Bundesliga and EA Sports extend deal

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Bundesliga has extended its licensing rights deal with EA Sports, where the German league is set to continue in the FIFA gaming series.

Bundesliga has extended its licensing rights deal with EA Sports, where the German league is set to continue appearing in the FIFA gaming series.

DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga and Bundesliga International came to an agreement with the video game publisher that sees EA retain the exclusive license rights for match simulation. The deal includes Bundesliga, Bundesliga 2, the German Supercup as well as all clubs and players.

“In a relationship spanning more than 20 years, we have seen the rise and rise of EA SPORTS FIFA, to it becoming one of the most recognizable brands in the world,” CEO of Bundesliga International, Robert Klein said in a statement.

“Through EA SPORTS FIFA, fans across the globe are connected to the Bundesliga, its world-class players and unique clubs. We look forward to working with EA on multiple projects, this season and into the future.”

The German top-flight league said that continuation of the partnership allows for the competition to reach fans around the world and ensures the long-term presence of the league.

“Our partnership with Bundesliga further cements EA SPORTS FIFA as the most authentic, interactive football experience in the world. Only in FIFA 21 can the Bundesliga’s millions of fans play as all 18 clubs, from last year’s champions to newly promoted teams – stepping out in stadia from Paderborn’s Benteler-Arena, to the Stadion an der Alten Försterei in Berlin or even competing in Der Klassiker in front of Signal Iduna Park’s yellow wall,” Vice President and GM of EA SPORTS FIFA, Nick Wlodyka said.

“We’re excited to continue to build on our Bundesliga partnership, supporting the ambitious tech capabilities and esports vision of the DFL.“

Bundesliga said that they had a long-term commitment to both the Virtual Bundesliga (VBL) and Esports. The partnership will see EA and the league continue to develop Esports competitions such as the VBL. The VBL Open has had 130,000 participants and was the most popular FIFA Esports competition out of the professional football leagues. The VBL Club Championship has also been run since 2018/19 and is competed by Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 clubs.

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Daniel Foley is a sports junior journalist with Soccerscene. He reports widely on football policy and micro industry matters.

The 2023-24 Local Sports Infrastructure Fund to cater for participation boom

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2023-24 Local Sports Infrastructure Fund
Image via Pxhere

The Victorian Government’s 2023-24 Local Sports Infrastructure Fund is a state-wide investment, open until December 13, 2023.

This fund was created to adapt to the increasing need for infrastructure that is required for regular active sport and recreation.

Utilising three streams, sports clubs, facility managers and community organisations will all benefit from the following grants:

  • Community Facilities – up to $300,000
  • Community Sports Lighting – up to $250,000
  • Planning – up to $40,000

Led by Minister for Community Sport, Ros Spence, the creation of infrastructure will be made possible by planners, architects, engineers, project managers,
builders, carpenters, plumbers, electricians, facility managers and operational staff as part on the construction process. In turn, this has a direct link back to the local economy and offers hundreds of jobs.

For sporting & recreation clubs, sporting associations & leagues, educational institutions, not-for-profit community organisations, businesses and individuals looking to apply for the Local Sports Infrastructure Fund, an important note is that they cannot do so directly. Instead, they will coordinate this with Local Government Authorities and the Alpine Resorts Victoria who will apply on their behalf.

Applications close at 5pm on Wednesday December 13 2023 – with successful candidates of the 2023-24 Local Sports Infrastructure Fund announced from April 2024.

For full information and resources, you can view those here.

Football Queensland remain with Kappa for five more seasons until 2028

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Football Queensland & Kappa partnership extension
Image credit: Football Queensland

Football Queensland have announced a five-year partnership extension with iconic international sports brand Kappa as its official apparel partner from 2024.

This relationship between the two parties has been very strong since they first partnered all the way back in 2017 and reinforces the support for football in Queensland that the brand has had.

Kappa has provided quality garments for some of Europe’s biggest clubs including Manchester City, Juventus, AC Milan and the Italian National team.

It’s a brand that was established in 1916 in Turin and eventually in 1978 they rebranded themselves to branch out as a sportwear brand where they focused purely on football-related products and designs.

For Football Queensland, they currently produce and provide quality on and off-field apparel for all Queensland State Representative teams including the state’s futsal representative squads. Kappa also provide on-field apparel for the game’s referees on the FQ website.

They also helped sponsor and start up the Kappa Women’s Super Cup and Kappa Pro Series tournaments that debuted in late 2021 and 2022 respectively for clubs to participate in across the state.

FQ CEO Robert Cavallucci was extremely pleased to announce this partnership extension following Kappa’s amazing support.

“Football Queensland is incredibly excited to announce Kappa as our official apparel partner for the next five years following a competitive tender process which saw us receive 20 expressions of interest and 15 submissions of an extremely high quality,” Cavallucci said via Football Queensland press release.

“In their seven years as a Football Queensland partner, Kappa has provided fantastic support to Football Queensland, our clubs and the wider football community thanks to their quality of apparel, ability to deliver on their promises and the team’s unwavering commitment to customer service.

“We’ve built a wonderful working relationship with the team at Kappa thanks to their willingness to go above and beyond to deliver outcomes for our organisation and our game, and we’re delighted to continue working in partnership with them from next year.”

Kappa Australia Director Ze’ev Bogaty shared the same sentiment for the great relationship the two parties have created.

“Kappa is a strong supporter of football in Queensland and has been proud to invest in the game since the partnership with Football Queensland began in 2017,” Bogaty mentioned in the FQ press release.

“Some highlights of the partnership have included the development of the teal shirt for first year referees, witnessing Queensland state sides dominate on the national stage in Kappa kit, and the launch of the Kappa Women’s Super Cup and Kappa Pro Series tournaments.

“As we embark on another five years as the state’s official apparel partner and continue our close working relationship with Football Queensland, we look forward to contributing even more to the growth and success of football across the state.”

There is a shared goal of improving the grassroots game in Queensland from both parties and the track record of Kappa’s immense investment over the past seven years has shown that this extension will do wonders for Queensland football.

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