Wolves Announce USD64m Molineux Redevelopments

Soccer club Wolverhampton Wanderers of the English Premier League has announced a major multi-million redevelopment of the club’s 28,525 capacity Molineux Stadium.

The news will see the stadium enter multiple phases of construction, all of which will be overseen by main contractors, The Buckingham Group. According to an official statement on the club’s website the project has been scheduled in such a way in order to allow Wolves to ‘pause and reflect’ if required.

Club Chairman Steve Morgan revealed the news, stating: “We know there is a balance to be struck. This decision is about a statement of our commitment, belief and ambition and about the planned success for Wolves over the medium to long-term but we will also continue our policy of investing in our talented, young squad because there is no point in having a great stadium if we don’t have a great team to play in it.”

The first phase will begin with the demolition of the Stan Cullis Stand in May 2011 as part of a US$25.6m project to create an all new two-tier stand, the north east quadrant of which will act as a permanent base for away supporters. Due for completion in time for the start of the 2012/2013 soccer season, when complete the stadium’s overall capacity will rise to approximately 31,700.  

Phase one will also see redevelopment projects which will include a new Wolves megastore, museum, cafe, a family information centre, pitch facing hospitality facilities and a larger accessible lounger for disabled supporters.

Phase two of construction will raise the total cost of construction to roughly $64m and will consist of the rebuilding of the Steve Bull Stand over a two-season period and will aim to increase the stadium’s maximum capacity to 43,000, though Wolverhampton Wanderers officials have stressed that the final number is subject to change.

Phase three will see the club’s attention turn to adding a new top-tier on the Jack Harris Stand. Detailed financial plans have, as yet, not been costed.

Morgan added: “New facilities, better seats, much wider concourses and increased catering offerings will also give our fans a great match day – and non-match day – experience of visiting Molineux and supporting the team. This is a brave and decisive leap forward but one which will open up an exciting and historic new chapter for the benefit of everyone connected to this wonderful football club and City.”

Michael Cunnah Joins iSportconnect Advisory Board

Fast-growing Sports Business portal, iSportconnect are delighted to announce that they are welcoming Michael Cunnah to their advisory board. Michael becomes the second recent addition to the team after the company revealed that Steven Falk, former Director of Marketing at Manchester United, had joined the board last week.

Mr Cunnah will become a major asset for iSportconnect having accumulated over 12 years of experience in the field of sports business. Michael will advise the company on business and operational strategies of iSportconnect portal and events and in his role as an advisory board member, will also initiate iSportconnect community discussions on stadium and soccer business industries.

Michael has a BSc Hons degree and is a Fellow of Aston Business School.  Having previously worked in finance departments at the likes of Coca-Cola and Guinness Ltd. (now Diageo), Michael made his first foray into the world of sports with the Football Association (FA) in 1998. He served for three years as the organisation’s Finance Director before being appointed as Chief Executive Officer for Wembley Stadium in 2001. He was also with English Premier League side Aston Villa, where he served as Chief Operating Officer from 2007 to 2008.

Mr Cunnah’s influence in sports and other business sectors continues in an impressive portfolio of non-executive and consultancy roles including Major Events International, Messages to You and International Services Group.

iSportconnect CEO, Sree Varma stated: “We are delighted to announce that Michael has agreed to come to join our family at iSportconnect as an advisory board member. We feel that Mr Cunnah’s experience in the sports field will be an invaluable asset to the continued growth of the company. Michael Cunnah has proved his immense worth to some of the industry’s leading organisations and projects and iSportconnect is honoured to welcome his expertise and knowledge of sports business on a global scale.”

Michael Cunnah added: “I am pleased to be joining the iSportconnect Advisory Board. iSportConnect is a very exciting development at the centre of the fast-moving sports sector. Sports executives are used to networking as a key part of doing business and iSportconnect will make this so much easier by providing a must-go-to place for news, communications and connections.”

Upon joining the company, Michael Cunnah took part in an exclusive Featured Profile interview with News Editor Martin Laurence.

Michael spoke of his time in previous roles separate to the sports industry and explained his development and decision to make the move into sports after a long and illustrious career with the likes of Coca-Cola and Diageo. When asked if a switch into the business of sport was one that he had always wanted to make, Michael stated, “no, although when it became a real possibility I realised that it was a move that I had to make.”

He revealed his first interest and confidence to make the foray into the sports industry came when working for Diageo, saying, “when I was with Diageo I managed the acquisition of Red Stripe and spent a couple of great years working in Jamaica. I was responsible for Red Stripe’s sponsorship of the inter island cricket competition – the famous Red Stripe Trophy.” Cunnah stated that he “loved loved meeting the likes of Curtly Ambrose, Courtney Walsh and a very young Shivnarine Chanderpaul” and that the experience gave him “the confidence to enter sport on a permanent basis.”

