Diego Maradona’s maverick spirit lives on in a new wave of athlete activists November 27, 2020 Maradona’s rebellious nature and habit of hanging out with the wrong crowd was a product of his upbringing in the shanty town of Villa Fiorito, and it’s fair to say it never left him. In a world where athletes and celebrities are increasingly held up as role models, Maradona, through his own words and actions, [...]
How to stage a limited capacity match in the Covid era, from socially distanced seating to ordering drinks November 25, 2020 Sports clubs across England are preparing to host limited-capacity events when lockdown ends next week, but Harlequins are one step ahead. The Premiership rugby club had 2,800 at their home, The Stoop, for a match against Bath in early September, as part of a nationwide pilot scheme. Here, Adrian Wells, chief marketing officer at Harlequins, [...]
Leyton Orient happy to lose money and keep bars closed if to means getting fans back through turnstiles November 25, 2020 Leyton Orient chief executive Danny Macklin says the football club is happy to lose money in order to get fans back into their stadium. Supporters will be allowed to return to live sport in tier 1 and 2 areas when lockdown ends next week, but the restricted numbers mean clubs are unlikely to cover their [...]
Surrey and Harlequins welcome return of fans but warn that capacity limits will lose clubs more money November 24, 2020 Two of English sport’s biggest clubs have welcomed the imminent return of fans but warned that staging matches with restricted capacity is not financially sustainable. Spectators will be able to attend live sport in limited numbers when the country’s second lockdown is lifted on 2 December, it was announced on Monday. The move is a [...]
PM confirms return of fans to live sport when lockdown lifts on 2 December November 23, 2020 Spectators will be allowed back to live sport when the second national lockdown is lifted in England next week. Prime minister Boris Johnson confirmed today that up to 4,000 fans will be able to attend sport outdoors in low-risk Tier 1 areas. Up to 2,000 will be able to attend outdoor sport in Tier 2 [...]
Cover story: How the Premier League ‘wrapped’ every stadium and hid the empty seats November 20, 2020 Football fans will by now be familiar with Premier League “stadium wraps” or “seat kills”, even if they don’t recognise the terminology. The vast seat coverings, typically emblazoned with club colours and slogans, have provided a backdrop to the action since English football returned to empty grounds in June. But who makes these displays and [...]
The Big Rebuild: Why sport must recognise importance of PR before it’s too late November 20, 2020 Covid-19 has ripped the sports industry to shreds, leaving a trail of bare-bones teams who are overworked and stretched. During a second lockdown it might seem hasty to think about rebuilding and planning for the coming months. But we know that one day sport’s fan ban will be lifted. Once it does, it will happen [...]
The Week in Sportbiz: Cricket meets hip-hop; Germany exports VAR; and the ‘Yes Sir, I Can Boogie’ goes global November 19, 2020 Cricket and hip-hop aren’t obvious bedfellows but they cosied up this week when South Africa fast bowler Lungi Ngidi joined Jay-Z’s talent stable Roc Nation. Ngidi, South Africa’s player of the year in one-day and T20 internationals, is the first cricketer to sign with Roc Nation Sports. Roc Nation has snapped up mostly American athletes, [...]
ATP Finals prize money: Why payouts at one of tennis’s most lucrative events have been cut by up to 59 per cent November 17, 2020 What the ATP Finals lacks in prestige next to grand slam events it makes up for in prize money. Or at least it did. Because this year’s prize money fund at the men’s tennis showpiece has been cut by more than a third. And whoever claims the title on Sunday will bank barely half the [...]
UK beats US to be named most influential country for sports technology November 17, 2020 The United Kingdom has been named the most influential country in the realm of sports technology by a new report. The UK leads the way because it is home to Formula 1 and golf’s European Tour, organisations praised for innovation. The United States is the second most influential country, according to the inaugural Sports Technology [...]