Industry Shorts: Arsenal, Uefa, Premiership Rugby
Arsenal have announced that cryptocurrency-based sports betting platform Sportsbet.io has become its new Official Betting Partner.
The Premier League club say the partnership will focus on creating exclusive experiences to reward both Arsenal fans and Sportsbet.io customers, and will also harness Arsenal’s status in women’s football to help grow the women’s game in Estonia, where Sportsbet.io is headquartered.
Arsenal coaches will deliver football clinics to Estonia’s U19s women’s team, while Sportsbet.io will also leverage its access to the Gunners’ men’s and women’s teams to create digital content.
UEFA has announced that its women’s competitions will be postponed until November, while the format of some of its competitions will also be altered to allow clubs and national associations more time to adapt to coronavirus restrictions.
The UEFA Women’s Champions League was due to begin in August, but the preliminary round mini-tournaments will now be replaced by two single-leg knock-out rounds which will take place on 3rd and 4th November, with the second round 18th and 19th November.
The first round of the competition proper – the round of 32 – will now take place on 8th and 9th December, with return legs on 15th and 16th December. The remainder of the competition will take place as originally scheduled, with a final set for May 2021.
Premiership Rugby CMO Zoe Clapp has left her role at the league to join Google as Director, YouTube Marketing UK & YouTube Originals EMEA.
She leaves Premiership Rugby after seven months as CMO, having joined from UKTV in February 2020 alongside current CCO Mark Brittain.
Former World Athletics President Lamine Diack has been jailed for two years after being found guilty of corruption.
The 87-year-old was convicted of accepting bribes from athletes suspected of doping and was sentenced to four years in prison, with two suspended.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has signed a new agreement with Sportradar Integrity Services, who will support the governing body’s Anti-Corruption Unit in monitoring and safeguarding the integrity of matches in the 2020 IPL season.
As part of the agreement, all matches from the 2020 IPL – which will be held in the United Arab Emirates – will be monitored by Sportradar to detect betting irregularities. The BCCI will also be able to call upon Sportradar’s Intelligence and Investigation Services during the partnership, if required.
Sports hydration brand WOW Hydrate has signed british gymnasts Ellie and Becky Downie.
The sisters, represented by Nixus Sport and Entertainment, will act as ambassadors for the brand, and join a roster of athletes and influencers such as Tyson Fury, Kevin de Bruyne, Fran Kirby, Jamie Redknapp and Eddie Hearn.
