Euroleague Basketball have launched their partnership with 24 MEDIA, ampoule the largest digital publishing group in Greece.

Sport24.gr will host the official online destination for the Turkish Airlines Euroleague fans in Greece and Cyprus. 

The new site, pills hosted in a special section of Sport24.gr, will allow users to follow the Turkish Airlines Euroleague in Greek, with access to video highlights, news from top basketball journalists in Greece, extensive articles, various polls and contests, real-time live statistics, results, standings, a complete photo gallery and many more exciting features.

The multimedia content of the new destination will also be included in the SPORT24 Mobile Application available for IOS & Android devices.

The prospect of the 2022 World Cup being played in the winter has been boosted by support from Premier League chairman Sir Dave Richards and Britain’s FIFA vice-president.

Richards, speaking at the Securing Sport conference in Qatar, said: ”I think they will play (the World Cup) at a time that is proper for football but they will have to speak to the leagues in Europe.

”They will have to agree proper times when we can start and finish.

”At the moment it has a tremendous amount of implications for Europe. For us, at this minute, the answer is ‘no’.

”But, if we take a proper view, we have to find a way to have a winter spell where we don’t play and I think common sense will prevail.

”We’ve got FIFA now saying that medical people are saying that they can’t play in Qatar in the summer because of the heat, which is probably right.

”I think over the next few years, things will change and they will come to a compromise.”

Jim Boyce, from Northern Ireland, believes the searing heat of July in Qatar, where temperatures often reach more than 45 degrees Celsius, will be too much for players and spectators even with the promise of air-conditioned stadiums.

Boyce told Press Association Sport: “I was not part of the process that gave the World Cup to Qatar, but my feeling is that common sense should prevail. The World Cup is the greatest event in football and from a spectator point of view it has to be played at a time of year when people can enjoy it in comfort.”

He added: “People I know who live in Qatar say it would be very uncomfortable for the fans.

“There is also a medical and health concern for both players and spectators and if it is going to be safer to play it in January instead of July then I would be in favour of that.”

FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke said earlier this month that the 2022 World Cup could be moved to the winter if research shows holding the tournament in the summer heat would be dangerous for players, while Michel D’Hooghe, the chairman of FIFA’s medical committee, has also backed the move to play it in the winter.

Toronto FC announced Wednesday that Kevin Payne has been named President and General Manager of the club. Payne, 59, will lead both team and business operations for the club.

Payne joins Toronto FC after spending 17 years at D.C. United, where he played an instrumental role in making the club the most successful in United States professional soccer history.

During his tenure with D.C. United, the club won 12 domestic and international championships, including four MLS Cups Championships.

“We’re excited to welcome Kevin to Toronto FC,” said Tom Anselmi, president and chief operating officer for Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment. “Kevin brings a tremendous wealth of MLS experience and soccer leadership to our club. He is a proven winner and knows what it takes to win in our League. We believe he is the right person to lead our club and a great fit for our community and most importantly our fans.”

“I am very proud and excited to be joining Toronto FC,” said Payne. “Toronto is a great soccer market with passionate fans and world-class facilities. The club has a great ownership team who are committed to winning and providing all the necessary resources to do so.”

Payne is a founding member of the Major League Soccer/Soccer United Marketing (MLS/SUM) Board of Governors, Chairman of the Technical Committee for the U.S. Soccer Federation, is the Vice Chairman of the U. S. Soccer Foundation, and is a member of the FIFA Standing Committee for Club Football. In 1994, Payne created the first ownership group for D.C. United and the team began Major League Soccer play in 1996.

 

The European Sponsorship Association (ESA) has announced a strong cast for its annual

morning Insights Forum on Digital and Social Media, capsule taking place in London on the 4^th

October 2012.

 

Craig Edmondson, prostate Head of Marketing, price Premier League and Richard Ayers, Head of Digital

Business Development at the British Film Institute, will review a selection of innovative

campaigns, exploring the thinking and activation behind the successful projects.

Nick Cohen, Head of MediaCom Beyond Advertising, will join in for a panel discussion

following a networking break. Hearing from the individuals who have driven that change, this

interactive session will focus on how future trends are likely to influence the sponsorship

industry.

 

Host Matt Rogan, Managing Director of Two Circles and ESA Director responsible for

Education and Training, said: “Creating digital impact is now a pre-requisite of engaging

customers on a personal level through sponsorship. We are thrilled to have secured such

experts to provide insights into the ever-changing opportunities of digital and social

marketing. This really is an essential session for anyone wanting their projects to cut

through”.

