Soccer club Wolverhampton Wanderers of the English Premier League has announced a major multi-million redevelopment of the club’s 28,525 capacity Molineux Stadium.

The news will see the stadium enter multiple phases of construction, all of which will be overseen by main contractors, The Buckingham Group. According to an official statement on the club’s website the project has been scheduled in such a way in order to allow Wolves to ‘pause and reflect’ if required.

Club Chairman Steve Morgan revealed the news, stating: “We know there is a balance to be struck. This decision is about a statement of our commitment, belief and ambition and about the planned success for Wolves over the medium to long-term but we will also continue our policy of investing in our talented, young squad because there is no point in having a great stadium if we don’t have a great team to play in it.”

The first phase will begin with the demolition of the Stan Cullis Stand in May 2011 as part of a US$25.6m project to create an all new two-tier stand, the north east quadrant of which will act as a permanent base for away supporters. Due for completion in time for the start of the 2012/2013 soccer season, when complete the stadium’s overall capacity will rise to approximately 31,700.  

Phase one will also see redevelopment projects which will include a new Wolves megastore, museum, cafe, a family information centre, pitch facing hospitality facilities and a larger accessible lounger for disabled supporters.

Phase two of construction will raise the total cost of construction to roughly $64m and will consist of the rebuilding of the Steve Bull Stand over a two-season period and will aim to increase the stadium’s maximum capacity to 43,000, though Wolverhampton Wanderers officials have stressed that the final number is subject to change.

Phase three will see the club’s attention turn to adding a new top-tier on the Jack Harris Stand. Detailed financial plans have, as yet, not been costed.

Morgan added: “New facilities, better seats, much wider concourses and increased catering offerings will also give our fans a great match day – and non-match day – experience of visiting Molineux and supporting the team. This is a brave and decisive leap forward but one which will open up an exciting and historic new chapter for the benefit of everyone connected to this wonderful football club and City.”

Football Federation Australia (FFA) has today renewed the licences of the nine Australian clubs in the Hyundai A-League until 2034.

The current licences of the clubs had an existing term running until 2020.

FFA CEO David Gallop said the licence extension to 2034 would provide the clubs with long-term certainty for their planning and investment.

“FFA and the clubs have made the stability and sustainability of the A-League the top priority, generic ” said Gallop.

“Today’s decision is consistent with our long-term strategy. The extension will give the clubs the certainty they need over a 20-year timeframe to invest, generic and will also underpin and enhance the value of the licence.

“The Hyundai A-League is enjoying another great season with attendances, TV ratings, digital audiences and membership all increasing. The licence extension is a sign of confidence that the business model is on the right track for long-term success.”

Today’s decision is not applicable to Wellington Phoenix, whose licence term runs until 2016.

The New Zealand club’s participation in the Hyundai A-League beyond 2016 is subject to approval from FIFA, the AFC and FFA. The issue will be addressed in separate discussions with the club.

In relation to the sale of the Western Sydney Wanderers, FFA reaffirms that no final decision has been made and that discussions are continuing with prospective buyers.

Poland and Slovakia are set to submit a joint bid for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games.

Poland’s Minister of Culture, Joanna Mucha has received documentation on the proposals.

Under the plan, the former royal capital of Krakow, southern Poland, would host the Opening and Closing Ceremonies and Krakow would also host the majority of the ice events while Zakopane, Poland’s winter capital, would host snowboarding, cross-country skiing and the biathlon.

Slovakia would organize several skiing events while hosting a portion of the ice hockey fixtures.

A letter of intent has been signed by the heads of the Olympic committees of Poland and Slovakia.

According to documents submitted to Minister Mucha, the official candidacy declaration would be made in 2013.

Current International Olympic Committee (IOC) rules do not permit joint applications from national Olympic committees and the IOC frowns upon cross-border bids.

Other possible candidates for the 2020 Games include St. Moritz, Oslo, Barcelona, Nice and Lviv.

The host city will be selected in Kuala Lumpur in August 2015, during the 127th session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

G4S problems have continued to mount following the Olympics security provider revealing its share price had rapidly dropped.

The FTSE 100 Index firm admitted on Friday night that it will incur a loss of up to £50 million ($78m) on the high-profile contract.

