Warwickshire Cricket’s New Pricing Strategy Pays Dividends

Warwickshire County Cricket Club new pricing strategy may have paid off as Edgbaston is set to welcome a record attendance for a Friends Life t20 fixture after further free tickets were given away for the match between Warwickshire and Worcestershire on June 15.

As part of a promotion with Marston’s Pedigree – the official beer of both clubs – 10, generic 000 tickets were initially scheduled to be given away across 20 days in April.

However, pills Colin Povey, the chief executive of Edgbaston Stadium, has now confirmed that the match will be played in front of a sell-out crowd of 25,000 after additional free tickets were made available to supporters.

“After a phenomenal response, we were keen to distribute even more tickets and ensure that we have a packed Edgbaston that can get behind the Bears for our first home match of the tournament,” said Povey.

“The Friends Life t20 is fantastic entertainment that sports fans of all ages can enjoy, and the match on June 15 will be a great spectacle, which I hope will encourage many more fans to support the Bears here at Edgbaston in the future.”

Des Gallagher, head of brands marketing at Marston’s Beer Company, added: “The match between Warwickshire and Worcestershire is always a great fixture and as a supporter of both counties, we were keen to give even more spectators an opportunity to experience the local rivalry and the excitement that comes with a Friends Life t20 derby.”

LOCOG Launches Team GB Merchandise

The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games has launched its new range of Team GB and Paralympics GB products.


This is the first time in Olympic and Paralympic history supporters of the home nation will be able to get behind their team with such a huge range of licensed products.

The product range includes clothing such as T-shirts and sweatshirts, herbal home wares such as cushions and bed sheet sets, see children’s colouring-in books, overnight pills soft toys, collectable jewellery and even scooters and bicycles.

This brand new range features a new addition to the team: Pride the Lion. Pride is Team GB’s mascot and will be available as a soft toy, on books, games, clothing, homewares and many more gifts and collectables.

The 2012 Team GB and ParalympicsGB teams will be the largest ever to represent Great Britain in any sporting event for over 100 years.  The United Kingdom will have over 900 ambitious athletes at the peak of their performance, competing in more sports and disciplines than ever before.

Jonathan Edwards, Team GB 2012 Ambassador commented: “Having seen firsthand at the 2000 Sydney Olympic games the impact that visible home support can have on an athlete, this new range is a great way for fans to show their support for Team GB.”

Paul Deighton, LOCOG Chief Executive, added: “The Team GB and ParalympicsGB range is not only a great way to show your support but it also helps fund the staging of the Games. Our Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls have made the ultimate commitment to their sport, their team and their nation and now it’s our turn.”

Andy Hunt, Team GB Chef de Mission, said: “It is fantastic that fans will have a range of items to choose from to get behind Team GB – a brand that stands for commitment, dedication and excellence.  There will be something for everyone so that every person will have the opportunity to feel included and give British athletes the unique advantage of visible home nation support.”

By the time the Games arrive, an estimated 10,000 London 2012 merchandise items will be on sale in the UK.  It is anticipated that the London 2012 merchandise programme will generate more than £1billion worth of sales, contributing more than £80m to the staging of the Games.

Einhorn Could Buy Mets for USD1 in 3 Years Time

Forbes have reported that hedge fund manager David Einhorn could gain control of Major League Baseball’s (MLB) New York Mets for just US$1 in three years time.

A deal was agreed between Einhorn and the owners of the MLB team, Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz, last month, which saw Einhorn pay $200m for a one-third stake in the Mets, gaining the right to obtain a 60% interest in three years unless Wilpon and Katz returned the $200m to Einhorn but allowed the hedge fund manager to retain his 33% ownership.

A banker familiar with the deal says the “strike price” for the 60% stake is just $1, and though the deal is not final and is subject to the approval from the league, its terms underscore the desperation of Wilpon and Katz, whose team is swimming in debt.

The Mets are also embroiled in a legal battle with Irving H. Picard, the trustee representing the victims of the fraud in Bernard L. Madoff’s Ponzi scheme, who is seeking $1bn from the Wilpon family. If the Wilpons do have to pay hundreds of millions of dollars to settle with Picard it is hard to see how Einhorn will not ultimately get control of the Mets for a dollar.

