Co-written by Omari Coates, founder of The Final Whistle
Another week soon passes, but not without the AST wrap-up! This week saw AC Milan step further into their digitalisation process, Steph Curry collabs with Under Armour and the future is bright for Women’s Rugby. Nike and Drake do the One Dance, and the English grassroots game remains hopeful with a recent rescue package!
AC Milan become the latest European club to join Twitch
That’s right; the Italian giants are the newest European club to launch an official Twitch channel. Milan supporters can expect exclusive content from their men and women’s first teams, former legends, archived footage and material from Milan’s youth academy.
AC Milan plans to boost their fan engagement strategy through the platform. The Serie A club plan to integrate live chat features to allow supporters to interact with club journalists, other high-profile streamers alongside contributing to Q&A sessions with players.
Initiating a Twitch channel is a fundamental step forward for the club’s digitalisation process, which provides another avenue to better connect with global Rossoneri fans.
Sportswear giants Under Armour collaborate with Steph Curry to form, ‘Curry Brand’
National Basketball Association (NBA) star, Steph Curry, has teamed up with Under Armour to create a clothing line, Curry Brand. This initiative supports Under Armour’s rivalry with global sportswear leaders Nike and their Jordan brand.
The apparel line will include basketball-themed clothes and shoes alongside other sports merchandise, such as golf wear. Curry Brand holds future ambitions to develop running-based wear and women’s clothes.
Curry brand also intends to invest $1 million to develop coaching and youth sports participation in deprived communities. One firm that will receive proceeds includes non-profit organisation, the Positive Coaching Alliance.
It’s enlightening to see Under Armour not only increase their extended involvement with Steph Curry to drive commercial success but utilising their brand to transform the grassroots game positively.
16 Nations to feature in the 2025 Women’s World Cup
For the first time, World Rugby has confirmed 16 nations will be included in the 2025 tournament to expand the Women’s World Cup (WWC) internationally. Since the first WWC in 1991, the competition had 12 teams until now.
The World Rugby Statistics report that girls and women contribute towards 28% of the population’s international sports participation. The governing body has created a new strategy for 2017-2025 to increase the leverage females have towards sports participation through Rugby.
Expanding the 2025 WWC opens up aspirational player pathway opportunities where the participating countries will gain lucrative prospects to develop Women’s Rugby on home soil. This is an essential milestone to demonstrate the power women’s sport has on a global scale.
Superstar musician Drake and Nike collaborate on new sub-label
Written by Omari Coates, founder of The Final Whistle
The Canadian musician, Drake will officially be collaborating with Nike on a sub-label named NOCTA. The Nike Nocta collection is launching globally on December 18 at Nocta. In October 2020, Drake also released his Certified Lover Boy Album Merch. Pictures of the Certified Lover Boy merch can be found here: The Sportsman.
This continues Nike’s recent trend of collaborating with rappers including Kendrick Lamar and Travis Scott on signature trainers such as the Nike Cortez and Air Jordan 1. Drake has also previously worked alongside the Nike Jordan brand to recreate several classic Air Jordan sneakers.
After being closely aligned over the past several years, Nike and Drake have officially decided to collaborate on a sub-label. With the popularity and cultural relevance of both Drake and Nike expect for the NOCTA collection to be in high demand worldwide.
Premier League and EFL finalise UK£250m rescue package
Written by Omari Coates, founder of The Final Whistle
The Premier League and the English Football League (EFL) have agreed a £250 million rescue package to protect lower-league soccer clubs from financial ruin amid the coronavirus pandemic. Covid-19 has had an enormous impact on matchday revenues for lower-league football clubs; therefore, this financial injection of cash is a much-needed one.
According to SportsProMedia, The EFL said a fund of UK£50 million in the form of a grant and monitored grant payments has been agreed for third-tier League One teams and fourth-tier League Two clubs. At the same time, the top-flight Premier League will provide a further financial commitment to assist the EFL in securing a £200 million loan facility that clubs in the second tier will be able to utilise interest-free.
That’s a wrap! How beneficial will AC Milan’s collaboration with Twitch prove for long-term fan engagement? Is ‘Curry Brand’ a sustainable initiative? What further potential lies ahead for women’s Rugby? Is Drake x Nike the most culturally sensitive relationship across the sports industry? And, will other international football leagues follow in the footsteps of the Premier League and EFL?
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