Roger Goodell, commissioner of the National Football League (NFL), has urged players to return to the bargaining table, saying each day there’s a work stoppage “puts our game and shared economics further at risk.”

The league enforced a lockout of its players a week ago after failing to agree on how to divide US$9bn in annual revenue with its players’ union, who subsequently decertified. Players began a class-action lawsuit against owners to block a lockout after the union announced it no longer would represent players at labor talks.

Goodell outlined the league’s last proposal yesterday in an e-mail to players, a copy of which was sent to Bloomberg News by the NFL and stated: “The offer presented a strong and fair basis for continuing negotiations, allowing the new league year and free agency to begin, and growing our game in the years to come.”

The letter said the league proposed a salary cap of $141m per club in 2011, rising to $161m by 2014; allowing free agency for players with four or more accrued seasons; reducing the offseason by five weeks, and retaining the 16-game regular season for the next two years.

NFL’s Seattle Seahawks player Chester Pitts message, “I’ve told my guys to take the letter and set it on fire. We’re not that stupid,” was relayed to ESPN by NFLPA assistant executive director George Atallah.

Other elements mentioned in Goodell’s letter included guaranteeing as much as $1 million of salary in the second year of a contract for any injured player who cannot return to action. Players and their families were also offered the right to purchase medical coverage after retirement and pension benefits would increase by 60 percent for more than 2,000 retired players, the letter said.

Goodell added: “We are prepared to negotiate a full agreement that would incorporate these features and other progressive changes that would benefit players, clubs and fans. Only through collective bargaining will we reach that kind of agreement.”

Super Bowl seating issues took another turn recently after a group of fans revealed that they are suing the National Football League (NFL) and the Dallas Cowboys due to being denied seats to last weekend’s ‘Greatest Show on Turf’ despite having paid thousands of dollars for tickets.

The lawsuit was filed after the league admitted to mistakes that left about 400 paying supporters unable to watch Super Bowl XLV in person, and other Cowboys’ season ticket-holders watching from temporary metal chairs with obstructed views.

Fans filed the lawsuit late on Tuesday (February 8) in federal court in Dallas, accusing the league and team of breach of contract, fraud and deceptive trade practices and are seeking class-action status, more than US$5m of damages and unspecified punitive damages.

The league had invited the 400 affected fans who paid for tickets but did not get a seat at the game to a future Super Bowl of their choice and also offered the choice of a cash payment of $2,400 – three times the face value of the ticket – or round-trip airfare and a hotel. 

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell stated: “We are ultimately responsible for the fan experience and we want it to be the best it can possibly be.” 

The lawsuit contended that the NFL knew of seating problems before the game, but failed to tell fans in advance. It also accused Cowboys owner Jerry Jones of causing the problems with the hope of setting a Super Bowl attendance record. He fell short by 766, after some temporary seats were deemed unusable. In his attempts to break records, Jones efforts saw many fans ending up watching the game in standing-only positions.

The lawsuit also accused Jones of deceiving Cowboys season ticket-holders known as ‘founders’ into paying $1,200 a seat for Super Bowl tickets, only to be offered temporary metal fold-out chairs, many with obstructed views of the field and the stadium’s giant overhead video board.

Lead attorney Michael Avenatti told Reuters: “Frankly, it is astounding to us that the Cowboys and the NFL would treat its fans like this. What is perhaps even more amazing is that they still haven’t done the right thing.”

Memphis Grizzlies have announced that Chris Wallace has been named General Manager of the NBA franchise in a multi-year contract.

Wallace had acted as interim general manager since May 19, anesthetist 2014.

“We are very pleased to announce Chris Wallace as our general manager, buy ” said owner Robert Pera said. “Chris has been at the forefront and a stable presence throughout some of the Grizzlies’ greatest successes. His strong bonds and experience, impotent not only within the organization and NBA but also within the Memphis and Mid-South communities, make him the ideal fit to lead our basketball operations. We believe Chris’ skills and expertise to be vital in our continued success of our franchise.”

Wallace joined the Grizzlies as general manager and vice president of basketball operations on June 18, 2007 and assembled much of the talent that has helped guide the franchise to a club-record four consecutive playoff appearances. 

