Tsunami of takeovers in sports swells deal values by record 433 per cent with private equity leading the pack October 11, 2022 The value of M&A and major stake-building in the sports industry has increased 433 per cent in the last year, rising from £1.8bn last year to £9.6bn this year, according to fresh data shared with City A.M. this morning. As more private equity, sovereign wealth funds and other institutional investors pursue deals in the sports [...]
Former Liverpool FC CEO says live sports needs to up its game to keep Gen Z’s attention October 11, 2022 Peter Moore knows a thing or two about making sport work as a business. After all, his time as the boss at videogame developer EA Sports coincided with the boom in online sports competition that still continues today. And his time running Liverpool FC saw the club win the Champions League and the Premier League, [...]
Hummel’s Denmark kit, the Qatar World Cup and what it means for sport sponsorship October 4, 2022 Sports industry expert Ben Peppi assesses Hummel’s controversial new Denmark kit for this year’s Qatar World Cup and what the ramifications may be for future sponsorships and commercial deals. The domino effect is in full motion. It started last summer when Cristiano Ronaldo advised people to “drink water” after removing two Coca-Cola bottles from view [...]
Harlequins stars Lend An Ear for portraits to support new mental health campaign September 29, 2022 Harlequins stars have posed for a series of intimate portraits in support of a new mental health campaign, Lend An Ear. Players and coaches from the London rugby club’s men’s, women’s, academy and wheelchair teams sat for a series of images which focus on their sometimes gnarled ears to promote better listening skills. England internationals [...]
Record crowds show women’s football is ready for bigger stadia, says WSL chair September 28, 2022 Women’s football is ready to move to bigger stadia as it redoubles efforts to become profitable, says Women’s Super League chair Dawn Airey, after the sport saw a series of record-breaking crowds. Last week’s new WSL high of 47,000 spectators for Arsenal’s north London derby with Tottenham Hotspur followed the Women’s Euro 2021 final attracting [...]
Is running the new golf? Why TCS has become title sponsor of the London Marathon September 27, 2022 For four decades the London Marathon has had a consumer-facing brand as its title sponsor, from Gillette and Mars in the 1980s to the more recent Flora and Virgin Money. But that will change on Sunday, the first race of its rebranding as the TCS London Marathon as part of a six-year contract with the [...]
Staging Hockey World Cup at Tottenham Hotspur will ‘sustain the sport for years’ September 21, 2022 England Hockey is pinning its hopes of hosting the men’s World Cup in 2026 on staging matches in bigger venues than the sport usually visits, such as the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The 62,000-capacity ground has been earmarked to host finals weekend if the joint bid from England and Wales is selected in early November. “This [...]
Qatar 2022: How can brands navigate the most political World Cup ever? September 20, 2022 While the location of this year’s Qatar 2022 World Cup makes it the most controversial yet, it is still a huge global moment that fans across the world will want to engage with, and brands be a part of. This is the first time a men’s football World Cup has been held in what is [...]
Per Mertesacker: Arsenal academy boss on his 11-year friendship with Mikel Arteta, producing the next Bukayo Saka and new docuseries Inside Hale End September 6, 2022 It was one of their worst ever defeats, but the recent histories of Arsenal, Mikel Arteta, Per Mertesacker and the club’s Hale End academy would look very different had Arsene Wenger’s team not lost 8-2 at Manchester United in August 2011. That setback prompted a transfer deadline-day trolley dash for five new signings, the most [...]
Rematch: Meet the Secret Cinema for sport recreating the Rumble in the Jungle August 30, 2022 Founder Richard Ayers and investor Trevor Beattie tell Frank Dalleres about Rematch, the immersive sporting experience bringing the Rumble in the Jungle to London in early 2023. Imagine for a moment that you could attend any sporting event of the past. What would you choose? The 1966 World Cup final? Botham’s Ashes? Serena’s first Grand [...]