Newly promoted Championship team Brentford FC have retained Goodform as their CRM Agency for the 2014/15 season.

The Club is seeking to further develop and enhance the relationship with the fans by placing a stronger focus on customer relationship management (CRM), data and insight strategies.

Mark Devlin, Brentford FC Chief Executive, said: “With promotion to The Championship and with a new stadium to fill within the next three years, the time was right to capitalise on all the information and data the Club has collected over the years.

“We needed CRM expertise to assist in our growth strategy and ambitious marketing plans.

“A central part of that is to dramatically improve our communication with our fan base.

“We were very impressed with Goodform’s CRM credentials and their experience and success with other sporting organisations and I’m delighted to be partnering with them at a pivotal time in the Club’s history.”

Goodform’s remit spans design, data and digital, including an initial re-design of email communications, hosting and optimising data, receiving data feeds across ticketing, retail and hospitality, broadcasting email communications as well as overseeing the transition into a new stadium at Lionel Road South.

Their initial focus during the close season has been promoting Season Ticket sales, which has included a telesales campaign, as well as both the home and away kit launches.

Goodform’s CRM Services Director Michael Jones said: “We are delighted to have joined forces with Brentford FC at such an exciting time in the Club’s history.
“We have already undertaken an extensive audit of their data and we are using our unique insight techniques to target fans appropriately.

“Using this targeted approach we have already began to see excellent results from our email communications.

“With our vast experience of data growth, Goodform will support Brentford FC in ensuring all existing data is fully optimised and segmented into one single customer view, alongside leading strategically as the Club embarks on its journey to a new stadium.”

The sixth edition of Champions League Twenty20 is set to be played at Mohali, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Raipur from September 13 to October 4.

Kolkata Knight Riders, the IPL winners, will face 2010 CLT20 champions Chennai Super Kings on September 17 at Hyderabad in the main draw opener. The qualifiers will be played at Raipur from September 13 to 16.

The tournament has retained its last year’s format with 12 teams vying for a total prize money of $6 million, according to a CLT20 media release. Barring the team from West Indies, the winner of the ongoing Caribbean Premier League, the remaining 11 teams have been confirmed. The tournament will see four teams from India, two each from Australia and South Africa and one each from Pakistan, Sri Lanka, West Indies and New Zealand.

Of the 29 games to be played in the three weeks in September, Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur, the home of Chhattisgarh cricket, will stage eight matches, including all six qualifying games. This will be another opportunity for the Chhattisgarh State Cricket Sangh, which hosted two IPL games in 2013, to make a case for being granted with the full-member status of the BCCI.

“This is a huge achievement for Chhattisgarh cricket,” CSCS president Baldev Singh Bhatia said. “No affiliate or associate member had hosted an IPL game till we did so last year. And now the BCCI has entrusted us with bigger responsibility by allotting the most number of matches, including those of the visiting team from Pakistan.

“Hosting such prestigious matches will hopefully take us closer to attaining the full-member status and thereby ensuring that the local cricketers from the state are rewarded for their hardwork with a place in the Ranji Trophy.”

Istanbul will host an ATP World Tour 250 tournament for the first time ever in 2015, and the ATP announced.

The ATP World Tour event in Turkey will be played on clay from 27 April – 3 May next year.

The Garanti Koza Istanbul Open will be held at the Koza World of Sports Facility, erectile which is promoted as the largest tennis academy in the world.

The centre court features a retractable roof and has a capacity of 7,500. The tournament venue is part of an overall tennis academy that features 15 outdoor clay courts, 20 outdoor hard courts and 28 indoor hard courts.

Chris Kermode, ATP Executive Chairman and President, said: ‘‘We are delighted that the ATP World Tour will be taking place in Turkey for the first time from 2015.

‘‘This incredible new facility in Istanbul will make a wonderful addition to the many remarkable venues that feature on the ATP tour throughout the season.

‘‘As we add an important market such as Turkey to our global footprint, the ATP World Tour will be set to take place across 62 tournaments in 32 countries in 2015.’’

The Minnesota Vikings announced today that the team has partnered with the University of Minnesota and Relevent Sports to host and promote a Guinness International Champions Cup match on August 2.

Featuring the English Premier League Champions Manchester City against the Greek Champions Olympiacos, the match will be played at TCF Bank Stadium, where the Vikings will play home games for the next two seasons and is part of a competitive European preseason tournament that will feature 13 matches in 12 cities in the United States and Canada.

In its first year in existence in 2013, the Guinness International Champions Cup drew a total of 306,244 fans, including 67,000-plus for the final game between Real Madrid and Chelsea. The round-robin format tournament founded by Relevent Sports is the first major international soccer event that will be affiliated with the Vikings.

“We’re thrilled to bring two world class champions in Manchester City and Olympiacos to TCF Bank Stadium,” said Relevent Sports CEO Charlie Stillitano. “The sport of soccer is expanding rapidly in the U.S. and no more so than in the Minneapolis/St. Paul region.”

As part of today’s announcement, the Vikings also announced a broad strategic alliance with Relevent Sports to continue taking soccer to the next level in the state of Minnesota. Relevent Sports brings more than 20 years of experience in organizing matches between elite global soccer teams in North America.

