Hearts have announced they will not accept’s Scottish Premier League decision to impose an indefinite transfer embargo on the club and will challenge the ruling.

The restraint was issued on Thursday after the Tynecastle club once again failed to make payments to players.

And the SPL read backed their stance by stating Hearts have “not paid a number of bonuses and appearance payments” and also face a disciplinary hearing, with a full range of sanctions at the league governing body’s disposal.

Hearts responded to the SPL statement by confirming they were taking legal advice and manager John McGlynn revealed the extended sanction will be fought.

“We’re going to challenge it,” McGlynn said. “It’s difficult to talk about it because we’re going through lawyers.

“There are other clubs who don’t pay their bonuses until the end of the season either. That’s why this can be challenged.

“The board of directors have looked at it and went to get legal advice. They want to take that a stage further.

“This has not come from the players. The players are not concerned by this at all.”

English fourth-tier side, Southend United have made the appointment of Steve Kavanagh as the club’s new chief executive following Gary Lockett’s departure.

Lockett last week stepped down from his post with immediate effect, citing his struggles to balance the demands of the job with his own business interests as the reason behind his resignation.

Lockett has remained as a non-executive director at Roots Hall but Kavanagh, former chief exec of Charlton who has worked in the game for over 10 years, has now taken the role of CEO.

Kavanagh told the club’s official website: “I have known Ron Martin (chairman) for a number of years and I have seen first hand his passion and desire to deliver success for the club and I am looking forward to working along side Ron, and the rest of the board, to deliver what is a really exciting future.

“Part of this vision has to deliver success on the pitch and I will be working with Paul Sturrock to build on the feel-good factor that exists in the squad. I was at the match last night (Tuesday’s 1-0 home defeat to Burton) and it ended disappointingly, but the spirit in the team having gone down to 10 men so early on, and the desire to go and win the game, was evident.”

Kavanagh becomes Southend’s third chief executive in the space of eight months following Lockett and Tara Brady, who also resigned from his post.

Thanyapura Sports & Leisure Club – Phuket, Thailand is home to the best facilities throughout south-east Asia, housing an Olympic competitionstandard pool, tness centre, athletics track, tennis courts and rugby pitch. The club is proud to announce another rst class edition to their offering, The Sponsorship Experts. Leading independent marketing  consultancy Paul Poole(South East Asia) Co., Ltd. will be managing all sponsorship and marketing opportunities for Thanyapura Sports & Lei sure Club – Phuket, Thailand in 2012 and 2013.

Paul Poole (South East Asia) Co., Ltd. Managing Director, Paul Poole spoke of his excitement of the deal:

“I am delighted to be part of the team helping to develop such a fantastic centre and club as well as support the development of children through sports and creative activities. We have no doubt that with our support Thanyapura Sports & Leisure Club – Phuket, Thailand will thrive even further through carefully managed partnerships & sponsorships with sort after brands and businesses.”

Robert Hauck, President of Thanyapura spoke of the partnership:

“We are all very pleased that Paul Poole and his team will be using their expertise to open sponsorship and marketing opportunities for Thanyapura Sports & Leisure Club – Phuket, Thailand throughout 2012 and 2013. We are all hugely excited to be able to work with such a knowledgeable and innovative team.”

Commercial Sponsorship & Partnership Opportunities are available. For more information please visit the iSportconnect Market Place or click here

U.S. Soccer announced that “National Women’s Soccer League” (NWSL) will be the name of the new eight-team women’s soccer league, which has replaced WPSL-Elite, which replaced WPS, which replaced WUSA.

NWSL will begin in the spring 2013 and be administered by U.S. Soccer.

U.S. Soccer will subsidize the salaries of up to 24 U.S. Women’s National Team players while the Canadian Soccer Association and Federation of Mexican Football will each do the same for up to 16 players.

The eight teams in the league are: Boston Breakers, Chicago Red Stars, FC Kansas City, Portland Thorns FC, Sky Blue FC, Washington Spirit, Western New York Flash and Seattle, which has yet to announce its team name.

Former U.S. Women’s National Team General Manager Cheryl Bailey was named Executive Director for the new league.

Following the recent announcement that Troon has been selected as the management team at the Royal Golf Club, medicine Bahrain, story David J Flanders has been appointed to the position of General Manager of the Club.

Flanders will replace outgoing General Manager, generic Susan Stevenson.

“The Royal Golf Club team is delighted to welcome DJ on board,” commented Stevenson. “He has worked for Troon for the past 13 years and is acclaimed as one of their top five performers worldwide. Together with Troon, DJ is tasked with taking the Club to the next level in terms of furthering its reputation and elevating the club experience for both Members and guests. His previous experience, especially at other Clubs in the region, makes him a great fit for the job.”

