The Football Business Headlines – September 27th, 2021
SPONSORSHIP AND PARTNERSHIP
Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund (BVB) has announced a youth development partnership with Malaysian club Langkawi City FC. The partnership will involve the development of grassroots and youth programmes in Langkawi. A regional youth tournament series alongside BVB coaches and the exchange of education and sport tourism programmes between the two organisations are also planned. (source)
Reigning French Ligue 1 champions LOSC Lille has announced a strategic partnership with sports marketing agency SPORTFIVE. The two organizations will combine their strengths and know-how in order to significantly accelerate the French club’s commercial growth and further develop its revenues. This will include the expansion of new partnerships and sponsorship agreements, the enhancement of the portfolio of commercial rights at the national and international level, and also the development of revenues linked to hospitality services intended for companies for the club’s matches at Stade Pierre Mauroy. (source)
WOMEN’S FOOTBALL
Paris Saint-Germain women’s team has joined hands with the new social media platform Pixstory to curb toxicity and promote decency in online conversations. Paris Saint-Germain players will take part in campaigns to fight toxic speech online and to encourage people to be courteous during discussions. (source)
The UEFA Executive Committee has approved a substantial increase in the amount distributed to the participating teams, along with a new distribution model for the UEFA Women’s Euro 2022. Key decisions taken are:
- The 16 qualified teams will share a total of €16 million, double the amount of the total prize money of €8 million distributed at UEFA Women’s Euro 2017 in the Netherlands.
- The financial distribution will include increased guaranteed amounts and performance-based bonuses for the group stage.
- The introduction of a new club benefits programme making available a significant total amount of €4.5 million to reward European clubs releasing players for the UEFA Women’s Euro final tournament. (source)
The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) and Sky have announced a four-year partnership deal. Sky will be the Primary Partner of the Women’s National Team through two major tournaments, the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia / New Zealand and the 2025 UEFA Women’s Championship. (source)
INNOVATIONS AND NEW TRENDS
LaLiga has announced a partnership with Dapper Labs to introduce the league’s Official Football NFT Collectible Highlights at scale. Featuring dynamic video-based Moments from all of LaLiga’s clubs, the new experience will be available to fans on Flow blockchain starting June 2022. Fans will be able to buy or sell parts of their collections with fellow football enthusiasts. Through a variety of fan activations, fans will be able to enter contests with exclusive rewards and experiences as prizes. (source)
“This experience will place football fans all over the world at the very centre of the action, giving them a platform and product that allows them to enjoy and express their passion for LaLiga in a unique way.” – Javier Tebas, President, LaLiga
“To be part of an experience that brings players one step closer to their biggest fans is exciting and meaningful. I look forward to what this relationship holds.” – Carles Puyol, Footballer
LAW, STAKEHOLDER GOVERNANCE AND FINANCE
The UEFA Executive Committee has given green light for an enhanced solidarity payment model for men’s club competitions. A total of €175m is expected to be available from the competition revenue for non-participating clubs compared to €130m in the 2018-21 cycle and the share reserved for the non-top five associations will increase to €132.5m. The new changes that will be put in place are:
- Increased shares for all non-top five associations and capped shares for the top five associations (top five associations are England, Spain, Germany, Italy and France).
- Reduced gap between associations with and without clubs participating in the UEFA Champions League group stage.
