Liz Nicholl, the chief executive of UK Sport, is adamant that governing bodies will reach their target to get more women in the boardroom

Maria Miller, Culture Secretary and Minister for Women, wants to see at least a quarter of women making up sporting boardrooms by 2017 – but research conducted by Sky Sports has revealed more than half of our national bodies are lagging behind.

Liz Nicholl believes organisations should be made to have women at their top tables but admits an emphasis on ‘quotas’ could be hindering the battle for diversity.

“Absolutely, boards should be made to have women members,” Nicholl told Sky Sports News.

“Using the word quota sounds like anyone would do when it’s about really good women, great women, being appointed to create balanced boards. Diverse boards are more effective boards and they make better decisions.

“There are some things that need to change before a board can appoint an independent, outside of the membership of their governing body, to the board; articles need to be changed, sometimes that takes a year to get through. It’s a journey but what we’re hearing is that the sports are very committed.

“Making people aware of opportunities is also important and I’ve seen a big difference in the way the sports are now handling that; they’re openly advertising for board appointments.”

Nicholl revealed UK Sport would re-examine the figures after the 2016 Olympics Games in Rio de Janeiro.

“We might consider sanctions at some point,” she added.

“(A quarter) is not a tough target, you’d expect that to be achievable a lot earlier. We hope to have a really good look after Rio 2016 when we make our decisions about the next funding cycle because that is the point we can decide whether or not to make (female representation) a funding requirement.”

Leora Hanser of the Women’s Sports & Fitness Foundation believes the target should be set higher.

“We applaud the 25 per cent expectation but I think we’d say that 30 per cent is the new normal; when you have a third of women in the board that mainstreams diversification,” she told Sky Sports News.

“No one is saying we need to have 25 or 30 per cent tomorrow; the timeframe is quite generous.

“Women on boards can help improve participation among females at grassroots level, they can help boost the support for women athletes at elite level and they can help improve media coverage of women’s sport.

“There’s a whole host of really talented women – often outside of the sports sector – out there so we need a better process to let these women know that opportunities are available.”

Global interactive marketing provider ExactTarget have announced that Papa John’s Super Bowl-themed marketing campaign was named the best cross-channel digital marketing campaign of 2012, ambulance earning the pizza giant ExactTarget’s annual Power of ONE Award.

Papa John’s International, ask Inc, rx the world’s third largest pizza chain, earned the ExactTarget Power of One Award for its Super Bowl-themed FREE PIZZA FAST campaign that integrated email, mobile, social media, television, print advertising and Website promotion to drive sales during the important Super Bowl season. Papa John’s is the Official Pizza of the National Football League and Super Bowl XLVII.

“Papa John’s is a trailblazer in digital marketing, creating new and engaging cross-channel experiences for its customers that build loyalty and lasting business results,” said Scott Dorsey, co-founder and chief executive officer of ExactTarget. “The team at Papa John’s and those across all of our Power of One Award recipients are transforming their businesses with ExactTarget and unlocking the power of digital marketing to connect with their customers.”

Papa John’s award-winning campaign invited customers to vote “heads or tails” on Papa John’s website to predict which side the official Super Bowl coin would land. As part of the online voting process, the company seamlessly integrated the opportunity to enroll in Papa John’s Papa Rewards loyalty program. When the Super Bowl XLVI coin toss fell in their favor, Papa Rewards members were automatically sent a unique email, featuring a one-time promo code for a free pizza.

“Our FREE PIZZA FAST campaign proved to be incredibly successful in generating awareness and participation in our Papa Rewards loyalty program,” said Andrew Varga, senior vice president and chief marketing officer of Papa John’s. “We’ve seen the benefits of creating campaigns across all marketing touch points and are honored to be named the Cross-Channel Campaign award recipient.”

