The Buckinghamshire Golf Club in southern England has commissioned design firm Thomson Perrett & Lobb to undertake a strategic review of its golf course, adiposity with a view to implementing proposed changes over a two to three year period.

Located in Denham, viagra pills to the north west of London, Buckinghamshire is the home of the Ladies European Tour, and plays host to one of its flagship tournaments, the ISPS Handa Ladies  British Masters, won this year by Lydia Hall from Wales. The course, which opened in 1992, was originally designed by legendary golf coach John Jacobs and developed by Kajima UK.

“Our key goal at Buckinghamshire is to improve the playing experience for the members, and help the club attract new ones,” said TPL principal Tim Lobb. “Obviously, though, we have to take into account the fact that the course is the home of the LET, and is hosting the Tour regularly. The owners are especially keen to increase the number of women among the membership, and we will consider playability for lady golfers very carefully during our review.

“Buckinghamshire has many, many bunkers – in total, they amount to 1.4 hectares of sand,” he said. “Naturally, that creates a lot of work for the greens crew, and we will be focusing on bunker strategy closely. We don’t want to reduce the challenge of the course, but we do want to give maximum bang for the bunker!”

Lobb cited the short par four eighth, which offers a direct route to the green over a lake, or a safe layup and pitch option, as one of the course’s stand out holes. “The eighth (pictured) is a terrific hole, but it needs to be made more enticing for golfers,” he explained. “We’re considering adding a little more fairway on the direct line to the green, to encourage more people to have a go at it.”

Former Ryder Cup player John O’Leary and director of golf at the Buckinghamshire, said: “We have a terrific golf course, as anyone who saw this year’s Ladies British Masters will know, but we believe that, with TPL’s help, we can make it better still, and we look forward to seeing their proposals.”

Michel Platini, the Uefa president is determined to stage the World Cup during the European winter for the first time at the 2022 tournament in Qatar.

The move would require all major European Leagues to take a month-long winter break, including England’s Premier League which has no mid-season break at all.

“I hope it will be held in winter,” the Frenchman told the London Evening Standard today. “We have to go to Qatar when it is good for everybody to participate. What is better for the fans?”

Platini believes there is enough time to work out how to organise the domestic leagues around a winter World Cup. “In 10 years we can manage to decide how we can postpone the season for one month,” he added.

“January is difficult for the World Cup because you have the Winter Olympic Games. If we stop from November 2nd to December 20th, it means, instead of finishing in May, we stop in June. It is not a big problem. It is for the good of the World Cup, the most important competition in the world.”

Platini voted for Qatar to get the 2022 World Cup and was also in favour of Russia being awarded the 2018 tournament. “I voted for Qatar because it was time to go to a country in that part of the world,” he said. “They bid five times.”

He also denied voting for Qatar after being told to do so by former France president Nicolas Sarkozy. “I tell you one thing immediately,” Platini said. “One day I was invited to dinner by Sarkozy where there was the Prime Minister of Qatar. Mr Sarkozy never asked me during the dinner to vote for Qatar. They invited me to the dinner but they know I will be independent, that I will vote for who I want.”

Palace of Auburn Hills has announced renovations to the Detroit Pistons home focusing on improving fan-friendly technology and social interaction.

Palace Sports & Entertainment launched a $13 million-plus overhaul of the 24-year-old arena.

Among the areas targeted for overhaul — complete with new navy-blue accents — are the arena’s main concourse, clinic 100-level suite corridor and Club West bar and restaurant.

Forty lower-level suites will be renovated, cialis and 16 of the 80 third-level suites will be eliminated to create a full-service, ambulance open-air lounge on the Palace’s stage-facing end.

Another 16 of those third-level suites may eventually make way for what Palace CEO Dennis Mannion called an “innovations lab,” where companies such as Ticketmaster and Internet providers could create interactive programs for fans.

The moves reflect a broader rethink in the U.S. arena business, which in the 1980s turned to corporate suites as a key revenue source.

“It’s just changing, and that’s driven by technology rather than economy,” Mannion said. “Suites were largely developed at a time when corporate spending was big on hospitality. Even when it still is, they want something attached to it that gives bigger bang for the buck.”

