The Football Association’s (FA) shareholders have overwhelmingly voted in favour of introducing radical changes to the way that youth football is organised across England.

A total of 87% of the 778 votes cast backed the proposals. which will see English youngsters playing smaller-sided games, with smaller pitches and goals and more emphasis on skills and technique, rather than victory.

The FA’s director of football development, Sir Trevor Brooking, called the decision “as important as anything that will happen this summer” for the future of the English game.

The changes will be introduced step-by-step ready for the 2014-15 season and see five-a-side fixtures for seven and eight-year-olds, with 11 and 12-year-olds playing nine-a-side games.

Reducing the size of the pitch and the number of players is designed to develop greater technical skills among budding footballers at a younger age.

The plans will see the introduction of a mandatory 5 v 5 format for Under 7s and Under 8s, with Under 11s and Under 12s playing in 9 v 9 games.

Children in the Under 9 and Under 10 age brackets will continue to play in the already-established 7 v 7 format, before they are allowed to play on full-size pitches from Under 13s.

“The main change is to make sure the future of game is more child sensitive than it has been before,” said the FA’s national development manager Nick Levett.

“There will be a lot more smaller formats of football – Under 7s and Under 8s playing 5 v 5, which means more touches, more shots, more dribbles and a lot more involvement in the game.

“We’re trying to stop that jump from 7 v 7 to 11 v 11, where previously we had children playing on massive adult-size pitches, and have 9 v 9. That is the middle ground between the two.

“These changes are a massive step forward for the future of children’s football in this country.”

BBC Radio has agreed a new broadcast deal to air live horse racing coverage until at least 2016, beginning with this year’s Cheltenham Festival.

Respected broadcaster Derek Thompson is to join the BBC Radio team for the four days of racing from 12-15 March.

Radio 5 live and 5 live sports extra’s Cheltenham coverage will ensure that all 27 races are broadcast live.

The new four-year deal will cover major race meetings from Britain and overseas.

BBC Radio’s Cheltenham coverage will be enhanced by the addition of 1998 Gold Cup-winning jockey Andrew Thornton, along with Paralympian and broadcaster Kate Grey.

There will be live text commentaries every day of the Cheltenham meeting on the BBC Sport website, including audio streams of all the races, and a comprehensive results service.

“We’re really looking forward to the Cheltenham Festival, when the whole station gets involved to bring all the action, atmosphere and excitement to listeners. I’m also delighted to welcome Andrew, Derek and Kate to our team,” said Jonathan Wall, acting controller of BBC Radio 5 live and 5 live sports extra.

“The sport has always been a core part of BBC Radio 5 live’s output and 2013 will see more great coverage led by the best commentary team in the business: Cornelius Lysaght and John Hunt.

“The comprehensive radio coverage combined with the wide reach of BBC online and mobile will deliver excellent coverage of the sport to audiences.”

Richard FitzGerald, chief executive of Racecourse Media Group , added: “The BBC has been an outstanding partner in promoting British racing over the years and the sport looks forward to continuing this valued relationship, via the BBC’s radio, online and TV news coverage.”

A new state-of-the-art community sports facility has been opened today that is set to rejuvenate grassroots football in East Middlesbrough. 

The new six-team changing room facility and third generation (3G) artificial grass pitch will allow North Ormesby Football Club to expand their club as part of five year Football Development Plan. 

The club worked in partnership with the North Riding FA to secure a £795, sickness 000 grant from the Football Foundation, order £100, doctor 000 from Middlesbrough Council, £60,000 from FIFA and £16,000 from North Ormesby FC. 

Funded by the Premier League, The FA, and the Government (via Sport England), the Football Foundation is the country’s largest sports charity. Since it was launched in 2000, the Foundation has awarded around 8,000 grants worth more than £420m towards improving grassroots sport, which it has used to attract additional partnership funding of over £520m. 

Ronnie Hebron, Secretary of North Ormesby Football Club, said: “Without the Football Foundation we would have still been using containers to change in with no running water or electricity. 

“The new facilities will really help North Ormesby Football Club grow and recruit more youngsters from East Middlesbrough to play football and enjoy being part of a team and club.” 

North Ormesby FC currently has 13 junior teams, two senior teams and a girls’ team. 

Councillor Brenda Thompson, Middlesbrough Council’s Executive Member for Public Health and Sport, said: “These new facilities and the partnership between the organisations will all play a valuable part in helping to improve the health and vitality of young people in Middlesbrough. 

“I would like to thank the Football Foundation for their generous support.” 

Paul Thorogood, Chief Executive of the Football Foundation, said: “I am delighted to see this tremendous new facility complete and ready for use by the local community. 

“The dedication and hard work of Middlesbrough Council, Unity City Academy, North Ormesby Football Club and the North Riding FA over a number of years has resulted in the successful completion of this project. 

“Now the important work begins to ensure the facility remains sustainable and benefits as many people as possible. None of this would be possible without the crucial cash provided by our funding partners The FA, the Premier League and the Government.”

Former Judo Champion for Germany Daniel Lascau has been appointed as the new performance director of the British Judo Association.

