FIFA and EA Sports end 30-year deal

Alex Catalano12/05/2022 5:55 am11/05/2022

As reported by the New York Times on Wednesday, gaming giant EA Sports and world football governing body FIFA have parted ways.

The partnership dated back to 1993, when FIFA International Soccer was launched for the SEGA Genesis.

Their current partnership was set to expire at the conclusion of the Qatar World Cup, with a new deal aiming to branch out into new areas – including NFTs.

It was reported that EA made a ‘significant offer’ for an eight-year exclusivity deal with FIFA for all of its Esports and gaming rights. However, the deal was knocked back, according to Reuters, as FIFA did not want the rights all with one company.

FIFA 23 will be the last game made in collaboration between the two organisations, set to release in late September this year, worldwide.

The FIFA series was estimated at the start of 2021 to have sold over 325 million units, according to Forbes. FIFA 18 is the equal 40th highest selling video game of all time, estimated at 24 million units across all platforms.

FIFA confirmed it would still produce video games with third party developers, while EA will rebrand the FIFA series under the title EA Sports FC. The new series would include licensees such as the Premier League and LaLiga, which at this stage has authentic coverage, as all players are face scanned and the full broadcast packages akin to real life are featured in the game.

EA SportsFIFAFootball gamingFootball technology

DAZN Canada secures exclusive rights to UEFA national team matches

Alex Catalano5 days ago16/05/2022

Global sports streaming platform DAZN has announced a multi-year, exclusive rights deal for its Canadian arm to stream the UEFA Nations League, European Qualifiers and International friendlies for the next six years.

The deal will come into effect from June 1 this year and runs until 2028, streaming the following competitions:

UEFA Nations League 2022/23, 2024/25, and 2026/27 inc. UEFA Nations League Finals 2023, 2025 and 2027
European Qualifiers to UEFA EURO 2024 and UEFA EURO 2028
European Qualifiers to 2026 FIFA World Cup
International Friendlies
Finalissima Match in 2022 and 2024

DAZN Canada currently streams the English Premier League, the UEFA Champions League, Major League Soccer, and other sports including the United States’ Major Football League and various combat sports.

The deal includes a minimum of 57 national team matches between now and 2028 for top European nations including England, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and France.

“We’re excited to bring more soccer to DAZN subscribers in Canada via another package of premium UEFA competitions,” Norm Lem, SVP, DAZN Canada told dazn.com.

“Alongside both UEFA Men’s and Women’s Champions League as well as UEFA Europa League and UEFA Europa Conference League, this multitude of UEFA National Team matches will give fans an even bigger library of live soccer to enjoy on DAZN in Canada.”

Football Queensland launches FQ Coaches Club Pilot Program

Alex Catalano6 days ago15/05/2022

Football Queensland has announced the launch of the FQ Coaches Club, a brand new initiative designed to provide additional support and development opportunities for community coaches.

Upskilling more coaches to give them greater chance of success in local and community clubs is a priority of FQ and football across the country.

“Improving accessibility of coach development opportunities is crucial in order to support the growth of the game, especially at the community level,” FQ General Manager – Football and State Technical Director Gabor Ganczer told Football Queensland.

“Coaches play a primary role in shaping the experiences of participants, so the FQ Coaches Club will not only benefit the coaches involved by providing them with an additional level of support but will also ultimately lead to better outcomes for community clubs and players.”

FQ Club Development Ambassador – Head of Coaching Davide Bertamini echoed Ganczer’s statements.

“The FQ Coaches Club provides a valuable opportunity for community coaches, Club Coach Coordinators and those who have recently completed a C Licence to gain extra advice and support, with a key focus on session design and delivery,” he said to Football Queensland.

“The informal workshop format of the FQ Coaches Club will allow coaches in attendance to be grouped in order to receive tailored guidance based on the age and level of the players they’re coaching.

“Coach developers from Football Queensland and from various clubs will deliver the FQ Coaches Club sessions in a pilot program across South East Queensland before the program is expanded into regional parts of the state.

“We look forward to welcoming coaches from across the game to our upcoming sessions which kick off next week.”