Paul Barber of Vancouver Whitecaps FC believes his resignation will not overtly affect the Major League Soccer club, as the League and commercial opportunities are steadily building.

Barber, the chief executive officer, will resign his post from February 29, 2012. Barber joined Whitecaps from English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur FC in February 2010.

Since then, the 44-year-old native of London, England, has overseen the club’s transition to Major League Soccer, including the club’s move into the newly renovated BC Place Stadium in October 2011.

Speaking exclusively to iSportconnect, Paul Barber, said: “It’s been a fascinating two years for me working in North American soccer. The game continues to grow and improve rapidly with participation, crowds, TV audiences and sponsorship revenues improving in key markets.

“In particular, the Vancouver market, with the third highest attendances in MLS in 2011 and world class commercial and broadcast partners in place, has really taken to Major League Soccer and is set to build on the great foundations we’ve laid.”

Jeff Mallett, co-owner of Vancouver Whitecaps FC, added: “On behalf of Vancouver Whitecaps FC, I would like to thank Paul for his two years of service at the club. Paul and his executive team played a crucial role in the evolution of the club into Major League Soccer in 2011. Paul’s contributions to the club are numerous and will have a positive impact for years to come. We wish him all the best in his future endeavours.”

As CEO, Barber was the senior operating executive liaison with the club’s ownership group and Major League Soccer. Chief operating officer Rachel Lewis will assume these responsibilities along with Vancouver Whitecaps FC president Bob Lenarduzzi.

Sidi spoke of his chance opportunity in entering the gambling industry, prostate adding “It actually came about by chance and an opportunity to work in online support eight years ago and I haven’t looked backed since.”

Yoni stated that William Hill offers advantages in sports betting over its competitors, saying: “It helps that we have top quality software across the board as well as top quality offerings which helps us convert and retain custom very well.”

He went on to claim that William Hill feel that this year, mobile betting will shine and that they hope that despite not being the first of their competitors to market in the industry, “we are making up for it by supplying good software and being extremely innovative in what we produce and offer.”

Sidi admitted that the opportunity to avoid tax from the UK was a main incentive behind the company’s relocation to Gibraltar, claiming: “The challenge of competing with betting exchanges and offshore telebetting operators, all of whom have benefitted from significant cost and tax advantages over UK bookmakers, was a significant reason behind the move.” He added: “Not being there (Gibraltar) made it difficult for our existing business to compete profitably from the UK.”

Yoni continued to say that the increasing competition for marketing opportunities made it difficult to claim exclusivity at events, but he stated: “It is making it much more competitive, but competition is good as long as you find the right partner,” adding “I am a firm believer that it is better that we are kept on our toes and always looking for ways to improve and optimize.”

Sidi stated that although William Hill were wise to playing to their strengths and the larger market of sports betting, that the company have been “letting the industry know that we are not just a sports book but also have a wide variety of products on offer”, achieving this through “clever marketing campaigns both on and offline.”

When asked whether William Hill were interested in jumping onto the band-wagon of sponsoring major UK sports teams having made their first foray into soccer with La Liga side Malaga, Yoni admitted that it may be a possible in the not too distant future. “For us it is about the right deal and what we believe is best for all our users, so we will have to see if the right opportunity comes along in the coming months,” he said.

Yoni Sidi had the final word on his association with iSportconnect and the incentives it brings, stating: “Before the launch of iSportconnect I had been speaking to fellow professionals about a site like this, and low and behold it came about. It is great for networking and also to help stay in touch with the market. In today’s world you are always on the go, from meeting to meeting and country to country, so to have a site like this is great in my opinion.”

Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson is positive following discussions between Liverpool and the city council over the club’s stadium plans.

The Reds have still to make a decision on whether to press ahead with the £300million-plus proposal to build a new ground in Stanley Park or redevelop Anfield.

Choosing the former option is dependent on a multi-million pound naming rights deal being in place while the latter plan requires a number of planning obstacles to be overcome.