Lascau, who is originally from Romania, claimed gold for Germany at the 1991 World Championships in Barcelona, beating Belgium’s Johan Laats to the prize, and won in the Olympic Games, held in the same city, the following year.

Since retirement, the 42-year-old Lascau has worked with the German Judo Federation as its vice-president and held the same position for the European Judo Union.

His new role with British Judo will see him taking charge of its high performance programme.

British Judo’s chairman Densign White said: “Daniel is a world class judo technical expert and leader and we are delighted to secure his services in this critical period of preparation for the London Olympics. We have a number of athletes who can deliver Olympic medals with the right preparation – and I believe Daniel is the right person to take on that challenge.”

The ICC Chief Executives’ Committee (CEC) will meet for its next quarterly meeting in Dubai on 30 November 2010. The main objective is to consider the new Future Tours Programme Agreement (2012-2020) and the accompanying league rules.

The Chief Executives and their respective FTP managers will work towards implementing the new FTP and the Test and ODI leagues. Following the CEC recommendations in September, price the new international cricket structure was approved by the ICC Executive Board in October.

Haroon Lorgat, clinic the ICC Chief Executive who chairs the CEC, therapy said: ‘The restructure of international cricket has been a significant and strategic piece of work which now requires a new FTP Agreement incorporating league rules and regulations to be discussed and approved.’

With less than three months to go to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, the CEC will also receive an update on final plans and preparations before the start of the event. CEC will also further consider the design of ICC strategy for the period 2011-2015.

Mr Lorgat said: ‘The present ICC directors and chief executives have recognised their essential role in shaping the future strategy of the ICC and the game.’

The CEC comprises the chief executives of the 10 Test-playing Members and three representatives from the ICC Associate and Affiliate Members. It is chaired by the ICC Chief Executive. The Chairman of the ICC Cricket Committee was also in attendance.

Haroon Lorgat                                     ICC Chief Executive (chairman)

Clive Lloyd                                         Chairman of the ICC Cricket Committee

James Sutherland                                Australia

Manzur Ahmed                                   Bangladesh

David Collier                                      England and Wales

N Srinivasan                                        India

Dr Justin Vaughan                              New Zealand

Zakir Khan                                          Pakistan

Gerald Majola                                     South Africa

Nishantha Ranatunga                         Sri Lanka

Dr Ernest Hilaire                                 West Indies

Ozias Bvute                                        Zimbabwe

Associate and Affiliate Member representatives

John Cribbin (Hong Kong)

Warren Deutrom (Ireland)

Francois Erasmus (Namibia)

Resurrection Fighting Alliance have announced organisational, pharmacy promotional and event plans for 2013 along with the signing of a television distribution deal with AXS TV.

Soares plans for the up-start mixed martial arts promotion to host up to 10 events this year.

“I am honored and excited to be in business with AXS TV and to have this national television deal in place for 2013, allergist ” said RFA president Ed Soares. “I’m already so far ahead of where I wanted to be at this time – we have plans to do up to 10 fights this year – and with this major TV deal in place, I think we have established that RFA offers aspiring athletes tough competition in fights that reach a national audience.”

Soares has appointed Sven Bean as RFA’s Chief Operating Officer. Bean has 15 years of experience in fight promotions, with over 100 successful kickboxing and MMA shows to his credit. He will work with Soares to identify new talent for RFA and will be involved in all aspects of live event planning and execution.

“I am proud to announce Sven Bean as COO and lead executive in charge of fight operations for RFA,” said Soares. “Sven is one of the most experienced and accomplished fight promoters in MMA. He is a trusted professional who shares my passion for MMA and my vision for the huge potential of RFA as a star-building league for the sport. With a TV deal in place and so many events planned this year, Sven will be central to RFA’s success.”

In addition, Soares has recruited former UFC Director of Public Relations Jen Wenk and her StarPR Las Vegas company to spearhead the PR efforts for RFA.

“I’m honored to join RFA and to be working with Ed Soares, someone that I have known and respected for years,” said Wenk. “While Ed was managing the career for the most accomplished athlete in MMA, I was managing PR for the most accomplished fight promotion in the world. I am excited to join forces with Ed and to help build RFA into a vibrant MMA promotion and as a home for the sport’s rising stars.”

Qatari independent broadcaster, Al Jazeera Sport (AJS), has confirmed it may bid for the domestic TV rights to the English Premier League, ahead of launching the beIN Sport network in France this week and its August arrival in the US.

“We are studying whether there is room for another sports channel there [the UK],” Nasser al-Khelaifi, director of Al Jazeera Sport, is quoted as saying by Reuters.

“There is a lot of opportunity in the world for sports channels,” he added. “We are going to look at all the opportunities in Europe. We are going to study each market one by one, and if there is room for another channel, then we will go.”

With 15 pay TV and two free to air channels broadcast in Arabic and English, AJS is already the most watched sports network in the Middle East and North Africa. But this past year AJS has also been seeking European football rights for television audiences around the globe.

French Ligue 1, Italian Serie A, German Bundesliga, UEFA Champions League and UEFA Euro 2012 coverage has already been snapped up for the French TV market, and US TV rights to Spain’s La Liga, Serie A and the French Ligue 1 are reportedly either sealed or in negotiation, along with football action from Latin America.