ExactTarget’s annual Power of ONE Awards recognize the world’s best digital marketing campaigns that demonstrate how one team and one idea can connect a brand a customer across all channels. The awards honor the top campaigns across nine categories: business-to-business email, business-to-consumer email, small business email, social media, mobile, design, list growth and reseller.

The PGA Tour has assumed operational control of the Canadian Professional Golf Tour which will be renamed the PGA TOUR Canada in 2013.

The conversion will begin November 1.

Moving forward, the new PGA TOUR division will provide direct access to the Web.com Tour for its leading money winners, based on the final Order of Merit. The top five players will receive playing privileges on the Web.com Tour, while the next five will be exempt into the finals of the Web.com Tour qualifying school.

The announcement was made today by PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem; Pierre Blouin, Chairman of the Canadian Tour Board of Directors; and Rick Janes, Commissioner of the Canadian Tour.

“Having gained a thorough understanding of the golf landscape in Canada over the course of the 2012 season, we are confident that by fully dedicating our assets and resources, PGA TOUR Canada will be well positioned to play an increasingly important role in professional golf,” Finchem said. “With a solid foundation of existing tournaments along with outstanding opportunities to establish new events, we are confident PGA TOUR Canada will strengthen and grow in the coming years.”

“This is the logical next step for the Tour’s sustainability and growth,” Blouin said. “The PGA TOUR provided invaluable assistance throughout the 2012 season and through its evaluation process saw strong potential. Golf is incredibly popular in Canada and PGA TOUR Canada will be a very important part of Canada’s sports landscape in the coming years. I also want to acknowledge the efforts made by Rick Janes and his staff throughout the process to assist the PGA TOUR in gaining a better understanding of the Tour.”

Details on the full schedule and the Tour’s executive structure will be announced at a later date. PGA TOUR Canada will debut with a minimum of eight tournaments in 2013 offering a minimum purse of $150,000, with the goal of eventually growing to 12 or 13 events. All tournaments will be held in Canada during the summer months.

“We have long recognized the many advantages of joining forces with the PGA TOUR,” Janes said. “It not only brings a new level of stature to Canada’s domestic circuit, it ensures that PGA TOUR Canada will continue to attract the best young professionals and offer the highest level of competition. For developing young Canadian players the opportunity to compete on home soil against top PGA TOUR prospects from around the world is a tremendous advantage.”

The PGA TOUR will work with all Canadian media outlets including its television partners, Shaw/Global TV and TSN, to broaden coverage of PGA TOUR Canada. The TOUR also will highlight PGA TOUR Canada through all media resources, including PGATOUR.com and digital platforms.

Golf’s popularity in Canada is reflected in an in-depth economic impact study that showed nearly 6 million Canadians play golf, representing 21.5 percent of the population, which was more than double the U.S. participation rate. The PGA TOUR has experienced golf’s popularity first-hand with the annual RBC Canadian Open, the Champions Tour’s Montreal Championship and the highly successful 2007 Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal GC. Canada also consistently ranks second only to the U.S. in traffic to PGATOUR.com, the PGA TOUR’s official website.

“We view this as a win-win proposition that strengthens an established Tour in a country that absolutely loves golf,” Finchem said. “As the Tour continues to develop and grow, charitable contributions and the value provided to tournaments sponsors will increase, as well. As for the PGA TOUR, this expands our brand in Canada and gives us geographic integration throughout the Americas in concert with PGA TOUR Latinoamérica.”

PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, which emerged from a collaboration between the PGA TOUR, Tour de las Américas, National Golf Federations, promoters and host clubs throughout Latin America, has debuted this fall with 11 tournaments in seven countries. PGA TOUR Latinoamérica’s top five money winners will receive Web.com Tour playing status in 2013.

Between PGA TOUR Latinoamérica’s plan to go to a split spring-fall schedule and PGA TOUR Canada’s summer schedule, players qualifying for both Tours will have the opportunity to play a year-long schedule. Both Tours will conduct their own qualifying tournaments for membership.

