2021

BEST COVID 19 RESPONSE BY A SPORT

September 30, 2021 by

English Football League – Football’s Response to Covid-19

In March 2020 the global pandemic hit shutting down all aspects of society, including forcing football to stop en masse for the first time since the Second World War. During these unprecedented and challenging circumstances, all 72 EFL Clubs came together as a force for good, being among the first to respond to the needs of local communities across England and Wales. And despite having no income, EFL clubs adapted to help front line services, showing that football ‘never went away’ in the early months of lockdown.
Existing community programmes delivered by EFL Clubs and their CCOs were adapted to ensure the safe continuation of this good work which has provided a lifeline for so many in helping to keep people healthy, active and connected.
The support delivered by EFL Clubs has been pivotal in helping to address the serious issues facing communities as a consequence of COVID-19, including mental health, unemployment and food poverty.
The EFL’s community response to COVID-19 was rapid, vital and continues to make a huge impact on people’s lives.

ITTF Foundation – #TableTennisUnited

The ITTF Foundation initiated the #TableTennisUnited Fund to respond to the pressing issues caused by COVID-19. With the support of doners worldwide and the ITTF Group, the Fund offers financial help and equipment donation to organisations and individuals within the table tennis Community. The #TableTennisUnited Fund had supported 82 initiatives worldwide since its launch in June 2020 Some of the recent initiatives are:
• Croatia: The Fund has helped three of the most affected clubs to rebuild projects and supported the coaches in unprecedented times
• Uganda: The Fund has helped Mimi’s Tables, a local NGO to support underprivileged children and offer them the opportunity to develop their talent in sport to break the chains of poverty and crime • Argentina: The Fund made training possible again for the local seeding Paralympic athletes
Germany: The Fund has helped PingPingParkinson Germany in their quest to incorporate table tennis in the rehabilitation for patients and the well-being of their relatives
• Ghana: The Fund has helped national star player to empower local students and enlightened them on the need to make informed decisions
• Worldwide: The Fund has supported table tennis players in various levels to resume the training.

LTA – Covid-19 Response

The LTA’s response to Covid-19 pandemic covered three key areas: protect the tennis community from the impact of the pandemic, keep people active through during lockdown and once courts reopened, and support our elite players and provide opportunities for them to train and play.

Here’s what we did…

By the start of April 2020, we’d announced millions of pounds worth of emergency COVID-19 support packages to help protect the sport from the initial impact of the crisis. The comprehensive package made support available to tennis venues, coaches, officials, and players to the value of £20m.

We repurposed digital content from our LTA Youth programme to encourage families to remain active at home through the pandemic, and for children to learn through tennis, being one of the first sports to do this. We led the way for the sport sector in navigating government guidance and announcements, providing step by step detail for return to play alongside simplified grids that helped tennis participation increase across the whole of 2020 by 8% vs. 2019.

The National Tennis Centre hosted over 1,000 competitive matches in 2020 for 150 players, providing opportunities for players to compete and earn money while the international tours were suspended.

Motorsport UK – Supporting & Sustaining UK Motorsport through the Covid-19 Pandemic

Motorsport UK is the governing body for four-wheeled motorsport in the UK, representing competitors, volunteers, organising clubs and fans. We embrace a diverse community including over 700 motor clubs, 45,000 competition licence holders, 14,000 marshals and officials.

When the pandemic hit, Motorsport UK set out to financially protect motorsport clubs who are the backbone of the sport, shoulder the unknown and ready its community and restart the sport.

To safeguard the clubs, Motorsport UK deployed a £1Million fund to address the consequences of COVID-19, making sure clubs were in a position to welcome the resumption of the sport.

Motorsport UK also developed Restart Guidance and provided complimentary Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) worth £100,000 to all volunteers in the first few months. Training webinars, were organised for 3,000 people, with over 480 questions asked – all answered live. Sentiment was gauged pre-and post-webinar and a significant 56% increase in confidence and a universal appetite for returning to motorsport events was evident.

Motorsport UK successfully built back better, with the community adhering to the guidance, supporting over 2,500 events, with most being oversubscribed within minutes of entries opening, as competitors and volunteers hurried to pledge their support to local events.

Premiership Rugby – Response to Lockdown

Premiership Rugby is an organisation which cares about the communities in which it operates. It believes that rugby has the power to change lives and has created, and delivers with its partner clubs, players, sponsors, and third sector partners, a range of community programmes which impact positively on society; improving sports participation, physical and mental health, educational attainment, employability and community cohesion.

With a focus on working with, engaging and inspiring people from diverse backgrounds, and with varying support needs, consistency of delivery and contact with participants is vital for successful outcomes. This consistency has been severely impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Premiership Rugby responded quickly, innovating and adapting its programmes to ensure continued support to young people and disadvantaged groups during the pandemic.

We are proud to have supported those in need, inspiring participants to help themselves and others, and instil in everyone a sense of community. #rugbychanginglives

Swim England – Response to the Pandemic

When swimming pools were forced to close due to the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020, Swim England was faced with a quandary it had never contemplated.

How would the national governing body achieve its vision of a nation swimming with no facilities?

How would it keep its 150,000 members at more than 1,000 affiliated clubs engaged in all aquatic sports when they had nowhere to train?

How would it help the 8,000 swimming teachers and coaches plus 2,500 providers of swimming lessons to support their athletes and those learning a vital life skill?

Swim England’s team of dedicated staff rose to the challenge by providing industry-leading written and visual content covering a range of engaging topics.

It provided the expertise and knowledge so pools could safely reopen and published detailed guidance for operators, swim schools and teachers so they could return to the water as soon as they were allowed.

