Worcester to Host 2013 LV= Cup Final

Worcester are scheduled to host the LV= Cup final for the second season running when the showpiece match is played at the Sixways Stadium on 17 March, 2013.

Leicester defeated Northampton 26-14 in this year’s final in front of a crowd of 11,895 at the 12,024-capacity venue.

Worcester Warriors managing director Charlie Little told the club’s website: “To be able to host the LV= Cup final for a second consecutive year and for a third time in the last four years is a huge achievement for the Warriors.

“We are delighted that the tournament organisers and title sponsors LV= feel Sixways is the ideal venue to host the final and that we are continuing to build a reputation for successfully hosting major cup finals and representative fixtures.”

The LV= Cup features the 12 Aviva Premiership teams and the four Welsh regions.

AFL Club’s Popularity Soars

Australian Football League (AFL) club Collingwood has a reputation for being the most supported club in Australia and is on the way to achieveing a global following- it has more than 71, there 000 members and across 88 countries.

The club has invested heavily in its own studios to create digital media content. Collingwood CEO, site Gary Pert, therapy said: “We have invested a lot of money in the website, online, radio and TV and I think the whole appreciation of the Collingwood supporter base is bigger.”

The club plans expand its international sponsors. It already has deals with Emirates, Russian anti-computer virus company Kaspersky Lab and adidas.

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Royal Troon Selected to Host 2016 British Open

Royal Troon has been revealed as the next location for the British Open in 2016, it was confirmed on Wednesday.

The Ayrshire course will be hosting the Open for the ninth time and the first since 2004 when America’s Todd Hamilton beat South Africa’s Ernie Els in a playoff.

Other Open winners at Royal Troon are Arthur Havers (1923), Bobby Locke (1950), Arnold Palmer (1962), Tom Weiskopf (1973), Tom Watson (1982), Mark Calcavecchia (1989) and Justin Leonard (1997).

South Ayrshire Council leader Bill McIntosh said: “This is great news – not just for Troon, but for the whole of Ayrshire.

“As well as giving us a chance to showcase the fantastic golf in this area, our stunning scenery, culture and heritage, The Open will also bring a terrific economic boost with a 100 million benefit to its host economy.

“This is vital investment for our area that will help create a lasting and positive legacy for generations to come.”

The selection of Royal Troon means the Open – one of golf’s four major titles – will be held in Scotland three times in four years.

Royal Lytham in northwest England will host the Open next month before it heads to Muirfield in Scotland in 2013, then onto Hoylake’s Royal Liverpool in 2014 and the famous Scottish course at St Andrews in 2015.

Infront Sign Yakhnich to Organize Russian Superbike Round

Infront Motor Sports has signed Yakhnich Motorsport as a partner, giving it the right to organize the Russian round of FIM Superbike World Championship as well as the TV and marketing rights of the event for the Russian market.

Infront Motor Sports CEO Paolo Flammini stated: “We are very satisfied with this agreement and we wish to thank Mr Yakhnich for his warm welcome and for the truly professional work carried out by his team. Russia is one of the most important nations in the world, with a rapidly-growing economy.

“We think that the Superbike World Championship is the most suitable way to help develop the Russian motorcycle market, together with a plan that foresees the growth of young Russian riders on an international level in our four categories.”

Yakhnich Motorsport CEO Alexander Yakhnich added: “We are honoured to have reached this prestigious target. Thanks to the vital support of the Russian Government, specifically the Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov, Russian motorcycling is getting ready to play host to the Superbike World Championship and in this way help the growth of the sport in our country in the best possible way.”

Australian Officials Refute F1 Circuit Relocation

Australian government officials claim that the Formula One Grand Prix in the nation will stay in Melbourne’s Albert Park precinct, health as long as the race continues to be held in the state of Victoria. 

The officials made the announcement after recent reports had suggested that the race could be moved away from the street circuit in Melbourne, therapy to a purpose-built track in Avalon. 

Louise Asher, the government’s major events minister, said that moving the race from Albert Park to the dedicated track would cost nearly US$325m, stating: “The Grand Prix is going to stay at Albert Park. One of the reasons the branding of Melbourne has been so successful is that the GP is at Albert Park.”

The events minister said the new conservative state coalition would push F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone when negotiations for a new contract begin in late 2013, adding: “The contract that the previous government signed is an expensive contract. I think taxpayers could get a better deal if the contract had less in it for my good friend Mr Ecclestone and more in it for Victorian taxpayers.”

ICC CWC and IPL IV Insured for Roughly USD180m Each

The International Cricket Council’s (ICC) and BCCI flagship events, the Cricket World Cup and IPL IV are being insured for similarly huge figures. Between the BCCI and ICC broadcast rights holder ESPN Star Sports, the total sum assured for CWC 2011 is a reported US$185m while for IPL IV it is in the region of $175m.

According to pink paper Business Standard, the BCCI has taken an event cancellation cover, in addition to one against terrorism, with a total sum assured of $53.8m. The sum assured includes a separate $27m policy for protection against terrorist attacks. 

The policy would kick in if BCCI’s revenues were affected due to adverse weather. Also, in case of non-appearance of teams, it would not lose out, a senior executive of the National Insurance Company told BS.

As for IPL IV, ESPN’s SportsCenter reports that the media rights alone would be getting an insurance cover of $109m while sponsorship rights will get an umbrella of $42.2m along with other insurance covers.

Daniele Sano & Paolo Bellino Complete Directors’ Club Lineup in Milan

iSportconnect, the world’s largest private network for sport business executives, has announced today that Daniele Sano, Head of Sponsorship & Events at bwin.party Group and Paolo Bellino, General Manager at RCS Sport, have completed the lineup of panellists for the first ever Directors’ Club in Milan in association with Euroleague Basketball.

iSportconnect Directors’ Club is an invitation only event open exclusively for chief executives, chairmen and director-level executives from governing bodies, sports teams and sponsorship brands.

