Cricket Australia Agree MOU with Australian Cricketers’ Association

Cricket Australia (CA) and the Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) have today agreed to a new five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
The agreement – the longest deal ever struck between the two organisations – reinforces the partnership between Australian cricket and its players and reflects their common goal to strengthen Australian cricket. The MOU retains many aspects of the previous agreement but includes some significant changes.
Today’s agreement will allow CA to immediately move to finalise its annual contract list and will allow the State and Big Bash League (BBL) teams to follow suit.
Major aspects of the MOU include: Change in the players’ share of revenue model from a fixed 26% to a variable model where players will earn between 24.5-27% annually dependent on the performances of the Australian teams. Also increased retainers for CA and State players, including a 30% increase in the State retainer pool to compensate States for reduced national contracts, increased match fees for players at all levels.
ACA will also receive 26% of net 2015 World Cup revenues to help develop, with CA, a past player and game development legacy program.
CA Chief Executive Officer James Sutherland and ACA Chief Executive Officer Paul Marsh said each organisation believed the new MOU is a significant milestone for Australian cricket.
Mr Sutherland said it was important that for cricket to continue to be Australia’s favourite sport then it must be a sport of choice for talented young athletes – this objective needs to be supported by a high performance system that encourages and rewards talented cricketers who have the aspiration and hunger to play international cricket for Australia.
“We are pleased with the agreement we have reached with ACA. We all want Australian cricket teams to be successful and this agreement will greatly enhance the likelihood of success over the coming years.
“We believe that this agreement and its player payment model strikes a strong balance – players are well rewarded for playing senior representative cricket within a system that emphasises accountability for performance and ensures the right players are receiving the right payments at the right times,” he said.
Mr Marsh said the new agreement strengthened the successful partnership between the players, the ACA and Cricket Australia and provided significant outcomes for current, future and past players.
“After a challenging negotiation, the ACA is pleased to reach agreement with Cricket Australia on a new MOU that provides certainty for the players and the game for the next five years,” he said.
“The thing we are most excited about is that this new MOU provides excellent outcomes for not only our current players but also, through the 2015 Cricket World Cup revenues, a program that will significantly benefit our past players and Australian Cricket.
“The framework we’ve negotiated will also benefit future players and as such we believe it is the most comprehensive agreement the ACA and CA have ever negotiated.”

Cricket Australia (CA) and the Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) have today agreed to a new five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

The agreement – the longest deal ever struck between the two organisations – reinforces the partnership between Australian cricket and its players and reflects their common goal to strengthen Australian cricket. The MOU retains many aspects of the previous agreement but includes some significant changes.

Today’s agreement will allow CA to immediately move to finalise its annual contract list and will allow the State and Big Bash League (BBL) teams to follow suit.

Major aspects of the MOU include: Change in the players’ share of revenue model from a fixed 26% to a variable model where players will earn between 24.5-27% annually dependent on the performances of the Australian teams. Also increased retainers for CA and State players, including a 30% increase in the State retainer pool to compensate States for reduced national contracts, increased match fees for players at all levels.

ACA will also receive 26% of net 2015 World Cup revenues to help develop, with CA, a past player and game development legacy program.

CA Chief Executive Officer James Sutherland and ACA Chief Executive Officer Paul Marsh said each organisation believed the new MOU is a significant milestone for Australian cricket.Mr Sutherland said it was important that for cricket to continue to be Australia’s favourite sport then it must be a sport of choice for talented young athletes – this objective needs to be supported by a high performance system that encourages and rewards talented cricketers who have the aspiration and hunger to play international cricket for Australia.

“We are pleased with the agreement we have reached with ACA. We all want Australian cricket teams to be successful and this agreement will greatly enhance the likelihood of success over the coming years.

“We believe that this agreement and its player payment model strikes a strong balance – players are well rewarded for playing senior representative cricket within a system that emphasises accountability for performance and ensures the right players are receiving the right payments at the right times,” he said.

Mr Marsh said the new agreement strengthened the successful partnership between the players, the ACA and Cricket Australia and provided significant outcomes for current, future and past players.

“After a challenging negotiation, the ACA is pleased to reach agreement with Cricket Australia on a new MOU that provides certainty for the players and the game for the next five years,” he said.

“The thing we are most excited about is that this new MOU provides excellent outcomes for not only our current players but also, through the 2015 Cricket World Cup revenues, a program that will significantly benefit our past players and Australian Cricket.

“The framework we’ve negotiated will also benefit future players and as such we believe it is the most comprehensive agreement the ACA and CA have ever negotiated.”

St Louis Rams London Game Given Go Ahead after Settling Dispute with CVC

The St. Louis Rams will play their scheduled “home” game in London later this year after settling a lease dispute with the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVC).

The deal announced late Tuesday allows the Rams to play the New England Patriots atWembley Stadium on Oct. 28. The lease had required the team to play all home games at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis.

