The Sheffield Tigers have announced the start of their 2021 team rebuild with the signing of Australian star Troy Batchelor.
Batchelor was a prominent part of Swindon Robins’ Premiership league and cup double winning side in 2019, however the Robins are sitting out the 2021 season due to redevelopment work at their Abbey Stadium track.
Troy Batchelor is now a member of the Sheffield Tigers as the team begins a restructure for the upcoming 2021 Premiership speedway season
New rules including the mandatory addition of a British youngster coupled with the departure of prolific winter signing Nicki Pedersen due to new league restrictions in Poland, also paved the way for the Tigers to sign Batchelor.
However, that does also mean no place in the Owlerton side for another 2020 signing, Richard Lawson, who is now available to speak to other Premiership clubs.
Batchelor also becomes the first new signing for a side which, in addition to losing both Pedersen and Lawson, will not be tracking another 2020 signing in Todd Kurtz, after the Australian announced his retirement from speedway in December.
Sponsorship and advertising – something that has been around in the various ice hockey leagues across the UK and Europe for decades. Now the National Hockey League (NHL), the biggest and best league in the world, has adopted it.
As we are all aware, the current coronavirus pandemic has forced many sports and sports clubs to rethink ways of gaining an income, mostly due to the lack of supporters in the stadiums. The 2019/20 season was paused on March 12, with no fans admitted once it resumed for the Stanley Cup playoffs, which were played in Covid-secure bubbles in Toronto and Edmonton. Fans were also banned from the recent World Junior Championships, again held in Edmonton.
The original idea for introducing sponsorship to the NHL was raised during a conference call between the league’s governors in December. This would include advertising on player’s helmets as a way to test the market ahead of potential jersey sponsorship in the future. The move is also seen by the league as an important new source of income for its clubs, if confirmed. According to Forbes, league revenue was down 14% to US$4.4billion during the halted 2019/20 season, while operating income was down 68% to US$250million.
Players will be wearing sponsorship adverts like this on their helmets this season, the NHL has announced
Not long after the introduction of helmet sponsors, the league announced it had sold the naming rights of its four divisions to corporate sponsors from the US and Canada as another way to recoup lost revenue. This is believed to be only for the current season due to the realignment of the league in order to minimise travel during the pandemic.
While the idea of commercialising the league may not sit well with some fans, others seem to think it will go some way to helping teams get through these unprecedented times and generate some kind of income during the coming season. Here’s what they have to say:
Peter Bradbury: ‘While I prefer the jerseys to be ad-free, I don’t mind helmets having sponsors as seeing NBA vests with logos on seems to cheapen them for me. Plus, it’s still money being generated if put on the helmets and not on the jersey, so a plus on that side of things.’
Dale Peet: ‘I think the jersey has to stay ad-free, but having them on the helmet is a nice touch to bring in some extra cash to clubs. I think, done the right way and not displayed anywhere and everywhere, it’s a great opportunity for teams and businesses to form a partnership and generate more cash flow for both sides.’
Dan Breen: ‘I’m surprised it’s taken this long to be honest! Given how many other endorsements, sponsorships and tie ins there are in US sports already, why hasn’t it happened already?’
With these new deals, the NHL has become the latest league in North America to increase its sponsorship inventory as a direct result of the Covid pandemic and the lack of crucial game day income during due to the 2019/20 season being completed behind closed doors.
For example, the National Basketball Association (NBA) has allowed sponsors on its clubs’ practice jerseys, while easing any restrictions on deals with alcohol, casino and sports betting companies.
Due to lost revenue as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, NBA basketball teams will be allowed to sport sponsorship logos such as this on their practice jerseys.
Meanwhile Major League Soccer (MLS) reported that it would allow teams to introduce sponsorships on their shorts as a way of recouping lost income due to the pandemic.
Emma Catherine (Sports Journalist) 