“I could not be more excited to be joining the Royal Golf Club,” stated Flanders. “The facility and staff are spectacular and I’m looking forward to meeting all the Members and guests as they experience the Club.”

American Flanders, a PGA member, is currently employed as General Manager of the upscale Muttontown Club in New York. He is expected to move to Bahrain with his family towards the end of October and will take up his new position at the Royal Golf Club on 1st November.

His previous experience includes managing the prestigious Saadiyat Beach and Abu Dhabi Golf Clubs in the UAE as well as the Phoenix Country Club in Japan and the Westin Kierland Resort & Spa in Arizona, US.

Soccerex, ambulance the global leader for the business of football, is pleased to announce a new partnership with Worldwide Sports.  The sports marketing agency have been confirmed as an official agent for South Africa for the inaugural Soccerex African Forum at the International Convention Centre in Durban, 23-24 October.

The partnership builds on the successful relationship between the two companies that was established during the previous Global Convention held in South Africa from 2007-2009. As one of the leading sports marketing agencies in Africa, Worldwide Sports have handled some of the biggest sponsorship sales in South Africa. They were appointed as the signage and brand agency for the 2010 FIFA World Cup^TM and handled  Standard Bank’s partnership with the Orlando Pirates and Kaiser Chiefs.

Commenting on the partnership with Worldwide Sports, Soccerex CEO Duncan Revie said:

“I am so pleased that we can partner with Worldwide Sports again, we had an incredible relationship with them during our preparation for the previous Soccerex Global Convention in South Africa.  Having them on board will only enhance the reputation of the Soccerex African Forum, and in turn help to develop the legacy of football in Africa.”

The first Soccerex African Forum will feature a detailed conference featuring some of the biggest names in football, with a packed exhibition and a programme of networking events which will build on the business legacy of Soccerex’s three year stay in South Africa (2007-2009) for the Global Convention and help develop the legacy of 2010 FIFA World Cup^TM across Africa.

The proposed plans for an  2014 F1 night race in Bangkok looks set to be pushed back, according to reports.

Thai sports authority governor Kanokphand Chulakasem – an advisor to Red Bull owner Chalerm Yoovidhya – met F1 ringmaster Ecclestone during the Singapore Grand Prix to hammer out details of an agreement, which initially appeared to place the event on the 2014 schedule. Question marks surrounded the hosting fee, with Thailand thought to be pursuing a favourable figure close to that agreed by Singapore for its new contract, but the government looked set to fund up to 60 per cent of any fee, with the rest hopefully coming from the likes of Red Bull and beer brand Singha.

Now, Ecclestone has revealed that it is the 2015 calendar, and not 2014, that will feature a night race on the streets of Bangkok.

“They say 2014 and I say 2015, but it is serious and it is good,” he was quoted as telling the Wall Street Journal

Although the 2013 schedule looks set to revert to 19 races unless a replacement for the postponed New Jersey street race can be found, Thailand is likely to be a part of a 20-event calendar in 2015, with Russia’s arrival in 2014 also looking to put pressure on existing venues. France, Turkey and South Africa are also looking for a way back into the line-up, while New Jersey is expected to be ready to join the fray in 2014.

Juliet Slot, anabolics recently appointed Commercial Director of Ascot Racecourse, discount has revealed her joy in joining the organisation from early November.

Speaking exclusively to iSportconnect, she said: “Ascot Racecourse is one of the best venues in the world to experience premium racing.

“The success of the British Champions Day, which has sold out for October demonstrates our opportunity to attract audiences where we have top class racing in a venue renowned for an excellent entertainment experience from the moment you walk through our gates.

“For me it is about reviewing our customer journey, end to end, and finding how we can improve it a process we undertook at Fulham Football Club when I joined.

“It is also about ensuring we are promoting premium racing and but also developing the content offered around this to engage with new consumers.”

Slot is also ecstatic about the facilities she has at her disposal and what she hopes she can deliver.

“We are incredibly lucky with our fantastic infrastructure, meaning we can offer a broader entertainment proposition which will be attractive to both existing racing enthusiasts, sports enthusiasts as well as other new audiences,” she concluded.

“I am incredibly excited to be able to join the team and be a part of delivering the vision for the future.”

Having spent three years as Managing Director of leading marketing and communications agency, Pitch, as well as five years at Fulham Football Club, as Sales and Marketing Director, Slot’s diverse experience made her the ideal candidate for the position.

Charles Barnett, Chief Executive at Ascot, said: “Juliet has a wealth of experience in the commercial sports arena with a proven record of delivery.

“Importantly, she is as enthusiastic about the sport of racing as the team that she joins and we are looking forward to taking the business forward over the coming years.”