- Reduced weight of market shares and distribution made more on fair and recognisable sporting principles. (source)
The Football Business Academy Partner Common Goal has announced a partnership with streaming service DAZN, making DAZN the Impact Sponsor of Common Goal. The partnership will focus on three fundamental and deep-rooted issues within and beyond football: gender equity, racial justice, and cultural diversity. As well as using its content power, DAZN will support several dedicated Common Goal initiatives like Common Ground, Global Goal 5 Accelerator, the Anti Racist Project, and Play Proud, that will ladder up to Common Goal’s long-term goal of positively impacting 100 million young people by 2030. (source)
“We look forward to getting to work on bringing the partnership to life and in doing so empowering girls, boys and young people around the world to fulfil their potential. We hope that DAZN’s leadership inspires other industry stakeholders to join the Common Goal movement.” – Jürgen Griesbeck, CEO and co-founder, Common Goal
“As a global broadcaster, media company, and industry disruptor, DAZN was not only born out of the desire to make sports accessible for all, we have also quickly grown to understand it is our responsibility to take action. Common Goal exists to unite the global football industry and tackle the greatest social challenges of our time, and we are committed to working hand in hand with them to change the game together.” – James Ruhston, Co-CEO, DAZN
The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Football Association (CONCACAF) has announced a new structure for its men’s club competitions ecosystem that will include an expanded Concacaf Champions League and individual regional cup competitions. From 2023 onwards, three regional cup competitions will be played in the fall of each year and will qualify clubs into the CONCACAF Champions League. Following this, a Confederation-wide expanded 27-club CONCACAF Champions League will be played in the spring to crown the region’s best club. (source)
FIFA has published its second annual report of the activities of its independent judicial bodies, the Disciplinary, Appeal and Ethics Committees. The report titled ‘The FIFA Disciplinary and Ethics Report’ provides detailed statistics of the 1,000 plus cases handled by the judicial bodies over the 2020/2021 season. The report also contains an in-depth analysis of the work of the Ethics Committee. A full version of the report can be downloaded here.
The global union of professional football players, FIFPRO’s new ‘Mind The Gap’ campaign’s findings have been revealed. Key findings from the study are:
- 67 percent of professional footballers who answered the survey are not sure what they will do when they stop playing.
- 70 percent of players who have received help with planning for a new career were assisted by their player association. Other organizations that helped with preparation included clubs (21 percent), educational institutions (19 percent) and federations (7 percent).
The full report can be accessed here.
The Football Business Headlines – September 20th, 2021
SPONSORSHIP AND PARTNERSHIP
Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain has signed a partnership with Smart Good Things. The agreement includes the development of a range of responsible, environmentally-friendly co-branded products. As part of the partnership, the club will invest €250,000 and donate 25% of the net turnover generated by the sale of “Paris Saint-Germain by Smart Good Things” drinks to support initiatives carried out by the Paris Saint-Germain Endowment Fund for children. (source)
“We look forward to working together on sustainable products that can fulfil people’s will to consume in a different way, in line with strong societal and ecological values. The partnership with Smart Good Things will also enable us to develop initiatives carried out by our Endowment Fund to support children.” – Marc Armstrong, Chief Partnerships Officer, Paris Saint-Germain
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has announced a partnership with Sport 24 as their in-flight and in-ship partner through to 2024. The partnership will bring the AFC national team and club competitions aboard commercial airlines and cruise ships. (source)
International tech and betting brand Parimatch has signed a new three-club agreement involving English Premier League teams: Aston Villa, Brighton & Hove Albion, and Southampton. The contracts cover multiple offline and digital rights, tickets & hospitality, club merchandise, and exclusive access to club assets.
