• Skip to main content
ENTER
  • HOME
  • 2020 CEREMONY
  • 2020 WINNERS
    • 2020 WINNERS
    • 2020 FINALISTS
  • 2021 Intention to Enter
  • ABOUT
    • 2020 JUDGES
    • 2020 CATEGORIES
    • Judging Information
    • ENTRY GUIDELINES
    • ENTRY TIPS
  • SPONSORS
    • SPONSORS
    • Sponsorship
  • HALL OF FAME
    • 2019 WINNERS
    • 2019 GALLERY
    • 2018 WINNERS
    • 2018 Gallery
    • 2017 WINNERS
    • 2017 Gallery
  • CONTACT

Sports Business Awards

  • HOME
  • 2020 CEREMONY
  • 2020 WINNERS
    • 2020 WINNERS
    • 2020 FINALISTS
  • 2021 Intention to Enter
  • ABOUT
    • 2020 JUDGES
    • 2020 CATEGORIES
    • Judging Information
    • ENTRY GUIDELINES
    • ENTRY TIPS
  • SPONSORS
    • SPONSORS
    • Sponsorship
  • HALL OF FAME
    • 2019 WINNERS
    • 2019 GALLERY
    • 2018 WINNERS
    • 2018 Gallery
    • 2017 WINNERS
    • 2017 Gallery
  • CONTACT

2018

Best Sports Governing Body Initiative

November 14, 2019 by

British Rowing – Go Row Indoor

• The Go Row Indoor programme has had a hugely successful first year making good progress on the way to achieving its objectives.
• A proactive PR campaign to raise the profile of the programme resulted in over 390 pieces of coverage in 2017 including newspapers, blogs, lifestyle magazines and local media.
• The increased interest in and awareness of indoor rowing has seen visits to the dedicated section on British Rowing’s website triple in January 2018 compared to January 2017. The Go Row Indoor 20 minute workout video on the British Rowing YouTube channel has been viewed over 78,000 times for a total of nearly half a million minutes.
• Participation in indoor rowing has seen a positive increase with a number of clubs who run Go Row Indoor workout classes reaching capacity every week in 2018.
• A record number of people – over 2,100 – competed at the British Rowing Indoor Championships (BRIC) at the Lee Valley velopark in December 2017 and spectator tickets sold out in advance for the first time ever.
• The British Rowing powered LiveRowing app has seen a growth rate of 12% month on month and over 10,000 paying members using the app.

GolfSixes – European Tour

GolfSixes is the short format of golf, initiated by the European Tour in 2017, designed to attract a new audience to golf whilst maintaining the integrity of the sport. Consumers want to watch shorter, and participation in golf is diversifying into shorter engagements. GolfSixes is a six hole country vs. country tournament across two days, with the six hole layout based around a central fanzone, with numerous engaging activities for all of the family designed to introduce a new audience to golf. The tournament was a resounding success, with the average age of ticket purchases 14% younger than other UK European Tour events and 42% higher proportion of new fans attending than other European Tour events. On TV, 19% of viewers had never watched a golf event before, and the tournament rated in the top quartile of European Tour events in 2017. The tournament also received excellent media coverage across all markets, and excellent feedback from our sponsors, with American Golf saying “GolfSixes was perfect for targeting a different type of golf audience. We gave lessons non-stop through the two days, and it was great to see lots of kids having a go.”

Next Gen ATP Finals – ATP World Tour

As governing body of men’s professional tennis, the ATP set up the inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan in November 2017 – a new season-ending tournament offering US$ 1.275 million in prize money for the world’s best 21-and-under players – in partnership with the Italian Tennis Federation and the Italian National Olympic Committee.

The tournament’s objective was to provide a global stage for the future stars of men’s tennis, while at the same time serving as a platform to trial rule changes and innovation in the sport. This was a tournament that would aim to connect the next generation of players to the next generation of fans. The event showcased multiple innovations in a fast-paced, cutting edge and TV-friendly format. The tournament, which saw a world-first use of Hawk Eye Live, also led to a pioneering new global partnership agreement between ATP, ATP Media and Amazon Prize Video.

On the court, South Korea’s Hyeon Chung defeated Russia’s Andrey Rublev in the final to cap off a breakthrough week which was viewed by more than 8 million people globally.

Project Rugby – Premiership Rugby & England Rugby
Project Rugby is the flagship participation initiative of Premiership Rugby and England Rugby, designed to increase participation in the game by people from traditionally underrepresented groups:

• Black Asian & Minority Ethnic People
• People from Lower Socio-Economic backgrounds
• Disabled People

A four year programme, Project Rugby intends to address under representation amongst groups and communities in rugby union and currently in its first year aims to reach 3000 BAME young people by July 2018. In its first year alone, Project Rugby has reached 7558 participants from underrepresented backgrounds with at least 7% of these transitioning into grassroots rugby clubs (17% for disabled people) and continuing to play the game. The programme is delivered by community coaches employed by the 14 Premiership Rugby Clubs who have undergone cultural awareness training and selected delivery sites of high BAME density areas based on insight and mapping of the respective club’s territories, which include Manchester, Leicester, Bristol, and London. Premiership Rugby Clubs have established partnerships with over 26 religious or cultural groups and delivered at over 89 distinct sites, on the key principle that they are ‘new to rugby’ and not typically associated with rugby union (youth clubs, religious centres, community centres).

WFA & You’ll never walk alone

Walking Football was created in 2010 as a unique sport aimed at the over 50’s.

There are now over 1100 clubs in the UK with an estimated 40,000 players.
It is already played in over 35 countries.

Launched in December 2016

The National Governing Body for walking football in the UK

Inspiring fun, safe & social activity

Objective of the project was to raise awareness of the sport in the most cost-efficient manner.

Targets – everyone over 50, especially inactive people who used to enjoy sport.

We had a very small budget (£3000) and a long list of objectives.

It was decided that a video was the best medium to showcase the sport and we commissioned SGTV, a world class sports video company.

The video was called YOU’LL NEVER WALK ALONE.

It has received great praise for how it successfully portrays the sport’s wide range of benefits. The immense joy experienced by participants is evident.

Sky Sports were delighted with the video and they screened the 30-minute programme a total of 11 times in October 2017.

The video is now available to watch on the WFA website: www.thewfa.co.uk

The low investment in this marketing initiative has been a resounding success with benefits far exceeding our expectations.

World Table Tennis Day (WTTD)

“TABLE TENNIS FOR EVERYONE, EVERWHERE” is the slogan to share the joy of playing Table Tennis worldwide on APRIL 6. WORLD TABLE TENNIS DAY (WTTD) forms part of ITTF’s Table Tennis for ALL – Program and aims to reach most quantity of people and different target groups. It builds up on 3 pillars: POPULAR, UNIVERSAL & INCLUSIVE.

The focus is on social outcomes presenting Table Tennis as a sport accessible for everyone. FEW MATERIALS AND SKILLS ARE NEEDED to play, have fun and spread positive messages among players. EVENTS ARE EASILY SET UP ALL AROUND THE WORLD bringing Table Tennis closer also to laypersons.

OVER 90.000 PERSONS celebrated World Table Tennis Day 2017 all around the globe. Many of them don’t usually play or train Table Tennis. The number is set to grow from year to year.

Beyond competitions, Table Tennis serves as a vehicle for POSITIVE SOCIAL CHANGE, a HEALTHY WORTHWHILE USE OF LEISURE TIME and an opportunity to BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER, an excellent tool for SOCIAL INCLUSION. Table Tennis has a unique value where people from different ages, gender, skills or physical condition can play together. It is SPORT FOR LIFE and It´s FUN! Stay updated on www.TT4ALL.com

Filed Under: 2018

Best Sports Event of the Year

November 14, 2019 by

#GAME4GRENFELL

#Game4Grenfell delivered for the people of Grenfell, uniting the West London community like no other event of its kind.

