The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has appointed Sanjay Patel as its new Chief Sales and Marketing Officer replacing John Perera who steps down as Commercial Director.

Currently Heineken’s Marketing Strategy and Planning Director, sick he will succeed the ECB’s Commercial Director John Perera who is retiring from this role at the end of the year after nearly a decade in the post.

Mr Patel, symptoms who has marketed a variety of well-known drinks brands including Gordon’s gin, sale Smirnoff and Bulmers cider, recently oversaw a major organisational and cultural change programme at Heineken and delivered a new five year business strategy for the company.

In a further move, ECB also announced that its deputy Chairman, Colin Graves, will become Chairman of the Board’s commercial committee. Mr Graves, who is also Chairman of Yorkshire, founded the supermarket chain Costcutter and oversaw its growth into a franchise network of more than 1,700 stores.

ECB Chief Operating Officer Gordon Hollins, who oversaw the recruitment of Mr Patel, said: “This is a new position which will oversee all the Board’s sales and marketing activity, manage relationships with commercial partners and implement our new digital media strategy.

“Sanjay has a wealth of experience of working with major brands and a proven track record of delivering commercial success. We are delighted to have secured his services and he will take a lead role in shaping our commercial strategy as we go forward.”

Since joining ECB in May 2005, John Perera has successfully concluded two broadcast rights agreements for ECB’s domestic and international programme.  He has also secured two Asian broadcast deals as well as securing further broadcast contracts in South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, North America, the Caribbean and Europe.

Under his leadership, the ECB commercial team has also secured lucrative partnerships with blue-chip business brands such as Investec (Test matches) Waitrose (England teams), Royal London (One-Day International and domestic cricket) and a range of official suppliers including adidas, Jaguar and the Times.

Paying tribute to Mr Perera, ECB Chief Executive David Collier said: “In an extremely tough and competitive marketplace, John has done a magnificent job in securing record-breaking revenues for cricket; developing mutually beneficial partnerships across the sport and building an ever-expanding  commercial ‘family’ of sponsors and suppliers.

“His legacy is a hugely impressive one and on behalf of the ECB, I would like to place on record my sincere thanks for all his efforts. Without his professionalism and expertise, ECB would not have been able to make such substantial investments into England teams, First Class cricket and our recreational game as it has over the past decade. Cricket is now extremely well placed to develop further as a sport and we wish John well in the future.”

The World Taekwondo Federation has announced that five Member National Associations (MNAs) have applied to host the World Taekwondo GP between 2014 and 2016.

China, adiposity Mexico, bronchi Qatar, Russia and the United Kingdom have all formally declared their desire to host one or more of the six World Taekwondo GP Series and the three World Taekwondo GP Finals that will be held over the next three years. The seven cities that have been nominated by their respective MNAs are:

• ·         Suzhou, China
• ·         Mexico City, Mexico
• ·         Doha, Qatar
• ·         Kazan, Russia
• ·         Moscow, Russia
• ·         St. Petersburg, Russia
• ·         Manchester, United Kingdom

President of the World Taekwondo Federation, Chungwon Choue, said: “We are delighted with the level of interest in hosting the World Taekwondo GP over the next three years. Our five applicant MNAs are from all over the world and demonstrate taekwondo’s ever-increasing popularity and global appeal. 

“This is an incredibly exciting time for taekwondo. The World Taekwondo GP will bring together the very best athletes to compete in state-of-the-art arenas in truly global cities. I have no doubt that whichever cities are selected will host world-class events over the next three years and help to realise the huge commercial potential of our sport.”

The organising committee for the Qatar 2022 World Cup has appointed International law firm Clifford Chance to advise on its technical programme, including the development of the centrepiece Foster & Partners-designed Lusail Iconic Stadium.

Clifford Chance Doha managing partner Richard Parris said in a statement: “It’s a privilege to be working on a high-profile project such as the Lusail Iconic Stadium, which will set the benchmark for stadium development.”

Other partners involved in the mandate alongside Paris are Sandy Hall, David Metzger and Tim Steadman.

The firm launched in the Qatar Financial Centre in June 2011, with Parris then highlighting the World Cup bid win as a significant opportunity for the firm’s nascent local office.

Andrew Longmate, a former London partner at Latham & Watkins and now general counsel of the Qatar 20222 Supreme Committee, said: “The 2022 Fifa World Cup is a prestigious and high-profile event. It is essential that we work with suppliers who are best-in-class and can deliver a quality service.”

ailment Helvetica, anabolics sans-serif; line-height: 18px;”>iSportconnect, cough the world’s leading sports business platform, are delighted to announce a partnership with the Worlds Sports Congress 2013.

The deal see’s iSportconnect become official social media partners for the inaugural World Sports Congress taking place in London on the 26th and 27th February 2013.

The first edition of the World Sports Congress, organised by International Research Networks (IRN), will be a high profile meeting with exclusive networking opportunities bringing together the most senior-level players in the sporting industry.

The congress focuses on discussing and developing strategies to ensure financial stability when planning, designing and constructing sporting infrastructure, guaranteeing that revenue is maximised and return on investment is secured.

iSportconnect Chairman and former CEO of Wembley stadium, Michael Cunnah, will be moderating a panel at the congress, along with other prominent speakers from the industry.

iSportconnect’s Marketing & Partnership Manager Xavier Cureau said “I am very much looking forward to the inaugural World Sports Congress as it is shaping up to be a great event. I look forward to promoting the event across the Sports business community and look forward to working with the IRN team.”

