The multiyear partnership names Hilton as PTPA’s Official Hotel & Lodging Partner, supporting players on tour with exceptional hotel stays and exclusive experiences for Hilton Honors members

 

WASHINGTON D.C., January 24, 2024 – The Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) is excited to announce a new global partnership with Hilton (NYSE: HLT). In this multiyear exclusive collaboration, Hilton will serve as the Official Hotel & Lodging Partner of the PTPA, offering unparalleled benefits, and world-class hospitality to professional women’s and men’s tennis players who are often managing the stresses of a rigorous travel schedule.

 “The possibilities this partnership opens up for players are truly exciting,” said Bethanie Mattek-Sands, PTPA player executive committee member and nine-time doubles major champion. “As professional tennis players, we spend most of the year living in hotel rooms around the world. Having Hilton as an official global partner will ensure we have access to high-quality accommodation options and benefits that elevate our travel experiences. This is a game changer.”

 As part of its partnership agreement, Hilton will extend elite benefits to PTPA members who sign up to participate in Hilton Honors, offering players the best of the Hilton experience through its award-winning loyalty program. With over 180 million members globally, Hilton Honors strives to make travel more valuable, more flexible and more personalized for every type of traveler, whether on the road for work, leisure and everything in between.

 “We are thrilled to announce our global partnership with the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA), further extending our Hilton hospitality to some of the world’s finest athletes with memorable stays at all of our 22 hotel brands,” said Mark Weinstein, chief marketing officer, Hilton. “As we continue to build this alliance, we also look forward to creating exciting content with the world’s top tennis players and curating money-can’t-buy experiences and access for our Hilton Honors members. From offering holistic wellness experiences and dining options, to empowering our guests with greater choice and control over their stay through the Hilton Honors app, at Hilton, we know the important role a Hilton stay has on making sure you can be your best – even when furthest away from home.”

 PTPA Executive Director Ahmad Nassar said, “This collaboration tackles our travel challenges, enabling players worldwide to spend less time worrying about accommodations and more time focusing on their game. Aligning with Hilton, known for crafting world-class experiences, underscores their investment in our players’ lives and livelihoods.”

 Recognizing tennis’s massive fan following globally, Hilton will also work with several professional women’s and men’s tennis players to create content that tells the unique stories of players’ experiences traveling the world on tour. Additionally, Hilton and the PTPA will curate exclusive experiences for Hilton Honors members, centered around the biggest moments in tennis.

 Winners Alliance, the for-profit affiliate of the PTPA, facilitated this partnership. President Eric Winston said, “Uniting Hilton and the PTPA is a significant stride in amplifying player benefits and advancing the business of working with tennis players. Hilton’s investment in this program, alongside its commitment to creative content and promotion, paves the way for a future marked by dynamic collaborations dedicated to benefiting players and promoting partnership growth.”

 

About the Professional Tennis Players Association

The Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) is a global organization that unites and mobilizes tennis players to foster transparency and fairness in professional tennis. As an independent entity, the PTPA is dedicated to advancing and safeguarding the rights of professional men’s and women’s tennis players throughout their careers. By prioritizing crucial aspects such as health and safety, schedules, rules, purses, benefits, and education, the PTPA endeavors to build an equitable and sustainable competitive environment for present and future generations of players. Headquartered in the Washington, D.C. area, the PTPA operates on a global scale. For more information, visit www.ptpaplayers.com and connect with @ptpaplayers on social media.

 

About Winners Alliance

Winners Alliance is a global, athlete-centric commercial model dedicated to creating novel group licensing, sponsorship, partnership, content, investment and event opportunities for world-class athletes collectively.  Launched in August 2022, Winners Alliance serves as the for-profit affiliate of the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) and Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA), representing the group commercial rights of hundreds of athletes worldwide. Among its pioneering initiatives, Winners Alliance aims to establish a sustainable group licensing program encompassing video games, trading cards, collectibles, and related opportunities. To learn more, visit www.winnersalliance.com and follow @WinnersAlliance on LinkedIn, Instagram and X.

 

About Hilton

Hilton is a leading global hospitality company with a portfolio of 22 world-class brands comprising more than 7,500 properties and nearly 1.2 million rooms, in 126 countries and territories. Dedicated to fulfilling its founding vision to fill the earth with the light and warmth of hospitality, Hilton has welcomed over 3 billion guests in its more than 100-year history, was named the No. 1 World’s Best Workplace by Great Place to Work and Fortune and has been recognized as a global leader on the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices for seven consecutive years. Hilton has introduced industry-leading technology enhancements to improve the guest experience, including Digital Key Share, automated complimentary room upgrades and the ability to book confirmed connecting rooms. Through the award-winning guest loyalty program Hilton Honors, the more than 180 million members who book directly with Hilton can earn Points for hotel stays and experiences money can’t buy. With the free Hilton Honors app, guests can book their stay, select their room, check in, unlock their door with a Digital Key and check out, all from their smartphone. Visit stories.hilton.com for more information, and connect with Hilton on Facebook, X, LinkedIn, Instagram and Youtube.

 

Media Contacts

For Hilton: Lauren DeBettencourt: lauren.debettencourt@hilton.com 

For the PTPA & Winners Alliance: david.cooper@winnersalliance.com

Athlete-centric Winners Alliance to represent and manage select collective rights of FICA’s 500+ cricketers from across the 13 FICA-affiliated countries worldwide

Cricketer and marketing executive, Tim Cruickshank, appointed Winners Alliance VP of Commercial Partnerships, Asia-Pacific, as the company opens first international office in Australia

 

Melbourne, Australia, January 11, 2024 – Winners Alliance today announced an exclusive, long-term global commercial partnership with the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA). This unprecedented collaboration with cricketers marks a significant milestone in the history of the sport. Winners Alliance will represent and manage select global group rights for more than 500 of the world’s best cricketers from FICA’s 13 country affiliates, with the goal of optimizing players’ collective commercial value through novel marketing and licensing opportunities. The partnership follows the recent aggregation and acquisition of relevant player rights via FICA’s commercial arm, FICA Global Player Rights Ltd, working in collaboration with players, their national associations and agents around the world. 

