The Rugby Football League (RFL) have granted Bradford Bulls a new license to play in the Super League in 2014.

After being taken out of administration last August, the Bulls were only given a 12-month provisional licence.

But the club has now been put on the same footing as the other 13 Super League clubs, whose current three-year licences expire at the end of next season.

Blake Solly, the RFL’s director of licensing and standards, said: “The Bulls have been granted an extension of the year-long licence they were awarded in September 2012.”

“The new licence expires at the end of the 2014.”

Bradford, who were taken out of administration by local businessman Omar Khan and Bradford MP Gerry Sutcliffe, are debt-free and have proved competitive on the field under new head coach Francis Cummins, despite being unable to claim their full allocation of central funding.

Solly added: “Bradford have delivered good crowds with people paying full rate for their season tickets and the team are obviously performing very well on the pitch.

“They’re working very hard to make sure the club is a sustainable business and they’ve certainly engaged and energised the local community.

“Like all clubs, cash-flow is tight but they have made great progress, given the situation they inherited.”

The Confédération Européenne de Volleyball (CEV) have continued their partnership with Infront Sports & Media up to and including 2021.

The international sports marketing company will continue to distribute the world-wide media rights for the bi-annual Men’s and Women’s CEV Volleyball European Championships. The agreement also marks an expansion of the partnership. From 2014 onwards, diagnosis Infront will also distribute the international media rights for the CEV Beach Volleyball European Championships as well as the CEV Beach Volleyball Continental Cup Finals in 2016 and 2020 – the decisive qualifying competitions for the Olympic Games in the respective years.

The new contract covers all forms of electronic media rights including television, ambulance radio and new media broadcast rights for the CEV top events on national team level. Infront will continue to offer the rights in a varied and flexible manner, including live, delayed, highlights and news coverage. The company will also be directly in charge or supervise the host broadcast production of the CEV events, guaranteeing media rights licensees a TV signal of high international standard.

CEV President André Meyer said: “We look forward to another step of our cooperation with Infront Sports & Media. By taking into consideration the good results stemming from the past few years, we have decided to join our forces once more in order to provide the Volleyball and Beach Volleyball community with a first-class service when it comes to TV production and the distribution of all relevant media rights. We know we have a very solid and professional partner at our side and I am convinced this extended cooperation will significantly help the promotion and development of our sport.”

Philippe Blatter, President & CEO of Infront Sports & Media, added: “The CEV-Infront partnership is among the most long-standing in the industry and Volleyball a core pillar of our summer sports portfolio. We are proud and delighted that we earned the trust and respect of the CEV to further strengthen this successful partnership. Together, we will continue to deliver top quality and excellence for the good of European Volleyball, its commercial partners and fans. At the same time we are taking a more comprehensive approach that includes traditional Indoor Volleyball and the rapidly growing sport of Beach Volleyball. For both disciplines, we will leverage our unique expertise in media rights distribution, media production as well as marketing, ensuring continuous success for the CEV and its events.”

Affiniti Golf Partners management responsibilities at Huntsville Country Club, a historic facility located in northern Alabama, have been extended according to the company’s founding partner, Whitney Crouse. 

Founded in 1925, Huntsville Country Club has been a centerpiece of life in Huntsville, the first incorporated town in Alabama and recognized among “America’s Dozen Distinctive Destinations” by The National Trust for Historic Preservation.

The club’s distinctive 6,586-yard, par 71 golf course also opened in 1925 and was designed by course architect Robert B. Harris. The course is dotted with magnificent willow trees and hardwoods, and offers glimpses from several holes of the commanding Cumberland Plateau that frames the east side of Huntsville. It is a “core” golf course, a refreshing break from today’s modern real estate driven golf properties.

Current plans call for Affiniti Golf to market limited, midweek, non-member play at the club in an effort to advance new membership opportunities. The firm also will launch a new website, enhance customer service, expand the banquet business, and add many more activities for the members to choose.

Crouse said: “Affiniti is so pleased to work with a historic property like Huntsville Country Club, one that has endured for 87 years. We will be working with a Board of Directors that represents both the traditional golfers and the younger constituents who desire more family activities. You have to have both for a club to succeed today.”

Affiniti Golf Partners will oversee the golf and club operations, membership, marketing, finance, dining and special events at Huntsville Country Club. For more information contact Affiniti Golf Partners at 678-679-0523, or visit online at www.affinitigolf.com.