And, importantly, it led the fight to get pools reopened.

After the Government didn’t include swimming pools in the first wave of businesses allowed to reopen, Swim England launched the #OpenOurPools campaign – which was backed by more than 55,000 signing a petition in the space of just seven days.

Table Tennis England – Ready to Return

Table Tennis England was determined to support the people and organisations involved in table tennis to ensure it comes through the pandemic in as strong a position as possible and developed our ‘Ready to Return’ campaign.

We created a dedicated section of Return to Play guidance on the website, as well as a Play at Home section, which included user generated content on ways to keep active in the home https://tabletennisengland.co.uk/our-sport/major-events/coronavirus-advice-and-guidance/.
We also created innovative solutions and offers to help keep people active and involved in the sport, including over 30 TT Kidz virtual after school club, over 60 webinars for clubs and coaches and Virtual England Youth Squad training sessions with 300+ sessions held for the England junior squads, covering; physical, mental, fitness and nutrition with many sessions being led by England stars and Olympians/Paralympians and over 60 webinars for clubs and coaches.
As well as supporting the sports existing participants, we used the power and inclusive nature of table tennis to send out over 4,000 play at home packs to those impacted most by the pandemic, including those socially isolated and those from lower socio-economic groups.

Volleyball World – Volleyball Nations League 2021

Volleyball World rallied to deliver the Volleyball Nations League 2021 (“VNL”) within a secure ‘bubble’ to ensure the health and safety of all participants and minimise exposure to Covid-19. A total of 1,347 participants (players, referees, officials, staff) were inside the ‘bubble’ and collectively underwent 10,170 Covid-19 tests over 6 weeks, with mandatory checks for everyone every four days.

Without the raucous fans able to join the players and teams at the VNL, Volleyball World set out to showcase all on- and off-court activities to the global audience through our full digital ecosystem across social, web, app and OTT. Set with the ambition to make the star studded matches available to the fans as much as possible, Volleyball World launched an updated website and app, as well as upgrading the online Volleyball World TV platform to broadcast all matches live, as well as include behind the scenes footage of teams at practice and their down time periods.

We set ourselves the challenge to acquire 50k subscribers to Volleyball World TV and delivered a 531% ROI of media investment vs subscription revenue, whilst tournament awareness and engagement levels were maximised through preparation and publication of 2,793 short form social content and 100 player interviews, fun challenges and documentary content garnering 73,533,032 aggregated engagements through total digital reach of 512,026,143.

BEST COVID 19 RESPONSE BY A CLUB

September 30, 2021 by

Aberdeen Football Club – #StillStandingFree

Aberdeen FC has been at the heart of the community for over 100 years and when Scotland
descended into lockdown in March 2020, the Club and AFC Community Trust (AFCCT) marshalled forces to provide support to fans and the wider community in the region during a time of great uncertainty.

#StillStandingFree was created to provide information to and engage with people, particularly those in isolation, and offer practical support to those in need.

The core focus was to make food deliveries to areas already involved with the Club to reduce food poverty and support children during school closures. In total, the campaign supported 15,800 people including more than 9,000 children.

A virtual call centre was set up to provide a social lifeline to elderly and vulnerable fans. Growing in scope this expanded to provide support to the wider fan base with over 20,000 wellbeing calls made.

Throughout the campaign, Club and Trust staff, players and former players, fans and volunteers worked tirelessly to achieve the objectives and to provide support to those most in need.

AFC’s response to the COVID‐19 pandemic was one of solidarity and support, with a plan which provided practical support bringing the Club and community together.

Everton Football Club

In response to COVID-19, Everton immediately put in place a multi-channel communications campaign for fans, staff, Everton in the Community (EitC) participants and community stakeholders, sharing public health messaging (in partnership with NHS, Public Health England and Liverpool City Council), health and wellbeing tips, educational and feel-good content, truly living up to its name as The People’s Club During the initial months of the pandemic, the Club adapted its digital strategy to provide tailored educational resources, entertainment and public health information, reaching more than 24 5 million people in the first four weeks (mid-March – mid-April 2020) Engagement was also at the heart of all communications, with the Club and its official charity (EitC) listening to fans’ needs to curate content and inform the wider Club response Members of the community in need were encouraged to request support from the Club’s Blue Family campaign, the first targeted campaign set up by a football club to support its community through the crisis Supported by Club and charity staff, Everton’s men and women’s players joined Ambassadors, the Club’s Chairman and CEO, and other staff to make more than 28,950 check-in phone calls to those in social isolation, and fans around the world.

Harlequins

Eighteen months ago rugby – and the world – ground to a halt. The Premiership was postponed and players stopped training. The women’s season was cancelled.

Our core offering – and means of connecting with supporters – was stopped almost overnight.

We moved quickly and our extensive efforts to engage supporters laid the foundations for record-breaking digital results.

Since March 2020 our social media following has increased by 23 per cent.

From July 2020, when training resumed, to June 2021, when the season ended, we added more followers and generated more engagements than any other team in the league.

In the same period our social media video views and impressions increased by 67 per cent and 36 per cent respectively compared to the previous 12 months.

Season Ticket renewals have increased 29 per cent and look set to hit a record high.

Our digital efforts returned tens of thousands of net sponsorship value that was undeliverable due to Covid.

Harlequins Live, our new matchday show, has been viewed 1.6m times and is now our most valuable digital asset.

Said one fan: “You really have been on fire since the first lock down. Loving your work.”

