Manchester City teams up with Qualtrics

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English Premier League side Manchester City have announced a new partnership with Qualtrics which will see the leader and creator of the Experience Management (XM) category become the Club’s Official Experience Management Software Partner.

Qualtrics empowers organisations to listen to customer and employee feedback, understand and analyse what they hear, then take action to improve experiences and design new ones, all in real time.

Manchester City and Qualtrics’ new partnership aligns with the club’s ongoing commitment to provide the best possible matchday experience for fans and will allow the club to use industry-leading experience management software to listen to fans’ feedback following each fixture.

From overall matchday experience – to catering, facilities, retail and more – Qualtrics can provide valuable insight and real-time data from fans to help the club shape their future strategic planning and decisions.

The new partnership is also expected to include further activations across wider areas of the organisation in coming months, using Qualtrics’ experience management software to listen to fan feedback and enhance the digital experience for Cityzens across the globe.

Senior Vice President of Global Partnerships Sales at City Football Group, Stephan Cieplik:

“As a club, we are continually working to improve our matchday offering for fans both in-stadium and across our digital platforms for those following across the globe,” he said.

“Through this new partnership with Qualtrics, we will be able to use industry-leading software to gather valuable feedback and insight from those at the heart of our club to help shape future decisions around matchdays.”

Qualtrics President of Products and Services, Brad Anderson:

“With Qualtrics, Manchester City can listen to and understand fan feedback in real time and take action to improve matchday experiences,” he said.

“But fan experience isn’t limited to the stadium — the digital and at-home fan experience is just as important, and Qualtrics will help Manchester City to deliver a personalized experience to their fans wherever they are.”

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Global Institute of Sport brings AI-powered football analytics into the classroom

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Image Credits: Global Institute of Sport

Technology has for a long time shaped how football clubs analyse players, prepare for matches and make decisions, and that technology is now officially entering the classroom.

The Global Institute of Sport (GIS) has partnered with Impact Soccer to bring AI and computer vision-powered football analytics into its programs.

The partnership will give GIS students hands-on access to advanced analysis technology, and help students understand how artificial intelligence is changing the modern football industry.

Turning Match Footage Into Data

Football analysis has traditionally relied on coaches and analysts watching hours of video, but that process can now be sped up by artificial intelligence.

Impact Soccer uses computer vision and AI to analyse football footage, with its technology able to turn player actions and movements into structured data. The system can also analyse what happens away from the ball. It’s possible to connect YouTube content or upload your own, which Impact Soccer then analyses.

Preparing the Next Generation

Not every important action involves the ball. Players constantly move into space, create passing options and make runs that affect defenders, but these actions can be difficult to measure manually.

Impact Soccer’s technology aims to quantify this off-the-ball influence. Its Impact IQ platform analyses player positioning and movement to provide more information about their impact on the game.

For students, this creates new ways to study football. They can look beyond simple goals, assists and passes and explore how movement and positioning affect a team’s performance. This allows GIS students better access to information that ensures the coaches of tomorrow can make more informed decisions. The partnership is also beneficial for tomorrow’s administrators: sporting directors and scouts also able to gain a broader reading on players where they may or may not spend their club’s finances.

Adding the Next Layer

Football clubs continue to invest in data and technology. Computer vision can track players. GPS systems measure movement. Video analysis helps coaches study matches.

AI is now adding another layer. Students entering the industry will increasingly encounter these technologies in their daily work, and this prior experience during their education can help prepare them for that environment.

Bordeaux face uncertain future after American investor withdrawal

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Image Credits: EuropeanBestDestinations.com

Girondins de Bordeaux face their biggest crisis yet after their exclusion from France’s national competitions was upheld and proposed investor Park Bench walked away from a takeover. The club is on the brink of liquidation after poor financial management and failed ownership takeovers. The Paris Administrative Court rejected Bordeaux’s appeal in August. The court backed the decision that prevents the club from playing in national competitions for the 2026-27 season. Bordeaux will therefore this season remain in Régional 1, the sixth tier of French football.

The ruling followed a financial dispute with French football’s financial regulator, the DNCG. Bordeaux had presented additional financial guarantees after its previous hearing. The court ruled that those commitments could not be considered as part of that procedure.

The decision has now had a major impact on the club’s ownership plans. Park Bench, the US investment group working with Sparta Capital, has withdrawn from its proposed takeover. The group said its offer depended on Bordeaux remaining in the national championships. With that condition no longer possible, Park Bench decided not to proceed.

The withdrawal leaves Bordeaux in a difficult position. The club had hoped new investment would provide financial stability and help rebuild its sporting operation. Instead, the failure of the takeover leaves the future of the six-time French champions uncertain. Bordeaux has already endured several years of financial problems. The club lost its professional status in 2024 after bankruptcy proceedings and a previous administrative relegation. It then rebuilt its senior team in the second and third tiers of French football.

The latest exclusion represents another major setback. Bordeaux now needs to find a way to keep the club operating outside the national leagues. That means securing funding, meeting its financial obligations and establishing a sustainable ownership structure. The threat of judicial liquidation now hangs over the club.

In a statement issued in late August, Bordeaux said it would explore every remaining legal option after the administrative court ruling. But with Park Bench no longer backing the proposed takeover, the club has fewer options available.

The next priority will be survival. Bordeaux must find new financial backing or another solution to protect the club from liquidation. For one of France’s most historic and successful clubs, the immediate target is no longer a return to Ligue 1. It is simply making sure there is a club left to climb back.

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