Up to 10,000 sports fans to be allowed back to stadiums from 17 May, says Prime Minister February 22, 2021 Sports fans will be allowed to return to stadiums from 17 May, with up to 10,000 spectators permitted in the largest venues. Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the relaxation of rules today as he laid out his plans for emerging from lockdown. The announcement means that crowds should be in attendance for Euro 2020 matches [...]
Exclusive: beIN Sports takes legal action against Fenerbahce over Turkish club’s ‘beFAIR’ campaign February 22, 2021 Broadcaster beIN Sports is taking legal action against Fenerbahce over the Turkish club’s high-profile campaign against the network. beIN is suing Fenerbahce for breach of intellectual property after they displayed “beFAIR” branding on the team’s apparel and pitchside advertising displays. Fenerbahce and their president Ali Koc have adopted “beFAIR” as the slogan for a public [...]
West Ham and David Moyes have gone from laughing stock to Happy Hammers – at an ideal time for their owners David Sullivan and David Gold February 22, 2021 Hands up who didn’t afford themselves a wry chuckle when David Moyes, on his return as West Ham manager in December 2019, declared: “That’s what I do, I win.” It was a bold claim from a man whose stints at Sunderland, Real Sociedad and Manchester United might generously be described as chequered. Coming as West [...]
England Netball chief Fran Connolly on the sport’s huge growth, plans to professionalise, and interest from private investors February 20, 2021 Few sports can have had their momentum checked by the pandemic quite like netball in the UK. A decade of extraordinary growth in which participation doubled and exposure at elite level reached unseen heights was jeopardised when Covid-19 hit, forcing a premature end to the Superleague season and halting grassroots netball. Almost a year on, [...]
How sports teams are using blockchain to recoup 2020’s losses February 18, 2021 Sports teams the world over are now looking at blockchain to help replace lost revenues.
Week in Sportbiz: England Netball weighing up approaches from private investors; plus Manchester City’s humble new partner club and ‘super spikes’ February 18, 2021 Netball’s prodigious growth has not gone unnoticed by the private investors who have embarked on a trolley dash of sporting properties. England Netball successfully launched its Covid-adapted 2021 Superleague season last weekend – another feather in the cap of an organisation that has doubled participation in a decade. The governing has renewed its broadcast deal [...]
All Premier League games to be televised until fans return to stadiums February 17, 2021 The Premier League has committed to televising every match until clubs are allowed to reopen stadiums to supporters. All games have been available on Sky Sports, BT Sport, the BBC or Amazon Prime Video for most of the pandemic – save for short-lived experiment with pay-per-view. That arrangement has now been extended indefinitely, with a [...]
Champions League highlights to be screened on London advertising billboards February 17, 2021 Londoners will be able to enjoy highlights from UEFA Champions League matches on digital advertising billboards thanks to a new tie-up between Ocean Outdoor and BT Sport. The deal will see Ocean, which operates major advertising sites including Piccadilly Lights, screen next-day match clips from the last 16 fixtures of the tournament through to the [...]
Too much of a good thing: Are round-the-clock matches giving you football fatigue? February 16, 2021 As I’m sure most readers of this publication will be aware, one of the characteristics of money is that there is a limited supply of it. Scarcity equals value, and that’s something which the football world might soon need to take into account. The pandemic’s impact has condensed the football season and, for many of [...]
Why are English clubs playing Champions League and Europa League matches at neutral venues? February 16, 2021 Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea are all playing Champions League fixtures at neutral venues this month. The same is true for Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal in the Europa League. So why is it happening? Why have both legs of Arsenal’s tie been moved? Why is Leicester’s trip to Prague unaffected? And what does [...]