The Scottish Rugby Union (SRU) are contemplating selling the naming rights for Murrayfield Stadium.

SRU chief executive Mark Dodson revealed that he will looking into what the union owns with the Murrayfield board and staff in the coming weeks and establishing what sponsorship value some things at the ground might have, buy in a bid to bring new money into the sport.

“We have inventory here that we’ve never used or put out there,” he said, “and one of the things we’re looking at in the first quarter of next year is to look at our inventory across the piece, both at [pro] club level and international level, attaching values to that and seeing what it is we want to sell. We might not sell the naming rights to Murrayfield, but we may. Everything is possible.”

It is an idea which has been looked into in the past. Phil Anderton, the former Coca-Cola executive who became SRU chief executive in 2004, offered the stadium to sponsors while marketing director in 2001 but found no takers at any worthwhile price. Gordon McKie, Dodson’s predecessor, had no luck either. But Dodson believes there could be new interest as the game improves, and does not fear a backlash from supporters who cherish the historic Murrayfield name.

“It would still be ‘something Murrayfield’. It is not a new stadium like the Emirates [Arsenal FC’s stadium], that started off as the Emirates. This will always be Murrayfield, but I believe there will be people who would want to attach their name to this and that would create a value.

“I’m not saying we’re doing it, but we will look at it and the whole of the inventory that we have around this estate.

“We have to put inventory out there with values and try and sell it, and that’s why we’re going to spend a good amount of time in the New Year studying that.”

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Join the iSportConnect debate on the pros and cons of renaming Murrayfield here

Formula One teams Ferrari and Red Bull Racing have decided to withdraw from the Formula One Teams’ Association (FOTA) on the back of the ongoing row over the Resource Restriction Agreement (RRA). 

Amid ongoing debate about the future of FOTA, with teams failing to agree a way forward for the RRA after a crunch meeting at the Brazilian Grand Prix, high level sources have revealed that both Ferrari and Red Bull Racing have lodged notification that they intend to leave the organisation.

It is understood that both teams wrote to FOTA last week to inform them of their decision.

A spokesman for FOTA confirmed only that the body had received notice from two teams that they no longer intended to be a part of it, but would not elaborate on which teams they were.

“FOTA confirms it has received the resignation of two teams,” said a spokesman. “Whilst considering its next steps, FOTA will continue to work on behalf of its members to achieve the aims of the organisation.”

FOTA’s latest statutes mean that teams must give a two-month notice period to leave the organisation, which means Red Bull Racing and Ferrari will officially depart the body by the start of February next year – providing they do not change their mind.

Ferrari has viewed a deal over the RRA as key to FOTA’s future with Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali warning earlier this year that if a deal could not be reached to sort out cost controls within FOTA then the future of the body should be called into question.

Speaking at the Korean Grand Prix, Domenicali said: “If this [mistrust] will come out of FOTA activity then what is FOTA all about? We know the reason why FOTA started, and now we need to understand if FOTA is still needed. What are the objectives of the future of FOTA, if there is a future for FOTA?

“We need to do that in a very constructive way, a very open way. That is the discussion that I believe in the next weeks is important to take over.”

Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner said at the same race: “I think that FOTA has reached the crossroads where it needs to deal with some of the key issues moving forward or we’ll stop. It’s as simple as that.

“The principal issues are obviously the Concorde Agreement, the direction that goes in, and fundamentally the RRA (Resource Restriction Agreement). If we can’t find agreement within FOTA on that, then what is the purpose of FOTA?”

Having agreed a deal with Sportfive to market its players, English Premier League champions Chelsea have sealed a similar agreement with ECN Management to exploit the commercial potential in the Chinese market.

The club control the image rights of nineteen of their highest profile players, including January signings Fernando Torres and David Luiz, and will entrust ECN Management with finding new branding opportunities in China and other countries in the region.

The club are currently looking for new revenue streams as they look to align themselves with UEFA’s new Financial Fair Play rules in order to reduce their dependence on Russian owner Roman Abramovich.