Manchester City Football Club

Since the pandemic began and in an unprecedented year for sport, Manchester City recognised the important role it had to play in supporting communities locally and globally. A football club is about more than what happens on the pitch and using the power of football, the Club focused on the positive impact it can make within its community, both in terms of emergency response and recovery.

City launched a number of initiatives to keep communities locally and globally engaged, in addition to playing a role in the wider community recovery effort, working with various stakeholders and other organisations to do so.

The Etihad Stadium and Campus were no longer being utilised for their primary purpose but could benefit the city of Manchester at a time when it needed it most and the Club provided facilities to the NHS and other organisations to help, some of which are still operating at present including Greater Manchester’s vaccination centre.

Through thousands of phone calls made to fans from players and staff, donations of food, basic necessities and technology bundles, the Club was also able to help ease some of the issues facing families in our local community.

Rangers Charity Foundation

The Rangers Charity Foundation is the official charity of Rangers Football Club and exists to be a force for good on behalf of the Rangers Family, showing compassion to those in need, tackling inequalities and creating opportunities for people of all ages to change their lives for the better.

The Rangers Charity Foundation’s Annual Charity Ball is our single largest fundraising event of the year. In the midst of an ongoing pandemic and suspension of these types of events, we faced a significant shortfall together with the associated risk to our charitable activities and financial sustainability.

However, we were determined to be solution focused, to think creatively, overcome technical challenges and develop a special live online event in the hope that our supporters would engage with this new format and our special cause.

Our event, called Simply The Best Night In, raised £58,465, which far exceeded our expectations!

Such an incredible fundraising outcome also generated significant online support in celebration of our work and made supporters feel very proud of the Foundation’s work.

The funds raised enabled the Foundation and it’s planned activities to remain financially sustainable for the medium term in what continued to be a very uncertain period.

Southampton Football Club and Saints Foundation – Saints as One

In March 2020, Southampton Football Club and its charity Saints Foundation, came together to launch Saints As One in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Saints As One was an outreach and engagement project which set out to educate, entertain, support and unite local people, fans and our existing participants, many of whom found themselves increasingly isolated and vulnerable due to the effects of Covid-19.

Just some of what was achieved included:

– 13,000 freshly cooked meals distributed to vulnerable people across the city in partnership with food charity FareShare

– 1,500 volunteering hours from club and Foundation staff at FareShare’s distribution centres

– 2,039 prescriptions to 1,288 shielding patients from 42 different pharmacies across the city, 80% of whom were aged 60+

– More than 85,000 minutes of welfare or mentoring calls were made

– Over 1,000 bespoke and age appropriate exercise manuals hand delivered to older people across the city

– 5,000 face masks and over 9,000 units of food and drink donated to Solent NHS Trust

– Over £100,000 raised to support the work of multiple charities missing out on vital fundraising opportunities

– Donated £10,000 worth of new toys to Southampton City Council”s Christmas Toy Appeal.

SPORTS INNOVATION AWARD

September 30, 2021 by

AiSCOUT

The greatest challenge for football clubs and scouts, is finding new players from the available worldwide pool. Traditionally, scouts attended games and watched game clips. Then Covid-19 brought football to a standstill. This highlighted the perfect opportunity to introduce analysed data of amateur football talent worldwide.

AiSCOUT, uses AI to find amateur players globally and has been found to increase scout’s access to players by 100%.

AiSCOUT is the only app enabling the participation of prospective recruits in virtual trials, allowing them to receive near real-time analysis using benchmarked data collected from R&D, and offering club automated feedback and visibility via entry into the AiSCOUT player database. Players initially complete a series of physical and technical tests to receive their National Ratings Score (NRS) and then enter Professional Club, League, National Squad and sponsor-specific trials.

In January 2021, AiSCOUT launched officially, trialling an early release on the App Store in May 2020. Currently 16,000 users and professional clubs including Chelsea, Burnley, Olympiacos and Nottingham Forest use the app to trial players.

The app’s success has been phenomenal. In May, Burnley FC announced that they had selected 28 players via their trials on the AiSCOUT platform.

England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) – The Hundred

The Hundred’s innovation in cricket is now the yardstick by which other sporting innovations are being measured. The England and Wales Cricket Board assessed the barriers which were preventing people from getting involved in cricket and looked at ways of redesigning one format of the game for a brand new, young, diverse, online and increasingly urban audience, with each decision based on deep insight.

Every aspect of the game was reimagined, putting the audience first. In-depth research was carried out, canvassing all areas of the sport and society and with comprehensive use of focus groups to understand what the audience wanted to see from a new format of cricket.

The Hundred offered the chance to deliver a world-class combination of sport and entertainment, with an equal platform for men and women, brought through a new, digital-first approach that would excite new audiences.

Year one of The Hundred encouraged millions of new fans to watch live in stadia and on TV, as well as engaging with the competition online. This delivered significant value for the whole cricketing ecosystem, from grassroots participation through to players, venues, domestic cricket and commercial partners, providing the base of further growth of the sport in future.
Extreme E & Extreme E Studios
Extreme E is an innovative and radical new off-road racing series that showcases electric SUVs and future technologies in some of the world’s most remote and challenging environments.

The first sport to be built out of a social purpose, Extreme E utilises its platform to help promote electrification, environment and equality. Racing in locations damaged by climate change or human interference, the goal is to maximise awareness around these issues, whilst minimising the environmental impact.