LaLiga is partnering up with The Football Business Academy (FBA) partner Socios.com, which will see the creators of Fan Tokens become Global Fan Engagement Partner of Spain’s top-tier football league. Socios.com and LaLiga will work together to create new opportunities for the league’s fans to engage actively with the brand through the platform’s cutting-edge blockchain technology solutions. (source)
ESPORTS
The Football Business Academy (FBA) partner Fnatic has announced crypto-currency platform, Crypto.com as its inaugural Global Cryptocurrency Partner. The partnership is Crypto.com’s first-ever in esports and the multi-year deal is worth more than $15M. The partnership will see Crypto.com’s logo featured on the collarbone of Fnatic team jerseys. Fnatic will also offer fans numerous rewards and money-can’t-buy experiences. (source)
Italian Lega Serie A has entered into an exclusive partnership agreement with Electronic Arts Inc. The agreement includes 14 exclusively licensed teams, exclusive rights to Serie A activations including the authentic integration of Serie A into FUT Team of the Week, FUT Serie A Team Of The Season, and an all new EA SPORTS Player of the Month award. EA SPORTS has also been named Title Sponsor and Partner of Supercoppa Italiana which will be renamed EA SPORTS Supercup beginning with the 2022-23 season. (source)
WOMEN’S FOOTBALL
The American National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) and Deloitte have announced that they are entering into a multi-year collaboration. Deloitte will become the Official Professional Services Provider to the league. Deloitte will help to advance NWSL’s most important initiatives including advising on the development of their 10-year strategic plan. (source)
“We are thrilled to have Deloitte joining the National Women’s Soccer League. The experience and breadth of capabilities across long-term strategy, fan engagement, and beyond will play an integral role in supporting the growth of our business.” – Lisa Baird, Commissioner, NWSL
Australian team Sydney FC has started the Sydney FC’s female pathway programme to the club’s inaugural Female Football Academy. The completion of Sydney FC’s Centre of Excellence Sky Park next year will bring about the first intake of young talented girls into the programme. (source)
The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) and Sky have announced a four-year partnership deal. Sky will be the Primary Partner of the Women’s National Team through two major tournaments, the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia / New Zealand and the 2025 UEFA Women’s Championship. (source)
Women in Football (WIF) has launched a new campaign #Getonside to take action for gender equality in the football industry. The initiative, supported by Barclays, will see each organization that WIF teams up with make a specific pledge of action which will help to level the playing field for girls and women in the game, and make an immediate and real impact. A few of the pledges already made by organizations include:
- The FA (England): We pledge to #GetOnside by investing in 1,000 England Football accredited clubs to give regular, structured, competitive playing opportunities to girls from under-10 to under-16 level
- ITV Sport: We pledge to #GetOnside by increasing gender representation among our
production teams - Barclays: We pledge to #GetOnside by providing a career development day, offering
insight, inspiration and development opportunities to support the progress of women in
the football industry (source)
INNOVATIONS AND NEW TRENDS
The Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC) has partnered with Seven Clean Seas to deliver a plastic-neutral tournament at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. Seven Clean Seas will work with Qatar 2022 organisers to raise awareness about plastic pollution, develop plastic waste reduction plans, and offset plastics used in the tournament by physically removing plastic waste from rivers and oceans. (source)
PepsiCo, in partnership with the UEFA Foundation for Children and NGO streetfootballworld, has launched a global initiative to transform empty crisp bags into sustainable football pitches. As part of this, a new pitch has been opened in Leicester. The facility which is a part of the Lay’s RePlay global will provide a hub for local football players driving positive change by offering educational sports programmes, mental health workshops, employability interventions, and football fitness sessions. Further pitches in Russia, Turkey and Brazil will be constructed in due course.
“Our initiative places a strong emphasis on including community members and local organizations throughout the planning, construction, and maintenance phases of each pitch, with the goal to develop programming that can address social issues impacting each community. While fostering safe access to the sport, the pitches are designed to be as environmentally sustainable as possible.” – Luca Pogliaghi, Global Sports Marketign Sr. Manager, PepisCo
LAW, STAKEHOLDER GOVERNANCE AND FINANCE
Liechtenstein’s Football Association (LFV) has launched a state-of-the-art national training centre for improving technical standards in both the men’s and the women’s games. Funded in part by UEFA’s HatTrick development programme the new complex will benefit every member of the country’s football community – from local clubs to national teams. The centre is a core component of the association’s strategy Gemeinsam.2026. (source)
The Football Business Headlines – September 6th, 2021
SPONSORSHIP AND PARTNERSHIP
