Bud may not make final NASCAR sponsorship payment

Anheuser-Busch has told Richard Petty Motorsports that the NASCAR team “will not receive the final payment on its 2010 sponsorship contract,” according to sources cited by Dave Moody of Sirius NASCAR Radio.

Anheuser-Bush’s contract with RPM “called for Kasey Kahne to be the driver of the Budweiser Ford, and when Kahne left the team five races early to join Red Bull Racing, that contract became null and void.”

There has been “no confirmation from either the team or Budweiser, and no word on what the final installment of that sponsorship would have been worth to the team.”

Budweiser was on RPM’s No. 9 car driven by Aric Almirola for Sunday’s Sprint Cup Series Amp Energy Juice 500, but ESPN’s Terry Blount noted it is unclear whether they will be on the car the rest of the way and how that affects whether the 9 car will finish the season.

RPM’s future is in jeopardy due in part to co-Owner George Gillett’s financial woes, but Blount said, “It does no one any good — not Richard Petty if he hopes to take over the team, not Roush Fenway and not the creditors — to shut things down with three races to go. I think they’re going to do everything possible to have all four cars finish the season for the last three races.”

ICC upholds suspension of Pakistan cricketers

The International Cricket Council has upheld the suspension of Pakistan cricketers Salman Butt and Mohammad Amir over their alleged involvement in a betting scandal.

The duo appealed the suspensions hoping to join the Pakistan team in the United Arab Emirates for the ongoing series against South Africa which resumes later Sunday.

The team has lost all its matches in the absence of Butt, order Amir and Mohammad Asif, apoplectic who is not challenging his suspension because he is banned from entering the United Arab Emirates due to a previous offense.

The ICC suspended the trio after a British tabloid sting alleged money was paid for bowling no-balls at prearranged times in a test against England to fix spot betting markets.

Africa to bid for 2017 IAAF World Championships

The success of this summer’s FIFA World Cup in South Africa has led the president of the African Athletics Confederation to announce the continent is considering a bid for the IAAF World Athletics Championships in 2017.

Hamad Kalkaba Malboum said: “We are encouraged by the recent FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Morocco is most likely to bid for the 2017 World Championships and, if they do, we think they can win.

“Besides Morocco, we know that South Africa, Nigeria, Algeria and Egypt can all stage a successful World Championships but because Morocco tried the bid for 2015 we think they stand a good chance in 2017.”

The 2011 World Championships will be held in Daegu, South Korea, while the 2013 event will be in Moscow, Russia. London and Beijing have announced bids for the 2015 Championships. The event had never been held in Africa.

Circuit of The Americas Generates Significant Economic Impact for Austin Area

Circuit of The Americas (COTA) generated $897 million in economic impact to the Austin area in 2014, discount according to a study prepared by New York-based Greyhill Advisors.

The analysis represents all COTA events, activities and annual operation for FY 2014, defined as October 1, 2013, to September 30, 2014. The time period captures one full cycle of COTA’s major annual events, including the 2013 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix, 2014 MotoGP Grand Prix of the Americas and ESPN’s 2014 X Games, as well as track rentals, and concert and events at Austin360 Amphitheater. The full report, available here, was commissioned by Circuit of The Americas.

“COTA has turned out to be much more than just a racetrack,” said Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell. “It’s a job creator, a revenue generator, and a destination for quality, year-round entertainment. These benefits to taxpayers result from racetrack construction that was solely funded by private investment. I commend COTA for its positive impact on our community and its contribution to Austin’s emergence as an international city.”

According to the report, there were 1.1 million attendees across all COTA events in FY 2014, leading to $731 million in economic impact. An additional $166 million is attributed directly to COTA operations.

Over the course of the year, COTA hosted six motorsports and other major sporting events, 18 concerts and 110 track rentals and other events.

Formula 1 generated $507 million in economic impact for the Austin metropolitan area. All other major sporting events, including ESPN’s X Games, generated $161 million in economic impact. Concerts and events at Austin360 Amphitheater generated $49 million in economic impact

COTA’s annual activities and operations combined to support 9,100 jobs in the Austin metro region representing $306 million in annual payroll for Austin-area workers. Direct visitor spending injected into Austin area business establishments such as restaurants, bars, hotels and retailers totaled $423 million.

“COTA is a thoughtfully designed facility that has helped Austin successfully compete for and host events that put our city in the global spotlight,” said Bob Lander, Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau President and CEO. “We attract over 21 million visitors annually – three times as many as only a decade ago. Tourism has a substantial impact on the Austin economy providing nearly 54,000 jobs and $6.2 billion in direct traveler spending. World-class facilities like COTA greatly enhance our ability to attract new international audiences and markets that widen our spectrum of business.”

Included in the cumulative impact was construction of COTA’s 1,500-acre campus, which supported more than 7,100 jobs representing $350 million in annual wages. The economic impact from construction was $918 million, the report said.

