English Premier League side Manchester United has been forced to place 4,000 season tickets on general release following poor sales.

Despite a price freeze and marketing campaign, season ticket sales have been slow as fans have chosen not to buy them in protest of the Glazer family’s ownership of the club.

The move is unheard of for the club, where fans have had to wait up to ten years for a ticket in the past.

It is also unclear how many of the club’s 8,500 premium seats, 7,000 executive seats, and 1,500 hospitality packages, have been sold.

The Manchester United Supporters’ Trust (MUST) has said the poor sales are a victory for the campaign against the Glazer’s ownership.

MUST chief executive Duncan Drasdo said: “This is great news for fans in terms of the balance of power shifting back towards them.”

But a club spokesman has said there is nothing strange in tickets being put on general sale. They said: “There is always a ‘churn’ of season-ticket holders who don’t renew for various reasons. The churn was within the normal tolerances when compared to recent seasons.

“As a club, we are very happy the way sales have gone and have already sold more season tickets than the capacity of 17 Premier League grounds.”

Berlin are set to compete against Hamburg to lodge a bid to host the 2024 Olympic Games, it was revealed.

Germany’s two biggest cities will go head to head next month as both cities present their concepts for the 2024 summer Olympic Games.

The city of Berlin confirmed on Tuesday that it will proceed with a bid to host the Games, pitting Germany’s capital against Hamburg, which has also thrown its hat into the ring.

Both cities will unveil their concepts and answer a questionnaire from the German Olympic Sports Association (DOSB) on September 1, before a decision is made on December 6.

“I am confident we will answer those questions well,” Berlin mayor Klaus Wowereit said at a press conference on Tuesday.

Following the presentation of the cities’ plans, there will be a vote for all citizens in both cities.

“After that there will be a vote for all Berliners to decide. We want the widest possible support in this,” Wowereit added.

The DOSB is also yet to decide not only which German city will be put forward for the summer Games in 10 years but also if it will submit a candidate for the 2028 summer Olympics.

Bidding for the summer 2024 Games starts next year with a decision due to be made in 2017.

Berlin last hosted the Olympics in 1936.

{jcomments on}

Havas Sports & Entertainment (Havas SE), the brand engagement network of the Havas Group, have appointed Aleksandra Marciniak as the new Managing Director of Havas Sports & Entertainment Poland. 

Aleksandra takes on the role of Managing Director from the former head and founder of Havas SE’s operations in Poland, Piotr Pietrzak, who will be leading the Polish office of Sportfive, the sports rights marketing agency.

An experienced sports marketing and sponsorship professional, Aleksandra will be responsible for overseeing daily business operations, client relations, as well as strategic and new business development for Havas SE Poland. She will lead a team of ten who work with renowned brands and stakeholders such as adidas, The Coca-Cola Company, Hyundai-Kia, BP, Reebok, and BNP Paribas.

With over 15 years’ experience in the sports industry, first as a sports journalist then as a press officer at television channel Canal+ before working in sports marketing, Aleksandra has been at Havas SE Poland from the agency’s inception in October 2008. She has been responsible for strategy, PR and events for key agency clients.

“As one of the founding members of Havas SE Poland, I have seen the growth and development of a strong team and agency with deep expertise and a proven track record,” Marciniak commented.

“We have delivered many successful projects for clients around the world’s greatest sports events like the UEFA Euro 2012 which took place in Poland and the FIFA World Cup 2014. We are constantly enhancing our brand engagement offer to ensure that both local and international brands can build emotional, long-lasting and valuable relationships with fans in Poland.”

Aleksandra will report into Lucien Boyer, President & Global CEO of the Havas SE network, as well as Malgorzata Wêgierek, CEO of Havas Media Group in Poland.

Speaking on this appointment, Lucien Boyer, President & Global CEO, Havas SE, said: “We are thrilled to have such an experienced and dynamic leader at the head of one of our key European markets. Aleksandra has been instrumental in many projects around the UEFA Euro 2012 or more recently in the implementation of sponsorship activations around the FIFA World Cup 2014 for adidas and Kia.

“Aleksandra will benefit from the support of a strong team on the ground and our international network of 35 offices in 24 countries. I am confident that Aleksandra will take our Polish team to new heights and wish her the best of luck in her new role.”

National Hockey League’s (NHL) Carolina Hurricanes have selected Massey Consulting to implement their cloud-based Intacct Financial Accounting system.

The Carolina Hurricanes will use Intacct to track the financials of the franchise, each home game, as well as other entertainment events held at PNC Arena.

