Arsenal set goal of selling out 60,000-seater Emirates Stadium for women’s game March 23, 2022 Arsenal’s new commercial chief Juliet Slot believes their women’s team can attract sell-out crowds to the 60,000-capacity Emirates Stadium as the club embarks on a wider push behind the Women’s Super League leaders. Arsenal Women switch big games from Boreham Wood FC to Emirates Stadium to allow for bigger attendances and are due to play [...]
Inside the Super Golf League: Sean Bratches on LIV Golf’s mission to redesign the sport March 23, 2022 It was at the Ryder Cup in Wisconsin six months ago that Sean Bratches accepted Greg Norman’s invitation to join LIV Golf Investments, the vehicle behind long-rumoured plans for a Super Golf League. Former ESPN and Formula 1 executive Bratches had already been working with world No1 turned LIV Golf CEO Norman and the Saudi-backed [...]
First, England. Next, the world? Why those behind The Hundred have big ambitions March 21, 2022 “Every successful brand in the world has to start somewhere, in one geography,” says Nick Sykes, global chief executive of FutureBrand, the company that developed the branding for The Hundred, English cricket’s newest tournament. “But if you look at sporting formats around the world, many of them have travelled geographies and there are large parts [...]
Tales from the Crypto: Will digital assets save sport sponsorship or prove a horror story? March 21, 2022 When you think of US cable TV giant HBO, blockbuster drama series like Game of Thrones, The Sopranos and The Wire immediately spring to mind. One of the first major triumphs for the network, though, was Tales from the Crypt, a horror anthology inspired by a cult 1950 comic book series. The series was successful [...]
Christian Horner interview: ‘Red Bull put Formula 1 back on the map last year’ March 16, 2022 The dust is still settling on last year’s rancorous Formula 1 season as a new one is about to begin in Bahrain this weekend but Oracle Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner is keen to put the acrimony with Mercedes and opposite number Toto Wolff behind him. Well, mostly. Three months on from a hugely [...]
Chelsea in race to find new backer or risk administration as Abramovich sanctions bite March 10, 2022 Chelsea face a race to find a new benefactor after Roman Abramovich was sanctioned by the UK government – or run the risk of administration. The sanctions prevent any new money going into the Premier League club, effectively forcing Abramovich to offload Chelsea or watch it run out of money. The club have consistently spent [...]
Asian Tour and Ladies European Tour team up for mixed golf tournaments March 7, 2022 The Asian Tour and Ladies European Tour have joined forces to organise two mixed gender tournaments this year. The Asian Mixed Cup and Asian Mixed Stableford are both scheduled to take place in Thailand next month. Each will feature 60 Asian Tour players and 60 Ladies European Tour players playing for the same trophy and [...]
Everton backer Usmanov has assets frozen by EU over Putin links March 1, 2022 Everton backer Alisher Usmanov has had his assets frozen by the European Union on the grounds that he is close to Russian president Vladimir Putin. Usmanov’s company USM Holdings sponsors Everton’s training ground and has bought the naming rights to the Premier League club’s yet-to-be constructed stadium. The billionaire is also a close associate of [...]
Uefa terminates £100m Gazprom sponsorship as sport shuts out Russia February 28, 2022 European football’s governing body Uefa has confirmed the termination of its long-standing sponsorship deal with Russian state energy company Gazprom. The move came as Uefa banned Russian teams from its international and club competition following the country’s invasion of Ukraine. “Uefa has today decided to end its partnership with Gazprom across all competitions,” it said. [...]
Sport is guilty of shutting its eyes to Russia’s geopolitical ambitions February 27, 2022 Roman Abramovich’s near 20-year ownership of Premier League club Chelsea has been shrouded in mystery and therefore subject to constant scrutiny and speculation. Indeed, until the weekend, it remained unclear why he is there and what he is seeking to achieve. The oligarch has denied having direct links with Vladimir Putin but has been seen [...]