For many sports facility projects to come to fruition, the stars must align – necessary funding, a perfect site and a healthy dose of momentum must all be in place to move forward with a major renovation or a new stadium. This is every bit the case in collegiate football – a sport that boasts perhaps the most passionate fan base in the US.

The investment schools make in collegiate football stadiums continues to grow with the sport’s popularity – there are more than 103 million college football fans in the US. Between 2009-2014, almost half the 120 Division I schools undertook stadium renovation projects.  It happened at Baylor University, located in Waco, Texas.  A prominent university and an emerging powerhouse in college football, the university recently saw their vision become a reality with the opening of a new, $266 million on-campus football stadium in August. My colleague, Sherri Privitera, discusses the impact of the facility on campus and beyond.

Opening day at McLane Stadium was a scene we could only have imagined during the design and construction process. Dozens of boats cruised the harbor on the Brazos River; the amphitheater next to McLane Stadium was alive with hundreds of fans taking in the game-day revelry and the action on the water; kayakers and paddle boarders pulled up to the water’s edge to enjoy; and tens of thousands of fans crossed the pedestrian bridge from campus to the stadium to make history and partake in a new future for the university and the city. Waco, Baylor’s campus and the region was alive and there was an energy that felt indicative of a shift in how the city and the university will be seen in the future.

Baylor University is located just off I-35 in Waco – a quiet campus of 15,000 students positioned off one of the most heavily travelled stretches of interstate in the US  that sees more than 40 million pass by each year – and directly adjacent to the Brazos River – a previously ignored asset of the city. The campus, with its classic Georgian architecture, had been on the verge of establishing itself as one of the preeminent collegiate football schools in the country over the past few years. But it was previously geographically disconnected from the city’s downtown and played football games several miles from campus in Floyd Casey Stadium. While the new stadium would be designed to house Baylor’s football team, it was clear that it was intended to represent something far greater – an opportunity to solidify their relevance as a team, a university and a destination for visitors.

The 45,000 seat facility was designed to create connectivity between campus, the site and the city.  Its far-reaching impact is made possible largely because of the stadium’s site. With the stadium gates less than 150 feet from the water, and directly adjacent to the I-35 Corridor, it serves as the new front door for the university and for Waco. It visually and physically represents Baylor’s campus and is on a site millions drive by yearly, offering brand awareness opportunities for the university and a reason for visitors to stop and enjoy what Waco has to offer. The stadium has been lauded as having “the most beautiful setting in its sport” by USA Today and has been part of a visionary campus development strategy for the university.

The design of the stadium itself was also about more than the game at hand – it was seen as an opportunity to recreate a brand, shape a vision and develop a clear path for the future that would forever change the university and in fact the city.

Outside the stadium walls, features of the design create a unique experience for visitors that is unforgettable. An amphitheater with seating for hundreds lines the east side of the stadium, facing the Brazos Basin; Touchdown Alley comes alive with on-campus tailgating for thousands; a large plaza allows fans to congregate before the game and highlights the university’s history; and a large pedestrian bridge connects campus and student tailgating to the stadium – bringing fans on campus before the game and offering an iconic experience of crossing the bridge for which the stadium is sure to become known. While these design features are integral to game day, they have also made the Brazos River and basin more accessible for everyone all year-round. There is now easy access for visitors by car, foot or boat, which has shifted the experience of attending a game and created a central gathering point that will become home to events hosted by the city of Waco, community and the university.

The stadium has created one of the best game-day atmospheres in all of college sports – capturing the crowd’s energy, incredible views and offering great amenities – but it’s what happens outside the stadium walls that is truly special. With its connectivity to campus and downtown, McLane Stadium has become an authentic representation of Central Texas – of what the university, the city and the region will become and the experience that visitors, students and the community alike can come to expect.

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Richard Breslin is a Senior Principal at Populous and a Director of the Asian/Pacific office headquartered in Brisbane. Richard also sits on the worldwide strategic Board of Populous. Richard is responsible for all of the firm’s projects in New Zealand and Australia.

Richard is currently leading the Populous team on the Darling Harbour Live project in Sydney in a HASSELL+ Populous joint venture. The $750M project includes the design of a convention centre, exhibition centre and theatre. He is also Director in charge of the redevelopment of Margaret Court Arena in Melbourne.

In 1997, Richard commenced work with the team on the design of Stadium Australia (now ANZ Stadium), the main venue for the Sydney 2000 Olympic and Paralympic Games. At this time, he also worked on the event overlay for the Games before moving to London where he worked on the design of the 90,000 seat Wembley Stadium, and the design of the Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa, for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He was also project leader for Populous’ successful master plan for the London 2012 Olympic Park.

In 2007, Richard immigrated to New Zealand, where he led the teams on Eden Park redevelopment in Auckland and Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin; – both were venues for the 2011 Rugby World Cup. 

Richard’s 

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Sherri is a Principal at Populous with 15 years of experience managing complex sports projects. Sherri has impacted more than 50 universities through her involvement in more than 65 projects over the years, which qualifies her as one of the leading women architects in collegiate athletic design. 

