David Sheepshanks, the chairman of England’s new St George’s Park national football centre in Burton, claims the site’s completion has sent a message of intent to the rest of the world.

England teams, starting with the under-17s next month, can now begin using the £100million facility on the 330-acre site at Burton-upon-Trent.

The Football Association (FA) devoted months to researching best practice in various sports around the globe, but now Sheepshanks hopes they will become the reference point for other nations.

“Hopefully the rest of the world will see this as a statement of intent by English football, which we will go on seeking to improve,” he said.

“It is a nerve-centre, a think-tank. I could almost say, if I was allowed to, a Mecca.

“It is a meeting point for the game, a congregating nerve centre where it doesn’t matter whether you are coaches, chief execs, physios, commercial directors, nutritionists – it is a place where the game can come together.

“We will welcome anyone who wants to come and we will be listening.

“One of the reasons we got here is because we listened to what everyone else told us, and we will go on listening because the day you think you have got to the top of the mountain is the day you start going down it.”

Werner Augsburger, asthma the sports director of the 2014 Sochi Olympics has resigned after four months on the job and returned to Switzerland. 

Werner Augsburger cited problems with a language barrier in Russia, site and leaving his family behind to be based in Moscow according to Swiss daily Neue Zuercher Zeitung.

Augsburger was selected by Sochi Olympic organizers last April. He began his duties organizing events in September.

The newspaper reports that Augsburger says he has no other immediate work plans.

The 53-year-old Augsburger was previously Switzerland’s mission chief at three Olympics. He joined the Sochi team after two seasons as chief executive of the Swiss ice hockey league.

The Breeders’ Cup today announced it has selected The V Foundation for Cancer Research as its primary non-profit beneficiary for the 28th running of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, to be held November 4-5 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. The V Foundation has been the primary non-profit beneficiary of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships since 2009. During the past two years, the Breeders’ Cup has raised more than $350,000 through donations to The V Foundation, an organization founded by ESPN and the late Jim Valvano in 1993.

In addition to The V Foundation, the Breeders’ Cup will continue to raise funds and awareness for equine-related charities it has supported since its inception in 1984.

Fans will have the opportunity to make contributions to The V Foundation through the purchase of limited edition glassware sets of Breeders’ Cup champions Goldikova (IRE) and Zenyatta and their record achievements over the past three years. Each set contains three glasses for each horse. The glasses may be purchased through www.breederscup.com/charities.

“The V Foundation is a magnificent organization that is committed to finding cures for cancer and we are proud to partner again with them this year,” said Tom Ludt, Breeders’ Cup Chairman. “We have many devoted fans that support us and we want to give back to them by supporting an organization that helps so many in need.”

George Bodenheimer, president of ESPN and ABC Sports and a V Foundation board member,   commented: “We sincerely appreciate the efforts and contributions of the Breeders’ Cup community and fans.  When we join together to make a difference, we truly have an impact.”

Jacques Anouma, symptoms former Ivory Coast football federation (FIF) president has revealed his intention to fight for the Confederation of African Football (CAF) presidency against scandal ridden Issa Hayatou.

Anouma officially sought for the backing of the FIF on Friday by presenting a letter requesting for support at the body’s headquarters in Abidjan, clinic where he was received by new president Sidy Diallo and his collaborators.

According to Supersport the Ivorian FA will likely root for Anouma, story who also said he was waiting for an endorsement from Ivorian president Alassane Ouattara.

The 58-year-old accountant is a member of FIFA and CAF executive committees and former president of the West Africa Football Union (WAFU).

Hayatou is expected to run for re-election following the introduction of a pre-campaign team last March made up of Guinean Almamy Kabele Camara, a member of Caf’s executive committee, Badra Sene of Senegal and Benin FA president Anjorin Moucharafou.

The race for the presidency is expected to begin in March 2013 during the body’s general assembly in Morocco.

Rick Spielman, a member of NFL’s Minnesota Vikings front office since 2006, has been promoted to become the team’s General Manager.

The Vikings confirmed the news via their official website on Tuesday. Spielman has been the team’s Vice President of Player Personnel since 2006.

Vikings owner Zygi Wilf said: “This establishes the organizational structure that will lead to the long term success of the Vikings. Having watched Rick over the years, we have the utmost confidence that he will help us reach our ultimate goal of winning championships.”

