Tissot Extend Contract as MotoGP Timekeeper

Dorna Sports have extended their long-standing partnership with Swiss watchmaker Tissot as the Official Timekeeper and Official Watch of MotoGP. The partnership began over 10 years ago with the renewal seeing Tissot continue as the official timing partner of the FIM’s flagship motorcycle racing championship.

Today, for sale alongside its partnership with MotoGP Tissot has a wide sporting sponsorship portfolio. The company is also the Official Timekeeper of the World Championships of Basketball (FIBA), Cycling (UCI), Ice Hockey (IIHF) and Fencing (FIE).

Commenting on the news, Francois Thiébaud, President of Tissot said: “At Tissot, we strive to produce top quality products for our clients all over the world. MotoGP is the pinnacle of motorcycle racing and, hence, is a perfect match for our brand. We look forward to our continued work together in the future.”

Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of Dorna Sports commented: “At Dorna Sports, we are extremely proud of MotoGP’s long and productive relationship with Tissot. Their long-standing involvement with the world’s premier motorcycling championship showcases their dedication to precision and innovation, whilst also allowing the sport, the athletes and the fans to benefit from their years of top level sports timekeeping expertise.”

BCCI serves IPL Kochi 30-day notice

ampoule helvetica,sans-serif;”>IPL Kochi was on Wednesday served with a termination notice by the BCCI, giving the franchise a time period of 30 days to resolve “infighting”, failing which their IPL contract will be terminated on the 31st day.

“The Governing Council received replies from two parties, the Rendezvous group and the other co-owners, and they both felt that the dispute still exists,” BCCI President Shashank Manohar told reporters after the meeting.

With this decision, Kochi may become the third team after Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab to face the axe. Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals were ousted earlier this month due to several violations of their contract.

Fuse Sport Appoints Naomi Hall as Senior Account Director

Fuse Sport + Entertainment, part of the Omnicom Media Group, has appointed Naomi Hall as Senior Account Director.

The agency, which last month won the Sponsorship Agency of the Year title at the UK Sponsorship Awards, is the fastest growing agency of its kind in the country and now has over 65 employees at its London HQ.

Hall has a wide range of experience within the marketing and media sectors.  From 2005 to 2011 she was based in London as a key member of the organisational team for Benchmark Sport working specifically on the Sport Industry Awards and then for Carat Sponsorship working on accounts including GM, Luxxotica, adidas, Shop Direct, Beiersdorf and J&J.

For the past 2½ years she has been based in New York where she was Senior Partnerships Manager for The Entertainment & Sports Partnerships (ESP) consultancy within GroupM, the world’s leading network of media agencies which includes, Maxus, MEC, MediaCom and Mindshare.  Her clients there included Harman Kardon, Chevron and Texaco. At Fuse, her role will involve working with clients such as Google, Bentley and other new business projects.

Commenting on the appointment, Mark Bullingham, Managing Director of Fuse Sport + Entertainment said, “We are delighted to welcome Naomi to the growing Fuse team.  This is a key period for the agency and having just secured some major new business wins with some top brands our priority is to secure top people, such as Naomi, to deliver outstanding results for these clients”.

Fuse has also made two other significant appointments this month. James English, Account Director, joins from TEAM Marketing. He will be working on Nissan’s sponsorship of the UEFA Champions League. Also Michaela Bilton, Senior Account Manager joins from News International to work on the John Lewis and Virgin Media accounts.

Leeds United Renews Advanced Ticketing Partnership

English Championship club Leeds United has announced an extension with Advanced Ticketing to use its commerce platform, cough TALENT Sport, cheap in a new multi-year agreement.

The club has plans to utilise the TALENT software, doctor which provides a personalised experience for fans when purchasing tickets, in new areas from the New Year. 

Katie Holmes, Head of Ticketing at LUFC, comments: “The Advanced Ticketing team has become one of the club’s most strategic partners. Since using TALENT Sport, we have become renowned for the excellent ticketing experience we offer to fans. Our single biggest achievement has been providing supporters with a superb online experience. In the last year alone, this has resulted in a 31% increase on the online transaction volume, year-on-year, of   match-day ticket sales. This has significantly reduced administration for the ticketing team, allowing us to concentrate on proactive ideas to drive fan loyalty and reach out to new audiences to grow our supporter base.” 

Mark Dewell, Managing Director at Advanced Ticketing, added: “This new contract demonstrates Leeds United’s commitment to the TALENT product and is a testament to the success of the work we have achieved together. We have ensured that TALENT has delivered commercial value to the club whilst enhancing the ticket purchasing experience for fans. Leeds United is a great club to work with. It has ambitious plans for the next few years and we look forward to being involved in these developments.”

Premier Partnerships Selected to Find Naming Rights Sponsors for Portland Trail Blazers’ Rose Garden

The Portland Trail Blazers have partnered with Premier Partnerships, a sports sales and advisory group, to target possible companies that would be interested in purchasing the naming rights for the Rose Garden.

