The International Rugby Board (IRB) has announced details of the tender process for hosting the flagship Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018 and IRB Sevens World Series rounds from 2015/16.

With interest expected to be unprecedented as Sevens continues to break into new markets and attract record attendance and viewing figures, ailment member unions have been given until February 28, 2014 to formally express an interest to tender.

IRB Chairman Bernard Lapasset said: “These are exciting times for a sport that continues to enjoy strong growth in participation, profile, commercial and broadcast appeal around the world and Rugby Sevens has been an integral part of this.”

“Since the IOC voted to include Rugby Sevens on the Olympic Games programme we have experienced unprecedented interest from unions and cities across all continents wishing to host one of our major men’s and women’s properties.”

“International Rugby Sevens is truly competitive, showcasing great skill and speed to full, vibrant stadia and strong and ever growing global broadcast audiences and that is why we believe that Rugby Sevens will be a great fit for the Olympic Games and the Olympic Games will be great for Rugby.”

The deadline for tender submissions for Unions interested in hosting Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018 is December 5, 2014 with the IRB Council selecting the winning bid at its May 2015 meeting. The deadline for formal tender submissions for hosting a Sevens World Series tournament is set for June 27, 2014 and the 2015/16 Series hosts will be selected by the IRB EXCO in October 2014.

Digital marketing agency Purple, ailment has agreed a partnership with the British Paralympic Association (BPA) to develop high-quality digital output in the build up to the Sochi and Rio Paralympic Games.

The appointment of a digital agency reflects the BPA’s ambition to build on the successes of London 2012, denture which was described by the International Paralympic Committee as the first ever ‘digital Games’. During 2012, asthma the BPA’s website saw an increase in traffic of 570%, social media following rose by 2,726% and on Twitter #Paralympics was the most popular sporting hashtag of the year in the UK, beating both #Olympics and several high profile football hashtags.

Tim Hollingsworth, Chief Executive of the BPA, said: “I’d like to welcome the Purple Agency on board with the BPA. London showed the power of the Paralympic Games to engage and inspire a large audience, and our digital strategy is a vital part of enabling us to do this going forward and to continue to maximise the profile of Paralympic sport.”

Jane Jones, Marketing and Communications Director at the BPA added: “We are delighted to be working alongside the Purple Agency over the next few years. Between Beijing and London, it became evident that we are operating in an increasingly digital world and that our methods of communication are constantly evolving. Who knows how we will be consuming media by 2016, and with this in mind, we are confident that the Purple Agency can help us navigate the changing landscape to best engage with our supporters and stakeholders.”

Says Steve Shaw, managing director, the Purple Agency, said: “As an agency team we’ve been totally committed to winning this account, and we are all extremely proud, to have been selected – against some tough competition – to work with such an inspirational organisation as the BPA. It’s a fantastic achievement for all of us at the Purple Agency and we are very excited about working with the BPA to deliver our shared ambitions for the brand over the next 4 years running up to Rio 2016.”

The relationship between the BPA and the Purple Agency will begin with the redevelopment of the Deloitte Parasport website, the ‘yellow pages’ for disability sport, which is run by the BPA in collaboration with professional services firm Deloitte.

Purple have a wide-ranging agency services portfolio supporting over 14 sports clients, including organisations such as UK Sport and UK Anti-Doping (UKAD). They have also consistently performed well on the Recommended Agency Register (RAR), which scores agencies on the basis of positive feedback received from their clients.

Coventry City Council has agreed to loan £14m to Arena Coventry Limited (ACL), the company that runs and manages the Ricoh Arena. 

Coventry City have failed to pay £1m due in rent on the stadium and the city council has agreed a financial package to assist ACL, the company jointly-owned by the council and the Alan Edward Higgs Charity.

The move was unanimously agreed at a full council meeting, with the local authority explaining the move on their official website.