Ice Hockey club «Avangard» Omsk, Russia

As many others we faced difficulties with match day activities under COVID restrictions and limited amount of fans allowed (10% out of the whole capacity. Fortunately, we figured out the way to make matchday of fans not only interesting but also unique and profitable for a club.
Our solution is made of two digital interactive actions.
First one is a quiz games at the media coub of the arena. Anyone who wants to participate in a quiz should download our official mobile app of Avangard or scan QR code from the coub and connect to the quiz.
Second solution – interactive projected on ice. We made it right after the case with NHL team’s announcer played a game of Solitaire on the ice.
Both solutions were successful among our fans, didn’t demand any equipment and big investments. We believe in it because it’s
– Simple to create. Using game creator platform
– Cheap. 100-250 $ per month
– Attractive and easy to use. Fans need only smartphones
– Fit to any attendance. Whether you have 20 or 20k fans
– Flexible. Mostly all you need is screen/surface, wi-fi and fans.

AiSCOUT

AiSCOUT, uses AI to find amateur players globally and has been found to increase scout’s access to players by 100%.

The app’s success has been phenomenal. In May, Burnley FC announced that they had selected 28 players via their trials on the AiSCOUT platform.

Sportrecs

The pandemic has had a profound impact on sport Competitions were cancelled overnight and many traditional revenue streams dried up for those operating outside of the top tiers Fans were locked out of stadia for long periods and digital fan engagement accelerated Before the pandemic, only top tier sports competitions had the budget and capabilities to produce, distribute and monetise their video content globally and collect first party data from their fans Sportrecs is changing the game for federations, leagues and clubs at all levels by bringing the most complete range of video monetisation tools available for free on a revenue share basis First party data – collect data on your fans so that you can get to know them better Remote production services – connect a commentator and a director from anywhere in the world and localise your content for foreign markets Highlights creation and distribution – clip highlights during the live broadcast and publish them immediately to your social networks PPV and subscriptions – Sportrecs accepts 200 currencies! Unique sponsorship formats – monetise your video content using Sportrecs unique sponsorship formats Betting marketplace – tap into Sportrecs betting marketplace and sell direct to dozens of bookmakers Media distribution

Stadion

Stadion creates bespoke digital experiences for global sports brands such as Man City, Harlequins, PSG and Team GB, ranging from websites and apps, to OTT platforms and digital activations.

Our experience in working within the digital sports industry has highlighted a fundamental issue – Online retail for clubs and rights holders is broken.

Fans face poor experiences when trying to purchase tickets or merchandise, and rights holders have little control or oversight into how their wider digital estate is shaped or controlled. We have developed a new and innovative solution that reshapes the fan retail experience and put rights holder firmly back in control of how and where they sell to their fanbase.

OneBasket – a multi-merchant basket allowing sports fans to order and purchase products and services from any of a rights holder’s digital properties, directly within their web or app.

OneBasket aggregates products and services in to one seamless purchase journey and native checkout experience, clubs and rights holders can now upsell and cross-sell throughout the user journey and retain the fan on their own platforms. Both simplifying the whole process for the fan, but also streamlining the rights holder’s processes, ultimately driving significantly more revenue.

BEST SPORTS RELATED COMMERCIAL OR PROMOTIONAL VIDEO

September 30, 2021 by

B5 Consultancy – We Need to Be Ready #BeReady

The #BeReady video campaign was produced by B5 Consultancy: a company run by lawyer Matt Himsworth and footballers Fraser Franks and Leigh Nicol. The company works with football clubs and sporting organisations to offer advice, support, education and mentoring to players on all things off the pitch and especially on social media.

The video is a powerful two minutes, voiced by Leigh Nicol, who has experienced the horror of going viral and being abused online, and it encapsulates, in short form, the messages that B5 deliver to Academies and first team squads across women’s sport.

The exposure that is coming to the women’s game, through the success of those women and girls, and through the increasing television and social media coverage, means that there are risks alongside the opportunities. As Leigh says in the video: “These are exciting times. It’s important that we need to be ready”

The video features players from the WSL (Leah Williamson, Natasha Dowie, Megan Rose Wynne), England cricketers (Heather Knight, Sophie Ecclestone, Sarah Glenn and Nat Sciver) and rugby Olympians (Celia Quansah and Team GB captain Meg Jones).

European Tour – Angry Golfers

In January 2021, the European Tour decided to undertake their most daring and self-deprecating piece of content yet: Angry Golfers.

A bold, player-led, mockumentary-style social media video designed to showcase star players and their personalities, Angry Golfers entertained and engaged fans, providing some much-needed light relief, while continuing to distinguish the European Tour from its competitors.

The concept: Some of the “angriest” golfers on the European Tour come together for a confessional self-help group therapy session to encourage each other to address their “issues”. Starring Ian Poulter, Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton, Henrik Stenson and others, all demonstrate a refreshing lack of ego and an ability to laugh at their own expense.

Angry Golfers and its follow-up content received global media coverage, reaching over 14m people on European Tour social media platforms alone, amassing 4m views and 520,000 engagements, making it the European Tour’s most popular video ever at the time.

Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) – #ForTheLoveOfEquestrian

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, activities around the world came to a sudden halt, including the majority of sports events.

As the global governing body for equestrian sports, the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) wanted to send a message of inspiration and solidarity to riders, fans, organisers and all other members of the FEI family. A message that says we are all in this together, united by a shared passion for our sport and lifestyle.

At its essence, #ForTheLoveOfEquestrian is a cinematic love letter to the equestrian community during the global challenges brought about by COVID-19.

It depicts the full breadth of life as an equestrian, from the highs to the lows, the victories to the defeats and the exceptional to the mundane. Together it forms an accurate portrayal of what it feels like to be a part of this community, whether on a professional or amateur basis.

