According to spokesman for the National Football League (NFL) Players’ Association George Atallah, the union has not asked players to boycott next month’s draft.

Reports recently suggested that 17 top prospects had been urged by the union to opt out of attending the draft in New York, with suggestions that the NFLPA may instead host a concurrent event where drafted players would be welcomed by new team-mates instead of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

Assistant director of external affairs for the union, Atallah stated on his Twitter account: “The NFLPA is not asking anyone to ‘boycott’ anything. The NFL Draft is special. Players and their families will be in NYC. It just may be different. We will provide details when we can.”

The draft, scheduled from April 28-30 is expected to go ahead as planned by the NFL, despite having locked out the players after the League’s collective bargaining agreement with the union expired on Friday. The draft, to be held at Radio City Music Hall and set up by the NFL has invited players to attend, which the league claim is their decision.

Goodell, speaking on NFL Total Access Tuesday, said: “One of the things that makes the NFL Draft so great is that it’s an opportunity for these great young players to realise their hopes and dreams. Anyone that would interfere with all the hard work that they’ve put in to walk across that stage and become an NFL draft choice…I just don’t think that’s in the best interest of the young men and their families that have worked so hard to get to that stage and get to that opportunity.”

Goodell added: “Clearly that is not something the fans are going to want. They watched the draft in great numbers; as you know 45 million people watched the draft last year.”

The commercial director of Premier League club Liverpool, Ian Ayre, has confirmed he will be speaking at the Soccerex Asian Forum, which takes place on 28 and 29 July at the Raffles City Convention Centre, Singapore.

Ayre, a lifelong Liverpool fan, spent 15 years living in Asia prior to working at Liverpool, including several with sports marketing company Total Sports Asia.

Ayre said: “It’s great to be involved with the Soccerex Asian Forum. Asia is a hugely important market for Liverpool FC and it is essential to recognise and respect its values when doing business there.

“I look forward to sharing my experiences at the Forum, and hopefully to catch up with old friends and meet new faces in the industry.”

Other high profile speakers at the event include: Mohammed bin Hammam (president of the Asian Football Confederation), Worawi Makudi (president of the Thailand FA), David Dein (international president of England 2018 World Cup bid) and Andrea Radrizzani (group CEO at agency MP & SIlva).

British Horseracing Authority (BHA) have revealed today that chief executive Paul Bittar will step down from his role in 2015 after three years in the role.

Appointed to head British Racing’s governing and regulatory body in September 2011 following an extensive search, doctor Paul was previously Chief Strategy Officer at Racing Victoria, and before that Chief Executive of New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing. He will be closely involved in the appointment of his successor, the process for which is now underway, with an announcement due in the autumn.

Paul Bittar’s tenure as Chief Executive has been marked by an improvement in the sport’s financial position, the re-establishment of BHA’s leadership role within British Racing in both regulatory and strategic matters, and the development of closer working relationships between stakeholders across the sport.

Steve Harman, Chairman of BHA, said:“Paul has been instrumental in building the foundations for Racing’s future growth, has established stronger regulation and integrity of the sport and improved its overall health. His wisdom and knowledge of racing matters is hugely valuable and he has contributed much to the next steps of both BHA and Racing generally.

“On my arrival in summer 2013, I was delighted that Paul agreed to stay on until early 2015, and by having planned this timing we are in a good position with simultaneous developments with the BHA Board, Shareholders, Executive team and the implementation of the industry’s growth strategy. The search for a new CEO has started and Paul’s successor will be announced in the autumn.

“Paul, supported by his team, will continue to work hard on some key objectives in 2014, including finalisation of the 2015 Fixture List, the current and forthcoming Government consultations on the Levy, and support to various aspects of the industry’s growth strategy.

“Paul is reviewing a number of options which he is considering for his next role, and I know he will make a big impact in whichever of the positions he chooses.”

Bittar added: “I am proud of what BHA has achieved in the past few years and it will be with some sadness that I will leave early next year.

“Despite its obvious challenges and complexity of structures, British Racing is a world class sport to be involved in and it has been a privilege to have held the post of Chief Executive of BHA as well as lead such a committed team. I love the quality and diversity of the racing staged in this country, I’ll never tire of it and nowhere else can rival it in that regard.

“There are many areas in which we have made significant progress. The opening weeks brought the challenge of resolving the dispute over the whip rules, followed by a difficult Grand National. It is encouraging and satisfying that the collaborative approach adopted by BHA with the relevant parts of the industry, and the subsequent steps taken, mean that neither topic has since generated the levels of negative coverage that can impact on the sport’s well-earned and good reputation.

“We’ve consciously sought, and have seen, a fundamental change for the better with regard to our relationship with the betting industry, while our strategy of engagement with Government over the funding of British Racing has also started to pay dividends.