“Coventry councillors have voted unanimously to support a new loan arrangement for Arena Coventry Limited at a meeting of Full Council today (Tuesday 15 January),” read the statement.

“The meeting – held in private because of commercial confidentiality – saw councillors support a proposal for the Council to intervene to safeguard the Ricoh Arena – a publicly funded asset that has helped to drive growth and create jobs since it first opened.

“The move means the Council is effectively becoming banker to ACL, so that it can pay off its current loan arrangements with its existing bank. There is no net cost to the Council or Coventry taxpayers; the move will provide a modest surplus for the Council.

“As a result, the interest that ACL now pays on its loan will go to the Council, some of it helping to support jobs and services, the remainder helping to service the loan rather than to the bank.

“No cash is being put into CCFC by the Council as this would be unlawful and inappropriate.”

Cllr John Mutton, Leader of Coventry City Council, was upbeat about the plan.

“We have taken a decision that will benefit city taxpayers and secure the future of one of our most important and best loved public assets that brings great benefits to Coventry people,” he said.

“Not many councils would have done what we’ve done, but I’ve always believed that councils can – and should – be prepared to take bold and radical decisions when they are the right thing to do.

“It’s up to ACL and the club now to find a way forward on the rent issue; we know that ACL is totally committed to doing this, and we hope the club’s owners will be committed to doing so, too.”

Business tycoon Dr Marwan Koukash has revealed he is close to securing a deal to buy struggling Super League side, generic Salford City Reds.

Koukash, the owner of an executive training company EuroMaTech, said he hopes a deal can be struck in the very near future.

He told the St Helens Star: “My interest is very strong. There is still a lot of ongoing talks and agreements to be made but discussions are at an advanced stage.

“My plan is not just to save Salford but to turn it around, make it a competitive team – which is capable of winning trophies. Otherwise I would not be interested.

“I have a strategy for the club that will strengthen it and make it compete at the highest level and from a financial point of view to find ways of generating more outside income.

“I reiterate the most important thing is to save the club and to lead it into a financial position where it can compete at the highest level.”

Salford staved off the threat of liquidation at a court hearing in Manchester on 7 January and Koukash added: “The last time I saw a rugby match the atmosphere was great. Give me the choice of attending a rugby or a football match and I would choose rugby.

“Football could learn a lot from rugby.”

Kent has seen an 85% increase in the number of UK golfers booking golf packages and tee times since last year’s Open Championship at Royal St Georges Golf Club.

Shepherd Neame, viagra the renowned Kent-based brewer, discount pub and hotel operator, is among those offering accommodation for golf tourists and has invested significantly in its estate.

“We have always sought out opportunities within Kent, striving to offer the best quality proposition to golfers visiting our county in terms of both food and accommodation,” said Nigel Bunting, Retail Director at Shepherd Neame.

The additions to Shepherd Neame’s accommodation portfolio are further supplemented by The Lodge at Prince’s Golf Club that opened in May 2012 and, in the future, by a new 5* hotel and spa at The London Golf Club. 

“These establishments underline Kent’s status as a world-class golf destination with a wide range of accommodation for all tastes, budgets and lengths of stay,” added Nigel Bunting.

Golf Digest and Golf Channel, discount | two of the world’s most influential golf brands, arthritis and Chase Sapphire, a premier travel and dining rewards credit card from Chase, today announced Beyond the Tee, a multi-platform, multi-channel joint marketing initiative designed to reach millions of golf enthusiasts.

Beyond the Tee encourages golfers to share online invitations to offline activities with friends and family through a new Facebook application and by offering exclusive golf experiences.

“It’s all about enjoyment. People take plenty of time to make connections through social media,” said Golf Digest President & Publisher Peter K. Hunsinger. “But not often enough do those connections translate online interaction to in-person experiences. This program makes it easy for Chase Sapphire cardholders and Facebook users to get inspired by spectacular golf courses and then take action to create these real-life experiences with friends and family.”

