English League One club, Crawley Town have confirmed the appointment of Richard Low as the new chief executive.

The 44-year-old, who was born in Sussex, moves to Broadfield Stadium from Aldershot to take over from Alan Williams.

He told the club’s official website: “I’m delighted to accept this role at an important and exciting time in the development of this great football club.

“Crawley Town has made fantastic progress in the last couple of years and everyone involved during that period has played their part, on and off the field.

“We have had back-to-back promotions and gone from playing non-league football to welcoming clubs like Sheffield United in the space of two years.

“When you sit back and reflect that is a staggering achievement. Alan Williams is a hard act to follow but I am confident that I can add value to what is already a great foundation.”

ed “=”Narrow”, clinic “” mso-bidi-font-family:=”mso-bidi-font-family:”>The EGCOA has today announced the final programme for the 2012 European Golf Business Conference. The event which will be hosted in just a few weeks from the 21-23^rd November at the Majestic Barriere in Cannes France has attracted a line up of leading industry speakers from around the world. The underlying theme of the conference “Recreating the golf business” will explore new and creative ways to run more profitable and efficient golf facilities and will be presented by a range of leading industry professionals.

The most recent addition to the leading line up has been Karl Morris founder and managing director of Darren Clarke and Lee Westwood golf schools. Karl no stranger to the stage has a wealth of experience within realistic commercial practices. Karl is extremely well placed to understand the role of golf within the wider market.  He understands the challenges faced by both employer and employee within current market.

Stephen Lewis the chief executive of Britain’s largest golf club operator, Crown Golf. Stephen will provide a unique insight from a course owner’s view of how commercial management and PGA Professionals can work together to create greater financial success in this challenging economic environment, combined with changing consumer trends.

Head of member Education of the PGA David Colclough will highlight the role of PGA professionals within the club in these changing times. Golf Clubs are now becoming & being encouraged to become more business-like in how they run their facilities, David will outline how PGA pros can add more value to the golf club/ facility.

Innovation in golf & the benefits of new software’s and technologies in the golf industry will be outlined by leading entrepreneur Tom Mulder owner and founder of Agenda Online B.V. Toms presentation will identify which innovative new technologies can save your business money in the long run and which actually provide operational efficiency. In this Innovative section the fundamentals and best practices for social media will also be explored, looking into the best ways to use these key online resources to maximise exposure to both new and exiting customers.

The Guru of pace of play & founder of Pace Manager Systems Bill Yates will be joining the stage this year to share with delegates how efficient management of players pace on the course can drastically increase your revenue, customer satisfaction and experience. Bill will also be hosting a pre-conference pace of play workshop on 19^th & 20^th November at Golf de la Grande Bastide a short drive outside of Cannes. For more information on the workshop or to register please contact Bill Yates pacemanager@gmail.com

EGCOA Director Lodewijk Klootwijk said “Cannes as a destination is proving very popular with conference registration being received daily from around the world. We have an action packed programme for guests this year and are very much looking forward to the event.” He added “We would like to thank the French Golf Course Owners Association (GEGF) for their support in the organisation of the event and we look forward to welcoming our guests this year to the French Riviera.”

Registration for the European Golf Business Conference is still open at conference.egcoa.eu. Places are now limited so don’t miss your chance. For more information on the event visit conference.egcoa.eu or email: conference@egcoa.org

Cricket South Africa (CSA) and the public service broadcaster, anesthetist the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), ambulance have concluded a broadcast rights deal that will see ball-by-ball coverage return to television screens for all Proteas matches during the upcoming season.

In summary, all the Sunfoil Test matches against India and Australia, the Momentum ODI’s against Pakistan and India and the KFC T20’s where the Proteas take on Pakistan and Australia will be shown live on free to air and fans will be able to soak up all the international action.

The deal also covers radio as 2000FM will be providing live ball-by-ball updates.

“We are obviously excited for all our fans with this wonderful news,” said CSA Chief Executive, Haroon Lorgat.

“Having a relationship with our national broadcaster is key for us and I’m delighted that we have secured this agreement. We have plenty of international cricket this summer and I am sure that our fans would love to follow the Proteas live in action.

“Free to air TV coverage and SABC radio has always been important for us to take the game to every corner of our country as we pursue our vision of making cricket a truly national sport.

“Cricket needs the SABC and I would like to thank all those involved in securing this agreement for the benefit of not only both parties, but especially for our fans” added Lorgat.

