Latest news with #EuropeanClubAssociation
New York Times
5 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
UEFA increase funding for clubs releasing players for Women's Euros
Women's clubs who have released players for the summer's European Championships in Switzerland will receive a larger portion of funding after UEFA's club benefits programme was increased to €9 million following a recommendation from the European Club Association. The club benefits programme, agreed between the ECA and UEFA, rewards clubs for releasing players to UEFA national team competitions. Advertisement The funding for Euro 2022 totalled €4.5million (around £3.84m) and was initially intended to increase to €6m. However, an extra €3m has since been added from the men's 2020/24 club benefit cycle, following a proposal from the ECA. The total amount a club is afforded, according to UEFA, is calculated by the number of days a player is released for tournament participation, as well as 10 preparation days and one additional travel day. A club is compensated at a rate of €657 per day per player. The minimum payment a club will receive is €13,140 for a player whose team is eliminated after the group stages. The maximum amount will be €24,309 for a player from a team that was in Group A and reached the final. Injury to a player or a transfer to a new club will see clubs receive a pro rata payment. On the increase of the club benefits programme, UEFA's head of women's football Nadine Kessler said on a media panel on Friday: 'We do this investment because we know of the symbolic meaning of prize money and because these mechanisms are the very symbol of solidarity. We want everyone who contributes to the success of the Euros to be rewarded. It's a tournament that belongs to everyone.' The increase in club benefits coincides with the record increase in prize money for Euro 2025 to €41m, a 156% increase from the previous Euros held in England. For the first time in women's Euros history, players will receive a guaranteed share of the prize money received by their national association, with between 30% and 40% of funds going to players. According to Kessler, more than 500,000 tickets have already been sold for the summer's tournament, with 22 of the 31 matches already sold out. Switzerland's largest stadium for the tournament is Basel's St. Jakob-Park, with a capacity of 34,250. By comparison, during England's successful Euro 2022 campaign, 575,000 tickets were sold, with Wembley representing the largest stadium capacity at 90,000. Despite the increases in prize money and club benefits, Kessler said the women's tournament will represent a €20-25m net loss for UEFA. Euro 2024 generated an estimated €2.41billion in revenue. When queried on comparisons between the women's and men's tournaments, Kessler said: 'We need to keep comparison to the men's tournament in the past. We increased the women's prize money because we know what it does for public interest and awareness. When I played in these tournaments, there was zero prize money but we still did our best, we wanted to win. That's still the most important thing.' Advertisement The financial increase of UEFA's club benefits programme for women's clubs is hugely important and, as Kessler says, a statement of intent from UEFA and the ECA. While the women's Euros continues to be loss making, the methodology Kessler and others at UEFA are operating on is that without investment across the board, the tournament (and women's football in general) will not become revenue-generating. Particularly as discourse around crowded fixture calendars and burnout continues, ensuring clubs, and most importantly players, are duly rewarded for their participation in national team events is crucial. There is always concern, however, that with an increase in funding to clubs with participating players, the gap between those clubs and domestic rivals could increase. In England's 23-member Euro 2025 squad, for example, no clubs outside the established top four clubs in England's Women's Super League (Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United and Manchester City) are represented. More money afforded these sides could help perpetuate the competitive status quo in England's top flight. However, the flip side is that this is a model that encourages clubs to invest in their women's teams in order to become a destination for international players. Equally, a model that encourages dialogue and collaboration between national teams and clubs should help to grow the women's game in a healthy way.
Washington Post
31-05-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
CBS Sports acquires the rights to air Women's Champions League matches
NEW YORK — CBS Sports has acquired the U.S. broadcast rights for the UEFA Women's Champions League through the 2029-30 season, the network announced Saturday. All 75 matches for the upcoming season will be streamed on Paramount+, with select games aired on CBS Sports Network and CBS Sports Golazo Network. CBS Sports and UC3, the commercial partnership between UEFA and the European Club Association, announced the deal before the men's Champions League final in Munich.
