Welcome to Sportico’s Transactions wire, a weekly rundown of personnel, partnerships and purchases across the sports business industry.
Purchases
United Soccer League Awards Franchise to Milwaukee-Based Group
The United Soccer league has awarded a new USL Championship franchise to a Milwaukee investment group, led by Kacmarcik Enterpirses and Milwaukee Pro Soccer. The pro franchise will begin play in 2025 and will be the primary tenant of an 8,000-seat stadium in the new sports and entertainment district called Iron District MKE. This club will be the first pro outdoor soccer team in Milwaukee in more than two decades.
Personnel
Pro Triathletes Hire a New Leader of the Pack
The Professional Triathletes Organization has appointed Chris Kermode as its executive chairman. Kermode has been on the PTO’s Board of Directors since July 2020 and has previously been executive chairman and president of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). As the head of the ATP, Kermode was responsible for promoting global tennis to the next generation of fans and attracting new audiences. Under his leadership, the ATP transformed the season-ending World Tour Finals at the London O2 Arena into the largest and indoor tennis event in the world and launched the Next Gen Finals to showcase the world’s top tennis professionals aged under 21. During Kermode’s tenure, the amount of prize money paid in men’s professional tennis increased more than 70%.
Partnerships
HUB International Connects with Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. and Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp. have entered a marketing partnership that makes HUB International Limited, a global insurance brokerage, an official partner of the New York Knicks, New York Rangers, Madison Square Garden Arena, and the Montefiore Concert Series at Madison Square Garden. HUB will also become the presenting partner of College Hoops at The Garden. The agreement includes entitlement for the HUB Loft, a members-only, private suite experience, brand exposure through the Knicks and Rangers digital content channels, prominent in-game and in-arena signage, integration on MSG Network game broadcasts, and a brand presence throughout college basketball games at MSG.
TOCA Football and MLS Join to Accelerate Soccer Growth
TOCA Football (TOCA), a tech-enabled soccer experience company and the largest operator of indoor training centers in North America, has inked a 10-year partnership with Major League Soccer (MLS) aimed at growing the sport and developing future players. As part of this deal, MLS will become a TOCA shareholder. TOCA currently has 28 centers in North America and plans to grow significantly over the next 10 years. Kicking off in 2023, TOCA, as an official training and entertainment facility partner of MLS, will integrate MLS content in all of its soccer training centers and host various activities in TOCA Soccer venues and at MLS team stadium events in the U.S. and Canada. Additionally, TOCA and MLS will jointly develop training curricula that leverages TOCA’s proprietary technologies including its data-capture and analytics. TOCA and MLS will also develop branded games for TOCA Social, the world’s first interactive soccer entertainment and dining venue. The long-term agreement with TOCA is the latest initiative of MLS Emerging Ventures.
Buzzer Renews with NBA And WNBA League Pass
Buzzer, the mobile platform for short-form live sports, has renewed its multi-year partnerships with the NBA’s and WNBA’s live out-of-market game subscription services NBA League Pass and WNBA League Pass. Beginning October 19 with the opening night of NBA League Pass games, Buzzer will provide access to live moments throughout the game through personalized notifications curated to each user’s unique interests, including players, teams and bets. Fans will be able to buy multiple partial-game offerings through Buzzer, starting at $0.99. The platform will feature micropayments, preference recommendations and the new in-app Beats timeline providing editorial storylines. Additionally, Buzzer has introduced a new credits system, enabling users to use credits to purchase partner content at market value, incentivizing fans to tune into live moments with an even more frictionless experience.
EA Sports Connects with UEFA Women’s Champions League, DAZN
EA Sports will embark on a multi-year partnership with the UEFA Women’s Champions League (UWCL), allowing both parties to deliver a more impactful experience for women’s football fans around the globe. Starting early 2023, EA Sports FIFA 23 will feature the knockout stage of the UWCL, with clubs including Juventus Women, Real Madrid Femenino, Chelsea Women, Manchester City Women, Olympique Lyonnais Féminin, Paris Saint-Germain Féminine and more. Additionally, EA Sports has agreed to a multi-year sponsorship partnership with DAZN to become the global broadcast partner of the UEFA Women’s Champions League. The partnership will kick off in March, in conjunction with the UEFA Women’s Champions League launching in FIFA 23 and the quarterfinal round of the competition. EA SPORTS advertising will be featured across all matchday global broadcasts on DAZN and on DAZN’s UWCL YouTube Channel.
