Chairman of UK Athletics, Ed Warner, has conceded that it will be practically impossible to fill the Olympic Stadium post 2012 for athletics events.

UK Athletics main event is the two-day London Diamond League Grand Prix, currently held in Crystal Palace, but this draws a capacity crowd of just 17,000, under a third of the 60,000 capacity promised by West Ham’s bid which is still pending approval.

Some of the lesser meetings are likely to struggle even more to attract spectators, with the likes of the UK Championships being the next in line in terms of prestigious events, bringing a capacity crowd of around 8,000 to Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium.

The success of West Ham’s bid to the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) to occupy the stadium involved a crucial commitment to 20 days of “top-class athletics” per year. Warner however, has stated: “‘Top-class’ is not a technical term in athletics as ‘first-class’ is in cricket. By ‘top-class’ we mean the two days of the Diamond League, down to championships for each major age group. Some will attract a significant paying public, others a smaller paying public. We will also be able to bid for major European and world championships.”

In defence of why having a 60,000-seat venue still makes sense for events watched by crowds in the hundreds, Warner said: “We have never argued that athletics makes the stadium commercially viable. But we want our athletes to aspire to run on the track in a facility of such quality, and the warm-up track underneath is also important. West Ham made the call that they can make the stadium work financially, and we were able to piggy-back on that.”

Additionally he attempted to allay fears that West Ham may be forced to pull the athletics track promise which was so integral to their bid, adding: “We have a commitment to an IAAF category one facility, to be maintained in the stadium, for the duration of the lease.”

English Premier League soccer giants Manchester United are set to become the first ever club in the league’s history to break the £100m (US$161.24m) mark for commercial revenue.

It has been revealed that the club’s revenue has risen up to $38.7m over the first quarter of the accounting year with media reports suggesting that the second quarter will be just as strong. The last annual figures put the club’s commercial income to $130.5m, a growth of 16 per cent.

A new ‘territory specific’ approach to commercial opportunities implemented by Ricahrd Arnold, United’s commercial director, and agreed with the Glazer family, has allowed the club to rapidly expand that area of revenue.

Chief executive David Gill said: “One of the strengths of this club compared to others is that we get income from all revenue streams.

“Our match day revenue is around 40 per cent of our overall turnover, we are part of a great competition in the Premier League that continues to grow and the commercial sector has gone up from 20 per cent to 30 per cent. They are all high margins and will continue to give us the money Sir Alex Ferguson needs to keep the club at the top.

“That will stand us in very good stead. They are all high margins and will continue to give us the money Sir Alex Ferguson needs to keep the club at the top. There is a strong desire within our great supporter base for that to happen.”

The association’s discontent comes after FIFA President Sepp Blatter appeared to make a major u-turn in the proposals to reschedule world soccer’s flagship event. Blatter had previously backed the plans to move the event to the winter months due to soaring temperatures in the Middle Eastern gulf during the tournaments regular schedule. On Monday, February 7, Blatter and FIFA revealed that the Qatar based event had been “settled for summer”.

ECA chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge spoke after he 136-member association’s general assembly in Geneva, stating: “The time for monopolies is over. Football needs democracy and transparency.”

“ECA members agree that all clubs must be meaningfully involved in all decisions affecting club football. Now is the time for change.

In a statement, the ECA expressed its “concern on the way matters of such importance are managed by football’s world governing body” and its opposition to the “disruption” of the possibility of a winter World Cup.

The 2018 Winter Olympics Bid of PyeongChang has received further backing ahead of this year’s decision from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on who will host the quadrennial event.

Approximately US$450,000 has been donated to the Bid Committee by Hyundai Motors Group, with a message promising support until the 2018 host city decision.

The Korean Association of Newspapers (KAN), an organisation that has 47 members comprised of daily newspapers and a news agency, has also agreed a sponsorship agreement which offers PyeongChang 2018 exposure via the member media outlets for the remainder of the bid campaign.

PyeongChang 2018 chairman and CEO, Yang Ho Cho stated: “On behalf of the PyeongChang 2018 Bid Committee, I would like to express great appreciation for the committed support from the Hyundai Motor Group and KAN. Their support and the nation’s passionate backing for our bid gives us an extra boost as we prepare for the important International Olympic Committee Evaluation Commission visit to PyeongChang next month.”

