Zila Mbekela’s Post

New blog article is now available and today's topic is all things rugby! "Super Rugby, once heralded as one of the premier rugby union competitions in the Southern Hemisphere, has undergone significant changes in recent years. Among the most profound shifts was the departure of South African teams, which has had far-reaching implications for the competition's excitement and business viability. This detailed article explores how the end of Super Rugby involving South African teams has affected the competition, both in terms of fan engagement and financial performance." To read more of the blog, click the link below: https://lnkd.in/gtS2Wg9w #sports #sportsmarketing #content #blog #writing #rugby #superrugby #sportsbusiness #agents #athletes

A subscription too far? I've been trying not to have a rant about this season's Champions Cup but I just can't help myself. Firstly, I've got pretty much every subscription in the book to enable me watch all manner of sport and entertainment (don't get me started on the 3pm English Premier League curfew!) but paying an extra £15.99 a month to watch European rugby is a 'Bridge too far' but it's not just about the money. It's more about what seems to be the shambles European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) made on its media rights sales process. It's being widely reported that #TNTSports offered £14 million for the European competition, but #EPCR rejected that in an attempt to secure a bigger deal. This badly and with little choice available finally did a deal at £6 million with Premier Sports Network, leaving not only key stake holders to miss out on much needed revenue, but specifically letting muggins #English Rugby fans, pick up the extra cost of another sports subscription. https://lnkd.in/eRnk6K8N Secondly, there was much debate about including #SouthAfrican teams into #European competition but the supposed benefits on all sides won the day and I have nothing against this decision. However, I do take humbrage in compromising the sporting integrity of any competition, especially within a Swiss League format, where teams cherry pick when they play their best sides. Leicester Tigers fans paid a fair price to get Kolisi, Etzebeth et al and they were sold short. To be fair it's not just the South African teams that are doing this but the extreme travel to and from South Africa and how this affects player welfare no doubt exacerbates a situation that creates an uneven playing field. https://lnkd.in/eWkrZ9pM Rant over and like the sucker fan I am, I'll probably be signing up to #PremierSports once the knockout stages start! 😉 #Rugby #TVRights #Fans Premiership Rugby Sky Discovery Inc BBC ITV Channel 4 TikTok RugbyDAO World Rugby England Rugby

⚖️ NEW OFFICIAL RULES ANNOUNCED! We are proud to announce the latest update to the #Rules of Freestyle Football, which will apply to all official tournaments from January 1st, 2025! These Rules have been carefully crafted by the #SportsCommittee of the Association, drawing on jurisprudence and lessons learned from official competitions worldwide in recent years. ⚠️ These Rules do NOT include the Regulations for official Events or the Judging process, which are currently being updated and whose new versions will be released in 2025. We invite the global community to send their feedback to judging@thewffa.org for review: the Sports Committee will check all suggestions and amendments and incorporate those they deem appropriate into the next update of the Rules! For more information, check the links in the comments! 👇 #freestylefootball #freestylesoccer #futbolfreestyle #rules #sports #sportsgovernance #community #fslife #allyouneedisaball Pekko PeGe Piirto

Our rugby blog for the week is now published and live. Today, our discussion is about the growth and development of professional rugby in Japan - as a business division of major corporations. "Over the past few decades, Japan has seen significant growth in its professional rugby scene, transforming from a country where rugby was a niche sport to one that is now recognized on the global stage. The development of professional rugby in Japan is closely tied to its unique structure, where teams are owned and heavily funded by wealthy corporations. This article explores the evolution of professional rugby in Japan, the role of corporate ownership, and ranks the top 10 wealthiest teams in the Japan Rugby League One." To read more of the article, click on the link below: https://lnkd.in/gztiU5kr #sportscontent #blog #writing #reading #rugbyunion #sportsmarketing #marketing #business #sportsbiz

The Championship Clubs Committee met today to hear an update from their Executive on progress made in discussions about the future of Tier 2 of English rugby. While there was at one point in the recent history of this crucial process a deadline of March 31st for the selection of clubs for a second tier, that deadline was scrapped some time ago and there are currently a series of important and intensive discussions going on around the league, which will be launched for the 2025/26 season. Those discussions between the CCC, the RFU and, where relevant, Premiership Rugby Ltd, cover all the basic points needed to establish a new Tier 2 for the good of the English game and for the security and planning necessary to the current Championship clubs. There is no deadline for these discussions, although clearly it is important that agreement is reached as quickly as possible so that planning for both the new Tier 2 league and for the 2024/25 season can begin. Solid progress has been made on the various issues being discussed. The parties involved believe that an agreement is within reach, although some very important topics still need to be brought to a satisfactory conclusion for all the parties. These are vital discussions and are taking place in an intensive, progressive and co-operative atmosphere. No doubt, when outstanding issues are resolved, a public statement will be made, but in the meantime, please be assured that the future of Championship clubs and the interests of those who aspire to join the second tier of our game are being given the priority they deserve by all of us involved.

