Belgian Entrepreneur Roland Duchâtelet Takes Over Charlton Athletic

English Championship club Charlton Athletic have announced today that Belgian entrepreneur Roland Duchâtelet, whose company, Staprix NV has taken over the club and acquired 100 per cent of the shares, subject only to some final legal formalities.

Staprix is an investment vehicle with several football-related interests. The terms of the deal have been kept confidential.

The club had been in negotiations with the Belgian millionaire after talks with American Josh Harris, who owns the Philadelphia 76ers NBA side and New Jersey Devils NHL team, collapsed last month.

Richard Murray, who will remain on the board and become non-executive Chairman, commented: “I look forward to using my long experience in English football to continue to represent the club that has been my passion for many years. Charlton can benefit from Roland’s experience in many different ways.”

Chairman Michael Slater, who will step down from the board after a short handover period, added: “In every important respect we leave the club in a far better state than when we took over three years ago, but now is the time to pass the baton to Roland who has a proven track record of success in business and football.

“We believe we have found an investor with extensive knowledge of football who is well placed to stabilize the club in the Championship and help the club to develop on a sensible commercial basis.”

Tony Jimenez and Martin Prothero are also stepping down from the board of directors.

Dramatic Progress at Turkmenistan’s Olympic Complex

The inaugural Turkmenistan International Sports Media Forum (TISMF) 2013 came to a close this afternoon after a tour of Ashgabat’s Olympic Complex – the development which will host the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games 2017.

TISMF is the initiative of President of Turkmenistan, unhealthy Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow to enable international media to see the progress of the Olympic Complex. The Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in 2017 will see 17 different sport competitions take place over 11 days – with an expected 5, ambulance 000 athletes from 62 different countries competing at the Complex’s brand new, state-of-the-art venues.

The Chairman of the State Committee of Turkmenistan for Sport, Batyr Orazov, spoke about the project:

“This has been a much-anticipated project as everybody looks ahead to the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in 2017. But this development will serve for much longer than these Games – we hope to host many future international sporting events here. The building of Ashgabat’s Olympic Complex is just the beginning for hosting international sport in Turkmenistan.”

High-profile guests and the world’s leading sports journalists first visited the Complex’s luxury media hotel, before touring the Small Indoor Arena (which has 5,000 seats, whilst the Large Indoor Arena has a 15,000 capacity. The media then enjoyed spectacular views of Ashgabat from the comfort of the Complex’s three story restaurant before finishing the tour at the site’s iconic Velodrome (6,000 seats).

Project Coordinator of the Ashgabat Olympic Complex construction project, Osman Karakus, addressed the delegation ahead of their tour of the Complex’s luxury media hotel. Speaking about the project, he commented:

“The Olympic Complex is a purpose built area with modern, state-of-the-art facilities which athletes will look forward to performing in, in 2017. Rapid developments in construction mean that the area will be completely ready well ahead of Ashgabat hosting the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games.”

Ashgabat’s Olympic Complex is made up of 15 venues, including two indoor arenas, a velodrome, an indoor athletics facility, tennis centre and an aquatic centre. An athletes’ village is also being built, and is set to contain 12,000 beds once completed. Already 400,000 km of cabling has been laid under the complex and the 800-room luxury media hotel is already 80% complete.

Michael Cole, former London 2012 Marketing and Communications Director for BT Global Services, commented on the Complex:

“I have seen a number of sporting complexes and Olympic parks. Ashgabat’s Olympic complex is an exceptional development where athletes will be proud to represent their countries at the 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, and at other major international sporting events that I am sure Turkmenistan will host in the future.”

Photographs of Ashgabat’s Olympic Complex and the tour will be available on the Turkmenistan International Sports Media Forum 2013 website: www.tismf.com.

Daniel Schenk Becomes Marketing Director of Nike Golf EMEA

Nike Golf have appointed Daniel Schenk as Marketing Director of Europe, prostate Middle East and Africa (EMEA) with his role beginning 1st December.

Schenk hails from Indiana, ailment USA and is a 10-year veteran of Nike Golf, having previous held roles including digital marketing manager and US brand manager before moving into his current position as global brand integration director.

Daniel has made a significant impact on the company since he joined in 2003, most recently leading the global marketing for the most successful product launches (VR_S Covert, TW’14) in Nike Golf history and the ‘No cup is safe’ viral campaign featuring Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.

Angus Moir, Nike Golf’s EMEA general manager said: “We are very fortunate to have an extraordinarily talented team member in Dan joining us in the EMEA region. Over the last 10 years he has done an outstanding job creating inspiring and engaging marketing campaigns that have helped develop Nike Golf’s consistent voice and position the brand as a global giant.”