“We built COTA to be a part of the economic and cultural fabric of Austin,” said Circuit of The Americas Chairman Bobby Epstein. “We’ve created a place where Austinites can enjoy world-class sports and entertainment, and it’s gratifying to see the enormous benefit to local businesses big and small.”

German Ice Hockey Federation Renews Infront Sports Partnership

The German Ice Hockey Federation (DEB) has extended its exclusive cooperation with the international sports marketing company Infront Sports & Media by a further three years.

Infront will continue to market all sponsorship, link advertising and licensing rights of the association, sale the national teams and their home games up to and including 2017.

Franz Reindl, view DEB-President, said: “It’s just great that this successful and intensive partnership is to be continued through until 2017. Particularly at the current time, it is important to have a strong partner supporting German ice hockey. I am overjoyed that the Infront team, with Philippe Blatter and Bruno Marty at the helm, will accompany the DEB and its national teams professionally, dedicated and success-oriented with a view towards the future and the 2017 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship.”

Bruno Marty, Executive Director Winter Sports at Infront, added: “Ice hockey is a core sport in Germany and due to its popularity has the potential to set off nationwide euphoria. Long-term TV contracts guarantee the sport and its sponsors comprehensive media coverage in the coming years. We thank the DEB for the continued trust. Through our commercial efforts and the subsequent economic impact, we will do our part to ensure the national team can build on past sportive success and prepare in the best possible way for the 2017 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship which will be held on home ground.”

The successful marketing partnership between the DEB and Infront has been in place since 2006. As part of a joint venture, the DEB and Infront also form the German organising committee for the 2017 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship which will take place in Cologne, Germany and Paris, France.

Hyères & Weymouth Chosen as Venues for 2015 ISAF Sailing World Cup Series

Hyères, ambulance France and Weymouth, look Great Britain have been named as the European venues for the 2015 ISAF Sailing World Cup series.

Bids to host the two European regattas of the ISAF Sailing World Cup were carefully considered by the International Sailing Federation with key criteria including a compact venue, first class sailing areas and facilities.

The selection of Hyères and Weymouth adds to the 2015 ISAF Sailing World Cup line-up which kicks off in Melbourne, Australia in December 2014 before visiting Miami, USA in January 2015. With the best Olympic class sailors competing for a place at the Final in Abu Dhabi in November 2015 the stage is set for intense racing.

Scheduled for the last week of April 2015, ISAF Sailing World Cup Hyères will be the first regatta to adopt the used 40 boat per event format (25 for the Skiff events), reinforcing the status of the ISAF Sailing World Cup as the premiere series for Olympic class sailors.  

Returning to the London 2012 Olympic waters, ISAF Sailing World Cup Weymouth will take place between 8-19 June with the racing conducted over five days.

ISAF added in a statement: “ISAF thanks all of the venues who submitted a bid for these regattas and their support for the ISAF Sailing World Cup. The strength of the European regattas is clear in the quality of the bids submitted with the selection of the two venues and their qualification regattas indicating a clear pathway from the EUROSAF Champions Cup to the ISAF Sailing World Cup.”

Paciolan Signs Ticketing Partnership with University of Colorado

Ticketing provider Paciolan today announced that the University of Colorado Boulder (Colorado) has extended its 29-year partnership with the company.

Colorado will continue leveraging Paciolan’s best-of-breed ticketing, marketing, fundraising and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solutions, and has implemented the company’s data warehouse solution. The university has also utilized Paciolan’s strategic partnership with 3D venue visualization leader Ballena Technologies (Ballena). Colorado has been a Paciolan partner since 1985. Paciolan is a subsidiary of the Philadelphia-based sports and entertainment firm Comcast-Spectacor.

“We have had a long-term relationship with Paciolan and appreciate the level of expertise and services provided by their entire staff,” said Rick George, Athletic Director at the University of Colorado Boulder. “Continuing our partnership allows us the flexibility to unveil new initiatives that expand our relationship with fans and donors to provide a better experience for them.”

Colorado will continue to efficiently sell tickets and process donations in real-time using Paciolan’s industry-leading eVenue online ticketing solution at their branded website CUBuffs.com. Fans and donors are provided with a one-stop eCommerce site that offers the ability to purchase tickets via interactive pick your own seat maps for football and basketball events, as well as online account management.

“Revamping how we organize our seat upgrade process through Ballena’s integration with Paciolan has been one of the most positively received initiatives from our fans,” said Matt Biggers, Associate Athletics Director of External Affairs and Chief Marketing Officer at the University of Colorado Boulder. “Paciolan enables us to deliver creative and technological savvy tools our fans can use to better their experience with Colorado Athletics.”

“Colorado Athletics has seen significant growth and sustained success through new initiatives led by Matt Biggers, along with the entire athletics staff,” said Dave Butler, Chief Executive Officer of Paciolan. “We are excited to continue our partnership with Colorado and continue to see their athletics department grow revenues through innovative programs that allow them to further enhance the fan and donor experience.”

