Roger Communications has renewed its partnership with Major League Basketball (MLB).  

This announcement follows a 12-year deal with The National Hockey League (NHL) that Rogers made just a week ago. 

The extended contract between Rogers and Major League Basketball will see eight-year multiplatform broadcast rights extension with MLB, MLB Advanced Media and Sportsnet through to 2021. 

The terms of the partnership will also give exclusive coverage of the 2014 Baseball Hall of Fame election today. 

MLB Network who are committed and dedicated to all things baseball were launched today on Rogers. 

This is the first time the network is available in Canada. 

David Purdy, Senior Vice President at Rogers Communications said: “At Rogers, we are committed to providing Canadians access to world-class sports. We live and breathe baseball, and continue to be the multiplatform Blue Jays destination for fans.” 

He added: “We are thrilled to launch MLB Network for the first time in Canada; our customers will experience even more premium baseball action and analysis than ever before.” 

Tim Brosnan, Executive Vice President, Business, Major League Baseball commented: “Baseball’s popularity throughout Canada continues to grow, and this deal is a reflection of the demand we hear from fans across the country for more baseball content.”

Fans can also benefit from Bet Butler’s brand new sign-up promotion, which offers a £25 voucher to spend at participating clubs when new customers place five £10 bets at odds of even money or bigger.

Official Bet Butler ambassador Neil Ruddock, commented on the launch, “The new service on offer from Bet Butler will be right up any football fan’s street. Bet Butler wins when you win, plus you know you are getting top odds and your club is having a slice of it too – result!”

Chris Bell, Chairman of Bet Butler, added: “We’re delighted to offer the fans of so many clubs a service that benefits both the clubs and their supporters. It is a marvellous endorsement of our unique technology which will offer the fans consistently better odds, but also deliver an important revenue stream for their club at the click of a button.”

Fans can log on to the following website to find their club’s brand new betting website: https://landing.betbutler.co.uk

England 2018 bid chief executive Andy Anson has called on the world’s major football associations to come together and put Fifa under pressure to reform.

England spent £15m (US $23.6m) on its 2018 World Cup bid, but attracted just two votes. “It might be time for big countries – the US, Australia, Spain, ourselves – who feel this has been handled badly, to make our opinions felt,” he said.

“If anyone is going to do it now is the time and we should act quickly,” Anson told Radio 5 Live’s 606 show

England crashed out in the first round of voting on Thursday after gaining only the votes of Englishman Geoff Thompson and one other Fifa Executive Committee member, with Russia winning the right to host the 2018 competition.

Australia fared even worse than England in the contest to stage the 2022 tournament, picking up just one vote in Zurich.

“We’ve talked to the Spanish, American and Australian bid teams and there is a lot of anger there,” added Anson.

“Australia spent $40m of government money on their 2022 bid and they have been left frustrated, while the US also still can’t believe that they lost out to Qatar in the same vote.”

Anson wants to see the World Cup voting process widened to include Fifa’s 208 national football associations, rather than be decided by the organisation’s executive committee.

“There are number of executive committee members that have been on it for 25 years and that is never a healthy scenario,” said Anson.

“Maybe it is time to look at having term limits of four to eight years,” he added, referring to how long members should sit on the ExCo.

“It feels like a brotherhood that has been together for a very long time and are incredibly protective of this cushy nice life that they have. People move in or out very infrequently and they have no desire to change.

“It would be nice if something happened within Fifa, but making that happen requires 105 members to make any significant change so it is a really tough task.”

Anson was barely able to contain his frustration that England’s technical bid – widely viewed as the strongest of the 2018 bidders – appeared to carry so little weight with Fifa’s ExCo members.

“The whole technical process is flawed. We spent £3m on our bid book, but the books weren’t released until two weeks before the vote and that gave nobody time to digest them.

“They were supposed to have been released in September but it was lost in the noise of the last two weeks of campaigning. We’re pretty sure only three people asked for the full bid book and looked at it.

“We’ve been told they some didn’t even read the executive summaries, but just looked at the risk matrix.”

And Anson questioned whether it was worth nations like England and the US bidding for future tournaments.

“It’s going to be 50, 60, 70 years before we have the World Cup again. That would be sad because it would be an amazing event.

“No-one cares about football as much as England and it’s sad that we’re not even getting close to having a World Cup here.

“The process needs to be more clearly defined in terms of what FIFA is looking for.

If we’d known the defining factor is that going to new frontiers is going to be 90% of the decision and only 10% down to whether it would be a good WorldCup, if we’d known it was going to Russia or Qatar, or in the future China, we’d probably never have bid.”

Kevin Ring, who served as both a vice president at IMG Consulting and managing director for IMG’s Golf Consulting practice, has been named Chief Marketing Officer for The PGA of America.

Ring, who will report directly to PGA Chief Executive Officer Pete Bevacqua, will oversee the Marketing, Creative Resources, Research and Communications Departments. He is charged with developing and managing integrated marketing plans for The PGA that are designed to grow the Association’s assets.

The integrated plans encompass PGA member awareness, services, growth of the game and Championships. Ring will implement critical Golf 2.0 goals and initiatives into a broader marketing and commercial strategy. He also will develop a brand communication strategy that aligns with the goals of the Association, while creating new events and campaigns that enhance membership programs. As well, Ring is responsible for strategically positioning The PGA’s commercial assets, including its Championships, meetings and ancillary events, to market the organization and its brand globally.