Schenk, who will relocate with his wife and three children from Nike’s world headquarters in Portland, Oregon, will be based at European headquarters in Hilversum in Holland, where he will work to further evolve the global brand’s market position throughout the EMEA region.

“I am excited to be taking on this role,” said Schenk of his appointment. “In the past 10 years at Nike Golf I have had the privilege of creating inspiring campaigns that have achieved global success and have worked with some great people and some great products. I am really looking forward to the challenges ahead.”

Sportsnet Buys Grand Slam of Curling

Sportsnet have purchased the Grand Slam of Curling, an elite series of men’s and women’s curling events.

The series, which caters to elite teams, was on shaky ground last season. That problem became public when a financial dispute resulted in CBC ending a five-year agreement with Insight Sports Ltd. and refusing to televise the Players’ Championship at the end of the season.

“It’s exciting because they’re definitely going in the right direction,” said Ted Appelman, who will be back with his brother, Tom, this year after playing last season with former Canadian and world champ Randy Ferbey. “They’ve got a major corporation taking ownership of the Grand Slams and it’ll continue to grow for years to come.”

Reigning Canadian women’s curling champion Heather Nedohin said: “We were hoping,” when asked if she had expected the Grand Slam events to be held again this season.

“This is extremely late in the season, as in the season starts here in three weeks,” said Nedohin, whose championship rink includes third Beth Iskiw, second Jessica Mair and lead Laine Peters. “It’s very late in the year to know what’s a Slam or not and what’s going on. That’s challenging for a team trying to determine where you’re going to be placed and stuff.

“Hearing this announcement today is great news for all of us because now we can secure our schedules and proceed with those that are going to be high in points and high in calibre of play,”

In the past, teams qualified for Grand Slam events based on the number of points they accumulated in other bonspiels on the World Curling Tour.

The 2012-13 series will commence with The Masters at Brantford, Ont., from Nov. 14-18 and features 34 men’s and 34 women’s teams, “which is unusual for the Grand Slams, which has always been the top 18 teams,” said Ted Appelman. “It’s going to be a big event, I guess. The first one is a lot of teams.”

 

UK Public Hoping for Athletics Success Above Any Other in Olympics

With one month to go until the start of the London Olympic Games, order a UK Sport report has revealed that Athletics is the number one sport in which the public would like to see the UK achieving international success.

The ‘Sporting Preferences’ research, conducted eight times over the past 12 years around major sporting events, discovered public appetite for Olympic sport is high as the Games approach.

Athletics proved to be the sport the British public would most like to see success in, rating this higher than football – for the first time since 2002 – and the rugby codes. Success in swimming was the fourth most popular response, with tennis and cycling fifth and sixth respectively.

Athletics is also the sport most people would like to see GB win medals in at both the Olympic and Paralympic Games, rating this just ahead of swimming and cycling for the Olympics, and swimming and wheelchair basketball for the Paralympics.

The first Olympic and Paralympic Games to be staged in the UK for over 60 years, London 2012 will be the most significant sporting event the country has ever seen, with the Olympic opening ceremony alone set to be watched by a global audience of four billion people.

Following the national celebrations earlier this summer for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, UK Sport’s research, carried out by Ipsos MORI, also revealed nearly 60% of people believe the Games will create or heighten a sense of ‘Britishness’ among the UK population.

UK Sport Chief Executive Liz Nicholl said: “A home Olympic and Paralympic Games is a once in a lifetime opportunity for athletes, their coaches and support staff, but it also represents a fantastic opportunity for the general public to feel engaged with sport and proud of their athletes’ success.

“This summer the British public can feel especially proud of the role they have played in supporting our athletes. Funding from The National Lottery, as well as from the Exchequer and Team 2012, has allowed UK Sport to invest £313million in our Olympic and Paralympic sports for the London cycle (2009-13), ensuring we will have one of the best supported, best prepared teams at London 2012.”

The research, carried out in early May with nearly 2600 adults aged 16+, sought the public’s views about sport in this Olympic and Paralympic year. This was the eighth time UK Sport had commissioned ‘Sporting Preferences’, which has gauged public opinion in the periods immediately before and after the Sydney, Athens and Beijing Games and, in 2002, following the Manchester Commonwealth Games.

The survey was conducted online among 2,582 UK adults aged 16+, between the 4th and 11th May, 2012, using Ipsos MORI’s iOmnibus panel.

Bin Hammam Confirms Contest of Blatter’s FIFA Presidency

Asian Football Confederation (AFC) President Mohamed Bin Hammam has confirmed that he will contest FIFA chief Sepp Blatter’s campaign for a fourth consecutive term as the president of world soccer’s governing body.