“Using Intacct, the Hurricanes’ department and event managers will have more information at their fingertips, available anytime and anywhere, and the Hurricanes’ accounting team will be able to distribute far more information about each event in a fraction of the time it took with their previous accounting system,” says Philip Massey, President of Massey Consulting, which the Hurricanes have chosen as their Intacct Solution Partner.

“In addition to the transformational Intacct functionality and reporting, Massey Consulting was able to guide us on the best methodology to gain the financial insights we require,” says Shaun Nicholson, Arena Accountant. “Massey Consulting will assist us with the implementation and set up of Intacct and be our local expert and partner.”

Organisers of the Rio 2016 Olympics are adamant the Games are on target for success despite criticism of their preparation.

Australian IOC vice-president John Coates courted controversy in April when he branded preparation the “worst he has experienced” and questioned staffing levels in the organising committee.

However, after a successful World Cup in Brazil, Rio 2016 communications director Mario Andrada has highlighted the “huge progress” made ahead of the Games.

Andrada said: “Coates’ message was ill-informed and bluntly wrong. Yes he is on the co-ordination commission but he had information that was wrong.

“We are not the worst. We can prove that beyond any reasonable doubt.

“One of his complaints was about staffing – that was not us being lazy or late but us humbly disputing with the IOC the need for more people at this point.

“Now we can say thank God it took place at that time, prior to the World Cup. It was the alert that the Government needed, it was the crack of the whip that was putting Brazil in an alert position and drove us to an incredible amount of progress in the last couple of months.

“It will allow us to face the two-year milestone in August looking to the world and saying we have no problems here, we are on track, on time.”

“We have learned that if the field of play is perfect then nobody complains if the overlay is not impeccable, so we need to focus on the field of play. Sport is imperative and you have to provide the best conditions.”

{jcomments on}

iSportconnect, the world’s largest private network of sport business professionals, is delighted to announce the Directors’ Club will be returning to Paris, France in September 2014, with the support of the French Football Federation (FFF).

The iSportconnect Directors’ Club Paris in Association with the FFF will be held on Thursday September 18th at the football governing body’s headquarters. We are pleased to confirm that the event already has key panellists from the sport industry in France, including; Jérémy Botton, Deputy CEO of the French Tennis Federation and Arnaud Simon, Managing Director of Eurosport France.

iSportconnect Directors’ Club is an invitation-only event open exclusively for chief executives, chairmen and director-level executives from governing bodies, sports teams and sponsorship brands. The event will have a Question Time style debate followed by a networking session. Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain hosted the first ever iSportconnect Directors’ Club in the city at the end of 2013.

Michael Cunnah, Chairman of iSportconnect expressed his happiness at returning to Paris in 2014: “I am delighted that the iSportconnect Directors’ Club will be back in Paris in September. Last year’s event was a huge success and showed that the Directors’ Club is in demand across the globe. This year we have a very strong panel and I am looking forward to another thoroughly enjoyable evening.”

Sebastien Klotz, Head of Sponsorship & Merchandising of the FFF said: The French Football Federation is delighted to be hosting the Directors’ Club Paris. It expresses the desire at the Federation to show involvement in the Sport Business, and we look forward to hosting this event in September.

Invitation Policy: iSportconnect Directors’ Club is an invitation only event open exclusively for chief executives, chairmen and director level executives from governing bodies, sports teams and sponsorship brands.

Social media policy: The iSportconnect Directors’ Club follows Chatham House rules and therefore all content must be kept inside. We encourage delegates to tweet pictures and use our hashtag #iSCDirectorsClub but please do not quote panellists.

To register your interest in attending the Directors’ Club event in Paris, please contact Sylvia-Line Lamaro at sylvia-line@isportconnect.com

Visit the official iSportconnect Directors’ Club website: http://www.directorsclub.biz/

---

iSportconnect annonce la deuxième édition du Director’s Club Paris, en partenariat avec la FFF.

iSportconnect, le plus grand réseau prive dédié aux professionnels du sport, est heureux d’annoncer le retour du Director’s Club à Paris, qui se tiendra le 18 septembre au siège de la Fédération Française de Football, en association avec la FFF.

Nous sommes ravis d’annoncer que l’évènement pourra compter sur les présences d’acteurs clés de l’industrie du sport en France tels que Jérémy Botton, directeur général adjoint de la Fédération Française de Tennis et Arnaud Simon, directeur général  d’Eurosport France. D’autres panélistes seront confirmés dans les semaines à venir.