In his time as Chief Executive Officer at Wembley Stadium a magnificent new stadium and stadium business was successfully developed despite much of the media interest being negative. The Wembley business model is based upon Club Wembley which has proven to be a great commercial success. Michael revealed how he kept himself motivated in order to overcome the problems surrounding the stadium, “I had a very committed team at Wembley. We were all passionate about Wembley and never doubted what we were doing, even when the media did.” He confirmed that ensuring that “all team members were informed of the latest project developments was a key task” and essential to the successes of the project.

Mr Cunnah had the final word on his association with iSportconnect and the incentives it brings, stating, “iSportconnect offers a one-stop and effective way of developing networks and scanning the sports horizon for meaningful information and opportunities.”

 

‘Read Michael’s Exclusive Featured Profile interview here‘

 

Woods looking east for new sponsors

Tiger Woods has been weighing up sponsorship offers from Chinese companies, it has bee disclosed.

He is hoping, it was reported, that Chinese sponsorship can help make up for the series of US losses he incurred following the sensational exposure later last year that he had been living a secret life that included a string of extra-martial affairs

US based companies including AT&T, Accenture and Gatorade ended their involvement with Woods because of the scandal which also led to the break-up of his marriage and the loss of his World No 1 ranking to Lee Westwood. .

“We’re certainly considering Chinese companies as they are certainly considering [me],” Woods told Reuters in Shangai where he finished joint fifth in the HSBC Champions on Sunday.

“It’s just a matter of finding the right fit and believing in the company and making sure that I can help them and we see eye-to-eye in that regard,” he added.

Ramachandran re-elected WSF president

World Squash Federation president N Ramachandran of India has been unanimously re-elected to a fresh two-year term at the WSF annual general meeting held in Chennai on Friday.

Besides Ramachandran, the AGM also elected three vice presidents — Chris Stahl of England and Heather Deayton of Hong Kong (both re-elected) and Mohd Al Menshawy of Egypt, who defeated Gerad Decousy of New Zealand.

Including Ramachandran and the three veeps, the WSF top management has Andrew Shelly as CEO and George Mieras as secretary-general.

The WSF AGM also amended the constitution as per the IOC Rules making the term of office of president as two four-year terms and that of the vice presidents to four two-year terms.

The AGM saw representation from 45 countries, which included two days of conference and discussions to find ways to develop the sport, improve its profile in the media and also to make it an acceptable discipline in the Olympic Games.

Ramachandran, said the two key focus areas for the sport was to make it more TV friendly and to push for its entry into the 2020 Games as an Olympic discipline.

As part of efforts to improve fan connect, the $ 125,000 Squash World Cup, which Chennai is hosting from 8 to 12 March next year, will be held at the South Indian metropolis’s Express Shopping Mall to increase awareness of squash among the public and to bring in TV revenue too.

UCI launches iPhone app

The International Cycling Union (UCI) has launched an iPhone application, medstore becoming one of the first global sports federations to do so.

The application provides fans with all the latest results, as well as news and press releases for all cycling disciplines.

In addition to this, videos of UCI events containing highlights and interviews will be made available shortly after the end of events.

The application is free of charge and is available for download from the iTunes store.

The UCI Mountain Bike and Trials World Championships in Mont-Saint-Anne, Canada from 31 August to 5 September will be the first event to benefit from the new application.

Manchester United puts 4,000 season tickets on general sale

English Premier League side Manchester United has been forced to place 4,000 season tickets on general release following poor sales.

Despite a price freeze and marketing campaign, season ticket sales have been slow as fans have chosen not to buy them in protest of the Glazer family’s ownership of the club.

The move is unheard of for the club, where fans have had to wait up to ten years for a ticket in the past.

It is also unclear how many of the club’s 8,500 premium seats, 7,000 executive seats, and 1,500 hospitality packages, have been sold.

The Manchester United Supporters’ Trust (MUST) has said the poor sales are a victory for the campaign against the Glazer’s ownership.

MUST chief executive Duncan Drasdo said: “This is great news for fans in terms of the balance of power shifting back towards them.”

But a club spokesman has said there is nothing strange in tickets being put on general sale. They said: “There is always a ‘churn’ of season-ticket holders who don’t renew for various reasons. The churn was within the normal tolerances when compared to recent seasons.

“As a club, we are very happy the way sales have gone and have already sold more season tickets than the capacity of 17 Premier League grounds.”

Wales Rally GB Selects Slingshot Sponsorship as Sponsorship Agency

Slingshot Sponsorship has been appointed the dedicated sponsorship agency for the Wales Rally GB, drugs the UK round of the world’s leading Rally Championship.

With only two weeks to go until Wales Rally GB 2014, viagra 40mg the routes are being cleared across various locations in North Wales for the climax of this year’s Championship.