French broadcaster CANAL+ Group has secured the domestic rights to the Top 14 elite rugby union competition and the second division Pro D2 in a deal valued at $755.8m over five seasons. The deal with the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR) will take effect at the start of the 2027/28 season and run until 2032. Canal+ will broadcast all 434 games from both the Top 14 and Pro D2 competitions across its linear and digital channels. The combined deal is worth $151.16m per season, reflecting a 14.7 per cent increase over the current agreement. Specifically, the new contract allocates $139.5m annually for the Top 14, marking a 13.3 per cent increase. Meanwhile, the Pro D2 deal is valued at $11.6m per season, representing a 36 per cent increase. Canal+ has been broadcasting French top-flight rugby since 1998, playing a key role in transforming the Top 14 into the most commercially successful domestic competition in the sport. Additionally, the Pro D2 has become the most lucrative second-tier rugby competition by a significant margin. This extension ensures that Canal+ will retain the broadcasting rights for the Top 14 for at least the next eight years, strengthening the broadcaster’s rights portfolio. This follows their decision not to bid for the domestic rights to Ligue 1 after its $358m per year deal expires at the end of the 2023/24 season. As well as rugby, Canal+ holds the rights to The Premier League and UEFA club competitions. Canal+ Group chairman Maxime Saada said: “French rugby has been one of the pillars of Canal+’s sports offering. Because it has always been there for us, we will always be here for French rugby. We thank the LNR and president Rene Bouscatel for the renewed confidence they have placed in us.” #media #tv #canal+ #top14 #rugby #rugbyunion #frenchrugby #partners #partnership #football #premierleague #uefa

PNG lain/Pasifika lain For those of you not familiar with the Pacific Rugby League Championship. This is what the NRL Pacific Games is about. For those of you not familiar with it. PNG lain this is the second year of the NRL Pacific Sports. PNG Women’s RL rank no 5 in the world what is the problem? Bring yourselves updated with the world of sports in the Asia - Pacific region. Please no more embarrassing yourselves hurling insults to our girls. Believe me they are not an embarrassment to the country it is those of you with your Stone Age mentality that are an embarrassment to the country. This is exactly the kind of behaviour I was referring to when I was talking to Mark Ella AM in Tamworth. Go and play competition sports yourselves then comment. Keep it up and the girls can go and play for other countries. Especially if they have mixed heritage. Some of them already play for clubs in Australia. This is also an opportunity to try out new players. Not everything is about winning. Leave that for the coaches and support staff,trainers and managers to deal with it. https://lnkd.in/g4YmwyTY

Championship rugby clubs in England face an uncertain financial future following the announcement of the Professional Game Partnership (PGP) between the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and Premiership Rugby (PRL). The PGP, which aims to create world-leading English teams, will see the Premiership clubs receive £33m per season. In contrast, Championship clubs will each receive their lowest-ever funding of just £133,000, a significant drop from the £650,000 they received in 2016. Many Championship clubs feel excluded from the discussions and frustrated by the financial disparity between the two tiers. Despite new provisions, such as a two-legged play-off for Premiership promotion and increased flexibility in entry criteria, Championship clubs remain sceptical. They face immense financial challenges, particularly with the recent liquidation of Jersey Reds and concerns over future funding. Although the RFU has outlined plans to create a more sustainable second tier and develop young talent, the clubs emphasise the need for greater financial support to bridge the growing gulf between the Championship and the Premiership. #Rugby #RFU #RugbyUnion #SportsFunding #SportsBusiness

Over 64k views and 1k engagements, our first 'Bucket List' video is Rugby World's most popular post on social ever. Modest numbers in the scheme of things but hopefully a sign of the direction of travel for our channels.. Why has a rough 60 second clip of a rugby game in Brittany done so well for us? A few reasons, I think. It's authentic. Raphael, our freelancer in Brittany, did go to that bar for a few beers, did eat some oysters and did queue up outside the stands to get in and just filmed himself on his phone. It's current. Vannes are the new story in Top 14 French rugby and we were among the first to tell it to English-speaking audiences. And It's achievable. Watching it as a fan, it feels like something you could do. You could go to Vannes, you could have some local grub and then you could watch a game. Rugby World's new strategy is all about showing current fans and new ones what makes this sport so special and I think this does that in a way that isn't complicated or overly-produced, something we want to keep doing with this series. Next up: Gloucester for a game at The Shed and a few ciders.

In a recent post, I stated the financial imbalance between Premiership Rugby, United Rugby Championship & The #Top14, driven by media rights that are considerably greater in favour of the #French League, will see the conitunued outflow of British Players to #France to seek greater renumeration. It's pretty much 101 #supplyanddemand #ecomomics. However, there is a further underlining issue that is much more difficult for the #PremiershipRugby to rectify that puts them at a long-term competitive disadvantage. Over the last couple of decades with heathly promotion and relegation, we've seen the emergence of well-financed 'large-market' city clubs, evenly distributed across France, rise to the top of the #Top14, while many of the traditional 'smaller-town' South-West clubs now residing in #ProD2 or even below. Whereas, the #English league has, for all intents and purposes, become a pseudo ‘closed league’, with clubs residing in the smaller towns or city suburds. The #Premiership has no representation in many of the major city markets, leading to a geographical non-profit maximization scenario. In simple terms if you were starting from scratch Club's would ideally be evenly spread across all the major city markets, in order to maximise the league's audience and revenue potential. The ownership and governance structure of the #Premeriship, where incumbent clubs, along with CVC Capital Partners, own the league and make all the decisions, will naturally, lean strongly towards promoting the continuation of the status quo in terms of it's club representation. Turkeys are not going to vote for Christmas! It therefore seems logical to assume, with this along the media rights disparity, the English are in danger of being in a long-term state of systemic negative competitive imbalance in relation to their French counterparts and number one competitors. #Rugby #SportsEconomics #EnglandRugby #FrenchRugby #economics #sportseconomy #CVC #privatequity #competition England Rugby FFR - Fédération Française de Rugby Ligue Nationale de Rugby European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) World Rugby Rugby Europe Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) WRU - Welsh Rugby Union Scottish Rugby