Korean K League 1 club Pohang Steelers has become the first Korean sports organization to partner with blockchain providers Chiliz $CHZ. The partnership will see the Korean club join the fan engagement platform Socios.com, a partner of The Football Business Academy. (Source)
English Premier League club Watford FC has announced a three-year International Club Partnership with Indian Super League side Odisha FC. The collaboration will see exchanges in the establishment of youth systems, scouting and training of young footballers, collaborations on grassroots programmes, and development of women’s football in the state of Odisha and across India. (Source)
“Partnering with Odisha FC gives us a chance to get a real insight into football’s global appeal and affords us a great chance to share learnings with a similarly ambitious club.” – Paul O’Brien, Commercial Director, Watford FC
The Football Association of England has announced a new partnership with gaming console Xbox. Xbox will become the Official Gaming Partner of the England National Teams, across the Lionesses, eLions and the Three Lions, as well as Wembley Stadium connected and St George’s Park. The partnership’s announcement message, ‘When Everybody Plays, We All Win’ is an expression of commitment to ensuring that all football participants in England have a great experience regardless of gender, sexuality, ethnicity, ability, faith, or age. (Source)
UEFA has signed a new sponsorship agreement with banking group Swissquote for the UEFA Europa League and the newly-launched UEFA Europa Conference League for the next three seasons, 2021-2024. Swissquote will receive advertising board exposure, stadium hospitality, exclusive on-site experiences as well as branded content visibility across the competitions’ digital and social media platforms. (Source)
ESPORTS
The Belgian Pro League has launched its own Fantasy football game named Fantasy Pro League. The online simulation game is the result of a collaboration between the Belgian Pro League, Eleven Sports Belgium, and Fan Arena – Fantasy Sports Software. (Source)
WOMEN’S FOOTBALL
FA Women’s Super League club Everton Women has announced football management simulation video game Football Manager as the club’s new official partner. Football Manager branding will now appear on interview backdrops and across content output from the club’s official social media accounts for the women’s team. (Source)
The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) has announced that players representing the Republic of Ireland Senior Men and Senior Women’s international teams will receive the same match fees on international duty with immediate effect. The men’s squad have agreed to reduce their international fees, with the FAI matching their contribution to ensure that the Senior Women’s team match fee is increased and all male and female players receive the same match fee from the September international window onwards. (Source)
“As we celebrate our Centenary and begin to build out the strategic plan for a new FAI, the Board agreed unanimously that this is absolutely the right thing for us to do as an Association. This is another important milestone in the FAI’s own transformation journey and I believe this equal pay programme shows us to be the progressive footballing nation we have always aspired to be.” -Jonathan Hill, Chief Executive Officer, FAI
INNOVATIONS AND NEW TRENDS
UEFA has launched a new anti-doping education strategy based on financial support which will enable its 55 member associations to run education activities. The strategy provides for targeted funding to associations via the UEFA HatTrick programme, and aims to make sure that players’ first experience with anti-doping is education rather than a doping test. To receive funding, the national associations should deliver anti-doping education activities that are designed to raise awareness, inform, instill values, and develop decision-making abilities in players and player-support staff to prevent intentional and unintentional doping. (Source)
LAW, STAKEHOLDER GOVERNANCE AND FINANCE
The Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) has signed joint cooperation agreements with The Football Association of Maldives and the Vietnam Football Association. SAFF will support The Football Association of Maldives to develop football in Maldives. SAFF will also exchange experiences with the Vietnam Football Association. (Source)
FIFA has published a new report on international transfers in the men’s game during the 2011-2020 period. Key findings from the report include:
- USD 48.5 billion was spent on transfer fees during the period.
- The transfers involved 66,789 players and 8,264 clubs across 200 FIFA member associations.
- Brazilian nationals moving to foreign clubs topped the list with 15,128 transfers.
- The list of top 30 clubs in terms of transfer fee spend was made up solely of European clubs: England (12 clubs), Spain and Italy (five each), Germany (three), France and Portugal (two each), and Russia (one). These 30 clubs alone spent a total of USD 22.8 billion on transfer fees, representing 47% of the global total over the decade.
A full version of the report can be downloaded here.
The Football Business Academy Partner Common Goal has teamed up with 11 football-based community organisations to launch ‘Playing for Peace’, a project that seeks to strengthen the position of young people in decision-making processes and influence peaceful conflict resolution towards the creation of peaceable, inclusive societies. The project will train 45 young leaders across 11 Common Goal partner organisations as local Peace Agents in areas of leadership, egalitarian thinking, non-violent communication, and conflict-resolution. (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.