Despite the emotional and tragic backdrop to the match, which saw survivors, volunteers and firefighters play their part, the overriding feeling at Loftus Road was one of unity and togetherness.

It will take years, and in some cases a lifetime, for the community to recover from the Grenfell Tower fire, but this event, this demonstration of support, showed that all those who have been affected are not alone. We, as a community, all stand together.

To local, national and international acclaim, #Game4Grenfell captured the hearts of a nation – but more importantly than that, it provided hope for all those affected by the fire and showed the power that football, and sport in general, can have on having a positive impact in the community.

Project timeline: Disaster – Relief – Donation Centre – Community Support – #Game4Grenfell – Fundraising – Legacy

Aviva Premiership Rugby Final 2017

The Aviva Premiership Rugby Final is Britain’s biggest, most prestigious and eagerly-anticipated game in the domestic rugby calendar. In 2017, Twickenham Stadium played host to a sensational day of high-class rugby and a true celebration of the game. Following 135 games contested by the 12 best team in English rugby, the 2017 Final saw the league’s finest battle in front one of the biggest crowds to date with 79,657 in attendance, an average audience of over 320,000 in the UK and available to view in over 200 countries and in 185 million households. And they weren’t disappointed as Exeter Chiefs edged Wasps in an extra-time thriller.

The ambition for the 2017 Final was to provide the best event experience on and off pitch, engaging fans in the stadium and around the world regardless of their team affiliation – targeting the neutral supporter and driving new fans to the season’s climax. The Final also showcased Premiership Rugby’s long-standing commitment to grassroots rugby through our community programmes and with the support of our commercial partners allowed them to take centre stage at the Final, with hundreds of young players sampling the atmosphere, many being able to play on the hallowed turf.

The Laver Cup

2017 saw the launch of a brand new team tennis competition, and it was unlike any other in sporting history, with a host of new innovations.

In honour of tennis legend Rod Laver, the Laver Cup is an elite men’s team tennis competition, where a selection of Europe’s best take on the Rest of the World. Featuring top stars Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, it is set to become a prestigious and regular event in the tennis calendar.

The brief was to develop an event that shook up the world of tennis, brought innovation and new ideas to the sport, and provided an exciting format for players, fans and media to be enthralled with.

The Laver Cup provided the perfect opportunity to embrace change and champion a fresh look and feel for tennis. From the innovative scoring format, the unique black court, team mates talking tactics mid-match, each innovation provided an air of anticipation and energy.

The inaugural Laver Cup has been an unqualified success from a commercial, media and fan engagement perspective, with over a billion TV viewers watching the action in over 200 territories, reaching 900 million households worldwide. A phenomenal achievement for a brand new event

ONE Championship

ONE Championship is the home of martial arts and is the world’s largest martial arts organization, hosting bouts across all styles of martial arts such as Muay Thai, Kickboxing, Karate, Kung Fu, Silat, Sanda, Lethwei, Mixed Martial Arts, Tae Kwon Do, Submission Grappling, and more. The world’s most exciting martial arts organization hosts the largest sports entertainment events across Asia, featuring some of the world’s best martial artists and world champions, all signed to exclusive contracts, on the largest media broadcast in Asia. In addition to its digital platforms, ONE Championship broadcasts to over 1.7-billion potential viewers across 136 countries around the world with some of the largest global broadcasters, including Fox Sports, ABS-CBN, Astro, ClaroSports, Bandsports, Startimes, Premier Sports, Thairath TV, Skynet, Mediacorp, OSN, and more.

Qualcomm New York City E-Prix

ABB Formula E has become a global brand by reinventing racing. Through breaking the conventions of the sport ABB Formula E has created a new and distinctly younger, urban fan-base, embracing the technological zeitgeist and assembling a portfolio of partners that is the envy of the sporting world.

ABB Formula E brings electrifying wheel-to-wheel action to city centres, racing against the backdrop of iconic skylines such as New York, Hong Kong, Paris and Rome.

ABB Formula E continues to bloom in a digital age where traditional sports struggle. Seasons to come will see Porsche, Mercedes, BMW and Nissan join existing global manufacturer car brands on city street circuits.

The ABB FIA Formula E Electric Street Racing Series is a brand with a purpose. We are exciting and relevant. We accelerate the adoption of domestic Electric Vehicles in a world that is ever increasingly concerned with our global environment and the future of transport and mobility.

The Moet & Chandon July Festival, Newmarket Racing

Newmarket Racecourses is known as the Home of Horseracing; over 350 years of racing history shapes this unique business. Newmarket Racecourses are a part of The Jockey Club. The largest commercial Group in British horseracing, The Jockey Club exists solely for the long-term good of the sport and has done since 1750.

The Moet & Chandon July Festival is the centrepiece of the summer at Newmarket, with each day of the Festival having its own distinct personality. Already one of our most popular festivals, 2017 saw a significant increase in both attendance and revenue due to a multi marketing channel campaign including segmented email campaigns, targeting racing enthusiasts, groups, hospitality guests and social ‘day outers’.

The July Festival has the ambience of a relaxed summer garden party, encapsulating all that is great about the British summer, with the backdrop of exciting racing.

World Para Athletics Championships and the IAAF World Championships – UK Athletics (London 2017)

London 2017 comprised the hosting of two World Championships – the World Para Athletics Championships (14-23 July) and the IAAF World Championships (4-13 August)

It was the biggest sporting event in the world in 2017 and the first time ever that both World Para and IAAF World Championships had been hosted in the same city in the same year. Over 3,300 athletes from 200 countries competed in 250 events in 20 days at the London Stadium.

London 2017 achieved world record ticket sales for both events as well as a 942million cumulative television viewing audience. The World Para Athletics Championships (300k tickets) was the best supported para event outside of the Paralympic Games and the IAAF World Championships (704k) achieved a Guinness World Record.

Hero the Hedgehog, the official mascot of the IAAF World Championships, became a viral hit and a cult hero.
Designed by a nine-year-old from the West Midlands, Hero’s highlights video received 3.2million views on Facebook alone – all organic views.

Analysis showed the direct economic impact of the summer exceeded £107million with an average 45% of those surveyed saying they had been inspired to do sport or active recreation more often because of attending the Championships.

Filed Under: 2018

Sports Innovation Award

November 14, 2019 by

Arsenal Football Club

At Arsenal Football Club we have a large fan base, and we make it a priority to aim to ensure that every supporter feels welcome at the club, and that we are sufficiently working around our local area to inspire and support local children and families. Through our Arsenal for Everyone initiative, we have a wide variety of programmes, projects and facilities in place for supporters with all types of needs, however we wanted to do something innovative and positive, to help those who have a limited access to facilities and very little support, and to help make a real difference to their lives. We looked to address the difficulties of supporters and local people with autism and additional sensory based needs who lack access to important facilities, so we created a state of the art sensory room and pitch viewing facility within Emirates Stadium. This facility now offers supporters and local families access to enjoy football for the first time through a safe and suitable environment. This facility is now being used on match days and at club events, and by local people, charities and projects throughout the week, ensuring a positive long-term impact for many people.

GolfSixes

GolfSixes is the short format of golf, initiated by the European Tour in 2017, designed to attract a new audience to golf whilst maintaining the integrity of the sport. Consumers want to watch shorter, and participation in golf is diversifying into shorter engagements. GolfSixes is a six hole country vs. country tournament across two days, with the six hole layout based around a central fanzone, with numerous engaging activities for all of the family designed to introduce a new audience to golf. The tournament was a resounding success, with the average age of ticket purchases 14% younger than other UK European Tour events and 42% higher proportion of new fans attending than other European Tour events. On TV, 19% of viewers had never watched a golf event before, and the tournament rated in the top quartile of European Tour events in 2017. The tournament also received excellent media coverage across all markets, and excellent feedback from our sponsors, with American Golf saying “GolfSixes was perfect for targeting a different type of golf audience. We gave lessons non-stop through the two days, and it was great to see lots of kids having a go.”

