PGA Tour Commissioner Expects World Tour Event

Tim Finchem, PGA Tour commissioner says that a future official world tour for golf is a probability. With the Tour already spanning over 5 different continents, expansions plans are in progress after reaching the likes of Malaysia and China in recent months as well as plans to secure an event in Japan.

Finchem stated on the Tour’s official website: “I think that at some point in time, men’s professional golf will become integrated globally. Now, what form that takes, whether it’s a total integration, whether it’s a FIFA-type, I don’t know. One question is how the competition is organised. Another question is how the organisational structure behind it is organised. The first one is the key thing.”

Finchem also added that alongside European Tour chief executive George O’Grady he has been “working together” on developing golf in Asia: “We’re not going to play a tonne of tournaments over there, so it shouldn’t be a problem. George knows that. We’re talking to him constantly about what our plan would be. My guess is it will result in us doing even more together.”

Australian Superbike Championship renews title sponsorship deal

The Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) renewed its deal with the Viking Group, doctor keeping it as its title sponsor for 2011, capsule it has been announced.

With the support of the transport and logistics company Viking Group, the ASBK has been able to make a number of significant steps forward in 2010 including a standalone event in the Northern Territory, the revival of ‘2+4’ races alongside V8 Supercars and television coverage including a first for the sport, a live, free-to-air broadcast.

Director of the Viking Group Steve Iliopoulos said: “2010 has been a successful year for the ASBK and we are pleased to confirm our continued naming-rights sponsorship into 2011 which looks set for further growth driven by IEG’s desire to innovate and expand.

“The championship reached a wide audience this year thanks to the involvement with V8 Supercars, a new and exciting television package and a number of entertaining support classes and activities.”

Managing director of IEG, promoter of the ASBK, Yarrive Konsky, added: “The Viking Group has played an instrumental role in the ASBK’s growth during 2010, a season where we were able to make significant steps forward with new events plus racing and live television coverage alongside the V8 Supercars.

“We believe the momentum gained this season will carry over into 2011 and look forward to continuing a successful relationship with the Viking Group as we strive to build the profile of the championship and its world-class riders even further.”

Rugby Expo 2014: Day Two Review

After two days of thought-provoking and enlightening discussion at Rugby HQ, anesthetist the curtain has come down on Rugby Expo for another year.

Just a stone’s throw from where England will kick off their 2015 Rugby World Cup campaign in less than 11 months, recipe the list of accomplished guests and speakers was impressive.

Thursday’s delegates were treated to a packed schedule surrounding the role of clubs, unhealthy communities and schemes in the sport’s future.

Two such schemes – Breakthru and Play – are run by Premiership Rugby and Women’s World Cup winner Tamara Taylor was on hand to spread the message.

“Projects like this are going to be massive,” she said. “It really does help that there is success at the elite level but it has got to filter down into clubs.

“If you can keep getting the message out there, the unique selling point of rugby is that every single shape or size can play it. Rugby wants you – get yourself down to the club.”

Taylor’s England team were half of a World Cup double this summer, as the women’s and the U20 sides each returned to these shores with silverware.

And whether or not Stuart Lancaster’s side make it a hat-trick, the Expo was a hunting ground for those in search of ways to capitalise on next year’s tournament and play their part in a rugby boom.

“Already the atmosphere is building and we are getting people talking about who they will support,” said Debbie Jevans, chief executive of England Rugby 2015.

“We have sold out matches involving Samoa, USA and Tonga in places like Brighton, Exeter and Gloucester.

“I think it just shows how popular rugby is in this country. Our ambition was to take the Rugby World Cup to the whole country – it wasn’t just about Twickenham.”

Arun Kang, chief executive of Sporting Equals, added: “This is a great opportunity for rugby.

“The Olympics are approaching and people are talking about a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

“If you think about the Rugby World Cup and the Olympics, this is going to put this sport into every single household in the country.”

And RFU chief executive Ian Ritchie, who had the honour of officially opening the event on Wednesday morning, summed up the day’s motif.

“Every club has a relationship with the local community, town, city, village – whatever it may be,” he said.

“We are trying to put in certain mechanisms but at the end of the day, what is the objective? It is all about making great memories and having a fantastic event.

“This is all about investing back in the game.”

