The world’s leading cricket website, prescription ESPNCricinfo, has secured IBM as sponsor of its comprehensive statistics and data coverage of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Cricket World Cup.

In addition, IBM has been confirmed as launch sponsor of the new ESPNCricinfo iPhone and Android mobile apps. The sponsorship with IBM, which runs from February to early April and covers India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Bhutan, builds on IBM’s Smarter Planet campaign, which aims to help businesses to make better decisions through the smart and efficient use of data.

The deal gives IBM a presence on some of ESPNCricinfo’s most popular pages; such as Statsguru, the site’s searchable cricket statistics database; Ask Steven, where ESPNCricinfo contributor Steven Lynch answers questions on all things cricket;  The List, where ESPNCricinfo looks at the stories behind the statistics; and, Numbers Game, an in-depth look at the ESPNCricinfo statistics database.

ESPN International vice president-digital media Tom Gleeson said: “ESPNCricinfo is delighted to be partnering with IBM.  ESPNCricinfo’s statistics section in India is expected to generate lot of interest across the sub continent during the world cup with fans searching for interesting statistics about players, venues etc. Cricket fans will have the most reliable and in depth statistics information during the world cup.”

FIFA World Cup organisers have predicted that the total attendance in South Africa will top three million, which will be the largest cumulative crowd since the 1994 tournament in the USA.

Despite concerns over empty seats for group games, which FIFA put down to problems with distribution methods for blocks of tickets sold to local businesses and government, South Africa 2010 chief executive Danny Jordaan, said the tournament was now on course to be the most well attended for 16 years.

Jordaan said: “We are going into the quarter-finals of a wonderful, people-driven World Cup. It’s really the people of this country and the foreign fans that have injected the energy and the passion into this World Cup.

“We have the possibility of an African team going beyond the frontiers of what has been achieved before. We also have the possibility of two coaches (Dunga and Diego Maradona) going where only Franz Beckenbauer has gone before and winning the World Cup as a player and a coach.

“There is also the possibility of a Brazil v Argentina final, which of course is one of the biggest games you can have from a South American point of view.”

 

The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) have announced Sun Media Corporation, a subsidiary of Quebecor Media, as their official national French-language media partner and its regional French and English-language media partner.

The three-year-plus agreement allows Sun Media Corporation newspapers to provide their readers with unprecedented coverage of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi and the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio.

“Canadians look forward to the Games in Sochi and Rio and the great performances from our athletes,” said Marcel Aubut, President of the Canadian Olympic Committee. “Our objective is to deliver all the excitement of the Games to Canadians by following their favourite athletes’ every move. That’s why we’re relying on the power of Sun Media Corporation’s network. We’re confident that sports fans will be thrilled with its extensive sports coverage.”

Every day, thanks to Sun Media Corporation’s multiple publications, readers can enjoy exclusive editorial content and privileged access to athletes from around Quebec and Canada. In Quebec, our extensive coverage will be featured in Le Journal de Montreal, Le Journal de Quebec, the free urban daily 24 Heures, and our community weeklies. In the rest of Canada, readers can follow exclusive and in-depth English-language coverage in the Toronto Sun, Winnipeg Sun, Calgary Sun, Edmonton Sun, Ottawa Sun, London Free Press, 24 Hours, and our many community newspapers.

“As you can see, professional and amateur sport is prominently featured on all of Quebecor’s media platforms,” said Robert Depatie, President and CEO of Quebecor. “We are very proud of this new partnership with the Canadian Olympic Committee. I can assure you that we will be there to cover the performance of our Canadian athletes. We wish them every success at the Sochi Winter Olympics in 2014 and the Rio games in 2016.”

“We’re extremely proud to partner with the Canadian Olympic Committee for the upcoming Olympic Games,” said Mike Power, Publisher, The Toronto Sun and Vice President, Advertising, Ontario, Sun Media Corporation. “It’s a natural partnership given Sun Media Corporation’s expertise and reputation in the field of sports coverage and our readers’ avid interest in sports.”

iSportconnect.com, doctor the world’s leading sports business network, erectile today announced that Tim Ellerton, Global Sponsorship Manager of Heineken, and Margaret Byrne, Chief Executive of Sunderland AFC, will feature on the panel for the next iSportconnect Directors’ Club event.

