FC Barcelona are set to revamp their Nou Camp stadium after members voted in favour of a £496million redevelopment on the weekend.

The major plans will see the current Nou Camp revamped, its capacity increased more than 5,000 to 105,000 and a roof added.

The space around the stadium will also be redeveloped to include an ice rink, modern office facilities and a 5,000-space car park.

Around one third of Barca members voted in the referendum, 72% approving work due to begin in May 2017 and conclude in February 2021.

President Josep Maria Bartomeu said: “Days like today are when the world sees what FC Barcelona is and means. The support for the proposal has been extraordinary.

“I’m very satisfied. It’s a great day, a democratic festival for the Barca members. Voting made me very happy, as did seeing so many votes cast by members. It’s a huge project that will improve the club for years to come.

“The most important thing is that the members decide in a massive way. The members have given me strength. We will continue to work very hard like we always have and we continue to solve problems.”

The Royal & Ancient Golf Club could be on verge of a revolutionary change as they revealed they will ask their members to vote in favor of allowing women to join for the first time.

A statement from the R&A on Wednesday said the club will vote in September on a motion to admit female members. The club’s committees are in favor of the rule changes and are asking the 2,4000 members to support it.

Wilson Sibbett, the chairman of the R&A’s general committee, states in the letter to existing members: “Now is the time to ask members of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club to welcome female members into the club.”

In a separate statement, an R&A spokesman said: “Members of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, the founding club of The R&A, will vote on a motion to admit women as members. The club’s committees are strongly in favour of the rule change and are asking members to support it.”

The R&A has come under increasing pressure in recent years to change its male-only policy, especially after Augusta National Golf Club last year invited two women to join at the home of the Masters. The British Open last year was held at Muirfield, which also has a male-only membership policy.

FIA’s new global electric racing series, Formula E has announced today that its new headquarters and team facilities will be based within the grounds of the Donington Park Racing Circuit in the UK. 

Construction work on the 44,000ft premises began on 2nd January and when complete will provide state-of-the-art facilities for each of the 10 Formula E teams, together with offices, stores and workshops for Formula E’s own operational staff – totalling more than 150 people.

In addition, the Formula E teams – all of which have now been announced – will use the Donington Park circuit for their testing and development work on the fully-electric Spark-Renault SRT_01E race car.

The new facilities, located in Donington’s Western Paddock, just 100 metres from the circuit itself at the Melbourne Hairpin entry, will also comply with the “Very Good” BREEAM sustainable construction standards and with the UK Government’s Low Carbon Economy and the National Planning Policy Framework requirements. This will ensure teams benefit from high environmental standards, effective energy management systems and the reduction of carbon emissions wherever possible – in-line with Formula E’s sustainability ethos.

Beginning this September in Beijing, the series will compete in the heart of 10 of the world’s leading cities including London, Miami and Rio de Janeiro. Ten teams, each with two drivers, will go head-to-head to create a unique and exciting racing series designed to appeal to a new generation of motorsport fans whilst accelerating the electric vehicle market and promoting sustainability.

Alejandro Agag, CEO of Formula E, said: “We looked at a number of locations around Europe but the British motorsport industry is regarded as the best in the world so it was an easy decision for us to be based in the UK and our new facilities at Donington Park provide the perfect central location for operating the FIA Formula E Championship. Being in the ‘Motorsport Valley’ also means we can take advantage of the technology and skills all around us, as we have already done through McLaren and Williams.”

All works will be complete by the end of April with the first teams moving in on 1st May. Formula E’s commercial aspects will continue to operate out of its London offices.

Christopher Tate, Managing Director of Donington Park Racing Ltd, said: “Formula E and all its teams committing to this location here at Donington Park, the heart of British motor sport, is a critical forward leap for this company, for this wonderful race track, and for our region.

“Already there are dozens of civil engineers and technicians at work on the construction project. From May, around 150 highly technical racing engineers will be preparing and testing their all-new Formula E electric cars here. Three years after this company took over the estate; this is a major landmark moment for Donington Park.”

Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has stepped down from the F1 board after it was confirmed on Wednesday that he will face trial in Germany for bribery charges later this year.

The 83-year-old, who has been in charge of F1 for the last four decades, will continue however to run the sport on a day-to-day basis ‘subject to increased monitoring’.

Ecclestone has been has been indicted by Munich’s state court on charges of bribery and incitement to breach of trust. They are connected to the alleged payment of a $44 million bribe to German banker Gerhard Gribkowsky.

Ecclestone has insisted he is innocent of the charges made against him and has vowed to ‘vigorously defend the case’.

Ecclestone has, however, stepped down from the board of the holding company which effectively controls F1 with immediate effect.

In a statement released by holding company Delta Topco Limited, it was confirmed: ‘After discussion with the Board, Mr Ecclestone has proposed and the Board has agreed that until the case has been concluded, he will step down as a director with immediate effect, thereby relinquishing his board duties and responsibilities until the case has been resolved.

‘It is in the best interests of both the F1 business and the sport that Mr Ecclestone should continue to run the business on a day to day basis, but subject to increased monitoring and control by the Board. Mr Ecclestone has agreed to these arrangements.’

Ecclestone Looks to Buy Nurburgring

It was also revealed today that Ecclestone has made a bid to buy the Nurburgring race circuit in Germany.

Ecclestone, 83, has told the Handelsblatt and Wirtschaftswoche publications that a decision on the track’s ownership could be made soon.

He said: “We have made an offer and now we wait to learn whether it will be accepted.

“We believe that we can do more for the race track than anyone else.

“An agreement could be reached as soon as the next few weeks.”

The Nurburgring has shared rights to the German GP with Hockenheim since 2007 after the two venues decided to stop holding individual races and share the burden of F1’s high annual hosting fees.

However, the building of an amusement park adjacent to the Nurburgring plunged the venue into financial difficulties and it went into administration last year.

With uncertainty having surrounding both German GP venues for several years, Ecclestone made clear he wants to ensure the country – which is currently represented by four drivers in F1, including World Champion Sebastian Vettel – continued to feature on future calendars.

“We want to make sure there is a Formula 1 race in Germany every year in the future,” he added.

“There are one or two other interested parties. But we will only pay what we believe the Nurburgring is worth.”{jcomments on}

Chicago Marathon organisers have announced security will be tightened for the October 13th event in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings.

On April 15 the Boston Marathon suffered a number of casualties as pressure cooker bombs exploded near the finish line, killing three people and injuring more than 260.

“The bag check is something we’ve been looking at for a couple of years,” said Carey Pinkowski, the event director. “Is it something that’s in response to Boston? I would think partly … but it’s something that had been on our radar for a long time.”

A majority of the extra changes will affect the starting line, picking up of packets and gear check. Runners will be limited to only four secured entrances, which will include bag-screening and runners will need to have bibs visible.

All participants must pick up race-packets and timing chips and gear must be placed into a clear plastic bad supplied by the race.

The Dallas Cowboys have announced the city of Frisco as their new headquarters base and training location after a 25-year deal  was sealed with the city and the Frisco Independent School District 

The announcement included plans of a multi-use special events and sports facility to be developed on a footprint of approximately 20 acres. The Cowboys’ world corporate headquarters, medstore on a footprint of approximately five acres, buy will be the centerpiece of additional mixed-use development on property surrounding the team’s new location.

In addition, rx the agreement calls for at least one week per year of Cowboys training camp to be held in Frisco.

“This is an exciting day in the history of the Dallas Cowboys,” said owner/general manager Jerry Jones. “We are committed to cooperatively creating a development that will be a source of great pride for the City of Frisco, the FISD and the Dallas Cowboys. We know first-hand how world class facilities can create great interest, visibility and economic development. This is a community building partnership that will elevate and benefit all of the parties involved.” 

Frisco was a frontrunner for the new training facility after months of speculation. The complex will be developed on a 91-acre tract in Frisco on Collin County land located on the northwest corner of the Dallas North Tollway and Warren Parkway.

In addition to becoming the home to the NFL team’s entire football operation, including administrative offices, coaches’ offices and the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, the complex will include a multipurpose, 12,000 seat, indoor stadium and two outdoor fields that will provide facilities for use by the Cowboys, City of Frisco and Frisco ISD football and soccer games and other sports, athletic, academic, fine arts and entertainment events.

“We’re elated to partner the entire Dallas Cowboys organization and the Jones family,” said Frisco Mayor Maher Maso. “Having a partner of this caliber is a perfect fit for our community. We’re committed to creating unique, destinations that bring families together, promote business and tourism, attract major events and improve our overall quality of life while keeping our property taxes low. We welcome ‘America’s Team’ to one of the fastest growing cities in the country.”

The Cowboys have been operating out of their Valley Ranch headquarters in Irving, Texas, since 1985, when the team moved in on Aug. 27. Ground was officially broken on that facility in 1983.