Also in the works is arena-wide wireless service. Digital boards on the concourse and new screens inside suites will let fans publicly interact via text messaging.

“It’s always been about relevance, which drives the relationship you have with fans. We have to stay current, from food offerings to ticket offerings to in-game entertainment,” Mannion said. “Relevance leads to bigger, deeper relationships, which obviously translates into revenue.”

The work is expected to be finished by the start of the NBA season in October. It’s the latest phase in an ongoing makeover that began with last year’s renovation of the West Atrium, locker rooms and offices.

The project is the biggest enhancement at the Palace since completion of the $30 million Comcast Pavilion in 2006.

“We know it starts with good product — the team on the court has to be good, the performers onstage have to be good,” said Mannion. “But I want to make sure the accoutrements around it are first-class.”

English Rugby club, London Welsh, push for promotion has been halted after the RFU concluded their ground was not up to standard.

The English club which was prominent in 1960s and 70s, will not be promoted to the Premiership along with their playoff rivals Cornish Pirates.

In a statement, the RFU directors said: “The Rugby Football Union’s board of directors has considered the findings of the independent audit report requested by London Welsh, which determines a club’s eligibility for promotion to the Aviva Premiership in line with the minimum standards criteria (MSC).

“The report found that London Welsh has not met the MSC for the Aviva Premiership. The independent auditors identified various failures, including not having primacy of tenure at their nominated ground. This states that a club must demonstrate that they can host home fixtures at the time stipulated by Premiership Rugby and/or the host broadcaster.

“The RFU board ratified the findings and agreed, should London Welsh win the RFU Championship final following the second leg on 30 May, they would not be eligible for promotion and Newcastle Falcons would remain in the Aviva Premiership.

“Cornish Pirates did not choose to have an independent audit of the Mennaye Field and so do not fulfil the criteria for promotion should they win the final. As a result, there will be no promotion from the RFU Championship this season.”

The main problem for Welsh, who are based in west London, is their ground has only one small stand and is barely good enough for championship rugby.

Welsh, who were formed in 1885 and who supplied seven players to a British Lions tour in 1971, have 14 days to appeal against the decision.

KFC, try IBM Global Services, pills Dell, cialis and Nike were among the Top “Ambush Marketers” for the London 2012 Olympics as ranked by The Global Language Monitor (GLM), the Internet and Media Trend Tracking Company.  

In the rankings, encompassing Q3 and Q4 of 2011, GLM measured the strength of the brand affiliation for each official Olympic sponsor as well as those of their primary competitors.

“Though ‘ambush marketing’ is well understood to mean an organization knowingly exploiting a brand affiliation with the Games — without the benefit of official sponsorship.  However, all perceived Olympic sponsors according to their presence in the global media, and statistically linked to the London Games, qualify for GLM’s Ambush Marketing Index, said Paul JJ Payack; president of the Austin, Texas based Global Language Monitor.  “There is more than pride at stake, since the official sponsors generate some 30% of the revenue needed to stage the Games.”

There are twenty-five top official Olympic sponsors divided into three tiers:  Worldwide Partners, Official Partners, and Official Supporters.  GLM tracks over fifty non-affiliated companies that are direct competitors with the Official Olympic sponsors.

Measuring each tier against their ambushers, GLM has found that for the second half of 2011, each tier of Ambushers beats their legitimate competitors according to the Tier’s Q4 Brand Affiliation Ranking.

Among Worldwide Partners, Coca-Cola, DOW, and P&G scored the highest on GLM’s Brand Affiliation Index (BAI) for Q4 2011.  In terms of movement, Omega and Coca-Cola both improved their BAIs by some 350%, over the last half of 2011.  Among Worldwide Partner Ambushers, IBM Global Services, Royal Phillips, HP, Barclaycard, and Dell all scored significantly higher on GLM’s BAI for Q4 2011 than their Worldwide Partner competitors.  In terms of movement, IBM Global Services, Dell, and KFC all improved their BAI’s by 250% or more through the end of 2011.