The pair will join Ian Ritchie, the RFU Chief Executive Officer, and Sir Craig Reedie, Vice President of the International Olympic Committee.

The unique invitation-only Q&A session, in partnership with Generate Sponsorship, returns to London on the 20^th February following the success of last year’s London & Munich events.

The Directors’ Club panel has consistently enjoyed high-profile industry leaders including Nic Coward, General Secretary of the English Premier League, Philip Beard, CEO of QPR FC, Geoff Cousins, Jaguar Global Director, Barry Hearn, Chairman of Matchroom Sport, the Professional Darts Corporation, World Snooker and Leyton Orient Football Club and Sally Hancock, Director, Olympic Marketing and Group Sponsorship at Lloyds TSB.

Attendees have the opportunity to post questions for the panel in advance as well as arrange meetings via the iSportconnect Directors’ Club London networking tool, adding further value to the delegate experience.  To register interest, please email: xavier@isportconnect.com

Founder and CEO of iSportconnect.com, Sree Varma, said, ‘We are delighted that Tim and Margaret are joining the panel at the third iSportconnect Directors’ Club event in London. They both bring a wealth of expertise and knowledge from different sectors of the sports industry. We received a great response from our previous events and we look forward to welcoming our guests to the Directors’ Club on the 20^th February.”

iSportconnect Directors’ Club is an invitation-only event for sports industry leaders to share market insight and best practice. It invites key decision makers who run and finance the Sport Business Industry to share high level insight and opinion on business trends and relevant industry news.

Margaret Byrne, Chief Executive of Sunderland AFC, said: “The iSportconnect Directors’ Club ‘Question-Time’ format really appeals to me and I look forward to sharing some of my experiences with the group while also learning from my colleagues across the sport sectors.”

Follow the iSportconnect Directors’ Club event with @iSportconnect and through #iSCDirectorsClub.

To register interest visit: http://www.directorsclub.biz/

 

Coventry City are on their last leg after they were given a deadline of 21 days to pay their £1.1m in rent arrears on the Ricoh Arena or face the prospect of the League One side going out of business.

Stadium company Arena Coventry Limited (ACL), jointly owned by the Higgs Charity and Coventry City Council, claim they have been left with little option to set the Boxing Day deadline after failing to receive rent for the last ten months.

A statutory demand for the arrears has been issued to Sisu, who have bankrolled the League One club for the last five years. Failure to pay will result in Sisu being forced to either declare themselves insolvent, or face a winding up order.

A statement issued by ACL confirmed: “Following the refusal of Coventry City Football Club and its owners, Sisu, to pay outstanding rent to Arena Coventry Limited (ACL), the ACL Board has today issued a statutory demand to Coventry City Football Club (CCFC).

“The statutory demand covers the £1.1 million owed by CCFC to ACL in rent arrears of a total £1.6 million owed by the club. This is not a course of action the ACL Board wanted to take. However, the behaviour of Sisu, the owners of CCFC, has left the Board with no choice but to issue the statutory demand.

“The statutory demand gives Sisu a further 21 days to pay the outstanding rent lawfully owed to ACL. CCFC has failed to comply with its legal obligations and the Board is taking this action now to protect the long term sustainability of its already healthy and successful business.

“The Board feels that all other avenues to resolve this issue have been exhausted and is astonished that the club’s owners have allowed matters to come to this sorry pass. Responsibility for this situation lies completely with Sisu, a Mayfair hedge fund which has let CCFC fail under its direction.

“If they don’t meet this deadline, Sisu must either declare CCFC insolvent or face a winding up order for the club.”

Sisu have been trying to persuade ACL to reduce the £1.2m annual rent on the stadium, but have not made any payments since October 2011, despite losing a High Court battle with ACL over money owed in the summer.

Coventry reacted with dismay to ACL’s move and admitted they will be forced to leave the Ricoh Arena, unless ACL are prepared to negotiate on a rent reduction and structured repayments of the outstanding debt.

A statement by the club said: “The club remains committed to the city and people of Coventry. However, its viability depends on it finding an alternative home ground where it can afford to play.