It definitely hit the mark #ForTheLoveOfEquestrian has become one of the most successful video campaigns in FEI history, reaching over 7 million people in total, gaining over 12 5 million impressions on social media and generating 3 million video views – a sevenfold increase compared to the average FEI campaign video.

Lawn Tennis Association – The&Partnership

How do you change age-old perceptions and convince 300,000 new Brits to play Tennis during a nationwide lockdown, without any major events?

You re-write the rules of the sport. Give it a new look. A new voice. Celebrate the individualism of anyone who picks up a racket and plays their way.

As part of the LTA’s ongoing commitment to open tennis up to the nation, we launched Play Your Way during the midst of a global pandemic, capitalising on being one of the few sports that could return to play.

Launching with some bold and provocative OOH & Social creative, including a new vibrant visual identity, we put Tennis firmly back on the nation’s radar. This was quickly followed by our 30second brand film that went from script to shoot in just 12days, helping reach over 33million people whilst achieving average view-through rate 211% higher than industry benchmarks.

Not only did we move the dial in shifting people’s attitudes and perceptions of the sport, with a +13% increase in ‘tennis is for people like me’ statements, we helped increase in the number of people playing Tennis by 300,000, including a +24% increase YoY in people playing on a weekly basis.

The Kiyan Prince Foundation – Engine MHP + Mischief

The Kiyan Prince Foundation, set up by Mark Prince in memory of his son who was stabbed and killed in 2006 is a small charity with a burning message of hope for change.

Engine devised a campaign that elevated the charity to a new level, bringing the Foundation to the attention of thousands and attracting much-needed funds.

#LongLiveThePrince used gaming to talk to a hard-to-reach audience of 16-25-year-olds about seeking the right path in life, no matter how difficult their circumstances.

Kiyan had been a talented youth football player for Queens Park Rangers. The Foundation uses life coaching and sports to empower young people to create thriving communities and a violent-free society.

In 2021, with the help of family and friends, Kiyan was brought back to life within the FIFA21 video game and commemorated on the Queens Park Rangers’ teamsheet and billboards across the country, enabling young gamers and football fans to learn about his story – and the help available to them.

The result was a campaign that united a wide range of partners, including QPR, EA SPORTS, JD Sports, Adidas, Topps and Framestore, generating billions of views, millions of engagements and generating more than £40k in public donations.

BEST PROFESSIONAL SERVICES IN SPORT

September 30, 2021 by

GUICE Wealth Management

With the landscape of sports ever evolving, GUICE Wealth Management is remaining poised to provide value to their clients. Catering to the sports and entertainment industries, and small business, GUICE is a boutique family office specializing in tax free asset growth. Helping business owners do more of what they love, GUICE offers financial and business strategic planning. Helping clients overcome obstacles of scaling up as while building companies of their dreams without having to worry about too many pitfalls along the way. Preparing for forseen and unforseen obstacles gives confidence to navigate the chartered financial waters.

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’s clients in the performance of their clubs and they have achieved 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, Events, Live Music and Catering, JCS has provided procurement services to five county cricket teams, ticketing to three county cricket teams and 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’s fastest growing service is finance and accounting where partners include Table Tennis England, England Squash, British Fencing and UK Athletics. JCS has many other NGB’s in the pipeline.

JCS can 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.

KSS

KSS, like many businesses, have endured the difficult period of the Pandemic, which has been a challenge to us all.

We have however, enjoyed the overwhelming support of our clients and the internal KSS team, who have come together to design and deliver some outstanding schemes in the most difficult of circumstances.

Projects for wonderful sports clients such as Club Wembley, AELTC, Liverpool FC, Leicester City FC and many others have been completed to an exceptional standard, collaborating with our partners and contractors alike.

Working within the sports sector is a delight and gives us the platform to demonstrate our heartfelt passion for designing exciting venues, elite training facilities and exceptional hospitality places, that inspire athletes, attract supporters and give an impressive return on investment for our clients.

To participate in the Sports Business Awards has been cathartic as it provides the opportunity to recount some excellent projects for great clients over these last 12 months.

As we return to a new sense of reality, the anticipation of wider sporting participation at every level, combined with full stadiums, generating a sense of wellbeing, is the shared desire of us all for 2021 and beyond.

Mackrell.Solicitors

Mackrell Solicitors has set itself apart in the world of sports law by providing a personable, holistic service that considers every aspect of a sporting professional’s life.

In just four short years, the team has built close, lasting relationships with players, athletes and organisations from a wide range of sports – ranging from world champion boxers to top-tier football clubs.

Acting for more than 50 athletes around the world, the team continues to go from strength-to-strength, building connections and providing advice to some of the sports industry’s leading lights.

The Sports & Entertainment Team at Mackrell Solicitors is meeting a growing demand for its services globally through the expansion of its team and its wider network of close contacts, including top-level accountants and financial advisers that ensure every aspect of their sports client’s lives are carefully managed.

As a founding member of Mackrell International, it is also able to call upon the expertise of lawyers in more than 60 countries around the world – ensuring its sports clients can obtain immediate access to advice in almost any jurisdiction Few firms can offer such a carefully tailored service to sports clients, which is a testament to the hard work and focus

Onside Law

Onside Law is widely recognised as one of the UK’s top sports law firms. Our clients are some of the biggest names in sport and media, including many national and international governing bodies, broadcasters, clubs, sponsors, investors, entrepreneurs, digital media and technology companies and high-profile athletes.

Formed in 2005 the firm is still led by the three founding partners. The strategy and vision that underpinned the decision to create Onside Law, and which has been such a hallmark of its success, remains the same to this day. High quality, practical and responsive advice to the sports industry from lawyers steeped in sports law and business experience.