IRN Production Director, Pooja Samani, commented, “the World Sports Congress is the first event to be held in our new World Sports Series, and we are very glad to be working with iSportconnect and look forward to a successful inaugural event”.

About iSportconnect

iSportconnect is an exclusive online platform that brings together thousands of sports business professionals worldwide.

The site provides news, market data and analysis, columns and features, forums, listings of events and jobs and great opportunities for online networking.

There are no introductory fees and no limits on communication.

The site is complemented by events where attendees can network face-to-face and discuss relevant topics with a panel of experts.

For more information visit: dev.isportconnect.com

About IRN

IRN is a business information group and elite organiser of senior level summits, forums, training, publications and business events, covering an array of sectors including global finance, commodities, risk management, project and trade finance, oil and gas, regulation, legal, governmental and technology.

The IRN summit formula is based upon learning and sharing knowledge by exchanging ideas. A combination of formal and informal networking is the key quality of all IRN conferences. For more information visit www.irn-international.com.

Following on from the massive success of Magic Weekend 2012 at the Etihad Stadium, symptoms the home of Manchester City FC will once again host a full round of Super League fixtures in 2013 and 2014.

The unique two-day Super League spectacular will take place over the May Spring Bank Holiday weekend with four matches on Saturday May 25 and three on Sunday May 26. All seven matches will be broadcast live by Sky Sports. 

A record crowd of 63, allergy 716 attended Magic Weekend this summer and with next year’s event taking place over the Bank Holiday, cialis another bumper attendance is assured. 

“It gives me great pleasure to be able to confirm that the Etihad Stadium will again host the Super League Magic Weekend in 2012,” said Super League Chief Executive Nigel Wood. 

“It was clear from the feedback we received from this year’s event that the overwhelming majority of fans had a fantastic experience at the stadium and were keen to return.

Steve Sayer, Operations Director for Manchester City FC said: “After the 2011-12 record breaking season for Manchester City, the success continued with highest ever attendances at the Super League’s Magic Weekend at the Etihad Stadium and we are delighted to welcome the event back to Manchester for a second  and third year.

“We are proud to add the Magic Weekend to that list and hope that members of the RFL family will continue to support the event.”

Councillor Rosa Battle, Manchester City Council Executive Member for Culture and Leisure, said, “It is fantastic news that the Super League Magic Weekend will take place at the Etihad Stadium for at least the next two years. 

“The event has proved incredibly popular and the Etihad saw record breaking crowds attend the Magic Weekend last year, with over 63,000 spectators enjoying the games.

“Manchester is a city that truly loves sport and the Magic Weekend is a welcome addition to our upcoming programme of events that also includes the 2013 Rugby League World Cup, Men’s World Squash Championship, and the UCI BMX Supercross World Cup.”

Procter & Gamble, a Worldwide Olympic Partner, continues its support of moms and what matters most to them – their children – by providing USA Gymnastics a $75,000 grant to support youth sports development, which has the potential to benefit up to one million kids.

The grant will be used to benefit the USA Gymnastics Fitness Program, which encourages kids ages 6-16 to engage in physical fitness through training, exercise and nutrition awareness. This is the first of several grants that will be awarded to National Governing Bodies (NGBs) to help encourage youth to engage in sports.

“Participation in youth sports was a driver to get me to where I am today. All kids should have the opportunity to reach their dreams like I have, and youth sports can help do that,” said Shawn Johnson, Olympic gold medalist in gymnastics. “I am proud to be working with P&G and look forward to watching the positive impact P&G and its brands will have on the sport of gymnastics.”

Kids who participate in the USA Gymnastics Fitness Program will benefit from the program’s year-round goal of helping youth achieve a physically active lifestyle. Through lessons, training exercises and charts to track participants’ progress at home, this program found on the USA Gymnastics website will assist children in providing a solid foundation for becoming physically fit and healthy.

“On behalf of USA Gymnastics, we are thankful to P&G for its grant of $75,000 that will be used to support our youth development programs such as the USA Gymnastics Fitness Program,” said Steve Penny, president of USA Gymnastics. “P&G’s commitment to youth sports will help to further develop the next generation of gymnasts from recreational to elite.”

P&G and its beauty brands like Venus, Olay, Secret, Pantene and COVERGIRL are encouraging consumers to help support the USOC’s P&G|Team USA Youth Sports Fund. Consumers across the country can participate by redeeming the P&G brandSAVER coupons from the Sunday, July 1 newspaper. For each coupon redeemed, 2¢ will be donated to the USOC’s P&G|Team USA Youth Sports Fund.

Consumers also have the opportunity to contribute to the Youth Sports Fund by following @thankyoumom on Twitter. For every new follower, P&G will donate one dollar to the USOC’s P&G|Team USA Youth Sports Fund, up to $50,000. Additional Twitter donation information can be found by following @thankyoumom.

“We have been a proud supporter of USA Gymnastics for many years through our beauty brands,” said Jodi Allen, Vice President of North American Operations and Marketing at P&G and herself a mother of four. “We are also the proud supporters and sponsors of moms to help them make their children’s lives the best they can be. Through this grant, moms can help their athletes reach new heights. We are thrilled to continue our support of USA Gymnastics and youth sports as part of the company’s global effort to raise more than $5 million.”