Although some would prefer that it not be this way, soccer, just like other sports, is not just about the athletic side of things. Professional sports franchises exist as a business and, as such, the goal for most of them is to make money. Just like every industry, soccer revenue has declined because of the coronavirus, and all the work put into building up teams and values over the years has taken several steps backward. According to the latest Brand Financial Football Annual report, brand value among the top 50 soccer organizations has lost just under $900 million (€751 million), and more losses could be on their way.
The past six years have seen brand values steadily climb, pleasing owners, players and shareholders. However, that trend has come to a grinding halt because of COVID-19 and teams are going to be forced to start the rebuilding process all over again. The losses are primarily the result of the loss of revenue streams tied to game broadcasts, commercial partnerships and the matches themselves.
SBC News points out that Real Madrid, which continues to be the world’s most valuable soccer brand, is worth $1.68 billion (€1.42 billion). A substantial amount by any standards, it represents a 14% drop from its value in 2019. FC Barcelona has been able to catch up as a result, and is now only $7.11 million (€6 million) behind in terms of brand value. That gap has been closed, in part, due to the weaker soccer market and additional efforts led by Barcelona to generate additional revenue.
In England, Manchester United has seen its brand value drop by around $187.4 million (£143 million). That has led to Man U, once occupying second place on the list of most valuable soccer clubs, to relinquish its position and be relegated to third behind Barcelona. Overall, English soccer franchises still remain some of the most valuable in the world, and have six listed among the top ten – 19 among the top 50.
For Soccer Ventures (FSV), the recently launched investment team focused on the growth and long-term development of American soccer, today announced the launch of a podcast network dedicated to aggregating the best and most diverse voices in the sport of soccer in America, and a “Preferred Partnership” with Girls Soccer Network – that will see the two companies collaborate on content, production and commercial opportunities.
The first original shows to launch on the FSV network will include “Orange Slices,” hosted by former U.S. Men’s National Team star Heath Pearce and rising American star Mark McKenzie of the Philadelphia Union, as well as the reintroduction of “The Best Soccer Show,” with Sirius XM’s Jason Davis and Jared DuBois.
“There are many diverse voices in American soccer who deserve a new platform to discuss their experiences throughout the vast soccer community. Podcasting has emerged as a megaphone for storytelling, and we’ve recognized that there is no better way to invest in elevating the American soccer story than to give its future leaders the mic,” stated Philadelphia Union Investor and FSV Principal Richie Graham.
“The next decade of soccer in the U.S. will be transformative. Both fans and players alike will be protagonists in leading the growth of the sport throughout this period, and we believe Orange Slices and The Best Soccer Show provide each their space,” said Pearce, Chief Creative Officer at For Soccer Ventures. “Our network will add new, like-minded partners, such as Girls Soccer Network and additional shows launched in the coming months, as we look to celebrate the extraordinary efforts of those who’ve gotten us here, while shining a light on our path forward as a soccer nation.”
The breakdown of the launch shows include:
ORANGE SLICES: Connecting the past, present, and future generations of U.S. internationals around our collective soccer story. The show will be hosted by former US international and Major League Soccer All-Star Heath Pearce and emerging U.S. international Mark McKenzie of Philadelphia Union, this cross-generational variety show will celebrate the past, present, and future of American soccer. Part nostalgia and history, part support for the future of the game, each episode will feature guests from different generations of American soccer sharing stories, insights, and commentary on their soccer experiences. Through rotating segments, the show will take us on a journey through our uniquely American soccer culture, from the muddy fields and halftime orange slices of youth soccer to the biggest games won and lost on the world’s stage.
BEST SOCCER SHOW: Hosted by Sirius XM’s Jason Davis and American soccer devotee Jared DuBois, “Best Soccer Show” is an original blend of entertaining storytelling, quick quips, and sharp commentary that captures the spirit of American soccer fandom. Beloved for its balance of thoughtful insight and humorous candor, each episode explores American soccer’s biggest stories while celebrating our uniquely American brand of the game. From the ups and downs of our national teams to the state of MLS, UEFA and NWSL, the hosts drive dynamic conversations through rotating segments, call-ins from real fans, and interviews with some of the biggest names in the game. Down to Earth and with a big heart, it’s simply America’s Best Soccer Show.