“We believe that PGA TOUR Canada has an important place in professional golf and will continue to help identify and develop talented players who aspire to one day play on the PGA TOUR,” Finchem said. “With that in mind, it makes sense to give its top players direct access to the Web.com Tour.”

Singapore GP has denied reports that a deal has been agreed with F1 to extend the country’s grand prix contract for five years after September’s race.

Singapore GP said in statement that negotiations on the terms of a second five-year contract were continuing.

SGP said: “What is presently on offer from Formula One Administration is insufficient for us to commit to a full five-year extension. We remain hopeful at reaching an outcome that is mutually beneficial to all parties.”{jcomments on}

A sponsors intervention may have helped Jaime Alguesuari secure a reserve drive seat at Mercedes GP in 2012.

Cepsa brought into the Scuderia Toro Rosso (STR) fold to capitalise on Jaime Alguersuari’s involvement but was disappointed with the firing of the Spaniard with STR also axing his team mate Sebastien Buemi even after the team had a successful season, just losing out on sixth place on the constructors standings.

Torro Rosso known for being a feeder outfit for its sister team Red Bull Racing decided to cut the drivers to make way for new and inexperienced talent in the form of duo Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne.

Cepsa’s parent company, Abu Dhabi’s International Petroleum Investment Company, was disappointed with the decision to axe a driver it considered ‘the image of its international expansion plans’; and, according to Spain’s ASnewspaper, could use its influence to find him in the top flight.

Another IPIC arm, Aabar, is a major shareholder at Mercedes Petronas GP and the report claims that the link could see Alguersuari given the chance to slip into the back-up role at Brackley, supporting Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher. With Petronas having recently ended its MotoGP sponsorship, there are doubts over the longevity of its F1 involvement, and Alguersuari’s arrival could be useful in providing a replacement.

Alguersuari has already said that he would not consider the second seat at HRT, the Spanish-based operation having the only known vacancy remaining for 2012 , but has yet to confirm any other plans for 2012, unlike Buemi and Nick Heidfeld, who have both headed for sportscar rides.

Discuss Jaime Alguesuari’s release here

Yorkshire County Cricket Club are on the verge of proposing a sweeping change of the County Championship that would see the competition split into three divisions and clubs playing 14 matches per season instead of 16.

The plan will be pushed by Chairman Colin Graves at a meeting of the England and Wales Cricket Board on January 12 amid ongoing discussions into the structure of English cricket.

The 18 first-class counties have been asked by the ECB to respond to suggestions put forward in a recent review of ways of improving the county game.

The Morgan Review, drugs conducted by former ECB chairman and International Cricket Council chairman David Morgan, stomach has made various recommendations after in-depth consultation with the counties that have gone back to the counties for further discussion.

Graves is content with the structure of the intenational game, but he does not like the ideas for Championship cricket.

These include a reduction from 16 to 14 games in an effort to reduce an overblown fixture list that would see the counties remain in two groups of nine and a mere acceptance they would no longer play each other twice.

Some clubs would prefer a First Division comprising eight teams and a Second Division of 10 counties. But Graves would rather see two divisions of eight teams and a consequent reduction to 14 matches, along with a Third Division that could be swelled by such as Minor Counties and university sides.

Graves told the Yorkshire Post: “I think we need to come up with a more creditable proposition,” , who sits on the ECB board that will meet to finalise proposals.

“I certainly don’t want to see an eight-10 split, which I don’t think would work very well at all.

“The way I see it, the mathematics are like this. In the first instance, you need eight teams in a division to get up to 14 games per county, with each county playing the other home and away.

“As there are 18 counties, you are faced with the choice of either scrapping two counties or adding more to them to make a Third Division. I can’t see any counties being scrapped and I don’t want to see any counties being scrapped.

“Counties aren’t going to vote for counties being scrapped because, at the end of the day, that would be like turkeys voting for Christmas. I would much rather see more teams added to the Championship to make a Third Division – say another four teams to make up a division of six – rather than any move to scrap two of the counties.”