 

Washington Capitals Ink Affiliation Partnership with AHL’s Hershey Bears

National Hockey League (NHL) franchise Washington Capitals and the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL) have extended their affiliation agreement through the 2014-15 season.

The Bears, viagra 40mg one of the AHL’s elite franchises, viagra sale recently completed their ninth season as Washington’s AHL affiliate under the current agreement. Hershey has qualified for the playoffs in eight of the last nine seasons and won the Calder Cup in back-to-back seasons as the champions of the AHL in 2009 and 2010 as well as in 2006. Hershey has reached the Calder Cup final in four of the nine seasons it has been affiliated with Washington under the current agreement.

“We are excited to extend our affiliation with the Hershey Bears, seek ” said Capitals president Dick Patrick. “The Bears are a great franchise and we look forward to working together again to develop our prospects in Hershey.”

Seventeen players skated for both Washington and Hershey during the 2013-14 season: Julien Brouillette, Chris Brown, Connor Carrick, Nicolas Deschamps, Philipp Grubauer, Jack Hillen, Michael Latta, Peter LeBlanc, Michal Neuvirth, Steven Oleksy, Dmitry Orlov, Cameron Schilling, Nate Schmidt, Ryan Stoa, Tyson Strachan, Casey Wellman and Patrick Wey.

“The success of the Hershey Bears as the AHL affiliate of the Washington Capitals has been unmatched for nearly a decade,” Hershey president and general manager Doug Yingst said. “The affiliation makes perfect sense geographically and logistically, and we are excited to work together again to produce two quality teams for our fans.”

The Capitals and Bears were previously affiliated for seven seasons from 1977 to 1984, including the Bears’ 1980 Calder Cup championship.

UEFA Investigates Six Clubs for Breaking FFP Rules

European football’s governing body UEFA has revealed that six clubs are to be investigated for possible breaches of its financial fair play regulations.

Vitoria from Portugal, Ukraine side Metalurg Donetsk, Skonto of Latvia, Poland’s Slask Wroclaw and Romanian duo Pandurii Targu Jiu and Petrolul Ploiesti have all been involved in European competition this season.

UEFA said that, as a result of its assessment of the financial status of participating clubs this season, it had requested further information in the case of 31 clubs, with prize money temporarily withheld in the case of six.

“The UEFA Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) investigatory chamber, chaired by Jean-Luc Dehaene, has announced that six clubs involved in the 2013/14 UEFA club competitions have been referred to the CFCB adjudicatory chamber,” UEFA said in a statement, adding that a verdict is expected in all six cases before the end of the year.

“Following further investigations and based on new information and evidence provided by the clubs, the CFCB investigatory chamber decided to close the cases involving 25 clubs.

While the overall impact of the financial fair play rules continues to be debated, UEFA has claimed them to be a success, pointing to the dramatic fall in outstanding debts held by clubs.

“The introduction of the UEFA Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play Regulations has already had a very positive impact on the scale of overdue payables towards clubs, employees and social/tax authorities, as they have decreased from E57m in June 2011 to E9m in June 2013,” UEFA said.

“A similar trend was observed in September 2013.”

MLB Properties Inks New Licensing Deal with PANDORA Jewelry

Major League Baseball Properties (MLBP) have signed a new licensing deal with PANDORA Jewelry with Pandora producing charms representing the Leagues’ 30 MLB clubs.

This marks the first-ever sports licensing agreement for Pandora Jewelry.

MLB club logos will be featured on PANDORA’s sterling silver Unforgettable Moments dangle and Pau Amarelo, yellow, wood charm. Additional MLB themed offerings will be introduced in 2014.  PANDORA continues to capture all of the unforgettable moments in a woman’s life, and with MLB charms, women can celebrate their favorite teams all year round.

“Men aren’t the only ones who watch sports these days, women are huge sports enthusiasts as well,” said Beth Moeri, Senior Vice President, Merchandising, PANDORA Americas. “There’s not a week that goes by that we don’t receive feedback from consumers requesting a more robust assortment of sports-related PANDORA charms, so we’re glad we can finally give them an opportunity to cheer on their favorite MLB teams and treasure their team charm forever!”

“We are absolutely thrilled to form a new relationship with PANDORA Jewelry, which not only marks their first-ever sports licensing agreement, but also features logos for all 30 Major League Baseball Clubs,” said Howard Smith, Senior Vice President, Major League Baseball Properties. 

“Women comprise almost half of baseball’s fan base and we are continuously seeking creative and fashionable ways to appeal to such a significant audience.  This relationship with PANDORA, a company that is internationally known for its high end and unique jewelry lines, gives our fans across the country another exclusive way to support their favorite team as we head into the 2013 Postseason this October.”