Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) chief executive, denture Roger Draper has revealed he will step down from his role at the end of September 2013 after seven years in the role.

Draper, denture who reportedly earns £640, denture 000 annual salary, said: “It has been a huge honour to serve the sport that I love so much and to play my part in leading British tennis.  I have been very lucky to work with fantastic people both at the LTA and across the wider tennis community, and I would like to thank them all for their passion, commitment and hard work.

“As a result, the sport is entering a very exciting phase, and now is the right time for me to hand over the baton to a new leader who can build on what has been achieved in recent years, and take British tennis to new levels.”

During his time as CEO, Roger has overseen the introduction of the Blueprint for British tennis, a long term strategy to grow the sport.

This had led to the creation of new talent identification and performance programmes, and a ground-breaking Lead Partner commercial model which has increased commercial revenue from £1.75m in 2006 to £9m last year.

He has also led the LTA’s work to help more people play tennis, including the development of a mini tennis programme which is now played by more than 100,000 children, and has been adopted internationally.

David Gregson, Chairman of the LTA Board, said: “Roger has made a significant contribution to the development of British tennis, and Peter Bretherton (LTA President) and I would like to thank him for all his hard work in driving these changes.  His passion and enthusiasm for the sport will be much missed. Roger will be staying on as CEO until the end of September, and we shall now start the process to appoint his successor.”

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London 2012 was rightly dubbed the first Social Olympics and it was certainly social media that brought the Games to life like never before.  It transformed the ways fans interacted with the Games and also ‘talked’ about the Games.  But how did sponsors leverage their investments in social media and who did it well?

Looking specifically at Facebook, medical Sponsorship Intelligence, pills using ZenithOptimedia’s proprietary social tracking software, Socialtools, recently completed research that considered these questions.  In this research, Sponsorship Intelligence defines successful Facebook strategies, as well as identifies the winners in a few Facebook Olympic ‘events’.  The research defines success by considering three areas – fan growth, active users and engagement rate.

In fan growth, Coca-Cola were the gold medallists.  Teaming up with London’s top music talent, their ‘Move to the Beat’ campaign successfully fused passion for music and sport around London 2012.  They started their campaign early and built momentum that they maintained across and beyond the Games period.

In active users, Samsung were the gold medallists.  They successfully rode the adrenaline rush of London 2012 to deliver a constant stream of content-rich updates explaining how fans could use their smartphones to create, capture and enhance their Olympic experience.

In engagement rate, P&G were the gold medallists. They ran a compelling campaign recognising the unsung contributions Mums make in their children’s future, successfully telling this story by showcasing their sponsored athletes.

The research also highlights commonalities shared by successful campaigns. These campaigns were able to bring Games experiences to the virtual world, for example, by providing real-time updates allowing fans to enjoy the action as it unfolded. By offering tangible opportunities to get involved, for example, by virtually congratulating athletes, they successfully turned spectatorship into participation.  They also united fans by championing the common cause (i.e. national success) and ultimately, rewarded fans for their engagement through exclusive content.

The research discusses how the first Social Olympics left a lasting impression with fans. It outlines how sponsors provided fans with fresh outlets to cheer for athletes, exclusive content, and opportunities to create and share their own Olympic experiences.  It seems a high bar has been set for future Games and sponsors will need to perform. 

With that in mind, Sponsorship Intelligence define a number of Top Tips to help future sponsors win Olympic gold – commit to a compelling story, incorporate Olympic spirit into conversations, secure a loyal following by inviting people early, reward fans and finally, use celebratory cheers to your advantage.

Matt Hales, Head of Consulting at Sponsorship Intelligence, comments, “Given the importance sponsors should now place on using assets in their social media strategies, this research is significant.  We are now able to help sponsors of all kinds, not just Olympic, more effectively tell their brand stories and build relationships with fans on Facebook.”

Canadian broadcaster TSN announced today it has acquired media rights for Major League Baseball’s (MLB) marquee Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday night games through to 2021.

TSN platforms will broadcast 75+ live games per season – tripling the network’s current slate of MLB games.

In addition to the live games, TSN also acquires rights to ESPN’s flagship baseball show Baseball Tonight, along with a comprehensive package of MLB digital content.