Bin Hammam’s challenge will be the first that Blatter has faced for his presidency in nearly a decade after the Qatari confirmed today, March 18, that he would stand against the Swiss incumbent in the June 1 elections.

Bin Hammam’s announcement draws a close to months of speculation after stating at a press conference at the AFC’s Kuala Lumpur headquarters that he would seek to end Blatter’s 13-year reign. Blatter has not been challenged since 2002, when he defeated Confederation of African Football president Issa Hayatou by 139 votes to 56.

The challenger stated: “Today after careful study, consultation and consideration, armed with my love and passion for football, believing that our game is about fair competition, I have decided to contest.”

The head of the AFC has been outspoken in his criticism of FIFA’s practices since his country secured the hosting rights to the 2022 World Cup in early December and despite acknowledging Blatter’s contributions, Bin Hammam added that it was time for “new faces, new blood”.

He continued: “There is a time limit for everyone. I hope that Asia is going to be united behind me, but also the other confederations where I enjoy a lot of friendship and relationships, I hope also those people are going to support me.”

Bin Hammam proposed that the 24-man FIFA executive committee, which was hit by scandal in the build-up to the December 2 vote on the 2018 and 2022 World Cup tournaments, should be replaced by a 41-member board. He also said he would hope to set up a new transparency committee and spread FIFA’s income more evenly across the globe.

Blatter told reporters on Thursday: “I still feel full of energy and I’ve not yet finished my work in FIFA. I’m now in the 13th year of my presidency, and the 36th year working within FIFA, so I’m available to the congress. If there is competition there is competition. I have support from different Asian associations, but I must have the support of the whole FIFA family.”

Brady Labels Spurs Olympic Stadium Bid ‘Smash & Grab’

Karren Brady, vice-chairman of English Premier League soccer club West Ham United has criticised London rivals, Tottenham’s attempt to hi-jack the Hammers’ proposed switch to the Olympic Stadium post 2012.

Although West Ham remain favourites to be awarded the rights to move into the venue following the London Olympics, the financially stronger option of Tottenham has a number of supporters.

Crucially many of these supporters are not actually Tottenham fans, who along with local MP David Lammy, feel that a refurbishment of the club’s current home ground at White Hart Lane would be a better option.

In her regular column in British newspaper the Sun today, Brady writes: “It is an understatement to say I’m unhappy with the way Spurs have gone about trying to wrest the rights to the Olympic Stadium from us.

“Our bid has been founded on goodwill to the community, to the Council, to athletics and sport overall. 

“We have powerful support and the funds.

“Spurs’ is an attempted smash and grab in our manor, sneaky and of no known benefit to anyone beyond their backers and major shareholders, who by the way are not based in the UK and don’t pay UK tax unlike our owners who have always lived, worked, employed and paid tax here.

“Even their own fans hate the idea of a multi-mile move. 

“Spurs are trying to muscle in where they are not wanted.”

La Liga Bosses Reveal Global Plans with New Tournament Launch

La Liga bosses have revealed theyhave launched a new tournament called the “LFP World Challenge” which will see exhibition games played in Europe, try North and South America and Asia in order to promote Spain overseas.

The ambitious plan, pills which would see games played in countries including the United States, discount China, Colombia, Mongolia and Turkey, and will also feature teams from other nations, was launched on Thursday by Spanish Football League (LFP) president Javier Tebas and Spain’s sports minister Miguel Cardenal.

Tebas said that the idea was to leverage the appeal of Real Madrid and Barcelona and advertise both the Spanish game and improve the country’s overall image overseas.

“The objective is to generate confidence and value in the Spanish brand and football can play a part in this,” he said. “La Liga puts Spain’s brand on a global level. For example, El Clasico, which has 400 million spectators. All our clubs are going to unite with this global experience, so that Spain’s brand can keep growing.”

Early details of the tournament suggest the idea is to play the games over three years — with first phase of games [to be called “Time of Challenge”] to be held in summer 2014 — either at the end of the regular club season, or during pre-season for the 2014-15 campaign.

Summer 2015 will see more games [the “Challenger Select Series”] in which non-Spanish teams will also be invited to play. The Spanish team with best results over these games will play in a final during summer 2016 against the club that has won the most La Liga titles in the previous three seasons.

Tebas said games would be hosted in cities all over the world, with the aim of promoting both Spain and Spanish football.

“We will travel to Houston, New York, Mexico City, Monterrey, Guadalajara, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Argentina, China, Indonesia, Mongolia, Malaysia, Turkey…,” he said. “There is no financial value if we do not go out around the world.”

Tebas said he had been given “a commitment” that Madrid and Barca would take part.

