UEFA Hires IMG as Master Licensee for EURO 2016

European football’s governing body UEFA has selected IMG Licensing as Master Licensee for the UEFA EURO 2016 football tournament as well as the UEFA European Under-21 Championship, the UEFA European Women’s Championship and the UEFA Futsal EURO.

The global rights deal, which was announced by UEFA and IMG Licensing Global Managing Director, Bruno Maglione, includes all of the above mentioned National Team events until 2017, with a primary focus on UEFA EURO 2016 in France.

Guy-Laurent Epstein, Marketing Director at UEFA Events SA, said: “As part of the continued growth of national team football in Europe, UEFA EURO 2016 will for the first time feature 24 teams delivering a significantly enhanced commercial platform with 65% more matches played and almost 80% more tickets available for fans compared to the last edition.  

“The official licensing programme is an important part of the event promotion allowing fans of all ages, in France as well as around the world, to connect with the competition. We look forward to working with IMG and using their expertise to together create a great range of UEFA EURO 2016 official licensed products.”

Simon Gresswell, Vice President, IMG Licensing Europe, said: “We are honoured to be working with UEFA. Our aim will be to create a lasting relationship between the competition and its fans, maximising the role that Official Licensed Products can play in the overall commercial programme. UEFA EURO 2016 will be the biggest ever UEFA European Championships to date and we are confident that the licensing activity will match the event’s huge and growing popularity.”

Mickael Andréo, Senior Licensing Director at IMG Licensing France and Commercial Director for IMG’s UEFA team, added: “We are thrilled to collaborate with UEFA on this major sporting event. The combination of France as the world’s premiere travel destination and the outstanding impact of the Euro 2016 competition, presents a unique opportunity that we look forward to help presenting through an ambitious national and international licensing programme.”

MLB Sets Up Committee Looking for Commissioner Bud Selig’s Replacement

Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig, who plans to retire in January, announced the formation of a succession committee to find a suitable candidate to take his position.

The committee will be chaired by Cardinals chairman and chief executive officer Bill DeWitt Jr. and will include six other owners: Dick Montfort of the Rockies, Dave Montgomery of the Phillies, Arte Moreno of the Angels, Bob Nutting of the Pirates, Jim Pohlad of the Twins and Jerry Reinsdorf of the White Sox.

“It’s a committee that really represents, I think, the constituency [of baseball],” Selig said.

The committee will report to MLB’s executive council, which will ultimately present a candidate or candidates to be voted on by the full ownership of MLB’s 30 clubs. A candidate needs to receive 24 of the 30 votes to be elected Commissioner.

DeWitt stressed that the committee will seek input from all teams and that the process will be confidential.

“We’re obviously looking for a strong CEO, a visionary leader who has a passion for the game,” he said. “Certainly we’ll look to maintain the integrity of the game. Continue to grow the great game of baseball. And build on the tremendous accomplishments and legacy of [Selig].

“And the process goes much more smoothly if there isn’t all kinds of speculation. We’re not going to announce when we get a list together or who the potential candidates are, whom we’ve talked to or any of that.”

The committee has already met, but DeWitt would not predict when a candidate or candidates might be offered.

“We’re just respectful of the Commissioner’s term, [which] ends on January 24, 2015,” he said.

DeWitt said that while no candidates have been discussed so far, the process will be “wide open” and include people from both inside and outside baseball.

“I think anybody who has experience inside the game, that’s valuable,” he said. “But there are a lot of attributes we’re looking for. But that won’t be a specific criteria.”

Selig was asked about speculation he might remain on the job beyond the end of his contract.

“I don’t really want to comment on that,” Selig said. “The owners have been great. I’ve had lots of conversations with owners about this in the last few months. The only thing I can say is that I’ve determined in life that there’s a time to come and a time to go. And I have determined it’s time to go. There’s no sense in playing any games.”

Selig was asked if there was a possibility that he could remain involved in baseball in some sort of emeritus role.

“Details will all be worked out in the coming months,” he said. “[The committee has] a job to do now and let’s let them do their job.”

Selig became interim Commissioner on Sept. 9, 1992, and was unanimously elected as the sport’s ninth Commissioner on July 9, 1998.