Premier specializes in the development and execution of customized commercial sales strategies for top tier facilities, and are an industry leader in highly specialized naming rights sales. Their naming rights client portfolio has included properties from all of the major sports leagues, including some of the most visible sports facilities in the country. They have also been recognized as Sports Business Journal’s Best in Property Consulting, Sales and Client Services.

“Finding a naming rights partner for the Rose Garden is one of our priorities entering the new calendar year. It’s a critical partnership for us that will have a long-term impact on our franchise,” said Trail Blazers President and CEO Chris McGowan. “Working with Premier will bolster our search process and extend our reach. We’re confident that we will find a partner that the city of Portland and the Trail Blazers brand can proudly associate with.”

Premier’s naming rights successes for sports venues include the Oakland A’s and Raiders’ O.co Coliseum, the Philadelphia Union’s PPL Park, San Diego State University’s Viejas Arena and (former) Pizza Hut Park in Dallas, TX. Premier also secured the naming rights of Dolby Theatre (home of the Academy Awards) and TCL Chinese Theatre (formerly Grauman’s Chinese Theatre).

“We’re honored to join forces with the Portland Trail Blazers in their naming rights search,” said Premier Partnerships CEO Randy Bernstein. “We will leave no stone unturned, both domestically and internationally, to find the best naming rights partner for the Rose Garden and the city of Portland.”

FIFA Drops Mohamed Bin Hammam Bribery Charges

FIFA will not pursue fresh bribery charges against Mohamed Bin Hammam, the former president of the Asian Football Confederation.

Bin Hammam was accused of attempting to bribe Caribbean officials during his campaign to challenge Sepp Blatter for the FIFA presidency.

However, an investigation into the allegations has failed to uncover any new evidence and FIFA’s chief ethics investigator Michael J Garcia has decided to close the case.

The report states: “This investigation focused on events that took place at the Caribbean Football Union meeting in Trinidad and Tobago in May 2011.

“With respect to the events at the CFU conference, the investigation uncovered no new material proof beyond the substantial evidence presented during the proceedings that culminated with the CAS decision vacating Mr Bin Hammam’s ban.

“Accordingly, the Investigatory Chamber has closed this matter consistent with the CAS Panel’s guidance regarding newly discovered evidence.”

Earlier this year the Court of Arbitration for Sport overturned a lifetime ban imposed on Bin Hammam by FIFA.

A CAS three-man panel voted 2-1 in Bin Hammam’s favour but added that is behaviour was “not of the highest ethical standard” and that “it is more likely than not” that he was the source of cash brought into Trinidad and Tobago and distributed by former FIFA vice-president Jack Warner.

He remains provisionally suspended over allegations of financial mismanagement of the AFC but his legal team this week launched a challenge to that suspension in the Swiss courts.

Exclusive: Hearn Explains Leyton Orient Name Change Will Lead to Olympic Stadium

Leyton Orient chairman Barry Hearn will change the club’s name to London Orient in a bid to claim the Olympic Stadium for the East London club.

Mr Hearn, also the head of World snooker and Professional Darts Corporation, says that a ground-share with West Ham would be the best way of securing the long-term legacy of the stadium. 

He told iSportconnect exclusively that there is the opportunity for “a great advert for the London Olympics and the legacy of it.” He also argues that West Ham claiming sole-ownership would merely subsidise the clubs large debts. “We can’t go around with taxpayer’s money giving stadiums to people” he argues. 

Such a move would have to fit around the World Athletics Championships, due to be held at the stadium in 2017. Mr Hearn thinks that “the stadium’s got an awful lot of work to be done with it to make it fit for football, and I don’t know how long that work’s going to take. It should be finished before 2017, hopefully well before 2017.” 

Mr Hearn says that Leyton Orient would have to be lucky enough to rise from League One – English football’s third tier – to justify the move, but he has plans in place to boost the team’s attendances from 5,000 to 30,000 fans, including “giving tickets to the under 18s and to the armed forces” and arguing that both the club and the legacy committee “have to take a long-term view, I think we have to invest in the future”. 

The Matchroom Sport chairman also argued that the most ardent of fans may not be happy with the move, but says “we’re already in consultation with all the fan’s groups and the reaction has been quite positive.” He says that such a move could be crucial in ensuring that the club plays in the stadium, which will see its capacity reduced to accommodate the football club as a tenant.

As for the whole stadium selection issue, Mr Hearn says that the process has been “befuddled”, due to “a lot of changes in attitude throughout the entire process. The stadium wasn’t going to be designed football, then it was, but it’s a very complicated scenario, so it’s understandable”.

Barry Hearn was also on our panel for the Directors’ Club. Check it out here>>

Images online here>>

Super League Bid to Save Bradford Bulls, Club’s Debt Revealed

The Super League has attempted to secure the future of the Bradford Bulls by tabling an offer to aquire them.

The offer was submitted last night after Super League chief executive Nigel Wood, and the Super League clubs met to put together a rescue package.

