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Football West acquires new apparel supplier for key programs
Football West will be collaborating with Belgravia Apparel in a three-year deal which also includes New Balance, in an exciting partnership that has already commenced earlier in the year.
The new partnership will cover the programs part of Football West as well as teams and departments. These include referees, development programs, coaches, Football West staff, State football teams and futsal.
Belgravia Apparel are experts for over 30 years in being the frontrunner of custom apparel market space to inspire unity and performance in taking whether it is football teams, school or business to the next level.
The company has a priority in delivering substantial industry knowledge, design and manufacturing expertise and also client-focused, best practice processes.
This is aided by a state of the art local Australian manufacturing premises and a recognised offshore manufacturing partners, a large design team, a sales team and offices across Australia and New Zealand being some of the major pillars of the privately owned company consisting in a division of The Belgravia Group.
The Belgravia Group consists of several businesses in a variety of industries, such as health and fitness, leisure, tourism, property, finance and technology, who also invest considerably in different companies and opportunities that encourage physical activity.
The mission for Belgravia Apparel is to see one million children involved in some sort of physical activity on an annual basis. Currently just to name a few of the companies that are backing this vision is Belgravia Sports Apparel, Belgravia Health and Fitness and Belgravia Kids.
The three partners that Belgravia Apparel has now been with are New Balance, Belgravia Leisure and Novo Fit.
To find out more information on Belgravia Apparel, click here.
The Saudi Pro League (SPL) has confirmed a new partnership with TikTok for the 2024/25 season, designating the short video platform as its official digital partner.
This collaboration aims to enhance digital engagement for football enthusiasts both regionally and internationally.
As part of the agreement, TikTok will unveil a dedicated ‘SPL Exclusive Hub,’ offering fans access to a wealth of content from the league’s clubs and partners.
This exclusive content will feature behind-the-scenes footage, in-depth player interviews, and other unique insights into the SPL.
Additionally, TikTok will provide its creators with special opportunities to engage with the league.
This includes access to training sessions, matchday experiences, and interactions with players, allowing for a richer and more immersive fan experience.
The SPL is determined to solidify its position as one of soccer’s premier domestic leagues. While high-profile signings like Cristiano Ronaldo have captured headlines, the TikTok partnership is set to amplify the league’s global visibility.
TikTok’s involvement in football is extensive, with previous partnerships including UEFAfor Euro 2024 and Women’s Euro 2022, Major League Soccer (MLS), and the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
The platform is also deeply embedded in other sports, including the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games and UFC, and recently extended its multi-year partnership with the National Football League (NFL) to include long-form content.
Saudi Arabia ahead of the game again
Saudi Arabia is leading the way in sports marketing by leveraging apps like TikTok.
Their strategic use of these platforms enhances global visibility and engagement for the Saudi Pro League, showcasing a commitment to innovative digital strategies that connect with a broad, international audience and elevate their brand on a global stage.
It is clear that the SPL’s ambition is to be ‘bigger than the top European Leagues’ per a statement from newly appointed CEO Omar Mugharbel.
Mugharbel mentioned enhancing the product after recent signings Ivan Toney and Joao Cancelo capped off a relatively quiet summer window for the league and hinted at ‘advancing the league’s brand off the pitch with new deals (TikTok) to create a more attractive proposition for star players and fans abroad.’
Everything the SPL do is for attention and they are close to designing a social media juggernaut that is ready to shake the traditional European football landscape, even if some may find it incredibly unpopular. It is certainly working.
How a deal like this would benefit Australian football
Capitalising on the fantastic viewership and engagement from the younger generation is the key to success for the A-Leagues’ future.
According to YouGov Sport in 2023, between the ages of 18-34, the A-League is the second most engaged league in the country, sitting only behind the AFL.
The data showed that 15% of Australian sports fans aged 18-34 regularly streamed the A-League Men whilst 19% of the demographic follow the league on its respective social media channels.
Improving the content on these channels, which is certainly required, has been on the mind of the league for a while and KEEPUP’s failure gives them a blueprint on what not to do this time around.
A deal with TikTok would almost certainly benefit all stakeholders given the league’s lack of engaging, behind-the-scenes content and lacklustre highlight reels leaving many dissatisfied at the overall product.
Now with international marquee signings like Juan Mata and Douglas Costa, the A-Leagues can try and attempt to do what Saudi Arabia do, albeit on a much smaller scale, in terms of leveraging these big names to draw bigger crowds and engagement on social media.
The ability to nail short, bite-sized content is almost essential with the increasingly shorter attention spans and hunt for easily digestible videos that don’t require too much brain power.
In 2024, the A-Leagues must improve in this area and ensure they don’t fall behind the 8 ball again with this sport getting back on its feet.
FIFPRO has recently released their annual Player Performance and Recovery report for 2024, this report is developed by FIFPRO IQ in conjunction with Football Benchmark, a leading data and analysis group on football business.
The report explains in detail the problems facing professional footballers by leaders within the industry and the players themselves. This report not only factors in the physical impact of the sport but also the psychological impact.
FIFPRO’s Player Workload Monitoring tool (PWM) the primary system behind this report monitors 1500 players spread across 100 leagues and 150 nationalities.
They have pointed out the obvious lack of appreciation by tournament organisers for the physical and mental well-being of football players and an evident lack of organised calendar planning.
Acting FIFPRO General Secretary Stephane Burchkalter stressed the importance of this report via press release:
“We release these reports for a good reason. Because, today, we face one of the most serious and urgent problems in our sport. A problem that results from the abuse of governance and a failure of the duty of care. The holistic workload that confronts our players is unprecedented. It has produced a physical and mental fatigue that is now dangerous.”
With increased match loads, travel loads and shortening of preparation the risks have never been higher with 54% of PMW players experiencing excessive or high-demand workloads.
88% of players’ time is recorded to be spent in the workplace environment and 17% in national team environments.
The world-renowned Uruguayan coach Marco Bielsa stated via press release:
“To ignore the consequences of the number of games and amount of travelling will end in injuries for any player.”
This report identifies that some players have seen their free time fall to nearly 12% of the calendar year, which adds up to less than a single day off per week. This fails to comply with international Occupational Safety and Health standards.
There have been calls for a guaranteed rest period which 72% of players and 78% of coaches support.
As the demand for games grows and the push for more revenue skyrockets, the players see their health and voices continue to deteriorate.
This report and FIFAPRO highlight the firm action that needs to happen to protect the stars of the sport.
For more information about the report, read more here.
