The Football and Music world’s come together with FIFA Sound

This week has seen football’s governing body, FIFA, launch a new entertainment strategy called FIFA Sound and it’s initial product, an eight-episode podcast series called FIFA PlayOn hosted by One Direction band member Liam Payne and sports broadcaster Jaydee Dyer.

The partnership with Universal Music recognises just how closely the worlds of sports and music have come together in recent years, and helped to shape the culture around them. Something that has been played upon by clubs, with no better example than Paul Pogba’s transfer to Manchester United in 2016 and the use of Stormzy within it by adidas – one of the ultimate brands when it comes to music and sport. And was the guiding principle behind the setting up of top football YouTube channel, and so much more now, Copa90.

According to FIFA’s François Pathy, “Fifa’s vision is to make football truly global, accessible and inclusive. The crossover between football and music underscores this wider cultural relevance. Both are universal languages and have the power to create unrivalled emotions. It’s a natural fit to bring them together.”

And podcasting provides a perfect platform for this new initiative, one that is continuing to grow as audio content becomes more accepted and new podcasts are being uploaded at record levels. But it is still an an area that is still relatively untapped by sports organisations, with most coverage still coming from media outlets and fans.

In episode one they bring together ex-Barcelona and Croatia star Ivan Rakitić, and Columbian super group Morat.

This new strategy takes FIFA away from it’s traditional comfort zone. Expanding their reach and tapping into new parts of football culture that have, until now, been out of reach for a governing body. Could this be the trend for 2021 that others will take notice of and replicate?

FIFA promises that this is the first of many new initiatives they will launching in 2021 and beyond as part of the partnership. A year in which the worlds of music and football will become closer than ever.

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