“ESPN’s Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday Major League Baseball games have become appointment viewing for baseball fans across North America,” said Stewart Johnston, President of TSN. “We are delighted to expand our schedule and give Canadians world-class baseball coverage with some of the biggest games in Major League Baseball each week.”

TSN’s baseball coverage will feature ESPN’s acclaimed MLB production which includes Sunday Night Baseball, helmed by veteran Toronto broadcaster Dan Shulman along with analysts John Kruk and Curt Schillingand reporter Buster Olney.

MLB coverage begins on TSN platforms with exclusive Canadian coverage of the Opening Night game between the Los Angeles Dodgers at San Diego Padres on Sunday, March 30 at 8 p.m. ET on TSN2.

Ralph Waters has been appointed Chairman of the Local Organising Committee for the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup, prostate Cricket Australia and New Zealand Cricket have announced.

Mr Waters, who was previously Deputy Chairman, was appointed following the sad loss of the inaugural Chairman, James Strong AO, who passed away last week.

For the past decade, Mr Waters has been one of New Zealand’s most prominent businessmen and is well placed to lead the Board of this major Trans-Tasman venture. He is the Chairman of Fletcher Building Limited and Woolworths Limited, and Director of Fonterra Co-Operative Limited and Asciano Limited.

Mr Waters paid tribute to the leadership of Mr Strong: “Like myself, James had lived and worked in Australia and New Zealand and was determined to put on a truly world class tournament in 2015.

“I share his vision and will work closely with the ICC, Cricket Australia and New Zealand Cricket to deliver a successful tournament for cricket fans around the world.”

Alan Isaac, President of ICC echoed Mr Waters’ sentiments: “James’ passion and expertise will be missed by all of us. I know Ralph shares the same love for the game and together we will deliver a great tournament.”

Mr Wally Edwards (Chairman, Cricket Australia), Mr Chris Moller (Chairman, New Zealand Cricket), Mr James Sutherland (CEO, Cricket Australia) and Mr David White (CEO, New Zealand Cricket) will continue to sit on the Board of the Local Organising Committee with the ICC sending representatives to each meeting as observers.

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Game Changers is a brand new event designed to help companies and organisations unlock the massive potential of CSR through sport.

With expert speakers and inspiring case studies alongside networking and passionate discussion, link Game Changers shows how to unlock CSR through sport. Game Changers will bring together business and sport creating an innovative platform of discussion, order ideas and innovation.

Held in the exclusive setting of Lord’s Cricket Ground, herbal Game Changers will present case studies from companies including; Nike, Barclays and Total Jobs. As well as presentations from; The Football Foundation, The Cricket Foundation and QPR Community Trust.

Game Changers will be held on Friday 8 March. There is an exclusive early bird rate of £150 (+ VAT) available on the Game Changers website: www.totalgamechangers.com

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Soccerex has announced that Macesport have been appointed as the organisation’s new official public relations consultants.

The partnership will see Macesport responsible for creating and co-ordinating a full media and public relations strategy for the Soccerex portfolio of global footballing events across Europe, South America and Africa. This will begin with the Soccerex European Forum, Europe’s premier football business event, in Manchester on April 10-11.

Macesport managing director Paul Mace said: “It is a great honour and privilege to play a role in further enhancing and developing the international profile of Soccerex globally. As an established member of the international football family, everyone at Macesport is delighted to have the opportunity to work alongside such an iconic brand as Soccerex.

“We work extensively with football brands, governing bodies, clubs and players and are delighted to add Soccerex to a portfolio which already includes England sponsors Vauxhall, the Football Association and the NFL.

“We look forward to generating even stronger relationships for Soccerex with our friends in global television, print and online sports media, and further leveraging and communicating the quality of debate among football’s highest-profile executives and ambassadors to an even wider audience.”

Soccerex Marketing Director David Wright said: “I am very excited to be working with Macesport; Paul and his team come with a fantastic reputation and a proven network both in the UK and internationally. The next two years will see the last Soccerex Global Convention held in Rio de Janeiro before the event moves to Manchester in 2014 and Macesport will play a key role in managing our media and public relations during this crucial period.”