Kingsbarns Golf Links has been selected to host the Ricoh Women’s British Open in 2017.

Located near St Andrews, prescription the highly rated links course has been a part of the men’s European Tour annually for 13 years earning a reputation as one of the most admired venues on the circuit. This will, however, be the first time Kingsbarns will host a Major Championship.

“We are honoured to host the Ricoh Women’s British Open in 2017,” said Alan Hogg, chief executive at Kingsbarns. “We have welcomed tour events to Kingsbarns for many years but this will be on a different scale. The prestige of the Women’s Open is growing every year. More importantly, seeing the very best lady golfers competing over the Kingsbarns links should be very exciting. We are extremely proud to have been selected to host such a quality event.”

As Hogg explained, however, the Ricoh Women’s British Open will provide an entirely new test for the world’s best players when the Open arrives in Fife in 2017. “Because of the round-robin format of the Dunhill, the course has to be set up identically over the three days, which includes weather-tolerant pin placements,” he said. “During the Ricoh Women’s British Open, the full range of hole locations can be utilised on Kingsbarns’ large and undulating greens.”

Art Dunkley, director of Kingsbarns Golf Links said: “People have said many flattering things about our course and facilities since we opened in 2000 but being selected to host our first Major Championship is perhaps the greatest affirmation of all. Our objective has been to create one of the world’s best links golf experiences and deliver it to our guests with a personal touch. That is something our management and staff members feel very strongly about. The honour of hosting the Ricoh Women’s British Open, I believe, results directly from our meticulous focus on providing excellent golf course conditioning and individual customer service every day.”

The statement was endorsed by Shona Malcolm, the LGU’s CEO, who highlighted the significance of the selection. “We believe Kingsbarns will be a wonderful addition to the Women’s Open rota. Their excitement at hosting their first Major will make the 2017 edition very special and we look forward to a long relationship with them,” she commented. “Kingsbarns fits perfectly with our commitment of ensuring the world’s best women players showcase their talents on the world’s best golf courses.”

The British Olympic Association (BOA) has secured a new partner with Krow communications coming on board as an official provider.

The London-based communications agency, founded in 2005, will be the Official Provider of Strategic Marketing Communications. They will work with the BOA in the build-up to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

All eight Big Bash League franchises are set to break even financially in the 2014-15 season thanks to big rises in sponsorship revenue.

Cricket Australia commercial executive manager Mike McKenna said the rise in sponsor interest in the sport is due to strong television ratings for the BBL on Network Ten last season, treat during which matches attracted an average of 638,000 viewers per evening game across capital cities.

“What we found was the ratings were pretty similar across the board, be it if the Hobart Hurricanes are playing or the Melbourne Stars are playing,” Mr McKenna said.

“So we can say we are a national product [for sponsors of any team]. We will have all the teams have major sponsors next season and second-tier sponsors as well. Some will even have good third-tier sponsor deals.”

He said seven of eight franchises recorded a surplus in the 2013-14 ­season. The only exception was the Hurricanes, which had one game washed out and operated with reduced capacity at their home ground due to building works.

Anthony Everard, the BBL’s league manager, told Sponsorship News last week several clubs were signing sponsorship deals at twice the price of the value of last season’s contracts.

Mr McKenna said total sponsorship across the BBL franchises is set for an overall doubling next season, with the league also on the verge of signing a new second-tier major partner and a new apparel deal.

In 2014-15, the BBL will have four major sponsors, lead by naming rights partner KFC, after not filling all the ­categories last season.

However, Mr McKenna said that despite the league’s success the eight franchises needed to continue to grow.

“We’ve set them a series of 20 per cent targets, which are different for each franchise,” he said. “For some it might be a 20 per cent increase in crowds, others it might be 20 per cent in social media [activity] or TV viewer numbers. We think we can still achieve large growth, because we think there is a market for it.”

The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) have revealed today a new three-year plan to enhance its marketing and digital applications for 2014-2016 and a reshuffle of its management team.

At the end of 2013 the WTA defined a new vision, “To be the most inspirational and exciting sports entertainment experience on earth.” The new content driven marketing strategy is the first step to setting the WTA on course to achieve its vision.

Changes in the strategic marketing direction include the creation of an Integrated Marketing Team, which will enable an internal content news calendar and shoulder programming organization across all WTA owned and controlled media. Website, mobile and social media content will shift from a marketing channel to a publishing channel, allowing the WTA to drive content, narration and engagement across all its media and informational platforms.

“As we begin our fifth decade, this new marketing strategy will provide fans with exclusive behind the scenes access that will allow them to get closer to their favorite players and tournaments,” said WTA Chairman and CEO, Stacey Allaster. “We will be the fan’s destination for the inside stories where our players will share their personal stories and interests during their annual Road to Singapore for the BNP Paribas WTA Championships, presented by SC Global.”

In 2013 the WTA engaged Conn Fishburn, the CEO and founder of F3 ideas, to work with management to develop a three-year plan to transform the marketing organization from a more traditional marketing structure to an organization that can better meet the evolving needs of today’s tennis fans, sponsors and ultimately set the gold standard in promotion and access for women’s professional tennis. 

The three-year plan drove the creation of an Integrated Marketing Team with three areas of focus: Content Strategy & Publishing; Communications and Brand Marketing; and Marketing Solutions. 

To lead this marketing transformation Emily Wright has been promoted from within the WTA to VP Marketing Solutions, and two new content marketing and global communications experts will join the team, Richard Libero and Heather Bowler.

Wright will oversee all of the WTA’s sponsor partner programs and will proactively responsible for generating activation ideas and programs that will be leveraged by WTA’s partners.