“We are disappointed by ACL’s actions today to issue a statutory demand to Coventry City Football Club rather than, as we had requested, sitting down with us to negotiate a level of rent which the club can afford and which is in line with the rent paid by other clubs. “For reference, ACL has been charging CCFC an annual rent of £1.28 million, which we understand is the highest in both League One and the Championship.

“We understand that the average annual rent paid by League One clubs (excluding CCFC) is less than £170,000 and that the average in the Championship is less than £290,000. All other clubs which rent their stadia get full access to 100% of match day food, beverage and car parking revenues, unlike CCFC.

“The club’s objective in requesting these negotiations with ACL has been only to bring about a state of commercial normality, where CCFC pays the same level of rent and has access to the same type of ancillary revenues as the other football clubs with which it competes. It is unsustainable for CCFC to be put at a severe financial disadvantage to its peers.”

Hosting international rugby tournaments will play a major role in raising the profile of the sport in China, said Jarrad Gallagher, Asian Regional General Manager of the International Rugby Board (IRB).

“The key point of bringing an event to Guangzhou is that it will help inspire more interest from all circles in rugby,” Gallagher said.

The Women’s International Rugby Sevens tournament will be held from Thursday through Sunday in Zengcheng, Guangdong province.

Teams from China, the United States, Thailand, Kazakhstan, the Netherlands, South Africa and the Philippines will compete in the tournament.

“I was in Zengcheng in 2010 when the Asian Games were held in Guangzhou and I was quite impressed by the local sport facilities,” Gallagher said.

“We really want to bring a legacy of the Asian Games to the city. That’s why we are bringing such an international tournament back to Guangzhou.”

“Many of the women’s international teams will be coming to Zengcheng and Guangzhou for the first time. The players, such as those from the US and South Africa, will see what a wonderful place Zengcheng is,” Gallagher said.

“The tournament will provide a window for teams to come and see China. Most importantly, the competition will help enhance the competitiveness of China’s women’s rugby.”

The 2019 Rugby World will be played in Japan, providing opportunities to raise the profile of the game throughout Asia.

China became an official member of IRB in 1997 and played its first international match against Singapore later that year but has yet to qualify for a Rugby World Cup.

Rugby will be included in the Summer Olympics in 2016, and Liu Rongyao, secretary-general of the China Rugby Association, said China will include the sport in its National Games next year and “will go all-out to qualify for the rugby women’s sevens competition at the next Olympics.”

Ye Niuping, the Mayor of Zengcheng, said the city will build a large rugby training and competition venue within the next three years and launch a range of community projects to promote the game.

“We will start promoting the sport in schools, communities and government organisations beginning next year,” Ye said.{jcomments on}

 

Following the launch of Manchester City’s new kit, Umbro is asking City fans to come up with ideas on how to launch the club’s kit for the 2012/13 season.

The new kit was unveiled yesterday by former Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher and the club’s captain Vincent Kompany. It marks the last kit made by Umbro, which will be replaced by parent company Nike next year.

A series of ‘fan launches’ will take place over the coming weeks, beginning with shots captured by music photographer and City fan Kevin Cummins.

The home kit keeps the club’s traditional sky blue colour, while the away shirt sees a return to the maroon colour worn by the FA Cup winning teams of 1934 and 1956, which were also produced by Umbro.

Noel Gallagher said: “The new home kit is pure class. It might be the best one we’ve had in a decade. As modern and radical as it is though, it’s nice to see Umbro keeping our heritage alive in the new away kit. The best dressed defending champions of all time? No doubt.”

The campaign just ads to Manchester City’s current digital ethos over the past year as the club looks to take advantage of its growing brand value and engage with more fans. Manchester City has said that online channels such as mobile and Facebook are a key part of its marketing strategy, which it is using to build a loyal global fan base that it will stay with the team rather than moving on when it stops winning games.

The club signed a six year with Nike in a deal in May.

The PGA TOUR will directly manage all aspects of its digital business starting from Jan. 2013.

This includes operations, content, product development, marketing and advertising sales.

Turner Sports, have co-produced the leading website in golf, PGATOUR.com, and all of the PGA TOUR digital products since 2006. 

