Sportico Transactions: Moves and Mergers Roundup for October 6
Welcome to Sportico’s transactions wire, a weekly rundown of personnel, partnerships and products across the sports business industry.
PERSONNEL
The American Flag Football League Appoints New VP, Ticket Sales & Operations
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The American Flag Football League (AFFL) announced that Travis Watkins will join the company as VP, ticket sales & operations, reporting directly to president and chief operating officer Brian Michael Cooper. In his new role, Watkins will oversee the league’s ticket sales functions, developing unique packages while generating revenue through the sale of full season, partials, groups, premium and single game tickets. Watkins was most recently with the XFL Houston Roughnecks, where he served as director of sales & experience. In this role he built a ticket sales team and led all facets of ticket and premium sales within the Houston community.
ViewLift Hires VP Global GTM Strategy to Drive Future Growth
Sports and entertainment streaming powerhouse ViewLift announced that it has appointed Chance Mason as VP global GTM strategy. Mason has been in the digital media business for over 20 years, holding senior management roles driving global sales, product development and business strategy. He joins from Quickplay, where he was head of strategic accounts / strategy. Prior to this, Mason worked at Videon, Qumu, Haivision, and Piksel. He started his career at Multicast Media Networks, which is recognized as one of the first SaaS online video platforms managing thousands of live events per month for enterprise, media, and education.
TurnkeyZRG Expands to Europe With Hire of George Williams
TurnkeyZRG, a division of ZRG and a sports and entertainment talent recruitment firm, announced its expansion into the European market with the hire of George Williams as managing director. Based in London, Williams brings over 15 years of executive search experience in sports and entertainment and will lead TurnkeyZRG’s fast-growing practice in Europe. Williams is also a recruiter in the European media space and will work closely with ZRG’s Sucherman division, an advisory firm for media, content, direct-to-consumer, streaming and production around the world. Williams worked on the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games for Nielsen as business development manager, advising Coca-Cola, P&G, CISCO and other clients on their sponsorship activation strategies.
Tim Godfrey Joins Hexagon Cup Founding Team as Strategic Advisor
As Hexagon Cup, the newcomer to the padel event scene, gears up to its inaugural event at Madrid Arena from Jan. 31 to Feb. 4, 2024, the organization has appointed Tim Godfrey as strategic advisor. The Hexagon Cup padel project will see male, female and ‘next gen’ players combine with leading team owners from global sports and entertainment to compete for a share of a $1 million euro prize fund. Godfrey’s most recent endeavors include the launch of the triathlon tour PTO Tour, where he served as chief marketing officer, and at international sailing series SailGP, as their first chief media and marketing officer.
PARTNERSHIPS
McLaren Racing Expands Partnership With Merchants Fleet
McLaren Racing announced a partnership extension and expansion with Merchants Fleet. Merchants Fleet will continue as an Official Partner of the NEOM McLaren Extreme E Team, while expanding to become an Official Partner of the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team for Season 10 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. The partnership with the NEOM McLaren Extreme E Team began in November 2021 and focuses on accelerating both brands’ sustainability journeys, and goals to promote DE&I (diversity, equity and inclusion). The partnership will see McLaren continue to support Merchants’ ACCELER8 ESG program, focusing on electrification and DE&I. Merchants Fleet branding will continue to be present on the NEOM McLaren Extreme E race car, and on the race suits of the drivers.
USA Hockey Extends Partnership with NBC Sports Next
USA Hockey announced a multiyear extension of its long-term partnership with NBC Sports Next. A key element of the agreement names NBC Sports Next’s youth technology brand, SportsEngine, as an official video and content partner of USA Hockey. SportsEngine’s digital and streaming platforms will have sole rights to feature existing and future USA Hockey video content produced for athletes and coaches, and to all content produced for USA Hockey’s American Development Model, which focuses content on age-appropriate athlete development. The partnership extension builds on USA Hockey’s decade-long relationship with SportsEngine.