“It will be a tough act to follow,” DeWitt said. “He’s done an incredible job in coalescing 30 clubs, all with different views on various matters, and having them come together. That’s highly unusual. Depending on who’s the successor, we’ll see if that can continue.”

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Sport England Pours in £24 million to Boost Sports Legacy

Sport England are set to boost sporting legacy in the country after announcing an extra £24 million will be used to to expand and extend its successful Sportivate programme. 

The National Lottery funding means Sportivate can continue helping 14- to 25-year-olds to get involved in sports from judo and tennis to wakeboarding and parkour until 2017. 

The announcement was made at an event in Essex to celebrate the first two years of the initiative attended by Olympic Gold-medal winning cyclist Joanna Rowsell, the Rt Hon Maria Miller, Secretary of State for Culture, Media & Sport, and Sport England’s Chief Executive Jennie Price. 

New figures published today show almost 190,000 teenagers and young adults have so far benefitted from free or discounted six-to-eight week sport courses through Sportivate. Of these, 156,547 have successfully completed their coaching course, missing no more than one session. 

Joanna Rowsell said: “It’s fantastic that Sportivate is helping so many young people to discover a new sport. I only started cycling when I was 15 and it changed my life. Sport can be amazing if you find the one that’s right for you. Whether you want to get serious about it or concentrate on the fun of taking part, Sportivate can help you to get involved.” 

Jennie Price, said: “Sportivate‘s success is built on listening to what young people want from sport and then giving them great opportunities to get involved. With dozens of traditional and non-traditional sports on offer, lots of young people are getting active and discovering a sport they really enjoy and want to keep playing.” 

Sportivate aims to give young people who currently aren’t playing sport in their own time the chance to find a sport they like. The young people are then helped to find a club or venue where they can keep taking part. Research shows that most of the young people are sticking with sport three months after they’ve completed the Sportivate course. 

Today’s announcement was welcomed by Maria Miller, who said: “The number of people playing sport is on the rise, which is really good news.  We are determined to leave a lasting legacy from London’s Games, and Sportivate is playing a key part in that.  It’s really important we keep the momentum going and help even more young people develop a sporting habit for life.”

Sportech Racing Extends Services for California Horseracing Tracks

Pool and tote sportsbetting supplier Sportech has announced that its North America-facing Sportech Racing subsidiary has signed a three-year extension to an existing contract that sees it provide totalisator services to all horseracing tracks, prostate fairs and off-track betting venues in California.

Sportech, physician the operator of The New Football Pools service in the UK, purchased the Scientific Games Racing operation of American lottery technology provider Scientific Games Corporation in 2010 in a deal worth up to $83 million. The rechristened Sportech Racing operation subsequently implemented an on-track mobile wagering solution for Del Mar Thoroughbred Club and Santa Anita Park in the western state in addition to working with Southern California Off-Track Wagering Incorporated to develop off-track betting facilities called ‘mini-satellites’ in card clubs, sports bars and restaurants.

“Sportech is very happy to have extended this important business relationship with the California horseracing industry,” said David Haslett, Managing Director for Sportech Racing.

“We look forward to supporting a successful Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita Park in 2012 and 2013 and will continue to work with the industry to develop ‘mini-satellite’ wagering facilities throughout California to expand distribution and make betting on horseracing widely available to many more new and current fans.”

London-based Sportech stated that the Sportech Racing business and its predecessor has provided wagering technologies and services to the California horseracing industry ‘for two decades’ and the term of its most recent deal saw it develop the custom-built Quantum Data Center facility in Sacramento to service the state’s parimutuel betting industry. It also recently upgraded the wagering system in the ‘Golden State’ to the latest Quantum System, replaced all terminals with the new BetJet Series terminals and provided improved display boards.

FC und REWE gemeinsam gegen Gewalt: Hauptsponsor wird sich mit eigenen Maßnahmen engagieren

Beim heutigen Treffen zwischen dem Präsidenten und dem Vorsitzenden der Geschäftsführung des 1. FC Köln einerseits und Vorstandsmitgliedern der REWE Group mit dem Vorstandsvorsitzenden Alain Caparros an der Spitze wurde offen und vertrauensvoll darüber gesprochen, was der 1. FC Köln und die REWE Group als sein Hauptsponsor gegen Gewalt und Kriminalität im Umfeld des Fußballs unternehmen können.