Graves said he was open to suggestions as to which teams could comprise a Third Division.

“I have an entirely open mind about it and I think it should be done on a democratic basis,” he said. “If Yorkshire aren’t good enough, for example, there’s no reason why Yorkshire couldn’t play in Division Three. Just because we’re Yorkshire, we can’t expect to stay out of the bottom division.

“At the end of the day, if there were three divisions and we were to end up in Division Three, that would be our fault.

“I think it would be a workable solution to have a six-team Third Division made up of the two remaining counties who are not in divisions one or two plus four other sides.

“You could get the Minor Counties involved, the universities or even teams such as Scotland.

“I think you have to look outside the box a little bit and really try to make the thing work.

“I will be putting my ideas forward at the ECB meeting and I hope that people will take them on board.”

Graves accepts many Yorkshire members would not want a reduction in Championship games.

Yet amid a widespread acceptance that something has to give, and with counties reluctant to reduce the amount of money-spinning one-day matches, the Championship format remains the most vulnerable.

“I fully understand the Yorkshire members would not like a reduction to 14 Championship games,” said Graves. “But we can’t keep going as we are with the amount of cricket people are wanting to play, so there’s no alternative as far as I can see.

“We need clarity going forward because the fixtures need sorting out and there needs to be a better spread.

“It’s something that needs to be resolved sooner rather than later because it’s going to bite us if we don’t take action.”

Morgan’s interim proposals would result in a maximum reduction of 12 days’ cricket per county in 2014 compared to 2011.

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Join the debate in our iSportConnect Discussion here – Where next for county cricket?

Commissioner David Stern doubts there will be any NBA basketball on Christmas without a labor agreement by Tuesday.

Owners and players are scheduled to meet on Tuesday with a federal mediator, and Stern believes it could be make or break.

Owners will then open two days of board meetings Wednesday, and without an agreement to bring them, Stern believes further cancellations are coming.

Stern said Thursday, said: “Right now, Tuesday, Tuesday, Tuesday, just before my owners come into town, having brought in the labor relations committee and Billy (Hunter) having brought in his executive committee, it’s time to make the deal. If we don’t make it on Tuesday, my gut this is not in my official capacity of canceling games but my gut is that we won’t be playing on Christmas Day.”

Stern canceled the first two weeks of the regular season on Monday when the sides couldn’t reach a deal before a deadline he had set.

Christmas is traditionally one of the first big days of the NBA season. This year’s three-game schedule features the NBA Finals rematch between the Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat.

The talks have stalled over the structure of the salary cap system and the division of revenues between owners and players.

They will meet Tuesday with George Cohen, the same mediator who tried to resolve the NFL’s labor dispute months before it eventually ended.

Asked if Cohen had the ability to move the sides toward a deal, Stern said: “I’m hoping he does because I think that if we don’t make a deal by the time my owners meetings come in Wednesday and Thursday, after we’ve met with the mediator on Monday and then met with each other on Tuesday, then I despair.

“Because we will have lost two weeks for sure on our way to losing more games, offers will get worse, possibly on both sides, and the deal’s going to slip away from us, as may the season,” he added. “So this is the time to make a deal.”

Hunter is meeting with players on Friday in Los Angeles. The union has balked at owners’ proposal to replace their hard salary cap plan by making the luxury tax much more punitive. Players believe it would become such a deterrent to spending that it would essentially work as a hard cap.

The sides also have to decide how to divide up about $4 billion in annual revenues. Players were guaranteed 57 percent of basketball-related income in the previous collective bargaining agreement and have proposed lowering it to 53 percent. Owners are seeking the same 53-47 split in their favor.

The parties have discussed a 50-50 split, which the players rejected. In the radio interview, Stern repeated a claim he made Monday that the original discussion of an even split was initiated by the players.