Sherri has successfully demonstrated her ability to develop football stadiums, training facilities and athletic master plans ranging in budget from $2 million to $300 million. Her significant projects include TCF Bank Stadium at the University of Minnesota, Weatherup Center basketball training facility at Arizona State University, the historic renovation of Ohio Stadium at The Ohio State University, Galen Center at the University of Southern California, Georgetown Basketball Training Facility, Baylor University’s McLane Stadium, Northwestern Athletics Master Plan and most recently a new football training facility for Boise State University. 

Her expertise has influenced Populous’ philosophy on programming, the critical initial project phase that helps establish goals, project parameters, scope and budget. Sherri has written Populous’ programming standards impacting nearly every project the firm has encountered the past two years; she also maintains a database of industry standards and trends and educates Populous staff on that information. Sherri’s focus in this area helps set Populous apart as the industry leader for its unmatched knowledge of the intricate details of the various building.

Sherri’s

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Scottish Championship club Rangers have agreed a settlement with former commercial director, Imran Ahmad.

Ahmad was suing the club for breach of contract over £500,000 in unpaid bonuses from Rangers.

Last week he won the right to arrest £620,000 from the club’s bank account pending the court case in light of their ongoing financial difficulties.

Rangers were given leave to appeal that Court of Session decision with their case due to be heard in two months, but they announced an imminent end to the case in a statement to the London Stock Exchange on Friday morning.

The club has confirmed the matter will formally be taken out of court in the next few days. 

The statement read: “Rangers have agreed formal terms of settlement with former commercial director Imran Ahmad regarding his current court action. 

“The sum agreed is significantly less than the total amount which Mr Ahmad had been granted permission to arrest. 

“As part of the settlement terms Mr Ahmad has agreed to refrain from arresting funds in Rangers’ bank account or in the hands of others pending the formal removal of the case from court. 

“No such arrestment will now take place. The case will be formally taken out of court in the next few days.”

A unique but truly inspiring story, not surprisingly, hit the headlines this week. Steve Way became front page news after finishing 10^th in the Commonwealth Games marathon. A fine performance in its own right but not one which would normally receive the coverage it did. What grabbed everyone’s attention was that just seven years ago, Steve was a self confessed boozer, smoker and lover of kebabs who weighed 16 and half stone – not the traditional lifestyle raw material of an elite marathon runner!

Steve Way must be blessed with great genetic raw materials for long distance running because having decided to take up running in an attempt to make some changes in his life, he ran the London Marathon in a little over three hours on just three weeks training, a very impressive feat in itself. The serious training then started and Steve’s performance in the 2014 London Marathon gained him selection for England and a Commonwealth Games performance we’ve now all heard about.

Of course only a very small minority of people are ever going to achieve the feats and the rise to fame that Steve Way has, but running (the most simplistic of sports) has the power to completely change lives and allow the everyday person to achieve goals that they often think are beyond them. The stories of the journeys taken to achieve these goals are every bit as  powerful as Steve’s and any other Commonwealth Games athlete.

Events like London 2012 and the Commonwealth Games with the unprecedented levels of media coverage they attract, certainly highlight the human endeavour, the personal journeys and the enormous potential and attraction of sport.  However, for the vast majority of athletes, sport goes beyond TV coverage, gold medals and glory – when sport becomes intimate, it’s about an individual and whatever that person’s goal is.  The ever increasing numbers of people with the will to get involved in sport has led to an explosion in the number of organised events for people to take part in.  These events meet their level of competitiveness and present them with clear challenges and goals to aim for and work towards.

These growing number of events bring with them huge new opportunities.  The numbers of people getting involved in mass participation events are now significant and extend well beyond just the athletes to include friends and family.  Organisers and sponsors are able to develop closer links with competitors and can tap into the emotional engagement of those who are so committed and passionate about what they are doing.  Steve Way’s achievement rightly hit the headlines but there are tens of thousands of individuals who have also got up off the sofa, trained hard and committed themselves to a sport, surpassed their expectations and achieved their own personal goals.

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Tom Kerry is the Events Director of Limelight Sports.

Tom joined Limelight Sports in 1999 initially working on mass participation multisport events for young people. He is now Events Director with responsibility for a team of over 20 people creating and delivering premium participation sporting experiences.

Tom’s 

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British Sports Minister Hugh Robertson believes FIFA have only themselves to blame regarding the strenous scenario which may lead to the 2022 World Cup being moved to the winter. 

Speaking to the Press Association, Robertson added that he saw no other option than moving the tournament to the winter to escape the stifling heat of Qatar in the summer.

“I don’t think anybody in the world of football thinks a World Cup in Qatar in the summer is a sensible or deliverable option,” Robertson told PA.

“To that extent, this is a mess of FIFA’s own making.

“I don’t blame the Qataris at all – they wanted the World Cup and every country is entitled to have that ambition and they entered the bidding competition in the way suggested by FIFA. I entirely blame FIFA.”