“I am honored to remain in Memphis. I love the city and the community,” Wallace said. “Robert Pera is strongly committed to the success of the Grizzlies, and I am excited to continue working in tandem with Robert, our front office and our coaching staff in helping realize his vision for the franchise.”

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) have confirmed the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have submitted a bid to host the expanded 2019 Asian Cup.

The are expected to see competition from Saudi Arabia and Iran. 

Friday is the deadline for countries to submit their proposals to host the tournament for Asia’s best 24 international sides, which expands from 16 after next year’s event in Australia. 

The UAE, Saudi Arabia and Iran had all previously stated their intentions to host the Asian showpiece, which was previously held in Qatar in 2011. 

“We are honoured to have this opportunity to personally come to AFC House to hand over our bid book for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup on behalf of the UAE Football Association,” UAE FA Acting General Secretary Mohammed Hazzam Al Dhaheri said in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday. 

“Our nation has been hosting many international sporting events and also football competitions and we are looking forward to being the venue for this high-profile tournament.” 

Eleven nations, including China, Bahrain and Kuwait, had originally shown interest in staging the event, a marked improvement on the bidding process for the 2015 tournament where Australia were the sole applicants and then allowed extensions to get their proposal together. 

The host is expected to be announced by the AFC later this year.

The Badminton Europe Council have allocated Poland four top badminton events, order including the European Mixed Team Championships in 2017.

It will also host the 2015 European Junior Championships, ampoule | the 2016 European U17 Championships and the 2018 European Club Championships.

The Polish Badminton Association (Polski Zwiazek Badmintona) has turned into reliable and professional organizers of international badminton events in the past few years, with its traditional Polish Open in Warsaw. Since 2012 Poland has also successfully organized another International Circuit tournament, the Polish International in Lubin and furthermore hosted the 2010 European Men’s and Women’s Team Championships in Warsaw.

All four events will take place in the city of Lubin in south-western part of Poland. The new arena, where all events will take place, is foreseen to be finished in March 2014. The first badminton event in this new arena will be the 2014 Polish International in September 2014.

“After seeing a great organization of the Polish International the last two seasons, we are convinced that the organizers in Lubin can engage into a perfect cooperation with us towards these four important events. We definitely look forward to working with them and to make these events successful”, said Badminton Europe General Secretary Brian Agerbak.

Havas Sports & Entertainment (HS&E) have acquired local sport and entertainment company, viagra order Maverick Experience Exhilarator extending their South African operations into the existing HS&E South Africa team. 

Maverick specialises in sports marketing, sponsorship activation, events and brand experiences, and boasts an impressive client roster including brands such as Cell C, M-Net, MTN, Old Mutual, FNB, the T20 ICC Cricket World Cup, SuperSport, Standard Bank, EA Sports, FIFA, Cricket South Africa, the Pepsi IPL and the International Cricket Council.

Maverick has an extensive track record in major events, particularly in the cricket world through the International T20 Cricket and the Cricket World Cup, as most notably, for their work in creating the Standard Bank Pro 20 cricket series competition. 

Lynn Madeley, CEO of Havas Southern Africa said: “As a fast growing sports and entertainment network present worldwide, it was appropriate for us to be looking to expand in South Africa. Maverick’s positioning in the market and culture made it the logical choice.” 

Andrew Ross, MD of Maverick, will assume the role of Managing Director of HS&E South Africa as of 1 July 2013, taking over from Brad Jansen who, after four years leading the South African team, will assume a global position within the HS&E network based in Atlanta, USA, focusing on global clients including The Coca-Cola Company. Brad leaves behind a strong legacy in terms of the existing client roster and talent recruitment, leaving strong foundations for Andrew and his team. 

“Andrew is a charismatic, creative thinker who started Maverick over 15 years ago. We were looking for someone who would continue providing the strategic and creative solutions that HS&E is known for,” says Madeley. “It was equally important for us to bring someone on board who could add value to existing clients in the other Havas businesses, which we feel Andrew can do.” 

Andrew views this change as a new challenge for himself, as well as for his team. “We created unique opportunities for ourselves in the global sporting scene for over a decade. For us to grow, we needed access to a global strategy and footprint, which HS&E is well positioned to provide us and in turn, help us deliver against our collective ambition,” he added. 