The 2011 European Tour will feature three new events in a season that will contain a minimum of 50 tournaments and finish in December for the first time.

The Race to Dubai starts on 9 December, 2010 at the Alfred Dunhill Championship in South Africa and ends on 11 December at the Dubai World Championship.

New tournaments in Bahrain, Sicily and Malaysia punctuate the year.

The December finish in 2011 should allow following European Tour seasons to be completed in a calendar year.

European Tour chief Keith Waters said: ” The Race to Dubai will conclude in December for the first time in 2011, enabling us to introduce a schedule based on the calendar year, which has been our stated intention for some time now.

“We anticipate, therefore, that the 2012 season will commence in January that year and conclude in late November.”

The new events in 2011 are the Volvo Golf Champions at the Royal Golf Club in Bahrain from 27-30 January, the Sicilian Open from 17-20 March and the Iskandar Johor Open in Malaysia from 17-20 November.

Wentworth will host the European Tour’s flagship event, the BMW PGA Championship, for the 31st time and 28th in succession, from 26-29 May.

Three tournaments will have new venues with the Ballantine’s Championship taking place at the Blackstone Golf Club in Seoul, the Hassan II Golf Trophy at the Golf de Palais et Golf de L’Océan, in the Moroccan town of Agadir and the Omega Mission Hills World Cup being held at the Mission Hills Resort, Hainan Island.

Waters added: “We are extremely encouraged that The 2011 Race to Dubai comprises not only many of our established tournaments in addition to some new events and venues but also three significant month-long runs in designated locations.

“We start with four weeks in South Africa then four in the Gulf and later in the year there is a similar sequence with the Iberian Peninsula Swing.”

Samsung, apoplectic a TOP sponsor of the Olympic Games, viagra 40mg has partnered with VisitBritain to help promote Britain as a popular tourism destination before, remedy during and after the Olympic Games.

At a high profile event held beneath the iconic Tower Bridge today, Gyehyun Kwon, Vice President & Head of Worldwide Sports Marketing, Samsung Electronics, David Song, Managing Director of Samsung UK & Ireland and Sandie Dawe, CEO, VisitBritain revealed the detail behind an exclusive agreement designed to help promote Britain as a compelling destination for tourism before, during and after the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The agreement sets out the commitment to celebrate the Games in Britain and make available fresh information and content provided by VisitBritain to be preloaded on the Samsung Galaxy Tab from December 2010.

Seb Coe, Chair of the London 2012 Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games said: “The London 2012 Games will be a fantastic way to showcase the best this country has to offer – to the spectators, tourists, athletes and media alike. Now visitors will have a chance to find out the best things to do and see in Britain, making sure their experience during the London 2012 Games is the best it can be.”

Secretary of State for Media, Culture and Sport, Jeremy Hunt, commented, “The London 2012 Games provide a fantastic opportunity to boost UK tourism and stimulate lasting economic growth. The Government is investing around £50 million in tourism marketing, and challenging industry to match that to create a £100 million marketing fund to capitalise on 2012 and beyond. This partnership between VisitBritain and Samsung is a great example of what can be achieved when the public and private sectors come together. The UK has one of the most vibrant and varied tourism offers in the world and innovative ideas like this, along with our new marketing fund, will help to encourage more visitors to our shores.”

Sandie Dawe, CEO VisitBritain added, “This exciting partnership with Samsung is about creating an increase in tourism in Britain in the run-up to the London 2012 Games and after. VisitBritain believes that by sharing stunning images, video and information that shows Britain at its best we will encourage people in growing markets around the world – and particularly younger travellers – to visit. We hope that tourists who consult the Samsung-VisitBritain app will be inspired to explore the whole of the UK.’’

Reflecting on the announcement, Mr. Kwon of Samsung Electronics offered: “Samsung is committed to Britain and London 2012. Customers can look forward to consuming exclusive content from VisitBritain on the Galaxy Tab and we hope this combination of great content on a great wireless device will enrich the experience for all of us.”

Samsung renewed its contract with the International Olympic Committee as a TOP sponsor of the Olympic Games in 2007, through to 2016.

The Football Association (FA) has appointed Procter & Gamble marketer Adrian Wells as its head of marketing.