NHL Returns to Winnipeg Through USD170m Thrashers Takeover

The Canadian city of Winnipeg will welcome back National Hockey League (NHL) action after True North Sports and Entertainment (TNSE) completed a takeover of the Atlanta Thrashers franchise yesterday, May 31.

The TNSE group, chaired by Mark Chipman, announced that the acquisition of the franchise from Atlanta Spirit LLC would see the team relocated to the Manitoba capital. The revelation sees a return of NHL in Winnipeg after the Winnipeg Jets, having been in the NHL for 17 years, ran out of funding and were forced to relocate to Phoenix to become the Coyotes in 1996.

The transaction still has to be ratified by the NHL’s board of governors, but Chipman admitted to The Canadian Press: “I’m excited beyond words.”

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman added: “We get to be back in a place we wish we hadn’t left in 1996. It’s clear that times have changed for Winnipeg as an NHL market and this is a wonderful time to add a club to Canada. Hockey in Canada has never been stronger.”

The sale price is reportedly around US$170m, with almost a third of the total being handed to the NHL as a relocation fee. The new Winnipeg-based team will be based at the 15,000-seat MTS Centre, which is owned and operated by True North.

Ukraine aims to host Champions League final

Ukraine intends to build on hosting the Euro 2012 tournament by staging the finals of the Champions League and Europa League in subsequent years, a deputy prime minister said.

Ukraine is co-hosting the next European Football Championships with Poland, with matches to be played in Kiev, Lvov, Kharkov and Donetsk.

Boris Kolesnikov, who is overseeing the preparations for the tournament, said one of the four cities could host a European club final as early as 2013.

“Ukraine will submit two requests: to hold the Champions League final and the final of the Europa League,” Kolesnikov said,

“Of those tournaments that are free for years, we can talk about 2013,” the deputy prime minister said. “An application must be submitted in 2011.”

UEFA, European football’s governing body, has consistently expressed concern over the pace of Ukraine’s preparations for the Euro 2012 tournament. The stadiums in Kiev and Lvov are still under construction and the Ukrainian capital was only confirmed as the venue for the final in December last year, seven months after UEFA signed off on all four Polish host cities.

Besides the more rapid construction of sports facilities, UEFA has said Ukraine must improve its roads, and ensure sufficient accommodation for tournament guests and the proper operation of airports.

Rick Penn Increases Stake in NRL’s Manly Sea Eagles

Multi-millionaire Rick Penn has secured a 90 per cent stake in National Rugby League (NRL) Manly Sea Eagles.

Penn now owns 90 per cent of the Sea Eagles, asthma after buying out co-owners Quantum in a deal estimated at around $6 million late on Wednesday night.

Manly has been troubled by internal strife for several years and the Penn buy-out is set to put an end to that.

The Penn family announced on Thursday they had agreed to terms with the Quantum Group to buy their stake in the Sea Eagles effective immediately.

“We want to thank The Quantum Group for their contribution to the Sea Eagles over the past three years and their major sponsorship prior to that, ailment ” Scott Penn said in a club statement.

“We acknowledge that the past couple of years off the field have been difficult, however we are committed to ensuring the Sea Eagles are a world-class organisation under consolidated ownership.

“There are a number of exciting initiatives which we will be announcing over the coming weeks to ensure our members are as excited as we are about 2015.”

Clint Dempsey Becomes New Face of FIFA 15 in North America

US Men’s National Team Captain and Seattle Sounders FC star midfielder, medstore Clint Dempsey, apoplectic has been announced as the new face for the North American cover of FIFA 15, sickness sharing the honours with global football sensation Lionel Messi.

This will mark the first time that an American has appeared on the game’s cover since 2011.

Clint enjoyed a successful World Cup and broke records during the tournament, netting the fifth fastest goal of all time with a strike in the first 29 seconds of the USA vs. Ghana opener, and became the first American to score goals in three consecutive World Cups.