The PGA TOUR and Turner Sports will continue to work together on the properties through the end of 2012, where there will be a seamless transition to PGA TOUR management by Jan. 1, 2013.

For sales beginning in 2013, each party will sell its own golf properties, with the TOUR representing PGATOUR.com and all TOUR-branded digital products and inventory. All PGA TOUR ad sales will be led by Lee Bushkell, vice president of media sales. Turner Sports will continue to manage operations and oversee ad sales for PGA.com in partnership with the PGA of America, and continue to exclusively sell the Golf section of Yahoo! Sports in partnership with Yahoo!

The timing of this transition coincides with the expiration of the 2006 internet and mobile agreement between the PGA TOUR and Turner Sports, as well as the commencement of the TOUR’s new nine-year television agreements.

“Turner Sports has been an outstanding partner over the past six years and has done a terrific job working with us on our PGA TOUR digital branded properties,” said Paul Johnson, PGA TOUR Senior Vice President of Strategic Development, Digital Media and Entertainment. “Turner understands how to handle premium content brands, and together we have grown and delivered our audience to interested sponsors and advertisers. We greatly appreciate everything Turner has done for our digital business.”

“The PGA TOUR is a great brand and our joint management of its digital business has made it even stronger,” said Matthew Hong, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Operations for Turner Sports. “When we originally created our partnership in 2006, it was an innovative model that leveraged Turner Sports’ early digital expertise and leadership. As both the industry and our long term strategy have evolved, we are now more focused on moving forward in areas that leverage cross-platform assets, including integration with Turner’s leading TV networks, and that will grow our company for the next decade. While we are parting ways at the end of this year, Turner Sports is proud of what we accomplished together with the PGA TOUR and wish them nothing but continued success.”

“With the speed in which the digital landscape is changing, we feel it is important to control all aspects of the business directly,” Johnson added. “This does not reflect upon Turner, which has done a wonderful job and has been a great partner; it is about our overall strategy regarding our fans, players, sponsors and other stakeholders, and our desire to control those elements directly out into the future. In fact, we plan to build on the work that we have done with Turner, and grow our offerings to fans, including more live video, on-demand video, access to statistics, interactivity, new content, platforms and social media interactions. We will continue to place our fan experience as our first priority.”

Together, Turner Sports and the PGA TOUR developed many popular PGATOUR.com features such as Shot Tracker, world-class scoring/leaderboard functionality, as well as PGA TOUR mobile products. PGATOUR.com has continued its growth and golf market-leadership, averaging more than 6 million users per month in 2012. Compared to the same period five years ago, average unique users are up 109 percent. Other PGATOUR properties, including mobile and social products, have grown even faster and add to overall fan engagement.

Motorsport’s GP2 Asia Series will merge with the main GP2 Series next year.

The Asia Series launched in 2008 using cars that had been replaced in the main GP2 Series, and in its first year took place over 10 rounds at five different venues in the Middle East and South East Asia.

However, this year it comprised of just four rounds – two of which were held in Europe at Imola due to civil unrest in Bahrain – and with the same third-generation cars used in the main Series.

From 2012 the two Series will combine to create an international championship.

GP2 CEO Bruno Michel said: “In 2011, almost 85% of the drivers who did the Asia Series this season are taking part of the European Series as we are using the GP2/11 car in both categories. This year also marked the fact that for the first time the same thirteen teams entered both Series. We talked to them and we decided that it was logical to have one single Series from 2012.

“The merger will definitely help drivers gain even more experience on Formula One circuits throughout the world and will make the Series even more attractive and competitive. We will announce the 2012 calendar and the number of rounds at a later date.”

GP2 has also announced that it will hold a separate race at this year’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix that will not contribute to either championship. Labelled the 2011 GP2 Final, the race will support the Formula One race and will see all thirteen GP2 teams fight for a prize fund.

“We had planned to go back to Abu Dhabi in November since the beginning of this year,” Michel added. “Yas Marina is a great track. So we decided that we would have one single race event called the 2011 GP2 Final there. It will be a fantastic opportunity for drivers who wish to do GP2 Series next year to try and have their first taste of the category in race conditions. It will also be a fantastic occasion for our teams to try new drivers and start working with them.”