generic pills Helmet, advice Freesans, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 1.077em; text-rendering: auto; clear: left; padding: 0px;”>Arena Leisure, the UK Horseracing course operator, has posted a rise in underlying profits, but says it expects challenges ahead as funding from bookies is cut.

Amongst other leisure interests, Arena operates seven courses in the UK – Windsor, Doncaster, Southwell, Wolverhampton, Folkestone, Worcester and Lingfield Park.

Last year, the firm saw a 10.4 per cent rise in adjusted pre-tax profits to US$8.74m.

However, chairman David Thorpe said the yield from the levy on bookmakers was estimated to fall this year, stating: “The yield from the levy is estimated to fall to £64.8m ($104.9m) in 2010-11 as a result of the movement of internet and telephone betting offshore, the impact of overseas betting operators and betting exchanges.

“The levy is fundamental to the support of horseracing in the UK and it is our belief that all parties should seek to maintain it in a modernised and restructured form.”

During 2010, Arena staged 352 horse racing fixtures and said its average attendance had increased by 4.2 per cent to 1,800 over the period.

Rugby New Zealand 2011 chief executive Martin Snedden added to the debate, denying speculation that the country could lose some games to Australia. However, Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee revealed at the weekend that Christchurch’s involvement in the tournament was far from certain, even though only minor damage was sustained at the city’s AMI Stadium.

In an interview with TVNZ, Brownlee stated: “To lose the Rugby World Cup from Christchurch would be a massive blow. I don’t want to see it happen, but we’ve got to be realistic about the prospect. This place recovered amazingly well after the September 4 earthquake (last year), but let’s not rush too far ahead of things.”

While the World Cup games remain in doubt, the management at AMI Stadium have ruled out Super 15 matches taking place at the venue until at least March 15.

A non-exclusive licensing agreement has been reached between NASCAR and the world’s largest retailer Wal-Mart, to make apparel, home goods and other products bearing NASCAR, driver and team marks and imagery.

The deal is Wal-Mart’s first licensing agreement with a major sports property after agreeing to a three-year deal with options for an extension with NASCAR. Wal-Mart will pay a licensing royalty, but terms of that royalty were not available.

Wal-Mart plans to support its licensing agreement over the next two weeks with a special “Race Time” promotion that begins today in more than 1,500 stores nationwide. The “Race Time” promotion will feature nearly a dozen of NASCAR’s sponsors such as Coca-Cola, Mars and Miller-Coors in a specially branded area of the store.

Major League Soccer (MLS) side DC United are trying to be convinced by the local Development Corp. in the city of Baltimore, clinic Maryland, ask to relocate by highlighting the economic benefits gained from a new Westport based, soccer-specific stadium.

The possibility of a move has been in talks by representatives of the club and the city respectively but formal discussions are on hold until a commitment is made with regards to a facility. The possibilities of both a 25,000-seater stadium in Westport or the far smaller option of a 10,000,seat venue.

According to a feasibility study produced on the proposals, 940 new jobs could be generated through a new soccer-specific stadium with US$2.8m in city tax revenue. It was also stated that the stadium could host 49 to 54 events every year, including 17 DC United games. Spectator spending has been estimated at between $65.7 and $78 million each year.

A three-year deal has been agreed which will see Coca-Cola extend their sponsorship of German Bundesliga soccer club Eintracht Frankfurt.

Coca-Cola will remain a second tier partner of the club, with pouring rights for non-alcoholic drinks at the club’s home ground, the Commerzbank Arena. Coca-Cola will also participate in a range of promotional activities in a deal thought to be worth an estimated US$450,000 a year.

Heribert Bruchhagen, Eintracht Frankfurt chairman said that the support of a global brand like Coca-Cola would help the club build for the future.

Fears of a negative effect on England’s World Cup bid after a BBC’s Panorama documentary have been boosted substantially in a report issued by FIFA’s executive committee. The report revealed that if England were to win the bid to host the 2018 World Cup they would generate the highest income over their rival bidders.

England’s bid achieved a maximum rating over the areas of ticketing, television and media rights, sponsorship, hospitality and merchandising and licensing.

With regards to England’s rivals in the bid to host the 2018 World Cup, Spain and Portugal were their closest competitors receiving a rating of 91 per cent whilst the current favourites to host the tournament, Russia achieved the lowest score of 86 per cent. The remaining bid nation of Holland and Belgium achieved an 87 per cent rating in the report.

The boost will be a welcome result to all involved with the England World Cup bid after the BBC Panorama special was thought to have dented the bid’s chances of approval. The programme has come under criticism from a wide range of sources which believe the content to be dated and the timing to be detrimental to the nation’s hosting hopes.

The bid team is now eagerly anticipating the decision which will be made on Thursday with the likes of Prince William, Prime Minister David Cameron and David Beckham all backing the bid amongst the presentation team.

Hispania Racing, symptoms HRT F1 Team announced that it has reached an agreement with Williams F1, who will supply the Spanish team with its proprietary gearbox technology.

The arrangement will commence to support Hispania Racing’s 2011 programme and will extend for the lifecycle of the current Cosworth engine technology.

Colin Kolles , Hispania Racing, HRT F1 Team Principal: “This technical partnership is a significant step forward for Hispania Racing, HRT F1 Team to improve its performance, and we are very happy to do this together with an engineering company and race-team like Williams F1, which has an impressive track-record and astonishing heritage.”

Alex Burns, Williams F1’s CEO: “This is a logical partnership given Williams and Hispania’s mutual relationship with Cosworth. Our gearbox technology has consistently proven itself as both competitive and reliable, and hence this agreement will be a positive development for both organizations.”

Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly awarded the first contract package on their £400m stadium.

According to a report by Sky Sports News, bronchi Essex based Anderson group has secured a £50m deal for the stadium foundations and concrete structures like upper floors and stairways.

Anderson carried-out a similar package of works on Tottenham’s £45m Training Academy at Bulls Cross in Enfield, Middlesex where McLaren Construction was main contractor.

Sports media company IMG has signed a multi-year deal with Greek Yogurt maker Chobani to increase brand awareness and yogurt consumption at colleges and universities through increased distribution and visibility on campuses and at retailers coast to coast. 

The partnership, which aims to naturally power college athletes, students, teachers and alumni with food options will launch with 17 universities and grow to more than 27 by its third year.

Chobani will increase its presence and products to students and fans by leveraging IMG College’s access to school decision makers and its partner schools’ intellectual property on campus, in local retail locations, food service, at athletic facilities and more. In addition, students will enjoy Chobani during on-campus health clinics, community events, and athletic training events.

“College students, sports fans and players alike have a great deal of passion for their teams and traditions and we feel exactly the same way about how we craft our yogurt. Our mission has always been to provide better food to more people and this partnership builds off our current school programs while opening up significant new opportunities,” said Peter McGuinness, Chief Marketing and Brand Officer, Chobani. “The IMG College partnership allows us to deepen our connection with colleges and universities across the country while helping us reach passionate students, athletes and fans in local, relevant and authentic ways.”

“College campuses are an effective and increasingly popular place for major brands to build their next generation of customers,” said Andrew Judelson, SVP, US Business Development for IMG. “For a dynamic brand like Chobani, colleges offer great opportunities to introduce delicious products to students and sports fans throughout the day, from a nutritious breakfast on the way to class, to a great post-workout snack, to athletes’ refrigerators.”