Chelsea are thought to be in a dangerous position in accordance to the regulations which, from the 2013/14 season, will see UEFA have the right to take action against loss-making clubs participating in continental competition. Chelsea posted a loss of just under US$117m in 2009/10.

Ron Gourlay, the Chelsea chief executive, stressed the importance of ECN’s “local knowledge in China”, adding: “We hope to work closely to build on our players’ image and reputation in China.”

ECN Management managing director Frederick Blackford added: “Football in emerging markets, particularly in China is the most exciting growth business in sports. Chelsea players are some of the most prominent ambassadors of the world game.”

Rugby Super League’s Castleford Tigers have been given a huge Christmas present by the Wakefield Council who announced that they would contribute US$3.1m in funding to the clubs new stadium plans. A detailed planning application is now being drawn up to be submitted before Christmas.

Castleford Tigers chief executive officer, Richard Wright, said, “The club welcomes the news as the US$3.1 million contribution from Wakefield MDC is a key part of our funding packages. We are extremely grateful.

“Despite the difficulties they face with the cutbacks to public spending, by this announcement Wakefield MDC has shown their continued support of the club. We can now commit the substantial investment needed to submit our detailed planning application with increased confidence now the council has reiterated its support for the project.”

Major League Soccer (MLS) have unveiled their new logo marking the 20th anniversary for the league in 2015.

The new logo features an updated crest that ditches the old design in favour of a customizable logo that has personalized colour schemes for each team in the league, prostate as well as a standard scheme for the league.

“The new brand’s design is intended to say “soccer” without the literal ball and cleat,” reads a press release on the MLS website, part of their “Next” rollout. “In the end, we decided that the inclusion of a ball and cleat is unnecessary as it dates us very quickly (due to the fast pace of innovation in our game) while many other ways exist to signal we are a soccer league. Our new brand will build meaning over time so that our new crest signifies soccer in North America and has a unique place in global sports.”

The new crest, in the form of a shield, similar to the NFL and NHL logos, bears the MLS name in the top left corner as well as a slash extending from the top right through the bottom left of the crest, which separates the dominant colors. The top half of the crest also contains three stars, which represents “for club, for country, and for community.” 

According to the MLS website, the slash, “refers to soccer’s speed and energy. The slash begins outside the perimeter and drives upward at a 45-degree angle to illustrate both the nonstop nature of our game and the rising trajectory of our league. It bisects the crest to create a “first half” and “second half.”

“We have etched a new milestone in our future today – a culmination of the many monumental changes that have positioned us for rapid growth,” said Howard Handler, CMO, MLS. “In the last 18 months, we have introduced new teams, new soccer-specific stadiums, an eight year, multi-million dollar media rights partnership, and our owners have made significant investments to sign world-class athletes. Together, these elements have led to the realization that our current brand is no longer a proper representation of the league we are and want to become.”

DIRECTV Sports Networks have announced sports industry veteran and former ESPN executive Jim Noel has been appointed as senior counsel of the company and its three ROOT Sports-branded regional sports networks.

The three regional sports networks inlcude ROOT Sports Northwest, order ROOT Sports Rocky Mountain and ROOT Sports Pittsburgh. Noel will report to DIRECTV Sports Networks President Patrick Crumb and will be based in the company’s corporate headquarters in Seattle.

As the senior counsel, impotent Noel will oversee all legal affairs of the company and support all business functions, including affiliate distribution and television rights agreements with team and league programming partners.

“We are thrilled Jim is joining DIRECTV Sports Networks,” said Crumb. “His extensive legal experience and knowledge of the sports television business make him a great addition to our leadership team.”

Noel joins DIRECTV Sports Networks with more than 30 years of legal and business experience in the sports industry. Most recently, he was the chief legal officer of the United States Golf Association. Prior to the USGA, Noel spent 19 years at ESPN Networks, where he held both legal and business positions, including vice president, Business Affairs & Programming and assistant general counsel. Previously, Noel worked for the National Football League as director of Legal Affairs for NFL Properties and as assistant counsel to the Commissioner and NFC Coordinator.

