Sportico Transactions: Moves and Mergers Roundup for December 1

Welcome to Sportico’s transactions wire, a weekly rundown of personnel, partnerships and products across the sports business industry.

PERSONNEL

Tennis Channel Names Matt Graham as Senior Vice President

Tennis Channel has appointed Matt Graham to the newly created position of senior vice president, direct-to-consumer and streaming business development. In this role, the veteran television-and-digital executive will spearhead the company’s strategy to make Tennis Channel’s television network available directly to customers (DTC) via a new streaming platform, planned for 2024. Based in the channel’s Los Angeles-area headquarters, he will report to Bill Simon, executive vice president, COO and CFO. Graham joins Tennis Channel from AMC Networks, where he had served as general manager of its streaming platforms Acorn TV and Sundance Now. 

Karen Matijak Joins On Location and Events at IMG

Karen Matijak has been appointed senior vice president of business operations and transformation for global premium hospitality experiences company On Location, and the events division of IMG. Matijak will be responsible for driving strategic and transformation initiatives for the Endeavor-owned businesses, reporting into Paul Caine, president, and Jon Lavallee, chief operations officer of On Location and IMG’s Events business. Based in New York, Matijak’s remit will include On Location’s experiences as the hospitality partner for the Super Bowl and the Olympic and Paralympic Games, along with hundreds of other sporting events, fashion shows, food festivals, art fairs and attractions. Matijak’s past experience includes launching HERE Technology’s Professional Services business, transforming The Nature’s Bounty Company in preparation for IPO and setting up an HR shared service for McGraw-Hill Education to prepare it for becoming a stand-alone business.

International Federation of American Football Taps NFL’s Peter O’Reilly

The International Federation of American Football (IFAF) Congress voted unanimously to add NFL representation to the IFAF Board, appointing NFL executive VP Peter O’Reilly to the IFAF Board. The vote took place in IFAF’s home city of Paris at the conclusion of a year that saw the federation awarded full International Olympic Committee (IOC) recognition, with flag football voted onto the sports program of the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. The NFL’s addition to the 13-member IFAF Board continues the collaboration with the the league that has underpinned the Vision28 project, placing flag football atop global growth objectives. O’Reilly, NFL executive vice president for club business, international and league events, brings Olympic experience as a former senior member of the New York 2012 Olympic bid team and a member of the NBA staff that supported Olympic basketball at the Atlanta 1996 Games and the Sydney 2000 Games.

PARTNERSHIPS

New Balance and Tennis Australia Announce New Sponsorship

Tennis Australia together with New Balance announced today it has signed an extensive agreement to make New Balance the Official Performance Apparel and Footwear provider of the Australian Open and United Cup. As part of the partnership, New Balance will release an AO co-branded line of performance apparel and footwear. The range will be available for purchase online and during the AO from New Balance’s on-site retail store on Grand Slam Oval. New Balance will also outfit ballkids at the United Cup, which will be played in Perth and Sydney. New Balance’s tennis ambassadors include American stars Tommy Paul, who reached the semifinals in Australia last year, and Coco Gauff, who won her first Grand Slam title at the U.S. Open in September.

Zone Mental Health App Partners With A-10, Mountain West, Patriot League

The Zone, a mental health app aimed at college athletes, announced partnerships with the Atlantic 10, Patriot League and Mountain West Conferences. These collaborations will make The Zone the preferred mental health partner of each conference, helping them meet the NCAA’s new mental health regulations. Already supporting over 140 teams and 5,700 athletes, The Zone’s mobile app enhances accessibility to care, offering tailored mental health support and faster access to help for users.

National Lacrosse League, Marvel Team to Promote Sport’s Origin Story

To close out this year’s Native American Heritage Month, the National Lacrosse League unveiled a multiyear program with storytelling giant Marvel, focused on honoring and popularizing lacrosse’s Indigenous origin story with game-specific promotions starting in the upcoming 2023-24 NLL season. The central theme of the collaboration, the history of lacrosse, will be at the core of a custom comic book written by Paul Allor, in close collaboration with the NLL’s Indigenous consultants, drawn by Indigenous creator Shaun Beyale, and a cover by JL Giles. The comic book will only be available at designated Marvel Super Hero™ themed games every NLL team will host each year of the program.

PURCHASES

Avery Dennison Completes Acquisition of Silver Crystal Group

Avery Dennison (NYSE:AVY) announced it completed the acquisition of Silver Crystal Group, an established player in sports apparel customization and application across in-venue, direct-to-business and e-commerce platforms. Silver Crystal Group is now a part of the apparel solutions business within the Solutions Group of Avery Dennison.

Prep Super League’s Denver Franchise to Be Purchased by Upswing Foundation

The Prep Super League (PSL), an 11-on-11 spring football league for top high school football players led by Brian Woods, announced that Upswing Foundation has entered an agreement to purchase the rights to the PSL’s Denver franchise. With teams located in 12 markets across the nation, the PSL kicks off in spring 2024, featuring college football prospects, collegiate playing rules, NFL-level safety protocols and games streamed in real time. To be eligible for participation in the PSL, players must be currently enrolled in an accredited middle or high school curriculum and reside in one of the league’s 12 designated markets.