Among its first initiatives with FICA, Winners Alliance will create a sustainable group licensing program encompassing video games, trading cards, collectibles, and various related categories. This is the first player-led and endorsed group licensing program combining the name, image and likeness (NIL) rights of professional cricketers around the world. In addition, Winners Alliance will provide direct funding to FICA, which will assist the association’s core advocacy work and ensure better protections for players globally into the future.

“We’re thrilled to team up with FICA to generate new, innovative commercial opportunities for cricketers worldwide,” said Eric Winston, President of Winners Alliance. “Cricket’s global popularity speaks for itself, and its prominence will only continue to grow. We’re excited for all the possibilities this new partnership presents, and we’re looking forward to driving untapped value to cricketers across the entire cricket ecosystem.”

Tom Moffat, Chief Executive of FICA, said: “Winners Alliance is led by the best in the world, with a proven track record of running player-led group licensing programs. We’re excited to be working with the Winners team to spearhead our first global group licensing program on behalf of cricketers worldwide. We’re also excited about the multi-sport opportunities this partnership will bring and know that Winners Alliance will be a key part of helping us to protect and optimise value for players affiliated to FICA and the game.”

Neeta Sreekanth, Chief Growth & Development Officer of Winners Alliance, added: “Winners Alliance is committed to innovation and focusing on the athlete’s best interest. This groundbreaking venture with FICA is a testament to the mission and strength of Winners Alliance. This partnership is designed to organize a previously-fragmented group rights structure in a dominant global sport, transforming it into a first-of-its-kind opportunity to work with professional cricketers around the world as a collective.”

Pat Cummins, Australia Men’s Cricket Captain, stated: “This is an amazing opportunity for cricketers globally. We’ve seen other sports and athletes benefit from and prove the success of  group licensing models, including in the US sports and now in tennis. We’re really happy to be behind a new wave of collective global marketing and licensing opportunities for players and the sport through FICA and its partnership with Winners Alliance.” 

Jos Buttler, England Men’s White Ball Cricket Captain, said: “Collectivising certain group commercial rights globally has made complete sense for cricketers affiliated to FICA, to help to stop unauthorised use of player image and attributes, and to generate new opportunities for players and the whole game. We’re looking forward to being part of the Winners group, and to other athletes joining the cricketers and tennis players in time.” 

Sophie Devine, New Zealand Women’s Cricket Captain, added: “Players increasingly understand the benefits and importance of working together collectively across countries through FICA and we can’t wait to see what new and player-centric opportunities Winners Alliance generates.” 

FICA is the second players association to team up with Winners Alliance since its establishment in 2022. Winners Alliance focuses on optimizing, protecting, and maximizing athletes’ collective value through the creation of novel, athlete-centric group licensing, partnership, sponsorship, content, event and investment opportunities. Following the collaboration with the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) in August 2022, Winners Alliance pioneered the first-ever group licensing program in professional tennis history. This initiative has led to various opportunities for tennis players globally, partnering with premier brands such as Fanatics Collectibles (Topps), TUMI, and La-Roche Posay.

To spearhead its expansion and collaboration with athletes worldwide, Winners Alliance has appointed veteran cricketer and marketing executive Tim Cruickshank as Vice President of Commercial Partnerships, Asia-Pacific. Based in the new Sydney office, Cruickshank will oversee Winners Alliance’s commercial efforts in the region, shaping strategies for the company’s marketing and licensing initiatives. 

“I’m delighted to join Winners Alliance and to continue working to empower athletes with new commercial opportunities,” said Cruickshank. “Winners Alliance is establishing itself as a global leader in creating scalable opportunities that are impactful for world-class athletes and brands alike. I’m eager to continue to expand that impact in the Asia-Pacific region and we are looking forward to connecting players with top-class partners to establish healthy and long-term relationships.”

Before joining Winners Alliance, Cruickshank played a pivotal role in the growth of the Australian Cricketers’ Association, serving as executive general manager of the Cricketers’ Brand, a business arm developed to manage players’ intellectual property and generate commercial outcomes. A former cricketer, Cruickshank represented the New South Wales Blues from 2010-2014 and the Sydney Thunder during the inaugural season of the Big Bash League.

 

About Winners Alliance

Winners Alliance is a global, athlete-centric commercial solution focused on optimizing, protecting, and maximizing athletes’ collective value through the creation of novel group licensing, partnership, sponsorship, content, event and investment opportunities. Launched in August 2022, Winners Alliance serves as the for-profit affiliate of the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) and Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA), representing the group commercial rights of hundreds of athletes worldwide and creating scalable commercial opportunities that are impactful for athletes and brands alike. To learn more, visit www.winnersalliance.com and follow @WinnersAlliance on LinkedIn, Instagram and X. 

 

About the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations

FICA is the world players’ body in cricket.

Established in 1998, FICA is a democratic player-driven organisation that brings together the world’s ‘organised’ professional cricketers under an international body which focuses on matters that affect the players collectively, and the global game. FICA cares about:

Players: Serving players’ collective interests globally

The Game: Positively influencing the direction of the global game

Players’ Associations: Strengthening and growing

To learn more, visit www.thefica.com 

 

Media Contacts

For Winners Alliance: david.cooper@winnersalliance.com 

For FICA: media@thefica.com 

 

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