HRP Equestrian

HRP Equestrian was built from the ground up by single mother and business women, Helen Ross.

HRP Equestrian is a unique luxury Irish equestrian brand and inventors of the scientifically tested and proven pressure relief HRP Wing saddle pads. There is a small team of individuals working at HRP, who are determined to make a difference to the Equestrian market due to their belief in the products. Our customers are horse lovers who want to make a change to the comfort of their horse.

At HRP we want to make a worldwide difference to horses’ comfort. Nobody has ever before created a saddle pad that is proven to exert zero pressure on the horses’ spine and we want everyone to see the difference. Conventional pads produce some pressure on the horse, causing rubbing and sores on the horses back. The HRP Wing saddle pads have eliminated this problem through innovative design, and to add there are different designs for each equestrian discipline, all with a striking visual appearance.

iFollow – EFL

The launch of iFollow has been a game changer for the EFL, Clubs and fans. The streaming service has not only revolutionised the way overseas fans can follow their team but it’s provided a brand new revenue stream for Clubs, the first in several years.

It’s a move which few other major sports rights holders have yet attempted, instead favouring live streaming partnerships with social media sites or Amazon. The EFL took the forward thinking step of becoming a broadcaster in their own right – a first for English football – providing each Club with their own bespoke club branded iFollow product.

Over 30 million unique users have accessed the platform since it launched at the beginning of the 2017/18 season and this is set to grow with EFL League games (not Saturday 3pm games) being available to live stream in the UK from next season – another first for English football.

Manchester City Football Club

Manchester City Football Club launched a world first in football for the 2017/18 season by introducing a brand new hospitality concept: The Tunnel Club. The Tunnel Club redefines the customer experience on a global scale by bringing hospitality supporters closer to the action than ever before, as they watch their heroes walk out onto the pitch through the 250m² glass tunnel.

The Tunnel Club proves the first hospitality suite of its kind giving supporters the chance to stand shoulder to shoulder with some of the world’s greatest players, seeing the tension-fuelled rituals as the players get ready to meet the crowd. No other football club in the world offers this same behind-the-scenes access to the beautiful game, inviting guests to listen to match-day game tactics from the Club’s Performance Analysts and observe the post-match media interviews from the comfort of their luxurious seats.

Next Gen ATP Finals

The inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan took place in November 2017 with a fundamental mission to trial rule changes and innovation in a high profile real tournament environment. The tournament, organised by the ATP in partnership with the Italian Tennis Federation and the Italian National Olympic Committee, championed innovation throughout with the objective of not only promoting the next generation of players, but also targeting the next generation of fans.

The tournament took place under an innovative fast-paced and cutting-edge TV-friendly format, while at the same time showcasing various technological advances in the sport, including a world-first use of Hawk Eye Live. The progressive tournament also led to a pioneering new global partnership agreement between ATP, ATP Media and Amazon Prize Video.

Saints Foundation

Saints Foundation and The Big Issue collaborated to establish an innovative way of; changing negative misconceptions of vulnerable adults’ potential, creating further employment opportunities for Big Issue vendors and raising awareness of both organisation’s work in the local community.

Together, we produced a special edition publication, combining elements from a typical matchday programme and a Big Issue magazine. This special edition went beyond the reach of each parties’ usual buyers to create a unique mass audience. The publication was sold in the streets of Winchester with help from Saints players, Nathan Redmond, Oriol Romeu, Manolo Gabbiadini and Florin Gardos, and then again, by Big Issue vendors, at the first Premier League game of the season.

We received an overwhelmingly positive response from the public and media, 4,661 copies were purchased, generating £5,800 for the vendors.

It didn’t stop there, beyond our special edition, four Big Issue vendors are now in employment with Southampton Football Club and others have been equipped with valuable professional skills via an employability programme delivered by Saints Foundation, demonstrating how this innovative project has gone on to support people and change lives not only in the short term but has left a long term positive impact.

The Lane 360

Seven League are a sports digital agency, retained by Tottenham Hotspur to accelerate its digital business. Seven League Senior Consultant Jon Ford works as the Club’s Head of Content, with CEO Richard Ayers playing the role of Senior Digital Advisor.

Animal Vegetable Mineral (AVM) are a production agency specialising in 360, AR and VR, enlisted as supplier on behalf of the Club by Seven League.
After 118 years, Spurs’ world famous football stadium White Hart Lane closed on 14th May 2017, following a 2-0 victory over Manchester United.
The Club wished to “archive the atmosphere” of the venue its global fanbase called home.

Seven League and AVM collaborated to create an explorable model of the ground, packed with embedded rich media, delivering an average dwell time of half an hour. More than just a 360 film, The Lane 360 is a world-first content platform with infinite inventory available to sponsors.

The Lane 360 combines the opportunity (the venue and its closure), the technology (AVM’s development), the video capability (numerous 360 video clips captured by AVM, facilitated by 7L for the Club) and archive rich media underneath an overarching innovation concept.

Filed Under: 2018

Best Non-Match (or Game) Day use of Venue

November 14, 2019 by

One Love Manchester: Emirates Old Trafford – Lancashire County Cricket Club

Thousands of Manchester City fans were welcomed through the gates of the CFA this weekend to watch an open training session with Pep Guardiola and his squad as the Club officially kicked off the new season.

The squad met fans and signed autographs, with City’s five new signings given a warm welcome by supporters inside the Academy Stadium. They also took part in a 360 degree photo of the Academy Stadium, which fans will be able to tag themselves in at mancity.com

During the training session, which was the first opportunity for local blues to see City’s new signings in action, fans were given headsets to listen to live commentary from a panel of experts including former player Trevor Sinclair, as well as broadcasters James Cooper and Alistair Mann, who discussed City’s prospects as Pep fine tunes his squad ahead of the upcoming campaign.

For those not in Manchester, the session was streamed on Facebook Live to give fans around the world the chance to watch as the players were put through their paces.

Fans also had the opportunity to hear from Manchester City Women, EDS and Academy players as they looked ahead to their respective campaigns starting in the coming weeks and months.

Emirates Old Trafford – Lancashire County Cricket Club

Following the tragic events at the Manchester Arena on the 22nd May 2017, Emirates Old Trafford, home to Lancashire Cricket Club, hosted Ariana Grande’s ‘One Love Manchester’ benefit concert on the 4 June 2017, with just over a week’s notice.
The stadium welcomed over 50,000 visitors to the special evening, which raised over £2.5million and was viewed by over 14.5 million people on BBC Television – the most watched programme of 2017.
Net ticket proceeds of the show went directly to the ‘We Love Manchester Emergency Fund’ which was set up by the Manchester City Council in partnership with the British Red Cross, in aid of grieving families and victims of the horrific attack.
The benefit show, which included Justin Bieber, Coldplay, Katy Perry and others, called on the flexibility of the stadium, as it arranged the concert just eight days after welcoming The Courteeners, at the heart of a busy cricket season. Before welcoming Radiohead a couple weeks later.

Liverpool Football Club, Anfield Stadium Experience

Imagineear is the leading producer of multimedia content and technology for self-guided and group guided experiences at major sporting attraction. We turn empty stadiums and grounds into leading visitor attractions, using our content and technology to bring the venue to life.

Imagineear worked with Liverpool Football Club to developed a full suite of multilingual content provided to visitors on our MPti™ touch-screen device, which enable the Club to increase visitor capacity on non-match days and attracted a wider global audience with the mix of language options.

