Industry Shorts: Wheelchair Basketball, Esl, Uefa

British Wheelchair Basketball (BWBB) has launched a ‘game-changing’ new Women’s Premier League. The move will herald a first-of-its-kind elite competition women’s wheelchair basketball in the world, and will also create the very first professional para-sport league in the UK.

As part of the creation of the league, BWBB has announced four new High-Performance Partnerships with universities across the UK. New centres of excellence for both men’s and women’s wheelchair basketball will be created at Cardiff Metropolitan University, Loughborough University, University of East London and the University of Worcester, as well as franchise teams for the new women’s league. 

The inaugural season will run from December 2021 to May 2022. READ MORE 

The fall-out from the launch of the European Super League (ESL) has continued, with both UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin and FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaking at the UEFA Congress in Switzerland.

In his address, Ceferin told the six Premier League clubs who had joined the ‘breakaway’ group that there was ‘still time’ to reverse their decision. “Gentlemen you made a huge mistake,” he said. 

“Some will say it is greed, others disdain, arrogance … there is still time to change your mind. Everyone makes mistakes”

Meanwhile, Danish FA Chairman and UEFA Executive Committee member Jesper Moller, suggesting that ‘breakaway’ clubs Chelsea, Man City and Real Madrid could be banned from UEFA Champions League semi-finals in punishment for their participation in the proposed new competition. Real Madrid President and ESL Chairman Florentino Perez however, said that the creation of the new competition was intended to ‘save football at this critical moment’.

Elsewhere, UEFA says it will announce a final decision on venues for the rescheduled EURO 2020 competition on Friday 23rd April.

The organisation’s Executive Committee was presented with ‘several options’ for matches scheduled to take place in Bilbao, Dublin and Munich – the three venues where there is currently no confirmed spectators’ attendance.

Sportradar has announced the appointment of Bloomberg Chief Marketing Officer Deirdre Bigley to the Sportradar Holding AG Global Board of Directors. 

Bigley has held the position of CMO, Bloomberg since 2014, and has been responsible for designing and launching the first global marketing department at the organisation, building marketing strategies for all business units across the company. 

Bigley joined Bloomberg in 2009 as the Global Leader of Marketing Communications, and prior to that, held numerous leadership positions at IBM, including Vice President of IBM Brand and Vice President of Worldwide Advertising and Interactive.  

A new deal between Sky and the SPFL will see Scottish Premiership clubs given the opportunity to broadcast all 228 matches to season ticket holders next season.

The deal will see the broadcaster and the clubs continue the arrangement that is currently in place, which has allowed clubs to make ‘season passes’ available to season ticket holders, broadcasting their home matches through their online club channels. 

In addition, all clubs will be allowed to sell any home game not broadcast live by Sky, on a pay-per-view basis next season. The pair say that the deal gives ‘certainty’ to fans and clubs about access to matches next season, with discussions still ongoing between football authorities in the country and the Scottish Government over the return of fans to stadiums.

The ICC has launched a mentorship programme for future female leaders in cricket, as part of its 100% Cricket campaign.

The 100% Cricket – Future Leaders Programme will support emerging female talent in cricket across administration, coaching and officiating, broadcast, and journalism as well as marketing, digital and technology and events, and is designed to address the ‘low percentage’ of women in leadership positions in the sport.

Confirmed mentors include ICC Chair Greg Barclay; ECB Managing Director – Events & Special Projects and former Managing Director, Cricket World Cup 2019, Steve Elworthy; and Operations Director, Engage Digital Partners and Sport Industry NextGen Leader, Gemma Davies.

Sport Industry Awards Partner Sporting Wine Club has launched a new campaign to celebrate World Malbec Day, which takes place on Saturday 24th April.

The wine importer which offers only wines with a connection to sport and athletes is offering Lionel Messi-produced Malbec at half price in the build-up to the day, and will also donate all profits directly to the Barcelona star’s Lionel Messi Foundation. In addition, purchasers will also be placed into a draw for the chance to win a personalised shirt signed by the Argentinian legend himself.

Last week, Sporting Wine Club launched a new partnership with the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, set up by former Scotland rugby player Doddie Weir to battle Motor Neurone Disease. The pair teamed up with Kenny Logan’s Logan Sports Marketing and Schalk Burger’s Welbedacht Estate winery in South Africa to launch a new wine blend from five grapes (to align with Weir’s famous number 5 shirt) with proceeds going to the Foundation.

League Two side Grimsby Town have launched a ‘shirt amnesty’ for clubs of the Premier League’s so-called ‘Big Six’, who are part of the ‘breakaway’ group of clubs to have formed the European Super League.

Fans can ‘surrender’ their ‘Big Six’ shirts in exchange for a Grimsby Town shirt, while those surrendered during the amnesty will be donated to local youth groups and humanitarian projects in Africa.