Edmonton Journal
21-05-2025
- Business
- Edmonton Journal
Euro 2028 hosts England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland to play in qualifiers
Article content The committee also approved an increase in the number of players who can be registered by teams in this year's Nations League finals from 23 to a maximum of 26, 'considering the dynamics of the end of season as well as an increase in activities over the summer of 2025.' On the club benefits program, UEFA said that for the next cycle linked to Euro 2028, 240 million euros ($272 million) will be distributed in accordance with the memorandum of understanding between UEFA and the European Club Association. UEFA said 7 million euros ($7.9 million) remains available for distribution from the previous club benefits cycle. After a proposal from the ECA, UEFA said that it was agreed to shift 3 million euros ($3.4 million) of the leftover from the 2020-24 cycle to the club benefit program for Women's Euro 2025, increasing its size from 6 million euros ($6.8 million) to 9 million euros ($10.2 million). The club benefits program was created in 2008 to recognize the newly-launched ECA as a more democratic representative of teams' interests.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Champions League final could be held in United States – as Uefa eyes groundbreaking new deal
A Champions League final in the United States just became a step closer, as Uefa and the European Club Association have entered into an exclusive negotiation period with Relevent Sports for global commercial rights to Europe's men's club competitions from 2027. The American agency have been at the forefront of trying to bring major games to the US. Should the deal be completed, it would mark the end of Uefa's three-decade-plus association with TEAM Marketing, who were originally responsible for all of the prominent Champions League branding, like the starball and famous theme. More seriously, it could put up to 170 jobs from the company at risk. There is understood to have been a state of shock at TEAM, as well as some anger about the process. A statement to be released on Tuesday read: "The Board of UC3, the joint venture between Uefa and the European Club Association (ECA) has agreed to enter into an exclusive period of negotiation with Relevent Sports over the global commercial rights to the Uefa men's club competitions for the period 2027-2033. 'The decision follows an open tender process, launched last summer, which attracted bids from a number of global and regional agencies." Relevent are controlled by billionaire and Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, who has long harboured plans to stage meaningful European club games in the United States. The pre-season International Champions Cup is widely seen to have been ultimately set up for this purpose. There were even plans to replace it with a Champions League-branded pre-season tournament and a final in the US has always been seen as the primary objective. Fifa only last April said that it would consider changes to its policy that blocks league matches from being played in other countries, after an agreement with Relevent to dismiss the promoter's lawsuit challenging that very regulation. Relevent Sports' lawyer Jeffrey L Kessler had filed a letter in a Manhattan court stating that Fifa and his client agreed to the dismissal. There had previously been plans to bring a La Liga game between Barcelona and Girona to Miami. Relevent are now on the brink of striking a deal with Uefa, which could bring the prospect of Champions League games in the US by 2033. The move marks the start of a huge shift within sport. For one, it is a sign of how the major clubs - through the ECA - are starting to exert much more influence of Uefa competitions and "push new boundaries". The entry of US and Gulf investors into the European football market has meanwhile sparked a sudden and quick evolution, as major competition organisers start to look to maximise global opportunities. This is how the face of the game could change, especially as the dynamics and culture of the sport change. Competition to attract the next generation of global "consumers" has become huge. Football now sees itself as not just competing with other sports but against TikTok and other forms of entertainment, with a need to be aggressive in the market. Sources close to the situation also insist Uefa has a responsibility to not just ignore the European Super League, and have to show clubs they are "dynamic" and "optimising market opportunities". It is seen as a big reason why Uefa are pushing ahead with the joint UC3 venture, since it strengthens the links and offers more input in the commercial side. The agreement would consequently mark the end of an era in European football in numerous senses. There was said to be particular shock within TEAM that the news came out in a European-club matchweek, with some of their employees travelling to matches today to meet with broadcasters and sponsors.
The Independent
11-02-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Champions League final could be held in United States – as Uefa eye groundbreaking new deal
A Champions League final in the United States just became a step closer, as Uefa and the European Club Association have entered into an exclusive negotiation period with Relevent Sports for global commercial rights to Europe's men's club competitions from 2027. The American agency have been at the forefront of trying to bring major games to the US. Should the deal be completed, it would mark the end of Uefa's three-decade-plus association with TEAM Marketing, who were originally responsible for all of the prominent Champions League branding, like the starball and famous theme. More seriously, it could put up to 170 jobs from the company at risk. There is understood to have been a state of shock at TEAM, as well as some anger about the process. A statement to be released on Tuesday read: "The Board of UC3, the joint venture between Uefa and the European Club Association (ECA) has agreed to enter into an exclusive period of negotiation with Relevent Sports over the global commercial rights to the Uefa men's club competitions for the period 2027-2033. 'The decision follows an open tender process, launched last summer, which attracted bids from a number of global and regional agencies." Relevent are controlled by billionaire and Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, who has long harboured plans to stage meaningful European club games in the United States. The pre-season International Champions Cup is widely seen to have been ultimately set up for this purpose. There were even plans to replace it with a Champions League-branded pre-season tournament and a final in the US has always been seen as the primary objective. Fifa only last April said that it would consider changes to its policy that blocks league matches from being played in other countries, after an agreement with Relevent to dismiss the promoter's lawsuit challenging that very regulation. Relevent Sports' lawyer Jeffrey L Kessler had filed a letter in a Manhattan court stating that Fifa and his client agreed to the dismissal. There had previously been plans to bring a La Liga game between Barcelona and Girona to Miami. Relevent are now on the brink of striking a deal with Uefa, which could bring the prospect of Champions League games in the US by 2033. The move marks the start of a huge shift within sport. For one, it is a sign of how the major clubs - through the ECA - are starting to exert much more influence of Uefa competitions and "push new boundaries". The entry of US and Gulf investors into the European football market has meanwhile sparked a sudden and quick evolution, as major competition organisers start to look to maximise global opportunities. This is how the face of the game could change, especially as the dynamics and culture of the sport change. Competition to attract the next generation of global "consumers" has become huge. Football now sees itself as not just competing with other sports but against TikTok and other forms of entertainment, with a need to be aggressive in the market. Sources close to the situation also insist Uefa has a responsibility to not just ignore the European Super League, and have to show clubs they are "dynamic" and "optimising market opportunities". It is seen as a big reason why Uefa are pushing ahead with the joint UC3 venture, since it strengthens the links and offers more input in the commercial side. The agreement would consequently mark the end of an era in European football in numerous senses. There was said to be particular shock within TEAM that the news came out in a European-club matchweek, some of their employees travelling to matches today to meet with broadcaster and sponsors.
