Entries have now closed for the 2021 version of the FanXP Innovation Challenge, and 38 applicants have thrown their hats into the ring to take part in the biggest basketball startup competition in the world.

Those entries will now enter a review period by the jury panel, and the top ten will be selected to join a virtual final event in June. The identity of the finalists will be revealed on Saturday 29th May during the Basketball Innovation Summit, an online event coinciding with the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four.

The members of the jury are Mathieu Lacome (Head of Research and Innovation at Paris Saint-Germain); Didac Lee (Galdana Ventures Co-Founder and former Board Member and Head of Digital at FC Barcelona); Jasmine Robinson (General Partner at Causeway Media Operations); Susanne Timosci (Global Lead Key Account at Bundesliga); Sree Varma (iSportconnect Founder & CEO); Luis Vicente (Group CEO at Eleven Sports).

With the aim of offering fans the best experience possible, the FanXP Innovation Challenge – staged in collaboration with N3XT Sports – challenges the latest generation of tech startups to join the sports fan revolution with creative and unique ideas.

N3XT Sports, a strategic consulting firm specialized in digital transformation, innovation, data, and investment strategy, will provide continuous advisory support throughout the FanXP Innovation Challenge.

Three more partners are supporting the competition. LaSource is a B2B agency based in Paris, focused on sport, digital and technology, helping startups expand their business. As sports organisations undergo a digital transformation, LaSource has created a model giving access to new innovative and digital solutions to meet with strategic objectives. LaSource puts its market understanding, experience and passion to bridge the gap between innovative startups and the reality of the sport industry.

SportsTechX is the number one source for data and insights about startups and innovation in sports. Its mission is to promote and grow the international sports technology ecosystem, working with investors and organisations in various industries, helping them with market analysis and connecting them with startups.

ThinkSport brings together a variety of sports-related expertise and excellence across Switzerland and beyond: from sport organisations, research and development institutes, educational bodies, businesses, health institutions and the public sector to international organisations and NGOs.



Entries closed for 2021 FanXP Innovation Challenge

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Meeting in Barcelona on Monday, April 26, the members of the ECA Shareholders Executive Board agreed on the following points:

- All 11 clubs are fully committed to their unity as the founding pillar of their collective property and are convinced that such unity has delivered success over the last 20 years.

- All 11 clubs remain committed in their vision of taking the necessary joint steps to continue building on that success, bringing the competitions to new heights.

- Euroleague Basketball will propose measures to further integrate all 11 clubs into the governance structure of all collective properties at the upcoming ECA Shareholders Meeting.

ECA Shareholders Executive Board meets in Barcelona (Apr 26, 2021)

A selection of 13 clubs of this season’s 7DAYS EuroCup met remotely to discuss and agree on a proposed new competition model which had been previously reviewed by the ECA Shareholders Executive Board.

The proposal includes:

- Participating teams: 20

A maximum of 16 teams will be awarded three-year licenses to promote stability and long-term planning.
A minimum of four one-year wild cards and/or rankings-based domestic league spots.
- Competition format: divided into two phases that aim at providing clubs with more guaranteed home games – maximizing their revenue opportunities and the excitement of the fan experience – while introducing knock-out phases that will deliver increased thrills:

Regular Season: two groups of 10 teams each in a round-robin format. First eight teams in each group to qualify for next phase.
Knock-out elimination rounds: eighthfinals, quarterfinals, semifinals and final, all played under a single-game format.
Champion and runner-up to qualify to the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague as per current regulations.
- Calendar: 2021-22 season to start by end of October 2021 and finish by mid/end of May 2022

-Governance and club operations:

EuroCup Board to continue to discuss and agree on competition strategies and policies.
Clubs to be integrated within Euroleague Basketball’s Business Operations and Club Services unit.
Euroleague Basketball to create a collaborative framework including all participating teams from the EuroLeague and the EuroCup.
The proposal will be presented at the upcoming ECA Shareholders Meeting for discussion and approval.

2021-22 EuroCup season to start under revamped competition model

Once again, a prestigious jury has been selected for the 2021 version of the FanXP Innovation Challenge, the biggest basketball startup competition in the world which is inviting entries now.