“Wir haben detailliert dargelegt, was wir bislang im Kampf gegen die Gewalt getan haben und welche weiteren Maßnahmen wir planen. Wir sind froh, mit der REWE einen Hauptsponsor zu haben, der uns dabei nicht nur unterstützt, sondern auch selbst die Initiative ergreift.” erklärte Werner Spinner, Präsident des 1. FC Köln, im Anschluss an die Unterredung. Alain Caparros sagte: “Wir haben nochmals deutlich gemacht: Wir stehen zum FC. Deshalb werden wir uns mit eigenen Aktionen, die wir gemeinsam mit dem 1. FC Köln aufsetzen werden, im Kampf gegen die Gewalt im und um den Fußball engagieren.”

Der 1. FC Köln und die REWE Group waren sich darüber einig, dass es möglichst rasch gelingen müsse, dass wieder der Fußball und echte, unterstützende Fankultur im Mittelpunkt der öffentlichen Aufmerksamkeit stehen. “Unabhängig von den Schlagzeilen der letzten Tage sind wir überzeugt davon, dass die sportliche Weichenstellung beim FC stimmt und dass dies bald auch wieder in zählbaren Ergebnissen sichtbar wird”, so Caparros nach dem Treffen.

Die genossenschaftliche REWE Group ist einer der führenden Handels- und Touristikkonzerne in Deutschland und Europa. Im Jahr 2011 erzielte das Unternehmen einen Gesamtaußenumsatz von über 48 Milliarden Euro. Die 1927 gegründete REWE Group ist mit ihren 323.000 Beschäftigten und 15.700 Märkten in 13 europäischen Ländern präsent. In Deutschland erwirtschafteten im Jahr 2011 rund 222.000 Mitarbeiter in über 11.000 Märkten einen Umsatz von 35 Milliarden Euro.

Zu den Vertriebslinien zählen Super- und Verbrauchermärkte der Marken REWE, REWE CENTER, REWE CITY, toom und BILLA, der Discounter PENNY, die Baumärkte von toom Baumarkt und B1 Discount Baumarkt sowie die Elektronikfachmärkte von ProMarkt. Zur Touristik gehören die Veranstalter ITS, Jahn Reisen und Tjaereborg sowie Dertour, Meier’s Weltreisen und ADAC Reisen sowie die Geschäftsreisesparte FCm Travel Solutions und rund 2.100 Reisebüros (u.a. Atlas Reisen, DER Reisebüro, DERPART).

UK Ministers Snub England Euro 2012 Quarter-Final

U.K. government ministers have continued their Euro 2012 boycott by refusing to go see England play in the quarterfinals of the Euro 2012 soccer championship due to concerns about human-rights abuses in Ukraine.

Following England’s victory over Ukraine, erectile one of the two hosts of the tournament, viagra ed the team is scheduled to play Italy in Kiev on June 24. Ministers missed the team’s first three games of the championship, medic citing worries about “selective justice” in the country. Prime Minister David Cameron’s spokeswoman, Vickie Sheriff, said the boycott of Ukraine will continue.

“It reflects ministers’ busy schedules and widespread concern about selective justice in the Ukraine,” she told reporters in London today.

The European Union has demanded opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko be freed from prison, after she was jailed for seven years over a gas accord she signed with Russia in 2009, when she was premier.

FIFA ‘Goes Green Again’ by Renewing Yingli Sponsor for Brazil WC

In what it termed as ‘going green once again’, world soccer’s governing body FIFA has signed a contract with solar specialists Yingli Green Energy, to be an official sponsor of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil having been a successful sponsor of last year’s competition.

Yingli became the first Chinese company and the first renewable energy company to agree a global deal with FIFA when they agreed to be an official sponsor of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, and they will be returning to the role for the 20th edition of soccer’s showpiece event.

Under the terms of the deal, Yingli will receive extensive ticketing and hospitality rights and perimeter advertising at World Cup matches, as well as being entitled to use official branding for the tournament in promotional campaigns. In addition, Yingli will also be working with FIFA and the local organising committee to develop the use of renewable energy in delivering the tournament.

Although financial terms of the deal were not released, it is believed to be worth in advance of Yingli’s commitment to the World Cup in South Africa, which was valued at around US$40m.

