Asia Pacific
ESPORTS
Konami has rebranded its Pro Evolution Soccer (PES) franchise to eFootball. In addition to the rebranding, Konami has also announced that eFootball will be totally free-to-play. This free-to-play game will directly compete with its biggest rival EA Sports’ FIFA franchise. Konami has also appointed Andrés Iniesta and Gerard Piqué as development advisors for attacking and defensive gameplay respectively. (source)
WOMEN’S FOOTBALL
Football management simulation video game Football Manager is introducing Women’s Football into their video game series. Game developers Sports Interactive has announced that it has begun a “multi-year” project to add women’s football to the simulation series. Women’s football will become a part of the existing Football Manager set-up, with players able to seamlessly move between jobs in female and male football. (source)
“We know that adding women’s football to FM is going to cost in the millions and that the short-term return it delivers will be minimal. But that’s not the point. There’s no hiding that there’s currently a glass ceiling for women’s football and we want to do what we can to help smash through it. We believe in equality for all and we want to be part of the solution.” – Miles Jacobson, Studio Director, Football Manager
INNOVATIONS AND NEW TRENDS
English Football League Two club Forest Green Rovers has teamed up with stadium specialists ADI and electricity storage innovators Powervault to see the installation of the world’s first renewable energy powered digital perimeter system as well as a new stadium scoreboard at their home stadium, The New Lawn Stadium. The digital signage will be powered from Powervault battery storage, which will be charged using Forest Green’s own solar and wind turbines, ensuring carbon-free operation of the equipment. (source)
LAW, STAKEHOLDER GOVERNANCE AND FINANCE
FIFA will collaborate with the Australian Human Rights Commission and the New Zealand Human Rights Commission ahead of the next FIFA Women’s World Cup™ to be held in 2023 in Australia/ New Zealand. The collaboration will see all the entities work together to identify the human rights risks and opportunities associated with the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup and make recommendations for prevention and response. Potential human rights impact of the Women’s World Cup on players, spectators, workers, and local communities will be examined using the framework outlined in the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. (source)
“Ensuring respect and protection of human rights, including safeguarding and child protection, is a strategic objective and priority for FIFA and a requirement for our hosts.” – Joyce Cook, Chief Social Responsibility and Education Officer, FIFA
Major League Soccer (MLS) club Orlando City SC’s acquisition by the Wilf family has been finalized. The purchase includes Orlando City Soccer Club of Major League Soccer, the Orlando Pride of the National Women’s Soccer League, Exploria Stadium and all related soccer assets. Wilf family are also the owners of the National Football League’s Minnesota Vikings. With this purchase, the Wilf family has dissolved its minority stake in MLS expansion side Nashville SC. (source)
New title sponsors have been announced for the top two divisions of the Swiss Football League. Credit Suisse will be the new title sponsor of the Super League in the 2021/22 season. Credit Suisse’s commitment includes support to women’s football and social projects in cooperation with the clubs. Pizza courier service dieci will be the title sponsor of the Challenge League. The catering company based in Rapperswil-Jona will take over the naming rights for the next two seasons. (source)
The Football Business Headlines – July 19th, 2021
SPONSORSHIP AND PARTNERSHIP
German club VfL Wolfsburg becomes the first Bundesliga football club to enter the world of non-fungible tokens (NFTs). VfL Wolfsburg has entered into an agreement with Berlin-based start-up Fanzone, to produce digital trading cards as NFTs featuring the men’s and women’s teams as well as various moments from the club’s history. Fans can now get their own limited-edition trading cards and access to special prizes that can be won via various challenges. (source)
ESPORTS
English Premier League club Wolverhampton FC’s Wolves Esports has linked with GR Racing to form Wolves GR Esports to take part in sim-racing. The team will take part in the Formula Pro series (source)
WOMEN’S FOOTBALL
The Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) launched its first-ever strategic plan dedicated to women’s football. Titled ‘ALL IN: OFC Women’s Football Strategy’, the plan aims to the development, growth, sustainability, and professionalisation of the game. The strategy has been built on five key pillars:
- An Equal Oceania – Participation: Breaking down the barriers
- A Visible Oceania – Visibility: Raising the awareness of possibilities
- A Stronger Oceania – Education: Building the foundations
- An Elevated Oceania – Performance: Raising the standards
- An Inclusive Oceania – Culture: Leading by example (source)
“The strategy is binding governors and administrators of football to develop the women’s game in every aspect and level over the next six years. It aligns with our commitment to ensure that we provide as many opportunities as possible for women in the region.” – Lambert Maltock, President, OFC
“This new strategy launches an exciting new era where women’s football can thrive across the region. We want to see 60 million girls and women around the world playing our game by 2026. In order to achieve this objective, we need the support of the Confederations and Member Associations to provide the pathways and the frameworks for these players.” Gianni Infantino, President, FIFA
Pharmaceutical multi-national company Grifols has become an Official Partner of the UEFA Women’s Football starting from the 2021/22 season and running until 2025. Grifols will become the exclusive healthcare company partner of the UEFA Women’s Football for various tournaments as well as UEFA’s ‘Together #WePlayStrong’ initiative. …
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has made it necessary for all clubs participating in the 2021 CAF Women’s Champions League to enter into a licensing procedure at the member association level and have been licensed to participate in the competition. The measure comes from CAF’s commitment to the professionalization of women’s football in Africa and setting standards in the club licensing rules to professionalize women’s football and the structures that surround it. (source)
INNOVATIONS AND NEW TRENDS
The Argentina Football Association (AFA) has announced that the country’s top division of the football pyramid, The Primera División, will be renamed as the Socios.com tournament ‘Torneo Socios.com’ for the 2021/22 season. The agreement builds on the partnership AFA and Chiliz (the creators of Fan Tokens and Socios.com) announced earlier in May. Socios.com is a partner of The Football Business Academy. (source)
“Argentinian football must continue to grow, increasing its audience and global visibility. To achieve this growth, it’s important that we partner with global leading brands willing to work shoulder to shoulder with AFA in the same direction. We warmly welcome Socios.com to the Argentinian league”. – Claudio Tapia, President, AFA
LAW, STAKEHOLDER GOVERNANCE AND FINANCE
The Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy’s (SC) flagship human and social legacy programme, Generation Amazing has partnered up with the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Football Association (CONCACAF) for a football for development initiative for caching education. The long-term legacy initiative is part of a strategic partnership announced in September 2020 between CONCACAF, the Qatar Football Association (QFA) and the SC. The programme will enable CONCACAF member associations to optimise their own grassroots coaching education curriculums. (source)
“This exciting collaboration will enhance social inclusion and we look forward to jointly building a lasting human legacy across the host region of the next FIFA World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the US.” – Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Thani, President, QFA
“It will benefit all 41 of our member associations, supporting them in their own efforts to grow the game by providing new skills and opportunities to local coaches, who in turn can inspire the next generation.” – Victor Montagliani, CONCACAF President and FIFA Vice President
“We are delighted to see Generation Amazing working alongside CONCACAF to offer young people, including those from underprivileged communities, the opportunity to improve both their lives and the prospects of their communities through the transformative power of football.” H.E. Hassan Al Thawadi, Secretary General, SC
STADIUM DEVELOPMENT & FAN ENGAGEMENT
Major League Soccer (MLS) club Houston Dynamo FC has announced a multi-phase renovation of its home BBVA Stadium that will feature a safe-standing section. The renovations include two premium spaces, ‘Sports Deck’ and ‘Pitch Zone’ in the south end of the venue that will offer an elevated fan experience on match day beginning in 2022. (source)