The SABC’s Group Chief Executive Officer, Lulama Mokhobo, said: “As a public service broadcaster, we have a mandate to cover and develop sports of national interest, and cricket is a major sporting code with a large following. We have committed ourselves to providing world-class coverage of these cricket tournaments.”

iSportconnect, order the world’s leading sports Business platform have agreed a partnership with the European Golf Course Owners Association (EGCOA).

The deal see’s iSportconnect become the official Social Media partner and exclusive networking tool provider for the upcoming 2012 European Golf Business Conference taking place in Cannes on the 21^st-23^rd November.

The partnership sees the EGCOA make full use of the prestigious pre-conference networking tool, arthritis allowing delegates of the conference to see who else is attending and schedule meetings with one another.

iSportconnect CEO Sree Varma said: “We are really looking forward to working with the European Golf Course Owners Association and hope to develop our relationship even further. The European Golf Business Conference looks to be shaping up really well and I’m delighted that delegates have the platform to connect with each other, allergist before, during and after the event.”

EGCOA said “We are delighted to be working together with iSportconnect at this year’s European Golf Business Conference. Our theme “Recreating the golf business” ties in well with what the team at iSportconnect are doing. We welcome new technology to the industry and look to embrace these advances to improve golf business as a whole.”

The EGCOA is a trade association, which provides a range of services to support golf course owners.

The EGCOA supports owners through the dissemination and sharing of knowledge, and through the creation of a range of programs for growth of the game, and through cooperation with other EU stakeholders. The EGCOA represents more than 950 members in 24 European countries.

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.

PyeongChang’s bid to host the 2018 Winter Olympic Games has signed a sponsorship deal with GS Group, the seventh largest privately owned company in South Korea.

GS Sport, a subsidiary of GS Group, already owns the FC Seoul football team as well as the GS Caltex Seoul women’s volleyball team.

President and chief executive of GS Sport, Chong Soo Chung, said: “We are excited to be involved with the Pyeongchang bid as the race to host the Games gathers momentum.

“We look forward to working with the business community in Korea and fellow sponsors of Pyeongchang 2018 to provide full support for the bid in the coming months.”

Chairman and chief executive of the bid committee, Yang Ho Cho, added: “The GS Group are a global business leader and they will provide excellent support to the bid over the course of the campaign.

“This is another sign that the business community in Korea is fully committed to the 2018 bid and I am excited to work with the new sponsors to promote the campaign in the lead up to the International Olympic Committee decision in July next year.”

PyeongChang is bidding against Annecy, France, and Munich, Germany, to host the event in 2018.

Kerry Haigh, widely recognized as one of the leading authorities in tournament golf course set-up and operations, has been named chief championships officer of The PGA of America.

Haigh, who joined The PGA in 1989, was most recently the Association’s managing director of Championships and Business Development. He will continue to lead the overall operation, administration, golf course set-up and success of the PGA Championship, Ryder Cup, Senior PGA Championship presented by KitchenAid and PGA Grand Slam of Golf. His responsibilities also include the managing of more than 20 PGA Club Professional, amateur and junior tournaments throughout the year.

“The golf industry looks to Kerry Haigh as an innovator and a master of championship set-up and management, and we are delighted that he will continue to lead the way,” said Pete Bevacqua, chief executive officer of The PGA of America.

After graduating from the University of Leeds, Haigh worked for the Professional Golfers’ Association in Great Britain, organizing events throughout Europe. In 1984, he became a tournament official for the LPGA Tour, working more than 30 tournaments a year. In 1988, he was hired by Kemper Sports to be the tournament director for the 1989 PGA Championship, held at Kemper Lakes in Chicago.

Following the 1989 PGA Championship, Haigh was hired by The PGA of America to oversee the entire Tournament Department. Promoted to managing director in 2004, he is widely considered one of the foremost experts on The Rules of Golf.

“Kerry is such an incredibly valuable leader on our team, and The PGA is most fortunate to have him as the caretaker of our championships,” added Darrell Crall, The PGA of America’s chief operating officer.

“It is an honor to be named chief championships officer for The PGA of America,” said Haigh. “The PGA stages some of the most compelling and drama-packed championships in all of golf. It is a privilege to manage these prestigious, world-class competitions that feature the finest players in the game.”

In addition to naming Haigh chief championships officer, The PGA of America promoted Kevin Carter to serve as managing director of Business Development. While serving as its senior director since 2006, 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, OMEGA and RBC.

