there helvetica, allergist sans-serif;”>The English Football Association (FA) has appointed its first female board member.

shop helvetica,sans-serif;”>Heather Rabbatts has been selected as one of the association’s two new independent non-executive directors.

Earlier this year, the FA Council and its shareholders agreed upon the appointment of non-executive directors to the board but the addition of woman was unexpected until rumours that Rabbatts was in contention started circulating this month.

The move will see the board swell to fourteen members from the current twelve, including FA chairman David Bernstein and general secretary, and five representatives each from the national and professional games alongside the two newcomers (Rabbatts and Roger Devlin).

The appointment of Jamaica born Rabbatts marks a significant step in the restructuring of the organisation and its philosophy. She currently holds several non-executive directorships, including posts at the BBC and the Bank of England.

Bernstein explained the reasoning for this progressive step as follows.

“This is an important moment for The FA and represents a significant change to our governance structures. There were numerous outstanding candidates for the roles, but the important thing is that our decision was based on recruiting suitable individuals who are able to provide a strong challenge and supplement the existing range of skills and experience on the board.”

Rabbatts added, “Having worked across media, business and football I hope to bring those experiences to my work at The FA. In particular, over many years, including my time at Millwall, I have worked across communities to both improve participation and to develop talent. I am obviously delighted to be joining the Board at The FA and working with colleagues to support the future of football in England.”

Rabbatts started out in the public sector and came to prominence when she became the youngest council chief executive having trained as a barrister. After running the London Borough of Lambeth in 1995, she entered the private sector and worked across the media. She entered the world of football in 2006 at Millwall FC as executive deputy chair.

Devlin has advised several Barclays Premiership clubs on finance and also has experience in golf and horse-racing. He was a director of the PGA European Tour Courses between 2000 – 2002 and is a member of the R&A and the Racehorse Owners Association. He currently chairs a selection of private companies headed by including Satellite Information Services (SIS).

Both appointments are set to be ratified by The FA Council in the New Year.

Max Van Den Doel, HEAD OF GLOBAL SPORTS MARKETING TEAMSPORTS AND TRAINING, adidas International, has taken part in an exclusive Featured Profile interview with iSportconnect.

Van Den Doel spoke of his fortune at being able to work in the sports industry after moving to America from Amsterdam as a teenager, stating: “I remember the fascination I developed for Mega Sporting events such as the NFL Superbowl, the NBA All Star Weekend, the World Series and many others. Two decades ago, the American sports marketing industry was advanced and formed the basis of my desire to be involved professionally within the industry. I was lucky to start with adidas during the FIFA World Cup in USA back in 1994.”

Max defined a strong brand as one that “at delivering the benefits customers truly desire,” highlighting the likes of Apple and Coca-Cola as industry leaders and claimed that the latter is a “benchmark” for sports sponsorship. “It’s probably fair to say that Coca Cola’s sponsorship investments and subsequent association with World Soccer is a benchmark for many other companies,” said Van Den Doel.

He claimed that adidas’ association with the world’s leading governing bodies across a wide variety of sports is “something that adidas is not only very proud of, but also form natural sporting platforms to launch innovative products.” He added: “To be associated with the best clubs in the best leagues and to have iconic athletes wear the latest adidas products during the biggest sporting events allows adidas to showcase its self as the world’s leading sports brand.”

When asked of the process that the brand takes in selecting partners and whether it was purely a financial decision, Van Den Doel revealed that adidas tracks athletes for personal endorsements at very early age. He stated: “As a high performance sports brand, the 1^st criteria is –and will always remain- top performances on the field of play. When the athlete is young and upcoming, adidas evaluates his/her talent and potential to become a top performer in the future.” Max went on to say: “After that adidas looks for assets who personify the adidas brand values and whom consumers can relate to. Two-time consecutive Ballon D’or winner Leo Messi is a great example of somebody who was on adidas’ radar for a long time.”

When questioned as to whether adidas’ main competitor’s performance and achievements effect the company’s planning, Van Den Doel claimed: “The adidas-group strategy towards 2015 is set in stone and was communicated to the financial world earlier this year.” He continued: “The ‘adidas is all in’ campaign was planned well in advance and – regardless of competitors’ campaigns – adidas has already defined the initiatives for 2012 and beyond.”

Max emphasised adidas’ role as a brand for all sports, saying: “If you look at the presence of adidas at the upcoming London 2012 Olympic Games, there is an adidas product to be seen in every sport with the exclusion of equestrian. A multi sports brand like adidas understands that the underlying consumer interest in sport is passion, regardless of the size or geographical location in which the sport is played.”