Libero will join the team on April 14th and will be based in the St. Petersburg office.  Libero comes to the WTA with a journalistic background and almost 20 years of digital and content production experience. Having been a part of building nhl.com and NBC Sports Regional Network, he will lead the transformation of wtatennis.com, wtachampionships.com, wta.cn, and all digital, mobile and social assets of the WTA, while working closely with the WTA’s broadcast team, our rising stars and partners.

Bowler will lead communications and brand marketing efforts in her role as Senior Vice President of Communications. Bowler will join the WTA on June 2nd after serving as Global Communications Director for Eurosport and will be based in the WTA’s London office. Bowler will be responsible for the WTA’s strategic communications, media and public relations, advertising and will support the WTA’s player and tournament members in driving earned media across all channels.

National Football League franchise Buffalo Bills have made seven appointments to a committee that will explore the possibility of building a stadium in the region.

Among those appointed by the team are U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer, Bills CFO Jeffrey Littmann and Bills executive vice president Mary Owen, a niece of former team owner Ralph Wilson, who died Tuesday.

Erie County previously appointed seven members to the group, and New York State added five others. The Bills’ 10-year lease with the county required the formation of a committee of up to 21 members, including private and public leaders.

However, the committee’s efforts may ultimately be limited by uncertainty in Bills ownership. The team is expected to eventually be sold, and a new owner may want to relocate the team.

Paciolan, a leading ticketing provider in college athletics, today announced that the University of Southern Mississippi has renewed its partnership with the company.

Southern Miss will continue to leverage Paciolan’s best-of-breed online ticketing, marketing and fund development solutions.

“We are excited to extend our partnership with Paciolan and continue to utilize their services to deliver a superb fan and donor experience,” said Kent Hegenauer, Senior Associate Athletics Director of Internal Operations at the University of Southern Mississippi. “Paciolan allows us to add new technological features that aid our organizational growth. The attention and value they deliver to Southern Miss Athletics is something we cannot find anywhere else.”

Southern Miss will continue to leverage Paciolan’s eVenue online ticketing solution, enabling a seamless process of selling tickets in real-time through their branded athletics website. Through this website, Golden Eagles fans are able to take advantage of new features, including the ability to pick their own seat for football games at Roberts Stadium. Southern Miss will also be integrating the new pick your own seat technology for the upcoming 2013-14 basketball season at Reed Green Coliseum. Southern Miss also accepts donations online to support their student athletes, and has seen greater online adoption rates for both ticket sales and donations over the last two years.

To promote awareness of upcoming events, sell tickets, drive online donations and keep in touch with Golden Eagles fans, Southern Miss utilizes Paciolan’s PACmail email marketing solution. This powerful system enabled Southern Miss to increase its online renewals rates and streamlined staffing resources by promoting their online box office as a primary sales channel.

“We use PACmail for a variety of things, including ticket sales and promotions, and it’s a tool that is more effective than any other type of marketing available,” added Hegenauer. “It’s the best way to keep in touch and connect with our passionate fans.”

“We are pleased to continue our successful partnership with the University of Southern Mississippi and equip them with a platform to deliver exceptional customer service,” said Dave Butler, Chief Executive Officer at Paciolan. “By leveraging our industry-leading solutions, we will continue to provide them with the tools to enhance the experience of each fan.”

New Jersey Devils majority owner Jeff Vanderbeek completed a refinancing of the team’s debt on Thursday, assuming full control of the National Hockey League franchise.

Vanderbeek, a former Lehman Brothers executive who purchased the team in 2004, made the announcement as NHL officials and locked out players were meeting in New York trying to thrash out a new collective bargaining agreement in an effort to keep the entire 2012-2013 season from being cancelled.

Players have been locked out since mid-September and the league has cancelled games through January 14, more than 50 percent of the regular season which was scheduled to start in October.

“Today’s announcement is good news for Devils fans though I fully recognize fans’ frustration with the work stoppage,” Vanderbeek said in a statement. “Our future is now secure and we can be confident of continued on-ice success.

“Our team has gone to the Stanley Cup Final five times in the last 17 years and following the most recent run to the Stanley Cup Final last year, we are excited about our future.”

“I am grateful to Mike Gilfillan and Brick City Hockey for our former partnership. Together we shared a passion that led to the building of the Prudential Center – truly a shining jewel of a facility and in my view one of the best arenas in the entire world. The Rock is a great legacy for which we will always be proud.”

The Devils said that the CIT Group acted as lead arranger of the refinancing with Vanderbeek also acquiring the stakes of his co-owners, Brick City Hockey and its related entities.

Oakley, a former sponsor of World No. 1 golfer Rory McIlroy has begun legal proceedings for breach of contract, according to an ESPN report.

McIlroy promoted golf clothes manufactured by Oakley, which also makes sunglasses.

McIlroy was signed with Oakley through Dec. 31.

According to a lawsuit filed last week in federal court in Santa Ana, Calif., Oakley tried to use its “right of first refusal” to match the Nike offer, but McIlroy and his agent, Conor Ridge, ignored the counteroffer, thereby breaching the Oakley-McIlroy contract, ESPN reported.

McIlroy announced this year that he would be leaving longtime equipment sponsor Titleist, but he has not commented on whether he has signed with Nike. That deal with Nike is reported to be $200 million.

ESPN’s report says Oakley claims the damage that has resulted from McIlroy’s refusal to renew “irreparable” and entitles the company to an injunction that would stop Nike and McIlroy from concluding or implementing their contract. Oakley also says it has spent $300,000 for a photo shoot on products McIlroy would have endorsed in 2013.

McIlroy’s management company, Horizon Sports Management, which he signed with in 2011 after bolting International Sports Management after four years, told ESPN.com: “McIlroy has fulfilled all of his obligations to Oakley, and the claims in the lawsuit are entirely baseless.”