Qatar World Cup: 700 Heathrow workers to strike causing chaos for travelling fans November 4, 2022 Qatar World Cup football fans will face disruption following the announcement of three days of strike action at Heathrow Airport. Workers on the ground at the international hub employed by Dnata and Menzies will walk out on Friday 18 November, with the tournament in the Gulf state beginning on 20 November. England’s first game is [...]
Ed Warner: English football of all levels penetrating hyper-commercial US sport November 3, 2022 Does anyone in England call the Premier League the EPL? I ask because I had a random encounter at Heathrow last week with one of a group of five Crystal Palace fans headed to Selhurst Park for their “first EPL game”. The Ted Lasso effect maybe? I only hope they made it to the Clifton [...]
Scoring Gen Z attention: Snap teams up with Sky Sports in new content deal November 1, 2022 Snap has announced a renewed content partnership with Sky Sports UK to host made-for-mobile, short-form content on Snapchat Discover. Sky Sports, a content partner since 2015 with over 1.8 million Snapchat subscribers, will publish highlights from every single Premier League football match, Women’s Super League highlights, behind the scenes content, clips from Soccer AM, Monday [...]
Another player in the market? Viaplay launches its own UK sports and film streaming service November 1, 2022 Nordic producer Viaplay has launched its own streaming service in the UK today, piling in on the crowded video on demand market. The direct-to-consumer packages are priced between £3.99 and £14.99 a month, with content focusing on Nordic storytelling. There are more than 1,000 hours of Viaplay original content, as well as curated third-party series and films. [...]
Premier League eyes £30m NFT deal with Sorare October 28, 2022 The Premier League is weighing up £30m-a-year digital tokens deal with Sorare, as the sport pushes into the world of non-fungible tokens (NFTs). According to reports from Mark Kleinman for Sky News, the top English clubs are set to meet with the French start-up later today to discuss a multi-year agreement. It is understood the deal [...]
Outrage grows as UK urges LGBT football fans to ‘compromise’ their sexuality during World Cup in Qatar October 28, 2022 James Cleverly, this week re-appointed as Foreign Secretary, is increasingly under fire for comments he made about how British LGBT football fans should behave while in Qatar for the World Cup. A range of celebrities and thousands of people have taken to social media to express their dismay about Cleverly’s stance. The Foreign Secretary urged [...]
Final Premier League games could be make or break for World Cup hopes October 28, 2022 The eyes of the footballing world are already beginning to look into their peripherals and see the opening day of the Fifa World Cup looking back at them. Because, in a little over three weeks, the first Middle Eastern World Cup, held in Qatar, will begin. It’s been a tournament shrouded in controversy since the [...]
Formula 1 desperately needs competition right up to the final race October 27, 2022 No matter which army you fought for – Max Verstappen’s or Lewis Hamilton’s – after last year’s Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix controversy, at least that event had one thing: something on the line. Last season looked as if we were embarking on a period of Formula 1 where three constructors could fight it [...]
Former Worcester Warriors coach leading consortium to buy club October 27, 2022 Former Worcester Warriors coach Steve Diamond has announced plans to lead a consortium with the aim of buying the financially stricken club who are in the hands of administrators and have been expelled from Premiership Rugby. Under his plans, announced yesterday with an early afternoon visual presentation, Diamond would become chief executive of a project [...]
Ed Warner: My advice to aspiring youngsters is to do your homework October 27, 2022 I never imagined I’d end up spending half my working week immersed in the world of sport. I stumbled into it via a serendipitous alignment of the stars in my mid 30s and have been privileged to parlay my enthusiasm for sport and my business knowledge into emotionally rewarding experiences for the past fifteen years. [...]