With the aim of offering fans the best experience possible, the FanXP Innovation Challenge – staged in collaboration with N3XT Sports – challenges the latest generation of tech startups to join the sports fan revolution with creative and unique ideas.

A vastly experienced six-person jury has been selected to ensure expertise and insight in the judging of the entries, which can be submitted until 30 April at https://fanxp.euroleague.net

The jury is: Mathieu Lacome (Head of Research and Innovation at Paris Saint-Germain); Didac Lee (Galdana Ventures Co-Founder and former Board Member and Head of Digital at FC Barcelona); Jasmine Robinson (General Partner at Causeway Media Operations); Susanne Timosci (Global Lead Key Account at Bundesliga); Sree Varma (iSportconnect Founder & CEO); Luis Vicente (Group CEO at Eleven Sports).

Lacome believes the event will be beneficial for everybody involved, saying: “The FanXP participation will be a massive boost for the startups, providing visibility, introduction to the relevant stakeholders, and insights about the needs and challenges of the clubs.”

Timosci echoed that view, adding: “Startup competitions such as this one are a great opportunity for startups to get exposure, get closer to the sports ecosystem and be in direct contact with the decision makers.”

Varma is excited to see the ideas presented, noting: “I joined the FanXP Innovation Challenge as a jury member because I love seeing the new creations and new ideas that are constantly popping up. It’s always amazing to see what the ‘next big thing’ could be.”

Any startup with a minimum viable product may apply to take part, and all applicants will receive free registration to attend the FanXP Virtual Pitch Competition.

N3XT Sports, a strategic consulting firm specialized in digital transformation, innovation, data, and investment strategy, will provide continuous advisory support throughout the FanXP Innovation Challenge.

Visit https://fanxp.euroleague.net/ to apply or contact fanxp@euroleague.net for more information.

Alongside the jury of experts, three more partners are supporting the competition. LaSource is a B2B agency based in Paris, focused on sport, digital and technology, helping startups expand their business. As sports organisations undergo a digital transformation, LaSource has created a model giving access to new innovative and digital solutions to meet with strategic objectives. LaSource puts its market understanding, experience and passion to bridge the gap between innovative startups and the reality of the sport industry.

SportsTechX is the number one source for data and insights about startups and innovation in sports. Its mission is to promote and grow the international sports technology ecosystem, working with investors and organisations in various industries, helping them with market analysis and connecting them with startups.

ThinkSport brings together a variety of sports-related expertise and excellence across Switzerland and beyond: from sport organisations, research and development institutes, educational bodies, businesses, health institutions and the public sector to international organisations and NGOs

Jury selected for FanXP Innovation Challenge

Jordi Bertomeu, the Euroleague Basketball President and CEO, met with Italian media on Tuesday alongside Massimo Zanetti, Virtus Segafredo Bologna owner, prior to Game 1 of the 7DAYS EuroCup Semifinals against visiting UNICS Kazan. Here is a transcript of their comments:

Massimo Zanetti Virtus Segafredo Bologna owner

Virtus belongs to the EuroLeague and we are working to make this possible next season. We wanted to participate this season but after last season cancellation due to COVID-19 pandemic we didn´t have the opportunity and it also affected on the plans to start the construction of the new Arena

Jordi Bertomeu, Euroleague Basketball President and CEO

Stability is a key point to build on for the future of our competitions because only with this stability, not always thinking about the concept of immediate sporting results, the last game or the last season, only by focusing on stability can we focus on this project in the medium and long term and stimulate this concept, but at the same time we have high standards for our clubs with respect to management. The question is how do you evaluate good management? It is clear that the sporting result is an objective way of evaluating it, but today I think it is important to evaluate the satisfaction that our fans have as a consequence of their experiences by attending matches. The game, the experience at the arenas, the experience watching the game on TV, on streaming platforms, on social media, because today sport is not like 20 years ago, the formula with which young people live sport today is very different.

It is clear that all industries and economic sectors have changed a lot in the last year and if we talk a little about the entertainment sector, we see that cinema, music or the editorial industries have changed a lot. Today the product, the promotion, the marketing and consumption have changed and it is not the same as it was 20 years ago. It is interesting to see that sport is still anchored on concepts created after the Second World War, with the principle of sports meritocracy, promotion and relegation…. We think it is time to look at all this in a different way. We cannot make a professional league based on the concept of winning at all costs, but must look for a concept of sustainability based on an efficient structure that gives a sustainable economy to clubs, a guarantee of the future, and which allows you to develop the project and bring home investments like the one we heard about a little while ago. Doing this without stability will be very difficult.

