Edmonton in Canada, which has played host to major sports events in the past thirty years has agreed an extension to their partnership with TSE Consulting.

Working together now for over two years, TSE Consulting and Edmonton, Canada are set to continue their relationship through to 2013.

Edmonton, a premier destination for sports events for over thirty years, appointed TSE to develop a fifteen year sports event strategy (2011-2026) that would enable the city to identify, attract and host major international sports events that would drive results in meeting the various socio-economic objectives of the city.

TSE is now assisting Edmonton in the implementation of the strategy as well as advising them on how to activate upcoming events to generate social benefits; such as the inaugural Edmonton International Athletics Festival in June, the Women’s Baseball World Cup in August and the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Edmonton remains at the forefront of international event host cities and will be at SportAccord in Quebec City in May where it will be leveraging its Silver level sponsorship status and discussing event partnership opportunities with International Sport Federation representatives.

Candice Stasynec, Executive Director of the City of Edmonton, says: “TSE’s assistance has been valuable in helping us set our direction for the coming years and build the right relationships. Their experience with working with cities around the world continually provides us with new perspectives and ideas. We look forward to continuing our work together.”

Dale Neuburger, TSE Director North America, says: “Edmonton is a unique and experienced city with a strong reputation that ensures that each event is a success. The focus is also ensuring that the success of the event goes beyond its organisation and provides concrete benefits to the local community. We are honoured to be continuing our work with Candice and her team and look forward to building an even stronger Edmonton for the future.”

Read Lars Haue Pedersen’s (Managing Director of TSE Consulting) here>>

Matthew Pinsent believes the ground-breaking decision to give the women’s Boat Race equal billing to the men’s event will help Britain develop future female Olympic champions.

The women’s race between Oxford and Cambridge Universities, which first took place in 1927, is currently held in Henley over a 2,000 metre course.

But from 2015 the race will be staged over the same four-and-a-quarter mile course and on the same day as the higher-profile men’s race, which attracts eight million television views and 300,000 people to the banks of the Thames.

Pinsent, whose god-daughter Natalie Redgrave rowed for Oxford last year, agreed with organisers the decision strikes a positive blow for equality in the sport.

Crucially, the men and women will now start to receive the same funding for the first time and the BBC have committed to showing both races in their entirety, to ensure complete parity between the two events.

“This is an important step for what is one of the pre-eminent rowing races and sporting fixtures in the world to provide step towards the Olympics,” said Pinsent, a four time Olympic champion and Oxford blue.

“There are lots of people I rowed with on the Olympic team who competed in the Boat Race, but for the women it is the exception.

“We want to create a progression. You will only see the fruits in 2020 and I am sure we will look back in two decades time and say ‘it was great that happened’.”

The Boat Race have announced a new sponsorship deal with investment company BNY Mellon, while their subsidiary Newton will continue to back the women’s race.

“There has been talk about this for as long as I can remember. Previously we haven’t had a sponsor for the women’s race of the stature to put it on a professional footing,” Pinsent said.

“The womens boat club currently don’t have nearly the same coaching or logistics infrastructure.

“They cycle to training, they have to buy their own kit, pay their own entry fees. The men are past that because they have a fantastic shop window in which they can advertise themselves.

“It has been a chicken and egg situation because the event in Henley has always been a distant cousin to the men’s race.

“Newton have provided a break in that catch-22 to say ‘we are interested in bringing women’s rowing to London’.

“It comes at a good time because there has been a lot of discussion about women in sport.”

Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, chair of the commission on the Future of Women’s Sport, hailed the historic development as “a fabulous step forward in the evolution of women’s rowing”.

The next three women’s Boat Races will be held in Henley, allowing the boat clubs time to refine their training regimes for the move up to four and a quarter miles.

Organisers also need time to work out the logistics of staging and broadcasting an additional race from the Tideway.

by Ismail Uddin

NFL team, San Diego Chargers Qualcomm Stadium will known as”Snapdragon Stadium” for ten days throughout the holiday season in promotion of their latest technology release: the Snapdragon, a wireless chip processor that powers 300 smartphones.

“Any where you have the big Qualcomm signage – in and around the parking lot, on the stadium, in the seating bowl — we will replace the Qualcomm signage with new signage that says Snapdragon Stadium by Qualcomm with the Snapdragon logo,” said Dan Novak, a company spokesman, in a statement to the Union Tribune.

Snapdragon Stadium will be featured on upcoming televised games to include Sunday Night Football with Chargers facing the Baltimore Ravens on Dec. 18, the Poinsettia Bowl on Dec. 21, and the classic Holiday Bowl on Dec. 28. Viewers are expected to reach 30 million for all three games.

Novak added: “We want people, when they are thinking about buying their next device, to ask if it has Snapdragon inside.”

