The United Soccer League (USL), the organizer of the second and third-tier domestic competitions in the US, has agreed a long-term, global betting rights partnership with Sportradar, the sports technology company.
Under a six-year agreement, Sportradar will have exclusive rights to collect, license, and distribute the league’s official betting and media data.
The deal was brokered on behalf of the USL by the international sports marketing agency Sportfive. The USL had exclusively worked with Sportfive since 2019 to sell betting and media data for the organization.
The deal represents Sportradar’s first with a major soccer league in North America.
As the league’s official betting and technology partner, Sportradar will also offer live streaming of USL competitions for sports betting to its global network of more than 900 regulated betting operators and 350 media outlets.
The agreement will cover over 600 USL matches per year across all three USL professional leagues, including the USL Championship, USL League One, and the newly formed USL Super League, a women’s league set to launch in August 2024.
USL chief commercial officer Court Jeske said: “The USL aims to be the most widely available league for fans both domestically and abroad. This partnership demonstrates a significant step forward in the betting and technology space for USL’s men’s and women’s professional leagues.”
Eric Conrad, Sportradar executive vice president of strategic partnerships in the US and LATAM added: “Sportradar's comprehensive products and solutions will enable USL to capitalize on opportunities across betting, media, and fan engagement, driving value for all stakeholders.
“This partnership strengthens our global portfolio of soccer rights, as we can leverage the data to develop highly innovative products and move up the value chain with our clients.
Additionally, the USL will continue to utilize Sportsradar's Integrity Services, the firm’s bet monitoring and detection tool, for its three leagues and an online education platform to educate USL’s athletes and stakeholders on USL’s betting and gambling policies and anti-match fixing.
The US Soccer governing body also brought Sportradar on board as its official betting data partner last August.
Meanwhile, the USL recently renewed its broadcast deal with US sports broadcaster ESPN, which will see it continue to air action from the second and third-tier USL Championship and USL League One competitions.