In exchange, mind the Rams agreed to increase the number of football season weekends that the dome can be booked for other uses. The team will also pay temporary employees the wages they would have earned by working the game in St. Louis.

NFL UK decided to sell tickets earlier this month confident the dispute would be resolved.

The Rams also want to play games in London in 2013 and 2014. No deal has been worked out on those games.

by Ismail Uddin

Talk of a Soccer Super League rises again

The possibility of a Soccer Super League in Europe has emerged again after European Club Association (ECA) members voiced their disapproval over the issues of match scheduling and revenue sharing.

Director of Italian giants AC Milan told Bloomberg “We are the ones who invest the money, ed we are the ones who develop the players, we are the ones who give the players a reason to play.” .

The main concern for The ECA is the increasing number of national team games scheduled by FIFA. “We will keep on fighting to find the right balance between national association football and club football,” Gandini added. “Into the future I cannot see exactly what will happen, but for sure the ultimate position could well be a refusal of cooperation or the refusal to accept the imposition of certain rules.”

FIFA’s Gagg Confirmed as Moscow Football Forum Speaker

FIFA Director Walter Gagg is the latest to join a list of high profile figures who will be speaking at the Inside World Football Moscow Forum later this month.

One of FIFA’s most experienced operators, having enjoyed a distinguished career at world football’s governing body, Gagg enjoyed a playing career in his native Switzerland and France.

Having held the role of administrative director of the national team at the Swiss Football Association from 1975 to 1982, Gagg moved to FIFA in 1983 to become head of their technical department.

Gagg was the director of the development department, the technical and competitions director and in 2001 moved on to become the director for stadiums and security. He is also a soccer football and administration instructor for FIFA and the Swiss FA, and since 2008, Gagg has been the director of the executive office of the FIFA President Sepp Blatter.

Gagg will be speaking on a discussion panel on stadia at the forum alongside Wembley Stadium Group Events Director David Thomson, Populous Senior Principal John Barrow and IMG vice President Diarmuid Crowley.

Visa Claim 2012 Ticket ‘Glitch’ Fixed

Visa, story credit-card giant and official sponsor of the London 2012 Olympics, buy claim they have fixed the problem that left a huge number of fans unable to book tickets for the Games when they went on sale earlier this week.

Visa say that the “glitch” has now been fixed so that, remedy from next Monday, March 21, the website will accept ticket applications from cardholders with an expiry date of May 2011 and later.

Visa Europe apologised for the inconvenience some cardholders had experienced, releasing a statement saying: “It is important to stress again that tickets are not issued on a first-come, first-served basis and any ticket registration taking place by April 26, 2011 will have an equal chance of success in the ballot.

“From Monday, March 21, all Visa cards with an expiry date of May 2011 or later will be accepted by the London 2012 ticket application website.

“Any Visa cardholders with an April expiry date will receive a replacement card before the ticket registration deadline of April 26.

“This means that all Visa cardholders will be able to apply for tickets before the April 26 deadline.

“For those affected cardholders who do not wish to wait until Monday, there are a number of alternatives including using a Visa prepaid card.

“Visa regrets the inconvenience that some cardholders may have experienced.”

Visa has been a Worldwide Sponsor of the Olympic Games since 1986 and is the only card that can be used to pay online for the 6.6 million London 2012 Olympic tickets.

However, just a few hours into the online ticket launch, fans with Visa cards that expire before the end of August 2011 found they were unable to process their orders. Although the expiry date problem had been known about for several weeks and included on ticket information, many people were still unaware they would be unable to use their cards when they attempted to purchase seats for the Olympics and were left frustrated.

Cardholders with an April 2011 expiry date will have to wait for a replacement card to arrive before applying before the April 26 deadline because the card must be valid when payments are processed later in the year.

Omnigon Promote David Nugent to Chief Commercial Officer

Omnigon, prostate the digital consulting firm to leaders across the sports, viagra media and entertainment industries, has named Senior Vice President of Business Development, David Nugent, to the new role of Chief Commercial Officer.

He will focus on Omnigon’s continued global expansion and furthering the company’s growing market share in North America and overseas. 

Nugent, a founding partner of Omnigon, has played an integral role in the growth of the company.

In this new role, his primary focus will be ensuring all organizational functions meet their strategic commercial objectives. He will continue to provide oversight to the marketing, communications, sales and client services teams. 

“Dave’s unique combination of technical knowledge, years of working in the sports, media and entertainment space, and strong marketing and business development skills make him a perfect fit for this role,” said Igor Ulis, Omnigon’s CEO. “We’re excited about the new opportunities that will arise under his leadership in these areas.” 

Founded in 2008, Omnigon is headquartered in New York with offices in London, Toronto and Kiev. During this time, the company has grown to over 120 employees and has won numerous industry awards for its groundbreaking work. Omnigon counts some of the world’s largest companies, including NASCAR, PGA TOUR, WWE, NFL, MLB, IMG, FOX Sports and FOX Broadcasting, as clients.