At this moment with COVID, a sad moment for everyone, it can also be an opportunity to think about the future of professional competitions and we are preparing a profound restructuring based on these principles that I spoke of before. It is clear that if we think about the future of the EuroLeague today in 10 years, it is unpredictable, but it will certainly be much more demanding each season. We cannot know if in four, five, 10 maybe 30 years the Euroleague will have 24 or 26 teams, but our job is to help the clubs to be ready to face this different reality that will be more demanding every time. The task of the clubs, on the other hand, will be to be ready, to work to develop a profound, professional structure that can face this reality which, as I said, will become more demanding every time.

And this is the reason why we think that today's EuroCup will be the EuroLeague of the future. This is why we want to work with this group of EuroLeague and EuroCup teams because sooner or later, they will all be part of the same reality. For this we need stability. I am not saying this in order not to give the right value to tonight's match, which is obviously very important for Virtus but also for UNICS Kazan, like the match that is now being played between Monaco and Gran Canaria, but you have to look at things in the perspective of time because we have had so many teams in the history of the EuroLeague that are no longer there. And we can't afford this again, and these are the general lines of what Euroleague Basketball is working on.

Before answering your questions I wanted to thank President Zanetti for the day we are experiencing today.

About the number of games and comparison with UEFA Champions League

From what I understand, the reform of the UEFA Champions League, to which you referred, goes the opposite way; the Champions League project consists of enlarging the championship because there are not enough matches for this level of quality. A team playing the UEFA Champions League Final plays seven home games at the end of the season, its fans have enjoyed only seven times the best competition on the planet. I don't believe that on this basis it is possible to do a minimally sustainable business. I don't think we will go in the future to have fewer games, but if anything to add games. I say this because if we have to make the choice of having matches with 10,000, 12,000, 14,000 spectators instead of matches with 2,000 or 3,000 spectators, I think the choice is obvious. The future of the EuroLeague - I am not saying next season or even the following one, so do not be scared - it will not be to remove games, but to add more. It is clear that the response of the fans with the presence in the stadiums and with the numbers of the TV sends a message: the EuroLeague matches are the ones they want to watch.

About the number of wildcards next season and a possible wildcard for an Italian team

There will be two wildcards next season.

No. We have clearly said that the natural path to get to the EuroLeague is the EuroCup, but we have to work particularly with the Adriatic countries, which is a very important territory for basketball. At this moment the entryway into the EuroLeague for teams from France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Greece, Turkey, is through the EuroCup.

About a possible increase in the number of teams participating in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

I think the three-to-five-year landscape is still unpredictable. We are working to have teams ready to play in the EuroLeague. Now the first goal is for 2023-24, to have 16-18 teams with a EuroLeague license, being part of the owners by the league as today we have 11 teams with FC Bayern Munich and LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne most probably joining this list as we announced several weeks ago. This is our idea for 2023-2024, but it is not sure that we will succeed, because it does not depend only on us. The tasks must also be done by the clubs to have this structure of a League with stability. This is the concept we are working on for all teams.

About Virtus being a stable and sustainable team

Clearly, first of all, because for us Italy is an important country. The emotion I felt at the beginning of this speech has nothing to do with it. For us, France, Germany and Italy are strategic countries, countries for which we have a very important investment plan for the next three to four years. If you only want to look at Italy, it is obvious that its history is very important and we have huge respect for it, but we always look to the future and today Virtus represents an absolutely indisputable future.

Obviously, we have a task to do, us and the club, but this is what we will do in the next two or three years together, to ensure that the beginning of the building and the EuroLeague, everything goes with the same timing.

About teams with better arenas

The arena is the fundamental element to guarantee economic sustainability, because the arena allows you to make a much more balanced budget, much more rational, and allows you to enjoy, beyond the basketball matches, many other activities that are positive for the club's economy. Euroleague Basketball's outlook is very optimistic and positive because there are arena construction projects with a certainty of inauguration in Lyon, Munich and Valencia and there are projects in Milan and St. Petersburg, and I think there is one in Bologna. And we are talking about arenas between 12,000 and 16,000 spectators, so I think that in a reasonable time we will have a list of arenas that - I don't say will be NBA style because I don't think we need this, but they will be arenas of great quality and I think that we already have some now. If one goes to the Zalgiris arena, I think it is absolutely an NBA-style arena, and I believe that the others that will be built in the next few years will be based on the same concept.