The FIA World Rally Championship comprises rounds in 13 different countries around the world and covers four continents in 11 months, link culminating with a Champion Driver and Champion Manufacturer at the end of the season. Widely regarded as one of the most challenging motor sport competitions on the planet, the UK leg takes place in the forests and parks of mid and North Wales, providing the sternest test of both man and machine.

As well as the popular forest stages, the rally weekend will feature a whole host of additional events for ticket holders, ranging from the brand new family friendly Service Park in Deeside as well as Spectator Stages at Chirk Castle and Kinmel Park. More that 70,000 attendees will enjoy day long entertainment, catering and big screens in celebration of the Rally.

Ben Taylor, Managing Director, Wales Rally GB stated “We have big plans for the development of Wales Rally GB in the coming years and we are delighted to have identified Slingshot Sponsorship as the perfect sponsorship agency our event. We will be working collaboratively to establish Wales Rally GB – known as the ‘Rally of Legends’ – as one of the prominent sporting events in the UK calendar.”

Jackie Fast, Managing Director, Slingshot Sponsorship explains “Wales Rally GB stands as one of the premier motor sport events in the world – working with the event is a very exciting opportunity for us to showcase the commercial potential of this platform.”

Colorado Avalanche Sign Afilliation Deal with ECHL’s Fort Wayne Komets

ECHL team Fort Wayne Komets has announced an affiliation partnership with National Hockey League’s Colorado Avalanche and American Hockey League team Lake Erie Monsters.

“The Fort Wayne Komets are very excited about this new affiliation between the Colorado Avalanche and the Lake Erie Monsters,” Fort Wayne general manager David Franke said. “As I have stated many times, if we could find the right NHL/AHL partner, we would become affiliated again. I feel with the director of player personnel David Oliver and assistant Avalanche general manager Craig Billington, we have found the right partners. Those gentlemen, along with Josh Kroenke, Joe Sakic and head coach Patrick Roy, are focused on winning and developing from within the entire organization.”

Franke also added, “This will provide our players a direct line to the AHL. There will be player movement during the season between Fort Wayne and Lake Erie. That is what the ECHL is all about, developing players so they can reach the highest level possible. The opportunity to work with David Oliver and his scouting staff will be a huge asset to the Komet organization.”

Carolina Panthers Extends PrimeSport Ticket Partnership

Carolina Panthers have extended their partnership with ticketing provider PrimeSport who will remain the NFL team’s official fan travel partner. 

As part of the partnership, PrimeSport has official fan travel packages now available for purchase for the 2014 regular season.

“We are extremely pleased with the strides we’ve made this off-season and are incredibly excited to get back on the field and gain momentum towards a successful 2014,” said John Berger, Director of Sponsorship Sales & Services for the Carolina Panthers. “PrimeSport has extensive experience managing and implementing our official fan travel and we are confident they will continue to provide our fans with the best experience possible wherever the Panthers play.”

“We are excited to announce our continued partnership with the Carolina Panthers and providing their fans with the best experience possible throughout the 2014 NFL season,” says Sam Soni, CEO at PrimeSport. “We have built a reputation in the NFL as a reliable and dependable source for fan and corporate travel and we look forward to delivering those great experiences to Panthers fans again this year.”

FootJoy Named Official Licensee of 2014 Ryder Cup

FootJoy has signed an agreement with Ryder Cup Europe to become an Official Licensee of the biennial tournament that sees Europe & the United States compete for the iconic Samuel Ryder trophy.

The deal, abortion which runs up to The Ryder Cup at Gleneagles in September 2014, drugs | enables FJ to incorporate the official Ryder Cup logo on its in-demand Gloves, Socks & Apparel.

Russell Lawes, FJ’s Marketing Manager commented, “The Ryder Cup is the biggest spectacle in golf and we are proud to provide our retail partners  with an essential pack of must-have garments, packaged and crested with one of the most iconic logos in sport. We have enjoyed a long and proud relationship with The European Tour and this license agreement only serves to enhance the all-round appeal and credibility of the FJ brand.”

To celebrate the announcement, the company has launched a capsule 2014 Ryder Cup collection that is available for loyal FJ stockists across Europe to purchase with immediate effect. 

“Not only does the FJ collection provide exceptional sell-through potential for retailers, those who pre- book the complete package will also be entered into a draw to win two one-day tickets to The Ryder Cup at Gleneagles,” added Lawes.

“We are delighted to welcome FJ to the Ryder Cup family and offer golf fans a fantastic range of essential golfing garments to wear before and during next September’s matches,” said Ryder Cup Europe’s Director, Richard Hills. “Both the Ryder Cup and FJ are synonymous with their rich history and with just under ten months to go until Gleneagles, we encourage European supporters to visit our online shop and get their official FJ crested garments while stocks last.”