Sports sponsorship is a global business worth an estimated $60 billion in 2021. Each week we bring the Sport for Bussiness network a look at some of the biggest deals and trends that are continually reshaping the ways in which sport and commercial partners interact.
Today we highlight major new or extended partnerships for Ryder Cup and Hewlett Packard, Formula E with Julius Baer and UEFA with a new eight-year deal with a technology partner…
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HEWLETT PACKARD ON BOARD WITH RYDER CUP
Hewlett Packard Enterprise has announced a partnership with the 2023 Ryder Cup to deliver its cutting-edge technologies at one of the world’s largest sporting events. As an Official Supplier to the 2023 Ryder Cup, HPE will deliver an intelligent, secure, and high-performance wired and wireless network platform at the prestigious golf event being held at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Rome, Italy, in September 2023.
“We have a bold ambition to create one of the most intelligent, immersive and sustainable temporary-constructed sporting venues in the world,” said Michael Cole, chief technology officer of the European Tour group. “We look forward to working together with HPE to unlock the value of data to provide a level of spectator engagement never before witnessed at a sporting event. The HPE GreenLake platform will enable us to deliver the tournament as a service in a sustainable and cost-efficient way.”
“Capturing, analyzing and extracting value from data in real-time is fundamental to delivering the immersive experience that sports fans today demand,” said Jim Jackson, executive vice president & chief marketing officer, Hewlett Packard Enterprise. “Our partnership with the 2023 Ryder Cup will be a great showcase for our edge-to-cloud portfolio and our ability to deliver best-in-class data services and connectivity as a service, with the HPE GreenLake platform. We’ll be providing a new level of intelligent connectivity for fans, opening up new ways to follow the matches in play, navigate the golf course, and access hospitality and retail offerings with the shortest queues.”
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CRYPTO CONTAGION HITS PREMIER LEAGUE
The challenges that face the crypto sector following the spectacular demise of the FTX trading platform have spread across the Atlantic.
Chelsea’s first partnership in this space with Amber Group saw the Whalefin brand appear on the sleeve of the Premier League club but that deal is now to be terminated.
The same brand has a €40 million deal with Atletico Madrid as its main shirt sponsor and that also now appears to be in serious doubt.
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FORMULA E EXTENDS WITH JULIUS BAER
Formula E and ABB FIA Formula E World Championship founding partner, Julius Baer, today announced a multi-year partnership extension until the end of Season 12 (2026).
Julius Baer has been a global partner of the world’s first all-electric motorsport series since its launch in 2014. The extension reinforces Julius Baer’s commitment to the series. Aligned to Formula E’s mission of accelerating sustainable human progress through the power of electric racing, Julius Baer is focused on raising awareness and action around climate change and sustainable development.
Julius Baer is supporting the championship as it expands its fast-growing global fanbase and is the title sponsor of the 2023 Julius Baer São Paulo E-Prix on 25 March. The Brazilian city joins Hyderabad and Cape Town as new host cities of ABB FIA Formula E World Championship races in Season 9.
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ATOS SIGNS EIGHT-YEAR DEAL WITH UEFA FOR INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENTS
UEFA has announced that Atos, a global leader in digital transformation, has agreed to an eight-year partnership to sponsor UEFA National Team Football.
Atos will help UEFA manage, improve, and optimise its complex technology landscape and operations with the overall aim of organising and supporting national team football events over the coming years, which include the UEFA EURO, UEFA Nations League Finals, European Qualifiers, UEFA European Under-21 Championship, and the UEFA Futsal EURO.
“We are delighted to be partnering with Atos, who are committing themselves as a key partner of UEFA national men’s team football for the next eight years,” said Guy-Laurent Epstein, UEFA marketing director.
“The world is becoming more digitalised and with Atos onboard as our technology partner, we are ensuring we will have all the necessary technological expertise to help deliver our competitions to the millions of fans around the globe.”
Atos will be responsible for managing and securing the underlying hybrid-cloud environment and the infrastructure required to host UEFA’s services, applications, and data.
Atos will also offer its cybersecurity services, from identity and access management to advanced incident detection and response, to anticipate, monitor, and remediate any potential threats in real time.
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