Chase Sapphire offers cardholders premium travel and dining rewards and benefits as well as access to unique experiences. Golf is a passion point for Chase Sapphire cardholders and the driving force behind the brand’s strategic investment in golf partnerships.

“Many of our cardholders are passionate about golf, so Chase Sapphire is committed to providing the compelling experiences and content we know our customers want,” said Sean O’Reilly, general manager, Chase Card Services [NYSE: JPM]. “Our partnership with Golf Digest and the Golf Channel to create Beyond the Tee provides our cardholders with unique golf experiences, as well as the opportunity to connect and share their passion for the sport with friends and family.”

Consumers are invited to participate via the Beyond the Tee application on the Chase Sapphire Facebook page, which will be supported in the pages of Golf Digest both in print and on tablets. Beyond the Tee will also be included in Golf World, the weekly sister publication to Golf Digest, on GolfDigest.com, and TV creative will be featured on Golf Channel.

According to reports the FIA is believed to be on the verge of confirming an agreement for World Rally Championship television rights – at least until the end of the season.

The manufacturers and event organisers met with FIA president Jean Todt and WRC Commission president Jarmo Mahonen in Paris yesterday, with the likely outcome of the meeting being that the European Broadcast Union will take on the production and distribution of television from WRC rounds until the end of the season. A longer term agreement between EBU and the governing body has been talked about.

A source from within the manufacturers’ meeting said they were pleased with the possible EBU option.

“It sounds like a good way forward,” said the source. “The WRC needs the television to breathe, so we need to make this happen. The [EBU] will, we believe, take some of their own people to rallies and rely on some of them on the ground locally. Once they have made the pictures, EBU can then talk to its members in all countries in Europe about running them.”

Once EBU is in place, one of the first tasks will be the start renegotiating with key channels such as ITV4 in the UK, with which an agreement to broadcast the WRC had been reached with former promoter North One Sports.

The rally organisers in the WRC have now signed an agreement with the FIA confirming they will not do their own individual deals – a significant shift from the letter issued early last month from Mahonen telling organisers: “Each WRC organiser will, unfortunately, have to negotiate the television broadcasting of his event.”

Rally Sweden was the first event to do that – and did so successfully, with the event organisers reportedly turning a profit in excess of 100,000 euro ($131,474) from the second round of the series.

Rally New Zealand chairman Peter Johnston said: “We are very pleased to see a sound outcome from the present situation as the FIA takes the reins. With their co-ordination of the television media services, facilities and distribution, we can feel confident that the 2012 FIA World Rally Championship will continue to run to its usual high standards.”

by Ismail Uddin

Williams F1 chairman Adam Parr has warned the United Kingdom that it should not take the strength of motorsport engineering for granted.

Motorsport is estimated to be worth more than US$800m to the country’s economy and is responsible for approximately 4,000 engineering jobs.

Parr said: “It’s essential that industry, government and the sport itself thinks very carefully about what it does. If you look at countries like China they start off at the low-end of the value chain with cheap labour and then build up from there.

“Already they [China] are moving into airliners and sectors they wouldn’t have dreamt about 10 years ago”.

Parr took over the role of chairman in 2010 from Sir Frank Williams and feels there are still misconceptions about the reality of the Formula One industry.

He said: “There is a high degree of ignorance amongst politicians, leading business people and the public about what we do. Two years ago when we had a leading sponsor, the Royal Bank of Scotland, people in the media were saying it’s champagne swilling.

“But for every £1 of sponsorship we received from any UK company we spent £4.50 in the UK.

“We employ 500 people directly, over a six-year cycle we had 3,000 UK companies as suppliers, we are making a major contribution to the UK economy.”

Parr is adamant that any complacency would prove damaging to the health of the industry.

He added: “There are countries around the world that would saw off limbs to have a motorsport industry like we do. If we sit back and say aren’t we good at something, brilliant and confident, we will get slaughtered.”