St Helens Rugby Club’s shiny new £30million stadium will guarantee a rosy future for the Stobart Super League club, according to chairman Eamonn McManus.

The 18,000-capacity Langtree Park replaces the century-old Knowsley Road, which had become a millstone around the club’s neck by the time it was demolished last year to make way for housing.

McManus, a retired investment banker and lifelong Saints fan who has personally driven the move for a new ground, says the club is now in a position to become self-sufficient through its pristine spectator and corporate facilities. He said: “It’s not just a great stadium, it’s guaranteed the life for St Helens – its traditions and its values – for generations to come.”

McManus, who conducted a guided stadium tour for the media on Tuesday, added: “At Knowsley Road we generated nothing, there was literally nothing. The expense of running it was much greater than the revenue.

“It’s been a sea change. We’ve already got bookings for the next six months.”

McManus used his connections in the banking industry to ensure the stadium development has not left the club in debt.

“It is 100% owned by the club, with no bank debts, which is quite an achievement,” he said.

“The stadium is high quality in every regard and quite unique in its design. It’s got the feel of a substantial stadium but will also maintain an intimate but passionate rugby league atmosphere.

“I financially invested in the club 12 years ago on the back of architectural plans for a new stadium, which I thought would take two or three years to ensue.

“Now it’s all done and dusted, it’s something you can look back and feel genuinely proud of. I feel 10 feet tall when I come into this place.”

The Rugby Football Union (RFU) are contemplating changes to their tournament review process following the damage inflicted by the leaked reports into England’s failed World Cup campaign according to RFU director Rob Andrew.

This follows damning excerpts from reviews compiled by the RFU, Premiership Rugby and the Rugby Players’ Association were published in The Times.

“We are looking at whether the process is right,” RFU elite rugby director Andrew said. “The process has been damaged and people’s reputations have been damaged. We have to be careful how we manage the information in confidence. It is a valuable process. We have to regain the trust of the players and make it something they want to take part in.”

The investigation into who leaked the reports is nearing a conclusion.

But RFU acting chief executive Stephen Brown admitted that even when investigators uncover the culprit, he or she may never be named publicly.

“We are all under investigation – anyone who touched the report,” Brown said. “The company we have used to conduct this investigation are close to a conclusion. We don’t know the outcome of that.

“What I would say is, it’s extremely unfortunate that anyone would choose to leak confidential documents and I don’t think it just reflects on the players – three reports were leaked so it reflects on everyone who participated in them.”

The reports contained critical comments about some England coaches and about the culture within squad – two things that are being addressed by the RFU.

A firm of head-hunters has been appointed to help the recruitment process for the new permanent England head coach while Stuart Lancaster, who holds the job on an interim basis, has set about reforming the culture of the squad.

Lancaster has been praised for his contribution to the RFU’s so-called “reputational damage repair plan”, which also includes engaging with sponsors who were concerned by the image of English rugby after 2011.

Three US women’s soccer players Hope Solo, Abby Wambach and Alex Morgan have signed marketing deals with the Bank of America.
 
They will become spokeswomen for the Bank during the Chicago Marathon in October, and the deal could well be extended.
 
The Bank of America sponsored marathon raises funded for a number of charities and bring a huge economical benefit to the ‘Windy City’

 Anne Finucane, Bank of America’s global strategy and marketing officer, in a statement. “It takes a tremendous amount of partnership to make all of that happen, and right now, nobody better represents the spirit of teamwork than Abby, Hope and Alex.”
 
 

The International Rugby Board (IRB) has announced that global participation in the sport has increased by 19 per cent since the Rugby World Cup 2007 driven by the board’s investment and hosting strategies.

The IRB welcomed the findings of a major new study which highlights strong growth in participation, particularly across emerging Rugby markets.

The report details that in comparison to 2007 figures, emerging nations across the globe are accelerating in numbers of participants with growth increasing by 18 per cent in Asia alone.

In Africa and South America significant increases of 33 per cent and 22 per cent respectively have occurred. While participation figures are highest in Europe, non-traditional Rugby playing nations in Eastern Europe have also emerged, contributing to the 22 per cent increase seen across the continent as a whole.

IRB Chairman Bernard Lapasset said: “These are extremely exciting times for Rugby with strong growth and participation worldwide. This report, commissioned by MasterCard, underlines that growth is not just continuing, but is accelerating and is as prominent in emerging Rugby markets as traditional Rugby countries.”

Serie B team Bologna has been purchased by Montreal Impact President Joey Saputo and Joe Tacopina. 

The Board of Directors ratified the sale, and the transaction was made official yesterday. Tacopina will assume the role of President and Chairman of the club.

Bologna F.C. 1909 has a storied history, having won the Italian league championship seven times, making them the sixth most successful team in the history of the league. Tacopina is now the 30^th President of the club, most recently serving as the Vice President, Board Member and Part Owner of A.S. Roma.

“We are humbled to be the caretakers of this storied club as it has been a dream. We have worked tirelessly to make today a possibility, and our work will never cease. We believe in this club, we believe in its future and we believe in our fans,” said Tacopina. “The ownership is committed to being a part of this team and this community for the long term.”

Saputo is the founding and current President of the Montreal Impact, a Major League Soccer club in Canada, and spearheaded the construction of Stade Saputo, the team’s current home.

“We are dedicated to moving up to Serie A, and we will invest that time and effort into this football club and the fans. We have assembled one of the strongest management and executive groups in football to support our team on the field,” said Saputo. “We intend to work closely with the city and Mayor Merola, especially with regards to renovations to the stadium.”

Marco Di Vaio, a current player for Montreal Impact and former Bologna FC star, attended the press conference and presented both Tacopina and Saputo with personalized Bologna F.C. 1909 jerseys.