A July deadline for a decision has been allowed to slip as talks continue but Liverpool mayor Anderson is optimistic a decision acceptable to all parties can be reached.

Anderson told the Liverpool Echo: “We are in regular meetings with Liverpool FC and we are working with the club.” 

“It’s frustrating for the local residents and they are my main concern.

“We are pushing for a speedy resolution to the issue of whether the club stays at Anfield or goes to Stanley Park but we are encouraged by the discussions.”

Former Indian captain Anil Kumble has resigned today as the chairman of BCCI’s National Cricket Academy (NCA), almost two months after a controversy broke out over an appararent conflict of interest.

Kumble’s resignation has been accepted by the BCCI’s Working Committee. Punjab Cricket Association’s general secretary MP Pandove will be the caretaker chairman of the NCA till a full-time appointment is made.

The official reason that Kumble gave was “lack of time” considering he is also the president of the Karnataka State Cricket Association, a mentor with the IPL team Royal Challengers Bangalore and has his own company ‘Tenvic’ which manages Karnataka players like R Vinay Kumar and Sreenath Aravind.

Interestingly, a few months back, there were reports of Kumble having ‘conflict of interest’ being the KSCA president who also happens to own a company that manages some of Karnataka’s top cricketers.

However, some top Board officials have said that Kumble has had some differences of opinion with the BCCI top brass regarding the functioning of NCA which has now become more of rehab centre for the injured Indian players.

“The BCCI top brass is of the opinion to decentralise the coaching system at the junior level since it has its own batting, bowling and fielding academy in place. This would have diluted NCA’s profile as the place where the talented cricketers hone their skills before going to the next level,” a BCCI official said.

Kumble, 41, who has captured 619 wikets in 132 Tests, is the third highest Test wicket-taker behind Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane Warne. In 271 one-dayers, he has taken 337 wickets.

WAPA America, the U.S. cable network arm of the leading broadcaster in Puerto Rico, WAPA Television, has renewed exclusive rights to air the 2013 Puerto Rico Basketball League season.

10 teams will make up the 2013 BSN tournament, with each team playing 36 games during the regular season. WAPA America will air four games per week; Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 8pm ET, and Sundays at 7pm ET. All games will air live.

The season kicks off on Sunday, March 31, at 7pm ET with the highly-charged game between defending champions, Los Indios de Mayaguez (The Mayaguez Indians), and Los Piratas de Quebradillas (The Quebradillas Pirates).

2013 marks the 100^th anniversary of organized basketball in Puerto Rico, after the YMCA organized the first game using the sport’s official rules in 1913. Since 1929, the BSN has been the sport’s principal league in Puerto Rico and is well-recognized around the world. The league has been the launching point for a number of current and former NBA players, including Jose Juan Barea , Carlos Arroyo and Peter John Ramos .

The 2013 BSN tournament will feature some former NBA players, among them Josh Harrellson , Brian Cook , Michael Sweetney , Andrew Goudelock , Al Thornton , Ike Diogu , and Mike Harris .

“Basketball does really well with Hispanic audiences, and we are happy to offer the 2013 Puerto Rico National Basketball League season exclusively to our audience and distribution partners,” said Jose E. Ramos , President of WAPA Television. “This is a unique opportunity for advertisers to connect with the strong base of US Hispanic basketball fans.”

WAPA America is viewed in more than five million homes throughout the U.S. and distributed on all major cable, satellite and telco providers, including DirecTV, Dish Networks, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications, Bright House Networks, Cablevision, Verizon FiOS, and AT&T U-verse.

Matches and training leading up to the 2015 AFC Asian Cup could be played at Ballarat’s new soccer stadium in 2014, potentially providing a boost to the city’s tourism industry and sporting.

Football Federation Victoria CEO Mark Rendell said the new purpose-built stadium at Morshead Park would be considered for training and matches if its pitch was of a suitable standard.

“Ballarat would be a superb location to host visiting Asian national teams as they arrive early to acclimatise and prepare for the AFC Asian Cup in 2015, ailment ” he said.