Plans for a motor racing complex in Ebbw Vale could be submitted to Blaenau Gwent council as early as September.

The £250m Circuit of Wales project promises to boost regeneration and bring 6,000 jobs to the area, as well as enhancing Wales’ international profile.

It will focus on the low-carbon automotive industry and international motorsports.

The main racetrack will be approximately 3.5 miles long with an international kart track and motocross tracks as well as the main circuit. The development will include a technology park for research, development and support services in the automotive and motorsports sectors.

The plans were first unveiled last November, with land adjacent to the Rassau industrial estate on the edge of the town earmarked for the racetrack.

Chief Executive Michael Carrick says the circuit is designed to host international motorsport events such as MotoGP, World Superbikes and World Motocross.

The project would be delivered by The Heads of the Valleys Development Company in partnership with the Welsh Government, local authorities, universities and industry partners.

Bis zu annähernd sechs Millionen Zuschauer haben am Sonntagmorgen bei RTL den Großen Preis von Malaysia verfolgt. Der Spitzenwert lag bei 5, sale 96 Millionen und wurde am Ende des Regen-Rennens erzielt, das zwischenzeitlich unterbrochen werden musste.

Vor der Unterbrechung hatten durchschnittlich 4,98 Millionen Zuschauer eingeschaltet (Marktanteil: 45,2 %), den zweiten Teil sahen nach einer Pause von 51 Minuten dann durchschnittlich 5,47 Millionen Zuschauer (Marktanteil: 40,9 %).

Beim Australien-Grand-Prix in Melbourne lag die Quote noch bei durchschnittlich 3,35 Millionen Zuschauer am frühen Sonntagmorgen. Der Marktanteil lag bei 48,6 Prozent (14-49-Jährige: 45,7%). Als Jenson Button im McLaren das erste Duell der Saison knapp gegen Weltmeister  Sebastian Vettel um 08:37 Uhr für sich entschied, saßen  4,21 Millionen Zuschauer vor den Bildschirmen.

Sechs Weltmeister im Fahrerfeld, die Mission Titel-Hattrick von Sebastian Vettel und ein ganz offensichtlich deutlich besser aufgestelltes Mercedes-Team versprechen auch weiterhin, gemäß des neuen RTL-Slogans zur Saison 2012,  „Tolle Aussichten“.

Die Formel-1-Sendungen gibt es auch im Livestream bei RTL.de oder über die RTL App für iPhones. Mit der neuen RTL INSIDE App für Smartphones können sich Fans direkt während der Rennen untereinander austauschen und erhalten synchrone Live-Infos zum Geschehen auf dem TV.

Glamorgan County Cricket Team have announced that terms have been agreed with their existing lenders and new investors for a financial restructuring that will secure the club financially for the next couple of years.

The club’s existing lenders, which include Allied Irish Bank, Cardiff Council and Paul Russell, have agreed to restructure their loans, which includes extending the repayment terms. In addition the club has raised £1.3million from a group of private investors who are committed to the long-term success of Glamorgan Cricket.

Glamorgan chairman Barry O’Brien said: “We are delighted to be able to make today’s landmark announcement which secures our future and demonstrates the confidence our investors have in the club’s business and prospects, following our success in securing 17 days of international cricket over the next five years including the 2015 Ashes.

“We can now look forward to the 2012 season in a positive manner which will also see the club stage an England v South Africa one-day international and the Friends Life t20 finals day in August.”

Club treasurer Hamish Buckland added: “We are very grateful to our bankers AIB, to Cardiff Council and, as ever, the club’s former chairman Paul Russell for their continuing support as well as those friends of the club who have provided the additional investment.”

Chief executive Alan Hamer said: “As with many other counties Glamorgan Cricket has faced financial challenges for a number of years so today’s news is particularly welcome.

“On behalf of the club I would pay particular tribute to Barry and Hamish for their great skill and tireless efforts over the past six months – a great deal of hard work has taken place behind the scenes and their highly skilled contributions have been vital in helping the club reach a successful outcome.”

Glamorgan have also revealed that David Morgan has agreed to accept its nomination as president-elect.