You can download the shows on all podcast platforms, including Spotify and iTunes.
GIRLS SOCCER NETWORK: Girls Soccer Network (GSN) is a vibrant community for girls and women who love the game of soccer beyond the sidelines of the pitch. Through their digital platform (girlssoccernetwork.com) and social media, the GSN team focuses on creating engaging, empowering and inspirational content that feeds the soccer soul and brings together a culture of “Socceristas” that is positive and unapologetically themselves.
“We’re thrilled to partner with For Soccer Ventures. The leadership team recognizes the enormous opportunity to help support all the thriving women’s soccer communities across the country and to grow the game for future generations.” Said Jen Gruskoff, Founder and Editor-in-Chief @ GSN, “We’ve only scratched the surface from a content and commercial development perspective, and this partnership will help us supercharge our efforts to connect with brands and develop game-changing content platforms”
Australia and New Zealand made history, winning the rights to host the 2023 Women’s Soccer World Cup. The Tran-Tasman bid proved to be successful over Columbia, receiving 22 of the 35 votes from the FIFA Council.
The South American bid received 12 votes, with the block of voting controversially coming from Europe. England was singled out for criticism after voting against the bid from the Commonwealth nations.
OFFICIAL
Australia and New Zealand are hosting the 2023 @FIFAWWC! #AsOne pic.twitter.com/c4qMuhBTfI
Tomorrow marks the restart of English Premier League (EPL) soccer, three months after it was suspended because of the coronavirus. Like all major sports organizations, including the NBA, the NHL, Bundesliga and plenty more, the EPL has suffered economic losses that are going to require years to recuperate, but the process toward stabilization is now ready to begin. With the relaunch of EPL soccer, sportsbooks are becoming increasingly happier, as they are slowly able to offer a wider selection of options to keep sports gambling fans entertained.
In late May, the EPL announced that games would be coming back sometime this month, and it has been able to maintain its plans. Matches will be a little unusual, at least for now, because there won’t be any fans allowed at the stadiums. However, at least there will be plenty of TV coverage, which means soccer fans can catch all the action from home. When they do, they will also witness a first for professional sports, as EPL TV broadcasts are going to include crowd noise soundtracks that were created for video games, such as EA Sports’ FIFA games. Over 800 different sound clips are now ready to be used with the TV coverage, a small consolation that is designed to offer a near-real soccer viewing experience at home.
In England, sportsbooks and gambling shops began opening their doors yesterday, ready to offer lines on EPL matches, which has historically been the most popular sports league in the world for gamblers. In addition, the Royal Ascot horse racing festival, which begins today and runs through the end of the week, is going to help gambling shops start their economic recovery.
William Hill UK now has 734 shops open out of the 1,538 it operates, and Ladbrokes Coral has all of its 2,445 gambling venues operational. According to Ladbrokes Coral PR Director Simon Claire, in speaking with Racing TV, “We are seeing plenty of our regular customers returning, and they are playing their part too, showing patience queuing for the counter to put their bets on, adhering to the social distancing measures and, when necessary, queueing outside the shop.”
The resumption of Major League Soccer in the U.S. has been thrown into turmoil with the league and MLS Players’ Association at a stalemate over a resumption of the league. The League and the MLS Player’s Association had agreed to a new CBA four months ago, that was seen as a major win for the players with a major revenue sharing agreement in place and bonuses for players at the low end of the pay scale.
The outbreak of COVID-19 in the U.S. meant that the CBA was ratified, meaning that a potential renegotiation of the agreement could be on the cards, causing long term damage between the players and league. The league had threatened to lock the players out to force an agreement with the players’ association.
