English Premier League team Norwich City improved commercial performance has seen revenue soar from £17million ($26.8m) in 2010 to £23.1million ($26.4m) this year.

The recently-promoted Barclays Premier League club also netted a £500,000 ($787,330) operating profit compared to a £1.7million ($2.6m) loss in 2010 and £4.3million ($6.7m) deficit the previous year.

Norwich chairman Alan Bowkett, said: “While everyone is aware of the outstanding football performance last year, I am pleased to report this improvement has continued off the field of play. Revenues and normalised operating profit are up while net debt is down. This trend will accelerate this year.”

The sale of the matchday orange car park has helped reduce Norwich’s debt from £20.9 million ($32.9m) to £16.8million ($26.4m), which they expect to decrease even further by the next year-end.
Norwich’s promotion from the Championship is expected to result in net debt reducing by at least £6million and revenue increasing to at least £40million ($63m). Club shareholders will receive a full set of annual accounts next week and the Canaries’ AGM be held on November 22.

Sky Sports have rescued the day for NFL UK fans by agreeing a new three-year deal to show live coverage of over 60 live NFL games a season including the International Series game at Wembley Stadium, the playoffs and the Super Bowl.

The agreement takes the partnership between Sky Sports and the NFL into its 20th year with coverage across TV, mobile, online and tablet devices.

Beginning with Wednesday night’s season opening clash between the Dallas Cowboys and Super Bowl champions New York Giants, Sky’s coverage for the 2012, 2013, and 2014 seasons will comprise: 

• REGULAR SEASON: Two live prime time fixtures every Sunday kicking off at 6pm and 9.15pm, three Thanksgiving Day clashes, plus regular matches on Thursday nights. 

• PLAYOFFS AND SUPER BOWL: Live coverage of every wild card, divisional and Conference Championship playoff match, plus live coverage of the annual season ending Super Bowl. 

• SUPPORT PROGRAMMING: The NFL’s RedZone score update show every Sunday of the regular season available via the red button, NFL Total Access twice a week and watch out for news of exciting new regular season midweek coverage. 

NFL coverage on Sky Sports is presented by Kevin Cadle, who will be joined during the season by studio guests including Neil Reynolds and Cecil Martin. Sky Sports News HD will also provide up to date news, views and previews throughout the season while skysports.com/NFL will offer extensive gridiron coverage.  

Speaking about the new agreement Managing Director for the NFL UK Alistair Kirkwood said: “We are delighted to extend the relationship between the NFL and Sky Sports into its 20th year. Through their coverage the game has attracted many new fans in this country, and we look forward to another three seasons of excellent coverage of including the International Series matches at Wembley and the next three Super Bowls.” 

Kevin Cadle said: “This new deal is great news for NFL fans in the UK: primetime coverage of two matches on Sunday evenings, RedZone, the International Series and Super Bowl all for the next 3 years! We start our new season with some great games: last season’s Super Bowl champions New York Giants at home to the Dallas Cowboys, then the Indianapolis Colts who include No1 draft pick Andrew Luck away to the Chicago Bears and on the following Thursday we get our first look at the St Louis Rams who will be coming over to the UK for the International Series in October. There are so many ways for NFL fans in the UK to keep up with what’s going on including RedZone during our live match coverage, the Total Access Show, and fans can let us know what they think about the game using our Twitter page @SkySportsNFL.”

ed sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 24px;”>UEFA president Michel Platini completed his tour of Euro 2012 host cities this week and expressed his satisfaction with the venues.

doctor sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 24px;”>Platini visited Polish host cities Warsaw, case Wroclaw, Poznan, and Gdansk. Poland, unlike co-hosts Ukraine, has faced little criticism in its preparations for the tournament.

Platini said: “I am very happy because we have wonderful stadiums, and infrastructure which is ready pretty much everywhere. Having seen the four cities, the four stadiums, the four airports and all the roads, I can say that preparations for Euro 2012 are going very, very well.”