Among Official Partners, EDF Energy, Lloyds TSB, and the BT Group scored the highest on GLM’s Brand Affiliation Index (BAI) for Q4 2011.  In terms of movement, Lloyds TSB, the BT Group, and BP, all improved their BAI more than 100% over the last half of 2011. 

Among Official Partner Ambushers, UnitedContinental (BA), the 3i Group (Lloyds TSB), and all scored significantly higher on GLM’s BAI for Q4 2011 than their Worldwide Partner competitors.  In terms of movement, the 3i Group (Lloyds TSB), UnitedContinental (BA), and Nike (Adidas) all improved their BAI’s by 250% or more through the end of 2011.

Among Official Supporters, Arcelor Mittal, UPS, and Cadbury scored the highest on GLM’s Brand Affiliation Index (BAI) for Q4 2011.  In terms of movement, Arcelor Mittal, Cadbury, Cisco Systems, and Adecco all improved their BAI more than 200% over the last half of 2011. 

Among Official Supporter Ambushers, Hebie Steel (Arcelor Mittal), Kraft (Cadbury), and PricewaterhouseCoopers (Delloite) all scored significantly higher on GLM’s BAI for Q4 2011 than their Official Supporter competitors.  In terms of movement, Hebie Steel (Arcelor Mittal), DHL (UPS), and Ericsson (Cisco) improved their BAI’s by 250% or more through the end of 2011.

Mark England has been named Team GB’s Chef de Mission for the Baku 2015 European Games and the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, discount the British Olympic Association (BOA) has announced.

Mark is the current Director of Sport Services at the BOA and in his 13 years at the organisation has previously been a deputy Chef De Mission at six Olympic Games, arthritis including London 2012 and Chef De Mission for a number of Olympic Youth Festivals.  Mark’s appointment was unanimously approved by the Board at today’s meeting.

BOA CEO Bill Sweeney commented: “Mark has been leading the BOA’s preparations for both events and brings a wealth of Olympic knowledge and expertise to the roles. Baku 2015 and Rio 2016 will both will require complex planning and Mark’s experience and relationships in those cities will help ensure no stone is left unturned in providing Team GB with the best possible environment to perform at its best at both Games.”

Mark England commented: “I’m hugely honoured to have been given the opportunity to lead the teams heading out to Baku and Rio over the next couple of years. I look forward to working with my Team GB colleagues and the National Governing Bodies to ensure the preparations being put in place are world class.”

Yorkshire County Cricket Club have appointed AudienceView, unhealthy an e-commerce solution company, as its new technology partner.

The fully integrated solution will power sales and service via single fan accounts, through which fans can purchase match day tickets, memberships, merchandise and corporate hospitality packages. In addition, AudienceView will provide a service to the Yorkshire Cricket Board, Yorkshire Cricket Foundation and manage cricket net group bookings for the venue.

“AudienceView is an innovative, customer-centric solution to take our club into the future, allowing us to put our fans first and contribute significantly to the betterment of Yorkshire cricket,” said Mark Arthur, Chief Executive of Yorkshire County Cricket Club. “We are truly delighted to be implementing such modern, forward-thinking technology to create better relationships with our fans and provide a best-in-class shopping experience.”

Engineered with customer relationship management (CRM) at the core, AudienceView incorporates ticketing, social/mobile commerce, marketing, access control and full fan management in a single solution. This enables organizations like Yorkshire County Cricket Club to improve operational efficiencies and unlock new revenue opportunities.

“We are excited to welcome Yorkshire County Cricket Club to the AudienceView family,” said Jeff Koets, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for AudienceView. “Our integrated ticketing, CRM and membership functionality will serve Yorkshire well as it continues to exceed expectations both on and off the field.”

The World Curling Federation (WCF) has announced that the Chinese capital, impotent Beijing, will host the 2014 World Men?s Curling Championship.

The event will take place from March 29 to April 6, 2014. ?The award of the 2014 World Men?s Championship to Beijing is a major landmark in the development of curling? said World Curling Federation President Kate Caithness following a signing ceremony at the WCF secretariat in Perth, Scotland on Wednesday.

