Industry Shorts: Wta, Atp, Liverpool

The ATP and WTA have announced a partnership with TopCourt, which sees the digital learning platform become the first Official Tennis E-Learning Partner of both the ATP Tour and WTA Tour. 

The platform offers tennis fans educational tools for learning the game from the world’s best players as well as some of its legendary coaches. Exclusive content includes tennis lessons, drills, strategy and training tactics, player interviews and behind the scenes footage, offering fans unprecedented access to their favourite players.

Through the partnership, content from various TopCourt players will be featured on the ATP and WTA’s digital platforms, highlighting TopCourt ambassadors on the tours’ rankings pages. Designated via the signature gold court icon, fans will have access to new releases, exclusive trailers, and extended player profiles, linking them back to the TopCourt site.

Premier League side Liverpool will trial the temporary installation of seats with safety rails in two areas of its Anfield stadium following a safety review by the Sports Grounds Safety Authority.

The review highlighted that during matches persistent standing in the Kop and Anfield Road lower tier areas of the ground is an ‘issue that needs to be addressed to ensure supporters’ safety’.

The club says The Kop and Anfield Road Stand will see a total of 7,800 seats updated in the trial, which will begin from the start of next season. Around 1,800 new seats will be located in the back of the Kop and 6,000 in the Anfield Road Stand lower tier. The stadium will remain an all-seater stadium, according to the club, while it says the the trialled areas with the new seats and safety rails are ‘not “safe standing” areas’ as fans can ‘ stand safely at key moments in the game, like goal celebrations, but must revert to a seat at other times’.

A UEFA EURO 2020 press conference, in which Portugal and Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo moved bottles of Coca-Cola out of the way and held up a bottle of water instead, coincided with a $4 billion drop in the company’s share price.

The incident happened in the build-up to Portugal’s victory over Hungary on Tuesday, but as of Wednesday morning the share price has not fully recovered. 

In the aftermath, in a reply, Coca-Cola said that ‘everyone is entitled to their drink preferences’.

Meanwhile, OneFootball says it has seen a 300% increase in brand activity on its platform since the start of UEFA EURO 2020 compared with the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

The platform says almost 100 brands including Volkswagen, Samsung, Hugo Boss and Nutella have used the platform to reach fans on the platform as well as its YouTube and other social media channels.

OneFootball has also released a limited-edition No Borders clothing line ‘inspired by the power of football to cross cultures, break down barriers and unite fans through their shared passion for the game’. 

West Ham have announced match breaks supplier P1 Travel as its exclusive Official International Ticket and Hospitality Reseller. 

The brand gives fans the chance to visit their favourite sports or music events anywhere in the world and will support the Premier League side’s international presence by giving West Ham’s overseas fans the opportunity to buy tickets, match breaks or hospitality at London Stadium.  

Everton has become the latest Premier League side to sign an agreement with digital inventory platform Horizm.

The club will use Horizm’s AI-powered platform which aims to help teams better understand the value of their digital assets.

The club follows Premier League rivals Arsenal, Chelsea, Watford and Wolves in agreeing a deal with the platform.

Wellness technology brand Therabody has announced Maro Itoje as its newest athlete ambassador. 

In addition to being a Therabody Athlete, the England and Lions star is also part of the brand’s group of athlete and celebrity investors who incorporate wellness solutions into their routines.

Earlier this year, the brand announced more than 100 celebrity investors from the world of sport and entertainment, including Itoje and the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Rihanna. The news means Itoje will now serve as both an ambassador and an investor to the brand.