Laureus, the global movement which celebrates the power of sport as a force for good, has appointed Seven League to drive its social media strategy in the build-up to the Laureus World Sports Awards in February.
The annual awards ceremony, celebrating the achievements of the most remarkable men and women from sport, is world-famous and sits alongside Laureus Sport for Good, the Laureus World Sports Academy, and its Ambassadors Programme.
Seven League, Europe’s leading digital sports consultancy, will help the Laureus team deliver content on social media and laureus.com to engage a global audience ahead of, and during, the February 27th set-piece event in Monaco.
At the inaugural Laureus World Sports Awards, in 2000, its first Patron, Nelson Mandela, said: “Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair. It is more powerful than governments in breaking down racial barriers.”
This philosophy drives everything Laureus does, and with a new CEO recently appointed in Jonathan Hill, formerly Head of EMEA for ESP Properties and Group Commercial Director at The FA, will now underpin a digital mission to reach, inspire and engage with sports fans all over the world, especially on social media.
In particular Seven League will work on a strategy to unlock the social media power of Laureus’ incredible roster of Academy Members and Ambassadors, all of whom have a profound connection with a global sports audience and an ability to break down barriers.
Jonathan Hill, CEO of Laureus World Sports Awards, said: "I have obviously been aware of Seven League’s work in the digital and social media space for some time, especially within the sports rights-holder context, so I am pleased that Laureus can now make full use of that experience and market knowledge to ensure that we continue to drive awareness and understanding of the Laureus project and to maximise the potential audience to our platform for the benefit of both our media and sponsor partners.”
Richard Ayers, CEO of Seven League, said: “We have always believed very strongly in the power of sport for good in society. For this reason more than any other we are proud to add Laureus to our list of clients. We look forward to using our vast experience in digital strategy, social media, and data-led content planning, to help this world-renowned organisation use the platform it has to connect with people.”
Laureus Sport for Good supports more than 100 sports-based community programmes in 35 countries to combat social challenges facing children and young people, such as violence and crime, discrimination, lack of education, unemployment and preventable diseases. Its vision is to use the power of sport to end violence, discrimination and disadvantage.
The Laureus World Sports Awards will announce, in Monaco in February:
World Sportsman of the Year
World Sportswoman of the Year
World Team of the Year
World Breakthrough of the Year
World Comeback of the Year
World Action Sportsperson of the Year
World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability
Laureus Best Sporting Moment of the Year
Seven League was founded in 2012 and works on digital strategy and implementation for, among many others, the NBA, UEFA, Premier League, Tottenham Hotspur, FC Barcelona, Juventus, Newcastle United, Leicester City, England Netball, the R&A, and Great British Racing.