English League One side, stuff Scunthorpe United will be searching for a new chairman next season after it was announced Steve Wharton will step down.

Wharton told a press conference that he will not be continuing his role after the current campaign is over.

He said: “I have given the board assurances that I am here until the end of the financial year, medic which is next June.

“I have made it clear to Brian that I think it is time I retired. Then it will be up to whoever takes over.

“We lost a substantial amount of money last year and will do so again this year. In any business you cannot continually do that year after year unless you have somebody prepared to come in and throw money at the situation.

“I have put a loan in place so that if I leave at the end of the year the club is financial sound. After that they have got to find a way of balancing the budget from then on.”

Pan-European television sport network Eurosport has announced it will broadcast the best clubs in the UEFA Women’s Champions League following the acquisition of the exclusive worldwide rights for the 2013-2014 home matches of title holders VfL Wolfsburg and 2010 winners 1.FFC Turbine Potsdam.

Eurosport can also broadcast selected away matches from both German clubs and can feature other teams such as 2012 and 2011 Champions League winners Olympique Lyonnais. 

Eurosport has broadcast every FIFA Women’s World Cup and UEFA Women’s Euro since 2003 as well as the UEFA Women’s Champions League since 2011. More recently the Women’s Bundesliga has joined Eurosport’s portfolio of rights, until the 2015-2016 season, confirming the channel’s commitment to women’s football. 

Eurosport has enjoyed audiences of 55m for the UEFA EURO in Sweden in July and the tournament’s average audience saw a 53% increase compared to the 2009 edition in Finland. In May 2013 Wolfsburg’s victory in the Champions League final over Olympique Lyonnais attracted 7.8m fans (+62% vs 2012 final).

Hampshire Chairman Rod Bransgrove has announced he will step down as Ageas Bowl Chief Executive from 1 December.

He will retain his position as Chairman of the Board of Directors.

Since taking the helm at the Club in 2000 as Chairman and Chief Executive, erectile Rod has had a major impact on the structure of English cricket with many Counties now emulating the management and corporate structures introduced by him at Rose Bowl plc. He has overseen the change of Hampshire Cricket’s home venue from Northlands Road in Southampton to The Ageas Bowl in West End and the continued development of the ground which will ultimately see it become the only Model Test Match venue in the country.

He has invested significantly in the development of the ground amenities over the years as well as encouraging investment from elsewhere. Early in 2012, clinic Rod orchestrated the conclusion of the Naming Rights Agreement which resulted in the ground being renamed The Ageas Bowl and, most recently, he concluded the major £45m re-investment transaction with Eastleigh Borough Council and others which has enabled construction of the new 4-star Hilton Hotel to commence.

During the 12 years of his leadership, Rod has overseen the recruitment of several high-profile signings, such as Shane Warne, John Crawley and Kevin Pietersen, whilst encouraging the development of home-grown talent in the County’s increasingly-effective Academy. This has resulted in the development of a highly successful team which, over the past seven years, has won three One Day trophies and two Twenty20 cups. He was also responsible for bringing International cricket to the South Coast for the first time, ultimately culminating in the hosting of the first Test Match south of London in 2011 between England and Sri Lanka. In addition, both domestic and International Twenty20 cricket made their debuts at The Ageas Bowl.

In addition to cricket, Rod has encouraged major concerts and shows to The Ageas Bowl since 2005 with high-profile acts such as Oasis, Billy Joel, Neil Diamond, The Who and R.E.M having appeared there.

The move is part of a wider corporate restructuring exercise, reflecting both the re-stabilised financial status of the Group and the changing nature of its diversified business.

Rod Bransgrove said; “This change is a natural development of the management structure of the Group and does not indicate any intent on my part to conclude or reduce my commitment to the success of this project. However, after 12 years of fulfilling a dual role, and having now stabilised the business with a significant re-investment package, the time is right for me to focus on my position as Group Chairman, taking responsibility for Board-related matters including strategic planning.”

“In David Mann, we have an ideal candidate to take over the operational management of the Group. He has excelled as Finance Director for the past five years and has been instrumental in the conclusion of the highly-complex re-investment transaction with Eastleigh Borough Council over the past year. His commitment and attention to detail has impressed all his colleagues on the Board and he enjoys excellent working relationships with all key staff. Simply put, David Mann provides me with the opportunity to take this important step back with full confidence in his stewardship.”

David Mann, who has been Group Financial Director of the Club since September 2007, will assume the role of CEO.

Before joining The Ageas Bowl, David Mann held a number of senior financial positions in industry working as a Finance Director, Financial Controller and European Financial Controller including spells working in France and Spain. Prior to this, he qualified as a Chartered Accountant with KPMG.

David said; “It is a privilege to be taking over as CEO of this business. We have a team of tremendously talented and committed people here and, working together with Eastleigh Borough Council, the England and Wales Cricket Board and our commercial partners and stakeholders, we look forward to building on Rod Bransgrove’s achievements over the last decade and making The Ageas Bowl one of the finest venues in the country, a legacy for future generations and something the people of Hampshire can be truly proud of.”

The final deadline for entry into the Football Business Awards is Wednesday 15th August. Some of the biggest names in football have already entered the awards.

The awards ceremony will be held at a gala dinner at Chelsea FC’s Stamford Bridge in November.

Make sure your club, business or innovation gets the recognition it deserves, enter the awards here www.footballbusinessawards.com

FOX Sports has acquired Australian rights to broadcast the Spanish La Liga and Italian Serie A for the next two seasons.

Australia’s sports leader will broadcast two live matches each week with an additional two matches on delay from both leagues, starting with the Madrid and Turin derbies this Sunday, 29 September.

Socceroos legend and current Melbourne Heart coach John Aloisi, who was the first Australian ever to play and score in La Liga, the English Premier League and Serie A, has praised the broadcast deal.

“It is fantastic for Australian football fans to be able to enjoy two of the top club competitions in world football,” Aloisi said.

“Fans can not only look forward to watching big matches such as the Manchester Derby, but now they can catch the Milan and Madrid derbies, and see world-class players like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo live every week.

Aloisi, who played 48 games in the Italian top flight with Cremonese between 1995-1997 and in Spain’s La Liga between 2001-2007 for Osasuna (121 games) and Alaves (58 games), said there was growing appetite for European club football in Australia.

“Having played in Italy and Spain, I always keep a close eye on the competition and they are growing in popularity each year in Australia,” Aloisi said.

“I think football fans across Australia will welcome this broadcast deal.”

Fox Sports already shows all 380 Barclays Premier League matches as well as every match from the domestic Hyundai A-League.

Fotball Federation Australia CEO David Gallop has welcomed the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Executive Committee’s decision last night in Kuala Lumpur to nominate Australia’s Moya Dodd as a candidate to the FIFA Executive Committee (ExCo) position of women’s football representative.

Moya is currently an AFC Vice-President, discount Chair of the AFC Women’s Committee, an FFA Director and a former Matildas vice-captain.

“Moya’s nomination in itself is a significant step for Australian football and indeed Australian sports administration,” said Gallop.

“The FIFA Executive Committee is the most powerful and influential administrative body in world sport and having elected Australian representation would bring immeasurable status to our nation and Australian football.

“It’s appropriate that Moya has been nominated as a candidate for the specific FIFA ExCo seat to represent women’s football. Moya has a lifelong passion for the game and Australia is a leading nation for women’s football, having 20% of all players being female, running a national club competition the Westfield W-League and being a top 10 nation on the FIFA rankings.”

The election for the FIFA ExCo women’s position will be held during the FIFA Congress in Mauritius in May this year.