Liangsheng Miao, the chairman and chief executive of Yingli Green Energy, said: “After our 2010 FIFA World Cup sponsorship, we saw a tremendous increase in our brand awareness and inquiries for our products. We were also very happy to see how our products brought smiles to the children in need by supplying our solar solutions for FIFA’s Football for Hope programme.

“Thus, we are thrilled to continue our sponsorship with FIFA by becoming an official sponsor of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil and to be an important renewable energy partner to the world’s most-watched single-sport event. We are excited to once again join hands with FIFA, to build a greener FIFA World Cup and a more sustainable future with affordable clean energy provided by the sun.”

FIFA marketing director Thierry Weil added: “We could not have organised the FIFAWorld Cup on the scale that we saw in 2010 without the support of sponsors such as Yingli Solar. Yingli Solar’s activities have had a wide geographical impact, from raising the awareness of the FIFA World Cup in their home market China, to providing solar expertise and products in rural parts of Africa as part of the “Football for Hope” programme. We view our agreement as a strategic long-term cooperation and I am delighted to welcome Yingli Solar on board as a committed sponsor of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.”

Barcelona Sign Seiko as Official Watch Partner

Japanese watch brand Seiko have signed a three-year sponsorship deal with Spanish La Liga soccer champions FC Barcelona.

The company will become the official watch partner of the Catalan club, with a range of branding rights at the team’s home Camp Nou stadium.

Additionally, the Seiko logo will appear on the stadium scoreboards, as well as on the fourth official’s board during Liga BBVA home games.

The deal also includes worldwide licensing rights, and each member of the Barcelona squad will be presented with a commemorative Sportura watch bearing the club crest.

FC Barcelona vice president Javier Faus said: “We are delighted with this partnership with such a prestigious and internationally well known brand that has always collaborated so closely with the world of sport. We are convinced that this relationship will further encourage both brands to continue their work for excellence and success.”

Seiko Watch Corporation president and chief executive Shinji Hattori added: “We are delighted to be appointed as an international partner of FC Barcelona. The history, culture and ambition of the club are a perfect match with Seiko and we look forward to a successful co-operation in the coming years.”

IOC to Consider US Olympic Network Proposals in Rights Deal

In negotiating U.S. TV rights for the 2014 Winter and 2016 Summer Olympic Games later this year, cough the International Olympic Committee (IOC) “anticipates some bid proposals will include plans to launch a stand-alone 24-hour cable channel in the U.S. that will be devoted to the Olympics, ambulance ” according to SportsBusiness Journal.

The IOC is reportedly anticipating the three expected bidders — NBC/Comcast, abortion ABC/ESPN and Fox — to look into the feasibility of launching such a network.

Sources said that ESPN “has spoken to the IOC about the possibility of a broadband channel, patterned after ESPN3.”

IOC Finance Commission Chair Richard Carrión stated: “The IOC sees value in a U.S. Olympic television channel because it would make Olympic values relevant in the market year-round.”

West Ham Reportedly Begin Redevelopment Talks with OS Designer

Following their victory over Premier League rivals Tottenham to obtain preferred bidder status for the Olympic Stadium from the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC), West Ham have reportedly already begun discussing turning the US$836m venue into a soccer and athletics ground with the stadium’s designer, Populous.

A spokesman for West Ham told Building Design that Populous had been brought in to help the club work up proposals for the initial bidding phase of the work, adding: “In getting through the bid stage we engaged the services of Westfield, which was leading a team that includes Populous.”

Populous is understood to be developing plans to install retractable seating at the venue ahead of the soccer club’s first game there, which isn’t expected to be due until the start of the 2014-2015 season.

One expert told the magazine: “Populous has done retractable seating before such as Stadium Australia [for the 2000 Olympics] so it can be done.”

West Ham is expected to shortly issue an OJEU (Official Journal of the European Union) notice for its $153m plan to rework the facility, including modifying the roof, and installing permanent toilets, concession outlets and executive boxes.

Populous are expected to among the frontrunners to be awarded the contract, having worked on the redevelopment of Wembley Stadium and Arsenal’s new Emirates stadium. 

Architect Peter Cook, who helped Populous with its original design for the stadium, welcomed the decision to keep it and said Populous should bid for the work once it is advertised, stating: “[Tearing it down] would have been a waste of time and money. I think they [Populous] should give it a go. They have the experience in this whole thing to follow it through.”