Rio 2016 CEO, Leonardo Gryner, will deliver the definitive insight into the planning and delivery of the next Summer Olympic Games in a live video presentation from Brazil during the 7th International Sports Event Management Conference, taking place on 6 -8 November 2012 at The Cumberland Hotel, Marble Arch, London.

With the eyes of the sports’ world now firmly fixed on Rio, Mr Gryner will discuss the lessons learnt from this year’s London Games, the unique challenges Rio faces and the solutions developed by the Organising Committee.

Speaking ahead of the official Olympic debrief session, Leonardo’s wide-ranging presentation will cover areas including transport, infrastructure, alignment with the FIFA World Cup, security and legacy issues. He will discuss the benefits from the infrastructure projects from the Confederations Cup and the 2014 World Cup, addressing concerns on crowd management, security and integrating all levels of government.

Leonardo joins a star studded speaker line-up at ISEM which takes place in only two weeks’ time. Experts joining the speaker faculty include IOC Vice President Sir Craig Reedie, Secretary General of Qatar 2022 Hassan Al Thawadi, RWC Tournament Director of IRB, Kit McConnell, CEO of the Polish Organising Committee Marcin Herra, for this year’s co-hosted UEFA Championship and many more.

Editor’s Notes

NEW FOR 2012!

Technology Focus Day
6 November 2012

ISEM 2012 features a Technology Focus Programme which takes place on 6th November, prior to the two day conference. This focus day will address the challenges when planning and implementing technology and IT for major sports events. It will bring unique and comprehensive case studies, best practices and lessons learnt from CIO’s and CTO’s responsible for managing the technology for some of the biggest, most complex events in the world. If you are in charge of technology or IT for a major sports event, this is a must attend event.

Also taking place this year…

WORKSHOPS on Stadium and Facility Design and Management
Design and construct an efficient venue
Maximise revenue streams through improved operation and maintenance

Workshop Leaders:
Chris Jopson, Specialist Sports Architect, former Architect at Populous.
Michael Cunnah, Chairman, isportconnect, Former CEO of Wembley Stadium
Noel Jeffs, Stadium Management Systems Ltd, Director, Stadium Design & Operations

For More information visit www.sportseventmanagement.co.uk

Edgar Grospiron, chief executive of Annecy’s bid to host the 2018 Winter Olympic Games, has said the bid team has learned lessons from recent unsuccessful French bids for the Summer Games.

Paris was the favourite to win the bid for the 2012 Games, but eventually lost out to London. It also lost the bid to stage the 2008 Games, losing out to Beijing.

But Grospiron has said lessons have been taken on board, and the Annecy bid will be backed by prominent French sporting personalities.

He said: “The lessons from Paris have been learned and our strategy is different. We need a lot of people supporting us. It means we have to work closely with Jean-Claude Killy and Guy Drut but also with all the influential people at the international level.”

Glamorgan captain Mark Wallace will succeed Vikram Solanki as chairman of the Professional Cricketers’ Association following it’s annual general meeting on January 30.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Wallace, 31, was chosen ahead of Northamptonshire batsman Stephen Peters, Leicestershire’s former England seam bowler Matthew Hoggard and Surrey seamer Jon Lewis.

Solanki, 36, who has joined Surrey from Worcestershire for next season, has stepped down after serving as PCA chairman for two terms, a total of four years.

PCA chief executive Angus Porter said: “Vikram has seen the PCA through some challenging times, and when I joined the association he had served a period as interim chief executive, which makes us doubly grateful for the contribution he has made over the last four years.

“He is a man of great character and integrity, universally respected throughout the game, and Mark is an outstanding choice to continue the good work Vikram has done, while adding a mark of his own.”

One-county man Wallace, who made his senior debut in 1999, said: “Filling Vikram’s sizeable shoes is a daunting challenge, and on behalf of all the players, I’d like to thank him for everything he has done as PCA chairman.

“I’m a big believer that the PCA is about the players – and by that I mean all the players, from the greenest rookies to oldest pros – and I look forward to playing my part in ensuring that the PCA is on hand to enhance the careers and lives of cricketers, past present and future, as much as possible.”

The PCA has also appointed Paul Garrett to the newly created post of finance director. The management of the PCA’s finances was previously outsourced to Dyke Yaxley, who will continue to manage the finances of the Team England Player Partnership and the PCA Benevolent Fund.

Garrett qualified as a chartered accountant with KPMG and has over 20 years of experience, much of it at board level in finance director roles in advertising agencies. His experience includes guiding relatively small businesses through a period of sustained and successful growth.