SailGP teams losing their nationality

by Craig Leweck, Scuttlebutt Sailing News
Events need consistent branding which should not include sponsors in the name. Sponsors are never forever, and change causes disruption. More so, sponsors expect a free ride in the media. We have bills to pay too. How about buying an ad?

Same goes for team names. While the Los Angles Dodgers will never be, I pray, the Rolex LA Dodgers, the SailGP team names are drifting from the country branding that launched the league. While nationality rules get loosened, team names are getting loose too.

The broadcast hosts are employed by the league, so they will include sponsor names as they call the action. The Great Britain team is Emirates GBR for the Arab airline, and New Zealand is Black Foils which pays no bills but apparently represents the Kiwi spirit.

Mubadala Brazil SailGP Team is a new entry for Season 5 which will promote the investment firm. The ROCKWOOL Denmark SailGP Team markets insulation, while the latest name grab removes the nation name all together – NorthStar SailGP Team.

The Canadian team has a new owner which swayed the league to provide maximum exposure to their new branding which, according to them, represents strength, direction, and inspiration. “This new name speaks to our Canadian roots and our desire to be a guiding light in both sport and wellness,” explains Phil Kennard, Team Principal and CEO.

Forgive me, but nothing speaks to Canadian roots than including the nation’s name, and the guiding light I know – North Star – is two words.

Twelve Teams for Season 5
• Australia
• Brazil
• Canada
• Denmark
• France
• Germany
• Great Britain
• Italy
• New Zealand
• Spain
• Switzerland
• United States

SailGP information – YouTube – Facebook

Season 5 Schedule
2024
November 23-24 – Dubai, UAE

2025
January 18-19 – Auckland, New Zealand
February 8-9 – Sydney, Australia
March 15-16 – Los Angeles, USA
March 22-26 – San Francisco, USA
May 3-4 – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
June 7-8 – New York City, USA
July 19-20 – Great Britain *
August 16-17 – Sassnitz, Germany
September 6-7 – Taranto, Italy
September 20-21 – Geneva, Switzerland
October 4-5 – Andalucía – Cádiz, Spain
November 7-8 – Middle East *
November 29-30 – Grand Final – Abu Dhabi, UAE
* Venue to be announced

Format for Season 5:
• Teams compete in identical F50 catamarans.
• Each event runs across two days.
• Five qualifying fleet races of approximately 15 minutes may be scheduled for each regatta.
• The top three teams from qualifying advance to a final race to be crowned event champion and earn the largest share of the prize purse (amount not confirmed; Season 4 had $400,000.00 USD prize purse with winning team earning $200k at each event).
• The season ends with the Grand Final, which includes the Championship Final Race for the top three teams in the season standing with the winner claiming a monetary award (amount not confirmed; Season 4 had $2 million USD prize).
• The top team on points ahead of the three-boat Championship Final will get a monetary award (amount not confirmed; Season 4 had a $350,000.00 prize).

For competition documents, click here.

Established in 2018, SailGP seeks to be an annual, global sports league featuring fan-centric inshore racing among national teams in some of the iconic harbors around the globe.

Source: SailGP, SSN