Qatar was awarded the right to host the 2022 tournament in 2010, but FIFA, UEFA and footballers’ union FIFPro have since called for it to be moved to a different time of year.

However, proposals to change the date of the tournament have met opposition from leading European clubs, who are concerned about disruption to their traditional calendars.

“I also don’t see that moving this (to winter) should be allowed to disrupt the years either side of the event,” said Robertson, who was part of the delegation for England’s failed bid for the 2018 World Cup.

The minister also called for FIFA to compensate those other countries who bid for 2022.

“FIFA has to remember there are a series of other countries who bid for that 2022 World Cup in good faith and are now going to find the goalposts have moved,” he said.

“If it’s held in the winter, that’s absolutely sensible but to have a re-pitch would be quite unfair on the Qataris.

“I think a deal should be done where the fact the Qataris won it fair and square is acknowledged but other nations who bid for 2022 are compensated in some shape or form, either financially or by hosting other FIFA tournaments.”

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Manchester City raised eyebrows when it stated that despite reporting a net loss of £97.9 million for the 2011/12 financial year, the club is on course to comply with UEFA’s Financial Fair Play Regulations (FFPR). Many asked how could a club which has reported a loss of £197.5 million for 2010/11 and a further loss of £97.9 million for 2011/12 possibly comply with regulations aiming to punish clubs that don’t break even? 

‘The application of UEFA allowable reliefs for certain categories of expenditure and investment in 2011-12, position the Club well for compliance with UEFA’s Financial Fair Play regulations which come into effect in season 2013-14’, read a 14 December club statement. It is important to remember that this statement has been made by an Executive Board that includes bank Directors and international company Chairmen. They would not say this if they were not confident that City will comply. 

UEFA’s FFPR are loosely based on the concept that clubs which spend more than they earn will be banned from European competition. As City rightly state, they come into force next season (2013/14), when UEFA will analyse club accounts relating to the 2011/12 and 2012/13 seasons (not 2010/11). Clubs will be permitted a total ‘acceptable deviation’ of €5 million, plus €45 million for both the first and second monitoring periods under the FFPR (i.e. the 2012/13 monitoring period and the 2013/14 monitoring period, which encompasses the 2011/12, 2012/13 and 2013/14 seasons). 

In other words, for the 2011/12, 2012/13 and 2013/14 seasons, City must keep its financial losses down to a total of €50 million. 

On the face of it, Manchester City looks to be in serious trouble. Its losses of £97.9 million translate to €120.6 million, way above its €50 million allowance. However, City has said it will be able to deduct £17 million from its 2011/12 total for academy spending and other items that are exempt from the FFPR under Annex 10, taking its losses down to £80.9 million. 

Also, if a club has reduced its deficit (This is why City’s £197.5 million loss during 2010/11 is important) and can prove that the ‘aggregate break-even deficit is only due to the annual break-even deficit of the reporting period ending in 2012 which in turn is due to contracts with players undertaken prior to 1 June 2010’, then Annex 11.2 of the FFPR applies, which allows a licensee to avoid being sanctioned for breaching the aggregate break-even deficit. 

In layman’s terms, if Manchester City can prove that the main reason for it breaching the €50 million ‘acceptable deviation’ is wages paid during the 2011/12 season relating to players under contracts signed prior to 1 June 2010, then it can escape sanctioning. This exemption is because UEFA doesn’t want to unduly punish clubs for players signed before the FFPR were drawn up in June 2010. 

Guess what? The main reason for Manchester City breaching the €50 million deviation is because of wages paid during the 2011/12 season due to players signed prior to 1 June 2010. Such players include Gareth Barry, Joleon Lescott and Carlos Tevez, who is reputedly paid more than £200,000 per week. “Looking at the players involved, this is likely to save the club in excess of £60 million”, said Ian Lynam, a Partner with Charles Russell LLP. 

This takes City’s losses down to £20.9 million (€25.7 million) for the 2011/12 season. This leaves City able to report a total loss of €24.3 million for the 2012/13 and 2013/14 seasons and still escape UEFA sanctions. City’s prospects for the 2012/13 season look good. City will benefit from extra revenue from UEFA for qualifying for its Champions League as Premier League champion next season. A Nike kit deal signed in May 2012 will also add extra revenue. 

City’s statement said that it is positioned well for FFPR compliance. The club does face a task in generating enough revenue to compensate for its wage bill during 2012/13 and 2013/14 and it is also possible that City’s losses could still rise above the permitted level – even with these exemptions. Perhaps it would be a better explanation to describe City’s position as being positioned well to avoid UEFA sanctions under FFPR.

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About Andy Brown

Andy is Editor of World Sports Law Report, a monthly journal tracking global developments in the regulation of sport. Prior to this, he was Managing Editor of Sport Services Group, a subsidiary of the Press Association that provided information services to the sporting industry. He was founding Editor of Football Insider magazine and has also worked on a number of other sports business publications.

Andy Brown’s