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.”

 

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Rangers listing on the stock exchange has bared some fruit as they have raised more than £22m from the listing.

Chief executive Charles Green previously said he had secured £17m in pledges from investors and had set aside £10m for fans to buy a stake.

But a statement on Tuesday read: “A total of £22.2 million has been raised from professional and institutional investors and supporters which will be used to take the club forward, medic strengthen the squad when appropriate and improve facilities.”

Green, purchase whose company bought the assets and business of Rangers for £5.5m when the club was liquidated in June, praised supporters for their contribution despite falling short of the revised target.

In a statement, Green said: “This is an exciting time for everyone associated with this 140-year-old institution but we are just at the start of the journey.

“We are rebuilding and Rangers will rise again and we will do so with the help of our fans and the institutional investors who are on board.

“This process has generated over £22m, which has exceeded the figure of £20m that we set out to raise when we announced our intention to float the company on 11th October 2012.

“I would like to thank our supporters who stepped up to the plate when asked to buy season tickets earlier in the season.”

Cardiff City have lost their chief executive after Alan Whiteley stepped down from his role as CEO of the English Championship team.

His position at Cardiff City Stadium is to be filled by Simon Lim, who will take over the reins as acting CEO for the months ahead following a handover period.

A club statement said: “The decision to introduce a new CEO has been reached in light of that substantial commitment from Tan Sri Vincent Tan and Cardiff City Chairman Dato Chan Tien Ghee, both of whom having expressed a desire to have a greater degree of control and involvement over the day-to-day running of the club.

“Simon Lim’s appointment is seen to be the best means to achieve this with stability now having been achieved off the field.

“Alan Whiteley has been asked to remain on the board of directors to ensure a smooth transition at the club, while long term senior financial accountant Richard Thompson will also take on the role of financial director in an initial acting capacity.”

Major investor Tan Sri Vincent Tan said: “I would like to place on record my thanks and respect to Alan for the way in which he has held the office with dignity over the last year.

All Premier League chairmen have agreed in principle for clubs to introduce spending controls despite some opposition at a meeting on Tuesday.

The exact details of the spending controls has yet to be agreed – specifically around how much wealthy owners can put into the club to cover losses, sources close to the process have disclosed.

The break-even model will be based on UEFA’s Financial Fair Play system and would require clubs to move towards break even, while the second would place an annual limit on the how much salaries could increase.

The club chairmen have now asked PL executives to bring back detailed plans on the spending controls for the next meeting on February 6, and on proposals to cap wage rises for players in the short term.

The Premier League is set for a big increase in television revenues from next season when BSkyB and BT will pay a billion pounds per season for domestic TV rights, in a new three-year deal worth 70 percent more than the current one.

Sales of overseas rights are expected to bring in up to two billion pounds over the next three years.

Wages account for around 70 percent of revenues at Premier League clubs, leaving very little profit for many of them.

It is understood Manchester City, Fulham and Aston Villa remained opposed to any controls but approval by only 14 of the 20 clubs is needed for the moves to go through.

West Ham co-owner David Gold told Sky Sports News: “People are realising the importance of coming to a consensus and we’re moving ever closer to it.

“It’s important we bring in governance to ensure the Premier League in future never has to experience what happened to us when Portsmouth went into administration.”

The European Swimming Federation (LEN) has elected Paolo Barelli of Italy as their new President for the next four years.

Barelli, generic who has acted as LEN Bureau Member since 2008, symptoms succeeds Nory Kruchten of Luxembourg after his four-year term at the helm. The election was held on Saturday at the LEN Congress in Cascais, herbal 25 kilometers away from the Portuguese capital of Lisbon.

After the Congress Barelli declared: “It is our aim to keep up the high level of European Aquatics, although it will not be easy in these economically difficult times. With an effort of the entire LEN team we might be able to get it done.” The 58-year-old Senator from Rome, President of the Italian Swimming Federationsince 2000 as well as FINA Honorary Secretary since 2009, can look back upon a successful swimming career. The Olympian (1972, 1976) as well as multiple national title and record holder won bronze at the 1975 World Championships in Cali, which was also the first ever Italian medal at World Swimming Championships.

44 of the 51 LEN Member Federations were represented in Cascais. The Congress was honored by the presence of FINA President Dr. Julio C. Maglione as well as FINA Honorary Life President Mustapha Larfaoui.

“The past four years as President went by so fast. It was a great honour for someone like me from a small country like Luxembourg to head an important Federation such as LEN. I think the time is right to pass on the responsibility to my successor. During the last years we intensified the cooperation with the World Swimming Federation FINA”, disclosed Nory Kruchten, looking back on his more than 26 years of combined experience in the LEN Technical Swimming Committee and the LEN Bureau.

German Swimming Federation President Dr. Christa Thiel, in 2008 elected first woman among the Executive Members in the history of LEN (since 1927), changed her position from Treasurer to Vice President. Her successor as Treasurer is Hungarian Tamas Gyarfas. Sven Egil Folvik of Norway, who retires from his position as LEN General Secretary will be replaced by David Sparkes (of Great Britain). Among the newly elected members of the LEN Bureau are Vladimir Salnikov (RUS), 1980 and 1988 Olympic Swimming Champion, as well as the 1988 Olympic Water Polo Champion Aleksandar Sostar from Serbia. 

Just as his predecessor Bartolo Consolo in 2008, Nory Kruchten has been elected Honorary Life President while Sven Egil Folvik/NOR (until now General Secretary), Gennady Aleshin/RUS (until now Vice President), Kurt Mikkola/FIN (until now Bureau Member), Robert Ebejer/MLT (until now Bureau Member) and Stefania Tudini/ITA (until now Chairwoman of the Technical Synchronized Swimming Committee) are new LEN Honorary Members.