Tom Cassidy, Head of Tourism at Liverpool FC says:

“The handsets and self-guided tour content has allowed us to open up the Anfield Stadium Tours to more people than ever and to offer a fuller and dedicated experience to our foreign speaking visitors. Feedback has been extremely positive with just over 9/10 ratings rating the experience as good to excellent and we have also moved up to number 2 on things to do in Liverpool on TripAdvisor. We see this as a great starting point and plan to develop the experience and broaden the offering in the coming months to be a ‘best in class’ attraction as well as a great stadium tour experience.”

Sandown Park Racecourse

Sandown Park, The Jockey Club, is a successful, competitive and extremely versatile venue for all kinds of events and activities – both for a corporate and consumer audience – on non-racing days.

Ranging from filming to team building to large outdoor conventions – such as the infamous VolksWorld – Sandown Park’s versatile offering truly makes it a venue that delivers on promises.

The exquisite onsite catering can accommodate for up to 400 visitors banquet-style and the venues’ beautiful outdoor spaces allow for alfresco dining in the warmer months.

With customer service being second to none and the expanse of space available for organisers to adjust to suit their event, Sandown Park really is Best in Show when it comes to non-race day events and activities.

St. George’s Park

When it comes to a multi-purpose, state-of-the art conferencing and events facility, look no further than St. George’s Park (SGP) – where elite sport meets elite business. Home to England’s 28 national teams, this £105million venue boasts thirteen outdoor football pitches, a full size indoor 3G pitch, cutting-edge rehabilitation and sports science areas and an outdoor leadership centre – making it a world-class sporting location on every level, that breeds inspiration and innovation from every corner.

What sets the site apart is how it combines sporting excellence with world-class event and conference facilities. This includes a flagship Hilton hotel with a health club, spa, restaurant and bar lounge, meeting rooms and a versatile function suite suitable for conferences, exhibitions and banqueting. The Hilton’s own dedicated event management service, which offers clients their very own dedicated event coordinator, renowned technical support and equipment and a wide range of online planning tools, ensures a bespoke, seamless and impactful occasion.

It is this complete mix of services and facilities that has attracted, and continues to attract, a diverse range of organisations to SGP, all of which gain an unrivalled event experience tailored for both sporting and non-sporting events.

The Kia Oval

A stone’s throw from the River Thames but still just outside the Congestion Charge Zone, the venue is perfectly located for the West End, Westminster and the City. There is parking for up to 50 cars on site and is within walking distance of five London Underground stations and five minutes from the overground station at Vauxhall.

Building on The Oval’s 170-year heritage as one of the most historic sports venues in the world, every room offers a unique experience, with spaces ranging from the remarkable Victorian wood-panelled Long Room to the ground’s unique Corinthian Roof Terrace, offering panoramic views across London. Even after 170 years we do not rest on our laurels having recently built a new stand with a Roof Garden, in 2016, and investing in electronic signage and redeveloping our common areas, as well as revamping our rooms regularly.

We regularly host large conferences, award ceremonies and dinners – with a strong roster of regularly returning blue chip clients from the commercial and public sectors; with IBM, City Week, The Voice, Department for Transport, Ministry of Justice, PiXL and EE all having held some of their key events throughout the year at the Kia Oval.

Filed Under: 2018

Sports Tech of the Year – for Sport and in Sport

November 14, 2019 by

adi.tv, Lagardere Sports, Supponor

Virtual Hybrid digiBOARD, developed by ADI and Supponor, combines traditional LED, visible to fans in the stadium, with virtual replacement technology, which makes it possible to change the perimeter content seen by different international audiences watching the same match.

2018 is a breakthrough year for the technology as, following years of development, ADI and Supponor have installed a Virtual Hybrid LED system deployed by Lagardere Sports in the Bundesliga, Germany’s top division football league.

Now clubs adopting the technology can significantly increase revenue by commercialising the same perimeter media space multiple times over – delivering different perimeter advertising content to individual broadcast territories, whilst clubs maintain visual LED in stadium.

Perimeter advertising in sport is one of the most high profile and high value media assets a club or federation has, due to its visibility amongst huge viewing audiences. The value of this media space has reached maturity in most sports, however, the emergence of augmented reality perimeter technology is the next great revenue opportunity for clubs and venues.

APEX, STATSports Group

STATSports is the world’s leading provider of GPS player tracking and analysis solutions for some of the most well-renowned sports franchises in the world by providing world leading performance monitoring devices for elite sports. Teams in the English Premier League, La Liga, the NFL, NBA and other professional sporting leagues use STATSports’ performance trackers to gather and analyse real-time player and team data during training and games to help them improve performance, strategy and reduce injuries.

Kitman Labs

Kitman Labs is leading the convergence of sports, data and computer science, redefining the way sporting teams use data to protect players and enhance performance.

The Kitman Labs Athlete Optimization System TM provides insights for teams to better understand and mitigate the specific variables that impact injuries and performance.

Kitman Labs continues to pioneer a new era of analytics and sports science, operating with an unparalleled pace of innovation to support and partner with some of the biggest sporting teams in the world, helping them to progress, compete, and outperform both on and off the field.
Over 80 teams in 32 leagues, across five continents trust Kitman Labs to unlock the mystery behind injury.

We are delighted to report on average, Kitman Labs’ clients on have experience 41 percent fewer days lost to injury, 31 percent fewer severe injuries and 65 percent fewer season ending injuries.

NeuLion Digital Platform

NeuLion is a digital video technology provider specializing in digital video broadcasting, distribution and monetization. NeuLion works with sports leagues, teams and broadcasters such as the NBA, English Football League, Sky Sports, NFL, UFC, and many more, enabling them to deliver content over the internet to consumers worldwide on any device, monetize their content, and create engaging, interactive video experiences for their viewers.

The NeuLion Digital Platform was developed to make it simple for sports content owners to go direct-to-consumer by providing them everything necessary to deliver live action directly to fans.

NeuLion is constantly introducing new technologies to improve the viewing experience for sports fans, such as personalization services, interactive graphics offering rights holders new ways to engage their audience, and the highest quality video up to 4K/HDR.

NeuLion helps sports content owners turn their content into digital revenue with a suite of easy to use monetization tools and provides our customers with new ways to attract and retain fans.

The NeuLion Digital Platform has grown the amount and variety of sports content available for fans, and each year delivers approximately 63,000 live sports events across more than 30 different sports.

StreamAMG

StreamAMG’s platforms allow for commercialisation of content, via Media Platform (StreamMP) and its associated payment & subscription management service, and offers an end-to-end turnkey solution for rights holders and publishers in sport to monetise content.

Online video content will sit comfortably embedded within the right’s holders websites, with targeted advertising, pay per view or subscription models all supported to allow absolute control of monetisation options. Branded players and watermarks ensure that content matches the business’ online presence, while in-depth analytical tools mean that clients have all the information about your audiences at the tips of their fingers.

Focusing on delivering bespoke solutions, our experts deal with production, signal acquisition, project management and are able to integrate with existing systems and CMS. Our applications are technically excellent and connected to a global CDN. StreamAMG has a huge client list of businesses within the sports sector using our products, ranging from Liverpool FC, English Football League, the Professional Darts Corporation, the Open Championship and many more.

We pride ourselves in offering innovative solutions which maximise commercial returns on content and have been doing so for 17 years strong.

Swansea City Football Club & Other Media – Official Swans App

Engaging and satisfying the needs of football fans is about action on and off the pitch; match days and non- match days; and consuming information wherever you are. Augmenting the excitement and anticipation of the big kick-off for fans at the game and at home, and keeping the buzz going after the final whistle is eminently best suited to a digital approach. Building a digital relationship between club and fans opens up so many possibilities to meet these varied demands and an app is the ultimate means of offering a more connected experience for fans at any time, in any place.