QPR Expand Social Media Innovation by Advertising Twitter Hashtag on Dugouts

Queens Park Rangers FC have looked to up the ante in the social media stakes after revealing they will advertise the club’s Twitter hashtag on the home dugout.

The move is designed to increase fan engagement between R’s supporters who use Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Google+ on a matchday, and is the latest in a series of social media initiatives launched by the club over the past two years.

The R’s have used dedicated matchday hashtags since the start of last season and have found the move popular in engaging with the QPR fans pre, during and post-match.

Adam Hulme, QPR’s Multi-Media Officer, said: “We are always looking for new and innovate ways to engage with our fans through social media.

“We understand that communication with our fans is crucial and our social media channels allow us to experiment with new technologies to help engage with our fans.

“In becoming the first club to add our matchday hashtag to our home dugout we hope to show our growing fanbase how to interact with each other to hopefully add an extra dimension to their matchday experience.”

The R’s social media presence has grown significantly over the past two years with over 147,000 followers on Twitter, as well as almost 230,000 Facebook fans – 108% growth during the 2012/13 season.

Alex Trickett, Head of Sport at Twitter UK, said: “Twitter brings people closer to the things they care about and for many in the UK, that means football.

“We are excited to see QPR thinking of new ways to use our platform to connect fans with the team and players.”

Last season, QPR were the first Premier League side to stream live pre-match press conferences through the social media channel Ustream.

Rangers also used their highly-popular Ustream channel to stream pre-season games in Austria, with fans able to watch a live football match within a tweet.

During the previous transfer window, the R’s have been praised for their innovative ways of announcing new signings though Twitter’s short video service, Vine, including the arrival of Loic Remy and Danny Simpson.

In August, the R’s were named as the most socially savvy football team in the UK outside of the Premier League and scooped the ‘Innovation in Insight-Driven Multichannel Marketing’ award for the #ForeverRs campaign.

Kentaro & Figer Group Partner to Exploit Brazil Soccer Opportunities

Two of the world’s leading football rights agencies, healing Kentaro and the Figer Group, order have today announced plans for a Joint Venture operation, based in São Paulo, to exploit opportunities within the football space within Brazil and beyond.
The Figer Group has represented the likes of Hulk, Marlos, Diego Lugano and Thiago Ribeiro, amongst many others. Headed by the legendary football agent Juan Figer, it has dominated the Brazilian player development and trading
business for many years and now incorporates a range of companies including Figer 360, a marketing services specialist, the Pele Club, a national gym franchise and Rede, an educational concept based around sport.
Kentaro is one of the world’s leading football marketing agencies, specialized in media rights trading, event creation, Federation and club representation and has its own successful talent management group of companies.
Juan Figer, President of Figer Group commented: “We have been searching for some time for the right joint venture partner to expand our activities within Brazil and beyond, as well as to further grow our international player trading activity globally. In Kentaro, we believe we have found the perfect partner.”
Philipp Grothe, CEO of the Kentaro Group, added: “There are very obvious synergies and similarities between our two companies and, given our unique experience of the Brazilian market having commercialized over 60 games of the
Brazilian Seleção, we are convinced that we can make a real and tangible difference in the Brazilian and Latin American markets. Kentaro Brazil has already been established for some time and we are here for the long-term, not just to
exploit the obvious opportunities presented by the World Cup and the Olympics.”

UEFA President’s European-Wide 2020 Finals Plan a One-Off

UEFA president Michel Platini, sick has stated a potential Europe-wide Euro finals would be for 2020 and 2020 alone.
“It is an idea that will be discussed by all national associations within their relevant meetings, discount | ” he said Monday in comments quoted by the Press Association.
“It is an idea and that concerns the 60th anniversary of the Euros in 2020, apoplectic and to carry the game further than just played in one country but extend it to 12 European cities.”
The Football Association have already registered their interest in hosting the Euro 2020 final at Wembley Stadium should the new format be brought in.

Minnesota Wild’s Xcel Energy Center to Build Bud Light Top Shelf Lounge

The Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League (NHL) and Xcel Energy Center have announced the construction of the Bud Light Top Shelf Lounge, medical an all-inclusive loge area on the west end of the RBC Wealth Management Club Level.
The Bud Light Top Shelf Lounge is currently under construction and is expected to be ready for the Wild’s first pre-season game on Sept. 26.
The area includes 24 loge boxes, ailment with four chairs each, generic viagra and 12 bar rail seats. Loge boxes are available for lease starting with a three-year lease option. Within the Bud Light Top Shelf Lounge, there is an exclusive club area, a complimentary buffet, a private bar and iPad access.
Architecture firm Generator Studio is handling the design, and Mortenson Construction – Xcel Energy Center’s original contractor – is doing construction of the Bud Light Top Shelf Lounge, which will have a Scandinavian influence and a canoe-inspired bar. It will include Cambria countertops, furniture from Target Commercial, and sustainable lighting and other materials from 3M.

