Nottingham Rugby, who play in the second tier in English Rugby, has announced a number of personnel changes to the commercial team. 

Chris Simon has been appointed as Operations Director and will be responsible for managing the day to day off field operations and continuing with the great work he started last season enhancing the match day experience and driving commercial sales. Chris will assume the role whilst retaining his business interests running his own agency Perfect Motion who deliver the clubs marketing, media and match-day activities already.

As Chris takes on more operational duties for Nottingham Rugby, he will be assisted with marketing activity by Nik Emmonds, Marketing Account Manager at Perfect Motion. Since the departure of the in-house media officer last season, Nik has taken on the role and will continue to be the main interface between the club and the local and national media.

Commenting on the change, Chairman Alsitair Bow said: “We recognised that we needed to make some changes, but without incurring any additional cost. The club is still in need of significant investment and we wanted to free up some of Chief Executive Simon Beatham’s time to help us do this, but without introducing any disruption on the operational side.

“Chris has been involved with Nottingham Rugby for the last three years and has a sound understanding of how the business side is run. He knows our sponsors, has been instrumental in our growth off the field and I have every confidence that he’ll be able to combine his existing marketing duties with a more operational role.”

Nottingham Rugby also revealed two further changes – the promotion of Mel Lawson to Commercial Executive and the appointment of Rob Pearce as Community Manager.

Mel Lawson, 22 has been with the club for four years and already has a wealth of experience. With Laura Egglestone being on maternity leave for the rest of this season, Mel was the ideal candidate to step up to the role.

Rob Pearce, 22, started volunteering for the club last season, taking on pitch-side activities on match-day. He is seen as a natural replacement for Steve Smith and will oversee all community matters with the delivery coaches – Josh Salathiel and Sam Bignall reporting into him.

Both Mel and Rob will report to Chris Simon.

Glasgow revealed plans for the 2018 Youth Olympic Games at the Tollcross venue, attended by Sport Minister Shona Robison and young athletes from the City of Glasgow Swim Team.

According to the bid document, which has been submitted to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), athletic events would be held at Scotstoun Stadium while diving and swimming would be staged at Tollcross International Aquatics Centre, with a purpose-built Athletes’ Village at Sighthill, north of the City.

It’s been revealed that 15 of the 17 sites proposed for the 2018 Youth Games would be completed before the end of 2013, and the majority of these venues would be no more than 20 minutes travel time from the Youth Olympic Village in Sighthill.

Robison said at the event: “Warmth and hospitality alongside an excellent reputation for hosting world-glass sport events makes Glasgow, and Scotland, the perfect stage for the Youth Olympic Games in 2018.

“Young athletes competing at the top of their field rightly expect the very best facilities and support services.

“Building on the legacy of the London 2012 Olympics and the forthcoming 2014 Commonwealth Games, Scotland stands ready to be an exciting, dynamic host of the Youth Olympic Games.”

Lord Sebastian Coe, chairman of the British Olympic Association and the London 2012 Organising Committee is supporting Glasgow’s bid. He said: “The Youth Olympic Games is a fresh, exciting young product. By entrusting it to Glasgow 2018, the Olympic family will have a historic opportunity to draw on the unprecedented pool of sophisticated event-hosting expertise and global youth engagement programs in the UK right now.

“We delivered our promises and we achieved our goals at London 2012, and we’re ready to continue that partnership with the Olympic family in Glasgow in 2018, another sports city in our sporting nation.”

The IOC is to announce the host city for the 2018 Youth Games in July 2013, following a short-listing process in February.

Lord Sebastian Coe has fueled a sponsorship row by suggesting sports fans may be turned away at venues if they wear non-olympic sponsor brands.

The former Olympic champion said people would not be allowed in the park wearing a Pepsi T-shirt “because Coca Cola are our sponsors”.

But Lord Coe, chairman of organising committee Locog, contradicted himself by saying spectators wearing Nike trainers will “probably” be allowed into venues. Rival sportswear maker adidas is an Olympic “partner”.

However, Locog moved to clarify Lord Coe’s comments and said that “individuals wearing brands is fine”. They have faced criticism for their hardline stance on “brand security”, introduced to safeguard the Olympiad’s corporate deals.

Hundreds of trading standards officers will trawl venues to ensure that only Games’ sponsors and approved businesses are associating themselves with the Olympics.

In an interview with BBC radio Lord Coe was asked if people would be able to go to an Games event in a Pepsi T-shirt.

He said: “No, you probably wouldn’t be walking in with a Pepsi T-shirt because Coca Cola are our sponsors and they put millions of pounds into this project but also millions of pounds into grassroots sport and it is important to protect those sponsors.”