The Swansea City fan app offers a way for fans to connect with their club, with each other, and feel part of a community. They are afforded the convenience of consuming everything Swans they need (and this really is about need when you are so passionately supporting your football team) at their fingertips.

Fans across the globe are being brought together through technology and the app at the same time is facilitating the continued growth and realising commercial opportunities for this progressive club.

Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four

With the aim of placing the fans in the middle of the action, EuroLeague and FirstVision brought them literally on court thanks to the 360-degree Body-Cameras. Wore by one of the three Officials during every Final Four game, the camera caught all the on court action of the games.

Fans were then enabled to try the VR experience of the Final Four during the same event, thanks to VR booths placed in the arena and in the Fanzone.

Post event distribution of the same clips also gathered the attention of the media landscape, being a worldwide first timer for such an event in VR.

Zeelo

Zeelo was founded in 2017 by young entrepreneurs Barney Williams (26) and Sam Ryan (25) to reinvent the way fans travel to matches. The business was founded after experiencing the mele of fans travelling to Twickenham on an international match day.

They spotted a clear gap in the market to make travel simple and convenient using data to understand where large numbers of fans were travelling from and to match that demand with executive, direct coach routes.

Zeelo uses it’s unique AI-powered algorithm to connect like-minded fans with direct, hassle-free and fun shared coach services based on fan demand. Originally launched in February 2017, Zeelo has grown from 0 to 3000 regular sports fans travelling each month. We have partnerships with 12 major football and rugby clubs including Man City FC, Swansea City, Cardiff City, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Aston Villa and Wasps Rugby.

With Zeelo, fans are 65% more likely to go to more games, spend £12 more at the ground and service level ratings remain at over 9/10 across all journeys.

Zeelo has recently been backed by Jaguar Land Rover and plans to expand across the UK and internationally in 2018.

Video (about to be released so excuse the stock video) – https://vimeo.com/252437471 – password = busjourneyofalifetime

Filed Under: 2018

Best CSR or Community Scheme

November 14, 2019 by

West Ham United. 150Club

West Ham United’s Foundation works with over 20,000 people every year across health, education, employment, community sports and football development.

In 2016, they set out to deliver life changing results for the community they work in the heart of – Newham. As one of the poorest boroughs in London, and with the second highest prevalence of type 2 diabetes in England, the borough faces particularly unique health challenges.

West Ham United Foundation’s 150Club is a ground-breaking programme that works in partnership with the NHS and local authorities to tackle diabetes in Newham head on – using the power of sport and activity to change lives. By working in a ground-breaking partnership with the NHS and Newham Council, West Ham United are using the power of football and sport over a 24-week programme to inspire local residents who would otherwise be uncomfortable discussing their health and making changes to their lifestyle.

DJS Research & Leicester City FC: Improving the Match Day Experience for Disabled Fans

DJS Research Ltd (http://www.djsresearch.co.uk) is a family-owned full-service market research agency that has grown from the MD working alone in his garden shed, to a company with a turnover of £5M+ and 100+ staff. We work within the public, private and voluntary sectors, including research for sports clients, such as The Welsh Rugby Union, Liverpool FC, Sport England, England Cricket Board and Boccia England.

Our objectives for this project were to engage with disabled fans, stakeholders and experts to gain insight into the experiences of disabled fans to improve accessibility at King Power Stadium. We provided clear recommendations on how the match day experience could be improved. A long list of actions has been implemented by LCFC and noticed by fans:

“Since the research has taken place things have improved. The toilets are very accessible now because of their size and the grab rails. The stewards are also second to none with their caring attitude. And now having a parking space close to my entrance is incredible – it has absolutely turned things around for me. I’m now not stressed and anxious on match days. Well done Leicester City for listening and acting on our concerns.” (Supporter: Primary Progressive MS)

Huddersfield Town Foundation

Dean and his wife Janet created the Town Foundation in 2012, with the overall aim to improve the quality of life for young people in the local area.

Using Dean’s vision, and pulling together the power of the Club’s badge, the strong role models at the football club and the unique access to specific sections of the community, Dean wanted to raise awareness and help to engage youngsters in healthy lifestyles and give them choices they may not have had previously.

Every morning at 8am, 24 schools across the area are serving up food such as fruits, grains, dairy products and other protein-rich foods. We are proud to say that the breakfast clubs have already made a significant impact across many schools in the area, with more than 1,000 children a day in the West Yorkshire area eating a healthy breakfast, paid for by the Foundation.

The Foundation now has adopted the tagline of “One Club One Community” which shows the cohesive approach which will drive the Foundation going forwards.

Goals4Girls

Goals4Girls is a nationally recognised football development programme with the aim of increasing the confidence, self-esteem, motivation and communication skills of young women aged 11-16, through sports and education. Since 2013 we have helped over 850 young women through our well devised innovative programme. At Goals4Girls we deliver, Workshops, Football Coaching, Player Development, Qualifications, mentoring and trips. Our young women are encouraged to set and reach their Goals in a FUN, inclusive environment. From flying down a giant zip wire to the adrenalin of scoring your first goal on the football pitch, we at Goals4Girls nurture skills that last a lifetime.

Everton in the Community. Home Is Where The Heart Is

Launched in November 2016, ‘Home Is Where The Heart Is’ is a fundraising campaign to support young people on the brink of homelessness across the city of Liverpool.

Driven by the Club’s U23 Manager David Unsworth and his squad and supported by the Club’s official charity, Everton in the Community, the money raised will be used to purchase, and operate, a house close to Goodison Park which will 16-23-year-olds who have fallen on hard times, or have perhaps fallen out of the care system, a place to stay in Liverpool.

Newcastle United Foundation

Newcastle United Foundation was established to harness football’s power to deliver positive change in our area. Since launching in 2008 the commitment, dedication and enthusiasm of our staff and stakeholders has seen the Foundation become a pillar of the community, working with over 50,000 disadvantaged young people and families across Newcastle, Gateshead, Northumberland and North Tyneside.

We work in some of the most deprived areas in the North East and our key objective is to use football as a means of engaging people in projects and activities that can help raise their aspirations and support positive change in their lives.

We need to raise around £2 million each year to do this. The importance of nurturing the relationships we establish with stakeholders is vital to our success. We’re proud that 92p of every £1 that is raised by the Foundation is reinvested in charitable activity.

In 2018 the Foundation is 10 year’s old, having raised over £13 million to support community programmes during that time.

Our Schools, Disability, Youth and Community, Football Development and Health teams deliver to tens of thousands of people each year, using the Newcastle United brand.

One Team

One Team is Euroleague Basketball’s community program that uses basketball as a tool to empower those living at risk of exclusion and ensure they have the life skills to better integrate into society. All 40 clubs from Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and 7DAYS EuroCup deliver One Team in their communities, tailoring the program to address the most prevalent social integration issues in their local area. Examples of some groups that the clubs work with include migrants and displaced people, those with physical or intellectual disabilities, girls who are facing inequality, young people detained in prison and those trying to recover from a history of substance abuse – all using the power of basketball to improve lives. A common methodology, devised by Euroleague Basketball with support from a number of leading NGOs, is shared across an entire continent to ensure the right people, processes, tools and structures are in place for sport to be a powerful force for development and social change. Since starting in 2012, One Team has reached over 14,000 participants through its various team projects.

Filed Under: 2018

Best Business Serving Sport – over 60 Employees

November 14, 2019 by

Portview Fit-Out

Established in 1975, Portview Fit-Out has been transforming ambitious design concepts into reality for over 40 years. Working across the hospitality and stadia sectors in the UK and Ireland, Portview create award-winning interiors that excite business owners, entice stakeholders and enhance commercial success.

