Shorts: West Ham, Leicester, Nse

West Ham United has announced a partnership with eToro, which sees the platform become the club’s official online trading partner. 

The new relationship will span across both the men’s and women’s teams. 

As part of the deal, eToro branding will feature at fixtures on perimeter advertising systems at both London Stadium and the Chigwell Construction Stadium, and eToro will work with the Hammers to deliver matchday activations, competitions, and education for fans throughout the season. 

Nathan Thompson, Chief Executive Officer for West Ham United, said, “We are thrilled to announce our partnership with eToro, a collaboration that extends its support not only to our men’s team but also to our women’s team.   

“This partnership signifies a momentous step forward in our commitment to growing women’s football, empowering our players, and providing them with the resources they need to excel.

“Together with eToro, we are determined to create a lasting impact, promoting equality, diversity, and inclusivity within the sport we love.   

“This partnership not only elevates our women’s team but also amplifies the voices of WSL clubs, inspiring the next generation to chase their dreams. We are incredibly excited about the positive strides we will take together to shape a brighter future for women’s football.”

EFL Championship football club Leicester City FC has been fined up to £880k after admitting anti-competitive arrangement with JD Sports.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said the club and retailer JD Sports had admitted to anti-competitive behaviour, including “price fixing conduct”.

It said both broke competition law between 2018 and 2021 with an illegal deal on clothing sales.

The recently relegated club has accepted the CMA findings.

The 2015/16 Premier League champions, and it’s parent companies, have subsequently agreed to pay a fine up to the maximum penalty of £880,000, the CMA said.

JD Sports will avoid a fine after reporting the illegal activity.

Michael Grenfell, Executive Director of Enforcement at the CMA, said, “Strong and unimpeded competition between retailers is essential to consumers’ ability to shop around for the best deals.

“Football fans are well-known for their loyalty towards their teams. In this case we have provisionally found that Leicester City FC and JD Sports colluded to share out markets and fix prices – with the result that fans may have ended up paying more than they would otherwise have done. Both parties have now admitted their involvement, allowing us to bring the investigation to a swift conclusion.

“The fine that Leicester City FC and its parent companies have agreed to pay sends a clear message to them and other businesses that anti-competitive collusion will not be tolerated.”

National Student Esports (NSE) has announced the renewal of its partnership with Intel.

As part of the extension, American technology company Intel will continue as the headline partner of the British University Esports Championship and provide support for the university esports and gaming community in the UK.

The long-standing partnership will enter its fifth year for the 2023/ 2024 academic year. The British University Esports Championship supported by Intel continued to grow in the 2022/2023 season with 2,200 teams from 111 universities participating, making NSE the most active grassroots gaming community in the country.

Alex Coulson, Managing Director at NSE, said, “Working with partners that understand the importance and the power of grassroots esports and gaming is key to us. Intel lives and breathes this world just like us, so we are thrilled to continue collaborating and supporting the UK university esports and gaming scene with them. Intel’s commitment to nurturing grassroots esports and supporting student employability through initiatives like Intel FutureGen has been invaluable. We are excited about the opportunities ahead and look forward to another successful year with Intel.”

Mark Broom, Gaming and Esports Marketing Specialist at Intel, added, “We take immense pride in our ongoing support for the growth and development of gaming in the UK. As headline sponsor of the British University Esports Championship, we can help make a long-lasting positive impact in the gaming and esports community while also supporting the important community and career programmes delivered by NSE in the grassroots space.”

TikTok has announced a new campaign with Wimbledon, as it kicks off the second year of its partnership with the iconic tennis tournament. 

The deal will see the social media platform take fans behind-the-scenes of The Championships, as well as a Wimbledon Hub where users can find videos from the competition and players. 

In addition, TikTok is running a competition to find the best tennis commentators, with the winner receiving tickets to either the men’s or women’s singles final in 2024. 

Harish Sarma, Global Head of Sports at TikTok, said, “Wimbledon represents one of the Grand Slam pillars in tennis with its iconic grass courts and famed hospitality. We are thrilled to be partnering to bring sports fans around the world closer to the action throughout the tournament. With the launch of our new fan competition, we’re excited to give our passionate sports community the opportunity to engage with Wimbledon content in creative ways and ultimately take the fan experience to the next level on TikTok.”

William Giles, Wimbledon’s Content Lead, added “We are delighted to be teaming up with TikTok for another year. The platform offers a unique opportunity to bring Wimbledon to new audiences in creative and engaging ways, and given the success of our collaboration thus far, we are excited to see what 2023 holds for us on TikTok.”

The Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO) has partnered with Ekoï.

The French cycling brand becomes the first official helmet and sunglasses partner of the PTO Tour on a new three-year deal. 

As well as onsite activations at all PTO Tour races, the partnership will include co-branded merchandise, age grouper competitions and a range of digital marketing and email campaigns.

Jean Christophe Rattel, Ekoï CEO, said, “This new partnership agreement with the PTO is a further proof of the brand’s attachment to triathlon. It is a great pride for Ekoï and the whole team to be a partner of this organization which will offer worldwide visibility in the discipline.”

Sam Renouf, PTO CEO, added, “Ekoï is one of the most exciting and respected brands in both the peloton of pro cycling and the front pack of triathlon, we are honored to be announcing them as a long term partner of the PTO Tour. When we were discussing the new partnership, they were immediately drawn to the innovative nature of the PTO Tour and our ambition to make it the leading global triathlon tour. 

“As a supporter already of a number of top PTO professionals, they were also excited about the storytelling opportunities and activity that we could work on together as we look to grow into 2024.”

London-based sports agency Eleven Sports Media has launched a new partnership with NFL franchise New Orleans Saints.

Established in the English Premier League, Major League Soccer and recently launching in the NFL, Eleven’s partnership model will allow New Orleans and Louisiana’s wealth of small to medium sized businesses the opportunity to align themselves with a global sports brand. 

Eleven’s Small Business programme offers businesses, that do have the funds or size to sponsor in sport, the opportunity to benefit from stadium visibility and the support needed for their marketing and activation needs.

Matt Webb, VP Corporate Partnerships at New Orleans Saints, commented, “We’ve seen the success that Eleven has had in professional sports leagues around the world and we’re very proud to develop our own program with them right here in New Orleans. Small businesses are the heartbeat of our community, and our region is known for turning those small businesses into national powerhouse brands.”