Offices have been opened in Geneva and Sydney to capitalise on the firm’s growing client list and international reputation, with both run by leading local sports lawyers. In the last month, a new Head of Australia has been appointed, Ms Kendall Harris, to further build on the existing foundations.

Tilney Smith & Williamson

Tilney Smith & Williamson supports the sports industry through top quality advice, service and education. We help our clients by giving them a greater understanding of the issues they face, enabling them to make more informed decisions on their financial future. Our education starts at academy level and extends across our client base. We are adept at having difficult conversations to unearth an underlying issue or concern and, given the breadth of services we offer, are then well placed to help resolve the issue. We have a wealth of experience in our fields and leading talent within each service offering. Our clients are well looked after, receive timely advice and proactive service. We have good contacts throughout the sports industry and really understand the issues faced in different sports. These contacts then give us further tools to help us provide the first-class service that our clients deserve.

SPORTS TECHNOLOGY OF THE YEAR

September 30, 2021 by

Formula TX

VIRTUAL AUTOGRAPH SIGNING SESSIONS ON INTERNATIONAL TENNIS TORUNAMENTS ST.PETERSBURG OPEN 2020 AND ST.PETERSBURG LADIES TROPHY 2021

Communication between the fans and the players was realized due to video-technologies in real-time. We have created an isolated zone for players in the media-center in “sterile” zone and a single zone for the spectators in the spectator area of cultural and sports complex “SIBUR ARENA”. Then we have generated the objects in real-time with the use of “green screen”, OB van and equipment that was provided by the company Canon for free (12 professional cameras). As the result, a fan received a photo and a GIF-animation for the social networks during the tournament St.Petersburg Open 2020 and a printed photo on St.Petersburg Ladies Trophy 2021 with the autograph of a player.

Hawk-Eye Innovations – Hawk-Eye Connect

Working in collaboration with US broadcaster CBS, Hawk-Eye was responsible for the remote broadcast replay technologies used to enhance and streamline existing workflows, whilst opening up new applications and content delivery models across a number of Golf and NFL productions in 2020.

Built off Hawk-Eye’s SMART Video Review technology, the system enabled the production crews to work safer, smarter and more efficiently using remote technologies to reliably transfer live operational roles off site.

Successful use cases include instant replay, live streaming and high volume content generation on a scale simply not possible with traditional linear workflows.

Infosys

Technology exists, to unite. To dissolve boundaries. To immerse us and amaze us. When Roland-Garros 2021 was played under challenging circumstances, the need of the hour was to #Undistance.
For Infosys, this meant bridging the gap. Between dimensions and culture with a 3D art museum, and the world and the clay with insights in an immersive 3D court. Between the athlete and the victory with AI video analysis, and the insight and the story with AI-assisted journalism. Between the sport and experience with Alexa commentary, and action and emotion with AI serving the highlights.
With game-changing technology platforms and experiences across six themes, Infosys brought 10,000 people to Paris virtually with the 3D Art Museum on the first day of the tournament itself. Over the next 21 days, we brought 5.76 million fans closer to live match insight. With a 70% increase in AI Videos consumption, we brought players closer to victory and 870K fans closer on the app. Beyond the court, AI served 489 infographics and 12 shots of the day on publications and broadcast portals. Enabling everyone to get closer to the outcomes they were seeking by using technology to #Undistance. To help them experience the next.

Other Media – Clubcast Fan Experience Platform
Other Media’s Clubcast Fan Experience Platform is going from strength to strength and attracting more sports clubs than ever. The easy-to-use CMS, designed specifically for the needs of sports clubs, powers custom designed websites and apps for ambitious clubs. From core content such as news, fixtures, and a Live Match Centre, to engaging functionality like quizzes and polls, and in-app ticketing, clubs can have it all. Away from the stadium fans will never miss a moment; at the ground their experience becomes smooth and hassle free. Providing more sponsorship opportunities than clubs have ever had before, Clubcast digital products are returning impressive revenue for clubs, easily covering the modest monthly fee and returning multiple times on top of this club investment.

Pixellot – AI-Automated Sports Coverage Solution
Pixellot is the world leader and pioneer of automated production for sports. Our systems enable clubs/leagues/federations to install cameras at venues that will automatically film, produce and broadcast any game or practice live or on-demand, without the need for a single camera operator.
Pixellot is active around the globe in 55 countries. Our solutions are a combination of hardware, software, AI, cloud computing, mobile apps, and video streaming.
With the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the sports world went into a deep freeze. For teams that had TV coverage, things weren’t so bad. The fans could watch the games and stay involved. But for teams that did not enjoy professional coverage, fans were cut off and the clubs were cut off from their main source of income. eWinner partnered with Sportize and 2 Liga, Poland’s 3rd division football league to bring full coverage of all league games. This led to 100 live broadcasts this season through eWinner’s mobile app and Sportize’s OTT network with more than 250 games scheduled for next season.
Thanks to AI-automation, the democratization of sports is undergoing a revolution. More unique sports content is becoming readily available, to the delight of fans, federations and rights holders.

Playermaker – UNO
Playermaker are world leaders in next-generation player development and coaching enhancement. Transforming footwear into smartwear and driving athletes forward with sport specific data. Playermaker tracks, analyses and visually presents key technical, tactical and physical player performance indicators. The technology has been tested and proven by more than 180 elite academies around the world,
and is proud to be affiliated with the UK Football Association. Playermaker is committed to helping athletes of all levels better understand how to pursue excellence, whether through its team solution, built for entire teams, or the Playermaker UNO, for
individuals. Taking the same technology used by the professionals and elite teams, the company introduced the new individual solution – Playermaker UNO. The portable device is simple to use and requires no set up, enabling players to have meaningful training sessions and keep developing wherever they are, whenever they want, in any conditions,
and share actionable data and insights with parents or coaches, anywhere in the world. The solution differs to GPS-based technology, by providing immediate actionable insights, analysis against football -specific KPIs while helping coaches to easily track player
progress over time.