The MLS hierarchy used the outbreak to leverage a better long-term deal with the players’ association. The heavy-handed tactics from the league included threats to health insurance coupled with the threat to stop payments to the players.
The COVID outbreak has forced the players to take a 7.5% salary cut for the remainder of the 2020 season. The unratified CBA agreement includes a force majeure clause which allows for the cancellation of the agreement in the event of a catastrophic event.
The Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) will be grateful for the resumption of soccer in Europe, after suffering more than HK $2 billion ($258 million) in losses across the enforced break. Hong Kong punters have only had access to the horse racing market over the last two months. Fixed-odds soccer betting has become a rewarding market for the HKJC over the last decade. The club is hoping to recoup the losses with the resumption of leagues in Spain, Italy and England.
Over the 2018-2019 season, the HKJC recorded HK $15.3 billion ($1.97 billion) in revenue from betting on soccer leagues in Europe, with the projections expected to slump across the 2019-2020 season. The break in play has emphasised the significance of soccer betting in the Hong Kong market.
HKJC Chief Executive Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges highlighted the revenue loss.
“You can see now with the Korean league back and the Bundesliga going again, some of it is coming back but it is not even 30 per cent. With no football product, the impact has been significant, it is around HK$1 billion per month.”
Germany’s Bundesliga may have been the first major soccer (or football, depending on which side of the pond you’re on) league to get back into action, but it soon won’t be alone. The UK’s Premier League announced yesterday that it now has a plan to resume games, and it should make soccer fans extremely happy. Not only will the season resume in a few short weeks, but every match is going to be broadcast live. Anyone suffering from soccer withdrawal will now be able to get a massive fix.
The Premier League will have been suspended for a total of 100 days when players finally get back on the field on June 17. The league’s “Project Restart” will have two games played on that day, with the rest of the season running almost non-stop starting two days later. The first contests will be Arsenal against Manchester City and Sheffield United against Aston Villa.
Richard Masters, the Premier League’s CEO, throws out a word of caution designed to keep everyone from getting overly excited, since Project Restart relies on the input of health officials and teams’ adherence to health policies. He explains, “Today we have provisionally agreed to resume the Premier League on Wednesday, 17 June. But this date cannot be confirmed until we have met all the safety requirements needed, as the health and welfare of all participants and supporters [are] our priority.
“Sadly, matches will have to take place without fans in stadiums, so we are pleased to have come up with a positive solution for supporters to be able to watch all the remaining 92 matches. The Premier League and our clubs are proud to have incredibly passionate and loyal supporters. It is important to ensure as many people as possible can watch the matches at home. We will continue to work step-by-step and in consultation with all our stakeholders as we move towards resuming the 2019-20 season.”
It appears that an apple a day isn’t the only thing that will keep the doctor away. If you ask the president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, vodka will work just as well, and will help protect people from the coronavirus. In the former Soviet Bloc country, drinking the potent alcohol and driving tractors are cures for COVID-19, which has decimated sports activity across the globe. Belarus hasn’t succumbed to the sports stoppage, though, and this has proven to be beneficial for the Belarusian Premier League (BPL), possibly the only soccer league in the world still running.
Casino.org points out that the BPL is just now getting underway, having just started the season. The Australian A-League is also running, but it’s holding games in empty stadiums and is just about to wrap up, which could leave the Belarus league as the last one standing amid the coronavirus pandemic. Six BPL matches were held last Saturday, highlighted by a game between FC Minsk and Dinamo Minsk in front of 3,000 fans in the country’s capital.
Lukashenko, often dubbed “Europe’s last dictator,” could be partially to thank for the league not shutting down. He believes everyone is panicking because of the coronavirus and told London’s The Times this past weekend, “The world has gone mad from the coronavirus. This psychosis has crippled national economies almost everywhere in the world.” He had previously addressed the Belarus people, asserting, “There shouldn’t be any panic. You just have to work, especially now, in a village. Tractors will cure everyone! The field heals everyone!”