The Football Business Headlines – July 12th, 2021
SPONSORSHIP AND PARTNERSHIP
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has announced Sporttotal as their new media rights partner in Germany, Austria and Switzerland to broadcast of the final round of the AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to Qatar. (source)
“This deal demonstrates the ever-growing stature of the AFC’s competitions, and we thank Sporttotal for the belief they have shown in the future of Asian football by entering into this agreement.” – Dato’ Windsor John, General Secretary, AFC
The English Premier League has concluded deals for the live audio-visual rights of its competition in various regions for three seasons from 2022/23 – 2024/25. Telenet retain the status as the rights holder in Belgium while CANAL+ ties down the rights in Czech Republic, France, and Slovakia. NENT has become the rights holder in Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Denmark and Finland for six seasons from 2022/23 – 2027/28. (source)
South Korean entertainment company CJ Entertainment and Media has agreed on a three-year deal with Bundesliga International to become the official Bundesliga broadcast partner in South Korea, with exclusive rights to all matches from Germany’s top division. Bundesliga International will work closely with the broadcaster to deliver insight and analysis and ensure that the Bundesliga continues to grow throughout South Korea. (source)
The Spanish LaLiga has entered into a strategic partnership with Viacom18 Media in India in a three-year deal. The partnership means that MTV India will now become the exclusive home of LaLiga in India. LaLiga will air exclusively on MTV in India along with select national and regional network channels and will be live-streamed on Voot & Jio platforms. (source)
WOMEN’S FOOTBALL
Sports media giants DAZN has signed an eight-year deal with premier women’s football competition in Japan, the Yogibo Women Empowerment (WE) League. The contract kicks in for the start of the inaugural season in September 2021 with DAZN airing all 110 matches across 22 fixture rounds. DAZN has also confirmed it will be live streaming select WE League matches on its YouTube and social channels for free. (source)
“DAZN’s coverage, as the official broadcaster of Yogibo WE League, will provide a platform for the women’s game, inspire new fans and promote the skill and brilliance of the players.” – Martyn Jones, Executive Vice President, DAZN Japan.
INNOVATIONS AND NEW TRENDS
German Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund has introduced their first international fans app. The app has been designed for the club’s fans outside the German-speaking world. The app has been on the core values of putting the club’s community first, giving the fans an opportunity to emerge as content creators, and recognizing the passion of the club’s fans by giving them opportunities to interact with the club through voting and proposals. The app operates with the so-called BVB tokens, which are digital social items earned through active in-app engagement. (source)
LAW, STAKEHOLDER GOVERNANCE AND FINANCE
Sports apparel brand adidas has announced a long-term partnership with The Football Business Academy Partner Common Goal to help drive social change for under-served communities, and create a better and more inclusive future through football. Adidas will pledge 1% of its global net sales from footballs to Common Goal until 2023. Together with Common Goal, adidas will support grassroots community organizations across the globe, via a network of 140 high-impact football NGOs in 90 countries. (source)
“This partnership with adidas represents a shift in the football industry. Social impact has moved to a high priority for football stakeholders. adidas has shown its leadership in investing in Common Goal and together we can scale and accelerate football’s contribution towards the global goals. We believe that anything is possible if we work together as one team.” – Jürgen Griesbeck, CEO and Co-founder, Common Goal.
“At adidas, we are committed to creating change through football. We cannot do this alone, however, and therefore look to individuals and organizations with a shared commitment to action, such as Common Goal. This is a team effort, and it was important to announce this partnership and our ambitions for it during the most collaborative and inclusive football tournament in European history. This is just the start.” – Gonzalo Calvo, Director for Communities and Culture at adidas.