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk believes Warsaw’s National Stadium, which will host four games including a semi-final, is “one of the most beautiful football stadiums in the world”

Poland’s Minister for Sport and Tourism, Adam Giersz, said: “we all believe that it will be the best Euro finals ever.”

 

SuperSport International (Pty) Ltd has agreed a media rights deal to broadcast the Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League.

In terms of the agreement, medic SuperSport will broadcast league and cup matches played during the remainder of the 2012 football season and during the 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 seasons.

SuperSport will broadcast the fixtures via all platforms, including television, mobile and internet, throughout sub-Saharan Africa and the adjacent islands.

Brandon Foot, the Head of Acquisitions and Legal at SuperSport, said: “We are excited to be breaking new ground with our northern neighbours. There is tremendous future potential in Zimbabwe and we believe that this investment will grow and mutually benefit both parties.”

Twine Phiri, the Chairman of the Zimbabwean PSL,added: “It is wonderful that a world class broadcaster, such as SuperSport is now our broadcast partner. We received excellent feedback from our stakeholders after SuperSport had broadcast a few of our fixtures in the past. This long-term deal will ensure the sustainability of our league and no doubt be very attractive for sponsors.”

SuperSport now broadcasts local league football played in Angola, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Wigan chairman Dave Whelan has ridiculed Liverpool’s plans for clubs to sell their own television right, suggesting the move “would kill off half the Premier League”.

Liverpool’s managing director Ian Ayre earlier this week stated that the Merseysiders were prepared to lead a bid by Premier League clubs to negotiate their own individual overseas TV deals, though the idea that has already been met with open criticism.

The league’s broadcast rights outside of the United Kingdom are presently sold in a joint package, which is worth £3.2 billion ($5bn) for 2010-13 to be shared equally among the 20 clubs.

But Ayre believes the system is unfair on the higher-profile clubs, arguing they attract more viewers and more subscriptions, and advocated the adoption of the Spanish model whereby individual clubs have the freedom to negotiate their own packages.

But Whelan, who has led Wigan’s rise from the fourth tier of English football to the Premier League, has dismissed the idea totally.

“It is absolutely scandalous,” Whelan said. “It is the ‘American Dream’, this. They are thinking ‘How can we get more money’?

“But you won’t get more money by killing the heart and soul of the Premier League and of football in England. It would kill Wigan Athletic. It would kill Blackburn. It would kill off half the Premier League.”

Whelan is not alone in his opposition to Liverpool’s plans, with Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea all stating they would rather collectively sell tv rights.

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) today announced a new two-year deal with SKY TV for the broadcasting of all home domestic and international cricket matches.

The new agreement runs through to March 2014 and will include highly anticipated tours by England, here West Indies and India. Part on the new commitment from SKY TV is to broadcast a number of domestic HRV Cup matches in the highly rated Friday night time slot.

NZC Chief Executive, buy David White, viagra said: “New Zealand Cricket has enjoyed a strong relationship with SKY and we are thrilled to be extending our agreement,” said White.

“SKY’s commitment to cricket is highlighted by their offer to broadcast HRV Cup matches on Friday evenings, helping extend the reach of our highly entertaining Twenty20 competition.

“Part of NZC’s mission is to have more people playing and more people watching cricket. The partnership with SKY will play a key role in delivering on that vision.”

Richard Last, Director of Sports Content, SKY Television said: “We are thrilled to further extend our partnership with New Zealand Cricket with whom we have developed a very strong relationship over a long period.

“We are especially excited about the introduction of Friday night HRV Cup matches where we will have the opportunity to provide even greater exposure for cricket in this country.

“There are some of important international tours coming up, including England and India, and we are looking forward to showcasing top international cricket from New Zealand to fans around the world.

“We very much look forward to continuing this association over the next two years.”

England’s failed 2018 World Cup bid cost £21 million ($32.8m) – £6 million ($9m) more than had been widely speculated, according to the latest Football Association accounts.

The bid for the tournament ended embarrassingly last December with only two FIFA members’ votes including that of British FIFA vice-president Geoff Thompson.