In addition to riding around in tractors and plowing the fields, the controversial president has other advice to combat COVID-19. He explains, “Go to the sauna. Two or three times a week will do you good. When you come out of the sauna, not only wash your hands, but also your insides with 100 milliliters of vodka.”
At the end of last week, international soccer phenom Ronaldinho tried to enter Paraguay on a fake passport. The former soccer star from Brazil was busted with his brother and business manager, Roberto Assis, and the two were promptly shipped off to a maximum security prison. Why someone like Ronaldinho would need to use a counterfeit passport, especially when he had used his own, real passport earlier in his journey, is, at the very least, puzzling, but it isn’t the end of the saga for the Ballon d’Or winner. He is reportedly now facing additional criminal charges in the country.
It isn’t exactly clear what is included in the new charges – Paraguay has been fairly tight-lipped on the subject. However, Globoesporte learned from a source close to the subject that “there are indications that other crimes were committed.” The lawyer representing Ronaldinho and his brother, Sergio Queiroz, has also been quiet, according to a report by Reuters.
Ronaldinho and Assis have already admitted that the passports they used were fake, but said they didn’t realize it when they received them. Queiroz explains, “They confessed that they used these false passports. But there was no harm done to the Paraguayan state. Roberto and Ronaldinho did not know that the passports were irregular. And they cooperated fully with authorities.” He added that the brothers’ detention is “arbitrary, abusive and illegal.”
Those claims may be a little exaggerated, as Ronaldinho appears to be in high spirits, even while behind bars. The prison’s warden, Blas Vera, explained to Reuters, “In broad terms, he is doing very well. I see he is in good spirits, just like you see him on television, always smiling.”
SBG Sports Software is excited to announce the opening of its new North American operation based out of Chicago, IL. headed up by recently appointed VP of Sales and Business Development, Joe Schrimpl.
SBG Sports Software Incorporated will strengthen SBG’s growth in Major League Soccer and US motorsports series whilst offering enhanced local support for existing customers. This investment comes as a direct result of increasing demand for SBG’s next generation sports analytics applications RaceWatch, MatchTracker and Focus.
The appointment of Joe Schrimpl represents a strategic move to expand the SBG product suite to support additional elite sports across North America. Schrimpl is joining with over 20 years of award-winning success in sales and operations throughout the sports technology space. Schrimpl served in various capacities for over 7 years at XOS Digital Inc, serving as Account Manager to numerous professional and collegiate football, basketball and hockey teams for video and data analysis and instant replay. Schrimpl was also a part of National Championship Football staffs, directing the Video and Operations Department at the University of Southern California for nearly 7 years. Schrimpl began his career in sports technology assisting Football, Basketball and Soccer staffs at the University of Miami, Fl and Drake University respectively.
SBG’s global leadership position in professional sports is reflected by customers in 40 countries across 4 continents, with local partners in Spain, Germany, Japan and Australia. A new base in Chicago gives SBG access to elite sports throughout the US and Canada, perfectly located to further enable customer support and new market development across 3 time zones.
Gareth Griffith, CEO of SBG Sports Software comments on the expansion into the US: “Over the last few years we have been applying SBG technology with great success in elite level sports including Formula 1, Premier League football and Six Nations rugby. It has been a long-held ambition to expand into North American sports, which I have personally followed enthusiastically for many years. We are delighted that Joe Schrimpl is joining us to lead our US organisation. His appointment reflects our continued commitment to industry expertise, and we look forward to making significant impact in the US market.”
Joe Schrimpl: “I’ve been in the sports technology industry for many years and SBG’s reputation and position within the market is second to none. Coaching and analysis staff are in constant pursuit of that competitive edge and they deserve a technology partner that is equally competitive, dependable and innovative. SBG brings a unique and unparalleled approach to elite sports data and visualization applications to the US sports industry. I’m thrilled to be joining the SBG Team.”
