Big Apple deal for Blackpool sports tech business

Eleven Sports Media, based at Whitehills, has teamed up with New York City Football Club to have its digital platform at the Yankees Stadium and to support its academy.

Eleven was founded in 2009 to provide smaller businesses with valuable access to their local sports clubs, and providing the tools and support to those clubs so they could provide it.

e company will launch a comprehensive new platform for brand exposure and growth for small businesses across the Big Apple and also become shirt sponsor for the NYCFC Academy teams.

The deal will let small to medium size businesses in the city a chance to expose their products and services to not only fans at NYCFC home games, but also across social media and broadcast.

The investment is a first for Eleven outside of the UK, where it sponsors academies, youth, B-teams and women’s teams across the British Isles including Blackpool FC.

Its technology also powers bespoke fan engagement channels in grounds and on social media offering statistics and information for fans.

Eleven’s managing director Matt Cairns said: “The excitement levels are though the roof at Eleven Sports Media about partnering with NNYCFC.

“The reputation we have built in the UK and premier league was certainly attractive to NYCFC and other clubs in the MLS. It will allow the club to achieve a true connection with their business community.”

Matt Goodman, Chief Commercial Officer and COO at NYCFC, commented: “We are the soccer team of the five boroughs.

“Our role is two-fold: to connect with the local communities that we are proud to represent and to empower better lives through soccer. We want to do everything we can to help pick up the small businesses. They are the fabric of New York City.

“The most exciting part about partnering with Eleven is that shared focus on small business and on investing in young local talent. Eleven’s history with global soccer, coupled with an emphasis on community and youth soccer, is the most unique part of how Eleven operates.

“This partnership will give NYCFC a larger platform to speak to more fans and give more local, small businesses a bigger platform for success.”