Highlight Reel: Fortuna Favours the Brave 🎟
This week's top stories feature Fortuna Düsseldorf, NHL, Roblox, Concacaf, Lewis Hamilton, and DraftKings
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Welcome to the Highlight Reel, where keeping up to date with sports business news is as effortless as Max Verstappen taking pole position.
This week's lineup includes…
A Revolutionary Take on Ticketing 🎟
NHL Sliding into the Metaverse 🏒
Concacaf Considering Women’s Club Competition ⚽️
An F1 Driver Opening a Burger-Joint in NYC 🍔
DraftKings Doubling Down on Podcast Content 🎙
Thanks to the 24 amazing readers that came by Victoria on Tuesday to say ‘Hi’ and chat! Really enjoyed putting those names to faces! I’ll certainly make plans for another one soon.
ICYMI: My latest newsletter for JohnWallStreet: Power Play: Saudi's T20 Investment Could Offer Greatest Upside Yet 🏏 dropped on Wednesday… Let me know what you think!
Fortuna Düsseldorf Announce Ambition for Free Tickets 🎟
Bundesliga 2 club Fortuna Düsseldorf have announced plans to offer free tickets at all their future home games.
The 'Fortuna For All' project was unveiled on Wednesday, stressing a desire to put fans back at the heart of the matchday experience.
The club is set to run a pilot scheme for three matches next season, before the project is fully implemented for every game by 2028.
The club says the gradual loss of matchday revenue will be compensated by greater investment from sponsors, who have also pledged funds to develop the club's youth academy, women's football team and digital infrastructure.
NHL Launches Dynamic Metaverse Experience on Roblox 🏒
The National Hockey League (NHL) recently became the latest to launch virtual experience on Roblox, an immersive platform where millions of people communicate and connect every day.
NHL Blast will serve as a central metaverse hub for the global hockey community to connect around their love for the sport, express their fandom and draw new fans in with ongoing content updates.
As per a press release, the experience is said to reimagine the game of hockey by matching up teams to compete in thrilling games and score as many points as possible across fantastical, obstacle-filled environments, including one inspired by the League's NHL STREET initiative.
Concacaf to Launch Women’s Club Competition in 2024 ⚽️
On Wednesday, the Concacaf Council discussed and agreed in principle to the launch of a new Concacaf women’s club competition in 2024. This is in line with FIFA’s work to develop a FIFA Women’s Club World Cup, which was announced in December.
The new Concacaf women’s club competition will include clubs from North America, Central America, and the Caribbean and will be the sole qualification route for Concacaf clubs to the aforementioned FIFA Women’s Club World Cup.
Exact details regarding the format are expected to be determined and communicated later this year.
Lewis Hamilton’s Vegan Burger Chain Going Global 🍔
Vegan fast-food chain Neat Burger, co-founded by Lewis Hamilton, has recently opened its first-ever permanent US location in New York City.
The UK-founded chain, which is also backed by the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, has opened a total of 10 permanent locations since its inception in 2019. Eight are in the UK, with Dubai and now New York playing host to the other two.
With ambitious plans to 30 more, including in the Middle East and Italy, the company raised $100 million in their Series B in 2022.
DraftKings to Launch Sports Podcast Streaming Service 🎙
According to a report from Bloomberg, DraftKings is planning to launch its own streaming video service called DK Network.
The service, which is expected to be free and supported by advertising, is the latest evidence that the worlds of sports betting and media are truly converging.
Rather than live programming, it is reported that DK Network will largely feature video content from the podcasts that the company sponsors in a similar fashion to rival sportsbook FanDuel.
FanDuel has already launched its own video platform and spent big to acquire podcasts, paying $30 million per year for 4 years for the Pat McAfee Show.
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JOB BOARD
Partnership Sales Manager - Brentford FC (London, UK)
Partnership Design Assistant - Liverpool FC (London, UK)
Director, International Content EMEA - PGA TOUR (London, UK)
Senior Project Manager - Manchester United (Manchester, UK)
Director, Strategic & Digital Communications - MLS (New York, US)
Vice President, Partnerships - 160over90 (New York, US)
Director, Strategic Planning, Colorado Rapids - Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (Colorado, US)
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