The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) is the largest soccer organization in the world. It has had its ups and downs over the years, with great fan reception countered by stories of matches being rigged. The league, as well as Spain’s La Liga and others, have uncovered instances of match-fixing lately that have brought embarrassment to the game, and to sports in general, and it seems that the fraud has extended across the entire European continent – if not the world. The latest example comes as police in Spain have turned over to UEFA evidence that certain prominent soccer matches in Cyprus could have been unfairly played.
According to the Spanish media outlet El Confidencial, UEFA has received information that the Cyprus Cup, as well as a number of soccer games in the country, were fixed in 2017 and 2018. A known match-fixing ring in Spain was recently uncovered, and the subsequent investigation into that illegal operation determined that the Cypriot games were included. The allegations appear to center on Spanish soccer player Jorge Larena, who played for a team based in Larnaca, Cyprus from 2014 to 2019.
El Confidencial explains, “The plot had also started acting abroad. The wiretaps made it possible to discover that the leaders of the group had a contact in Cyprus that provided them with data on rigged parties in that country. That is the part that interests UEFA. The network’s link was Jorge Larena, a former player of Atlético de Madrid (2001-2006) who, in the summer of 2015, signed for one of the great Cypriot teams, AEK Larnaca, the most important club in the city where the car exploded bomb on January 17. Larena remained on the squad of this team until July 2019, when he hung up his cleats.”
The referenced car bomb explosion targeted a Cyprus soccer referee and is said to be linked to match-fixing at a minimum of three Second Division games and two Cup championship games. The same group behind the assassination is said to be involved in a separate altercation in Greece, where former Real Sociedad player Darko Kovacevic was gunned down on January 6. UEFA called upon Spanish authorities to help try to bring an end to the run on murders and match-fixing after details of the La Liga corruption were made public.
The gambling industry in Spain is one of the hottest and online activity has picked up substantially. This trend has already been predicted to continue and is helping pave the way for a lot of partnerships tying together sports and gambling. One of the more recent deals goes well beyond Spanish borders, though, as the Real Madrid soccer team has made Russian sportsbook Marathonbet its official Russian partner. It’s the first time in the team’s 117-year history that it has brought onboard a Russian organization.
Through the arrangement, Marathonbet will be able to increase its marketing presence in Spain through the use of virtual LED boards that will be used in Russian broadcasts of Real Madrid matches. It will also be able to launch “exclusive offers” tied to the soccer organization and can also host special events during the upcoming season, including matchday VIP experiences, meet-and-greets and more.
Marathonbet has been around since 1997, offering live and pre-betting action on various sporting events and other activities. This is its second agreement in Spain, as it connected with a soccer club out of Seville, Sevilla FC, earlier this year.
The latest partnership comes as Spain, just like many countries, is considering drastic changes to how gambling operators can advertise their services. The industry collectively set about to introduce its own guidance to avoid the government overstepping its bounds, and that guidance has been accepted by gaming regulators in the country.
SUPER SOCCER STARS, the nation’s
premier youth soccer organization, and Capelli Sport the
international, innovative sportswear and team-wear brand announce
they are extending their uniform and apparel partnership.
Capelli
Sport will continue as the official jersey supplier for Super Soccer
Stars and the official uniform and apparel provider for Soccer Stars
United travel and developmental teams. The brand’s innovative,
world-class training gear, equipment and uniforms have yielded many
global recreational, youth, club, collegiate, semi-professional and
professional sports partnerships.
“Capelli
Sport apparel provides great quality, functionality and design for
high-level performance on the field. Super Soccer Stars is excited to
continue our partnership and offer our kids and families the best
gear to play in, especially for Soccer Stars United
our competitive travel and advanced development program from Super
Soccer Stars.
said Toby
Tenenbaum, Vice President of Soccer Stars United.
Super
Soccer Stars United Program
is an advanced development & travel program for players aged 4.5
– 18. The development & competitive travel teams include 52
teams across three territories, NY, LA & Miami with over 5k+
players. Soccer Stars United members need innovative sportswear that
performs on the field and Capelli Sport delivers that promise.
