Man Utd roadshow gets back on the road with Miami as first stop
March 31 – After a three-year hiatus Manchester United are taking their fan engagement event back on the road with Miami, Florida, as the first stop on April 16.
Football Marketing
Messi signs with Socios.com to promote Fan Tokens
March 30 – Argentina and Paris Saint-Germain star Lionel Messi has agreed a three-year deal to promote digital fan token company Socios.com. Reports say Messi will earn $20 million from the endorsement.
LaLiga teams with Casillas’ SportBoost to match players to tech startups
March 30 – LaLiga has combined with SportBoost to create opportunities for athletes and ex-athletes by connecting them technology startups.
Monaco agree agency deal with Capital Block as it explore NFT opportunity
March 29 – Ligue 1 club AS Monaco has agreed a partnership with NFT consultancy Capital Block who will become the become the official NFT agency of AS Monaco.
Company Select end Antwerp sponsorship in protest over Overmars appointment
March 25 – HR Company Select has withdrawn as sponsor of Antwerp following the arrival of Marc Overmars at the Belgian club. The Dutchman exited Ajax in disgrace following allegations of improper conduct.
Liverpool to launch first NFT drop of illustrated player images
March 25 – Premier League Liverpool have launched their first NFTs, a collection of illustrations of 24 Liverpool men’s team players based on their individual likenesses and superhero characteristics.
ESA’s sponsorship sentiment tracker shows optimistic trend led by rights holders
March 25 – The European Sponsorship Association’s Sponsorship Sentiment Tracker (SST) – a rough measure of how confident the sponsorship sector is – shows rights holders as currently the most optimistic over the health of the industry.
Cazoo continues drive into Europe, parking on OM’s shirt front from start of 2022/23 season
March 24 – Online car retailer Cazoo will become the main sponsor of Ligue 1’s Olympique de Marseille in a multi-year deal that will begin at the start of the 2022/23 season. The deal will see the brand take the club’s front of shirt logo position.
Indian EdTech business BYJU’s joins Qatar 2022 sponsor roster
March 24 – FIFA has added Indian education technology provider BYJU’S as an official sponsor of the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
KNVB banks on ING, and goes crypto with Bitavo
March 24 – The Dutch FA (KNVB) have extended their 25-year main sponsorship with ING bank through to 2028. And in keeping with a financial theme have unveiled crypto exchange Bitvavo as a new sponsor.
Crypto.com becomes official crypto trading platform for Qatar 2022
March 23 – Cryptocurrency sponsorship has come to FIFA with Crypto.com becoming the exclusive cryptocurrency trading platform partner for the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
Betcris swoops to secure nine Honduran club sponsorships
March 22 – Online bookmaker Betcris, based in Costa Rica, has continued its expansion in south and central America with sponsorships covering nine League of Honduras clubs. Betcris is already title sponsor of the league.
Union Berlin graduates wefox from sleeve to main shirt sponsorship for next season
March 22 – Bundesliga club 1. FC Union Berlin has secured digital insurance business wefox as the club’s main short sponsor in a three-year deal starting with the 2022/23 season.
beIN Sports dedicates four new channels for final rounds of AFC World Cup qualifying
March 21 – beIN SPORTS will launch four new dedicated channels for the 12 remaining matches of the the AFC World Cup 2022 qualifiers that will be played over two match days.
FFH raises cash to develop deeper into fantasy football market
March 17 – The Fantasy Sports gaming market is spawning a whole new sector of related digital business with UK-based fantasy Football Hub announcing it has raised $550,000 to build its platform that digital content and analytics to the fantasy football community.