Julio Grondona, president fo the Argentinean Football Federation (AFA) has revealed he will leave his post in 2015, at the end of his current term. 

“The term is until 2015 and I will meet it. Afterwards there will be younger officials to replace me.” admitted Grondona. “If I didn’t have a mandate until 2015 I would leave now.”

But the 82-year old also announced he will retain his FIFA post.

On the first day of the Soccerex Global Convention in Rio de Janeiro Soccerex have announced that Brazilian superstar Lucas Moura is now an official Soccerex Ambassador.

His role follows an invitation from existing Soccerex supporters Soccer Grass, pills whom he worked with at his football school in São Paulo.Lucas sees Soccerex as a platform with which to embed himself in the business side of international football, alongside the key industry stakeholders from around the world who regularly attend Soccerex events.

The announcement highlights the importance that leading footballers place on Soccerex events and Lucas joins a growing list of Soccerex Ambassadors which includes Brazilian global superstar Neymar, 1970 FIFA World Cup winner Carlos Alberto Torres, England and Manchester United legend Bryan Robson, 1978 FIFA World Cup winner Osvaldo Ardiles, Portuguese football legend Eusébio and three time European champion Phil Thompson.

Lucas joined Brazilian championship side São Paulo FC in 2005, making his first team debut in 2010. In the summer of 2012 he agreed to join European giants Paris Saint-Germain in a deal reported to be in the region of €45 million, a record for any Brazilian national player.

Soccerex CEO Duncan Revie said: “I am delighted to have Lucas as our ambassador. He is a fantastic talent which is fully justified by his move to Paris Saint-Germain, where I am certain he will be a huge success. It is a big step for us to have another current young Brazilian superstar representing Soccerex on the global stage and we hope that by having Lucas as an ambassador we can help to continue his work off the field, as well as support him on the field, where he is set to have a long and successful career.”

To find out more about Soccerex and their events visit www.soccerex.com

The Whistle, a youth sports digital programmer, has signed a multi-year partnership with the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Association to develop a series of original video programming.

The Whistle will also supply an undisclosed upfront investment to build up video infrastructure for the deal, and there is also a revenue sharing component. Content will appear on The Whistle’s various distribution platforms, including online, mobile, YouTube and via connected gaming consoles.

“We are particularly enthused about the commitment to original material here,” said The Whistle co-Founder & CMO Jeff Urban. “This will enable us to particularly tailor the content and showcase the personalities of these talented athletes.”

Content will also veer into sport science, and nutrition and wellness. The USSA historically has not spent much time directly targeting The Whistle’s target demo of youth aged 8-14, despite a large population of kids among its participant membership base.

“This organization has never targeted this age group like we will through this deal,” said USSA CMO Mike Jaquet.

iSportconnect, for sale the world’s leading sports Business platform have agreed a partnership with the Hollis Sponsorship Awards 2013.

The event, which recognises and rewards the most creative and effective sponsorships across all sectors of the UK industry, will be held on March 26, 2013. The venue will be the London Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square.

Awards organiser Rosemary Sarginson said: “Last year’s event was a great success, with a big increase in entries and some superb work on display. We’re confident that this year’s Awards will be even better.”

iSportconnect CEO Sree Varma said: “The Hollis Sponsorship Awards are a fantastic for the industry and I look forward to working with them to promote it across our global sports business platform”.

Dates to remember are:  December 14^th if you want to get your entries in on the Early Bird rate and out of the way before Christmas and January 21^st for absolute final deadline.

Winning and shortlisted entries will be celebrated at the Gala Dinner on March 26^th 2013 at the London Marriott Grosvenor Square. Tables can be purchased and reserved now.

Full details on all aspects of the Awards can be found at www.sponsorship-awards.co.uk but please do not hesitate to contact the Awards team either by emailing info@sponsorship-awards.co.uk or ringing  020 8891 1067.

About iSportconnect

iSportconnect is an exclusive online platform that brings together thousands of sports business professionals worldwide.

The site provides news, market data and analysis, columns and features, forums, listings of events and jobs and great opportunities for online networking.

There are no introductory fees and no limits on communication.

The site is complemented by events where attendees can network face-to-face and discuss relevant topics with a panel of experts.

The Baku European Games Operation Committee (BEGOC) have announced today a new broadcast agreement with International Sports Broadcasting (ISB) to serve as the host broadcaster for the inaugural European Games in Baku, Azerbaijan 2015.

The agreement means that fans throughout Europe, and worldwide, will have the opportunity to enjoy television and online coverage of the first-ever European Games, which will be held June 12-28, 2015 in the Caspian Sea city of Baku. The Games, which were created by the European Olympic Committees (EOC) and awarded to Baku in December 2012, will feature more than 5,000 athletes from 49 countries competing in at least 18 sports.