“Super
Soccer Stars and its mission to provide a platform for youth athletes
to succeed on the field is where the organization aligns with Capelli
Sport. Through this partnership, youth athletes throughout the United
States will have the opportunity to further their soccer development
with our modern uniforms and training gear, world-class equipment,
and enhanced support for player development.” said George Altirs,
President of Capelli Sport
The
renewed partnership will feature exclusive, custom-designed kits for
the Fall 2019 season.
PlayerMaker, the leading international sports data analytics start-up, has teamed up with the BetVictor Northern Premier Football League (NPL), becoming the league’s first-ever player performance partner.
The deal is for an initial 12 months and will see PlayerMaker’s unique AI-driven boot-mounted device offered to players across the NPL’s 62 semi-professional clubs.
Already in use internationally, PlayerMaker tracks and analyses tactical, technical and physical player performance on and off the pitch. The breadth of data generated can inform coaches’ decision-making processes, particularly in relation to player performance optimisation, talent identification and injury prevention.
Players at participating NPL clubs will have the opportunity to train wearing the PlayerMaker device, providing the coaches and players with access to a comprehensive set of tailored metrics held securely. The NPL will also be discussing with the FA whether players can wear the PlayerMaker device in competitive matches.
Guy Aharon, CEO and Co-Founder of PlayerMaker, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to be acting as the NPL’s official player performance partner over the next year, providing consultation services for performance optimisation and access to a stream of accurate and objective datapoints at a granular level. It is fantastic to see the NPL embracing technology in this way and we look forward to collaborating with their clubs over the coming year.”
Mark Harris, Northern Premier Football League Chairman, said: “The BetVictor Northern Premier League has always led the way in adopting digital technology. We are also committed to helping drive forward standards in coaching and player development. This exciting new partnership with PlayerMaker is the next stage in this journey.”
Genius Sports Group, a global leader in sports data technology, has been awarded the exclusive right to collect official Serie A betting data in stadia from the start of the 2019/20 season.
The data will be captured using the Group’s advanced pitchside technology and instantaneously distributed as a live feed to licensed sportsbook operators outside of Italy via its sports betting arm, Betgenius.
By creating the fastest, most accurate and reliable real-time data feed on Serie A fixtures, Betgenius will offer sportsbooks and their customers access to premium content and a world-class betting experience, while providing the league with a solid return for betting on its games.
To provide enhanced control and visibility over the use of its betting data, Serie A will launch its first rights enforcement initiative, including the identification and ejection of unauthorised data collectors operating in-stadia.
Jack Davison, Chief Commercial Officer of Genius Sports Group, said: “Our partnership with Serie A is another example where we work with the most important global sports competitions to ensure our sportsbook operators have complete confidence in the security of their data supply and that our organisation will deliver the most trusted and compelling betting products to operators around the world. We look forward to working alongside Serie A to help extend the reach one of the largest leagues in world football.”
Following a competitive tender process, the German Football Association (DFB) has today selected Genius Sports to launch a new integrity program that will monitor over 7,500 games a year to prevent match-fixing and betting-related corruption.
Beginning with the 2019/20 season, Genius Sports’ Bet Monitoring System will provide vital visibility across global betting on all Bundesliga, 2. Bundesliga, German internationals, women’s and youth team fixtures. By analyzing global odds movements with predictive algorithms, this technology will automatically flag potentially suspicious betting activity in real-time.
The DFB integrity team will now benefit from unprecedented levels of betting intelligence, detailed reports on individual games and analysis of global betting markets that will provide key information from third party sources and bookmakers to support any integrity investigations.
Steven Burton, Managing Director at Genius Sports, said: “Being selected to safeguard the integrity and future of one of the largest football associations in the world is a huge honor for Genius Sports and is a testament to the quality of our services. Our monitoring technology, expertise in analyzing real-time betting and global intelligence network will provide comprehensive protection for the DFB, ensuring their games remain transparent and unpredictable.”
