The Pompey Supporters’ Trust moved one step closer to creating Britain’s biggest community club after The Football League gave the green light to its bid.

At its regular board meeting last week the league was supportive of the Trust’s bid, and in a statement issued on Monday said the bid had “significant merit”.

The two key hurdles the Trust need to get over now is for a successful court case at the end of this week and for fans to continue to convert their pledges and to buy shares.

“We are very pleased The Football League has shown confidence in our bid by endorsing our proposed membership. This is a highly significant moment for the club,” said Ashley Brown, Chairman of PST.

“We have always argued that Pompey needs a community-led solution and we are very pleased the league shares our confidence in our ability to turn the club around.

“Thanks to the backing of our fans and our individual investors we have a robust business plan, which the league has endorsed.

“We now need fans to back us financially to ensure our club survives. This is a landmark moment on the road to rehabilitating the club and we now need everyone who can to buy a share or convert their pledge as soon as possible. this will ensure we are in a strong financial position prior to the court case.

“Of course we are disappointed to the league has confirmed the points deduction, although the reasons for it are the fault of those who have mismanaged the club so badly in its recent past.”

A High Court hearing is scheduled for Thursday 13 and Friday 14 December to determine the value of Fratton Park. Provided the outcome is successful, it is anticipated the Trust may control of Portsmouth FC the following week.

The working group in charge of assessing the six candidates for the 2018 Youth Summer Olympic Games has been selected, Jacques Rogge, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced.

The six candidate cities are Buenos Aires, Glasgow, Guadalajara, Medellin, Poznan and Rotterdam.

The working group will be chaired by Olympic silver medallist and world champion fencer Claudia Bokel, an IOC member and chairperson of the IOC Athletes’ Commission.

Other members include Guido de Bondt, Secretary General, Belgian NOC; Andrew Ryan, representing International Federations, Director ASOIF; athlete representative Yumilka Ruiz Luaces, an IOC and Athletes’ Commission member who is an Olympic volleyball champion; and Gilbert Felli, Olympic Games Executive Director.

The group will analyze each city’s candidature file, which will be received by the IOC at the October 15 deadline, and will then submit a report to the IOC Executive Board. The board will then identify which of the six candidate cities will be shortlisted for further evaluation at its meeting in Lausanne February 12 and 13, 2013.

Following further assessment and video conferences with each shortlisted candidate city, a report will be submitted to the IOC members who will then elect the host city for the 2018 Youth Games at their meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland on July 4, 2013.

deltatre, discount who has been the provider of the results and graphics for BBC Sport’s football program since 2006, cialis has inked an extension to their deal for another three years.

Covering all BBC broadcasts of live football matches and related studio programming, store deltatre will be accountable for gathering match result data and powering TV graphics.

The service obligation extends beyond football, encompassing a variety of other sporting events which includes the World Cup Rowing, Amateur Boxing, Cross Country Championship, and the approaching 2013 Rugby League World Cup.

BBC and deltatre have been working together for seven years, throughout many global sporting events, involving the 2012 European Championship and the 2010 South Africa World Cup.

“We are delighted to continue our graphics provision with the BBC. Our offering has already grown considerably since its inception, and we look forward to providing more exciting and compelling content as we go forward,” said the Director of deltatre north, Hugo Sharman.

Joe Desena, physician co-founder of Spartan Race, ailment | today announced the appointment of Lee Goss as president of the company, which is recognized as the world’s leading obstacle race and Outside Magazine’s Best Obstacle Race in 2012.

“Our extraordinary growth demands the proven visionary leadership and exceptional management skills Lee brings to the table. He will provide the pragmatic, strategic direction needed to take Spartan Race to the next level as we broaden and deepen our impact in the U.S. and expand globally,” Desena said, adding that Goss has been on the ground floor of numerous successful start-up ventures, partnered with some of the country’s most celebrated entrepreneurs and led several effective corporate turn-around efforts.

“Lee exemplifies the Spartan character. He is thoughtful, extraordinarily driven, creative, passionate, inspirational and a strong leader,” Desena continued. “As an innovative, entrepreneurial executive with a 20+-year track record of managing and growing companies, Lee unquestionably is the right person to lead Spartan at this critical juncture.”

“At this point in my career, my focus is on establishing meaningful relationships in my work and doing meaningful work,” Goss commented. “These priorities align perfectly with Spartan’s mission to change lives by ripping people off their couches and getting them active and fit. What I love about this company are all of the inspiring human interest stories – everyday folks overcoming adversity and challenges to triumph. In this way, obstacle racing, and in particular Spartan Race, is very much a metaphor for life,” he noted.