Digital wireless telecommunications company, clinic  Qualcomm has agreed a partnership with Major League Baseball Advanced Media, denture the league’s interactive media and Internet company, to help improve wireless coverage inside ballparks.

The San Diego-based company will have an engineering team assess in-ballpark availability of Wi-Fi and cellular coverage. Qualcomm said select ballpark reviews are underway, and the remaining assessments will occur over the next two years.

Anand Chandrasekher, Qualcomm’s senior vice president and chief marketing officer, noted that mobile data traffic is “exploding” in high-traffic areas such as MLB ballparks.

“Collaborating with an industry leader such as Qualcomm is a critical step in understanding and executing on the engineering challenges to achieve scalable, reliable in-venue connectivity,” Joe Inzerillo, MLBAM’s chief technology officer, said in a statement.

Inzerillo added that the majority of traffic on MLB.com comes from mobile devices.

MLB has also drafted wireless carrier T-Mobile to make ballpark improvements, such as modernizing bullpen phones.

Boyden, price cialis a global leader in executive search, announced today that it has been selected by Triathlon Australia to provide executive recruiting services for the organisation’s National Performance Director.

The global search will be led by Michael Catlow, veteran sports industry search leader and Managing Director of Boyden Australia in Melbourne, and Anne Stuckey, Executive Director of Boyden Australia in Sydney.

“Boyden possesses a combination of functional experience and client focus, which we are confident will fully address our leadership needs.”

Reporting to CEO Anne Gripper, the National Performance Director will oversee the strategic leadership and direction of all aspects of Triathlon Australia’s National High Performance Program, ensuring that Australia achieves sustained international success in triathlon performances at the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games and ITU World Championships.

“For us it was the right decision to select Boyden, owing to the firm’s proven success in working with us and their long-standing commitment to the Australian market and sports industry,” said Ms. Gripper. “Boyden possesses a combination of functional experience and client focus, which we are confident will fully address our leadership needs.”

“Having successfully conducted a CEO search for Triathlon Australia in 2010, it’s an exciting opportunity for us to re-engage with this prestigious international sporting body to lead the search for this high profile executive role,” said Michael Catlow, Managing Director of Boyden Australia. “We are confident in finding a proven leader with a sports affinity, and strong business and people skills.”

Mr. Catlow brings extensive experience in international management recruitment, including a stellar track record of completing 400 sport industry assignments. His previous placements include CEO Australian Sport Commission, CEO World Masters Games, CEO World Bowls, CEO Basketball Australia, CEO Wheelchair Sports, CEO of the Victorian Olympic Council and Head Coach All England Netball.

Australia is currently the leading nation in the sport of triathlon, with elite and age group athletes gaining top placements at numerous World Championships, the 2004 and 2008 Olympics and the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Approximately 160,000 participants compete in hundreds of events held annually throughout Australia, including triathlons, duathlons, aquathlons and Ironmans. Triathlon Australia works closely with key stakeholder groups such as the Australian Sports Commission and many state and local government bodies and authorities to provide a fun and safe environment for multisport athletes.

Utah State has signed the paperwork needed to join the College sports conference Mountain West Conference.

A news conference Friday is expected to announce the deal.

As was previously reported by the Tribune on Sunday, arthritis USU’s matriculation to the MWC has been a foregone conclusion for almost a week. The Aggies will play this upcoming season in the Western Athletic Conference and will join the Mountain West, viagra buy along with San Jose State, viagra sale in time for the 2013 season.

In doing so, USU will renew old rivalries with schools such as Colorado State and Wyoming. Utah State and San Jose State’s move is likely to serve as a crippling blow to the WAC as a viable football conference as it will be left with just two football-playing schools — New Mexico State and Idaho.

Once in the Mountain West, Utah State also will be reunited with old WAC foes Nevada, Fresno State and Hawaii, all of which will compete in the MWC this upcoming season.

Jeff Hurd, the WAC’s interim commissioner, released a statement on Monday morning.

“The Western Athletic Conference Board of Directors is well aware of the changing landscape in Division I athletics and has been in discussion about it for the last several weeks.

“Further, it continues to evaluate the impact upon the WAC and is closely engaged in evaluating its membership options. It will not speculate relative to those options, but it has confidence that the WAC will maintain its more than 50-year history as a pre-eminent Division I conference.”

Saracens FC’s plans to spend £20m to revamp Barnet Copthall stadium have been recommended for approval by planning officers providing the Premiership champions with a new home in 2013.

It will now go before the Barnet Council planning committee meeting on 2 February.

Nigel Wray, Saracens chairman, who will fund £10m of the project himself, said: “The recommendation to approve our planning  application by council officers is a very positive step forward and we sincerely hope that councillors at Barnet will also be able to support the plans.

“The recommendation is the result of a thorough analysis of all aspects of the plans and a lot of hard work to develop the best possible scheme. Issues have been raised throughout the process, such as Green Belt policy and transportation. We have responded positively by amending our plans, providing further information and introducing robust safeguards.

“We are not a normal developer. We plan to make Copthall our home. We are therefore committed to working closely with the local community and becoming a part of it. We want and need local support and we will work hard for it. We absolutely promise that. We will treat local residents with respect and make a positive difference in the area.

“We are delighted with the amount of support that we have received from throughout the local community. This has come from residents, local sports clubs, community groups and schools, all of whom will benefit from the new and improved facilities at Copthall and greater accessibility to them. We absolutely promise that we will make Copthall a community asset that we can all be proud of.”

The revived Barnet Copthall stadium would become home to Saracens who would play up to 16 matches per year on a new synthetic pitch. At all other times (349 days) the facilities would be available to the local community, a home to Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers.