University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, viagra order AZ has installed high performance LED stadium lights from Ephesus Lighting, Inc., the leader in providing LED lighting solutions for sports facilities.

According to Amy Casper, CEO of the Syracuse-based company, the facility will be the first NFL venue to illuminate the playing surface exclusively with LED lighting.

In addition to serving as the Arizona Cardinals’ home field, University of Phoenix Stadium is also the site of the Super Bowl on February 1, 2015, the Pro Bowl on January 25, 2015 and the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Eve 2014. Yesterday, September 21st, the Cardinals hosted the San Francisco 49ers in the first game played under the new lights.

“We are excited that so many sports and entertainment venues have seen the light and made the switch to LED lighting over the past two years,” said Mike Lorenz, President of Ephesus Lighting. “The feedback from fans, players and broadcasters at venues all across North America who are using our LED sports lighting reinforces that LED is the premier lighting solution for sports and entertainment venues.”

The University of Phoenix Stadium installed just 312 Ephesus Stadium fixtures to replace more than 780 metal halide fixtures. The new lights will use just 310,000 watts of energy as compared to the 1.24 million watts needed to power the previous system. On average most venues experience a 75% reduction in overall sports lighting energy consumption in addition to reduced load on the air conditioning system to offset the heat generated by metal halide lights.

“We are excited about replacing our metal halide fixtures with state-of-the-art Ephesus LED lighting fixture,” said Peter Sullivan, General Manager and Regional Vice President for Global Spectrum at University of Phoenix Stadium. “As the host venue for the 2015 Super Bowl, we look forward to demonstrating the benefits of LED technology to a global audience.”

“We selected Ephesus after careful consideration of all the other available options. We are confident that their solution will improve lighting for the athletes, fans and broadcasters, all while reducing energy consumption and eliminating conventional sports lighting maintenance expense,” explained Sullivan.

The FIA has cleared Russia’s new Sochi Autodrom to host its first Grand Prix later this year after a detailed evaluation.

The evaluation, led by race director Charlie Whiting, looked at the circuit and the venue itself, built on the site of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games.

“The circuit is in extremely good condition and will be issued with a licence,” he said in a Sochi news release. 

“Everything has been done according to the plans – the kerbs are very good, the verges, the guardrails, the walls – everything is in an extremely good condition. Everything has been done to the highest standards and I’m extremely pleased. 

“I can say without hesitation that the circuit is ready 60 days in advance, which is very rare really.”

Whiting said that it is now unlikely he will need to make a final inspection closer to the date of the inaugural 2014 Formula 1 Russian Grand Prix, which will take place on October 10-12.

“I don’t know at the moment, but it should not be necessary,” he explained. “What I’ve seen today gives me complete comfort that the circuit will be entirely ready when I come back for the Grand Prix.”

Promoter Sergey Vorobyev added: “We were ready for Mr. Whiting’s visit and we want to congratulate our builders who have made this positive verdict happen. We were confident that FIA would appreciate the efforts made by our team to implement the technical details that have been so highly reviewed by Mr. Whiting today.

“Now that Sochi Autodrom has received a licence, everything else is up to the organisers of the events and as such we are working intensely on ensuring that all aspects of the event are fully prepared. It is our aim to make this a truly unforgettable event with the comfort and enjoyment of our guests at the forefront of all our efforts.”

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IMG have announced today a deal with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France to represent the tennis player in worldwide marketing and management.

Tsonga, allergist currently ranked World No.15, prostate has a career high ranking of World No.5, achieved week of February 27, 2012.

The Le Mans native finished 2013 in the Top 10 for the third year in a row. Tsonga has 10 career ATP titles and has been the finalist at the 2008 Australian Open and the 2011 ATP World Tour Finals in London. He has reached the semifinals of the 2013 Roland Garros and the 2011 and 2012 Wimbledon.

“We are thrilled that Jo-Wilfried chose IMG to represent him. He is a terrific player and a great person, and we look forward to strengthening and growing his global brand on and off the tennis court,” said Fernando Soler, Managing Director of IMG Tennis.

Tsonga will be managed by Carlos Fleming whose athlete management portfolio includes seven-time Grand Slam Champion Venus Williams, NFL stars Cam Newton (Carolina Panthers), Colin Kaepernick (San Francisco 49ers) and Victor Cruz (New York Giants), and reigning US Open Women’s Golf Champion, Michelle Wie.

Tsonga joins IMG Tennis’s roster of stars which includes Novak Djokovic, Maria Sharapova, Li Na, David Ferrer, Kei Nishikori, and John McEnroe, among many others.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have given a financial boost to ICC Europe and the Associate/Affiliate members by increasing their cash support to a record £480,000 in 2014.

In addition to this cash support, ECB will invest in coaching programmes to support the members of coaching associations amongst the 5,000 active coaches now qualified in Europe outside of England and Wales.

The Associate and Affiliate Members of ICC Europe are supported by the ECB Regional Training Team and the Howzat coaching resource has been translated to support the continued expansion of cricket throughout the continent.

To underpin the proposed new opportunities being offered for High Performing Associates and Affiliates by the changes within ICC, ECB is providing the resource to qualify 22 European coaches on the Level 3 programme and 15 coaches on the Level 4 programme.