“Our primary role is the regulation of the sport, so arguably the greatest challenge the sport faced during this period followed the positive tests for anabolic steroids in horses trained by Mahmood Al Zarooni. The gravity of the case warranted swift and decisive action, and in years to come it may well be seen as the catalyst which led to a material change in how Racing around the world deals with the threat posed by the use of anabolic steroids. On this matter BHA has adopted, and I am sure it will maintain, a key leadership role in raising standards and seeking robust and rigorous international minimum standards.

“The outlook for British Racing is significantly more positive now than it was at the close of 2011 and I firmly believe that the reputation of BHA has also improved. We have created a platform from which the sport can really grow and thrive.

“I’m focused on supporting Steve and the Board in ensuring that we achieve a lot before I finish. The back half of 2014 sees finalising of the 2015 Fixture List, Government consultations on the offshore Levy and Levy reform, finalising of more formal and collaborative structures with our shareholders, and the next stages of the industry’s growth strategy to name a few. I look forward to continuing to work effectively with the Executive, Board and Shareholders on these subjects over my final six months.”

WISeKey SA and the Swiss Football Association (SFA) have announced a new partnership that sees a new official SFV ASF App developed of the Swiss National Team.

The SFV ASF App generates digital identities for fans and harnesses original content created by the players and the SFA via social media platforms, and further enriches this with exclusive content from the players and the SFA. WISeKey has concluded similar projects with Real Madrid for their fans in China, FC Barcelona, Flamengo and Vasco football fans all over the world, and lately with ORACLE TEAM USA, winners of the 2013 America’s Cup. WISeKey has currently 12 more clubs joining WISfans, to be announced shortly, creating a global identity ecosystem for digital certified fans.

The Swiss National Team will be the first national football team using this technology and it will be very beneficial to capture all social media interactions around the team.

“We are delighted to launch the SFV ASF Official App of the Swiss National Team with the SFA, allowing them to connect with their fans’ ecosystem and federate all Swiss fans under one app. This new app is also a great way for WISeKey and the Swiss National Team to leverage their online presence and is part of the strategy to bring WISeKey Cyber Security services directly to Swiss consumers”, said Carlos Moreira, Founder and CEO of WISeKey.

“This new SFV ASF App allows us to have a new and innovative relationship with our fans while we increase our digital footprint. With this app the Swiss National Team definitely enters into the social media mobile world, developing one more tool of relationship between its members and fans,” said Alex Miescher, General Secretary.

The International Triathlon Union (ITU) has opened up the bidding process for the World Triathlon Series to all National Federations and cities interested in hosting the premier triathlon circuit for the next three seasons. 

Included in the bid opportunities is the possibility to host the 2016 and 2017 World Triathlon Series Grand Final races, viagra 40mg which attract more than 6,000 international age-group athletes, as well as one of the eight flagship events in 2015.

The 2015 elected cities will join Chicago as a host of the popular race series. The US city has already been named as host of the 2015 ITU Triathlon World Series Grand Final and will this year debut as a WTS event on June 27-29. 

“The World Triathlon Series continues to soar beyond our expectations from the quality of racing to the growth of the events to the exposure cities receive,” said ITU President and IOC Member Marisol Casado. “Its popularity now allows to open bidding for multiple seasons in advance, as well as host events in all parts of the world, as we did this year with Africa debuting in the Series.” 

The ITU World Triathlon Series is the premier triathlon series in the world and features the top triathletes racing head-to-head in cities around the globe. In addition to competing for the title of World Champion, athletes vie for a total prize purse of over $2-million USD, the greatest cumulative prize money in triathlon. The series is comprised of standard and sprint distance events, with one race also selected to host the Triathlon Mixed Relay World Championships. 

Cities interested in hosting a World Triathlon Series event must submit bid documents in conjunction with their respective National Federations.

USA Archery have revealed their recent spike in membership has a lot to do with the success of film franchise, Hunger Games. 

USA Archery says its membership has increased from 4,185 in November 2011 to 8,589 in November 2013 — a 105 percent jump. The first The Hunger Games movie opened in the spring of 2012. The movie’s star, Jennifer Lawrence, used a bow and arrow during the movies and was coached for archery scenes by five-time Olympian Khatuna Lorig.

“We definitely attribute much of this growth to The Hunger Games films, along with movies like Brave and The Avengers,” said USA Archery CEO Denise Parker said in a statement. “Given that archery was also the most-watched sport during NBC’s first week of Olympic Games coverage, we’re hopeful that people who see and try the sport will find out what archery fans already know: it’s an awesome sport, fun and challenging, and one that you can enjoy year-round and for the rest of your life.”

Parker was a three-time Olympian and won a bronze medal.

USA Archery also cited growth in its competitions. Its national indoor and Junior Olympic Archery Development championships had an increase of 31 percent from 2012 to 2013.

Newly promoted, A.F.C Bournemouth are looking to expand their stadium, Dean Court before the start of the new Championship season.

The Cherries sealed promotion to the second tier on Saturday with a 3-1 victory over Carlisle in front of 9004 and Mitchell revealed they plan to build a fourth stand in time for the big kick-off in August.