“My role with Spartan Race is to prepare the company for broader impact and drive fiscal growth. I am committed to providing our team with the guidance and resources to attain these goals,” Goss concluded.

Goss is married with three children. The Memphis, Tenn. native earned an MBA from Duke University and graduated cum laude with a BA degree in computer science from the University of Richmond where he was an NCAA Division I scholarship varsity basketball player.

With only one day to go until Euro 2012 kicks off with joint hosts Poland taking on Greece in Warsaw on Friday night, generic the football industry is competing to beat their peers with their football knowledge. Over 650 teams have already been entered in the Soccerex Euro 2012 Fantasy League game with the chance to win £10,000 worth of prizes.

The top prize is a VIP trip for two to Rio de Janeiro for the Soccerex Global Convention this November; others include a selection of signed shirts such as an England shirt signed by Rio Ferdinand, Gary Neville, Bryan Robson, John Barnes, Phil Thompson, Terry Venables and Stuart Pearce, a Manchester United shirt signed by Rio Ferdinand, Gary Neville, Dimitar Berbatov, Bryan Robson and Denis Law, a Brazil shirt signed by Carlos Alberto Torres and an iPad 2.

The game, powered by Fantasy League Ltd, is free to play and allows people from across the industry to test their skills against friends and colleagues during the tournament (8th June – 1st July).

The game is live now at http://soccerex.fantasyleague.com and you have until 17.00 BST on 8th June to score points from the first game, with unlimited team changes available until this time. For full details of the game regulations and prizes please go to http://soccerex.fantasyleague.com.

Richard King, Commercial Director of Fantasy League Ltd commented that “We are delighted to partner with Soccerex and run a Fantasy League for their audience during Euro 2012. We wish all the entrants the very best of luck in winning a fantastic trip to Rio for the Soccerex Global Convention 2012!”

The Soccerex Global Convention is the world’s largest football business event, seeing the global leaders in the business of football come together to debate, network and do business. Lasting 5 days, including a two day Football Festival on Copacabana Beach, it is held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 24-28 November 2012. The event is held in conjunction with the Government of Rio de Janeiro.

RTÉ Sport has secured the Irish broadcast rights to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games on television, medicine radio, online and mobile.

The deal includes broadcast rights for both live broadcasts and highlights. also as part of the agreement, RTÉ has also made a commitment to broadcast coverage of the 2014 Winter Olympics on RTÉ News Now, which will feature live coverage of the opening and closing ceremonies, as well as a daily highlights programme.

RTÉ head of Sport Ryle Nugent said: “Building on from the success of RTÉ’s comprehensive coverage of the London 2012 games, we are looking forward to being able to bring the Irish public a wide-ranging level of Olympic coverage across all our platforms once again.

“The London 2012 Olympics really captured the Irish public’s hearts and minds, with hugely successful performances by a number of our athletes.

“We hope that these achievements will continue to grow as we look forward to Rio 2016.

“Whilst in line with our commitment to reduce our sports rights budget, this deal represents a significant investment by RTÉ, particularly in the current economic climate.

“As the national public service broadcaster, we are proud to provide free-to-air coverage of such a major international event, featuring Irish competitors alongside some of the best athletes in the world, and we feel that it is a key part of our public service remit.”

 

Bernie Ecclestone has reiterated his warning to European F1 venues  to shape up or risk losing their grands prix as they do not have a “God-given” right to stage a race.

New locations have been added to the calendar in the last few years, with F1 moving away from its traditional heartland in Europe to venues such as Abu Dhabi, Singapore and India.

Ecclestone expects the trend to continue and has told the European venues to improve or risk disappearing from the calendar.

With Sochi scheduled to stage its first grand prix in 2014 after hosting the Winter Olympics, Ecclestone told the official F1 website: “I suppose the next big thing will be Russia.

“Then we have to get this New York thing picking up again,” the 82-year-old added in reference to the postponed New Jersey Grand Prix. “There’s lots of unfinished business – no time to waste one thought on retirement!

“Look at the Austin race: it was phenomenal. Everybody agreed that it is great that Formula One is back in the States.

“Maybe we’ll get the Europeans to wake up instead of thinking that it (a race) is a God-given thing. When Europeans perform and do their job we are happy to stay.”

Ecclestone also said he would change “nothing” about F1 and likened it to “show business”.

“We have to understand that we are in the entertainment business and this year we have entertained,” he added.

“All sports today are show business and it gets dangerous for a sport if people start to forget that.”