Asked if spectators could get in wearing Nike trainers, he said: “I think you probably could … you probably would be able to walk through with Nike trainers.”

Liberal Democrat peer Lord Oakeshott said: “Most people would think it is ridiculous for a child who may only have one pair of trainers to be turned away for wearing the wrong brand. But most importantly Lord Coe needs to know exactly what the situation is.”

Lord Coe said: “We have to protect the sponsor, they in large part pay for the Games. They help us meet legacy targets. When you have big British businesses prepared to invest you have the responsibility to protect them.”

A Locog spokesman said: “Spectators can wear any brand of trainers they want. Individuals wearing brands is fine. If people were to come in a large group with visible branding that is when there could be an issue.”

Sports Illustrated has unveiled Sports Illustrated Football Rivals, unhealthy one of SI’s most ambitious app presented by Coke Zero.

The app explores 10 great football rivalries through SI’s unmatched editorial coverage — complete with video and audio enhancements — and delivers the seminal games, capsule deciding plays and dominant performances within a dynamic, easy-to-use interface featuring 3D interactivity.  The free app, is available for the iPad, iPhone and Android Smartphones and can be downloaded on the website

In all, there is more than 300 pages of content and interactive components such as video from Ohio State freshman Archie Griffin’s breakout game against North Carolina (his first big step in a two-time Heisman-winning career), rare photos from the start of the Auburn-Alabama rivalry, a deep look inside the Bears-Packers frigid relationship (with telling quotes) and a recreation of the Army-Navy game played in the aftermath of President John F. Kennedy’s death. The 10 rivalries as chosen by Sports Illustrated editors are presented in interactive timelines where fans can pick points within the histories of each rivalry to access highlights, get inside stories from Sports Illustrated reporters, review key statistics and preview this year’s upcoming showdowns.

Terry McDonell, Sports Illustrated Group Editor, said: “The Sports Illustrated Football Rivals app explores the game’s classic rivalries in a groundbreaking way. The range of the experience is rich and extraordinary.”

Three-time Emmy Award nominated actor Kyle Chandler, known for his role as Coach Eric Taylor in the acclaimed TV series Friday Night Lights, provides voice-over narration for short original films created by Sports Illustrated using archival photos.

The new app is also part of Coke Zero’s Black Edition program, which is designed to help fans enjoy everything about football.  Coke Zero also will serve as the exclusive advertiser of four Sports Illustrated Presents college football conference previews (Pac 12, SEC, Big 10, Big 12) distributed exclusively at Sam’s Club’s 600 locations nationwide. Coke Zero is supporting the app with radio promotions and messaging on more than 30 million Coke Zero cans.  In addition, the brand is giving away thousands of prizes through MyCokeRewards.com, including VIP game access, once-in-a-lifetime fan experiences, and a VIP football experience with tickets to a key season-ending rivalry game and a pre-game dinner with a SI staffer.  Every hour, the Coke Zero Black Edition program will give away prizes from EA Sports and Sports Illustrated on MyCokeRewards.com, and each week, one person will win a gaming console, the EA Sports video game library and a one-year subscription to Sports Illustrated.

The Coke Zero Black Edition program is showing up at college football’s most intense matchups of the season and giving fans even more ways to win. By visiting the Coke Zero Black Edition Fan Combine, fans can enter to win tickets and upgraded access to future games, and other exciting prizes like tickets to the Chick-fil-A Bowl in January.

A decision has been made by the English Football Association (FA) to delay its verdict in the case of QPR midfielder Alejandro Faurlin due to the quantity of evidence being considered.

The Championship’s league winners may be deducted points if they are found guilty on some or all of the seven charges against them concerning the alleged existence of an agreement between them and a third party in respect of Faurlin’s economic rights.

Allegations have also been made that the club failed to notify the FA of that agreement before the player was registered to play for them in England as well as being charged with allegedly using or seeking to pay an unauthorised agent as part of the Faurlin deal.

Both the club and chairman Gianni Paladini have also been charged with allegedly submitting false information in documents provided to the FA relating to a contract extension signed by Faurlin in October.

In an interview with BBC Radio 4 on Tuesday, former Football Association chief Mark Palios claimed that if the club are found guilty they would be docked points based on set precedents.

The full FA statement read: “It was originally indicated that the decision of the commission on the charges and on any sanction, if appropriate, would be announced by 4pm on Friday 6 May 2011 if possible.

“This will now not happen. A decision will be made and announced as soon as possible thereafter.”

Related Group discussion: QPR and Alejandro Faurlin – can someone enlighten me? by Michael Cunnah