Working with some of the world’s top sport stadiums, Portview has a depth of knowledge and experience that is unrivaled. The venues in which Portview operates, cater for a kaleidoscope of professional sports including: football, tennis, athletics, rugby, gaelic football and rugby.

These iconic venues value innovation and regard Portview as an indispensable part of their own team. With a strong reputation for providing a highly personalised service that transforms the most innovative of design concepts into an even more supreme reality, the client experience is at the heart of everything Portview does.

Reading Room

The State of Play

Our Playmaker platforms and services are geared to encourage fan interaction, purchase and loyalty, increase exposure for commercial partners and deliver flexible content creation for all club departments.

This past year we have delivered club websites for Stoke City, Swansea City and Middlesbrough. Building on our ecommerce site for Stoke we have launched Ipswich Town’s official store site in March 2018.

The Playmaker Solution

Robust platforms
Robust open source store and club site platforms with mobile first bespoke designs.

Integrated
Key integrations with Opta, Alexa and club mobile apps.

Live and on demand
Integration of Stream AMG for live and on-demand audio and video content.

Complete retail management
Digital stores integrated with Touch Retail epos systems for 360° view of stock.

Personalised shopping
Customised kit builders providing fans with personal shopping experiences.

Usability at the core
Working directly with visually impaired fans to ensure accessibility.

Single sign on
Delivering successful single sign on functionality across the complete digital suites of Swansea and Middlesbrough.

Highlight Results

Over 15,000 new single digital accounts created for both Swansea and Middlesbrough after a month.

In 2018 the Stoke official store, the conversion rate has increased 51% with revenue increasing 17%

Kukri Sports

Kukri Sports was founded in Lancashire, England in 1999 with a vision to capture a unique gap in the market as a supplier of bespoke teamwear for over 100 sports.

From humble beginnings, we now pride ourselves on being an international sportswear manufacturer supplying premier bespoke teamwear for sport and leisure. We have 8 offices around the world, from North America to Australasia, with our global headquarters in the UK.

At Kukri we supply teamwear to some of the world’s best athletes and teams as well as a host of schools, universities and clubs at grassroots level. We provide training and teamwear to Commonwealth Games England, Commonwealth Games Northern Ireland, Leicester Tigers, Ulster Rugby, Hong Kong Rugby Union and HK7’s, Loughborough University, Nottingham Trent University and Lancashire County Cricket Club to name a few.

Our biggest challenge to date is the supply and kitting out of ceremony wear, training wear and competition wear to over 600 athletes and officials heading to the Gold Coast in 2018, our second cycle with Commonwealth Games England – a journey which began in 2014. This is a challenge we have embraced and completed with tremendous success.

adi.tv

ADI’s content delivery platform and remote production service totally transforms the way sports outside of the top-tier can create value for their leagues, fans and brands.

Developed for the EFL, but with the potential to be rolled-out across a vast range of sports, ADI has installed a fibre network that connects every league stadium to the company’s UK operations centre. The result is that live match feeds are available for the first time; delivered to broadcasters and other stakeholders, including streaming services, instantly.

In order to increase its reach, and revenue, the EFL has launched an innovative live streaming platform (iFollow) that revolutionises the way football fans can follow EFL teams. The service gives international and domestic fans access to a huge volume of matches – available to stream live for the first time, opening up a huge potential audience.

Connectivity provides immediacy of access to content, which is hugely valuable for the EFL’s proposition, however, when combined with ADI’s innovative new Remote Production platform, clubs can deliver broadcast-like multi-camera coverage to boost the quality of their ‘product’.

The EFL, and its clubs, now have the potential to transform revenue they receive from match rights whilst growing a global fanbase.

CSM Live

CSM Live is the branding and live experience specialists that has been serving sport in all different contexts for decades. In the last year alone, we have created world-class experiences across nearly every type of sport in nearly every continent.

Some of our highlights have included transforming Twickenham Stadium, the home of England Rugby, into a spectacular NFL venue for two of the London Games fixtures. We delivered an engaging and innovative event for LFC World in Mumbai, helping Liverpool FC create deeper connections with their Indian fans. We also activated Johnnie Walker’s Formula 1 sponsorship for the European Grand Prix, creating a unique pop-up bar and satellite sampling units to educate and engage their target audience and help increase sample to sales.

Our teams’ knowledge and experience allows us to truly deliver unrivalled world-class experiences, and our investment in innovation and creative technology has helped us drive the sport industry forward.

Arena Group

Arena Group is a turnkey design and event infrastructure supplier to global sporting events. Sporting organisers across the world entrust Arena Group to support them in creating unique sporting environments and truly memorable occasions. Among the hundreds of events supported in 2017 was the design and delivery of a turnkey tennis venue at London’s Queen’s Club with temporary grandstands and VIP hospitality and sponsor structures for the Aegon Championship.

Arena Group also supported grass roots sports, from being the official sponsor of the Challenge Tour’s Irish Challenge event to its Mass Participation team supplying logistical support and infrastructure to over 250 events including the London Marathon, Tough Mudder, Blenheim Palace, British Heart Foundation, British Military Fitness, Run to the Beat, Pretty Muddy and UK Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life events, including the most popular one in London’s Hyde Park.

A significant part of Arena’s business is helping smaller clubs expand their stadiums with permanent spectator grandstands, training facilities or temporary grandstands for one-off occasions, seen recently when Newport County were drawn at home to Tottenham in the Fourth Round of the FA Cup and inside a two week turnaround Arena expanded the ground capacity by 1,700.

Infosys Pvt Ltd

There’s a difference between saying you’re changing the game as a technology partner for a sport and actually doing it.

Through our association with the ATP World Tour, Infosys is reinventing the tennis experience using cutting-edge data-driven digital experiences and analytical platforms, many of which are industry-firsts:

• A real-time Second Screen to complement television viewing with automated views and analysis of player performance patterns – from serve placement and return position to speed and spin of shots
• First-ever Stats Leaderboards using big data to measure player performance across 25 years and 12 million data points
• A world-first immersive virtual reality experience with an augmented reality tennis store at the ATP World Tour Finals to integrate 360º game views, statistics, shopping, in-stadium experiences, and tennis training
• Live social media insight and foresight during tournaments with pre-match predictions, in-game analysis and post-match analysis
• A talking NAO robot that decodes player strengths and weaknesses

Spire London East Hospital

We are a private hospital in East London that provides West Ham United Football Club with diagnostic (i.e. MRI Scanning, X-rays and blood tests) for their first team squad plus academy squads. In addition we perform pre-signing medicals for new players and this is particularly important due

There was a new Senior Management team at hospital in 2017 plus alongside this a new Medical Team at West Ham United. We quickly engaged to understand what their needs were going to be for the forthcoming season.

As the service we provide is largely one of spontaneous requests following player injuries or concerns, we have committed to quick and easy access despite the hospital having an existing busy workload.

We established a dedicated phone number that is available 24/7 including Christmas day.

The particular area for speed of response and sensitivity is the transfer window and particular deadline day. We have set up a base for the football club’s Medical Team to occupy and scanning is performed immediately to ensure the time deadline (typically midnight) is met to ensure the transfer is made. The hospital also ensure potential players are kept away from the public view and interested media.

The relationship has continued to develop resulting from the service we have provided. The club have kindly provided players for a hospital visit to hold a meet and greet event with patients and the children and families of the hospital’s staff.

Filed Under: 2018

Best Business Serving Sport – 20 to 60 Employees

November 14, 2019 by

Jockey Club Services

Jockey Club Services (JCS) has developed a world class platform of services which is now available to the professional sports market. Marked improvements have been experienced by JCS’ clients in the performance of their clubs and they have experienced savings across many facets of their businesses; allowing profits to be re-invested back into their sport.

