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Features
R&A keeps faith in sponsors and strategy in turbulent year
The R&A’s maintenance of event cancellation insurance “slightly eased” the burden of lost income from the cancellation of this year’s Open and Senior Open
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Stevenage FC tries to build on the success of innovative Burger King gaming partnership
Stevenage FC were pleasantly surprised when news arrived of Burger King's interest in becoming its main sponsor. SportBusiness speaks to Stevenage chief executive officer Alex Tunbridge to hear about the journey the club has been on since the association with Burger King began in July 2019.
Ben Cronin | Masters needs to come up with football reforms before they are forced upon him
Premier League chief executive Richard Masters is being assailed on multiple fronts as the UK government threatens a systematic review of football governance and clubs plot European competition reform.
Lockdown dampens Brentford FC’s new stadium celebrations
Brentford FC’s plans to open a brand new 17,250-capacity stadium this autumn have been thwarted by the Covid pandemic. Chief executive Jon Varney describes how the club is coping with the lockdown and its plans to compete on a more even commercial footing in the English Championship.
Reimagining the financial future of lower-league football
Omar Chaudhuri and Ben Marlow from consultancy firm 21st Club examine the trends driving football’s underlying financial crisis and suggest a new approach and competition format designed to reduce costs and promote sustainability.
Leeds United swells sponsorship portfolio with Hisense deal
English Premier League club Leeds United has signed up electronics retailer Hisense as a sponsor
Iqoniq extends motorsport footprint with Envision Virgin Racing tie-up
Envision Virgin Racing, the UK-based Extreme E team, has become the latest rights-holder to sign an agreement with the fan engagement app Iqoniq
LTA adds Dunlop to growing sponsorship portfolio
The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) has signed up tennis equipment specialist Dunlop to its sponsorship portfolio
The Sports Consultancy hired to commercial role for Liverpool’s Gymnastic Worlds
The Sports Consultancy, the London-based sports events and rights consultancy, has been appointed by Liverpool City Council to develop the commercial strategy for the 2022 World Artistic Gymnastic Championships
Ingrid Silver | Rethinking media deals and capturing value as we adapt to the new world order
Ingrid Silver, partner in the global entertainment and media industry group of international legal firm Reed Smith, predicts the sports that could command a commercial premium following the Covid-19 pandemic.
Football finance | How the EFL can build a bridge to post-Covid sustainability and profitability
Legal practice Charles Russell Speechlys has outlined a plan to help English Football League clubs survive, restructure and rebuild in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic. Kevin Roberts reports.
AEG’s O2 Arena targets April comeback for London live events
Paul Samuels, executive vice-president of global partnerships for live sport and entertainment company AEG, says the company is targeting a full schedule of events at London's O2 Arena from April next year. Ben Cronin reports.
Martyn Turze | Premier League PPV – the Publicis Sport & Entertainment ‘office’ debate
Martyn Turze, consumer research account director at Publicis Sport & Entertainment, highlights 11 key points from the agency's internal discussions on pay-per-view Premier League matches conducted via the team’s Whatsapp group.
£6m kit provision in Macron deal supports WRU’s community clubs
Welsh Rugby Union's recently signed kit supply deal with Macron is more lucrative than the previous agreement with Under Armour and provides a timely boost to the country's community clubs
Matchday revenue is just one small piece of the Premier League PPV puzzle
The £14.95 price point of pay-per-view Premier League matches led to dismay from fans and sports industry executives alike, as the Premier League, Sky and BT scrambled to protect the value of pay-television. Callum McCarthy reports.
Broadcast deals help NFL maintain UK presence despite London games cancellation
Despite the cancellation of the NFL International Series this year, the league has managed to boost its presence in the UK with the renewal of its deals with Sky Sports and the BBC and new partnerships with Channel 5 and MTV. Adam Nelson speaks to NFL UK managing director Alistair Kirkwood.
“It’s crucial we re-establish ourselves as a multi-sport brand” | Sam Lucas, head of sports sponsorship, Umbro UK
Umbro's head of sports sponsorship in the UK, Sam Lucas tells SportBusiness how Umbro will leverage its kit supply agreements with the RFU and Bristol Bears to help achieve its aim of becoming the "number one brand" in rugby.
‘It’s attracted partners and investors’ | Leeds United’s Amazon documentary
Take Us Home: Leeds United has spent two years documenting the club's attempts to return to the Premier League. Chief executive Angus Kinnear tells Adam Nelson how the series has helped to attract sponsors and investors as well as engage new fans.
RFU looks to urban markets with Umbro after Canterbury departure
Umbro’s return to rugby – in the form of its four-year kit supply deal with the Rugby Football Union – came into effect earlier this month, but it very nearly didn't happen. Matthew Williams examines what the union and the sportwear manufacturer hope to get out of the agreement.
Pandemic hits women’s sport, but revenue mix leaves it well placed to rebound
Adam Nelson talks to stakeholders from across women's sport about the impact of the pandemic and how the sector is well-placed to rebound thanks to a healthy revenue mix
Kevin Roberts | Football has to put its hand up/by its side/behind its back and sort out its rule change train wreck
When a veteran coach says a new rule is destroying his enjoyment of the game it’s a warning about damage to the product at a critical time for sport
Championship clubs devastated by UK government’s ‘broad-brush’ approach
Fears of overcrowding in pubs and on public transport has moved the UK government to postpone spectator trials after Covid-19 cases rose sharply in the country, but rights holders and clubs feel sport has been unfairly singled out. Callum McCarthy reports.
Norwich City’s financial model provides stability despite Premier League relegation
Ben Kensell, chief operating officer at Norwich City, tells Adam Nelson about how the commercial structure he has put in place offers the club a platform to bounce straight back after its relegation from the Premier League.
Despite Covid uncertainty and 23 Capital’s demise, football’s financiers are here to stay
Covid-19 may have proved too much for 23 Capital, but business is booming for other lenders in the football finance sector.
Francis: OTT streaming operators have struggled to provide lockdown service
Barney Francis, the former managing director of the UK division of Sky Sports, has suggested the Covid-19 crisis has exposed the business models of some of the OTT streaming services operating in the sports sector but says there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the industry. Ben Cronin reports.
Lee Gibbons | What Olympic sponsorships can teach brands in the Covid-19 era
Self-confessed 'Olympophile' Lee Gibbons, managing director of the Sport Unlimited agency, explains why the values and strategies attached to Olympic sponsorships translate so well to today's market in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“London is critically important to us” | Jon Dutton, Rugby League World Cup 2021
Rugby League World Cup 2021 chief executive officer Jon Dutton details how the Rugby League World cup are looking to transcend the traditional audience of rugby league when the tournament is held in England…
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The Fifa Master is Europe's best postgraduate sport management degree.