February 22, 2023 – United Soccer League Championship (USL) News Release
TAMPA, Fla. – The United Soccer League and global soccer data leader Stats Perform have agreed to expand and extend their partnership through at least 2028. Under the new agreement, Stats Perform’s Opta service will enter a new phase powering the USL’s fan-facing platforms, broadcasts and on-field performance tools for its professional divisions.
The agreement includes the USL Championship, League One, and Super League, the USL’s new professional women’s league, which will kick off in the summer of 2024. Opta has served as the official soccer data provider for the USL since the start of the 2017 season.
“We are on a mission to dramatically raise the profiles of our competitions domestically and internationally,” said USL President Jake Edwards. “Opta is universally used by the world’s top soccer teams, players, and media. We want the same tools for our elite leagues – and that is Opta.”
Sophisticated new Opta tools such as Pressbox Live will be incorporated into broadcasts across the USL Championship, League One and Super League via commentators and graphics.
Opta’s data will also support USL technical initiatives and the league’s continued integration with the global transfer market.
The wide-ranging partnership also includes access to a wealth of Opta products and deep data that enables in-depth analysis for USL Championship, League One and Super League clubs and fans.
Opta covers more than 1,000 leagues and competitions around the world and serves as the official data provider for the Premier League, La Liga, Ligue 1, and Serie A, among others. Opta data has become the industry standard used by the world’s professional soccer teams and scouts.
“Opta data is integral to the world’s leading sports federations, teams and broadcasters, and nowhere more so than in soccer,” said Stats Perform Chief Revenue Officer Steve Xeller. “It is globally trusted to power insightful, entertaining coverage that puts sport right at the front of fans’ minds – and keeps it there. At Stats Perform we are proud of Opta’s unparalleled heritage in sports data and excited to see it used more widely in North America ahead of the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023 and the FIFA Men’s World Cup in 2026.”
The news follows Opta owner Stats Perform’s recent awards of ISO 27001 certification and IBIA sports data integrity accreditation, further underlining the company’s commitment to data quality for its customers.
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