With expertise in Procurement, Ticketing, Finance & Accounting, Payroll, Public Wi-fi, IT Services, Live Music and Catering, JCS has provided procurement services to five county cricket teams, ticketing to three county cricket teams and the Badminton Horse Trials, live music to The Ageas Bowl and Kingsholm, has created the Rewards4Cricket Loyalty programme being run by Hampshire, Glamorgan, Durham, Lancashire and Worcestershire County Cricket Clubs. JCS’ fastest growing service is finance and accounting where partners include Table Tennis England, England Squash, Badminton England and British Fencing, with many other NGB’s in the pipeline.

JCS is able to deliver significant economies of scale to other professional sports organisations, saving them money and providing insights based on experiences which prove a real benefit. These economies of scale will only increase as new partners come on board.

EventScotland

EventScotland is working to make Scotland the perfect stage for events. Recognised as a leading force in events delivery, our accomplished track record in hosting mega and major events is world-renowned and recognised when bidding to Federations. Attracting and hosting major sporting events is a competitive business and we face the challenge of not only continually finding new and exciting sporting events to bring to Scotland but also to secure them from other host cities and countries.

In 2020 the sport of climbing will makes its debut at the Tokyo Olympic Games. With our strong traditions in climbing and mountaineering, this was a fantastic opportunity to bring major new events to Scotland, attract a new audience to our country and showcasing the amazing built and natural climbing facilities we have.

Together with Edinburgh Leisure, City of Edinburgh Council, and the British Mountaineering Council, we bid for and secured the IFSC Climbing World Cup (Lead and Speed) and Paraclimbing Cup in Edinburgh at EICA:Ratho – Europe’s largest indoor climbing arena, in September 2017.

It was a resounding success, with the sold out event attracting more than 1,200 spectators, athletes and coaches to Scotland, and demonstrated the power of what can be achieved when an event organiser works with a public body to take a sporting event to the next level.

Seven League

Seven League is Europe’s leading digital agency specialising in sport.

We help sports properties grow audiences, increase commercial value, engage audiences and champion technological innovation; futureproofing themselves in a fast-changing digital landscape.

Our work spans a whole range of stakeholders in sport; from leagues, federations and national governing bodies, to teams, franchises, venue owners, brands and sponsors – all across multiple sports and territories.

In the last year, we’ve expanded from 14 to 25 full-time staff, which included hiring Lewis Wiltshire, former editor of BBC Sport website and Twitter’s global Head of Sport.
Our football footprint continues to grow, covering clients FC Barcelona, Juventus, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Leicester City and Newcastle Utd. At league level we’re working with UEFA, Premier League, Bundesliga, FIFA and this year reached the milestone of working with over 50 of Europe’s National Football Associations.

Beyond football we’ve supported England Netball, ICC, esports leaders GFinity, MCC, British Canoeing and the NBA in the last year, including managing NBA’s social output end-to-end for five European markets.

Our combination of commercial savvy, marketing know-how, data analysis, geek prowess, creative innovation and content expertise helps our clients achieve their business goals

Goodform Ltd

Established in 2002, Goodform is the UK’s leading sports marketing and insight agency, committed to helping sports organisations understand, engage and grow their audiences.

Bringing a genuine passion for sport and applying consistently high standards, we deliver results by tailoring tried and tested strategies to our clients’ needs. Our business focuses on six key areas:

• Data
• CRM
• Insight
• Brand & digital
• Membership
• Contact Centre

For the majority of our clients (who currently include the EFL, British Athletics, NatWest 6 Nations and Silverstone), we deliver across several of these areas, bringing a cohesive approach and supporting them to align their marketing strategy across multiple channels. We pride ourselves on consistently evolving to drive growth and are committed to maximising opportunities and innovating within the sector.

Highlights of the year include our work as retained CRM & research agency for the IAAF and IPC World Athletics Championships 2017, which saw record ticket sales, launching British Athletics’s new website, securing new deals with Formula E and Badminton England, and driving digital engagement around the British & Irish Lions Tour to New Zealand. We have maintained consistent, organic financial growth, posting our highest ever turnover, with approximately 70% of revenue coming from retained business

TwelfthMan

TwelfthMan is more than a name. TwelfthMan is a spirit born from our desire to create compelling brands and products and drive them forward. To us, design and innovation is all about ambition and dedication. Great achievements don’t happen by accident. They’re hard-earned and based on trust and partnerships. And they’re impossible without the support of a team. We are the team behind your team.

We’re passionate about sport and it shows. In just three years, we have built a full-service creative agency, working with a diverse portfolio of exceptional clients across a range of sports. We work with rights owners and sponsors, competitions and federations, clubs and fans – giving us a unique perspective and understanding of the industry. Most importantly, we love what we do. We take pride in our culture of teamwork and togetherness, which has led to long-term, trusted relationships with our staff and clients.

ATP Media

ATP Media is the broadcast arm of the ATP World Tour. We provide the centralised exploitation of broadcast rights across the ATP World Tour, are host broadcasters and worldwide distributors of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000s, Nitto ATP Finals & Next Gen ATP Finals, and are world feed producers and worldwide distributors of the ATP World Tour 500s tournaments. Our international rights-holders are our biggest customers and we are continually looking to: deliver the best possible product; stay ahead of the curve when it comes to innovation in production and delivery; add value to rights-holders whenever we can.

In 2017 we made numerous production enhancements including a new camera system and new graphics, implemented a truly global world feed remote production model, made additional live matches available to rights-holders, and gave rights-holders access to a certain amount of free archive content via www.atpworldtourarchive.com. In 2018 we started producing and delivering bespoke social media content to our broadcast partners to help drive tune-in and engage with their audiences, as well as electronic press kits for each tournament via our new Media Portal.

STATSports Group

STATSports is the world’s leading provider of GPS player tracking and analysis solutions for some of the most well-renowned sports franchises in the world by providing world leading performance monitoring devices for elite sports. Teams in the English Premier League, La Liga, the NFL, NBA and other professional sporting leagues use STATSports’ performance trackers to gather and analyse real-time player and team data during training and games to help them improve performance, strategy and reduce injuries.

Filed Under: 2018

Best Business Serving Sport – less than 20 Employees

November 14, 2019 by

Oaks Consultancy Ltd

Here at Oaks we help sports organisations raise their game. Formed back in 2008 – with roots in the business of sport – our journey over the last twelve months has seen us work with organisations of all shapes and sizes right across the sport sector: from grassroots sports clubs through to national governing bodies and international sport for development charities. This year we have:

– Generated over £3m of revenue and capital funding from grants for a range of Club Community Organisations, including the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation, the Newcastle United Foundation, Millwall Community Trust, Pompey in the Community and Everton in the Community.

– Created a three-year strategy for award-winning sports charities Albion in the Community and Pompey in the Community to meet the Premier League’s Capability Status requirements.

– Supporting the ongoing fundraising work of Blackpool FC Community Trust, Fulham FC Foundation, Preston North End Community and Education Trust and others.

– Launched partnerships with leading sport for development charities including the School of Hard Knocks, Sported and the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation

– Empowered several sports organisations to expand their work, support more vulnerable people, and ultimately change lives through sport across the UK.

ESF Events Ltd

ESF Events is a specialist event organisation which stages residential sports festivals for youth sports teams throughout the UK. We offer professionally organised youth sporting festivals that bring over 1,600 youth Football, Rugby Union and Rugby League teams of all abilities together, for an exciting weekend of sport and fun.