The UEFA Executive Committee that met in London last week agreed to increase the resources UEFA invests into the fight against match-fixing and to further develop its internal unit of experts and investigators in the field. The plan is to:
- Strengthen cooperation with relevant international and local authorities
- Increase expertise and support for the key persons fighting match-fixing at the national and international level (in particular UEFA member associations’ Integrity Officers)
- Develop a comprehensive education, awareness and training programme
- Develop and use additional technological tools to better identify integrity concerns and reinforce the human resources at disposal. (source)
The Football Business Headlines – July 5th, 2021
SPONSORSHIP AND PARTNERSHIP
The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Football Association (CONCACAF) has signed a multi-year sponsorship agreement with Qatar Airways. The partnership will commence with the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup and adds to Qatar Airways’ football sponsorship portfolio of FIFA, UEFA and CONMEBOL. (source)
Global asset investment platform eToro has become the main sponsor of French Ligue 1 club AS Monaco. The collaboration which began last year saw eToro logo behind the Monaco jersey. The new deal will see eToro become the primary kit sponsor of the AS Monaco jersey and eToro will also work with the Club to make financial markets more accessible than ever, help bring fans closer to the action, and educating them on investing. The club has also announced that they have given their long-term partners FEDCOM the status of ‘Legacy Partner’ as a recognition of their loyal partnership for more than 25 years. (source)
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has announced a partnership with diary giants Yili for the 2021 to 2024 rights cycle. Yili becomes the first Official Global Partner of the AFC national team competitions from China PR. As part of the activation rights in the partnership, Yili will become the exclusive presenting partner of the AFC Asian Cup China 2023 opening ceremony. (Source)
ESPORTS
German club Schalke 04 has sold its League of Legends European Championship (LEC) license to Swiss esports organization Team BDS. The club has confirmed that it has received 26.5 million Euros from the sale of the license. (Source)
“The economic effects of the corona pandemic and the failure to achieve the sporting goals in the core business in the 2020/2021 season made the decision necessary. After careful consideration, we came to the joint decision to dispose of the existing asset that esports inevitably offers in order to redeem urgently needed funds for the stabilization of the core business. We can see from the example of esports at Schalke that the courage to make consistent, strategic decisions is rewarded and sustainable implementation pays off. ” – Dr. Claudio Kasper, Managing Director, FC Schalke 04 Esports GmbH
WOMEN’S FOOTBALL
English club Burnley FC Women has agreed a multi-year partnership deal with social media platform TikTok which will see the club livestream every home match of Burnley FC Women’s 2021/22 season on TikTok. Burnley FC Women will become the first team to have their games streamed live on TikTok. Furthermore, the social media platform will become the sleeve sponsor of the team. As part of the partnership, the club will also collaborate with football content creators who will work with Burnley FC Women’s players on how to build their own profiles on the platform. (Source)
UEFA has announced a ground-breaking four-year global broadcasting partnership for the UEFA Women’s Champions League with sports streaming platform DAZN, together with YouTube that will raise the level of exposure to women’s football. Starting from the 2021/22 season, the new partnership will see every game throughout the tournament be available to view live online. For the first two seasons (2021-23, all 61 matches from the group stage onwards on DAZN and free on DAZN’s YouTube channel. For the following two seasons (2023-25), all 61 matches will be live on DAZN while 19 matches will be made available for free on DAZN’s YouTube channel. (Source)
“Two years ago, when we launched UEFA’s first ever women’s football strategy, ‘Time for Action’, we promised action that will lead to a greater, more professional and more prosperous game by 2024. For the first two seasons’ fans around the world can access and watch for free all matches enabling fans to follow the competition and the very best players in the world. There is no better way to inspire future generations of young girls and boys to play football. Women’s football is here to stay and will only grow stronger.” – Aleksander Čeferin, President, UEFA
“Together we are all bringing women’s football to the world and everyone who will tune in will truly make a difference to something bigger.” – Nadine Kessler, Chief of Women’s Football, UEFA
“DAZN was founded with a vision of making premium sports more accessible, and what’s more accessible than centralizing rights for the first time while making all matches free on YouTube? Overnight, this will make the best women’s football easier to watch around the world than ever before.” – James Rushton, Co-CEO, DAZN Group
LAW, STAKEHOLDER GOVERNANCE AND FINANCE
The Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Saudi Professional League (SPL) to support the establishment of a Professional Players Association in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. SAFF will take steps in order to highlight the role of the players and their reference and their involvement in decision-making. (Source)
STADIUM DEVELOPMENT & FAN ENGAGEMENT
English Premier League club Everton has confirmed a date for the start of works of its new stadium at Bramley – Moore Dock. On 26th July, the first phase of the new construction project will begin. The first phase of the development will be the enabling works to prepare the dock site in readiness for the build. (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.