 

With a raft of digital awards to his name, Richard will be able to share his experience

working both at the BFI and as Digital Innovation Consultant at Manchester City Football

Club. Named ‘Individual of the Year’ in 2011 at the UK industry awards – the DADIs (The

Drum Awards for the Digital Industries), for his work at City, the Club’s digital service also

scooped the ‘Sport Website of the Year’ at this year’s Sports Industry Awards.

 

Having worked in the commercial department of the Premier League since 2004, Craig is

ideally placed to share the digital strategy, approach and advancements while illustrating

some current cutting edge developments and partnerships.

 

Approaching the discussions from another angle, Nick will bring his experience working at

the forefront of content and digital media with broadcasters and news providers, most

recently having spent nine years with the BBC before moving to MediaCom in 2011. During

the panel discussion, Nick will draw on some examples of his current work, including

Volkswagen and T-Mobile.

 

The morning forum will be held at the offices of MediaCom with registration and a light

breakfast starting from 8:30am and the session concluding at 11:30am. The forum is

affordably priced at £100 / £175 (plus vat) for ESA members / non-members respectively.

 

To reserve a place please contact Sue Cunningham at the ESA Office via

esaoffice@sponsorship.org, or telephone +44 (0) 20 9390 3311.

Attendance at the ESA Insights Forum will earn 2.5 ESA CPD Points. For further

information, please visit www.sponsorship.org/content/knowledge.asp

 

PMP Legacy have announced the appointment of Lord Sebastian Coe, the Chairman of the London Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, as Executive Chairman of CSM Sport & Entertainment a division of Chime Communications plc.

Lord Coe, who will take up his role in January 2013, when current Chairman Alan Pascoe becomes President, said: “I am delighted to be joining such a dynamic group with such a breadth of sporting interests and skills ranging from marketing, sponsorship and athlete representation to supporting bidding campaigns for world-class events. I hope my experience will help develop this exciting new business and I am looking forward to the challenge.”

Jim Glover, Group Chief Executive of CSM Sport & Entertainment, said “We are entering an exciting new phase in our evolution at CSM Sport & Entertainment and I can think of no-one in the world better than Seb Coe to help us continue to build on our existing success. We are proud and delighted that out of the many and varied opportunities and avenues Seb could have chosen, he has agreed to join us.”

Peter Mann, Chairman of pmplegacy said “We very much look forward to welcoming Lord Coe into the CSM family and in particular to him working as part of the pmplegacy team on event bidding, hosting and legacy. Seb’s experience in taking London from conception through to execution, will make an invaluable contribution to our work with cities around the world, aspiring to bid for, win and host major sporting events. Seb’s experience in this sector is ‘without equal’ and I know that he is very excited about re-living that experience within CSM.”

CSM Sport & Entertainment is a division of Chime Communications plc. It comprises five major, internationally-recognised companies – pmplegacy, Icon, iluka, Fast Track and Essentially. CSM has 700 employees worldwide, across 15 offices in 13 countries including Abu Dhabi; Adelaide; Auckland; Cape Town; Doha; Dubai; Glasgow; Hong Kong; London; Madrid; Melbourne; Moscow; Paris; Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo.

Her Excellency, cialis Ms Quentin Bryce AC CVO, Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, will officially open the inaugural Asia Pacific World Sport and Women (APWSW) Conference on the morning of Monday, 8 October 2012.

The APWSW Conference, a ground-breaking two-day forum on the business of women in sport, will host international delegates and speakers at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Monday, 8 and Tuesday, 9 October 2012.

Patrizia Torelli, President of the World Sport and Women Organising Association Inc conceived the APWSW Conference to provide delegates practical solutions to attract, engage and retain the interest of women in the business of sport.

‘We are honoured to confirm Her Excellency will open the APWSW Conference.   Her Excellency’s support and involvement complements the event’s commitment to increasing women’s involvement in sport,’ said Ms Torelli.

Strongly supported by government, the APWSW Conference’s program complements the 2006 Senate Inquiry into women’s involvement in sport.

Aiming to strengthen sport across all levels, the APWSW Conference’s two-day program will showcase the importance of women’s involvement from grassroots participation through to board level representation.

