Industry Shorts: Uefa, Topps, Everton
The Topps Company has extended its partnership with UEFA, continuing as the organisation’s Exclusive and Official Collectibles Cartner for UEFA’s club cup competitions.
In addition to the UEFA Champions League, the global sticker and trading card company has also secured exclusive rights for the UEFA Europa League, UEFA Women’s Champions League, as well as this year’s inaugural UEFA Conference League.
The deal will see Topps expand its product portfolio and add a new dimension to the collectors’ and trading card community. With the required third-party IP clearances, Topps will also be creating versions of selected collectibles products as NFTs.
Meanwhile, Everton have launched their Fan Token Offering (FTO) in partnership with Chiliz, which will be available on the Socios.com app.
The FTO gives supporters the opportunity to collect the first-ever digital $EFC Fan Tokens, which will allow the club to create a ‘more engaging fan experience’ and it will also offer a free $EFC Token to all Everton Season Ticket, Hospitality and Official Members.
The Fan Tokens are digital collectable assets, minted on the Chiliz blockchain, that will provide access to voting rights in polls, VIP rewards, exclusive fan experiences and promotions.
Northampton Saints have extended their long-standing partnership with Travis Perkins, which will remain in place until at least 2025.
Travis Perkins will celebrate their 20-year anniversary with Saints by remaining as the Club’s Principal Partner and, in doing so, will maintain their branding on the front of Northampton’s home and away playing kits.
From 2022/23 onwards, it will also become the club’s Headline Community Partner, focusing on helping to make the game of rugby more accessible to all. It will support the club’s activities across grassroots women’s and girls’ rugby, wheelchair rugby, and will partner with the Club to create an innovative new Matchday Inclusion Hub. In addition, Travis Perkins and Saints will both aim to enhance the campaigns that they have already been delivering, notably driving the conversation on Diversity and Inclusion as well as Mental Health Awareness.
Badminton England has launched a new inclusion campaign, aiming to open up the sport to a new generation of able bodied and disabled players.
After pausing the rollout of the Disability Action Plan due to the pandemic, Badminton England says the initiative will be placed at the heart of a ‘renewed commitment’ to delivering a diverse and inclusive sport.
The plan was originally approved in September 2019, and has already seen over 60 new coaches trained to provide activity for disabled people to play badminton, while a world class programme has also been put in place.