About the current relation with FIBA

Relationships are good. Clearly, FIBA has a slightly different responsibility than we have, they have to take care of very important things for basketball such as the promotion of basketball, the development of young people. All of this is part of their responsibilities, together with the national team competitions, and we are in a much more precise and limited situation organizing the first two professional competitions at the European level: the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and 7DAYS EuroCup. Relations are good. If there is the possibility of helping each other lately, we do it. A very simple example: we have the Final Four in Cologne. After that FIBA will make the EuroBasket in Cologne. So we are working together, we are helping them because our experience can be important for them too. Relations are peaceful. We do not have big common projects, but relations are good.

Euroleague Basketball's Bertomeu meets media in Bologna

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The Euroleague Basketball Finance Panel has rendered its decision concerning the compliance status of Khimki Moscow Region with the Financial Stability and Fair Play Regulations (FSFPR).

The proceeding had been opened on the basis of an alleged infringement of overdue payables under Article 32. a) of the Euroleague Basketball Disciplinary Code.

The case was referred by the Euroleague Basketball Management Control Commission and had resulted in a transitory ban on Khimki from registering new players while the Finance Panel reviewed the proceeding.

As a result of that review, the Finance Panel has ruled:

1. Khimki is responsible for the infringements contemplated by Article 32. a) of the Euroleague Basketball Disciplinary Code.

2. Khimki is sanctioned with a ban on the registration of players as long as the Overdue Payables remain outstanding pursuant to Article 2(k) of the Financial Stability and Fair Play Regulations.

Euroleague Basketball Finance Panel rules in Khimki proceeding

ALBA Berlin awarded with a two-year EuroLeague wild card
Clubs approve 2020-21 Special Regulations updates on Playoffs and Final Four
The Euroleague Commercial Assets Board members gathered virtually on Monday, March 8, to review and discuss a series of topics, taking the following decisions:

1. Conditions for inclusion of FC Bayern Munich and LDLC Asvel Villeurbanne as long-term licenced clubs were agreed: Euroleague Basketball executives provided board members with an update on the progress with both organisations, as well as on the due diligence performed following previous agreements of the board and the strategy set by it. EB and clubs remain aligned in their vision. Additional exchanges between them will continue with a view toward concluding the agreements in the following weeks.

2. ALBA Berlin was awarded with a two-year Turkish Airlines EuroLeague license: the German club secures its participation for the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons following previous instructions of the board and after verification by Euroleague Basketball of all requirements being met by the club.

3. Approved roadmap for the 7DAYS EuroCup competition: clubs agreed on the strategic pillars for second-tier European club competition. Further details to be publicly announced later in the season.

4. Updated 2020-21 Special Regulations accepted: modifications to the Special Regulations, which were set to navigate the extraordinary situations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, include:

Playoffs regulations:
Designation of a secondary venue or venues by the league office to relocate games of any playoff series due to existing restrictions.
After a first reschedule/relocation of a game, if new restrictions apply, the team causing the first reschedule/relocation is to forfeit the game.
Maximum of one suspension per playoff game.
In the event of simultaneous travel restrictions and unavailability of the minimum eight players, the team causing the game suspension by not having eight players will forfeit the game. If both teams happen not to have eight eligible players to play, both will forfeit the game. In such a case, and rescheduling/relocation of pending games has been exhausted, the team with the most wins advances.
In case a series is tied and rescheduling/relocation of pending games has been exhausted, the highest-ranked Regular Season team advances.
Final Four regulations:
The next highest-ranked Regular Season team will replace any Final Four qualified team that is prevented from playing due to travel restrictions and/or unavailability of the minimum number of players.
A maximum of two Final Four teams will be replaced.
No team replacements will be executed after 00:01 on Friday, May 28. After this deadline, should one team not be ready to play, the opposing team advances to the Championship Game. If both teams in one semifinal cannot play the game, both forfeit the game and the winner of the other semifinal will become the competition’s champion.
Should the Championship Game be affected by restrictions or the unavailability of players, the game will be rescheduled/relocated.
The Final Four will be suspended and relocated in the event that more than two qualified teams are not available to play or that local regulations prevent the event from being played.
The updated Special Regulations will be made public in the following days.