Secure tickets now at www.foxtix.com.au

Visit www.apwsw.com.au to see WHO ELSE will be joining the conversation and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn for updates and news. Tickets available now at Foxtix.com.au

Tom Manners is set to take up a new position as Group Brand Development Director of the The Jockey Club, sales the largest commercial group in British horseracing, tadalafil  beginning his tenure from Tuesday 4th December 2012.

A highly experienced brand and commercial professional, Manners will be responsible for the development and marketing of The Jockey Club brand and generating commercial revenues, such as through partnerships and licensing arrangements. He will report to Paul Fisher, Group Managing Director of Jockey Club Racecourses.

Manners joins The Jockey Club after six years working for Gala Coral Group, where his roles included Group Brands Marketing Director, Group Retail Marketing Director and as Commercial Director of Gala Casinos, Gala Bingo and Gala Coral’s E-commerce division.

Paul Fisher, group managing director of Jockey Club Racecourses, said: “We recognise that one of the key commercial opportunities for our business over the next few years is our brand and the value it can bring to the Group and British racing.”

Fisher added: “Tom Manners is a hugely experienced professional joining us with a strong record of success in senior brand, marketing and sales roles. We believe commercial partners, suppliers and our sales and marketing teams will enjoy collaborating with him and the vision he brings to The Jockey Club in this area.”

Manners was excited by the opportunity: “This is a truly exciting opportunity and I’m delighted to be joining The Jockey Club with its unrivalled assets and heritage in Britain’s second biggest sport. A force for good, reinvesting all profits back into racing for its long-term health; The Jockey Club brand has so much potential, including from a commercial perspective, to give back even more to the sport.”

The European Sponsorship Association (ESA) is delighted to announce an exclusive media partnership with iSportconnect for the upcoming ESA Insights Forum: Latest Trends for Digital and Social Media.

The event taking place in London on the morning of 4^th October 2012 will examine a selection of innovative campaigns, sales exploring the thinking and activation behind the successful projects. It will also review the social media/digital impact from the 2012 Olympic Games and focus on new trends.

iSportconnect Marketing & Partnership Manager Xavier Cureau said: “It is fantastic to be working with The European Sponsorship Association and a perfect fit for iSportconnect. We hope to work a lot closer with the ESA team over the coming year”.

iSportconnect offers an exclusive online platform that brings together thousands of sports business professionals worldwide. With a wide range of applications, iSportconnect combines business and social networking, detailed insights into the latest sports business news and market data, listings of business events and executive jobs, as well as market analysis to provide a one-stop shop for the sports business community. Existing LinkedIn and Twitter profiles can be synchronised and updated from iSportconnect, which also has iPhone and BlackBerry applications. iSportconnect has no introductory fees, and has no limit on communication.

Matt Rogan, Managing Director of Two Circles and ESA Director responsible for Education and Training, said: “We are very pleased to have the support of iSportconnect, an organisation that uses social media so well and is a complementary partner.

“Creating digital impact is now a pre-requisite of engaging customers on a personal level through sponsorship. Our experts Craig Edmondson, Head of Marketing, Premier League and Richard Ayers, Head of Digital Business Development at the British Film Institute, will give insights into the ever-changing opportunities of digital and social marketing”.

For further details about the ESA Insights Forum, visit http://www.sponsorship.org/content/knowledge/ESA-Knowledge-Events-Autumn-2012.pdf

For more information on iSportconnect, visit

http://dev.isportconnect.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1&Itemid=3

 

The Asian Football Confederation will elect a President before April to perennially suspended AFC boss Mohamed Bin Hammam

An AFC statement said the election of a new leader was “subject to recommendations and advice of the AFC Legal Committee” with a decision due by mid-January.

The statement came after the AFC’s executive committee meeting at their headquarters in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday under the chairmanship of China’s Zhang Jilong, who has held the role of acting President since May 2011.

Zhang is a likely candidate to assume the permanent role, but he will probably face competition from Bahraini FA President Sheikh Salman and others.

“Under my caretaker leadership, I promised a new vision for AFC. I committed myself to a new era of transparency and I am confident that with your support I will be able to deliver this objective,” Zhang said to AFC members.

Bin Hamman has been out of office for the last 18 months fighting corruption allegations.

Bin Hammam, who was elected in 2002, has been credited with revolutionising the Asian Champions League and oversaw Australia’s entrance to the confederation.

He survived two further elections, the last in January 2011 uncontested, but his reign has often been controversial.{jcomments on}