?It will be the first time that a World Men?s Curling Championship will be staged in the Pacific-Asia zone. In the last decade we have witnessed a surge in growth of curling in the region. Following on from the World Women?s Curling Championships in Japan in 2007 and Korea in 2009, China will now host the top twelve men?s teams in the world and we look forward to working with our partners and sponsors to stage a first class show for the world to enjoy.? ?

“The Chinese Curling Association would like to thank the World Curling Federation for putting their trust in us and our partners to host the 2014 World Men?s Curling Championship,”? said Ni Huizhong, President of the Chinese Curling Association.

He added: “?Curling is a sport that is growing incredibly fast not only throughout China but also throughout the rest of the Pacific-Asia region. We hope that this event, being staged just after the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, will help continue to inspire the next generation of curlers throughout the world. We would like to invite everyone to China in 2014 and the city of Beijing to be part of this incredible experience.?”

At the same time as the 2014 World Men?s host agreement was signed, Titlis Glacier Mountain confirmed their title sponsorship of the Titlis Glacier Mountain World Women?s Curling Championship 2013, in Riga, Latvia. They have also confirmed they will be a main sponsor, along with the City of Lucerne, of the 2014 Men?s World Curling Championships in Beijing, China.

On agreeing these sponsorship deals, Norbert Patt, CEO of Titlis Cableways, Hotels and Restaurants, said: “?Our previous sponsorships of the World Women?s Curling Championship in 2009 and 2011 resulted in increasing awareness for the Titlis Glacier Mountain tourist destination. So it was a logical step to extend the partnership with the WCF, especially for the 2014 event in Beijing, China, which is very important for us.”

Titlis Glacier Mountain and the city of Lucerne are the top two destinations for Asian tourists visiting Switzerland.? The venue for the World Men?s Curling Championship will be announced at a later date, with a number of options available in Beijing for the event. 

The 2013 Ford World Men?s Curling Championship will take place from March 30 – April 7 at the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre in Victoria BC, Canada. The 2014 Ford World Women?s Curling Championship will take place in Saint John, New Brunswick in Canada from 15-23 March. The 2013 World Women?s Curling Championship will take place from March 16-24 at the Volvo Sports Center in Riga, Latvia.

Infront Sports & Media, the leading international sports marketing company, has officially announced the inauguration of a new subsidiary as another milestone in the group’s global growth strategy.

Infront France SAS is based in Paris and will embark on business operations as of today.

With the new subsidiary in place, the Infront Group is increasing its focus on the French market, approaching the domestic economy with its attractive international rights portfolio and comprehensive sports marketing expertise. Sports rights holders, organisers of sports events and sponsor brands will now have greater access to the group’s premium sales, marketing and client services as well as its full range of professional solutions.

The subsidiary is led by Managing Director Jean-François Jeanne, an experienced French sports business professional and marketing specialist with a 16-year international industry track record.

Infront represents a significant number of rights holders hosting major sports events in the country, including various FIS World Cup competitions and the annual Ironman event in Nice. In addition, Infront distributes sponsorship packages to several major international sports events appealing to a French fan base such as the EHF EURO, the IBU Biathlon World Cup and various international football properties including AC Milan, SS Lazio, Werder Bremen and Schalke 04.

Philippe Blatter, President & CEO of Infront Sports & Media, said: “The inauguration of Infront France is a logical step within Infront’s growth strategy. Our Group has already established a large network of rights holders and commercial partners in France and we will now expand on this with a dedicated subsidiary. We are looking forward to offering our broad expertise, full range of premium services and tested solutions to existing and new clients in the country. As is the case for Infront worldwide, reliability, innovation and a focus on high quality as well as the on-going development of trusted client relationships will be key objectives for the new Infront team in Paris.”

Jean-François Jeanne (picture), Managing Director of Infront France, added: “It is a real pleasure for me to become part of the highly reputed and experienced Infront team with its clear focus on excellence in execution. I am convinced by Infront’s approach and understanding of sports business, combined with the resources it is deploying around the globe to promote key sports properties. Infront France will be fully committed to implementing the Group’s long-term strategy in the French market, providing top services for major local sports and helping to increase their revenue base.”