CB Chief Executive David Collier commented: “ECB has been excited to see the excellent progress made in the expansion of cricket throughout Europe and by European Teams in global events.

“The participation of both Scotland and Ireland in the forthcoming ICC Cricket World Cup reflects well on the leadership of cricket in Europe and the number of active coaches in Europe will further expand the game’s participation in future years.”

The Buffalo Bills’ cheerleaders have suspended operations following a lawsuit from five former cheerleaders.

The suit filed a lawsuit Tuesday claiming they were underpaid and mistreated.

The lawsuit, filed in state Supreme Court, says the cheerleaders worked hundreds of hours for free at games and were subjected to groping and sexual comments at mandatory public appearance. One said they had to take a jiggle test so their boss could see how firm their bodies were.

The former cheerleaders also allege that the “Jills” are wrongly classified as independent contractors and are subjected to policies that violate the state’s $8 per hour minimum wage law and other workplace rules. The civil action, which seeks unspecified back pay and legal fees, names Stejon Productions Corp., which assumed management of the Jills in 2011, along with former manager Citadel Communications Co., and the team.

The lawsuit is third filed this year against an NFL team by cheerleaders. The Oakland Raiders and Cincinnati Bengals also have pending wage battles.

Lawyer Frank Dolce, who represents the five cheerleaders, said the decision to suspend operations won’t affect his case because it addresses past complaints.

Dolce, however, did question Mateczun’s motives, saying her decision to suspend the squad was unnecessary.

“If they cease operations, they will blame the lawsuit for the destruction of the Jills, when that was not intended at all,” Dolce said, noting there is not much money at stake in the lawsuit.

“We love the Bills. We love the Jills,” he said. “We do not love the travesty of its management that has occurred over the last few years.”

Leading independent evaluation agency, price viagra Havas Sponsorship Insights, has confirmed the final media value of the 2012 Extreme Sailing Series at €27.8million ($36m) over the seven Acts in 2012 versus €25.7million ($33.2m) in 2011 over nine Acts.

A growing international interest and an ever-stronger TV news and programming footprint including live broadcasts from five venues in 2012, is strongly reflected in the increase in media exposure across all platforms in what was the second year of global touring for the original stadium sailing Series that visits iconic venues in traditional host venue territories as well as new markets around the world.

The Extreme Sailing Series has seen a significant increase in global media value year on year, and Havas Sponsorship Insights, who has evaluated the media value for the Extreme Sailing Series since 2009, when the media exposure was valued at just €5.9million ($7.6m), use the same consistent methodology that demonstrates the strong media growth. Despite having seven Acts on the calendar compared to nine in 2011 and 20% less race days per event (five days per Act in 2011 versus four days in 2012), the Series has importantly shown a marked increase in media coverage as it enters its seventh year on the international sailing calendar.

Mark Turner, Executive Chairman of Series organisers OC Sport, commented: “Whilst it is important to note the significant global scale the event is now attaining, for us it is the relative year on year performance that remains the most important measure and it is good to see the upward trend continuing, particularly when we had two less events than the previous year. Havas apply exactly the same quite harsh methodology year on year so we can measure this progression accurately. Importantly, we can continue to confidently market the Extreme Sailing Series to existing and new stakeholders in the knowledge the circuit can deliver significant, and continually growing, media return to our sponsors, teams, event partners and Host Venues. The media coverage is fundamental to underpinning the key values of the circuit, which include the premium B2B ‘money can’t buy’ VIP experience, the appeal of the stadium format as a public event and a sport that remains relatively uncluttered.”

“In 2013, we have set ourselves a tough target to increase the media coverage again by a further 25% to continue adding value across the board. Admittedly, there are very obvious sporting properties for sponsors who are seeking pure brand visibility but the Extreme Sailing Series is now an excellent property for premium brands to reposition themselves via an annual and global sporting series going to traditional and emerging sailing markets in a sport that retains an aspirational and clean image.”

Print media coverage saw more than a 10% increase in media value (to a total of €10million) attributed to the quality of coverage and conscience effort by the Series organisers to focus on more mainstream print media globally, while online media values increased to over €1.8million. Aside from the evaluated media coverage, the Extreme Sailing Series also saw a significant increase in their online fan base in 2012, with a 232%increase in Facebook fans and a 84% increase in Twitter followers – but at actual levels which organisers OC Sport consider still well below the potential for the event, an area of focus for 2013.

2012 Media Value Stats*:Total overall value €27,815,024
Press value €10,001,146
TV value €13,460,648
Online value including Online Video value €1,824,591
Duration of evaluated TV exposure 450h 49m 48s

2011 Media Value Stats*:
Total overall value €25,870,240
Press value €9,043,159
TV value €12,973,479
Online value €1,465,632
Duration of evaluated TV exposure 303h 38m 19s

2010 Media Value Stats*:Total overall value €9,574,055
Press value €3,732,303
TV value €4,465,566
Online value €494,464
Duration of evaluated TV exposure 491h 49m 08s

2009 Media Value Stats*:
Total overall value €5,910,989
Press value €3,019,281
TV value €2,139,845
Online value €205,383
Duration of evaluated TV exposure 535h 30m

* Provided by Havas Sponsorship Insights