Paul Barber has been appointed as the new chief executive officer of English league club, Brighton & Hove Albion.

The former FA commercial director and Tottenham Hotspur executive director arrives with a wealth of experience, both from the football and business sectors. He will begin in his new role on 18th June.

Albion chairman Tony Bloom said: “The board’s aim was to bring in a top-class chief executive, and Paul fits that criteria. He has a great deal of high-level experience across a number of sectors, but most importantly has a great CV in terms of football.

“Having worked for the FA, Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League and Vancouver Whitecaps in the MLS, he has excellent knowledge and experience of the commercial, marketing and communications side of the game, here in the UK and overseas.

“Paul also has an extensive network of contacts across the football industry, which will be of great benefit to the club as we strive to progress.”

Barber said: “I am delighted to be joining such an ambitious and well-run club, with such a dedicated owner and board of directors.

“The club has made great progress on and off the pitch, and I am looking forward to expanding on what has already been achieved by the club and its staff in moving from Withdean to the excellent Amex Stadium.”

The 45-year-old spent the past two years as CEO at Vancouver Whitecaps, leading the club’s transition to Major League Soccer, and two stadium moves: first to a temporary home at Empire Field, and then onto the Winter Olympic venue BC Place.

Barber joined the Whitecaps from Spurs in February 2010, having spent five years at White Hart Lane as the club’s executive director.

Prior to his time at Tottenham, he was commercial director and prior to that director of marketing & communications at the FA.

He was a member of the England national team’s official party to the FIFA World Cup in Japan and Korea in 2002 and to the European Championships in 2000 and 2004.

During his time with the FA, he was also responsible for organising England’s fixtures staged around the UK, during the redevelopment of Wembley Stadium.

Barber, who was born, raised and educated in London and is an FA-qualified coach, also spent time as a non-executive director of Hampshire Cricket.

The European Commission and FC Barcelona will work together on a ‘Quit Smoking with Barça’ campaign.

‘Quit Smoking with Barça’ is the latest initiative of the award-winning “Ex-Smokers are Unstoppable” campaign.

This is the first time that the European Commission has collaborated with a sporting partner that reaches millions.

The programme aims to promote the the many benefits of quitting smoking.

‘Quit Smoking with Barça’ offers supporters of Barcelona, football and sport in general, a personalised health training programme with daily quit smoking tips.

The campaign will be powered by iCoach, a free, proven digital health tool already helping almost a quarter of a million people across Europe (to give up smoking for good.

“Through this collaboration we will seek to help football supporters across Europe to take back control of their health and their lives, encouraging them to be as passionate about their health as they are about the “beautiful game”,” said FC Barcelona President, Sandro Rosell.

“We feel proud to be here today and to work side by side with the European Commission to improve the health of our supporters and all fans of football. At Barça we firmly believe in our slogan ‘more than a club’ and we promote values of respect, health and social commitment. “

John Dalli, European Commissioner for Health and Consumers said “I am delighted to work together with FC Barcelona to help Europeans keep away from smoking… Using the universal language of football, we can support more Europeans in their efforts to quit smoking and becoming unstoppable ex-smokers for life.”{jcomments on}

Jeffrey Webb of the Cayman Island Football Association has been elected president of the troubled CONCACAF organisation, bringing back some credibility in FIFA president Sepp Blatter’s eyes.

Webb, 47, the president of his country’s FA, takes over from the disgraced Jack Warner, the former FIFA vice-president for the region that incorporates North and Central America and the Carribbean.

CONCACAF was thrown into turmoil after Trinidadian Warner, president for 21 years, resigned from all football positions in June last year after he was suspended by FIFA following allegations in a cash-for-votes scandal in the run-up to the presidential election.Warner’s long-established right-hand man,

American general secretary Chuck Blazer, also quit the body at the end of 2011.Blatter told delegates at the CONCACAF Congress in the Hungarian capital: “You have taken a great step forward.The credibility of CONCACAF is back, and this is very important because in FIFA we need our credibility back, and we cannot have it if one of the big confederations was still a little bit shaky.”