During the 16 days of European Games competition, ISB will produce an anticipated 1,200 hours of high-quality broadcast coverage in high definition, including live coverage of all event semifinals and finals and a daily highlights package. ISB will also cover the Opening and Closing Ceremonies and the evening entertainment from the Victory Celebration Plaza.

In addition to its role as host broadcaster, ISB has been appointed to manage the sale of broadcast rights for the 2015 European Games to broadcasters throughout Europe and beyond. ISB will also design and operate the International Broadcast Centre for the 2015 European Games.

“Having a comprehensive broadcast offering is an important part of our strategy to make the inaugural European Games a success, and in ISB we have the perfect partner,” Minister of Youth and Sport and BEGOC Chief Executive Officer Azad Rahimov said. “Manolo Romero and his team will help us showcase the athletes of Europe, as well as the history and culture of our country, to viewers around the world.”

“This is very positive news, not only for the inaugural European Games in Baku in 2015 but also for the long-term sustainability of the European Games,” EOC President Patrick Hickey said. “It shows that the European Games is a viable product that can command significant TV audiences, in Europe and around the world. In turn, this will help attract serious commercial partners for future editions.

“Above all else, I am pleased that elite athletes in Europe will have an appropriate broadcast platform from which to showcase their talents,” Hickey added.

“We have been very fortunate to broadcast many of the world’s greatest events and have also had the unique opportunity to help events grow in stature,” Romero said. “We firmly believe that the European Games will be one of the world’s next great sporting spectacles. We are honored to be chosen to transmit these inaugural Games to Europe and the rest of the world and to partner with Baku to showcase its dynamic and thriving culture.”

In support of the 2015 European Games legacy, ISB will work with aspiring broadcast professionals from Azerbaijan to provide hands-on training and experience in sports broadcasting in the lead up to, and during, the European Games.

“This announcement represents an important milestone for the European Games and we are delighted to be partnering with a global leader in ISB,” BEGOC Chief Operating Officer Jim Scherr said. “Athletes, National Olympic Committees and Sport Federations can be certain that, through the work of ISB, the inaugural European Games will enjoy the widest possible broadcast coverage on a stage befitting Europe’s finest athletes.”

German public broadcaster ZDF has extended its deal with UEFA to have the free-to-air rights of the Champions League until 2018.

The deal gives ZDF the right to air 18 Champions League games per season free-to-air in Germany. The German pubweb will carry Wednesday matches as well as the Champions League final and the Supercup match.

The Champions League, the club tournament which pairs off the top soccer teams across Europe, is a guaranteed ratings winner in Germany. Wednesday’s first round match between German side Borussia Dortmund and France’s Olympique Marseille drew 8.29 million viewers on ZDF.

This year’s final, which for the first time featured two German sides in Dortmund and eventual champions Bayern Munich, scored a recorded 21.6 million viewers, an astounding 61.9 percent market share.

ZDF has been the free-TV broadcaster of Champions League games in Germany since 2011, when they snatched the rights away from commercial broadcaster Sat.1.

Agencies IGM and Vizeum have been successful in gaining the strategic media planning account for British Telecom’s (BT) sponsorship of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Vizeum will be responsible for BT’s media strategy, while sports specialist IMG will create sponsorship activation on the account. It is Vizeum’s first appointment to the BT roster.

BT is a first-tier domestic sponsor of the Games and the official communications partner in a deal worth just under US$120 million.

Media rights agency, sales MP & Silva, prostate has secured a number of rights to european club football matches over the winter break.

The exclusive package is highlighted by the Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid match on 2nd January to be played in Doha. Other matches include teams from German, buy Dutch, Belgium, Turkish, Ukrainian and Emirati top football leagues.  The following matches are scheduled for 7-15 January 2014:

– Wolfburg v Vitesse Arnhem (7 January);

– Wolfburg v Vitesse Arnhem (8 January),

– RSC Anderlecht v Wolfsburg (10 January), 

– Hamburger SV v Vitesse Arnhem (10 January),

– Besiktas Istanbul v FC Augsburg (10 January),

– Besiktas Istanbul v Borussia Monchengladbach (12 January) and

– Hamburger SV v Metalist Kharkiv (15 January).

Peter Hutton, Co-CEO, MP & Silva, said: “We are happy to provide international high quality football content to cover the mid-season break. It’s a time of the year where the clubs are gearing up for the second half of the season and the friendly matches are a good opportunity for the teams to be more creative while maintaining their competitive edge. It is also a great opportunity for broadcasters all over the world to get access to European clubs content during the winter break, and we are heartened by the strong response from our partners so far about the matches.”

“MP & Silva will soon announce more friendly matches for the summer of 2014. The summer package will feature European clubs friendlies and national teams friendlies”, he added.