“I understand that the new stadium is planned to be in great shape by then, but much will depend on the quality of the pitch, the standard of media facilities, lighting and the proximity of quality accommodation as well.”

National teams may arrive in Australia up to three weeks before the competition starts in mid-January, giving Ballarat the potential to host training sessions of teams such as Japan, China, UAE, India and South Korea training in the city in the lead-up to the tournament.

“If a pre-Asian Cup international friendly were to be broadcast and played in Ballarat, it would attract tens of millions of television viewers and would no doubt put Ballarat on the world sporting stage,” Rendell said.

Ballarat Red Devils vice-president Andrew Burgess said he was excited about the prospect of international soccer in Ballarat.

“This really is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to get football, and more broadly the City of Ballarat, well and truly front and centre in Australia and, for that matter, Asia,” he said.

“We need to get on the front foot now and start the work, so that we can in two-and-a-half years look back and say we did whatever it took to get this done.”{jcomments on}

 

Former New South Wales premier Kristina Keneally has been appointed as the new head of Basketball Australia (BA).

Keneally, who is now a Labor Party backbencher, will be the new chair of the board of BA, and will be charged with breathing life into Australia’s National Basketball League (NBL).

She will replace outgoing chair Justin Milne in the role.

Keneally said she saw huge opportunities for basketball to build on its recent gains.

“As a sport, basketball in Australia has some unique advantages that we are only just starting to capitalise on,” Keneally said in a statement.

She said she would promote the WNBL as a major league in Australia during her two-year appointment.

“(It) deserves just as much attention in terms of sponsorship or television or attendance as the men’s competition,” Keneally said.

She said she could speak with a bit of knowledge of the sport and understood what it meant.

“I am passionate about sports in general and basketball in particular,” she said.

Keneally said the sport’s potential over was largely untapped and she saw huge opportunities for growth in both men’s and women’s basketball.

“There’s currently over a million people in Australia (playing basketball), that’s pretty significant, of course we’d like to see that grow,” she said.

When asked about her unanimous appointment to the role she said, “There’s a great desire to see someone who can stand up and speak for the league and speak with a bit of knowledge of the sport as well.”

She said the immediate focus of BA was on the Olympics and she had high hopes of both the men’s and women’s teams returning with medals “of the golden variety”.

Milne said Keneally was selected because of her great values and fierce determination.

Keneally said she was looking forward to the challenge.

“I think the experience that a politician brings, somebody who has worked across government, private sector and community organisations, is relevant experience,” she said.

She will receive a $50,000 stipend.

Since launching their new Featured Discussions feature earlier in the month, decease iSportconnect has seen some of the industry’s leading professionals contribute their views and opinions to a range of hot topic debates in the world of sports business.

The popularity of the concept is something that iSportconnect – sports largest online business community – is hoping to promote through networking with some of the need-to-know people in the industry.

The real success of the feature has been down to the members, some of whom are of the highest end in their industry sector, sharing their thoughts on the matters relevant to them. The likes of advisory board members, Michael Cunnah, former CEO of Wembley Stadium, and Steven Falk, 8-year Director of Marketing at Manchester United, have been key players in ensuring the discussions success.

Mr Cunnah’s discussion on the issues surrounding the 2022 World Cup in Qatar posed some interesting questions, prompting a flurry of responses and proposed answers from a number of members including Director of Event Operations Paul Freudensprung, whose experience in the matter is extensive through 4 Olympic Games and 2 World Cups respectively.

In addition, Stephen Pearson’s discussion on the prospect of the re-launch of world renowned MLS franchise the New York Cosmos was replied by CEO of fellow MLS club the Vancouver Whitecaps. Barber added his support to the work of Paul Kemsley in bringing in the likes of Pele and Eric Cantona to back the re-launch, stating: “With the Whitecaps now just days away from entering Major League Soccer, it would certainly capture the imagination of the soccer public if the New York Cosmos were to return to play top flight North American soccer too.”