Snapdragon technology can be found in smart phones, computer tables, and other computers or devices. Taking a cue from Intel, the company aims to make Snapdragon a household name akin to “Intel inside” – a catchy phrase known to belong to the otherwise quiet Intel.

“Exposure is essential,” said George Belch, chairman of the marketing department at San Diego State University. “You have a couple of high profile bowls that are going to have a relatively big audience in the target demographic they’re after.”

He added: “They’re going up against the Intels of the world in that market. You have to come out swinging and put as much as you can into building brand awareness.”

The cost for changing the name of the stadium is said to be less than a 30-second commercial at the upcoming Chargers-Ravens game.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter has apologised for the controversial comments made earlier this week that racial discrimination during games could be resolved with a mere handshake and that racism in the sport is not an issue.

“It hurts and I am still hurting because I couldn’t envisage such a reaction,” said the 75-year-old Swiss.

“When you have done something which was not totally correct, I can only say I am sorry for all those people affected by my declarations.

His remarks come among a long line of other serious blunders, leading many sportsmen, politicians and administrators to call for his resignation.

Despite the storm, the FIFA chief has adamantly refuses to step down and can see no reason as to why he should. Instead, he has insisted that this is a lesson learnt and will continue to fight against racism on the pitch with a policy of ‘zero tolerance’.

“To leave would be totally unfair and not compatible with my fighting spirit, my character, my energy.”  Blatter said.

“When you are faced with a problem you have to face the problem. To leave would be totally unfair and not compatible with my fighting spirit, my character, my energy.”

 

An eight-year renewal has been agreed to ensue Infront Sports & Media remain as the exclusive global marketing partner of the China Basketball Association (CBA) and the country’s national basketball teams.

The agreement was announced by at a press conference in Beijing today by Hu, rx Jiashi, Vice President of the CBA. Infront, which has been the exclusive marketing partner of Team China since early 2006, will continue in its role until at least the end of 2018.

Infront is the first international sports marketing company to have a comprehensive, all-encompassing marketing and development agreement with a leading sport in China – at both league and national team level.

The next eight years will be important ones for the renewed partnership as Team China will be taking part in two Olympic Games, two FIBA World Championships, another
edition of the Asian Games and two Asian FIBA Championships.

Both the men’s and women’s team recently won gold at the 2010 Asian Games on home ground last November. Internationally, they are both in the top 10 of the FIBA World Ranking.

Hu, Jiashi, Vice President of the CBA, said: “In the past 5 years, as Team China Basketball’s exclusive global marketing partner, Infront has provided strong support to the development of Team China. Infront worked with CBA in many aspects, not only the teams’ marketing and promotion, but also helped the teams to develop technically by introducing top level foreign coaches, scouts and physicians to China, and organizing high-quality international friendly challenge games for Team China to better prepare for big international events.”

Philippe Blatter, President & CEO of Infront, added: “This extension of our contract is unique – no international sports marketing company has enjoyed a partnership as close and sustained as Infront’s with the CBA. We have made significant investments in China and in basketball and always said Infront was here for the long-term – and taking a long-term view would lead to the building of trust between our Chinese partners and us. We are very much looking forward to further developing our excellent relationships in this important growth market in order to deliver much added value to the basketball and its stakeholders.”

Ma Guoli, Managing Director of Infront China, commented: “The relevant question for us today is how we can support TCB throughout the upcoming eight years. We are moving to a new phase, where the CBA will be playing a bigger role in running technical development and Infront will intensify its focus on marketing, promotion and media rights sales. We will focus mainly on three aspects, the further marketing and promotion of TCB, the organisation of friendly challenge games for the teams, and the enhancement of media production and delivering of a stronger broadcast product.”

Castleford Tigers, an English Rugby League club, have signed a lucrative contract with Probiz tax specialists. The one-year agreement, with an additional one-year extension option, will see Probiz feature as the shirt sponsor for the Super League club replacing Metrel electrical company who have stepped aside from an agreement to be 2011/12 sponsor due to Probiz’s more lucrative deal.

Probiz will also obtain substantial brand presence within the Tiger’s home stadium as well as pitch-side and roofline advertising with logo placements on the home and away dug-outs, hospitality box, scoreboard and player’s tunnel.

“We are delighted to announce this partnership with Probiz as our shirt sponsor for the 2011 season. This significant deal is clear evidence that Castleford Tigers has appealed to a leading wealth creation specialist. Probiz is well backed and a company that has shown long-term support with its large sponsorship portfolio. We believe Probiz’s sponsorship can assist with our plans.” said Craig Poskitt, Head of Commercial Sales of Castleford Tigers.

Feisal Nahaboo, Probiz founder and managing director, added, “We are really looking forward to next season and starting our partnership with Castleford Tigers. The club has a proud heritage as well as a strong reputation for excellence. This is the perfect time to come on board with Castleford Tigers who are on the verge of embarking on a new chapter in their distinguished history.”