Kent County Cricket Club and Leander Sports & Leisure have announced a new deal to develop the Club’s Worsley Bridge Road ground at Beckenham. 

The Club will enter a 20 year lease, following the completion of a new multi-million facility, which will be built by Galliford Try Plc.

The exciting development will dramatically enhance the cricket facilities and will include an indoor cricket school to be built to ECB Academy standards, and spectator seating for over 2,000, including a new spectator stand.

The development also involves the physiotherapy treatment rooms, along with a gym and Pilates studio. A conference and banqueting area to seat 160 people, along with bar and kitchen facilities.

New offices, an AstroTurf football pitch, two hard standing tennis courts, car parking and floodlights complete the ambitious development plans for the site.

Discussions are also continuing over two other buildings, a health and leisure facility and a conference centre.

Kent Cricket CEO, Jamie Clifford commented on the announcement; “This is extremely exciting news for Kent County Cricket Club. We have been committed to developing a high quality cricket ground in Beckenham for over a decade. This latest advance will allow us to truly state that we have a centre of excellence in a key part of the county.

“The new indoor centre will provide us with a fantastic base from which to identify and develop young players. In addition the ground enhancements will open up opportunities for staging matches in the future.”

Linden Homes will undertake the enabling development and will be submitting a detailed planning application immediately.

The Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge, unhealthy which takes place at Golf PGA France du Vaudreuil from July 25-28, clinic  has been added to the European Challenge Tour for 2013.

The Challenge Tour will also visit new venues this season in Spain, symptoms Austria, Germany, Northern Ireland, Ukraine and Oman as it continues to break new ground across Europe and beyond.

The stunning Golf PGA France du Vaudreuil has fast become one of the country’s most prestigious courses since 2008, when entrepreneur Jean-Claude Forestier breathed new life into an 18 hole lay-out which was first established in 1962 and features an historic 17th century clubhouse.

Having previously hosted the French Junior Championship and a high-profile Pro-Am event which included many of France’s top professionals, Golf PGA France du Vaudreuil will welcome Europe’s top up and coming stars for the €160,000 event.

Jean-Claude Forestier, President of the Golf PGA France du Vaudreuil, said: “To host a Challenge Tour event is reflective of our desire for excellence and our close ties with the professional game.

“It is a great honour for everyone in all departments of the Golf PGA France du Vaudreuil to welcome such a tournament to our course and we cannot wait to demonstrate the kind of efficiency of service and warmth of welcome for which La Vaudreuil is renowned.”

Alain de Soultrait, Director of the Challenge Tour, said: “Since the establishment of the Challenge Tour, French golf has always been a great supporter of our tour and, with The 2018 Ryder Cup being held on French soil, those links are more important now than ever before.

“In that spirit, we are delighted to welcome Jean-Claude Forestier to the Challenge Tour family and we are very excited about bringing our members to his beautiful course at Golf PGA France du Vaudreuil.

“We must also thank the French Golf Federation and FFGolf Production for their continued support and we hope that the Challenge Tour can help to create their next Ryder Cup star.”

Mercedes GP Formula One team are now in the full control of German carmaker Daimler after buying the remaining 40 percent stake from Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund Aabar Investments for an undisclosed sum.

Aabar, which has been cutting its ties with Daimler, last month it sold its remaining 3 percent stake in the company.

Daimler and Aabar moved into motor racing in late 2009 when they bought out F1’s then world champion, Brawn GP, and relaunched it the following season as Mercedes.

Briton Lewis Hamilton, a former world champion and one of the sport’s best-known racers, will drive for Mercedes next season.

The deal is conditional on regulatory clearance.

Pakistan wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal will appear before the PCB’s integrity committee on July 4. Akmal has not been cleared for selection according to PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf, and was not picked for the ongoing tour of Sri Lanka.

“His hearing before the integrity committee is on Wednesday,” Ashraf said

Iqbal Qasim, Pakistan’s chief selector, had said Akmal needs to clear himself of integrity issues before being eligible for selection. But Akmal taken played in all of Pakistan’s domestic tournaments and recently featured in the Bangladesh Premier League.

During the spot-fixing scandal in England in 2010, Akmal he was sent a notice by the ICC’s anti-corruption and security unit seeking information about events related to the 2010 World Twenty20 held in the Caribbean.

Akmal said he has an ICC clearance letter that says there is no inquiry pending against him. He also said he was open to any investigation and ready to share his assets and bank details every six months.{jcomments on}

 

10 Caribbean officials are under investigation after allegations they took money from Mohamed Bin Hammam, a candidate in the presidential election.

FIFA on July 26 gave the officials from the Caribbean Football Union 48 hours to come forward with information about a meeting where Mohamed Bin Hammam, a one-time challenger to FIFA President Sepp Blatter, allegedly offered envelopes stuffed with $40,000. Bin Hammam, the former head of soccer in Asia, is appealing the lifetime ban he was given from the sport.