They also are still clashing over the length of the agreement, with players not wanting to go beyond six years and owners seeking a 10-year deal but offering the players an opt-out after six. Player contract lengths, luxury tax payments and the use of spending exceptions are among the other big items remaining.

“We haven’t even addressed many of the issues,” Stern said.

With many issues still remaining perhaps the next few day will be an indication if their is any basketball before the new year.

Stern concluded: “Deal Tuesday, or we potentially spiral into situations where the worsening offers on both sides make it even harder for the parties to make a deal.”

The National Football League (NFL) confirmed on Saturday, March 12, that a lockout of its players had been enforced after the players’ union decertified on Friday when talks over a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) collapsed.

The decision made by the Players’ Association (NFLPA) means that the athletes will be entitled to file anti-trust lawsuits against the NFL. According to the expired CBA, the union had to file a petition to decertify by 5pm ET on Friday, March 11, in order to be able to immediately file an antitrust lawsuit if the NFL institutes a lockout.

If the NFLPA waited until after the expiration of the deadline to decertify, they would have to wait six months to institute an antitrust lawsuit, thought to be the main reason for the prompt move.

Without a players association to collectively bargain, the players lose all their collectively bargained rights such as medical insurance and their pension.

The decertification simply meant that there is no longer a players association, a scenario which occurred back in 1989 in order to bring an anti-trust case, which did not reform again until 1993. For that reason it does not mean that no American Football will be played during the decertification period.

However, since then the league have confirmed to a lockout of its players. If the NFL had not enforced a lockout, they could have instituted their “last and best offer.” This is where the NFL owners would unilaterally implement the last offer they gave the players association before reaching an impasse. Football would have been played while the NFL and NFLPA battled out an antitrust case in court.

Speaking after the union’s decision to decertify was announced, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell stated: “We worked hard. We didn’t reach an agreement, obviously. As you know, the union walked away from the mediation process today to decertify.

“We do believe that mediation is the fairest and fastest way to reach an agreement that works for the players and for the clubs. And we believe that ultimately this is going to be negotiated at the negotiating table. They’ve chosen to pursue another strategy, and that is their choice.”

NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith told reporters: “I’m sad for our fans, I’m sad for our players…but I’m proud of the (players) who have devoted themselves to be leaders.” He said the league’s contention that the union was more interested in litigation than negotiation all along “flies in the face of reason, flies in the face of facts and is simply untrue”.

A team of nine players, including Drew Brees, Vincent Jackson, Ben Leber, Logan Mankins, Peyton Manning, Brian Robison, Osi Umenyiora, Mike Vrabel, and led by New England Patriots quarterback Peyton Manning, moved to represent all current and future NFL players before the NFL’s lockout was announced, seeking to enjoin the NFL from locking players out, among other things.

The lawsuit sought an injunction to prevent the NFL and its clubs “from agreeing to deprive the players of the ability to work as professional football players.” It also sought declarations that the lockout, the draft and the salary cap, among other things, are violations of the Sherman Act. It further seeks an injunction to prevent NFL clubs from “agreeing to withhold contractually-owed amounts to players under contract for the 2011 NFL season and beyond.”

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson will join the line-up of major sports stars at the inaugural Aspire4Sport Conference and Expo, decease it has been confirmed.

Ferguson will participate in a special on-to-one and will give an insight into his career and thoughts on management.

He visited the Aspire academy in Qatar earlier this year when he took the United team to the Middle East for warm weather training.

After the trip Ferguson said: “Aspire’s complex is without question the best I have ever seen. Not only that, the operation is so well managed that it has made our stay very easy and relaxed. We hope that this journey is not our last here and that it will initiate a true bond between Manchester United and our friends at Aspire and in Qatar.”

Other confirmed speakers at the event include Barcelona president Sandro Rosell, Inter Milan CEO Ernesto Paolillo, Olympic champion Michael Johnson and tennis legend John McEnroe.

The event will take place in Doha, Qatar, from 15 to 18 November.