“We would have to fit with how their preseasons are, but we have a commitment from them,” he said.

Sports minister Miguel Cardenal explained how the games were a chance for Spanish clubs — which currently owe at least 650 million euros in back taxes between them — to do something positive for the currently troubled Spanish economy.

“Spanish football generates recognition and admiration all over the world,” Cardenal said. “The LFP, like the rest of Spanish sport, is giving a lesson in how to help the economic recovery of our country.

“There will be a football match and Spanish Experience, a business event that will accompany the football, and it will serve to help Spanish businesses grow. Seminars. Congresses. I think that Spanish football owes Spanish society.”

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Rugby Expo Scores Record-Breaking Attendance Figures

Rugby Expo cemented its position as the essential business event for one of the world’s fastest growing sports as the 2013 edition attracted a record number of delegates to Twickenham stadium for two days of presentations, panel discussions and master class summits, focusing on the major issues facing the game at professional and grass roots levels.

With over 800 pre-event delegate registrations and 400 from grass roots and community clubs, Rugby Expo 2013 deliberated subjects and issues affecting all levels of the game and with conference sessions set against the backdrop of a vibrant, sold out exhibition floor, the event delivered on its promise to create the ultimate meeting place for the key decision makers for all aspects of the sport.

Not only hosting over 100 representatives from the RFU, Premiership Rugby, England Rugby 2015, RaboDirect Pro12 and WRU, Rugby Expo welcomed staff from both commercial and community departments at every Aviva Premiership club for the first time.

Rugby Expo 2013’s wide ranging agenda reflected the opportunities facing a sport with the potential for unprecedented global growth; RFU Chairman Bill Beaumont CBE, Premiership Rugby CEO Mark McCafferty, Rugby World Cup 2015 CEO Debbie Jevans CBE, RFU rugby development director Steve Grainger MBE and SANZAR CEO Greg Peters were among the major figures from the world of rugby to feature in a speaker line-up packed with unparalleled expertise of the game.

They were joined by brand and commercial sector experts including chief commercial officer at Etihad Airways Peter Baumgartner, senior sponsorship & CR manager at Aviva Louisa Cheetham, managing director and executive VP, international at Tickets.com Derek Palmer, Tomos Grace of Google/YouTube and Steve Martin, CEO of M&C Saatchi Sport and Entertainment.

John Hockey, chairman of Rugby Ventures which owns and operates Rugby Expo said: “With Rugby World Cup 2015 ever nearer, a vibrant club professional game and Rugby Sevens set to make its debut at Rio 2016, the sport is entering a period of enormous opportunity to translate global exposure into both commercial success and success for the grass roots game.

“However, rugby union is still a young commercial sport which is in many ways finding its feet and discovering its true value. Our programme was designed to reflect and address some of the issues and to provide delegates with practical information and insight to help them take advantage of these opportunities as they arise.

“We are delighted with the number of delegates and exhibitors as well as the quality and commitment of our speakers and I would like to thank them all for their contribution in making Rugby Expo 2013 the most successful to date. The feedback from all stakeholders has been extremely positive and we will now focus on setting new standards at Rugby Expo 2014.”

Parramatta Eels Promotes Scott Seward to Become Latest CEO

National Rugby League (NRL) team, Parramatta Eels have announced the appointment of Scott Seward as their new Chief Executive Officer.

Seward becomes the Eels’ fourth CEO in three years on Saturday and walks straight into one of the toughest jobs in Australian sport as he tries to rejuvenate one of the NRL glamour teams.

The Eels are currently without a coach, a major sponsor and have finished with the wooden spoon for the last two seasons.

Seward will officially begin in his new role on Wednesday following 11 months as General Manager, Membership and Consumer Business for the Eels. During that time Eels Membership has grown by an incredible 49.5% on 2012 to a record 17,205, the largest increase in the NRL.

“There is so much upside to this club, and the rise in membership is just one aspect of that,” Seward said.

“But our focus moving forward is not what has been done but what we are doing. There are some great people at this club doing some great things and our mandate from the board is to now turn that into on field success.”

“We have a responsibility to our Members and fans to deliver long term sustainable success, stability and a club that they can be proud of in the community. That is my focus.”

His experience with both the Eels and the Canterbury Bulldogs in the NRL and the Western Bulldogs in the AFL made him a standout candidate for the PNRL board and Chairman Steve Sharp.

“Scott is an excellent operator and we have seen that first hand during his time with our club over the last year,” Sharp said.

“We have a lot of confidence that his experience and fresh approach is exactly what this great club needs to take us into the future.”

Sharp also acknowledged the work of Matt Phelan, General Manager, Operations and Strategy who filled the role in an interim capacity since July.