Webb, in his opening address, drew applause when he said: “Our past will never be repeated.”

Webb did not ignore the troubles of the past, adding: “We must move the clouds and allow the sunshine in.”It is a new day for CONCACAF, a new chapter. Our past will not define us, we will define our future and we must decide our destiny.”

We have a great confederation that represents 540 million people who rely on you and me to provide hope and that is what our game is.We have a responsibility to make sure the past will never be repeated.”

Webb said the time had also come for CONCACAF teams to do far better in international competition.Addressing Michel Platini, the UEFA president and a guest on the podium: he said: “We must set our goals sky-high. We must say to Michel Platini and UEFA, that CONCACAF will win the World Cup.”We must say to President Blatter and the FIFA executive committee that the 2026 World Cup belongs to CONCACAF.”

Soccerex have announced that Philip Beard, sick Chief Executive Officer of Queens Park Rangers Football Club (QPR) is confirmed to speak at the Soccerex European Forum, therapy 28-29 March 2012, Manchester.  Beard will join a session looking at club ownership and the impact financial fair play will have on the opportunities and potential benefits for owners going forward.

With the initial phases of financial fair play implementation underway, the Soccerex European Forum will host a number of sessions looking at various areas affected by UEFA’s new policy, such as club ownership, stadia, sponsorship and player development.

In his role as CEO of QPR, a club which has had a series of high profile owners and investors in recent times, Beard is perfectly placed to speak on the subject and will give a unique insight into the plans of the club under new Owner and Chairman, Tony Fernandes.

Prior to joining QPR Beard worked for US music and sports giant, AEG where he spent two years as Chief Executive of the O2 Arena, leading the  transformation of the venue from the Millennium Dome into one of the world’s most popular music and sports venues. Before Joining AEG Beard was one of the Directors of the London successful Olympic and Paralympics Bid.

Soccerex CEO Duncan Revie commented: ‘Financial Fair Play is the buzz word of European Football at present but it is still not clear what implications it is going to have.  Phil’s role at QPR coupled with his vast experience in the industry makes him the perfect person to give opinion on the matter.’

In addition to Financial Fair Play, the European Forum Conference Programme will also address the latest developments relating to UEFA, Betting, Emerging Markets, Clubs, Stadia Safety and the Future of League Structures.

British pay broadcaster, Sky Sports has announced they will dedicate an entire channel to cricket this summer, providing coverage of men’s, women’s and youth matches including this summer’s Investec Ashes series.

Sky will commit one channel – Sky Sports Ashes HD – to cricket, offering 63 days of action from June 30 to August 31, including exclusively live ball-by-ball coverage of the Ashes.  

The channel will also screen live county fixtures, highlights and various support shows as Sky Sports 2 HD is transformed and dedicated to cricket with no extra cost to customers.

Barney Francis, managing director of Sky Sports, said: “There has never been a better time to be a Sky Sports subscriber; our six channels are offering more than ever before. The Ashes series is a key part of the biggest summer of sport we’ve ever had and with the British & Irish Lions tour, back-to-back Ashes, every F1 race and our biggest-ever football season, there really is something for everyone.” 

“With Sky Sports Ashes HD, it couldn’t be easier for viewers to enjoy their live cricket. The channel will be the home of televised cricket for the summer with an unrivalled schedule. We’re also pleased to continue our commitment to women’s cricket with live coverage of all three T20 internationals between England and Australia. I’m sure these will provide an exciting conclusion to the Women’s Ashes in August.”

Manchester United has announced a pre-tax loss of £4.7M ($7.6M) on falling revenues in the year to June just a month after the club floated on the N.Y. Stock Exchange.

The loss comes after the club reported a £12M ($19.5M) profit last year.

However, asthma a one-off tax credit of £28M ($45.5M) increased post-tax profits to £23.4M ($38M). Revenue fell by 3.3 percent during the period to £320M ($520M).

Assuming that Manchester United reaches the quarterfinals of the Champions League, it predicts income of between £350M ($569M) and £360M ($585M) next year.