Snaifun Becomes a Premium Partner of AC Milan
Snaifun, the app created by the Snaitech Group that offers sport and culture news, quizzes and predictions, has become a premium partner of AC Milan. Together for over 10 years, AC Milan and the Snaitech Group will celebrate their new agreement with a special event at the SNAI Hippodrome San Siro for important stakeholders and 200 Snaifun users. As a premium partner, Snaifun will also expand its presence at the San Siro stadium during Serie A and Coppa Italia matches, promoting fan engagement through a pre-match quiz aimed at the Rossoneri fanbase.
Enterprise, NHL and NHLPA Renew North American Partnership
Enterprise, the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) and the National Hockey League announced a multiyear extension of their North American partnership. As part of the partnership extension, the Enterprise brand will continue to have a national marketing presence across all league touchpoints, including the NHL’s digital and social channels, camera-visible in-arena inventory during games and events, and broadcast integrations across TNT and ESPN. The brand will maintain local market partnerships with a number of NHL clubs and will continue to activate around NHL tentpole events including the NHL Winter Classic, NHL All-Star Game, NHL Stadium Series and Stanley Cup Playoffs games.
Bay FC and Legends Partner for Local, Global Growth of NWSL Expansion Club
Bay FC, the new women’s professional soccer franchise representing the Bay Area, has joined forces with Legends, a global premium experiences company, in a multiyear partnership to drive commercial revenue and global brand partnerships for the club. Legends will leverage a data-led and locally tailored strategy to shape strategic premium seating and ticket pricing coupled with a targeted digital marketing campaign to drive sales for the inaugural season. Legends will also play a key role in shaping the Bay FC lifestyle brand through the development, execution and expansion of a comprehensive merchandising and retail strategy. A global partnerships strategy and execution will include establishing founding partners for Bay FC along with the premium kit sponsorship opportunity. As part of the Bay FC partnership, Legends has built a dedicated sales team for Bay FC to focus solely on premium seating, ticket sales, and partnerships to propel the long-term growth of the club.
NFL Players Association Invests in Infinite Athlete
Technology company Infinite Athlete, in conjunction with NFL Players Inc., the commercial branch of the NFL Players Association (NFLPA), has announced a partnership to advance the worlds of sports, performance and player health and wellness. This collaboration hopes to influence pro football through the integration of technology and engineering, sports expertise, video data and insights. In addition to investing in Infinite Athlete, the parties will use Infinite Athlete’s proprietary FusionFeed technology, and the group player licensing rights managed by the NFLPA. Through this collaboration, Infinite Athlete and NFL Players Inc. will cultivate new commercial opportunities that will serve to not only amplify the existing NFLPA partnerships, but also lay the foundation for novel business prospects for the NFLPA and its player membership. Separately, Infinite Athlete technology will continue to support player health and wellness efforts through the NFLPA’s data-driven approach to injury mitigation and its on-field safety engineering efforts.
PRODUCTS
Formula 1 Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix Releases Official App By T-Mobile
The Formula 1 Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix has launched its official mobile application, presented by T-Mobile and built in partnership with YinzCam Inc. The app is available on iOS and Android-based devices, and functions as a one-stop-shop for attendees to access everything they need during race weekend, including schedules, tickets, video content, team/driver information, merchandise and more. The app includes innovative wayfinding technology from PAM, enabling easy navigation of the circuit and surrounding area. Interactive maps guide fans to entry points and seating areas tied to their ticket and accessibility needs. Directions can be updated in real-time based on trackside conditions to help reduce congestion and improve amenities.
PURCHASES
Ripken Baseball Acquires Baseball Factory and Softball Factory
Ripken Baseball has acquired Baseball Factory and Softball Factory, an organization focused on player development for ages 11 to 18. Founded in 1994 with a focus on training and the college recruiting process, Baseball Factory and Softball Factory works with athletes to navigate the college recruiting process and prepare them for baseball and softball at the next level. MLB stars such as Bo Bichette, Bobby Witt Jr., Anthony Rizzo, Gunnar Henderson and Nick Castellanos have participated in Baseball Factory events. Jackson Holliday, the first pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, is also a Baseball Factory alum. Baseball Factory and Softball Factory’s evaluation of a player includes middle schoolers and high schoolers participating in its annual national showcases and evaluation events.
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