The England Golf Partnership (EGP) has today welcomed a £13 million grant from Sport England to continue to develop the sport over the four years from 2013-17. 

The grant is an increase on the £12.5 million core funding award for the current period and will support programmes to encourage more people to start and stay in golf and to nurture talented players. 

Roger Moreland, the EGP’s Chief Operating Officer, said: “We are very pleased with this level of financial support from Sport England and look forward to working with them to maximise their investment and to build on our successes of the past four years.” 

The grant is part an investment of almost half a billion pounds in grassroots sport, announced today by Sport England. It is intended to keep the inspiration of London 2012 alive and help fulfil Lord Coe’s pledge that the Games would get more people playing sport, a feat that no other host nation has ever managed to achieve. 

Sport England’s Director of Sport, Phil Smith commented on the grant for golf: “This investment reflects the progress the EGP has made in getting more people playing golf and developing talent within the sport. 

“Whilst there are challenges in keeping people playing golf in the current economic climate, we are confident that the EGP will continue to demonstrate leadership and innovation within the sport to ensure the number of people playing grows.” 

The 2013-17 Whole Sport Plan for golf, which will be rolled out from April, includes plans to encourage more people with a disability to take up golf and focuses on providing opportunities for people older than 26 to take up the game and play more often. In addition, the plan contains proposals for increasing the number of young people aged 14-25 playing the game. 

Roger Moreland added: “There are many challenges in golf, not least those of the weather and of the economic climate, but we are excited about the prospects for the coming four years, which will include the return of golf to the Olympic movement. 

“This award is a vote of confidence in our achievements to date and we will continue to work to make golf welcoming, accessible and a sport that offers fun and value to those who want to play.” 

The current four-year plan has shaped a successful period for golf development, during which a network of County Golf Partnerships became established and created a significant increase in golf participation. 

Their activities, to direct new and returning golfers to structured PGA coaching and playing opportunities, are enhanced by working with pro-active, affordable and accessible golf centres and by a better understanding of the requirements of golfers and would-be players. In the last year a pilot marketing campaign, Get into Golf, has promoted activity with one clear message. 

Since the current plan began in April 2009, over 154,000 people have tried golf at taster and coaching sessions, of whom more than 85,000 were aged over 16. To date, 4200 new memberships have been reported as being created as a direct result of their activity. 

These numbers have accelerated as the CGPs have become more customer-focussed. The latest CGP Impact Report shows that in the year to the end of September 2012, over 70,000 people tried golf – almost double the number in the in 2011. In the same period the number of adults playing golf regularly as a result of being involved in CGP activity increased by eight per cent. 

Meanwhile, England Golf’s 2012 golf club membership questionnaire has revealed that, although golf club membership dropped overall, 25 per cent of clubs have experienced an increase in membership in the last two years. These clubs are being examined in detail to establish how they are achieving success.

CN Racing, part of Superstock series, have announced they will not compete in any classes next season after a difficult 2012.

Team owners Chris Greenwood and Julia Taylor had assembled a team to realistically challenge for the 2012 Metzeler National Superstock 1000 and 600 Championships but a combination of pre-season injuries and changes in personnel during the season meant they didn’t secure a podium.

The Hebden Bridge-based team considered a very attractive offer from a manufacturer for 2013 but after a period of deliberation, they have decided not to pursue this option and will take a sabbatical for next season before deciding on a possible return in future.

“There are a number of factors which has led to us making the very difficult decision to withdraw from the sport we love. 2012 didn’t live up to our expectations on track and we encountered a number of additional problems also which took away a lot of the enjoyment and that is the real reason we go racing,” said Taylor.

“We had a very good offer to continue but we couldn’t commit fully so we are taking some time out and are going to concentrate on our core business which has taken a back seat recently. We’d like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank each individual member of our team, our product partners and everyone associated with CN Racing for a superb job. 

“We’d also like to extend our appreciation to the marshals, medics, organisers and media as well as fellow competitors and wish them a safe and successful 2013 season.”