He will lead the marketing of FA assets including Wembley Stadium, sale the FA Cup and the England national teams.

Wells replaces Simon Freedman, doctor who left to become head of sponsorship at O2 earlier this year.

The sport’s governing body has also hired Julian Eccles as group director of marketing and communications and promoted head of broadcast Stuart Turner to lead the commercial department.

Eccles says that Wells will help the FA develop “informed, vibrant and engaging marketing to reach a wider range of audiences.”

Public funding for Britain’s women’s indoor volleyball and men’s beach volleyball teams has been withdrawn.

The cut was announced earlier, but officially took effect on 1 October. The withdrawal of funds casts serious doubt over the teams’ participation at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Volleyball was one of eight sports to have its funding cut at the beginning of 2009 because of UK Sport’s £50 million (US$79.2 million) budget shortfall.

GB volleyball coach Audrey Cooper said: “This will have a massive impact on our preparations – without finance we can’t enter or put on events.

“In essence, after Friday [1 October] I shall have no full-time job. We are still working on a deal to try to ensure that I stay on in a part-time role, which will involve me trying to find new backers for the team.”

In August the women’s indoor team organised a 272-mile bike ride from Sheffield to London with the aim of raising £250,000 (US$396,000) to keep their Olympic dreams alive.

Cooper added: “We had some great publicity and made around £12,000, but the main disappointment was that no major backer came out of it and we are still looking for sponsorship.”

Amateur and professional tennis tournaments have attracted US$600 million worth of sponsorship from companies in 2010, apoplectic according to research from IEG.

The figure is a 3.2 per cent increase on 2009 and includes global, national and local deals.

The report from IEG said that tennis has largely replaced the drop in spending by financial services and car companies during the global financial crisis, with new types of sponsors such as beers and spirits.

Mexican beer brand Corona Extra now sponsors the ATP World Tour, a deal worth US$70 million over five years.

Chinese apparel brand Peak Sport Products also signed a deal with the WTA Tour this year.

 

The Jockey Club today unveiled a new venture, Jockey Club Services, created to provide organisations in British sport with a range of business services in which it has particular expertise, scale and the ability to provide cost savings and quality results.

Jockey Club Services offers the sports industry outsourced business services including procurement, ticketing, loyalty, finance and accounting, HR, IT, customer-related marketing, payroll, stadium Wi-Fi, live music booking and production, and consultancy around areas such as capital infrastructure, turf management, catering and retail bonds.

The largest commercial group in Britain’s second biggest spectator sport has proven through a highly successful pilot phase its ability to provide sports organisations with significant economies of scale and tried-and-tested services that save its partners money and deliver effective results.

Jockey Club Services has been working with several first-class cricket counties – including the provision of procurement services to Hampshire and Kent, ticketing for Glamorgan and the development of a loyalty programme for seven first-class county sides.

The Football League has formally partnered with Jockey Club Services to provide procurement services to its member clubs, with basic agreements now in place with 11 clubs across all three leagues.

In racing, The Jockey Club provides HR services for Racecourse Media Group and finance and accounting services for British Champions Series Limited, now under its Jockey Club Services banner.

Paul Fisher, Group Managing Director of Jockey Club Racecourses and Jockey Club Services, said: “Business services aren’t the glamorous end of sport, but they’re a vital part of the engine room of any sport business. Jockey Club Services can deliver first-class results, save many organisations money and provide insights based on our experiences that may be of real benefit.

“For example, with the buying power of 15 racecourses within The Jockey Club group, our procurement pilot has so far generated savings of up to 40 percent for the participating clubs. We’re delighted with that and as we want these relationships to be really sustainable our fees will remain limited to ensure plenty of upside for our partners to keep working with us.”

The Jockey Club each year stages some of the world’s most iconic sports events, including the Crabbie’s Grand National, the Cheltenham Festival and The Investec Derby; raised nearly £25m for capital development from British sport’s first retail bond last year; and has attracted more than half a million members for its highly successful Rewards4Racing customer loyalty scheme to date.

Shaun Harvey, Chief Executive of The Football League, saidL “With 72 clubs across England and Wales, The Football League has considerable buying power when clubs work together. We’re delighted to be partnering with Jockey Club Services to ensure that by joining forces, clubs in The Football League can get the very best prices for all the day-to-day essentials that any business needs.”