Expansion plans for a proposed Rugby League World Club Challenge are starting to be formed and former Gateshead and Hull chief executive Shane Richardson will sit on a group who will take this forward.

The group was established following a meeting in London between Rugby Football League chief executive Nigel Wood and his counterpart from the Australian Rugby League Commission, David Gallop, and will comprise of representatives of the Stobart Super League and the NRL.

Richardson, who was a founder of the Gateshead Super League club in 1999, is now chief executive of South Sydney.

Gallop, who was in Manchester on Thursday for talks on the 2013 World Cup, said: “I am a huge supporter of the World Club Challenge concept and am looking to explore ways in which we can build on its success and popularity.

“I will be joined by Shane Richardson and Peter Doust (St George Illawarra Dragons) on the working party and we look forward to working with Nigel and the Super League representatives to discuss all the options.”

The Challenge has been played as a one-off match between the champions of Super League and the NRL grand-final winners since 2000, with England hosting all 13 matches so far.

This year’s Challenge was won by Leeds, whose chief executive Gary Hetherington has led calls for it to be expanded and possibly taken to either a neutral venue or Australia.

Wood said: “There are a few logistical issues to be taken into consideration but it is clear that there is an appetite for more cross-competition fixtures involving Super League and NRL clubs.

“It’s important to stress that any expansion of the World Club Challenge would be in addition to, and not at the expense of, international competition which will continue to have primacy.”

Advance Publications owners of New Orleans daily newspaper, Times-Picayune, is paying five New Orleans Saints players including quarterback Drew Brees to promote the newspaper’s website through the social media website Twitter.

Receiver Lance Moore, cornerback Tracy Porter, running back Pierre Thomas and linebacker Jonathan Vilma also are being paid undisclosed sums by Advance Digital. The five players combined have close to 900,000 Twitter followers, with Brees having the most at nearly 700,000.

The players’ tweets provide links to the recently redesigned Saints community page on NOLA.com, which is affiliated with the Times-Picayune and features the newspaper’s content.

John Hassell, Advance Digital vice president of content, says the players are sending out eight messages combined during the second half of October.

Advance Digital is affiliated with Advance Publications Inc. the owners of Times-Picayune.

Tiger Woods has been weighing up sponsorship offers from Chinese companies, it has bee disclosed.

He is hoping, it was reported, that Chinese sponsorship can help make up for the series of US losses he incurred following the sensational exposure later last year that he had been living a secret life that included a string of extra-martial affairs

US based companies including AT&T, Accenture and Gatorade ended their involvement with Woods because of the scandal which also led to the break-up of his marriage and the loss of his World No 1 ranking to Lee Westwood. .

“We’re certainly considering Chinese companies as they are certainly considering [me],” Woods told Reuters in Shangai where he finished joint fifth in the HSBC Champions on Sunday.

“It’s just a matter of finding the right fit and believing in the company and making sure that I can help them and we see eye-to-eye in that regard,” he added.

Speedway team, Leicester Lions have failed with their bid to enter the Elite League and have been told to re-apply in 2013.

The ambitious Premier League outfit only returned to the track in 2011, but after two seasons their promoter David Helmsley applied for entry as their is no automatic promotion in British speedway.

But after talks at the AGM between the Elite League promoters and Leicester, it was decided that because of the difficult economic climate – that the numbers in the two top leagues should be protected.

Leicester promoter David Hemsley said: “Though it is disappointing for us at this stage not to enter the Elite League, we recognise that we are part of a bigger picture, are grateful for the support we have been given for the future, and pleased that we are encouraged to pursue our ambition to race at the highest level.

“We would always want to do what is right for British Speedway and we are looking forward to an exciting year of competitive Premier League racing.”

It was also announced that the Elite League KO Cup would be ‘shelved’ for 2013 after a number of clubs struggled to fit in the fixture towards the end of the season.

Four-time Major winner South Africa’s Ernie Els, therapy | has announced today that he has signed with IMG, the world’s leading sports, fashion and media company, for worldwide management and marketing representation.