Wood said: “This saga has gone on for far too long and we are of the view that direct positive action is required to safeguard the future of Bradford Bulls.
“The club has been in administration for five weeks now and during that time not one single offer without strings attached has been submitted to the administrator.
“This situation is clearly unacceptable and raises the tangible prospect that we could lose one of our most famous clubs, which would be a tragedy of significant proportions, not just to the sport and the city of Bradford but to the remaining staff, players and volunteers who all deserve some stability after the turmoil of recent events.
“It is to the credit of the Super League clubs that they have given their unanimous support to this move and are not prepared to stand idly by and see Bradford Bulls disappear.
“The time has come for strong and decisive leadership and this course of action, which is based on sound business principles, represents just that.
“Under the ownership of SLE, we can plot a course for Bradford Bulls which is in the best interests of the club, the competition and the wider game.
“If our offer is accepted, SLE will welcome approaches from all interested parties who have an interest in helping us secure a bright future for professional Rugby League in Bradford.”
Meanwhile it has been revealed Bulls are in £1.5 million in debt, the Rugby Football League’s director of licensing and standards has revealed.

Blake Solly, the Rugby Football League’s director of licensing and standards, shed more light on the financially-stricken club in a meeting with BullBuilder, the Bradford supporters trust.

In the meeting Solly said he could not guarantee the Bulls would remain in Super League for 2013 and revealed that, if the bid is accepted, the Bradford players would be free to speak to other clubs to secure their futures for next season.

A statement released by BullBuilder said: “In a constructive meeting, we established that SLE look on this as a short-term measure and are confident of attracting a long-term, unconditional bid in the near future.

“Solly could give no guarantees about the division in which the club will play next season: he commented that the debt of the club remains a concern and is estimated to be approximately £1.5m.

“However, he assured BullBuilder that the club would continue to play at Odsal for the foreseeable future.

“If the SLE bid is accepted, we understand that players will then be free to speak to other clubs to secure their future for next season.”

Open Letter from iSportconnect Founder & CEO On Second Birthday

Open Letter from iSportconnect Founder and CEO, story Sree Varma

Dear iSportconnect members, arthritis |

iSportconnect turns two years old today

I launched iSportconnect two years ago with the aim of connecting everyone within the sports business. As we celebrate our second birthday, I would like to express my delight at the progress we have made so far and thank you for your support in making this a successful community. 

Our story
I launched iSportconnect because throughout my sports business career I have always thought the industry should have a one-stop platform for all the needs of industry professionals – connecting with each other, sharing ideas, presenting opportunities and keeping up-to-date with news and trends. At the time I was a contractor for Sport+ Markt and CEO of Glitzier Sports Consultancy and I kept looking for one comprehensive resource for the sports business information I needed on a daily basis for my work. I wanted to read sports business news, I needed up to date information on new business opportunities as well as information about the companies and individuals that I was or wanted to deal with. I spoke to my business associates and it became obvious that a one stop shop for up to date news, business networking leads, jobs and market opportunities was sought after but missing. I consequently spent a year doing background research and product development before the iSportconnect website went live on the 25th of June 2010. Since I was working full-time at my other positions it started out as a moonlight kind of operation. It has been fantastic seeing it grow out of my home via a café with editorial volunteers to offices in Mayfair and now in Battersea.

The aim was to provide a platform that is complete, interesting and useful to sports business professionals. To do so, we have interviewed high-profile figures, published columns by industry experts and discussions about important issues, listed many jobs and marketplace opportunities and held successful Directors’ Club events.

We have thoroughly enjoyed connecting people over the last two years and hope that you will continue to find the site interesting and informative.

We always enjoy hearing from our members. If you have any suggestions or comments about the site, please send them to info@isportconnect.com

Thank you for your support

Sree Varma

Founder & CEO, iSportconnect.com

AB InBev Looks to Expand Sports Marketing of Budweiser After Excellent Q1 Sales

AB InBev has seen a 1.8% rise in first quarter sales thanks largely to the Budweiser brand and it’s sponsorship of the FA Cup and will look to increase marketing output of the brand.

The brewer hailed the performance of its Budweiser Draught variant in the on-trade and marketing activity around its FA Cup sponsorship for driving the brand’s performance in the three months to 31 March.

AB InBev has made raising the global profile of its flagship brand a key priority for its marketing teams. One of the ways it is hoping to drive growth is by associating the brand with shared experiences through its sponsorship of FIFA’s World Cup and marketing around the FA Cup in England.

Next month, Budweiser’s Man of the Man Match mobile campaign will let fans vote live for the official Man of the Match, for the first time ever in the competition’s history.

It is part of a wider strategy from the brewer to use social media – which makes up nearly a fifth of its advertising spend – to encourage drinkers to spend progressively more on its brands over time.

Budweiser’s global sales volumes grew 7.3% in the first quarter, while sales of its three core brands, Budweiser, Stella Artois and Beck’s rose by 4.7% in the same period.

The brewer said that it would continue to the drive growth of its flagship Budwesier brand alongside its Stella Artois and Becks beers by investing in more marketing.

Globally, the brewer reported first quarter profits of $1.7bn (£1.04bn), almost double the profit made in the same quarter in 2011. Revenue increased to $9.33bn (£5.7bn) from $9bn (£5.2bn).