The Directors’ Club event in Milan will take place at the Mediolanum Forum and will include an impressive panel of high-profile speakers. As usual, the format will be a Question Time-style debate on May 16, immediately preceding the 2014 Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four.

Sano & Bellino join panellists Jordi Bertomeu, Euroleague Basketball President & CEO and Fabio Guadagnini, Vice President of Fox Sport Italy who have already confirmed for the event.

In his position at online gambling company bwin.party, Sano leads a team located between London, Austria and Milan and is responsible for all the international and local sponsorship of all brands of the group and of the activation strategy. He has been at the company since 2007 moving to his current position in 2011.

RCS Sport’s Bellino became General Manager in January and has helped to push the organisation to further develop internationally. While at RCS Sport he has worked with the Tour of Italy, Dubai Tour and Milan Marathon, as well as advisor of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC).

Michael Cunnah, iSportconnect Chairman said: “iSportconnect is delighted to welcome Daniele & Paolo  to the panel to complete our lineup for our inaugural event in Milan.”

“The tremendous interest shown in this event gives us a good indication about the strength of the sports industry in Italy.”

The iSportconnect Directors Club has been highly successful in London, Munich and Paris and is now extending its reach to Milan on May 16th and, on May 29th, Dubai. Further events abroad are in the pipeline.

To register your interest in attending the Directors Club event in Milan please contact Matthias Moulin at matthias.moulin@isportconnect.com

Visit the official iSportconnect Directors’ Club website: http://www.directorsclub.biz/

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FC Barcelona Become First Sports Club to Break 100 Million Social Media Followers

La Liga giants FC Barcelona have claimed they have become the first sports club anywhere in the world to be able to boast more than 100 million followers on its social networks.

Sporting and social excellence has led to leadership in the 2.0 market, medic where FCB is the top club on all the world’s major networks. In fact, the club is gaining about 100,000 new followers a day on its different social networks, and is the number one sports club on each of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, Tencent Weibo and YouTube, the biggest platforms in the world.

On Facebook, for example, FC Barcelona’s page is one of the 25 most popular in the world. Just a few weeks ago, FCB passed the 50 million mark and is considerably ahead of the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester United and Chelsea.

On Facebook, Barça has more followers than any club in the top North American leagues, including the NBA, MLB and NFL, and more than any club in Europe’s top soccer leagues, including the FA Premiership. 

Out of the Catalans 100 million followers Facebook had a dominance with 64.2% of the total, almost three times more than Twitter (22.3%). The club also has popular accounts on Google+ (7.7%), Tencent Weibo (3.2%), Instagram (1.5%) and YouTube (1.2%).

In 2013, there was an increase of 32 million followers on all of the club’s social networks. But more than just setting records in terms of numbers, FC Barcelona is also working hard to ensure that its supporters make the most of these platforms by receiving all the very latest news and information. 

As well as official social networks, FC Barcelona has a further 17 million users of LINE, the application for i-phones and computers that can be used to connect with 300 million fellow users around the world. Barça already has official LINE accounts in Catalan, Spanish, English, Portuguese and Japanese. LINE, like social networks, is another wonderful way for being in constant connection with the club and being among the first to receive news updates and be able to access exclusive promotions.

Dídac Lee, director of the Media and Communications Department and head of New Technologies, added: “100 million followers is a spectacular figure that shows how much people love our Club.”

“Barça is a global phenomenon, we should note that we welcome a new follower to our social networks every second.”

“FC Barcelona has more followers on social networks than there are people in the twelfth most populated country in the world (the Philippines with 87 million)”.

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Essendon Chairman David Evans Denies Resignation Reports Following Drug Scandal

Essendon chairman David Evans has denied reports he will resign following revelations about their supplements crisis.

There had been media speculation about Evans’ future following another major development in the Bombers’ supplements crisis.

It has emerged AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou made a phone call to Evans the night before the Bombers went public in February about the supplements issue.

Demetriou has acknowledged speaking to Bombers president David Evans on February 4, but says he did not tip off Essendon as he did not know which club was under investigation.

Essendon are under Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) and AFL investigation, with the league hopeful that ASADA will report their findings next month.

“I want to make this really clear – tonight was a regular and scheduled monthly board meeting,’ Evans said outside Essendon’s Windy Hill headquarters.

“In relation to media reports late this afternoon, I am not standing down as chairman.

“The board did not ask me to explain my version of events.

“This was a routine board meeting.

“If you don’t mind, I’m going to go off to dinner and it’s not a farewell dinner.”

BT Sport to Create New Jobs Across UK Following Channel Launch

BT Sport is to create 400 jobs across the UK, abortion including at two of its Scottish call centres, viagra with the launch of its sports television service.

Around 45 long-term posts will be at the sites in Glasgow and Dundee in a move the telecommunications firm describes as an “important new chapter”.

The other jobs are being created in centres in Accrington, Canterbury, Doncaster, Truro, Warrington and Newcastle.

BT Sport will show 38 live Barclays Premier League matches, which the firm says will safeguard the jobs of almost 200 people being retrained to work on customer support.

The initial launch will also create 400 short-term sales jobs for six months.

Gavin Patterson, chief executive of BT Retail, said: “BT Sport is an important new chapter for us and it also promises to give a boost to the UK economy by creating hundreds of new job opportunities across the UK. BT Sport is about giving people more choice about what they watch, where they watch it and how much they pay.”