Field of Dreams: Edition 11

Greetings dear reader,

Welcome to my very first edition of 2024!

I take it that you are following the Test Cricket ferry across the globe and keeping a keen watch on the scorecard for the Indian Team has come up at second position!

When I think of large-scale, long duration games like Test Cricket, I’ve come to realise that scheduling these games could be quite the task.

But lo and behold- of course AI is saving the day again!

Read all about it and my byte on the sporting realm’s “the future is female” below!

Team Tales

While you may know my team at ITW for their array of successful on-ground projects, and large-scale digital campaigns, today I'm eager to highlight a different facet of our digital expertise.

Led by Prashanth R, we facilitated the redesign of Cricket Ireland’s website- enhancing their user interface and creating a seamless user experience!

It is because of such professionalism, work ethic and relationship building that my team has established a base of applying and imparting their knowledge that today I’m proud to say that we have created a thriving community of 10,000+ people!

P.S: Watch out for our latest spotlight series on the ITW Consulting page, where we talk about stitching some of those rewarding partnerships!

We're proud to announce that ITW has facilitated a significant partnership, bringing Sintex, a Welspun World Company, on board as the Associate Partner of the TATA Women's Premier League from 2024 to 2027.?

This collaboration marks a new chapter for the WPL, promising exciting seasons ahead on the pitch.?

A big thank you to our partners and the ITW team for their hard work and dedication in making this partnership a reality.

Tech for Thought

There was a time when we saw zeros and ones on scorecards at our favourite games, and today, those zeros and ones make up almost every piece of tech behind the scenes of our most-watched sporting events!

From Generative AI, AI for Facial Recognition and for Marketing, make way for an AI that will make a sporting calendar its own!

Fastbreak.ai is a cutting-edge scheduling platform that takes every possible variable into consideration before getting to the actual, complex process of creating a game schedule.

The NBA, following the NHL and Major League Pickleball, has not just partnered up with Fastbreak.ai but has also become a seed round investor through NBA Equity!

The think tanks behind this Software-as-a-Service- John Stewart, Chris Groer and Tim Carnes were successful in accurately identifying the pain points that stand in the way of fully optimising for all factors of a game.

Most commonly, organisers struggle with venue availability, consideration for teams’ travel routines and overall schedule quality.

The NBA has been a league that has always dived head-first into adopting new realms of technology.

It then goes without saying that I highly resonate with Evan Wasch- NBA Executive Vice President- who shares a commitment to foster innovation through moves like these, which hasten and democratise a process like scheduling!

Market Mania

Picture this…

If I had run a search, say about a decade ago, of the best of all football players worldwide, I wouldn’t expect to see lists of women footballers.

However, that has been the progression of our reality today!

In order for a game to acquire fans, building a relationship with them is where it starts and the process is facilitated by people actually having access to watching and interacting with the sport.

DAZN, the world’s leading live sport streaming service, recognised the potential in Women’s Football and has removed the paywall for the various women’s soccer properties in its portfolio!

Through their latest campaign- “New Deal for Women’s Football”- they are projecting a phenomenal growth trajectory with an increased viewership of matches from the UEFA Champions League, Serie A, League F, Frauen-Bundesliga, DI Arkema and Saudi Women’s Pro League, being brodcasted for free.

Leveraging its commercial potential too, sponsors Adidas, EA Sports and more, have been onboarded to support the campaign.

DAZN’s very own- Esmeralda Negron is committed to accelerating the success of women’s soccer.

I believe that her vision of inviting brands, clubs, leagues and broadcasters to collaborate to create a major global sensation, is one that is a golden opportunity for future female footballers and fans worldwide!

On that note,

I’d like to leave you with Chris Martin’s echoing lyrics- “But if you never try, you’ll never know just what you’re worth.”

Here’s to taking 100% of the chances we get to broaden the future horizons of sport!

Until then…?

Keep hustling,?

Bhairav Shanth