With his positions as VP of Player Personnel and General Manager, Spielman will oversee all of the team’s football operations. He will continue to direct college and pro scouting for the Vikings, as he did before he was named General Manager.

Evgeny Giner, President of CSKA Football Club, is the latest high profile name from Russian football to confirm for the Inside World Football Moscow Forum, to be held at the Ritz-Carlton, Moscow, on 23-24 June 2011.

A newly-elected member of the European Club Association, Mr Giner is one of the leading voices in Russian football. He has backed a number of important innovations, including the move to an ‘autumn to spring’ schedule, and has helped to consolidate CSKA’s position as one of the strongest clubs in the Russian Premier League.

“Mr Giner’s experience over the past decade in leading one of Russia’s most successful football clubs puts him in a unique position to talk about the long term trends in the Russian Premier League, and the challenges that his and other organisations are facing,” said Simon Joseph, Director of the Forum.

Mr Giner joins a long list of other high profile speakers, including:

●        Alexey Sorokin, CEO, Russia 2018 World Cup Local Organising Committee

●        Nic Coward, General Secretary, English Premier League

●        Sergei Cheban, Executive Director, Russian Premier League

●        Walter Gagg, Director, FIFA

●        Marcin Herra, President, PL.2012

●        Yuri Isayev, President, Dynamo Moscow FC

●        David Thomson, Group Events Director, Wembley Stadium

●        John Barrow, Senior Principal, Populous

●        Diarmuid Crowley, Senior Vice President, IMG

●        Hazem Galal, Partner, PwC Brazil

●        Annelies van den Belt, CEO, SUP

●        Karina Chichkanova, Head, Russian Infrastructure & PPP Practice, Salans

Confirmed delegates include senior executives from CAA, Siemens, Cushman & Wakefield, Visa, gmp architects, Aon, SPORTFIVE, Lagardere Unlimited Stadium Solutions, Nussli, Sport + Markt, Helios Partners, FieldTurf Tarkett, Dow Europe, Triumph Media Group, Aggreko, BTD, Austrade, Beswicks, Dentsu and many other leading names in the global sports industry.

The Inside World Football Moscow Forum, Moscow, 23-24 June, 2011, will set the stage for preparations for the 2018 FIFA World Cup™ – exploring the challenges that Russia faces and the part specialists can play in providing expertise to the organisers of the tournament.

The Forum’s intensive programme will cover construction, transport, legacy strategy, media solutions, raising sponsorship and many other aspects of organising a major modern sporting event. For the latest details, visit: http://www.eventica.co.uk/?p=4169

The NBC Sports Group has extended their football partnership with the University of Notre Dame until 2025.

The ten-year deal, erectile which begins with the 2016 season, physician allows the NBC Sports Group to retain global media rights on all platforms to a minimum of seven Notre Dame home football games per year on NBC. It also allows for selected games to air on NBC Sports Network, hospital similar to the previous NBC-Notre Dame agreement which allowed for selected games to be moved to cable. As it has since 2009, NBC Sports Digital will continue to live stream Fighting Irish home games.

“While our relationship with NBC Sports is longstanding, the more recent merger between NBC and Comcast has opened up additional avenues to expand the breadth of Notre Dame-related sports programming on NBC platforms,” said Notre Dame vice president and athletics directorJack Swarbrick. “Specifically, the evolution of the NBC Sports Network has provided opportunities for special programming featuring inside looks at our football team and several other Notre Dame sports programs and in-depth profiles on the unsung heroes of Notre Dame athletics. These are examples of the growth of our partnership, and we look forward to collaborating on additional projects and distribution strategies in seasons to come.”

“Coming off one of Notre Dame’s best and most dramatic seasons in decades, we could not be more proud to extend this historic partnership, which continues to be one of the most innovative in sports-media history,” said Mark Lazarus, Chairman, NBC Sports Group. “We are particularly excited that this extension offers enhanced rights that allow us to bring Notre Dame Football to fans on more platforms than ever before.”

