NHL signs sponsorship deal with Discover

(Reuters) The National Hockey League has signed a one-year sponsorship deal making Discover Financial Services the league’s official U.S. credit card, and its first financial sponsor in that market.

The deal, worth several million dollars including advertising commitments by Discover, puts the NHL’s overall sponsorship revenue about 30 percent above last year’s rate, said Keith Wachtel, NHL senior vice president of corporate sales and marketing.

“For us, financial services — banking, credit card — have been an open category in the United States for some time,” he said in a telephone interview. “We’ve been waiting for the right opportunity.”

The NHL’s credit card and banking sponsors in Canada are Visa Inc and Bank of Nova Scotia .

The NHL, with about $2.8 billion in annual revenue, started the 2010-2011 season last month and is coming off a year in which sponsorship and advertising revenue grew 66 percent.

Over the last three years, the NHL has signed new sponsorship and advertising deals worth more than $330 million with such companies as Anheuser-Busch InBev , Honda Motor Co, Geico and Cisco Systems.

Under the new deal, Discover will be the presenting sponsor for the all-star game, something the NHL has lacked for more than a decade, Wachtel said. The company also will be able to offer its card users discounts on NHL products as well as chances to win hockey experiences, including spending a day at home with the Stanley Cup championship trophy.

“We think hockey is a great way to reach our customers,” said Jennifer Murillo, Discover’s director of advertising.

Discover started out last year as an advertiser during NHL games televised by General Electric Co’s NBC affiliate and Comcast Corp’s Versus network.

The Discover deal lasts only one year to give the credit card company time to weigh its impact as well as to sync up that deal with the one in Canada, which also expires after this season, Wachtel said. A longer-term deal is the ultimate goal.

The NHL hopes to add sponsors in other categories, including U.S. banking, men’s grooming and airlines, he said.

China Asks Public to Find Slogan for 2022 Winter Olympics Bid

China has turned to the public to find a slogan for the country’s bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Members of the public have been invited to submit ideas that reflect the Olympic spirit, the character of the Games, and public enthusiasm for the joint bid by Beijing and Zhangjiakou, Hebei province.

“The slogan should be simple and catchy, and should connect with the vision of the application,” said a spokesman for the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games Bid Committee.

Residents in Beijing and Hebei are being encouraged to suggest slogans, though individuals and groups elsewhere in the country and abroad can also submit ideas. However, companies, institutions and schools may not take part.

Almaty in Kazakhstan is also bidding to host the Games, and the winner will be announced on July 31 next year.

Bob Staddon Announced as New President of Exeter Chiefs

Bob Staddon has been announced as the new President of Exeter Rugby Club.

The long-serving club stalwart, who first represented Exeter’s first team during the 1964-65, has taken on the role from another former player, Dick Manley, who has decided to step down following a 15-year tenure in the post.

Bob is no stranger to supporters of the club as not only did he represent the club playing wise until 1981, but since then he has occupied various roles such as Director of Rugby, Coach and Trustee.

“I was somewhat shocked when I first got asked,” said Bob. “For me, accepting this role is a huge honour and something that I am very proud of.

“The way the club has moved on over the years, especially since the old days at the County Ground, is nothing short of phenomenal. To be part and parcel of not only the elite clubs in England, but European rugby as well, is a fantastic achievement and long may it continue.

“As everyone knows, the Chiefs and Sandy Park are continuing to grow by the year and the investment put into the team and the stadium itself shows that we are moving forward at a great pace.”

Exeter Rugby Club chairman and chief executive, Tony Rowe OBE, said: “I’d like to go on record in thanking Dick for all the duties he has carried out during his tenure as club president. In Bob, though, we have the ideal man to step into the role and we look forward to him continuing in the same vein for many years to come.”

WOA Expand Digital Offerings with French & Spanish Website Launch

The World Olympians Association (WOA), see the representative body for all Olympians worldwide, anesthetist | has looked to broaden its digital offerings by launching French and Spanish language versions of its website.

The move will showcase WOA to more countries and territories around the world.

The French and Spanish websites will have all of the features the users of the English site enjoy including news stories regarding events, adiposity projects and initiatives involving Olympians around the world.

Speaking about the launch, WOA President, Joël Bouzou, said:“We are delighted to launch new versions of our website in French and Spanish – especially as French is one of the official languages of the IOC and the language of Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic Games.