Subject to the approval of members at the club’s annual general meeting, the former Glamorgan, ECB and ICC chairman will serve a four-year term, which will see him presiding over the Ashes Test at the SWALEC Stadium in 2015.

O’Brien added: “As the previous chairman of Glamorgan, David is acknowledged worldwide as one of cricket’s great administrators and his welcome return to Glamorgan will be of enormous value to the club.”

The National Basketball Association (NBA) and its players have shook hands on a new collective bargaining agreement which means the Basketball season will finally begin on Christmas Day with a 66-game scheduled season.

NBA Commissioner David Stern said the settlement called for training camps and the league’s free agency period to begin on December 9.

“We’ve reached a tentative understanding that is subject to a variety of approvals and very complex machinations,” Stern told a news conference early on Saturday after a 15-hour negotiating session.

“But we’re optimistic that will all come to pass and that the NBA season will begin on December 25, Christmas Day, with a triple-header.

“We’re very pleased that we’ve come this far. There’s still a lot of work to be done in a lot of places, with a lot of committees and player groups and the like.

“But we’re optimistic that it will hold and we’ll have ourselves an NBA season.”

Billy Hunter, the former executive director of the players’ now-disbanded union, said: “We’re going to turn it all over to the lawyers here and have them work out all the details.”

The players de-certified their union in an effort to file a variety of antitrust lawsuits against the league. It could take up to 10 days for the players to re-form their union and ratify a formal labor deal.

Stern acknowledged the league had “literally thousands of people who are dependent upon the playing of our games at arenas, at parking lots, at restaurants around the stadium.”

“The reason for the settlement is (that) we’ve got fans, we’ve got players who would like to play, we’ve got others who are dependent on us,” he said.

“And it’s always been our goal to reach a deal that was fair to both sides and would get us playing as soon as possible. But, that took a little time.”

Players have been locked out of NBA facilities for five months and, should the plan proceed as scheduled, teams would play 16 games less than a normal season.

The league has said it lost $300 million last season and were demanding a reduction in the players’ share of income, which was 57 percent under the prior deal.

NBA Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver said the tentative deal called for a more balanced league,

“It will largely prevent the high spending teams from competing in the free agency market in a way that they have been able to in the past,” he said.

“It is a compromise and it is not the system we sought out to get in terms of a harder (salary) cap but the luxury tax is harsher than it was in the past deal and we hope it’s effective.

“We feel ultimately it will give fans in every community hope that their team can compete for championships and that their basis for believing in their team will be a function of management of that team rather than how deep the owners pockets are or how large the market is.”

Stern said he was optimistic both sides would approve the deal.

“We want to play basketball,” he said.

The season is expected to start on Christmas Day and has an end date of April 28th 2012 with last possible finals starting on June 26 2012. Two weeks after last years event.

To make up for lost time all teams will play at least one back to back to back game. There will be 48 Conference games and 18 Non-Conference games for all teams

The National Football League (NFL) and its players seeking to halt an owner-imposed lockout, were ordered by a federal judge yesterday, April 11, to begin formal mediation on Thursday, April 14.

U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson appointed a magistrate judge to meet with representatives of the players today, April 12, and the NFL the following day.

According to Nelson, U.S. Chief Magistrate Judge Arthur J. Boylan will meet with both sides on Thursday and conduct all mediation sessions.

The players, led by quarterbacks Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Peyton Manning, sued the NFL last month, alleging antitrust violations after the collapse of collective bargaining talks.

Owners of the 32 NFL teams declared a lockout after the negotiations failed when the player’s union elected to decertify its status. This action gave the players the right to pursue an antitrust lawsuit, the players’ lawyers said in court papers last month.

Nelson stated: “This mediation will not have the effect of a stay on this litigation. The players’ motion for a preliminary injunction remains under advisement.”

The labor dispute involves the formula by which the New York-based league and its players would divide about US$9bn annual revenue.

With ex-co-owner of English Premier League soccer club Liverpool, Tom Hicks having lost a court appeal last week, former chairman Martin Broughton is ready to sue Hicks and his American counterpart George Gillett for defamation after they alleged that the sale of the club to Fenway Sports Group (FSG) was “an epic swindle.”

Broughton expects the case to be heard this year after Christopher Floyd, a judge in London’s High Court, upheld “his right to pursue a libel claim” last week and allowed FSG to join the action.

Broughton said that he would “seek only his court costs”.