The Singapore Grand Prix is set to continue as Formula One supremo confirmed the race will continue at the circuit for a further five years.

The 81-year-old Briton told Singapore’s Today newspaper that the timing of the official announcement of the renewal would be decided by the Singapore government.

“Everything that was in the way of the Singapore Grand Prix continuing for another five years has been cleared,” said Ecclestone.

“I’m happy that this is out of the way because Singapore has been good to F1 and the night race has also been equally good for Singapore.”

Singapore GP executive director Michael Roche had earlier said that money was the sticking point in the renewal talks. A government minister added on Monday that the terms had to be “economically viable”.

The race was first held in 2008 on the Marina Bay street circuit and has become a social highlight of the Formula One calendar that rivals Monaco and Abu Dhabi as a draw for dealmakers and corporate heavy-hitters.

Formula One had also planned a flotation worth up to $3 billion in Singapore but that has been put on hold due to weak and volatile markets.

The rights fee for hosting the grand prix was believed to have cost Singapore organisers U.S. $35 million initially with yearly increases rising to $42 million last year.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are looking to continue their momentum not just on the court but also off it as sales of merchandise have been constantly rising.

For the first two rounds of the NBA postseason this year, seek sales of Thunder merchandise on NBAStore.com were up 80 percent compared with the team’s total for the first two rounds of the playoffs last year.

The team’s gains increased further in the conference finals. Through the first five games of the Thunder’s six-game series with San Antonio this year, the team’s sales total on NBAStore.com was up 173 percent from the total for last year’s conference finals appearance against Dallas, a series won by the Mavericks in five games. 

Merchandise sales at the team’s shop at Chesapeake Energy Arena have increased by about 13 percent during the postseason.

The NBA does not disclose specific sales figures. The league also did not disclose how the Thunder’s postseason merchandise sales compare to the Spurs, the Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics during their appearances in the conference finals.

“Any time a team advances to the Finals, it is common to see an increase in merchandise sales,” said Sal LaRocca, executive vice president of the NBA’s global merchandise group. “The Thunder have a very passionate fan base, and players like Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook that have a global following, so it’s no surprise to see such a surge in merchandise sales for this team.”

The spike in the Thunder’s postseason merchandise sales comes after the lockout-shortened regular season that saw Durant land at No. 8 on the list of the league’s top-selling player jerseys. The Thunder ranked seventh among all NBA team merchandise sales during the regular season.

Cricket Holdings America, herbal a joint venture between New Zealand Cricket and the United States of America Cricket Association, anabolics has today announced the appointment of TSE Consulting to assist with its plans to initiate a Twenty20 cricket league in North America. 

TSE Consulting has been appointed to deliver the host city selection process and the development of facility specifications, medicine together with PROS Consulting, the US-based management and planning consultancy. 

The formation of this league is the culmination of two years of collaboration with the International Cricket Council (ICC), whose support has ensured that the right foundations are in place for the development of a successful league. The focus is to combine cricket with entertainment to create a truly fan-centric experience and bolster the 50,000-strong and growing active competitor base in the US. 

Currently, the only ICC-sanctioned cricket facility in the US is located in Broward County, FL, where TSE has assisted in development of a business plan for the facility. The development of new facilities and use of temporary venues are a part of the plans for growing the game and staging a League. An aggressive programme to identify franchise locations in major North American markets will be underway shortly. 

Neil Maxwell, Director Cricket Holdings America states: “We have taken time to put all the pieces in place for a successful league that will be a lasting addition to the sports industry in North America. We look forward to announcing the cities that will host teams in the near future and the development of new cricket facilities throughout America. We are delighted to be working with TSE and PROS whose combined knowledge of host cities and facility development is the perfect fit for us.” 

