This article was originally published on February 14th, 2020.
Here is this week's dose of “5-Point Friday”. A weekly round-up of the sports news and stories that I find most interesting and enjoyable.
Fan experience news I am reviewing -
Top-flight Spanish soccer club Valencia has launched a new in-stadia food-delivery platform, becoming one of the first European soccer clubs to allow fans to order directly to their seat during matches.
Soccer story I am learning about -
Fifa and Fifpro, the world players' union, have set up a global fund to protect players' salaries.
The Fifa Fund for Football Players (Fifa FFP) will provide financial support to players who have not been, and will not be, paid by their club. Fifa has set aside $16m for the fund up to 2022, split into yearly allocations. Another $5m has also been allocated for players affected between July 2015 and June 2020.
Golf news I am paying attention to -
Former world number one Tiger Woods has been approached by the organizers of the Premier Golf League, a proposed competition to rival the PGA Tour. The Grand Prix-style, 18-event world tour would feature 48 top players and have a $240m total prize-fund.
NCAA news that concerns me -
The NCAA along with two Conferences, the ACC & Big 12, has spent over $750,000 on lobbying to congress, to shape any reforms to the organization's liking.
The NCAA had agreed to allow athletes to ''benefit from the use of their name, image and likeness'' and is currently crafting rules to put in place for its 1,100 member schools. However, the organization has turned to Congress to step in as more and more states follow the lead of California, where a law set to take effect in 2023 clears the way for athletes to earn endorsement money.
Games I attended -
This week I attended two USA vs Canada matchups. First in ice hockey, for the Finale of the USA vs Canada Rivalry Series, which ended in an overtime win for the USA. The second game was the Concacaf Women's Olympic Soccer Qualifying Final, where the USWNT dominated Canada, in a 3-0 victory.
Hockey highlights:
Soccer highlights:
Have a wonderful weekend, all!
Jonathan