Van Den Doel had the final word on his association with iSportconnect and the incentives it brings, stating: “iSportconnect offers the right platform to connect with the industry leaders within a few seconds. The platform allows you to exchange views and can be used to obtain different points of view on a specific subject. You are kept up to date with the latest industry related events and of course the latest news.” Read the full interview here – http://isportconnect.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6674&catid=52&Itemid=228

Editors Note:

Max van den Doel relocated back to his hometown of Amsterdam, following the 2010 FIFA World Cup, where he works for adidas as the Head of Global Sports Marketing Teamsports and Training. Before then, Max worked for adidas Asia/Pacific for five years in Hong Kong. One of the highlights during his stay in the fast growing region were the Bejing 2008 Olympic Games, another milestone sporting event in Asia, having worked on the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Korea/Japan.

Prior to that Max worked in Germany for 5 years on football related licensed products, gaining commercial experience in working with the world’s biggest football clubs/events. He began his career with adidas in New York after moving to America as a teenager.

The Seattle Mariners have announced a partnership with DIRECTV Sports Network to form a new regional sports television partnership on Tuesday that will give the baseball team a controlling interest in the year-round broadcast network and help the club compete financially in the American League West in the long term.

DIRECTV Sports Network is the Mariners’ long-standing television rights holder, but the team now takes over the majority stake in the new venture.

The network will continue to operate under the ROOT Sports brand and will provide year-round coverage of the Mariners as well as other professional, college and high school sports programming.

The agreement provides that the network will televise the Mariners through the 2030 season and increases potential revenue that can be used to bolster the team’s player payroll.

Steve Greenberg, a member of the New York investment bank Allen & Company that advised the Mariners on the transaction, said: “All five clubs in the American League West now have long-term TV deals in place for many years and the Mariners are in a better position than some of their rivals and actually competitive with all their rivals within the division. We believe that’s an important milestone to have achieved.

“MLB clubs that own a substantial stake in their own [regional sports networks] tend to be among the strongest and most stable franchises in the league.”

DIRECTV Sports Networks president Patrick Crumb noted that “from a viewer perspective, there really will be no visible change.”

But the financial aspect of the agreement puts the Mariners on more-equal footing with teams like the Angels and Rangers that have reworked their own deals in recent years, which is why the club has been pursuing such a partnership since late 2010, according to Bob Aylward, Mariners executive vice president of business operations.

“It gives us the ability to make the long-range planning that our competitors have been able to enjoy,” Aylward said. “We’ll now be able to compete on the same level. The intention of this organization and owners is to compete at all levels and make sure we have a product that gets us into the World Series and win a championship. This deal in itself doesn’t do that, but it’s a piece of the puzzle and we’re delighted to have this to work with.”

Portsmouth may still have a future in the Football League after the organisation claimed they will offer Portsmouth membership if they receive investment for a takeover.

However the South Coast club will be docked 10 points for the coming season.

The League One club, arthritis who were demoted from the Championship at the end of last season, remain in administration and are currently searching for a new buyer to take over the stricken club. 

In a lengthy statement, the Football League said: “The offer is subject to the successful bidder accepting a number of conditions that seek to ensure the sporting integrity of league football and the financial viability of the club going forward.” 

The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) have announced today the appointment of former player Brad Drewett as the new executive chairman and president of the organisation, effective from January 1.

Australian Drewett, a longtime head of the Asian division of the sanctioning body who has been mainly responsible for the successful marketing thrust into China over the past decade, takes over from American lawyer Adam Helfant, who will leave next week at the end of a three-year contract.

Drewett, 53, was named as Executive Chairman and President and will be based in London as he moves from his base in Sydney. His contract calls for a three-year term, with the choice voted unanimously by the Board of Directors.

Drewett has extensive experience at the ATP where he has headed the International Group, with operations in the Middle East, Asia and Pacific regions since 1999.

Prior to that, Drewett served as an elected member of the Player Council and an ATP Player Board Representative (1993-1999). He has also been Tournament Director of the World Tour Finals in London and formerly the Tennis Masters Cup since 2001, and has been instrumental in the event’s tremendous success.

During his 12-year professional playing career, Drewett reached a career-high ranking of 34 in singles, winning two titles, and represented Australia in Davis Cup.

“I’m honoured to have this opportunity to lead the ATP, an organisation that I am proud to have been a part of since the beginning of my professional playing career,” Drewett said.