The FA accounts have for the first time provided details on the total spending and income of the bid. They show that although net spending was £14 million ($21.8m), the total expenditure over two years was £21 million ($32.8m).

The spending was offset by some public money – local authorities from bidding cities provided £2.5 million – plus a further £4.5 million coming from sponsors.

Until now it had been thought the expenditure on the bid had been £15 million (£23.4m), including the public money. That was also the sum mentioned by sports minister Hugh Robertson last week at the Leaders in Football conference in London.

Robertson said he regretted the money that had been spent on the 2018 bid because FIFA had been intent on taking the World Cup to new territories.

The minister said: “When I look back on it now, I wish we had the gumption or the knowledge to realise at a very early stage that FIFA wanted something fundamentally different than what we were putting on the table. I wish we had had foresight to appreciate that earlier in order to stop the investment of £15 million.”

England’s spending per vote won was the worst of any bidding country apart from Australia, who spent £28 million ($43.7m) on their 2022 campaign and won just a single vote.

To see the figures of the report click here

Eurosport has agreed a four-year TV rights deal to the NextGen Series tournament that showcases the next generation of stars in European club football from 2012/13 through to the 2015/16 season. 

A minimum of 18 games will be televised live on the Eurosport channel each season, including the group stages, playoffs, quarter finals, semi-finals and the final. 

Eurosport viewers will be able to follow the rising stars of various leading European clubs, including Arsenal, Juventus, Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund and last year’s NextGen winners Inter Milan. 

The 2012/13 Series kicks off with the youngsters of Tottenham Hotspur taking on the mighty FC Barcelona in a group stage clash on September 13.

NextGen chief executive Marcus Keane said: “This deal will now enable millions of fans from across Europe to watch the next generation of footballing stars compete live for the NextGen trophy. 

“This is a great step forward for the tournament and we are delighted to have signed with such a major broadcaster.”

Eurosport Group director of broadcasting and programmes Julien Bergeaud added: “The NextGen Series is an exciting property added to our international youth football offering. 

“We have broadcast the best FIFA and UEFA national team youth competitions for many years and now we have the best youth offer for clubs. We look forward to bringing the next generation of world-class footballers to our viewers in Europe.”

Former Brazil football star now turned congressman Romario has criticized Fifa for attempting to change Brazilian law ahead of the 2014 World Cup

Romario, 45, believes laws that guarantee half-price tickets to students and pensioners should not be dissolved. Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff and Fifa President Sepp Blatter have been debating this issue for a while and other similar subjects.

The former World Cup winner spoke while he was visiting Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana stadium, which is being refurbished for the tournament.

“If Fifa is not put in its rightful place it will soon have more power than our president,” he said.

Romario said Fifa could bear the brunt of maintaining discounted tickets for students and pensioners during the tournaments estimated at around $100m.

He added: “Fifa could earn a little bit less so that the Brazilians can take part.” Fifa have said the money it makes from World Cup tournaments is reinvested in football.

Romario continued the issue on his twiter page.

“Brazil needs to stop this business of becoming a slave of Fifa,” he tweeted. “The sovereignty of the country must be respected”.

Romario also warned that infrastructure projects needed for the tournament, including airports and urban transport, were behind schedule.

“Brazil is certainly not going to stage the best World Cup in history as some have said,” he warned.It is not going to be a World Cup for the Brazilian people.”

Last month the head of Fifa Sepp Blatter wrote to to express concern over delays in the construction of stadiums and infrastructure for the World Cup.

Fifa has also been pressing for the rapid approval of the World Cup law, which also covers the protection of trademarks, television rights and the sale of alcohol in stadiums. The Brazilian congress is currently debating a bill that would meet Fifa’s conditions for the tournament.

Major League Baseball’s (MLB) New York Yankees and WCBS 880 announced on Thursday that they have agreed to extend their radio broadcast agreement through the 2013 season.

Broadcasters John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman are expected to return to the booth for the ’13 season. They have called games together since 2005.

The radio station will carry all regular and postseason games, as well as broadcast select Spring Training contests. WCBS 880 has been the team’s flagship station since 200