“I’m pleased and proud to be joining such an outstanding organization,” said Noel. “DIRECTV is a world-class company, and DIRECTV Sports Networks provide vibrant television platforms for tapping into the passions that fans have for their home teams. I look forward to playing a role in continuing to grow our businesses.”

ROOT Sports Northwest, ROOT Sports Rocky Mountain and ROOT Sports Pittsburgh are distributed in 18 different states and hold exclusive telecast rights to more than two dozen professional and collegiate teams and conferences. Those include the Pittsburgh Penguins and Pirates, Seattle Mariners, Colorado Rockies, Seattle Sounders, Portland Timbers, Utah Jazz, Big Sky Conference, Mountain West Conference and West Coast Conference, among others.

The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) today announced that it would be handing over the operation of its customer database to Sport England working in partnership with UK Sport and London & Partners. As previously announced, LOCOG began a competitive tender process in October 2012 to find the right partner to help build the strongest possible sporting, volunteering and cultural legacy for the long term. Following a rigorous review, LOCOG selected the three partners to own and manage the database on a not-for-profit basis.  LOCOG will not benefit financially. This transfer of information, which will be a first for an Organising Committee, has been approved by the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee.  LOCOG and the three partners are working with the Information Commissioner to ensure full compliance in data protection regulations covering the transfer. The operation of the database will be consistent with LOCOG’s stated objective to build a lasting legacy from the London 2012 Games by getting more people involved in sport, as spectators,  volunteers or participants, as well as in the arts and cultural events.  The partners will continue the Stay Inspired campaign to build on the model deployed so successfully by LOCOG from the earliest days when over 2 million people signed up to back the bid right through the journey to the Games, helping to generate the huge popular support for the Games and build a communication platform for the Games Maker volunteers, ticket holders and local leaders.  The 5.3 million people currently on the database will have an opportunity to opt out or carry on receiving the monthly newsletters. For those still in the database on March 28 2013 the transfer means that they will continue to receive regular email updates about sport, volunteering and culture from across the UK.   Seb Coe, LOCOG chair said: “The British people took the Olympic and Paralympic Games to their hearts last summer. Many went to see sports they had never seen before, many more volunteered for the first time, millions took part in the London 2012 Festival and the Torch Relay and thousands signed up to be local leaders organising celebrations and community events in neighbourhoods across the UK.  These were the London 2012 fans and millions have chosen to stay engaged.   I am delighted that we’ll be able to continue to keep these amazing people informed and involved in the legacy of the Games.  The group of organisations taking this fan base forward are at the epi-centre of sport, culture and volunteering so I am confident they will continue to keep the public in the loop and deliver great opportunities for everyone to enjoy over the next 10 years. Chair of the partnership and Sport England Chief Executive Jennie Price, said “We are really delighted to be keeping the spirit of London 2012 alive and helping people stay inspired. London 2012 changed the way we think about sport, volunteering and our cultural life forever. The Games created a sense of community and excitement up and down the country and we will use the database to capture and keep that feeling.  “As three partners we have the inside track on what’s going on in sports and culture, so people can keep in touch and get involved. And our commitment to operating the database on a not-for-profit basis and staying true to LOCOG’s approach means that they can be sure their data won’t be sold on.” Sport England will be responsible for overseeing and managing all information issued via the database, ensuring the information is held securely, continues to meet the needs, preferences and interests of subscribers, and reflects the values of the Olympic and Paralympic movement in promoting engagement beyond the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) announced today that it has opened a new office in Miami, impotent Florida to serve as its headquarters for all operations in Latin America.

The Miami office will focus on achieving significant growth across all lines of WWE’s business including Media Distribution, medical Live Event Touring, Consumer Products and Digital within Latin American markets.

Dominic Hayes, Senior Vice President and Managing Director of WWE International, said: “WWE has a well-established TV and pay-per-view presence in Latin America, with long-term partnerships in place with such notable broadcasters as Televisa, TV Azteca, DLA and DirecTV Latin America. The launch of our Latin America office allows us to build upon our current success and demonstrates our further commitment to continued growth in the region.”

by Ismail Uddin