Els, a four time Major Champion, former World Number One and winner of more than 65 international titles, is one of golf’s truly global stars. He was inducted to the Hall of Fame in 2011 and is today known as much for his charity work as for his golfing prowess, both in aiding underprivileged children in South Africa and more recently for his work for Autism through his charity, Els for Autism.  He also has burgeoning golf course design and wine businesses.

Els enjoyed a fairytale return to the Major league when he won the 2012 Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes in July, proving he is still competing at the very highest level.

Els explained his decision to join IMG commenting, “IMG has a global network of offices, loads of experienced and dedicated golf staff operating in every aspect of the game so really is best equipped to help me achieve everything I want to do on and off the course.”

Ernie’s management at Pros Inc. will be moved to IMG who will work closely with Phil Cotton and Ernie’s existing team of staff. Vinny Giles of Pros Inc., commented, “I am delighted to be part of transitioning Ernie to IMG where he will be in the most capable of hands.”

Guy Kinnings of IMG commented: “Ernie has had an amazing career to date and his influence on the game is extraordinary. We are delighted to be working with Ernie and his team and know that IMG’s offices and staff situated all around the world will be excited to have the opportunity to work with one of golf’s most inspiring figures. IMG is ideally placed to showcase both what Ernie has achieved and to assist with the exciting times ahead of him as one of the world’s iconic golfers.”

FIFA President Sepp Blatter has today suggested former boss Joao Havelange should be stripped of his honorary title following the release of the ISL documents implicating the Brazilian. 

Blatter’s comments mark a reversal for the president of soccer’s governing body. At the FIFA congress meeting in Hungary in May, Blatter had led a standing ovation for the ailing 96-year-old.

But Blatter has been under mounting pressure since last week after FIFA released a Swiss prosecutor’s report confirming Havelange accepted kickbacks from marketing agency ISL in the 1990s.

“He has to go. He can’t remain honorary president after these incidents,” Blatter told Swiss weekly SonntagsBlick in an interview that was published Sunday.

Blatter was a senior official during Havelange’s reign at FIFA. The 76-year-old Blatter, who is Swiss, took over from Havelange in 1998.

He had previously acknowledged that he knew about payments, but insisted they were legal in Switzerland at the time.

“I only learned of it (the payments), after the collapse of the ISL agency in 2001,” Blatter said. “It was FIFA which made a criminal complaint at the time and thereby got the ball rolling in the ISL case.”

Allerdale council has agreed to improve the Derwent Park stadium boosting Workington’s bid to host Rugby League World Cup games.

The council executive yesterday agreed to make up the funding shortfall to a maximum of £50,000 – subject to the completion of a works schedule.

The upgrade will allow the stadium to meet the standards required of Rugby League World Cup 2013 host venues.

Council leader Alan Smith said: “When I heard that west Cumbria might not get any of the World Cup matches, I was determined that this council would do everything it could to try and secure the events.

“The Rugby League World Cup 2013 is a highly prestigious event, which will raise the profile and bring trade to the area, and strongly aligns to the council’s commitment to support festivals and events.

“It has taken huge effort and a lot of discussions within a very short time frame with representatives from Workington Town RLFC, Britain’s Energy Coast and the World Cup organisers to get this far, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel and we have just taken another positive step in the right direction.

“We can make this happen; we can bring the Rugby League World Cup to West Cumbria.”

Rt Hon Brian Wilson, Chairman of Britain’s Energy Coast, said: “We still want to see the Rugby League World Cup coming to West Cumbria in 2013 and the Derwent Park proposal has created a way of keeping that objective alive.

“Hosting these games will be an economic opportunity for the whole of west Cumbria and it would be a great pity to lose it at this juncture. We are willing to help fund the improvements required at Derwent Park and await a detailed application.

“This will be money well-spent not just in order to secure the World Cup fixtures for west Cumbria but also to create better facilities for the whole community in the longer term.”

Dave Bowden, Workington Town chairman, added: “This is a wonderful and unique opportunity to raise participation in sport by trying to ensure West Cumbria hosts the Rugby League World Cup in Workington.

“I can only praise the commitment from Britain’s Energy Coast and Allerdale Council.”

According to estimates the cost will be between £400,000 and £450,000. The Britain’s Energy Coast Board has ringfenced £350,000 for the scheme, subject to any necessary balance of funding being provided through external sources.