Working in closely with event partners, such as Leicester Tigers, Leeds Rhinos, Butlin’s holiday resorts and St George’s Park, ESF Events offer youth sports teams the opportunity to enjoy a safe, affordable and exciting team touring experience. We aim to provide positive sporting experiences for the children and their families, which they will remember with their teammates for years to come.

Since our first ESF festival in 1989, over 1 million people have participated in our festivals. ESF Events are the UK’s leading provider of residential youth sports festival in the UK.

Our aim for 2017 was simple, to have more youth sports teams than ever before participate in the ESF Festival of Footaball, the Tigers Challenge and the Rhinos Challenge.

Oxford Medi Stress

Oxford Medi-Stress (OMS) is a medi tech product that is sold into professional sports clubs such as Manchester United, Hull Rugbey League Club, McClareb F1 team and British Swimming to name a few.

It is a physical device with that, with a pin prick of blood from the athletes finger, the blood is mixed with a patented chemical mix of viruses. These viruses effectively “attack” the white blood cells in the blood sample – testing how the immune system of the players is reacting to the viruses that are putting the white blood cells under stress. The test tube is then inserted into our physical device and gives the team doctors a physical reading of the level of immune system strength.

Any spike or dip in the results immediately trigger any unforseen changes to the stress levels of the athletes body and adjustments can h blade well before any illness or injury takes place.

The science team have also recently finished testing on a new chemical mix for measuring white blood cell strength for prostate cancer patients in remission and is currently also creating a similar patented formula for lung cancer patients in remission. These formulas are designed to show any very stage earnings of such cancers flairing up again.

ILG Business

The ILG Elite Sports Platform, is for sports teams who want to be at the forefront of performance analysis and communications technology. With unique and innovative features, the ILG Elite Sports App is a secure and easy way for coaches to improve sports performance and communicate with their athletes.

We can build you a bespoke app, tailor- made to your team. It would have your team’s logo and designed to fit your brief. You decide what features you’d like for your app.

We pride ourselves in the utmost security for the Elite Sports App. Here at ILG we understand how important it is to protect your data. We have extra security as we are partnered with IBM which allows us to control the MDM, so in the worst-case scenario if the device was lost or stolen we can remove the MDM and the app. Also, you are unable to forward anything from the app to other devices.

This is your app – you own it and decide how it will work best for you. Each of our apps are unique to the client and we aim to provide a customised service every time.

MATTA

MATTA are the creative agency for nine major sporting National and International Governing Bodies, amongst an expanding roster of 15 sports-related clients.

By applying FMCG brand-building and communication principles to this sector, MATTA have helped build the equity of brands through identity and advertising campaigns, in some cases offering a challenger mindset to the refreshment of more traditional brands.

As a result, their clients have consistently hit affinity, attendance or participation targets.

In 2017 MATTA helped sell millions of tickets, including for the Emirates FA Cup and the ICC Champions Trophy, inspire a generation of fans, challenge perceptions, and drive participation.

Filed Under: 2018

Best Sports Club/Sports Event Hospitality

November 14, 2019 by

Arsenal Football Club

Arsenal is a professional football club who strive for wider spectator access to matches by offering a broad range of ticket prices according to the match grade and location within the stadium.

Our challenge was satisfying customer demand for seasonal seats on Club Level whilst not cannibalising matchday hospitality packages.

Several private seasonal Executive Boxes and a Box Level restaurant were used to create a new version of Club Arsenal, an existing match-by-match hospitality package.

Converting the Box Level restaurant space into a new gallery restaurant made it possible to move the pre-match dining element, and guests can entertain on a private table before watching the match from a nearby shared Executive Box with premium seats directly outside.

The results of these changes are:

– All areas of our premium tier are now being used to deliver high-quality match-by-match hospitality, with over 1500 Club Arsenal package sold this season.
– Enhanced customer experience with both informal restaurant dining and Executive Box access.
– Maximised sales in Box Level areas where space had come available
– 100 extra premium seats previously used to facilitate the package were sold as seasonal memberships increasing capacity on Club Level and satisfying customer demand.

Lord’s

Universally recognised as the Home of Cricket, Lord’s is a ground unlike no other and every year hundreds of thousands of spectators from all over the world visit.

Combining charm and tradition with impeccable service and world-class cuisine, Lord’s hospitality is unparalleled in the world of cricket.

Our Captains’ Lounge hospitality package was available during the England v. South Africa Investec Test Match in July 2017, offering guests a unique hospitality experience at the Home of Cricket.

The venue was hosted by a former England Captain, Mike Gatting and offers an intimate dining experience with just 160 places available in total.

Manchester City Football Club

Manchester City Football Club is dedicated to bringing world-class hospitality to supporters. New for the 2017/18 season it has introduced a one of a kind hospitality offering, The Tunnel Club. Never before seen in world football, The Tunnel Club is an access-all-areas suite allowing supporters to get closer to the action than ever before. The highlight of the hospitality experience is the 250m² metre glass tunnel which runs through the suite and enables guests to watch some of the world’s greatest footballers pre-match and post-match.

First-class hospitality treatment does not stop at this unrestricted back stage access, as every single aspect of the user experience has been considered within this new offering, from the structure and interior design of the suite, all the way through to the individual guest car parking bays and USB ports in every premium match seat – promising guests an experience like no other available in world sport.

The Moet & Chandon Dining Experience, Newmarket Racecourses

The Moët & Chandon Dining Experience, launched at the Moët and Chandon July Festival, was a new luxury hospitality experience which took place over all three days of the popular summer highlight at Newmarket’s Adnams July Course in 2017.

The experience was launched to create further brand exposure for Moët and Chandon as Festival sponsors and also as the official champagne to Jockey Club Racecourse. We wished to collaborate with a brand such as Moët to deliver a high end and unique menu exclusive to Jockey Club Racecourses. We were also intent on providing a new, high end hospitality experience for customers at the Moët and Chandon July Festival, the highlight of the summer at Newmarket Racecourses, fulfilling demand for Fine Dining options.

Set in the surrounds of the exclusive Trackside Hospitality Pavilions at the picturesque Adnams July Course, the location was very sophisticated and in line with the creative marketing used to promote the event, using both Jockey Club and Moët and Chandon branding

The set marketing plan included digitally led targeted acquisition campaigns (targeting those that matched the criteria of Fine Dining and hospitality), a range of Direct Mails, press releases targeting certain media and dedicated a social media strategy.

The Queen’s Club Championships – Keith Prowse

Keith Prowse has been the official hospitality provider at The Queen’s Club Championships (formerly The Aegon Championships) since 2014. Keith Prowse is committed to the continued innovation and development of the guest experience.

Multi-tiered hospitality and catering options were enhanced to ensure the continued success of the Championships. The five hospitality offerings span three tiered levels to allow the customer to effortlessly understand the differences between the price points, exclusions and inclusions.

These include the informal Love Fifteen; a casual dining environment, the vibrant Roof Garden; overlooking the practise courts with an outdoor terrace, the intimate Club Lounge; a private dining experience, the exclusive President’s Room; an exclusive facility including Royal Box balcony seating, and The Real Tennis Dedans and Real Tennis Museum; the most luxurious offering including champagne, a seafood lunch and afternoon tea.

Building on the success of the week-long event, Centre Court was expanded by 30% (2,000 seats) in 2017 and required all parties to improve the guest experience, with customers in Love Fifteen benefitting from seats that were closer to the action and those in the Roof Garden able to enjoy a premium seat for extra comfort.

Filed Under: 2018

  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • Go to Next Page »

2020 WINNERS REVEALED

weeks
0
-5
days
0
0
hours
0
-9
minutes
-3
0
seconds
-4
-5
2020 WINNERS
Privacy Policy

© Football Business Awards Ltd

  • Twitter

Copyright © 2021 · Dynamik-Gen on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in