Dale Neuburger, Director TSE Consulting – North America added: “The new league will be a great addition to the American sports landscape. Keith Wyness and the CHA team have provided the vision and expertise to support rapid growth in the popularity of cricket in North America, and TSE is honoured to have the opportunity to participate in the city identification and facility development process.”

Read TSE Consulting Managing Director, Lars Pedersen interview here>>

The ‘Sunday Night Football’ clash between the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants aired on NBC received the highest overnight ratings in the show’s six-year history and the highest overnight ratings of any Sunday or Monday primetime game in 13 years.

The game, in which the Giants beat the Cowboys 31-14 to win the NFC East, scored a 17.1 overnight rating and a 27 share in metered market household ratings. It was the best such rating for any primetime Sunday or Monday game since a Denver Broncos and Miami Dolphins game had a  17.4/27 on Dec. 21, 1998 for ABC.

It was also the best overnight rating for any NFL primetime regular-season final game in 17 years. The best was the San Francisco 49ers and Minnesota Vikings game that earned a 19.6/33 on Dec. 26, 1994, also for ABC.

NBC won the night on the strength of the Cowboys-Giants game, the highest-rated program of the night. From 7-11, it averaged a 12.9/21 in metered markets, topping the 7.5/12 for CBS, which was boosted by NFL overrun. Fox had a 3.0/5 and ABC a 2.5/4.

After FIFA vice-president Jack Warner announced his decision to resign from his post from world soccer’s governing body, along with his CONCACAF presidency, he did so due to fear of being banned for life and having his political career wrecked in the process, according to sources close to the scandal.

Twenty-four hours after Warner threw in the towel with the net closing in around him, it emerged that he would not have been able to maintain his powerful position in Caribbean politics with the case against him strengthening.

“The Ethics Committee made it clear Warner was going to lose by detailing violations of the Code of Ethics,” said one informed source who has been involved in the case from the start. 

“They went into every detail. Our understanding is that Warner actually submitted his resignation on Friday just after receiving the reasoned decision.

“Warner knew there would have been a very clear and concise guilty verdict at the end of the process. That would have caused him to be thrown out of Government.”

Warner has since stated that he would be prepared to die rather than meet with former FBI Director Louis Freeh, the man charged by the Ethics Committee with leading the full investigation.

Warner said he would be willing to help FIFA but would not speak to Freeh because of his ties to the United States from where Chuck Blazer, the CONCACAF general secretary who blew the whistle on Warner, also hails. 

“I will die first,” Warner told Bloomberg. “If FIFA wants me to cooperate I will do that but not with Freeh.”

Soccerex have extended their line-up for the European Forum, pharm held in Manchester, March 30-31, announcing that manager of English Premier League soccer club Aston Villa Gérard Houllier, Burnley central defender and Chairman of the Professional Footballers Association (PFA) Clarke Carlisle and Chief Operating Officer of Wasserman Media Group, Sam Rush will speak at the Soccerex European Forum, 30-31 March, Manchester.

They will be part of a panel titled “Will financial regulation improve football?” which will look to assess the potential positive and negative impacts of European soccer’s planned financial regulation. The session will begin with an exclusive presentation on the financial fair play concept by Andrea Traverso, Head of Club Licensing, UEFA, the man responsible for the implementation of UEFA’s financial fair play rules.

Traverso will then join his fellow panellists to discuss the rules, how they will be implemented and the effects they will have on the many and varied stakeholders in the industry. The session will be moderated by Dan Jones, Partner, Head of Sport Business Group, Deloitte.

The panel combines a selection of football stakeholders ensuring the different viewpoints of manager, player and agent are covered. Clarke Carlisle, who was appointed as PFA chairman in November of last year, commented: “I am really excited to be representing the PFA and giving a player’s perspective on this important issue to Soccerex’s audience of football industry leaders.”

This not-to-be-missed panel is part of an exciting conference agenda covering topics such as the German football model, the different commercial challenges facing clubs, digital media and fan interaction, sponsor and rights holder relationships, and Eastern Europe’s upcoming tournaments and market development.