“By creating these new sites we are opening ourselves up to more nations and regions around the world, not only France and Spain but also other countries in Europe, Africa, and North and Latin America. This is a great opportunity for us to spread our message and highlight the fantastic things that Olympians are doing to serve their communities around the world.”

Manchester United Open LINE Account to Expand Social Media Offering in Asia

Manchester United have expanded their presence on social media by unveiling they have joined LINE, one of Asia’sbiggest social messaging platforms, which could see the club engage with over 490 million users across the globe.

The club’s presence on the social messaging platform, will allow users to access Manchester United news, videos and imagery directly from their mobile phones, to share with friends and contacts. The launch sees the English language version available to users across the globe, with local language versions available in Japan and Thailand as well.

This latest expansion into social messaging platforms comes after the Club recently exceeded 55 million fans on Facebook, the fastest of any sport organisation to do so, and celebrated a year on twitter amassing nearly three million followers in the process.

Manchester United’s Group Managing Director, Richard Arnold said: “I am delighted that the Club has launched a presence on LINE. With a potential audience of nearly five hundred million users, it’s the latest innovative and fun way for our fans in Asia and beyond to engage and deepen their ties with the Club they love.”

Schalke 04 Hire Kentaro To Expand Global Exposure

FC Schalke 04 have announced a new deal with Kentaro with the Swiss-based rights company tasked with strengthening the Bundesliga club’s global exposure. 

The partnership includes an annual football tournament at Schalke’s Veltins Arena, which will be organised by Kentaro, as well as regular trips abroad to play friendly matches against top European sides and teams on other continents.

“It is our intention to further expand Schalke´s international presence – we have a very big number of fans not only in Europe but all over the world,” said Alexander Jobst, Member of the Managing Board Marketing at FC Schalke 04.

“Central to this internationalisation process will be the global TV exposure for a high-­‐quality tournament at our VELTINS-­‐Arena at the end of our pre-­‐season preparation period as well as selected tours in target markets, also in cooperation with the DFL. We aim to deliver our home fans an attractive tournament with excellent opponents and so very much look forward to working with Kentaro.”

Kentaro´s Stefan Fueg, said: “We see a huge growth potential for Schalke both within and outside Europe. We will support that through global TV exposure for Schalke´s high-­‐class season kick-­‐off tournament. Speaking from experience, we would expect to distribute such tournaments live to more than 160 countries. International awareness also works via a regular presence in new and commercially attractive foreign markets. Thanks to the successful organisation and marketing of numerous events in recent years, Kentaro has accumulated a lot of know-­‐how and experience in this area. We look forward to working with Schalke’s professional team and the club´s great set-­‐up.”

Denver Nuggets’ Pepsi Center Set to Install State-of-the-Art Video Scoreboard

Pepsi Center in Colorado is set to install a next-generation video scoreboard and sound system to enhance fan experience.

The new video board is set to be the largest of its kind in the world and will provide patrons an unparalleled view of the action at Denver Nuggets, clinic Colorado Avalanche and Colorado Mammoth home games, unhealthy as well as all other Pepsi Center sporting events.

The new scoreboard is the crown jewel of a continued arena-wide improvement project that began in 2012 with the installation of over 300 new HD flat panel screens throughout the concourses; restaurants and suites; upgraded seating in the lower and club levels; the new Land Rover Denver Club and the addition of 4 ancillary LED display boards in each of the four corners of the upper level. The new loudspeakers consist of six line arrays that are 20 feet high and include four subwoofers mounted behind each array. Each loudspeaker in the array has a maximum power handling capability of 1,600 watts and each subwoofer has a maximum power handling capability of 2,400 watts.

“We are excited to bring a new standard of excellence to our fans’ experience when attending events at Pepsi Center,” said Josh Kroenke, President of the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche. “The new scoreboard, sound system and the technological improvements that come with each installation will provide fans with one of the best audiovisual presentations in all of sports.”

Kroenke Sports & Entertainment CEO Jim Martin added: “It is our goal to provide the best fan experience in all of sports and entertainment, and the new improvements to Pepsi Center will undoubtedly place it among the most state-of-the-art venues in the United States.”

The new scoreboard will be manufactured and installed by Daktronics of Brookings, SD, and will feature one of the largest square footage viewing areas of any indoor scoreboard currently used in the world. A new HD production control facility for the scoreboard is being installed by Diversified Systems of Santa Clara, CA and designed by WJHW. The scoreboard will contain four large screens—two will face the center seating areas, measuring approximately 27’ high by 48’ long, and two will face each end of the seating bowl, measuring approximately 21’ high by 25’ wide. The new display boards will contain over 8.5 million pixels in total. Fans seated along the center areas will face a 1080p full HD screen that stretches from 3-point line to 3-point line for basketball, and spans both blue lines for hockey.