“I would like to think there is every chance to get it ready for the start of the season. We just want to get it done,” Chairman David Mitchell told BBC South Today.

“Our main aim is to get another 3-4000 in the stadium. We’ve got to do our bit and get that capacity up.

“We want to replicate the North Stand. To take it on further we will need different planning permissions, which takes time.”

Bournemouth could clinch the title with victory at Tranmere this weekend before thoughts turn to life in the Championship.

Nach der Vertragsverlängerung mit Lukas Podolski holte die PSD Bank Köln eG den Fußballstar erneut vor die Kamera.

Nach einem sehr erfolgreichen Start der gemeinsamen Aktivitäten, ed hat man sich bei der PSD Bank Köln entschlossen, discount eine individuelle EC-Karte mit dem Motiv des Kickers herauszubringen, capsule die PSD Poldi-Karte. Im Zuge der Vorbereitungen wurde schnell klar, dass für die Kampagne ein erneutes Fotoshooting erforderlich war. Was liegt näher, als Poldi hierfür bei seinem neuen Club, dem FC Arsenal, zu besuchen.

Bei der PSD Bank Köln weiß und schätzt man inzwischen, wie gut man mit Podolski arbeiten kann. So konnte das Shooting professionell vorbereitet werden. Pünktlich um 14 Uhr erschien Podolski am Sonntag, den 28.10.2012, auf dem Trainingsgelände in Hertfordshire zum Fototermin. Um 16 Uhr war alles im Kasten. Ein letztes Lächeln und Shake-Hands, und Poldi konnte sich weiter auf die nächsten Spiele, unter anderem für die Begegnung am 03.11.2012 gegen Ligarivalen Manchester United, vorbereiten. “Das Shooting war eine gelungene Abwechslung im Fußballalltag”, so Podolski.

Die Motive wird die PSD Bank Köln schon bald in einer neuen Plakat- und Anzeigenkampagne einsetzen. Außerdem wird bereits ab Mitte November die neue Poldi-Karte erhältlich sein. Diese bekommt man bei der Eröffnung eines kostenfreien Girokontos bis zum 31.12.2012 kostenlos dazu. Selbstverständlich steht auch die “normale” EC-Karte weiterhin zur Auswahl.

According to reports Rory McIlroy could be set to earn $250m over 10 years if he joins Nike’s golf stable alongside Tiger Woods.

McIlroy’s current deal with golf giant Titleist expires at the end of 2012, making the double major winner and leader on the money list on both sides of the Atlantic the most prized free agent on the equipment market.

But McIlroy on Tuesday attempted to brush aside growing speculation that he is going to join the sports giant.

“These rumours have been going around for years and it seems to always come up at this time of the year,” McIlroy told AFP at Lake Malaren Golf Club.

“I leave it up to Conor (Ridge, McIlroy’s manager) to sort out as it leaves me to concentrate on my golf.

“That’s all I can do and besides I have enough to think about trying to get the ball in the hole.

“Also I’ve got a very important end to my season coming up and I need to concentrate myself fully on that goal.”

NASCAR is looking to maintain it ties to the military joining four other professional sports leagues looking to keep their military sponsorship.

NASCAR.com reports the sanctioning body joined the NFL, NBA, Major League Baseball and the IndyCar Series in making the push. On Monday, the organizations sent a letter to House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, to express “continued opposition” to the Kingston-McCollum amendment.

The amendment, which was added to a defense appropriations bill, would prohibit the military from using funds toward sports sponsorships as a recruiting tool.

“Sports marketing has long been an important element in the U.S. Armed Forces’ efforts to reach young adults and active duty personnel regarding the military’s mission and objectives that serve our country,” the letter reads, according to NASCAR.com.

“Today, while most Americans view military service as admirable, military recruiting is more challenging than ever as young adults are more difficult to reach through traditional media and local channels. Unfortunately, it is in this environment that the military’s discretion to use sports marketing has come under attack in Congress.”

The National Guard currently sponsors the Sprint Cup car of Dale Earnhardt Jr. The Air Force is an associate sponsor of Aric Almirola’s car and the Army is a primary sponsor for Ryan Newman’s car. The Army recently announced it is ending a decade-long relationship with NASCAR.

McCollum’s website, in a May 17 press release, states that the Department of Defense “is spending more than $80 million this year to sponsor NASCAR racing teams, Indy racing, professional bass fishing, pro wrestling and ultimate fighting.” The press release also states that over the past five seasons, the National Guard spent $136 million on Earnhardt’s team alone.

“At a time when Congress is increasing defense spending by cutting ‘Meals on Wheels’ for vulnerable seniors and nutrition programs for hungry children, it’s time to eliminate wasteful Pentagon spending on NASCAR, fishing and ultimate fighting sponsorships that have nothing to do with our national security,” McCollum said in the press release.

“If the private sector wants to demonstrate their patriotism by sponsoring military racing teams, I say fantastic! But for taxpayers to pay for racing and bass fishing teams is a ridiculous waste of money.”