“We are proud to join the University of Minnesota and Relevent Sports in bringing international soccer to Minnesota,” said Vikings Vice President of Legal Affairs and Chief Administrative Officer Kevin Warren. “As we continue supporting taking soccer to another level in Minnesota, we look forward to a long-term relationship with Relevent Sports that will bring major events to the new Vikings stadium.”

The partnership is the beginning of the Vikings broader effort to bring a Major League Soccer team to Minnesota. Members of the Vikings ownership and management group have visited other MLS cities and venues recently and continue to have dialogue with MLS officials about securing a franchise to play in the new stadium.

“While the Vikings have been focused on the new stadium construction and securing the Super Bowl in 2018, behind the scenes we have been very active with our MLS plans,” said Vikings Vice President of Public Affairs and Stadium Development Lester Bagley. “We believe this is an outstanding market for MLS, and the new stadium, with its phenomenal indoor-outdoor fan experience, is a great fit for soccer. We look forward to working with local grassroots soccer leaders, organizations and fans to move this effort forward, but in the short-term we want to ensure a successful match on August 2.”

Slated to open in 2016, the new Vikings stadium was designed with the specifications of a professional soccer field and a great game day experience in mind. The 60% transparent roof and the five pivoting glass doors, plus seats on top of the action and exciting fan gathering spaces inside and outside of the stadium, will provide great energy for soccer fans and the MLS. The Vikings are working diligently with stadium architects and the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority to design a “house reduction mechanism” that will bring the stadium capacity for MLS games to 20,000-25,000 seats, a setting more conducive to soccer.

Included in the partnership for the Vikings to play at the University of Minnesota during the 2014-2015 NFL seasons, the organization invested $6.6 million in improvements to the stadium. The Guinness International Champions Cup will be the first event in which those improvements are on full display to the public, including the additional 1,700+ lower level end zone bleacher seats.

The National Hockey League (NHL) have continued their outdoor games plan by announcing 2012 Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings will play host to the Anaheim Ducks in a regular-season NHL game outdoors at Dodger Stadium on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2014.

Part of the previously-announced 2014 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series, a group of games planned for outdoor locations next season, the event will be the first outdoor regular-season NHL game played in the U.S. west of the Mississippi River, the southern-most outdoor NHL game ever and the first-ever in California. 

“With their meeting in the 2014 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series, the Ducks and the Kings will write the next chapter in the exciting story of NHL hockey in Southern California,” Commissioner Gary Bettman said. “At a venue that represents so much glorious sports history, this match-up of Stanley Cup champions will raise our outdoor initiatives to bold new heights. We know the game will be a treat for our fans, and we thank the Ducks, the Kings, Coors Light, Dodger Stadium and the Los Angeles Dodgers for bringing it to life.” 

Venerable Dodger Stadium will provide the unique setting for the event. Opened on April 10, 1962, it is the third-oldest continually used ballpark in Major League Baseball. Dodger Stadium has hosted more than 147 million fans since it opened. The host for eight World Series and close to 4,000 regular-season games, this will be the first time Dodger Stadium will be the home of a hockey game. With its view of Chavez Ravine overlooking downtown Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Mountains, Dodger Stadium has been called one of the treasured cathedrals of baseball with one of the most picturesque settings in sports. 

“Dodger Stadium has been home to many unique and special moments over the past 51 years,” said Los Angeles Dodgers President Stan Kasten. “We’ll add another first in 2014 when the Dodger Stadium infield turns to ice as we host our first National Hockey League game between the Los Angeles Kings and the Anaheim Ducks.”   

Surprisingly, the Kings franchise has a history with outdoor hockey. The NHL’s first-ever foray outdoors was an exhibition game pitting the Kings against the New York Rangers in the parking lot of Caesars Palace in Las Vegas on Sept. 27, 1991. Played in 85-degree weather, more than 13,000 fans packed the stands to see the Kings defeat the Rangers, 5-2.   

“This is a credit to our fans and the amazing support they have shown to us and the NHL these past few years,” said Kings President, Business Operations, Luc Robitaille. “This will be a sporting event like no other that has ever been seen in Southern California and we are proud to be a part of it.” 

Thanks in large part to the existence of both franchises, in the last 45 years hockey has transformed from a virtual nonentity to a mainstay in the Southern California sporting scene. In March, the varsity team from Santa Margarita Catholic High School in Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., won the USA Hockey National High School National Championship. 

At the 2007 NHL Draft™, Southern California’s Jonathan Blum became the first California-born and -trained first-round NHL draft pick when the Nashville Predators selected him at No. 23. At the 2010 NHL Draft, held at STAPLES Center, Beau Bennett (Gardena, Calif.) was selected 20th overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins, becoming the highest drafted California-born and -trained player in NHL history. Nine picks later, the Ducks selected Emerson Etem (Long Beach, Calif.) marking the first time two Californians had been selected in the first round.   

“We are honored to be selected to participate in the NHL’s Stadium Series,” said Ducks Executive Vice President/General Manager Bob Murray. “Playing our rival Kings at historic Dodger Stadium will be a terrific showcase event for our sport. A Southern California outdoor hockey game in a picturesque setting will be an exciting, unique experience, and we look forward to being a part of it.” 