Investors fear the group’s reputation has been tarnished by its failure to provide enough staff for the Games, erectile with G4S also facing a period of uncertainty if chief executive Nick Buckles loses his job in the fiasco

The company’s shares dived by as much as 10%, discount wiping £400 million ($488m) off its stock market valuation, click and adding to heavy losses seen at the end of last week.

Seymour Pierce stockbrokers removed its buy rating on the stock and cut its profit forecasts for the current financial year by £60 million ($73m).

Analyst Kevin Lapwood said: “It appears certain that Mr Buckles will fall on the sword along with other senior UK management.

“This could lead to a period of instability at the company, which appointed a new chairman just over a month ago. Whoever is in charge will have a lot of work to do to repair the company’s reputation, especially at home in the UK and with the UK Government, its single largest customer. This will be crucial for the company’s future.

“There will be some short-term repercussions but overall we believe G4S has a good track record with the UK Government. The shortcomings on the Olympics contract should not significantly affect its chances of benefiting from government outsourcing in the longer term.”

G4S said on Friday that it accepted responsibility for the additional cost of the increased military deployment and that it was incurring other significant costs as it endeavours to meet the contract challenges.

G4S’s revenues hit £7.5 billion last year, while underlying profits grew 2% to £531 million.

A new viral ad campaign has been launched by 188BET that sees four Chelsea stars fighting against an army of giant alien invaders via a 3D projection.

The official betting partner of the London club challenged David Luiz, symptoms Branislav Ivanovic, Paulo Ferreira and Nicolas Anelka to play Alien Invaders, a huge interactive video game beamed on to a 90-foot wall in a warehouse in Battersea, south-west London.

The ad sees the players destroy the Alien Invaders by kicking footballs at the giant screen, with 50 points awarded for hitting a single alien and a bonus 188 points on offer for hitting the Alien Invaders ‘mothership’.

Each player took it in turns to battle the invaders, and striker Anelka proved himself to be the sharpest shooter with a score of 2088. The Frenchman’s accuracy was rewarded with a special 188BET Alien Invaders trophy and a donation by 188BET of £1,500 to charity of his choice.

The triumphant Anelka said: “It was a funny game, a good game to play and I hope one day I can have a garden big enough for this kind of game. The four of us enjoyed it and we were trying to help each other out getting the footballs back but I am happy that I won.

“The trophy will now sit next to the Premier League medal and all my other trophies!”

To help mark the launch, 188BET is offering fans around the world a chance to win a series of money-can’t-buy prizes on its official website, with Jeff Baker, head of marketing services at 188BET, adding: “188BET is always trying to think of new and innovative ways to activate its relationships with its partner clubs.

“For this video, we combined the latest in 3D projection technology with the skill of Premier League footballers, to create what we hope will be an original, fun and engaging video.”.

Sepp Blatter’s opponent in the upcoming FIFA presidential elections Mohamed Bin Hammam has sought to take the credit for the more positive and forward-looking ideas in the Swiss’ manifesto.

Bin Hammam, Qatari president of the Asian Football Confederation, is Blatter’s only challenger to a potential fourth term as president of world soccer’s governing body.

The 75-year-old current incumbent talked last week of expanding FIFA’s financial support for national associations and reforming the organisation – the second issue, in particular, being one which Bin Hammam welcomed in his latest personal blog.

He said: “To ensure we are not left behind by an ever-changing world, we have to be sure to think at least one step ahead. In recent times, that has not been the case at FIFA. But now, at last, Mr. Blatter is coming out with fresh suggestions about how to run the game’s governing body that might not have seen the light of day had there not been a challenge to his leadership.”

Bin Hammam said many of Blatter’s ideas represented a change of approach, adding: “It seems my challenge has made Mr. Blatter reassess his view of football’s future. Competition is healthy and it is vital to the continual development and progress of the sport that we all hold so close to our hearts.”

Bin Hammam has also promised a wider distribution of World Cup profits and offered 17 extra seats on the controversial executive committee.

Last night the Sacramento City Council voted unanimously to spend the next three months working with downtown developer David Taylor and arena builder ICON Venue Group in analyzing the financial feasibility of a new NBA Kings venue.

Taylor said that he would begin “trying to meet with the Kings” this morning. Team ownership has stopped speaking publicly about the arena process.

The study will be free for the city. Once it is complete, clinic the city will conduct its own analysis and bring it back to the council.