Sport Buff
Sport Buff is the best in class proprietary broadcast overlay technology delivering the next generation of sports fan engagement. It is an interactive technology layer that sits directly over the broadcast, enabling gamification, live polls, predictions, trivia, purchasing, real-time betting, social media, messaging and more.

Every Buff is worth points, letting fans play with and compete against their friends on live leaderboards. Giving our partners the ability to engage, retain, and monetize audiences on their own platforms. For the fan, engaging with Sport Buff is frictionless. They don’t need to change their viewing behaviour and they watch the sport the same as normal – apart from they can now interact with sports video content!

The Sport Buff platform is built as an SDK for seamless integration inside of any of our partner’s platforms, be it mobile app, web app, OTT service, or on social media platforms like Twitch. Our technology works simultaneously across multiple platforms, is available in multiple languages and can serve different territories with unique content as required.

Sport Buff is all about creating a unique and profound experience for sports fans who want more than just to watch.

Sportrecs
The pandemic has had a profound impact on sport Competitions were cancelled overnight and many traditional revenue streams dried up for those operating outside of the top tiers Fans were locked out of stadia for long periods and digital fan engagement accelerated Before the pandemic, only top tier sports competitions had the budget and capabilities to produce, distribute and monetise their video content globally and collect first party data from their fans Sportrecs is changing the game for federations, leagues and clubs at all levels by bringing the most complete range of video monetisation tools available for free on a revenue share basis First party data – collect data on your fans so that you can get to know them better Remote production services – connect a commentator and a director from anywhere in the world and localise your content for foreign markets Highlights creation and distribution – clip highlights during the live broadcast and publish them immediately to your social networks PPV and subscriptions – Sportrecs accepts 200 currencies! Unique sponsorship formats – monetise your video content using Sportrecs unique sponsorship formats Betting marketplace – tap into Sportrecs betting marketplace and sell direct to dozens of bookmakers Media distribution

BEST BUSINESS SERVING SPORT

September 30, 2021 by

Arena Group

London Stadium: North and South Stand reconfiguration Upgrades and reconfiguration of stadium seating and safety rail systems were carried out by Arena Group’s seating division to the satisfaction of the client.
It was important that legacy of London Stadium maintained the ability to reconfigure the stadium (for non-football use) The seating reconfiguration brief traversed multiple aims: • Reduce the time needed to remove the temporary seating from one month to 12 days to support venue change of use with minimal disruption • replicate a contemporary football stadium aesthetic • Increase seating capacity and bring fans closer to the action • Provide superior improved sightlines • Remove noise, deflections and tolerances associated with demountable structures Arena delivered a turnkey solution, managing all elements from design, structural engineering, health and safety, installation, with sustainability considerations and ongoing removal and installation support.
COVID-19 restrictions presented unique challenges Arena “went the extra mile” to keep the project on track and on budget A bespoke COVID-19 induction policy was implemented and taken by all staff on-site Arena delivered 7,236 seats in a semi-permanent, demountable grandstand, incorporating a 106-capacity elevated wheelchair platform, all designed to be compliant with FIFA, UEFA and Premiere League Standards.

Deltatre

Deltatre is the global leader in fan-first video experiences. Deltatre’s market-leading product and services portfolio has helped redefine the way the world consumes sport, media and entertainment by offering specialist innovations in over-the-top streaming, websites and apps, graphics, data, officiating systems, user experience, and product design. Over its 35-year history, the company has grown to employ more than 1,000 staff who are globally distributed across its hubs in 16 key cities.

Over the last year, its client base has grown to included the likes of Major League Soccer, Volleyball World, Indian Super League and Juventus.

EVENT360

EVENT360 is a live event agency that specialises in production and delivery of Sport Presentation and Fan Engagement. Our challenge over the last 18 months has been to continue to deliver world class events in the ever changing COVID-19 landscape; behind closed doors, with limited capacity, and returning to full capacity.

Traditionally, Sport Presentation focuses on fan engagement and entertainment, but found that we had to shift attention to ensure the atmosphere in venue was not compromised with lower crowd attendance in order to provide athletes with as close to ‘normal’ competition environment, while offering a show that would translate for at-home viewers via broadcast coverage.

For each event, we were required to scope multiple solutions based on changing attendance, with the challenge of short lead times and late confirmation of requirements based on latest government advice. Our team of experienced event producers have had to overcome challenges faced with hosting live events during a global pandemic to deliver an entertaining programme, without any compromise to quality. Our robust contingency and project planning saw the production timelines shortened dramatically to remain flexible to ever changing conditions, which allowed for risk mitigation by both ourselves as a company, and our clients.

Jockey Club Services

StreamAMG

StreamAMG provides end-to-end OTT to content owners and rights holders across sport, enabling them to deliver and monetise live and on demand video on their own terms. Our OTT technology, solutions and expertise are giving clubs, leagues and governing bodies the power to reach fans directly with reliable live streaming and top-quality direct-to-consumer platforms.