Johnnie Walker Championship Removed from 2014 European Tour Calendar

The Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles will not feature on the European Tour in 2014 as the venue is hosting the Ryder Cup in the same year.

The decision has been taken because the venue is staging the Ryder Cup, check but Gleneagles will host the Johnnie Walker Championship again in the summer of 2015.

Ryder Cup director Richard Hills said: “We are very grateful to the management of both Diageo, cialis the owners of Johnnie Walker, generic order and The Gleneagles Hotel for agreeing to postpone the Johnnie Walker Championship so that preparations for the Ryder Cup can begin as planned in July 2014.

“The magnitude of the Ryder Cup is such that trying to host the Johnnie Walker Championship in the same season would have compromised both events.”

Keith Waters, chief operating officer and director of international policy for the European Tour, admitted much thought had gone into the decision.

“We looked at rescheduling the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles to an earlier week on the 2014 schedule but a suitable date could not be found,” Waters said.

“But we are delighted all parties have agreed to reschedule the Championship for 2015.”

Argentine Grand Prix Removed from 2013 MotoGP Calendar

The Gran Premio de la República Argentina (Argentine Grand Prix), has been removed from the 2013 MotoGP calendar. 

A three-year deal for MotoGP events to be held annually at the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit was announced in December 2011 to begin from 2013.

But after the arrangement was delayed in June for “safety reasons” following a dispute between the company and the nation’s government, the passing of the November 18 scheduling deadline has left the race out in the cold for next season at least.

MotoGP said in a statement: “The Gran Premio de la Republica Argentina, which was set to take place at the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit early next year, has not been included on the 2013 calendar.

“On June 20th 2012, the Spanish government recommended that teams and riders sponsored by Repsol should not travel to the Republica Argentina due to safety reasons.

“Therefore, the celebration of the 2013 Gran Premio de la Republica Argentina remained under suspension until such recommendation would be kept in force,” the statement added.

“The deadline for Dorna Sports, commercial rights holder of the MotoGP World Championship, to officially propose the 2013 MotoGP calendar to FIM was November 18.

“On November 20, the Spanish government notified through email sent to Dorna Sports  the withdrawal of the above referred recommendation, when the time for the calendar presentation had already expired and therefore, there was no possibility to include a new MotoGP event.

“Anyhow, Dorna Sports commits itself to include Gran Premio de la Republica Argentina on the 2014 calendar and onwards, to be approved by FIM subject to the homologation of the track which presumably shall take place within the first quarter of 2013.

“Dorna Sports recognizes the Gran Premio de la Republica Argentina Promoter´s efforts regarding the satisfactorily termination of the construction works and the organization and promotion preliminary activities.”

The series last raced in Argentina when MotoGP’s 500cc predecessor used the Buenos Aires circuit in 1998-99.

Sports Systems to Supply Grand Prix of America

Sports Systems Services, viagra Inc., bronchi has been selected to supply key operational technology for the Grand Prix of America (GPA) at Port Imperial, buy which is to host a Formula One race in June 2013. 

The specific operational areas that will use Sports Systems online services are: Media accreditation; staff, vendor, volunteer and local resident accreditation; sponsorship asset and contract management; internal ticketing; and oversight of the race’s VIP guest invitation, registration and logistics. 

Sports Systems offers world leading, proven technologies to directly add control, tracking and highly productive day-to-day oversight tools over tasks required to be fulfilled at every event. 

“As an organization that will be running one of the world’s greatest sporting events less than a year from now, we are partnering with companies that have a proven track record of success,” said Dennis R Robinson, the race’s COO.  “We are very pleased to have Sports Systems, a global leader in event accreditation and guest management technologies, join us as a partner.” 

Sports Systems’ President Jim Daigle commented, “Sports Systems is honored to be partnering with Grand Prix of America because this will be a major international event in the New Jersey/New York area, and this is our hometown. We’ve been involved with all levels of Formula One for 17 years but bringing a race here is a new and truly exciting effort to assist.” 

Like every event, GPA can run accreditation, internal ticketing and its own guest hospitality information management, but with Sports Systems it has a leading partner with turn-key solutions in all areas to enhance and streamline control over standard, required information.