Real Salt Lake Look to Boost Stadium Infrastructure with New Video Board Installation

Real Salt Lake announced on Wednesday the details surrounding the installation of a premium new Daktronics video board at Rio Tinto Stadium for the 2015 season.

At 4, abortion 200 square feet, allergist the high-definition video board will be the biggest in MLS. Located on the south end of the stadium, mind it is more than triple the surface area of the screen on the north end.

“As I’ve toured various stadiums during my time as an owner, I’ve made a list of things I wanted to provide our fans at Rio Tinto Stadium,” said owner Dell Loy Hansen in a statement released by RSL.

“When I saw the Daktronics board at Levi’s Stadium in San Francisco, I said, ‘We want THAT.’ In addition to the wi-fi capability that continues to be such a huge hit with our fans, I know that this giant video board – in full HD – will enhance the experience that everyone who visits Rio Tinto Stadium enjoys.”

Ironman Acquires Auckland Marathon

Ironman has confirmed that it has acquired New Zealand’s largest road race, anesthetist the Auckland Marathon.

The race, abortion which dates back to 1936, attracted more than 16,000 participants last year. The 2014 Auckland Marathon will take place on 2 November.

“Ironman operates several events outside of the popular Ironman and Ironman 70.3 race series in the Asia Pacific region both in triathlon and multisport,” said Geoff Meyer, Chief Executive Officer of Ironman Asia Pacific.

“We are always looking for opportunities to further develop our brand and have been looking to do more in New Zealand. Adding the Auckland Marathon does just that. This is an iconic sporting event that we believe we can help grow and develop further.”

British Darts Organisation Sign Pitch Distribution Deal

The British Darts Organisation (BDO) has inked a global distribution deal with Pitch International.

The Championship is the longest running tournament of its kind. Held every year since 1978, clinic in its storied history it has featured every single one of the sport’s most famous names, watched by live audiences in their thousands and television audiences in their millions, both in the UK and overseas. 

The BDO’s Chair of the Board of Directors, Sue Williams said: “We believe that this new agreement with the team at Pitch International is an excellent opportunity to grow the distribution of the BDO World Professional Darts Championship around the world. We very much look forward to working with the team at Pitch International.”  

Jonathan Rogers, Managing Director of Pitch International said of the new deal: “We are delighted to be entering into this new partnership with the BDO and look forward to bringing the BDO World Professional Darts Championship to new territories around the world.”

Phoenix Coyotes Launches ‘Hungrier Than Ever’ Marketing Campaign

NHL’s Phoenix Coyotes have adopted a new marketing campaign for the 2013-14 NHL season with new campaign called  “Hungrier Than Ever”.

The campaign, which was developed by Cramer-Krasselt in Phoenix, builds off the Coyotes previous “Here To Stay” campaign which communicated the message of ownership stability and commitment to the Arizona sports market and fans. The new campaign reflects the fact that the Coyotes are not satisfied yet. Now that new ownership is in place and the team is “Here To Stay”, the Coyotes are hungry for more. The team is excited about a new era of hockey and hungry for the Stanley Cup.

“We are very excited about our new campaign and thrilled to be partnering with a first class agency like C-K,” said LeBlanc. “Our new marketing campaign, ‘Hungrier Than Ever’, conveys to our fans that we are not satisfied yet and that we are looking forward to a bright future here in the Valley and a new era of Coyotes hockey. The Coyotes organization, our players, our coaches and our fans all want more. Don Maloney and Dave Tippett have assembled a very talented and competitive team and we are all hungry and focused on one thing…winning the ultimate prize, the Stanley Cup. We are confident that this campaign will excite our fans about Coyotes hockey and the upcoming season.”

The Coyotes have qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs three of the past four seasons and in 2012, the team won its first division title and advanced to the Western Conference Final against the eventual Stanley Cup champions. With new ownership now in place, the Coyotes are looking forward to stability and a bright future.

“With an authentic, gritty attitude, this campaign is a rallying cry for Coyotes fans, players, staff, as well as all of Arizona,” said Ian Barry, C-K’s Executive Creative Director. “It’s a campaign that looks toward the future. With new owners, a real home, and the same underdog mentality the Coyotes have always prided themselves on, the stage is set for a new era of Coyotes hockey. And we’re excited to be a part of that with the introduction of this campaign.”

The “Hungrier Than Ever” campaign will launch around the Valley on Sunday, September 8 with the Coyotes new TV spot that features Captain Shane Doan. The commercial will debut during the Arizona Cardinals/St. Louis Rams game. Radio, TV and print ads will be seen throughout the Valley next week and the campaign will continue to roll out with digital and outdoor presence as well as new versions of the TV and radio spots throughout the season.