Steven Falk’s latest discussion, Sponsorship – the next big push, was also contributed to by one of the relevant industry sectors most successful professionals. After recently partaking in an exclusive Featured Profile interview with iSportconnect, Vice-Chair of the European Sponsorship Association Pippa Collett explained where she thought some of the English Premier League’s top clubs were going wrong.

Collett wrote: “The essence of sponsorship is the desire of a sponsor to associate its brand with that of the rights-holder. But how many football clubs have developed a real brand? A brand is more than just a logo and a colour combination – it is a set of values, a personality, with certain characteristics that make it special and unique in the minds of those touched by it. When I look at the EPL, very few clubs have much to differentiate them beyond their geographic location. Faced with so little on which to base a selection decision, it is no surprise that brands look elsewhere.”

Speaking on the current success of the Featured Discussions section of isportconnect.com, the company’s CEO Sree Varma stated: “We are delighted that our members have taken the opportunity t utilise the new feature through interacting with their fellow, like-minded professionals. iSportconnect hope that the Featured Discussions can go from strength to strength and become an essential component of the networking department of the site. I would like to thank all of those who have contributed such fantastic discussions and debates thus far and urge all of our members to make your voices heard!”

Sony SIX has agreed a deal to broadcast both live events and archived events produced by GLORY, anesthetist the world’s new premier kickboxing league, on an exclusive basis for the first time in India.

Kickboxing fans for a long time have been missing a true globally organised series, with the sports most decorated icons, such as world No. 1 ranked heavyweight Semmy Schilt, world No. 1 ranked lightweight Giorgio Petrosyan and a host of other superstars including Daniel Ghita, Remy Bonjasky, Peter Aerts, Gokhan Saki and Tyrone Spong, competing for world championships in their respective weight classes

Commenting on the tie-up N P Singh, COO Multi Screen Media, the parent company of SIX, said “We are very happy to announce that GLORY will now be available on SIX. GLORY already attracts a 550 million audience & with India, we have the potential to reach a 100 million more. Indian sports lovers are maturing in their taste for fast paced fight sports, and there is a huge demand for such action packed and adrenaline pumping sporting events. We are proud to associate with GLORY and look forward to airing it exclusively to our Indian audiences.”

Julian Jackson, the Chief Content Officer of GLORY’s worldwide distribution partner, TSA, stated that, “We are delighted that the top management of Sony could see what GLORY is trying to achieve. They recognised the colossal project that GLORY has undertaken and the massive financial commitment that the owner, Pierre Andurand, has made to ensure it succeeds. GLORY has exceeded all of our expectations in terms of broadcast coverage with us being in almost every country in the world with the ability to reach over 550+million viewers – now we are delighted that Indian combat fans will get the chance to see why GLORY is sweeping the globe on Sony SIX.”

Sony SIX is an Indian sports channel owned and operated by MSM India.

In yesterday’s broadcasting stakes BBC overwhelmingly beat out ITV with a resounding share of the UK viewers.

An average of 10.2m people (41% share) watched Vincente del Bosque’s boys administering a thrashing on BBC1 and its HD counterpart, compared to the depleted squad of 1.7m (7%) viewers who tuned in to see their 4-0 victory over on ITV1 and ITV1 HD. 

The pre-match coverage watched by an average of 5.5m viewers between 7-7:40pm, while Adrian Chiles’s superfan act on ITV only attracted 1.2. people to the channel.

During the game itself (7:45-10:15pm), ITV averaged 1.8m viewers while the BBC scored almost 10m more with an mean audience of 11.6m. The channels’ respective peaks came within five minutes of each other too, with ITV pulling in 2.3m (8%) at 8:55pm, while Auntie’s apogee came at 9:00pm when the Beeb entertained a high of 13.4m (49%) people.

But while last night’s figures are impressive, they’re distinctly first division compared to the premier 23m-strong audience who got behind Roy Hodgson and the England team for their heartbreaking encounter with Italy, which went out on BBC1 on Sunday 24 June and saw our boys crash out of the tournament.