Le Director’s Club d’iSportconnect est un évènement sur invitation, réservé exclusivement aux présidents et directeur généraux des instances dirigeantes, clubs et sponsors. La conférence inclue un débat sous forme de question-réponse et se termine par une session de « networking ». Le Parc des Princes, théâtre du double champion de France en titre, avait accueilli la première édition du Director’s Club d’iSportconnect dans la capitale française, fin 2013.

Michael Cunnah, président d’iSportconnect, a exprimé sa joie de revenir à Paris en 2014 : « Je suis très heureux de voir le Director’s Club revenir à Paris en septembre. L’an passé, l’évènement a été un immense succès, montrant que le Director’s Club est demandé de manière globale. Cette année, nous avons un panel très impressionnant, et je suis extrêmement impatient de retourner à Paris pour cette seconde édition. »

Sébastien Klotz, responsable du service sponsoring, commercial et merchandising a la FFF a déclaré : « la Fédération Française de Football est très heureuse d’accueillir le Director’s Club Paris. Cela démontre la volonté de la Fédé de s’impliquer toujours plus dans l’industrie du Sport Business, après une année de dur labeur, mais remplie de succès. Nous sommes très impatient d’être au 18 septembre. »

Règles –

Invitations : Le Director’s Club d’iSportconnect est un évènement sur invitation, réservé exclusivement aux présidents et directeur généraux des instances dirigeantes, clubs et sponsors.

Diffusion et réseaux sociaux : Le Director’s Club d’iSportconnect suit la règle de Chatham House, stipulant que toute information reste en les murs. Nous encourageons les délégués à prendre des photos et à utiliser notre hashtag –  #iSCDirectorsClub. Nous vous prions de ne pas citer les panélistes.

Si vous souhaitez manifester votre interet et assister au Director’s Club d’iSportconnect, contactez Sylvia Lamaro – sylvia-line@isportconnect.com

Visitez la page officielle du Director’s Club d’iSportconnect – http://www.directorsclub.biz/

{jcomments on}

The International Show Jumping Officials Club (ISJC) has become the second of the former FEI Associate Members to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the FEI.

The ISJC was formed in 1998 and brings together over 270 Judges, Course Designers and Stewards from 60 countries.

Working closely with the FEI, National Federations and Organising Committees of international Jumping events, the independent organisation has representatives in more than 60 countries and offers members the opportunity to share experiences, improve knowledge of Jumping andother disciplines and exchange ideas to help develop the sport.

“The International Show Jumping Officials Club has been a valuable asset for the Jumping world for the last fifteen years”, said Ingmar De Vos, FEI Secretary General. “As we continue to experience rapid global growth of Jumping, we look forward to many more years of collaboration with the ISJC and its expanding membership”.

“The ISJC unites our officials in a worldwide network, and ensures they are well-prepared to meet the challenges of today’s fast-growing sport at both international and national level,” explained ISJC President Stephan Ellenbruch (GER).

“We supply our members with the tools to perform their demanding roles with the professionalism that all amateur and professional athletes in our sport expect and deserve. The signing of this Memorandum of Understanding with the FEI is another milestone in the development of the ISJC, and this alliance will certainly benefit our members and all those connected with show jumping as we head into a bright future for equestrian sport.”

The English Cricket Board (ECB) and Marlebone Cricket Club (MCC) have issued a warning to brands and organisations planning to capitalise upon Investec ‘Ashes fever’ in an unofficial capacity.

Both the ECB and MCC will be monitoring unauthorised use of “The Ashes” word mark, ed “The Investec Ashes Series” mark and the image of the Ashes Urn and will take such legal action against offenders as they deem necessary to protect their rights in and to their marks.

“The Ashes” is a registered trade mark owned by each of the ECB and MCC. “The Investec Ashes Series” is a registered trade mark owned by by each of the ECB and Investec and solely for use by the ECB, ampoule their respective partners and host venues.  The image of the Ashes Urn is a registered trade mark of MCC.

ECB Commercial Director, allergist John Perera, said: “We are committed to protecting the rights of our commercial and broadcast partners which fund our game.”

MCC Assistant Secretary, Jon Robinson, said “Like any organisation, MCC feels strongly about protecting its assets and in a year when England and Australia are competing in a high profile Test Series for the Waterford Crystal Trophy, it is important that we take steps to prevent unauthorised use of the Club’s trade marks and/or devices.”

{jcomments on}