At IMG, Ring negotiated partner-level sponsorships with The PGA of America, United States Golf Association and the R&A. He also managed the global business for blue chip clientele, including Chevron, KPMG and Thomson Reuters. Ring also created strategy, marketing and activation plans for clients associated with Major League Baseball, the United States Tennis Association and Formula One. In addition, he represented the Cleveland Indians in its sale of ballpark naming rights to Progressive Insurance.

“Kevin Ring has an incredible depth of consulting and marketing experience that reaches from the golf industry to some of the most recognizable client names in sports and business,” said Pete Bevacqua, Chief Executive Officer of The PGA of America. “We are delighted that he will steer The PGA’s Marketing programs, in order to drive heightened awareness to our brand, and ultimately, the PGA member.”

Ring began his career at IMG in 2000, working as a digital project manager for U.S. Soccer and Philips, where he developed and integrated the digital sponsorship strategy for both organizations’ 2002 World Cup Soccer platforms. Prior to joining IMG, Ring served as the assistant director of Communications for the Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) in Lake Placid, N.Y. In that role, he was responsible for media and government relations, as well as managing press operations and communications strategy for events, such as the Winter Goodwill Games and the ESPN Great Outdoor Games.

Ring has earned both a Bachelor of Science and Masters in Business Administration from Southern New Hampshire University, in Manchester. He will begin working in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., on February 18.

In addition to naming Ring as Chief Marketing Officer, The PGA of America promoted Kevin Carter to serve as its new Chief Business Officer. He will head the Broadcasting, Merchandising and Business Development Departments. Carter has overseen The PGA’s Business Development Department since 2006, as senior director, and recently as managing director. Carter has steered The PGA’s continued relationships with an extensive list of sponsors, partners and licensees, including Official Patron sponsorships with American Express, Mercedes-Benz and OMEGA.

Christine Garrity, who has served as The PGA’s managing director and general counsel since 2006, and has been a staff member of the Association since 1990, was also promoted to the position of Chief Administrative Officer & General Counsel. She will oversee the legal, governance, government relations, special events, and diversity and inclusion operations of The PGA. Garrity and Carter will also report to Bevacqua.

“I am proud to announce the promotions of both Christine Garrity and Kevin Carter, who have received well-earned advancements to the roles of Chief Administrative Officer and Chief Business Officer,” added Bevacqua. “They will all serve as key leaders in the new PGA of America.”

SportAccord Convention announced today that all three Gold Partners from the 2012 event in Québec City ? Contemporary Group, herbal Macau Sport Development Board and Sport Event Denmark ? have renewed their agreements for the 11^th annual SportAccord Convention in Saint-Petersburg from May 26-31, 2013. 

“The continuing loyalty of our partners is one of the best indicators that our event delivers value for the companies that attend,” said Nis Hatt, SportAccord Convention Managing Director. “We are very proud of the ongoing vote of confidence that our partners give us from year to year.” 

Event Management specialists, Contemporary Group, which has been involved in delivering some of the largest and most complex sports events around the world, will participate as Gold Partners for the ninth consecutive year.  “The group’s global events company, Contemporary International (CI), is proud to be an Official Supplier of Event Services to Sochi 2014 and we believe the SportAccord Convention in Saint-Petersburg will provide a unique chance for us to build our profile and relationships in this important market”, said CI President Stephen Mirabile. “No other event gathers together the decision makers from multiple rights holders in the same numbers or in a better setting as SportAccord Convention.  The event delivers quality on every level and we look forward to our participation as Gold Partners again in 2013.” 

Macau Sport Development Board has seen its profile as a host of international events rise significantly as a result of its six-year Gold Partnership with SportAccord Convention, with recent events including 31st OCA General Assembly and FIVB World Grand Prix. Vong Iao Lek, President of Macau Sport Development Board, commented: “SportAccord Convention is a very important event for us. It allows us to build relationships with International Sports Federations as well as providing us with a platform to communicate how we are promoting health, activity and well-being in Macau, using sports events as an inspiration for our population.” 

Sport Event Denmark is a leader in bidding and hosting sports events and has over the years initiated several game-changing aspects to events. Sport Event Denmark is Gold Partner of SportAccord Convention again in 2013 and has been a Partner for 10 years. “We see it as a great opportunity to stay in contact with our international network, exchange ideas and engage in the discussions on sport event management,” said Lars Lundov, CEO of Sport Event Denmark. “Our efforts have been focused on adding value to international events. For example the IAAF World Half Marathon 2014 in Copenhagen will for the first time include a mass participation race with 25,000 entries – out of which we only have 5,000 left for international participants – the rest is sold out. This requires more resources but the return is much higher in terms of the promotion of the sport for the International Federation whilst also developing participation in sport in Denmark.” 

Details of all confirmed partners and exhibitors can be seen online at www.sportaccordconvention.com. 

SportAccord Convention 2013 will take place in Saint-Petersburg at the Lenexpo Exhibition Complex. 

A discounted delegate rate is in effect for those booking their places before the end of the day (CET) on Thursday 31 January via the website www.sportaccordconvention.com. 

Contact alex.ross@sportaccordconvention.com to learn about promotional opportunities at SportAccord Convention 2013 or for more information, visit www.sportaccordconvention.com.