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Happy Friday!

It’s been a big week as I finally announced my partnership with JohnWallStreet, who will be publishing each week’s Big Idea on Wednesday’s (sign up here).

If you didn’t catch the latest one, don’t worry, I’ll always include a summary and a link to the full story on Friday so you’ll never miss out!

Here’s the other stories that caught my attention this week 👇

UEFA president hints at softening multi-club ownership rules, amid United bids ⚽️
Women’s World Cup prize money increased to $152m, aim for parity by 2027 🏆
Cheltenham Festival jockeying to attract a younger audience 🐎
Web3 golf enthusiasts LinksDAO are buying a golf course in Scotland ⛳️
Michael Jordan in “serious talks” to sell Hornets majority stake 🏀

UEFA president hints at softening multi-club ownership rules, amid United bids ⚽️

UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin has suggested that UEFA should reconsider its regulations that prevent clubs with the same ownership from playing in the same competition, such as the Champions League.

This suggestion comes as the Glazer family, owners of Manchester United, has invited offers to purchase the club, with interest expressed from consortiums led by Qatari Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani and from Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

Given that a Qatari sovereign wealth fund already owns Champions League regulars Paris Saint-Germain and Ratcliffe's chemicals firm INEOS owns Nice, who regularly play in UEFA's lower-tier competitions, both potential buyers could have problems with UEFA's current rules.

The Overlap @WeAreTheOverlap

Could there be problems for potential buyers of Man United? 🧐 Aleksander Čeferin breaks down UEFA's standpoint on multi-club ownership. Watch the full interview now 👉 youtu.be/YMtMg9BqZSM

Women’s World Cup prize money increased to $152m, aim for parity by 2027 🏆

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has said he wants equal prize money for the men’s and women’s World Cups in 2026 and 2027 but has called on broadcasters to pay more for the rights to the women’s finals.

The Swiss, who was just elected unopposed to a new four-year term, confirmed a total payments package of $152 million (£125m) for this year’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, a threefold hike on 2019.

That is, however, still some way short of the reported $440 million (£363m) prize money that was on offer to teams at last year’s men’s finals in Qatar.

SportsPro @SportsPro

📈2023 Women's World Cup prize pool marks threefold hike on 2019 📺Gianni Infantino urges broadcasters to pay fair rights fees to help bridge gender pay gap ❌Fifa president confirms Visit Saudi will not sponsor upcoming tournament #SportsBiz sportspromedia.com/news/fifa-wome…

sportspromedia.comWomen’s World Cup prize money increased to US$152m as Fifa president Infantino reelected - SportsProThe 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup prize pool marks a threefold hike on 2019 and a tenfold rise compared to 2015.

Cheltenham Festival jockeying to attract a younger audience 🐎

Sports Pundit: The Cheltenham Festival, one of the largest events in the UK horse racing calendar, has been making efforts to attract a younger audience.

Despite the event's popularity, the average age of attendees is increasing, and the Jockey Club, which owns Cheltenham racecourse, is trying to shake off the race's stale image according to their Chief Commercial Officer, Charlie Boss.

The most notable change is the relaxation of the dress code, which is now open to anything except for offensive clothing and replica sports shirts. The festival is also embracing music nights and a wider range of activities to appeal to younger audiences. These efforts reflect a broader shift towards inclusivity and accessibility across all sports.

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Web3 golf enthusiasts LinksDAO are buying a golf course in Scotland ⛳️

LinksDAO, a Web3 community that was formed with ambitions to purchase a real-world golf course announced on Thursday that it has agreed to do just that.

Launched in 2021, LinksDAO is essentially an online group of golf fans and enthusiasts with membership signified via an NFT pass. Their CEO, Jim Daily, has claimed the group have now secured the winning bid to purchase Spey Bay Golf Club, an oceanside 18-hole golf course in Scotland.

Though the deal terms have not been disclosed, the course was listed with an expectation of receiving bids over £750,000 ($910,000) and GolfDigest has reported that the deal may close higher.

Rusty Bill @Rusty_Bill

HUGE news. @LinksDAO just purchased Spey Bay Golf Course on the Moray coast of northern Scotland. A historic day in web3 - this is what happens when 5,400 members come together with one goal in mind. The true power of a DAO. Congratulations to the @LinksDAO team and holders!

Michael Jordan in “serious talks” to sell Hornets majority stake 🏀

Charlotte Hornets owner Michael Jordan is in "serious talks" to sell his majority stake in the franchise, as per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Jordan is considering selling his stake to a group led by Hornets minority owner Gabe Plotkin as well as Atlanta Hawks minority owner Rick Schnall.

Whilst a sale isn't close, if Jordan were to sell his majority stake, he would remain a minority owner of the franchise.

Jordan became the majority owner of the then Charlotte Bobcats in 2010, after purchasing the team for $275 million from former majority team owner Bob Johnson.

Joe Pompliano @JoePompliano

Michael Jordan is engaged in serious talks to sell a majority stake in Charlotte Hornets, according to @wojespn. He paid $180 million for the team in 2010, and the franchise is now worth $1.77 billion. MJ is the NBA’s only Black majority owner.

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Job Board

Head of Marketing - England Netball (Loughborough, UK)
Head of Digital Partnerships and Distribution - Premier League (London, UK)
Head of Fan Development - Premier League (London, UK)
Personalised Marketing Executive - City Football Group (Manchester, UK)
Head of Sports - Paddy Power (Dublin, Ireland)
Program Manager, Athlete Marketing and Olympian Legacy - Canadian Olympic Committee (Toronto, CAN)
Director of NIL Strategy, Department of Athletics - Wake Forest University (North Carolina, US)

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Sports Pundit

Highlight Reel: Women's World Cup prize money…