Matchday revenue fell 10.9 percent to £98.7M ($160.3M) because the club played four fewer home games than in the previous season. Broadcasting income dropped 11.3 percent to £104M ($169M) after the club was knocked-out at the group stages of the Champions League.

TV broadcast rights for the Premier League are expected to bring in £1B ($1.6B) a year between next year and the 2015-16 season for BSkyB and BT Vision, of which Manchester United will receive a share. {jcomments on}

Liverpool FC today announced that Billy Hogan has been named Chief Commercial Officer for the Premier League club.

In this position, Hogan will work closely with Liverpool’s Managing Director Ian Ayre and be responsible for all club-controlled revenue and business development, including sponsorships, ticketing and hospitality, retail and merchandise, club memberships, club tours and friendlies as well as Liverpool FC’s Soccer Schools.

Prior to joining Liverpool FC, Billy served as Managing Director for Fenway Sports Management (FSM) with responsibility for the company’s day-to-day business operations and strategic growth. FSM is the global sponsorship sales arm of Fenway Sports Group, whose properties include Liverpool Football Club, the Boston Red Sox, New England Sports Network (NESN) and Roush Fenway Racing. Hogan’s responsibilities at FSM consisted of securing high-level sponsorships for the Boston Red Sox including assisting in the development of an impressive client roster of leading national brands, such as LeBron James/LRMR Marketing & Branding, Boston College Athletics, and PGA TOUR Playoff event the Deutsche Bank Championship. Hogan also oversaw all online sales activities for Major League Baseball Advanced Media, the online and interactive media division of MLB.com and MLB’s 30 individual club websites.

Ian Ayre, Managing Director, said: “The role of Chief Commercial Officer is a key role for the Club as we continue to grow our commercial activity on a global basis and we were keen to appoint the right candidate who will be able to take the Club to the next level of its development. Having worked at a senior level within Fenway Sports Management, Billy has been working alongside LFC for the last 18 months on a number of partnership projects and brings with him a rich pedigree of expertise and resource. In many respects this appointment reflects the great spirit of partnership between Fenway Sports Group and LFC.”

In his first year with FSM, Hogan oversaw sponsorship sales for its first client, Boston College Athletics, tripling the Eagles’ revenue, inked a major deal with CVS/pharmacy for Green Monster signage at Fenway Park and secured a multi-year/multi-property sponsorship agreement with Waste Management.

While at FSM, Hogan also directed many other notable initiatives including conceiving and executing Football at Fenway, a historic soccer match at Boston’s Fenway Park featuring perennial Scottish Premier League contender Celtic Football Club and the Sporting Clube de Portugal; the Winter Classic, the National Hockey League’s storied outdoor tradition, held at Fenway Park on January 1, 2010; and Sun Life Frozen Fenway, the first-ever outdoor college hockey doubleheader. In January 2012, Hogan secured the second annual Sun Life Frozen Fenway, a 16-day ice hockey event featuring a number of college, high school and community hockey games as well as two free community skate days. Most recently, Billy played a key role in helping to establish the Warrior kit deal for Liverpool, and helped coordinate its upcoming North America summer tour.

“I’ve had the privilege of working alongside Ian and Liverpool’s talented executive team for more than a year, and it’s truly an honor for me to now lead the business development efforts for the most successful club in English football history,” said Hogan. “I’ve witnessed firsthand the passion and loyalty that fans have for this club and I look forward to working with the staff, partners and future sponsors to grow and develop Liverpool’s brand and commercial presence globally to help ensure the long-term growth of this storied club.”

Hogan joined FSM in 2004 as the company’s first official hire after two years as Director of Sponsorship Sales at ANC Sports. Prior to that, he served as Director of Film Distribution at Giant Screen Films. At Giant, he was responsible for the widest distribution of any film in the company’s history when he successfully marketed “Michael Jordan to the Max” to more than 75 percent of IMAX Theaters Worldwide.

This announcement comes after iSportconnect reported Jen Chang as their new Communications director last week.