FIFA’s ethics panel will meet today and is likely to bring the cases after more witnesses came forward to give details of the May 9 and 10 meeting at a hotel in Port-of- Spain, Trinidad & Tobago, according to one of the people with knowledge of the investigation. The pair were granted anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

FIFA said in an e-mailed statement. “We cannot speculate on what will happen,” Ben Spencer, a spokesman for the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football, didn’t respond to an e-mail or telephone messages seeking comment.

Bin Hammam has been excluded sice July 23. FIFA has spent a year trying to deal with corruption allegations linked to the presidential election as well as the choice of host for the World Cup, which brings in $4 billion but this endeavour doesnt seem it will end any time soon.

Soccerex are pleased to announce that FIFA have confirmed a dedicated FIFA Stand, for sale over 90sqm, order at this year’s Global Convention, 26-30 November, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  FIFA will use the Stand to showcase FIFA’s activities which go far beyond organising the men’s World Cup and other tournaments: FIFA develops football constantly around the world and uses the power of football as a catalyst for social change.

The affirmation of the FIFA Stand further strengthens FIFA’s presence at the event; Jérôme Valcke, FIFA’s secretary general, has confirmed his attendance and Tatjana Haenni, Head of FIFA’s Women’s Competitions will be speaking in one of the conference programme sessions. Soccerex will also welcome representatives from all 12 Brazilian 2014 FIFA World Cup host cities alongside several FIFA World Cupand Olympic Games partners and sponsors.

Duncan Revie, Soccerex, CEO, says: “We are delighted with FIFA’s decision to take a dedicated area at the event this year. FIFA are the core of our industry and to have their backing, knowledge and expertise at the event is a great asset as well as a great honour.”

The Soccerex Global Convention 2011 will be held from 26-30 November 2011 and consist of an in-depth conference schedule, packed exhibition, a large range of networking and two-day Football Festival all taking place in the host city to the 2014 FIFA World Cup Final, Rio de Janeiro.

Olympic Sponsor P&G UK and Ireland is to give 90 per cent of its ticket allocation for the London 2012 Games to mums and families after research revealed that 70 per cent of mums in the UK did not apply to see the event in the public ballot.

Research by P&G showed that 47 per cent believed a large proportion of tickets would not be going to the public, and this prompted P&G to make the announcement that it would give away most of its allocation to mums and families.

P&G and former Olympic silver medallist swimmer Sharron Davies have highlighted the possibility to still get involved and get hands on tickets.

Davies stated: “As both a former Olympian and more importantly, a mother, I’m thrilled Great Britain will be hosting such a monumental event and feel passionately that people should try and be a part of it.

“Whilst this research suggests that some mums may feel they are unlikely to get tickets following the close of the official ballot, the reality is that there will be plenty of opportunities and I’m so glad to hear that P&G is encouraging families to get involved in the Games.

“And it’s brilliant that they are giving such a massive proportion of their tickets to the public.”

Of 15 per cent of those interviewed, some 1,005 mums with children under 16, thought the Games were aimed at the business community, with just 13 per cent believing it is for families.

“The Olympic and Paralympic Games really should be thought of as a family event, it’s a great chance to inspire and there’s something for everyone,” added Davies.

“With the Paralympic ballot opening later in the year and sponsors such as P&G pledging the majority of their tickets to families I’d encourage mums to look out for the many ways to get involved in seeing this once-in-a-lifetime event.”

Brazil’s largest bank, Bradesco, has agreed on a deal with the Rio Olympics 2016 becoming the first domestic sponsor of the games.

The Rio 2016 Organising Committee for the Finance and Insurance Services set a minimum amount of $320m to be paid in sponsorship money and value-in-kind (products and services). Bradesco will be paying at least this amount to become an official sponsor of the 2016 event.

The deal will also include marketing rights associated with the Brazilian Olympic Committee with more information set to be revealed on the deal on Thursday. The details will be unveiled during the official launch of the Games domestic sponsorship programme.

President of the Organising Committee and the Brazilian Olympic Committee, Carlos Arthur Nuzman said, “This first partnership evidences the recognition of the significance of Rio 2016 Olympic Games as a unique platform and incomparable opportunity for a brand to boost public reach, gain new markets and leverage businesses”.

CEO of Bradesco, Luiz Carlos Trabuco was also keen to show his delight at the partnership stating, “In the eyes of the world, it [the Rio Games] is going to be the celebration of Brazil with its positive agenda, modernity, work, social inclusion, and economic development”.

Amateur and professional tennis tournaments have attracted US$600 million worth of sponsorship from companies in 2010, sale order according to research from IEG.

The figure is a 3.2 per cent increase on 2009 and includes global, bronchi | national and local deals.

The report from IEG said that tennis has largely replaced the drop in spending by financial services and car companies during the global financial crisis, with new types of sponsors such as beers and spirits.

Mexican beer brand Corona Extra now sponsors the ATP World Tour, a deal worth US$70 million over five years.

Chinese apparel brand Peak Sport Products also signed a deal with the WTA Tour this year.