In 2012, Notre Dame finished the regular season undefeated — with a 12-0 record that included numerous dramatic finishes — and ultimately earned their first-ever berth in the BCS Championship Game. The Fighting Irish averaged 4.4 million viewers and a 2.8 household rating for its seven games on NBC in 2012, up 69% and 67%, respectively, versus 2011. It was the best performance on NBC in seven years (2005, 5.2 million), while the 2.8 rating was the best since 2006 (3.0).

NBC originally partnered with the University of Notre Dame in 1991.

Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) chief executive Gordon Taylor believes that the reputation of English football has been blemished by revelations made at the trial of John Terry this week. 

The Chelsea captain was found not guilty of racially abusing Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand, however Taylor is concerned that the content of the exchanges between the players may have had damaging effects on the Respect campaign. 

He said:”It has been an unedifying process and the game has been damaged as a result of the dirty linen being washed in public.

“I now want to see an improvement in the Respect campaign. It is not just the line between what is banter and what is illegal, so much of what we have heard this week needs to be cut out.

“The players are role models and everything now gets picked up in a match on television. These insults and this language leads to things that should not be said.”

The FA have yet to conclude their investigation into the incident, which took place during the West London derby last October.

The Chicago Bears have fired general manager Jerry Angelo after the team missed the playoffs for the fourth time in five seasons.

Head Coach Lovie Smith spoke Tuesday of his relationship with Angelo.

“I have tremendous respect for him and am sorry to see him go,” Smith said in a statement. “But I also will embrace the opportunity that comes with change. As I said yesterday, we have an excellent core in place. I look forward to working with a new general manager to bring a championship to Chicago.”

Hired in 2001 after a 5-11 finish for Chicago, Angelo’s teams won four division titles and made the franchise’s first Super Bowl appearance since 1985 in 2006. His contract was set to expire in 2014.

“I think Jerry achieved a lot as general manager,” Phillips said. “He’s a wonderful man, high character. I’ve enjoyed every day working with him. He’s put his life’s blood into the Bears.”

Angelo saw the Bears lose five out of the last six during the 2011 season after an injury to franchise QB Jay Cutler forced Caleb Hanie into action. The season saw premier RB Matt Forte suffer a season-ending knee injury and WR Sam Hurd arrested on drug charges.

In an 8-8 campaign, Chicago’s historically stout defense allowed the fifth-most passing yards in the NFL.

Two well-known figures from Russian and international football have confirmed their participation in the Inside World Football Moscow Forum. Held at the Ritz-Carlton in Moscow on 23-24 June 2011, view the Forum will begin the countdown to Russia 2018.

Nic Coward, blue viagra General Secretary of the English Premier League, discount will talk about cultivating a successful ‘football culture’, and what the Premier League has done to foster a collective vision when dealing with a range of challenges, from creating a safe and enjoyable environment for fans to developing a media rights strategy that benefits all clubs.

Yuri Isayev, President of Dynamo Moscow, one of Russia’s leading clubs, has also confirmed his participation. A former Deputy Minister of the Economy and a well-known businessman, Mr Isayev represents a new generation of influential young leaders whose involvement in Russian football will be crucial to its future growth and development. His responsibilities at Dynamo include management of the club’s new home, the VTB Arena.

Mr Coward and Mr Isayev join a long list of other high profile speakers, including:

? Alexey Sorokin, CEO, Russia 2018 World Cup Local Organising Committee

? Walter Gagg, Director, FIFA

? Marcin Herra, President, PL.2012

? David Thomson, Group Events Director, Wembley Stadium

? John Barrow, Senior Principal, Populous

? Diarmuid Crowley, Senior Vice President, IMG

? Hazem Galal, Partner, PwC Brazil

? Annelies van den Belt, CEO, SUP

? Karina Chichkanova, Head, Russian Infrastructure & PPP Practice, Salans

Confirmed participants include senior executives from Siemens, Cushman & Wakefield, Visa, gmp architects, Aon, SPORTFIVE, Lagardere Unlimited Stadium Solutions, Nussli, Sport + Markt, Helios Partners, FieldTurf Tarkett, Dow Europe, Triumph Media Group, Aggreko, BTD, Austrade, Beswicks Sports and many other leading names in the global sports industry.

The Inside World Football Moscow Forum, Moscow, 23-24 June, 2011, will set the stage for preparations for the 2018 FIFA World Cup™ – exploring the challenges that Russia faces and the part specialists can play in providing expertise to the organisers of the tournament.