Overtime Elite and GMC Sign Multi-Year Partnership
GMC and Overtime Elite signed a multiyear deal, making GMC the official truck and SUV partner for the youth basketball league. The partnership kicked off with GMC’s title sponsorship of Overtime Elite’s opening night this week. The sold-out event featured players including Amen and Ausar Thompson, Mikey Williams and the Boozer twins, and was streamed on Overtime Elite’s YouTube channel. As part of the partnership, GMC will own naming rights to Overtime Elite’s practice courts, and the company will be featured across the arena. Additionally, each season, GMC will own a dedicated content series featuring OTE’s top prospects as they prepare to take their careers to the next level.
Chickie’s & Pete’s Announces Partnership with SeventySix Capital
Chickie’s & Pete’s, the restaurant and sports bar, announced a partnership with SeventySix Capital Sports Advisory to support their nationwide growth strategy into more stadiums and arenas. SeventySix Capital Sports Advisory strategic advisor John Page will work closely with Chickie’s & Pete’s to identify key markets. Page, a sports business industry veteran, was the president of Spectra Venue Management and president of the Wells Fargo Center complex in Philadelphia.
National Cycling League Partners with Event Production, PR Organizations
The National Cycling League has partnered with Medalist Sports, a cycling event production organization, and Torre Consulting Services, a PR and social media organization, ahead of the nascent league’s launch in 2023. Medalist Sports has nearly 30 years of experience in cycling event production, highlighted by the production of multiple USA Cycling National Championships and UCI World Championship events across all cycling disciplines (road, track, cyclocross and paracycling). Torre has coordinated the on-site media operations for several cycling races, including the Tour of California and the 2019 UCI Track Cycling World Cup. Additionally, professional cyclists Jennifer Valente and Chloe Dygert are both represented by Torre.
Next League, LPGA Announce Strategic Partnership
Next League has entered a multi-phase strategic partnership with the LPGA aimed at providing both strategic and technical counsel that will help reposition the LPGA as an innovative, technology-driven organization that keeps the best interests of its players and fans first. Working closely with LPGA stakeholders, the partnership will include the development of prioritized business requirements, product strategy and roadmap, and plans for assembling and operating a world-class approach to technology that will assist the LPGA in achieving both short- and long-term growth goals.
Xfinity, FaZe Clan Link up for Content, Event Partnership
A new partnership makes Xfinity the official Internet and mobile provider for FaZe Clan, a lifestyle and media platform. Xfinity and FaZe Clan will develop original content, host private fan events and more as they highlight the integral role that fast and reliable connectivity to the Internet plays in the ecosystem. The two companies will host a series of private music and gaming crossover events in November for college students in Boston and Atlanta. FaZe Clan and Xfinity will also produce an original series—Rig Raiders Brought to you by Xfinity—which will feature FaZe Clan members and special guests delivering game set-ups for underserved creators and communities.
FanDuel, Spotify Agree to Multi-year Partnership Extension
FanDuel and Spotify have agreed to a multi-year partnership agreement extension. FanDuel’s investment in The Ringer, a sports and pop-culture website and podcast network owned by Spotify, has increased significantly; with this new deal, the brands will be more integrated than ever with new digital and upcoming linear TV programming on FanDuel TV. FanDuel will also remain the exclusive sports betting partner of The Ringer.
Product
Timex and UFC Partner on Watch Collection
Timex, the top-selling watch brand in the U.S., has become the first-ever official timekeeper and watch partner of UFC, and the two brands have partnered on a collection of watches. The watches, created at the Giorgio Galli Design Lab in Milan, are multifunctional digital and analog-digital timepieces grouped into a Strength collection and Street collection, with the latter selection inspired by some of UFC’s greatest fighters.