London Welsh Receive Appeal Date for Rejected Promotion

London Welsh’s appeal against a decision preventing their promotion to the Premiership looks set to be heard later this month on June 21.

The Exiles won this season’s Championship after beating Cornish Pirates in both legs of the final.

But the Richmond-based club were told just hours before the first leg kicked off in Cornwall they did not meet minimum standards criteria set down by English rugby’s Professional Game Board for Premiership entry.

London Welsh played the final’s second leg at the Kassam Stadium in Oxford, which is thought to be their preferred venue should they gain top-flight status.

As things stand, Newcastle will remain in the Premiership next term despite finishing bottom by a point behind Wasps this season.

But should London Welsh succeed in overturning an original decision that went against them, then they will go up and the Falcons be relegated.

In a statement, the RFU said: “The Rugby Football Union has today received London Welsh’s appeal against the decision that the club failed to meet the minimum standards criteria set out by the Professional Game Board for promotion to the Aviva Premiership.

“It is proposed that the appeal hearing, which will take place before an independent panel, will be held on June 21 at the London Bloomsbury Hotel.

“An expedited timetable has been agreed with London Welsh, with the proposed date of June 21 the earliest possible time to allow for the exchange of cases and evidence.

“During the appeal, no further comment will be made.”

Should London Welsh win their appeal? Tell us here>>

O2 Gift Pies & Pints To England Rugby Fans

O2 has announced that it will be sending “pie and pint” packs to rugby fans across England during the forthcoming RBS 6 Nations.

O2 is a long-standing sponsor of England Rugby and the move is part of the new ‘O2 For England’ campaign.

Up to 25,000 ‘O2 For England packs’ will be dispatched to supporters as an accompaniment to watching the action on TV at home; each will contain two fresh Pieminister pies and two cans of Greene King IPA plus an England flag.

The packs are only free of charge to O2 customers, and are available online via www.O2ForEngland.co.uk or by texting PIE to 2020.

O2 ran a similar campaign during the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand called ‘Get up for England’, which was designed to rouse fans for the early GMT kick offs.

O2 marketing and consumer director Sally Cowdry stated, “At O2 we are committed to delivering great experiences for our customers. We know how much they love our pie and a pint offer at Twickenham and so we built upon that to create O2 For England.

“By combining it with Priority Moments we are able to offer a campaign that truly has something for everyone.

“Rugby fans on O2 can now have an enhanced match day experience whether watching a game at home, in a pub with friends or at Twickenham”.

England’s interim head coach Stuart Lancaster added, “Having the support of the fans, wherever they are, is a real boost for the players. O2 For England is a perfect way to help fans cheer on the team from home”.

European Challenge Tour Event Gains Schüco Sponsor

Schüco International, a German engineering firm, has clinched the title sponsorship of The Princess, a tournament of golf’s European Challenge Tour. The event will enter its third year in the summer of 2011.

The tournament will now be known as The Princess by Schüco with the deal thought to be worth around the same figure as the prize fund which stands at US$130,000.

Schüco International president and chief executive officer, Dirk Hindrichs said: “We are proud to be the presenting sponsor of The Princess. We are all about the future – a sustainable future. Our technology is developed to ensure comfort, without sacrificing any of our scarce natural resources. The Princess is all about investing in the future too, in the next generation as well as the ones to follow. In golf, we see a game played outdoors in harmony with nature, we see precision and technology applied in a gentlemanly manner to achieve seemingly effortless power.”

In addition Alain de Soultrait, Challenge Tour director, stated: “An already strong tournament has become even stronger with the announcement of Schüco as title sponsors. With the support of Henrik Stenson, who won the Challenge Tour Rankings in 2000, and now a well-respected company such as Schüco on board, The Princess has a very bright future. The Challenge Tour shares the same vision of investing in the future, so our partnership with Schüco is a natural fit.”