Shorts: Newcastle, Nba, Williams

Newcastle United has announced a multi-year partnership with Quidd, the digital collectibles and NFT marketplace. 

The partnership will provide the opportunity to Newcastle United’s global fanbase to build and trade collections of officially licensed digital trading cards, digital video moments, and digital memorabilia on Quidd. 

Peter Silverstone, Chief Commercial Officer of Newcastle United, said, “Quidd is the ideal partner for our first-ever, officially licensed, digital collection.  

“As Newcastle United’s fanbase expands globally, it is important we find new, and innovative, ways to build strong connections with club supporters wherever they are, and across a variety of different platforms. 

“This innovative partnership with Quidd will allow us to reach and engage club supporters through an exciting digital collection which will augment our much-anticipated future retail offering.” 

The first series of limited- edition Newcastle United trading cars, will be released on 28th March. 

The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Sportradar have launched a betting integration for the league’s global over-the-top (OTT) service, NBA League Pass.

Content such as point spreads, over-under and money lines will feature during live game broadcasts on the platform. This will be powered by Sportradar’s emBET OTT product, which aims to enhance the live betting experience.

In markets where sports gambling is legal, users will invited to opt-in to have the feature within League Pass. This will direct users to the NBA’s betting partners FanDuel and DraftKings.

Patrick Mostboeck, SVP of Audiovisual at Sportradar, said, “EmBET is an exciting innovation for NBA fans, making in-play betting more engaging and immersive.

“Through our exclusive partnership with the NBA, we’re committed to develop next-generation, value-added products and services, like emBET, to drive fan and bettor engagement.”

Sportradar has served as the NBA’s data distribution partner since the 2023/24 season, after signing a multi-year agreement reportedly worth up to $1bn (£787.8m) in 2021.

Legendary former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has received a lifetime membership from German club Eintracht Frankfurt.

The Bundesliga outfit presented the 82-year-old with a team shirt featuring his name, as an honorary gesture for the former United boss.

Frankfurt recently met with Ferguson in December, after Die Adler’s UEFA Europa Conference League clash with Aberdeen, the club he managed between 1978 and 1986, winning three Scottish Premier Division titles. 

During his playing career, Ferguson scored a hat-trick against Frankfurt while playing for Rangers in a pre-season friendly in 1967.

“Eintracht’s most successful period was during my time at Aberdeen in the 70s and 80s, when they won the UEFA Cup in 1980,” Ferguson said.

”They beat Barcelona more recently, right? I saw that. And the [2021/22 UEFA Europa League] final against Rangers was fantastic.”

💬🥰We said to ourselves: "Wow! A great German team!"

Sir Alex Ferguson on seeing Eintracht play for the first time in 1960 as a Rangers fan, his hat-trick against SGE seven years later and the "unbelievable" Jürgen Grabowski ⤵️#SGE pic.twitter.com/6lrqNiZEul

— Eintracht Frankfurt (@eintracht_eng) March 19, 2024

Premier League champions Manchester City will be returning to the US this summer for the club’s 2024/25 pre-season tour.

The tour comprises four fixtures, kicking off on 23rd of July against reigning Scottish champions Celtic, and concluding with a Chelsea clash at Ohio Stadium, the 102,780-seat home of the Ohio State Buckeyes.

City will also face AC Milan on 27th July at Yankee Stadium, and will play against Barcelona at the Camping World Stadium in Orlando on 30th July.

Peter Laundy, SVP of Partnerships at City Football Group, said, “Our 2022 pre-season visit to the United States was hugely successful, including our sell-out fixture at Lambeau Field, Green Bay and the club’s presence, fan base and status continues to grow significantly within the region. 

“We can’t wait to play more matches, deliver more unique experiences and opportunities for our fans across the country to enjoy with Manchester City when we return later this year.”

William Racing has announced a new partnership with eyewear brand SunGod. 

Ali Watkiss, Co-Founder and CEO of SunGod, said, “We’re hugely excited to be partnering with Williams Racing. Williams’ future is bright, and we’re proud to unite two British brands who are both on such strong trajectories in 2024. The last few years have seen rising demand for high-quality, performance-led eyewear in F1, and we’re delighted to step up to the plate for Williams.

“Drawn together by our shared passion for technical excellence and sustainable innovation, our teams are already working collaboratively to create market-leading eyewear for Williams drivers, teams and fans. We can’t wait to share these with the F1 community very soon.” 

The limited edition collections, designed for drivers, team members and Williams fans, will be launched later this year. 

LIV Golf and live entertainment production company AEG Presents have announced an exclusive multi-year partnership.

The deal will see AEG Presents and its subsidiary, Concerts West, book musical acts and produce live concerts for LIV Golf events around the world, further strengthening LIV Golf’s ‘fan-first event experiences.’

Mark Norman, Senior Vice President of Global touring of Concerts West, the subsidiary of AEG Presents, said, “We couldn’t be more thrilled to join forces with LIV Golf to bring world-class entertainment to this exciting new golf league.

 “This felt like such a natural fit for us, and to sit right at the intersection of sports and music will enable us to super serve an audience that’s looking for an elevated experience at LIV Golf events and tournaments.”

LIV Golf Commissioner and CEO Greg Norman, added, “LIV Golf is proud to partner with AEG Presents, one of the biggest live entertainment companies in the world.

“Global leaders in sports, entertainment and technology are embracing LIV Golf and recognizing how our game-changing league is connecting the sport with new audiences. Through this partnership, the league’s fan-friendly tournament experiences and ‘Golf, But Louder’ ethos will reach new levels of excitement as we deliver even more value for fans in 2024 and beyond.”