5. EB executives also updated board members on the progress of the organisation of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four event and its ancillary activities, as well as on proposed changes in purpose and composition of the EuroLeague’s Chief Business Officers Board, which was created in 2018.

Decisions made by the ECA Board will be submitted to the next ECA Shareholders Meeting for formal approval.

ECA Board meets to take strategic decisions, approves postseason special regulations

Euroleague and Elevate to develop general marketing strategy, ticket and premium hospitality services, and event management for the Final Four.
Amplifying fan, premium and brand experience main goals for the partnership.
Euroleague Basketball, the organising body of the Europe’s elite club basketball competition has today partnered with Elevate Sports Ventures, the best-in-class sports and entertainment consulting firm, to support global strategy, ticketing, fan and premium hospitality experience, and event management for the league’s showcase event, the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four. Via the partnership, Elevate will deliver industry-leading best practices in analytics and business intelligence in the areas of global, direct-to-consumer, digital marketing, ticket and premium pricing, sales and service, and more for Europe’s most renown international professional basketball League.

Additionally, given Elevate’s proficiency in professional sports and live event operations, the global agency will design a comprehensive strategy for in-arena and city-wide fan and premium experiences celebrating the EuroLeague’s premier event, which historically draws more than 15,000 fans in attendance, an audience of over 150 million in global broadcasts to more than 200 countries and territories, and 40 million on Social Media.

This agreement follows continuous ongoing efforts conducted by Euroleague Basketball in improving the customer experience at all levels, both in-arena and remote experiences, as a key factor to grow the league’s popularity and business performance.

The partnership agreement between Euroleague Basketball and Elevate was assisted by G2 Strategic, a leading sports marketing consultancy and Euroleague Basketball long-time business advisor having contributed in different strategic initiatives including the recent creation of the EuroLeague Business Operations & Club Services division.

“We are extremely satisfied to be partnering with Elevate Sports Ventures, one of the biggest entertainment consulting firms, which has identified Euroleague Basketball as its ambassador in the European market,” states Jordi Bertomeu, Euroleague Basketball President and CEO.

“This partnership is built upon a common vision to innovate, an interest in re-imagining the premium experience, and dedication to engaging the fan in dynamic, new ways during the most important event of the season, the Final Four. Their enormous expertise with some of the most renowned sports properties, like the San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia 76ers and the New Jersey Devils, shows the high level of professionalism that will help bring the Final Four to a new level. I would also like to thank our longtime collaborator Marshall Glickman and his company G2 Strategic for helping us reach this agreement.”

“We are proud to announce this partnership with Euroleague Basketball, providing our agency the incredible opportunity to work alongside this global League in reimagining the EuroLeague Final Four,” said Al Guido, Chairman and CEO of Elevate Sports Ventures. “We are confident together we will amplify fan activations, premium offerings and partnership opportunities that will see the EuroLeague Final Four recognized as one of sports preeminent global events. Our goal at Elevate Sports Ventures is to use our people, process and technology to support and guide our clients, and their teams, brands, venues and properties, to emerge from this period positioned for success.”



Elevate Sports Ventures grows European operation in partnership with Euroleague Basketball

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Euroleague Basketball has unveiled the newly refurbished "Selver Dzigal Game Center" at the company's offices in Barcelona. The Game Center has been named after Selver Dzigal, the highly respected former Euroleague Basketball Competitions Department manager who passed away one year ago.

The "Selver Dzigal Game Center" is very much a nerve center at Euroleague Basketball headquarters, the place where all Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, 7DAYS EuroCup and Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament games are habitually monitored live by staff representing multiple departments of the company. Selver was an integral part of the team responsible for managing the EuroLeague, EuroCup and ANGT. He was a fixture at the Game Center, spending countless hours there tracking games and keeping in contact with courts across the continent to assure the smooth running of all competitions. Selver will forever be remembered as a cherished member of our basketball family.

Euroleague Basketball dedicates the "Selver Dzigal Game Center"

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