SX Global today announced two strategic executive appointments that will play critical roles in its ongoing development efforts for the FIM World Supercross Championship. Stephen Rogers, formerly of Thrill One Sports & Entertainment, has been named Chief Operating Officer and Nathan Prendergast, one of Australia’s most-experienced live motorsports and entertainment broadcast producers, will serve as Head of Television and Broadcast.
The two motorsports and entertainment veterans bring a combined 30-plus years of experience in executing premier global events in motorsports; including supercross, rallycross, freestyle motocross, road racing and drag racing, among others. Expanding its senior leadership team, which currently includes V8 Supercars visionary, Tony Cochrane, along with supercross veterans Ryan Sanderson and Adam Bailey, SX Global is putting critical leadership in place to assure the successful roll-out and ongoing development of the FIM Supercross World Championship Series.
“In order to build a successful global world championship series, it’s imperative that we have the experience of those who have been there and done it before, and that’s exactly what we have with Steve and Nathan,” said Tony Cochrane, president of SX Global. “Steve brings incredible operational experience and legal expertise in the development, management and licensing of global sports and entertainment entities, and there’s no one on the planet that carries more experience in leading world-class motorsports broadcasts than Nathan. We could not be more thrilled to have them on board, as we push toward the first preeminent global championship for the sport of supercross.”
Rogers, SX Global’s Chief Operating Officer, began his career as a commercial lawyer working at some of London’s top law firms, before assuming the role of in-house counsel for action sports powerhouse, Nitro Circus, in 2012. He quickly ascended to Head of Operations and Business Affairs, where his legal and operational expertise played a critical role in Nitro Circus’ highly successful global Touring business and its continued expansion and diversification as they revolutionised premier action sports competition with the creation of Nitro World Games and the launch of their new rallycross racing series, Nitro Rallycross.
“I’m delighted to join such an incredibly passionate and experienced team of sports and entertainment executives, each with their own proven track records and impressive backgrounds, but united by the common vision and drive to elevate supercross globally,” said Rogers. “I too share in this vision and I’m very much looking forward to working with the team to establish the FIM Supercross World Championship as a leading global motorsport and entertainment property.”
As the Head of Television and Broadcast for SX Global, Prendergast brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in the development and management of pre, live and post-production for some of the sports and motorsports world’s most successful events. He has led production across a wide range of global sporting events, including V8 Supercars Championship, Australian Open Tennis, AUS-X Open, Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race and Formula 1 Grand Prix. An extremely passionate motorsports fan who literally grew up in a family-owned drag racing facility, Prendergast will be responsible for shaping the viewing experience for in-stadium and broadcast audiences for the FIM Supercross World Championship Series from start to finish. Whether building the drama on the track and in the pits, providing technical education of supercross terminology or developing human-interest stories around riders and teams, Prendergast will have his hand on the throttle for everything the consumer experiences during each FIM Supercross World Championship event.
“I’ve lived and breathed motorsports my entire life and to have this opportunity to build a broadcast operation from the ground up, and shape and deliver the viewing experience for the first true global supercross championships series, is nothing short of thrilling for me,” said Prendergast. “Having worked with Ryan and Adam on the AUS-X Open for several years, and Tony on the V8 Supercar Championships, there’s a heightened level of comfort and confidence knowing how qualified this entire team is to deliver the successful series we’ve all envisioned and take this sport to the next level.”
The FIM Supercross World Championship will annually take place in the second half of the year, including five events in 2022, from September through November. 2022 will serve as a “pilot” season, allowing the series to establish itself and build momentum. 2023, and subsequent years, will see the series expand annually between June and November.
