SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Ahead of the Kabaddi World Cup final this weekend, tournament organisers have praised the addition of Irish bookmaker Paddy Power to the tournament’s roster of commercial partners.
Flutter Entertainment-owned Paddy Power became the sponsor of the Kabaddi World Cup in December last year. This year’s edition of the tournament is notable for being the first outside of Asia, being held in the West Midlands region of England.
Paddy Power has a history of, for want of a better world, unorthodox marketing activity, with its TV and online adverts often permeated by its brand of humour – sometimes controversially, with some adverts receiving ofcom complaints and being removed from the air.
Its marketing history attracted Kabaddi organisers’ attention though. Joel Lavery, Strategic Lead for Major Sporting Events at the West Midlands Growth Company, said as much to SBC Media’s Insider Sport at a Kabaddi World Cup press conference recently.
“They’ve gone kind of beyond that sponsorship and they’re actively helping drive awareness and excitement around the sport,” he said
“It’s brilliant to have them for their comms and marketing genius, if you’ve ever watched anything that Paddy Power does, but also they’re genuinely invested in the growth and development of the sport in the UK.”
Taking Kabaddi to the next level
As a sponsor Paddy Power has played a financial role in supporting the tournament via sponsorship payments, but the brand’s involvement has also helped the tournament expand its visibility, organisers say.
The firm has promoted the event on talkSPORT and other platforms while regularly updating audiences on social media and via its website. The sponsorship investment is also helping Kabaddi grow at a community level.
“Paddy Power isn’t just supporting us to host the World Cup,” said Prem Singh, Chief Executive of the British Kabaddi League.
“They are also investing in the community engagement programmes, and they’re helping us develop the British Kabaddi League so that more youngsters and more people from South Asian communities can take part in the sport.”
The deal highlights the financial contribution betting firms can make to growing sports like Kabaddi, which though hugely popular in India and the wider South Asia region – being the official game of numerous Indian states and the national sport of Bangladesh – has a more niche, community-based following in the UK.
Ashok Das, President of World Kabaddi and England Kabaddi Association, added that the partnership has given Kabaddi a ‘wonderful avenue’ to access the UK and other parts of the international market.
He continued: “But for us as an organisation, it also helps us to use that funding and support and advice and guidance to do really good things for the communities in the West Midlands and across the UK.”
Singh also said: “Without funding and sponsorship, it’s impossible to take it to the next level. Even the Olympics need volunteers to succeed. So Paddy Power coming on board is lifting Kabaddi to a different level”.
These relationships need to keep responsibility front-and-centre, however, and in the modern era operators must ensure that all marketing activity adheres rigorously to established standards – particularly as public and political pressure on betting’s ties to sports shows no sign of going away soon.
To read Insider Sport’s full report from the Kabaddi World Cup press conference click HERE
