Roc Nation Sports International has new partnerships with Premier League club Chelsea FC and Polish Ekstraklasa club KS Cracovia, but the work that Roc Nation is set to do for the two clubs is “nowhere near the same,” according to Ryan Tolmich of GOAL. Roc Nation President Michael Yormark said that “opportunity” is the reason why Roc Nation is making these deals “at this particular moment.” Yormark added that Polish soccer is “moving in the right direction” and is a market that Roc Nation “found to be very interesting and very exciting.” The partnership with KS Cracovia — which was announced in April — will be “focused on storytelling,” with Roc Nation “helping to elevate the club’s brand on a global scale.” For Roc Nation, it was a chance to “help build a club’s international profile from the ground up with a strong local foundation.” Roc Nation plans to help KS Cracovia “find new uses” for the club’s stadium, “turning it into a concert venue that alters how the facility is used.” Chelsea, meanwhile, believes that “there is still room for growth” as it plays in one of the biggest leagues in the world. The partnership with Roc Nation is a “new way to appeal to that market by placing Chelsea at the intersection of soccer, music and culture, particularly in the American market.” The two sides will develop campaigns “largely designed to tap into American pop culture.” Yormark said, “We want to make sure that we’ve influenced the football ecosystem” (GOAL, 5/14).

LOOKING AT FANS: THE ATHLETIC’s Crafton & Onyeagwara cited sources as saying that the Chelsea partnership is about recognizing that people enter soccer “in different ways, with entertainment and culture perceived by the club as portals to reach those audiences and grow the fan base both in the short and long term.” Chelsea sources further added that the club wants to connect with its fanbase “in ‘innovative’ ways beyond the 90 minute games,” citing examples such as “partnerships with WWE wrestlers in campaign videos, or Chelsea’s limited edition clothing ranges in partnership with OVO, which they say will offer more to a younger generation of fans” (THE ATHLETIC, 5/14).