Lucien Boyer, President & Global CEO of HS&E commented: “We are delighted to welcome Andrew and the rest of the Maverick team who bring local expertise, insight, and a great attitude that will help develop our offer. Andrew will have the full support and backing of our global network to build on the excellent work already achieved by HS&E in South Africa. It is important for us to keep the momentum going in this key market and continue to deliver innovative and strategic solutions that bring value to our clients.”

The International Rugby Board (IRB) has announced that Canada will host this year’s Americas Rugby Championship from October 11-19.

The 2013 edition will again feature representative teams from Canada, Argentina, USA and one other South American team which will be determined based on rankings from the South American Championship, that takes place later this month in Chile and Uruguay.

ARC 2013 matches will be played at the Westhill Stadium, which is home to the Canadian Rugby Centre of Excellence in Langford, British Columbia, with Argentina Jaguars the defending champions after an unbeaten record in 2012.

“Hosting international Rugby at the Canadian Rugby Centre of Excellence is always an exciting opportunity and the local community support for the ARC is incredible,” said Graham Brown, CEO of Rugby Canada.

“This year, we hope to make the tournament an even better experience for fans in attendance and those watching our live stream online.”

The tournament will be a round robin event with six matches played over three days.

“We know this tournament is going to be a great success for Canadian rugby and for the local community. Canada faces stiff competition, but we’re certain to compete hard and are looking to secure a championship on home soil,” said Canada coach Kieran Crowley.

The Championship is significantly supported by the International Rugby Board, which sees it as a key strategic development opportunity for Rugby in the region.

“The Americas Rugby Championship represents a great opportunity for the Game across North and South America, providing a competition format that will generate exciting and competitive matches,” said IRB Head of Competition and Performance Mark Egan.

“It will also allow the participating Unions to take a closer look at the development of their elite players as we look towards Rugby World Cup 2015.”

The University of Illinois has selected Learfield Sports as the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics (DIA) exclusive athletics marketing partner and multimedia rights holder for the next 10 years.

This move signifies the first time DIA has outsourced its multimedia rights in a comprehensive package. The formal agreement was finalized on Nov. 29 and the partnership is already underway.

“Learfield Sports is a leader in the collegiate space, drugs and a dominant presence in the Big Ten landscape,” said Director of Athletics Mike Thomas Thomas. “The partnership will allow the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics to improve our fiscal standing steadily over the next decade, and allow greater corporate involvement in our programs. This move will continue to make us even more competitive in our pursuit for championships.”

The new partnership will have immediate impact on the DIA. In this current year, DIA will realize a 50 percent increase in net sponsorship value, with significant annual increases each of the following years. The increases are due to a financial guarantee, ticket and hospitality purchases, in-kind support, and direct cost savings. In 2012-13, DIA will realize more than $1 million net increase in value compared to a year ago. Much of this gain can be attributed to Learfield assuming the department’s radio and television production costs.

Over the 10-year time span of the agreement, DIA estimates it will generate more than $60 million from all external sponsorship and multimedia rights activities, including those managed by Learfield Sports. On average, these strategic partnerships will help the department recognize an additional $2 million annually. In addition, DIA has the opportunity to benefit from added revenue sharing should Learfield reach a defined annual sales threshold.

On top of the other revenue, Learfield Sports has committed funding to help defray some expenses associated with the future video board and scoreboard enhancements at Memorial Stadium and the Assembly Hall. These boards will be used to improve the fan experience and offer more inventory for corporate partners in each venue.

For Learfield Sports, Illinois becomes the eighth Big Ten Conference member institution in its collegiate portfolio joining Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Northwestern, Penn State, Purdue and Wisconsin. Aside from the campus-level rights relationships Learfield Sports has with these schools, the company also manages the sponsorship rights of the Big Ten Conference and develops its corporate partnerships.

Learfield Sports has established “Fighting Illini Sports Properties” in Champaign to directly oversee the majority of Illinois Athletics’ comprehensive rights including signage, sponsorship, corporate hospitality, event marketing, radio production and sales, and television coaches’ shows and official athletic website advertising.

“We appreciate the opportunity to work more closely with the University of Illinois in this new relationship,” said Learfield President and CEO Greg Brown. “Our company has handled the distribution of the Illini Sports Network for years and to have a broader role is terrific. This new partnership is also a wonderful addition to our portfolio of Big Ten schools and further enhances our relationship with the conference.”