For the first time ever, DraftKings will offer its innovative daily fantasy games for the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, making women’s soccer the 13th DFS category for DraftKings, which continues to lead the pack in available sports among fantasy operators.
“All eyes will be on the matches in France, and we are excited to offer soccer fans a more engaging way to enjoy the action,” said Matt Kalish, CRO and co-founder of DraftKings. “The passion of our fans informs our innovation and product roadmap, so for such a special event that only comes along every four years, we wanted to ensure our full complement of offerings would be at their fingertips.”
Fueling the DraftKings Women’s World Cup contests are the company’s data capabilities, which will source match and player information at every moment of play for fans to leverage in their daily fantasy selections. Customers can enjoy DraftKings Classic and Showdown modes for World Cup matches, constructing lineups of six players while staying within a $50,000 salary cap range and designating a “captain” slot that grants one player a bonus multiplier. Classic contests will require selecting players from more than one match, while Showdown contests must include players from each team in a single match.
In addition to the daily fantasy contests available in eight countries around the world – including the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and Australia – fans in New Jersey and Mississippi will be able to legally bet on the Women’s World Cup for the first time via DraftKings Sportsbook, with mobile only available in New Jersey.
To get in the game inside the game during the Women’s World Cup, players can either head to www.draftkings.com or download the DraftKings app via iOS and Android.
Genius Sports Group, the global leader in sports data technology, has been appointed by Football DataCo, the data rights holder of all competitions organised by the Premier League, English Football League and Scottish Professional Football League, as its official supplier of live data to the global sports betting sector.
Through Betgenius, its sports betting division, Genius Sports Group will capture official live game data in-stadia at over 4,000 fixtures a season, and distribute it to hundreds of licenced sportsbook operators around the world in under a second.
Commencing at the start of the 2019/20 season, this multi-year partnership will create the sports betting sector’s fastest, most accurate and reliable data feed for in-play betting products and live betting innovations, in order to drive long term value for sports betting operators around the world.
“English and Scottish football is vital to any sportsbook offering and Genius Sports provided a compelling proposal to maximise the value of live data in the betting market for the Leagues. We look forward to working with Genius Sports, and its sports betting division Betgenius, in developing innovative data feeds for the market to use,” said Adrian Ford, General Manager of Football DataCo.
Mark Locke, Genius Sports Group CEO, commented: “Being selected by Football DataCo as their exclusive official data partner is transformational for our organisation and reinforces our position as the global leader in sports data capture and distribution technology. This partnership upholds our commitment to ensuring sports remain at the heart of a sustainable sports betting ecosystem that is fair and rewarding for all participants.
“The use of secure, UK football league sanctioned data signals the increased maturity of the industry and recognises the value and protections that this official data feed provides. Football DataCo leads the world through its heavy investment in a product that assures operators can have complete confidence in its data supply to power some of most valuable sports betting content in the world, including all Premier League matches.”
STATS, the worldwide leader in sports data and intelligence, announced that media and gambling sales director Roy Clements will speak on a panel at Betting on Football at Stamford Bridge in London today.
Clements will present on the panel, “Data – do you get what you pay for?” at 15:30 on Thursday. The panel will focus on types of data feeds, delivery mechanisms, and creating the right data package for a business. Assaf Stieglitz, founder of Odds1x2, will moderate the panel with participation from other panelists spanning the sports data gambling space.
“Data is the backbone of the sports gambling sector, and having the right data feeds and integration is paramount to getting a sportsbook or other sports betting company off the ground,” said Clements. “Fast and accurate live data is obviously important, but we are also seeing a new wave of AI-powered predictions that are more accurately anticipating the events in a match. With third-screen experiences becoming a new part of following a match, it is important for companies to consider data integration when creating a fan experience on their platform. At STATS, we’re committed to investing in faster and more accurate data, and creating new match insights through AI-powered data solutions.”
Betting on Football brings together decision-makers from international operators to address the recent issues and opportunities in the sports betting industry. For more information, visit: https://sbcevents.com/betting-on-football-2019/
