English rugby scraps relegation until 2024 but chiefs insist Premiership is not being ringfenced June 29, 2021 English rugby chiefs have scrapped relegation from the Premiership until 2024 as part of wide-ranging reforms to the game. The pausing of relegation and expansion of the Premiership to 14 teams is designed to stem the losses suffered by most clubs and exacerbated by the pandemic, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) said. But the RFU [...]
Doubts resurface over British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa as country enters strict measures and Springbok trio test positive for Covid-19 June 28, 2021 The British and Irish Lions’ summer tour to South Africa has been plunged into fresh doubt just as the team is due to arrive in Johannesburg. The country’s president Cyril Ramaphosa has warned of a “massive resurgence” in Covid-19, with cases on course to overtake the peak of 2020. Three South Africa players tested positive [...]
Saracens mark return to Premiership by announcing club record kit deal with British sportswear brand Castore June 22, 2021 Saracens have announced a kit deal with British brand Castore believed to be the most lucrative in the club’s history. The five-year agreement replaces Sarries’ contract with Nike and follows their successful promotion back to English rugby union’s top division. Saracens join a fast-growing roster of teams and athletes to partner with Castore, which includes [...]
United Rugby Championship: Four South African teams join northern hemisphere sides in private equity shake-up of Pro14 June 15, 2021 Club rugby union is set for a private-equity-led shake-up later this year when the United Rugby Championship replaces the Pro14. Four South African teams will join the dozen Irish, Welsh, Scottish and Italian sides already part of the Pro14 to form a new 16-team tournament. The changes, which will incorporate lucrative new TV deals and [...]
Steering clear of the cliff edge: Why it makes business sense for sport to put the human first May 11, 2021 We’ve seen a seismic shift in attitudes around athlete welfare but the sentiment ‘it’s only what happens on the pitch that counts’, albeit largely unspoken, is sadly still common in professional sport. With the global sports market expected to reach $600bn by 2025, there is no doubt about the pressure clubs are facing to deliver [...]
Jackson Wray interview: Saracens stalwart on targeting another Champions Cup and honing his financial trading skills May 7, 2021 Sport marches to a relentless beat of training sessions and matches that can allow little time for reflection, but the forced interruption of the pandemic gave Jackson Wray pause for thought. The Saracens back-row forward has had a front-row seat for one of rugby union’s most remarkable stories: the club’s rise, fuelled by home-grown talents [...]
Premiership rugby clubs issue warning to British and Irish Lions chiefs over scheduling after reaching player release agreement April 27, 2021 Premiership clubs have taken a swipe at British and Irish Lions chiefs after finally signing off the release of their players for this summer’s tour of South Africa. England’s top-flight rugby teams were unhappy at the Lions scheduling a pre-tour warm-up match against Japan at Murrayfield on 26 June – the same day as the [...]
Week in Sportbiz: Sports give qualified backing to Covid certification plan; US Beijing boycott talks escalates; Masters caught up in vote row April 8, 2021 British sport’s leading governing bodies have backed plans to use Covid certification if it means they can reopen stadiums in full later this summer. But they have called for urgent clarification on how and when social distancing will be relaxed, warning that partially full venues will not stem their financial losses. The Premier League, Football [...]
Players vow to scupper Silver Lake £235m bid for All Blacks commercial rights March 29, 2021 Several leading All Blacks and Black Ferns say they will veto Silver Lake’s bid for a stake in New Zealand Rugby (NZR). The US-based private equity giant has offered £235m for 15 per cent of NZR’s commercial rights, which the deal values at £1.5bn. If successful, it would be the latest investment by private equity [...]
Week in Sportbiz: Is crypto the next big player in sports sponsorship? Plus Extreme E’s Suez near miss and Amazon’s Six Nations interest March 25, 2021 Where US sports lead, others tend to follow, so it was with interest that industry insiders noted developments in Florida this week. Miami Heat’s home is set to be rebranded the FTX Arena after the NBA side struck a naming rights agreement with the cryptocurrency exchange. FTX will pay $135m for the 19-year deal, the [...]