In the last twelve months StreamAMG has been a lynchpin of the sports industry. In the first (and hopefully only) full season impacted by Covid-19, we have handled record levels of demand for live streaming and delivered a huge number of live events, securing vital revenue for our clients. In a year where sports OTT moved into the mainstream, we have equipped our clients with the tools they need to adapt and thrive in the new landscape.

Trivandi

Trivandi provides consultancy, project management, and operations services to sports events and venues This year they worked on 19 sport projects Trivandi set 3 objectives to meet the challenges for the year: 1 Maintaining their position as a leading specialist firm serving the sport industry 2 Supporting the events industry get back to business during the pandemic 3 Focusing on the well-being of their team during the pandemic Some highlights from the year include: • Recruited architects to provide a full service offer to sports clients; resulting in design appointments on four stadia • Worked with Solivus, a solar company, to deliver solar solutions for sports stadia roofs • Designed, planned and delivered the UK Government’s Events Research Programme enabling venues to open at greater capacities • Provided advice to Qatar for COVID-safe planning of events • Published a Guidance document on COVID-19 safe planning for events as a free publication to the sports industry • During Lockdown, initiated a staff challenge to virtually cycle, run, swim and row from London to Tokyo for the Olympics • Supported the EnduRow challenge, the world’s biggest indoor rowing event Despite the pandemic and event closures, Trivandi doubled their turnover and number projects

BEST FAN ENGAGEMENT PROGRAMME DURING COVID-19

September 30, 2021 by

Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) – #HorseOClock with Longines

With the COVID-19 pandemic, activities around the world came to a sudden halt, including the vast majority of sports events.

For the International Equestrian Federation (FEI), this meant far fewer opportunities for our partners to develop relationships with equestrian fans in a controlled, in-venue environment.

Swiss watchmaking brand, our long-time Top Partner, Longines, was particularly receptive to trying a different approach to brand engagement activities to stay close with watch and equestrian enthusiasts.

The result was #HorseOClock with Longines, an eight-question, equestrian-themed online quiz designed to match FEI fans with the Longines watch most suited to their personality in a fun and accessible way.

The community was kept engaged at every step of the six-week campaign through short, fun and interchangeable content.

Through owned and paid media on new and traditional FEI channels, we employed everything from press releases to CTA pop-ups and advertising on social media.

The campaign struck just the right chord with our fans. By pushing creative and technical boundaries, #HorseOClock reached 1.4 million equestrian fans. Page views on the quiz website climbed to 35,225 and resulted in almost 20,000 completions, opening the door to larger-scale campaigns that incorporate interactive tools such as quizzes, into future activations.
Aston Martin Cognizant F1™ – Team Car Launch
In 2021, Aston Martin returned to Formula 1 after an absence of 61-years. The launch presented a unique opportunity to celebrate the brand’s iconic status while demonstrating a new set of fan-first values. The team’s objective was to grow and engage its share of the F1 audience, bring fans into the heart of the story through the I / AM movement, and punch outside of the traditional F1 space to reach a new lifestyle community.

The launch of the team centred around the reveal of its 2021 challenger, the AMR21. The team activated several marketing promotions to drive social engagement and first party database growth across each of its newly established fan profiles through content, influencers and tailored experiences.

AMCF1’s social media community grew by 26% (vs 2.4% average), with growth twice as fast in absolute terms compared to the next nearest competitor. From a standing start, the team also accelerated to 150k database records.

The launch generated 230m social media impressions and reached a maximum potential broadcast audience of 780m, generating more than 5 hours of broadcast time across 101 global TV channels.

Everton Football Club

FIFA X WePlay – #WorldCupAtHome

FIFA had not planned to stage a FIFA World Cup in 2020. Neither had it expected the year to bring a global pandemic that would confine billions of people to their homes.

The #WorldCupAtHome was a digital content campaign like no other.

Agile and ambitious, FIFA opened up the World Cup archive for a new generation, bringing full-match replays to life in unprecedented ways.

32 full match classic World Cup replays were live-streamed in the first phase of the #WorldCupAtHome which were presented as a premiere event on YouTube, offering audiences both on-demand and live viewing options.

It evolved into a celebration of two iconic World Cup editions – Mexico 70 and Italy 90 – and a lesson in the untapped value of archive to drive attention and engagement among a younger football audience.

The biggest impact, however, was the one FIFA sought: reaching over 300m fans in more than 120 countries, with a message that has proven to save lives – “stay home” – and an incentive to follow.

The achievements of the #WorldCupAtHome are built on the twin pillars of “Purpose” and “Performance.” FIFA believes they will be the foundation of future sports industry success.

Formula TX

Fan’s Day during the semifinal and final of St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy 2021
Entertainment program for the Fan’s Day was innovative and rich and included such activities and actions:

1. Single and double semifinal and final matches.
2. Unique presentation of players on the tennis court with the use of high-tech solutions.
3. Ceremony of awarding the winners and finalists of the tournament.
4. Prize drawing for fans from the partner Porsche.
5. Possibility to view the match from the own auto in the event-space outdoor cinema “Kinoparking”.
6. Open after-match conference with Daria Kasatkina.
7. Unofficial talk-show “TENNIS TALK” for the spectators with Aslan Karatsev.
8. Virtual autograph signing sessions with the players.
9. Entertainment area “NORM OF LIFE” from the official partner Ministry of Sport of the Russian Federation.
10. Press-conference in the spectator area with headliners of the closing show and participants of the project “Ladette: Katya Vanysheva and Natasha Goncharova.
11. Awarding the winners of the contest among the painters “Tennis and Saint Petersburg”.
12. Ceremony of awarding the winners of the professional contests.
13. Closing show “THE WHOLE WORLD ON THE COURT” after the ending of the final match.