“The ATP World Tour and men’s tennis are stronger than ever and it is my intention to continue to lead the organisation on this successful path, working hand in hand with our players and tournaments. I am very excited about the opportunities ahead.”

The appointment was welcomed by Player Council president Roger Federer.

“Brad is a very experienced executive and has been an effective leader within the ATP for many years. He understands the global nature of the business as well as the complexities of dealing with all of the Tour’s stakeholders,” the Swiss champion said.

“I’m confident that Brad’s work ethic and leadership will help contribute to the continued success of the ATP World Tour.”

Do you think Brad Drewett can continue the ATP progress?

Pay Television Company, no rx Zuku has become the new broadcast partner of the Kenya Rugby Football Union (KFRU).

This follows KRFU and another pay TV company SuperSport ending their relationship last year.

SuperSport used to air rugby tournaments including the Bamburi Rugby Super Series, health The Sevens and the Elgon Cup in their three-year deal.

The sponsorship between Zuku and KRFU is said to be in the tune of slightly over Kshs.25 Million shillings,(US $290,698) an improvement from the previous partnership since the SuperSport deal did not have monetary attachment.

Some of the tournaments Zuku is said to be lining up for broadcast include the Bamburi Super Series and the Elgon Cup that involves Kenya and Uganda.

Former Southampton captain Francis Benali has denied claims from his former team-mate Claus Lundekvam about a spot-fixing culture during his time at the club.

Benali’s ex team-mate Claus Lundekvam caused a stir this week with comments made to a Norwegian publication, in which he claimed Southampton players regularly turned a profit betting on minor incidents, such as throw-ins and corners, during their own matches.

Writing in an autobiography released in 2009, retired Southampton favourite Matthew Le Tissier also made references to his involvement with bookmakers during his time at the club.

Benali spent the vast majority of his professional career at Southampton, making 311 league appearances from 1988 to 2005.

The fullback played alongside Lundekvam in defence from 1996 onwards, and has strongly denied there was any impropriety among the Saints’ squad on his watch.

“I can say categorically I have no knowledge of the betting allegations made by Claus,” Benali told the BBC.

“I’m aware of the revelations and I’m very surprised in many ways,” he said.

“I wasn’t aware of it going on in the past so I certainly don’t know of it going on now.

Lundekvam struggled with alcohol and drug abuse following his own retirement in 2008, and Benali suggested the sensational allegations may be a result of his former team-mate’s off-field issues.

“It is widely known that Claus has had quite a few personal problems in recent times and I wonder if that is why he has come out with this story,” he said.

“The way it has come across, it’s like all of us were at it and all in on the betting scam and everyone had knowledge of it. That wasn’t the case.

“Dressing rooms are very tight environments and if something was widespread, even if you weren’t part of it, you would hear it being discussed and talked about.

“That is why this all comes as such a surprise.”

Relegated from the English Premier League in 2005 following a 27-year stay in the top flight, Southampton sunk as low as League One after entering administration in 2009.

They earned successive promotions to the Championship in 2010/11 and the Premier League last season, and Benali is disappointed the club have received such bad publicity as they prepare for their first campaign back among the elite.

“The timing isn’t good from the football club’s point of view,” Benali said.

“No club wants a story like this associated with them, nor do the city or the players involved at the time.

“It’s a smear on your character and not nice, especially when it’s not true.”

English League One team Chesterfield FC have announced a new appointment in their backroom staff in the form of Chris Turner who will become the new chief executive. 

Turner the former Hartlepool United and Leyton Orient Manager has ended his 15-month respite from the day to day runnings of a football club.

The 53-year-old had been wanted by a few clubs after his resignation from Hartlepool as their director of sport in August 2010.

Turner takes over as the Spireites chief executive from Carol Wilby, buy who leaves the B2net stadium at the end of the month after speculation about her position.

The former Sheffield Wednesday, Sunderland and Manchester United keeper’s expertise looks vital given Chesterfield’s position.

He arrives at the B2net Stadium with Chesterfield at the foot of the table, having won only three of their 21 games so far this season.

He still has growing optimism of the potential of the club, he added: “I’m excited about this football club going forward.”

When Turner joined Pools as boss in 1999 he saved the club from relegation and built the side which won promotion under Mike Newell in 2003.

But he insists he has no designs on managing the Spireites and all his efforts will be focused on helping current boss John Sheridan.

“I’ve moved on, I’m going in a different direction,” he told BBC Radio Sheffield. “If anyone thinks I’m going to be looking over the manager’s shoulder – I’m not.

“I know League One very well and having seen Chesterfield play a couple of times this season, I know they are well capable of staying in this division