Now the Qatar-based broadcaster is studying tender documents and market conditions to broadcast the English Premier League to its home audience. The last deal for what is considered the hottest TV property in football cost News Corp affiliate Sky and ESPN a whopping £1.782 billion (US$2.9 billion) between them, and a three year rights package for the UK – beginning with the 2013-14 season – is currently up for auction. The English Premier League is expected to make its selection in June.

It remains to be seen if a foray onto Sky’s well established turf could prove successful in the UK, however competitors are certainly taking the gas-rich Gulf state’s interest seriously, as Qatar signals its intent as a global sporting powerhouse ahead of hosting the World Cup in 2022.

“An Al Jazeera bid is a realistic option,” Ross Hair, managing director ESPN UK said in February. “They have done something very interesting in France in buying first division football against the incumbent satellite broadcaster Canal Plus and we’ve also looked at what they’ve done in other markets.

“You can draw parallels with the upcoming auction in the UK. Al Jazeera have the ambition to grow further in sport and into other markets,” Hair added.

In France, AJS’ two new channels will reach a potential 14 million cable, satellite and IPTV homes, and cost subscribers 11 euros a month. As well as football, beIN Sport will air golf, basketball, and provide some coverage of the London 2012 Olympics.

Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, beIN Sport is reportedly in talks with Imagina US, a Miami-based production company that would provide studios for the broadcasts of the European football matches Al Jazeera acquires in the US.

Sochi 2014  Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games Organising Committee President and chief executive Dmitri Chernyshenko has claimed only 20 per cent of the staff required can be recruited from within the city.

Chernyshenko was speaking after Sochi 2014 signed further transport and personnel agreements, as the International Business Forum in the city comes to a conclusion.

“Sochi is experiencing a shortage of skilled workers for the Games, only 20 per cent of potential employees [in Sochi] are qualified enough,” he said.

“This is not a unique situation in Russia – we are facing unprecedented challenges.”

Sochi signed deals with Kelly Services from the the United States, Adecco from Switzerland and Russian company Exect Business Training to handle recruitment and staffing during the Winter Olympic Games.

Kelly will take charge of finding permanent staff, Adecco will deal with temporary recruitment and Exect is responsible for training services.

Despite his solemn analysis, Chernyshenko remained upbeat and, with the new deals signed, he sees a very bright future for Sochi.

He said:”Adecco has done Olympic Games from Sydney to London and knows better than we do the difficulties of skills shortages. Thousands of people must be moved here and convinced to settle. If we do this, it will make Sochi the most popular place in Russia, with all kinds of people speaking all kinds of languages.”

Adecco Group Russia’s director general Natalia Dolzhenkova said: “I am sure Adecco’s great experience and expertise in hiring and providing temporary staff will make it possible for bright and talented people to find a job in the Sochi Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2014 – and make it truly unforgettable.We are proud of our status as a supplier,” added Natalia Matusova, vice-president of Kelly Outsourcing and Consulting. Our knowledge and experience will prove to be of significant value in the quest to achieve the goals facing the Sochi 2014 Games.”

Exect Business Training will train approximately 25,000 volunteers and 5,000 other personnel in the build up to the Games, with around 187,500 staff needed to ensure Sochi is able to organise a successful Olympics and Paralympics.

Just an hour before these deals were agreed, Sochi 2014 signed further transport and personnel agreements.

Chernyshenko put pen to paper on an agreement with Sweden’s Scania and GAZ Group, a company that is a joint cooperation between Ford and Russia, for the provision of buses during the 2014 Games.

GAZ Group’s Nikolay Odintsov said: “The first Games experience that GAZ had was during Moscow 1980. Being a supplier for the Sochi 2014 Organising Committee is so important for us because the agreement symbolises the continuity of traditions and confidence in our company.”

His views were mirrored by Scania’s managing director Hans Tardell, who said it was “a great honour” to be selected as a supplier to Sochi 2014.

Sports business journalism internship – London

Employer: iSportconnect

Salary: Expenses

Location: Battersea, physician London

The world’s largest sports business platform, iSportconnect has an exciting opening in our editorial department. We are looking for a bright and enthusiastic intern to help with all aspects of content on the site.

The role will include writing and sourcing news stories, conducting interviews on the phone and in person, moderating the communities by adding discussions, video interviews, updating our social media pages and helping with other editorial content.

Applicants need to demonstrate an ability to work quickly and effectively, helping the team to keep on top of the fast moving sports business industry. The confidence to speak to high-level sports executives is a must, so communication skills, both written and verbal are essential. A keen interest in all sports is also vital.

Interning for iSportconnect will give you the chance to learn on the job, meet important people in the sports sector, get your work published and work in a vibrant office in a great location in London.

Requirements:

• The applicant should have a degree in journalism or relevant field. Previous work experience is also desirable.
• Good knowledge of a variety of sports, including the business side of the industry.
• Strong writing, researching and communication skills
• Comfortable using all forms of social media
• Ability to shoot and edit videos will work strongly in your favour

How to apply:

To apply send a cover letter and CV to steve@isportconnect.com