“The Kings and Ducks playing in an outdoor game at the iconic Dodger Stadium will be a highly sought-after ticket in California,” said Mathieu Schneider, NHLPA Special Assistant to the Executive Director. “The players will have the opportunity to renew this longstanding rivalry while doing so in a warm climate for the first time since outdoor games have been played in the NHL. There is no doubt this event will add to the rich history of our game and this historic stadium.” 

NHL Network and NHL.com will provide extensive coverage live from Southern California leading up to and after the game. NHL Social™ will have exclusive coverage on all social platforms, including the use of the hashtag #StadiumSeries. 

Since the NHL established the tradition of hosting regular-season games outdoors to celebrate the origin and traditions of hockey, fans across North America have expressed their desire for those celebrations to spread across the hockey landscape. Five of the six most watched regular-season NHL games in the U.S. in the past 38 years have been played outdoors. 

The NHL recently announced that the 2014 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic is scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 1, when the Detroit Red Wings will host to the Toronto Maple Leafs at Michigan Stadium on the University of Michigan campus. It is anticipated that the 2014 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic could set a world record for attendance at a hockey game. 

Also, the NHL has announced that the Chicago Blackhawks and the Pittsburgh Penguins will participate in the 2014 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series on March 1, when they face off at Soldier Field.

Decathlon, ambulance the French sports goods chain, nurse plans to triple the number of stores it has in China to make the country its third-largest global market.

Bertrand Tison, health Vice-President of Decathlon China, said the company aims to have 150 stores on the Chinese mainland by the end of 2015, with the majority to be in second- or third-tier cities.

Decathlon opened its first store on the Chinese mainland in 2003 and now has 46 outlets nationwide.

“Around a third of our China sales come from first-tier city stores, but in the future, smaller cities will be the drivers of our growth,” said Tison.

Tison said China would become Decathlon’s third largest market within five years. It is currently fourth behind France, Spain and Italy.

Decathlon stores are generally large and often cover approximately 4,000 square meters. They have shop-front basketball courts, and other similar areas for badminton, soccer and ping-pong, that customers can use to play in-store for free.

Its largest Chinese store is in Beijing, covering an area of almost 6,000 square meters.{jcomments on}

 

Executives from the 12 teams of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) league will meet on August 20 to discuss a strategy regarding how to persuade NPB’s players union to participate in the 2013 World Baseball Classic.

Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters executive, Toshimasa Shimada, who chairs NPB’s committee on int’l relations, returned from New York two days after meeting with tournament organisers to try to gain concessions that will bring Japan’s reluctant players on board.

Tournament organisers, however, rejected Japan’s latest demands, saying that the issue needs to be resolved between NPB and the union. Shimada said: “There is no change to the current severe conditions.”

The computerized scoring system designed for boxing at London 2012 will be abandoned after the Olympics.

The move is part of the sport’s wish to better align the amateur and professional games, and to encourage fighters to be victorious with flair.

The AIBA (International Amateur Boxing Association) president, Ching-Kuo Wu, believes that the abolition of a rigid computer scoring system is essential in the improvement of the amateur format.

The computerized scoring system, which will be utilised this summer, was first used at last year’s men’s world championships and was envisioned to mitigate the risk of Olympic bouts being rigged.

Wu, however, has chosen to renege upon the utilisation of this system which is “impossible to manipulate” in favour of the “10-points must” system of  professional boxing.

“The current scoring system is based on the punches (landed) so the judge has no other way to judge the boxer. 10-points must is comprehensive, with the style of the boxer and their fighting spirit and also the score.

“At the moment there’s no way to judge these boxers as performers, showing their style. Muhammad Ali, why is he (great)? Because of his style.

“When you enter into professional competition it is who is the best boxer, you have many areas to perform”.

Wu added that referees and judges would be trained in the “10-points must” system first, hence the decision not to implicate this system immediately.

“Our referees and judges will train for using the scoring method. We have to have a process. In AIBA, everybody involved on the technical side, technical officials, referees, judges, they have to pass the examination. The most important job is to establish the system”.

Headguards for male boxers will also be scrapped post the London Games and, in a more radical move, the governing body will launch APB (AIBA Professional Boxing) next year which will enable amateur boxers to earn money from the sport without recourse to the sanctioning bodies of the professional game.

Organisers of the first-ever QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot on 15th October expect the event to be the richest day in British horse racing history, search with over £3 million in prize money.

This is the first occasion that five championship races will run during one afternoon on Ascot’s royal turf. 

The races will be run in prize money order, story building up to the two headline contests at the end of the afternoon, the £1 million ($1.58mn) Queen Elizabeth II Stakes over a mile and the richest race ever run in Britain  £1.3 million ($2.05mn) QIPCO Champion Stakes.

The sixth and final race on the card will be for the sport’s best apprentice jockeys.

The organisers are also expecting the event to be packed with tickets starting from £26 ($41) per head, with fine Dining packages from £265 per person ($418) (inc. admission) and are on sale now, while under 18s are admitted free.