“Clint Dempsey is a world class athlete that embodies the heart and soul of the sport,” said Stuart Lang, VP of North America Marketing, Electronic Arts. “He showed his lethal combination of grace and toughness at the World Cup, and plays with enormous heart and determination on the pitch. He is the perfect ambassador for FIFA 15, a game that’s all about bringing the emotion and intensity of the sport to life.”

“It’s an amazing opportunity in my career to be on the cover for FIFA 15, a game that has played a big role in growing the popularity of the sport in America,” said Dempsey. “To join the class of other elite athletes who have appeared on previous covers is very humbling and I am extremely grateful for this honour.”

European Tour Renews PR Deals with Grayling & Landmark Media

The European Tour has extended its partnership with Grayling and specialist golf PR firm Landmark Media by asking them to manage its global reputation, discount promote its tournaments to golf fans and market its international network of properties.

The appointment was made following a successful two years working together to manage the reputation of The 2014 Ryder Cup, arthritis which The European Tour is responsible for when played on European soil.

Grayling and Landmark Media will support the European Tour’s drive to develop a strong and sustainable global footprint in professional golf – 41 countries on six continents have so far staged European Tour tournaments – by amplifying a new creative brand platform due for launch later this year.

Tim Hunt, tadalafil Marketing Communications Director for The European Tour, said: “We have enjoyed a superb relationship with Grayling and Landmark Media, who have exceeded our expectations with the Ryder Cup contract. They have a real understanding of our objectives and they represent us with professionalism and passion.

“It was a natural process to ensure we could also benefit from that advice and guidance right across the European Tour. We operate on a global stage and Grayling’s international network closely aligns with our needs. We expect that contribution to aid our push to engage golf fans while increasing the commercial impact of the Tour around the world.”

Scott Crockett, Media Communications Director for the European Tour, added: “Media engagement is a crucial component of our daily interaction with golf fans, sponsors and other stakeholders. We take our responsibility to working with the media incredibly seriously and Grayling has not only proven that it understands that responsibility, but it is also able to devise new ways for us to engage with our audiences effectively.”

Volume PR Becomes Agency of Record for 2014 BMW Championship

The Western Golf Association (WGA) has selected Volume Public Relations as its agency of record to support the 2014 BMW Championship, drugs which will be played Sept. 1-7 at Cherry Hills Golf Club in Cherry Hills Village, health Colorado.

The BMW Championship – the penultimate event in the PGA TOUR’s FedExCup Playoffs – showcases the top 70 golfers in the world competing for an $8 million purse. PGA TOUR players expected to play include defending champion Zach Johnson, order past champions Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy and top stars such as Phil Mickelson and Matt Kuchar. All proceeds benefit the BMW Championship’s sole charity, the Evans Scholars Foundation. The BMW Championship has raised over $17 million for the Evans Scholars Foundation since the tournament’s inception in 2007.

“Volume Public Relations has a great team, and we feel confident they will be able to help us effectively promote the BMW Championship to golf fans in Denver and across the region,” said Vince Pellegrino, Western Golf Association’s Senior Vice President of Tournaments. “Volume did a great job in helping us launch our ticket sales, and we look forward to working closely with them this year.”

Volume Public Relations began supporting the 2014 BMW Championship in late 2013, and their promotion of the tournament’s Priority Ticket Program helped lead to record initial ticket sales.

Milwaukee Bucks Owner Searches for New Investment Partners

Herb Kohl, who owns NBA franchise Milwaukee Bucks, has revealed he is on the lookout for new investment partners committed to keeping the team in the city.

Kohl says he’s hired Steven Greenberg, of Allen & Co., in New York, to advise him on the search for new ownership partners. The former U.S. senator says he’s owned the team for 29 years and adding to ownership will provide more stability for the future

Kohl says in a statement that any new partners would need to be as committed to keeping the team in Milwaukee. The 78-year-old says he doesn’t have a number of potential investors in mind.

Kohl has scheduled a Monday afternoon news conference to discuss his search.

“Senator Kohl bought the Bucks in 1985 in order to ensure the team would remain in Milwaukee,” NBA Commissioner David Stern said in a news release. “During his extraordinary stewardship his goal remained the same — to bring the fans of Wisconsin high-quality basketball from a team they would be proud to call their ‘home’ team. With this announcement, Senator Kohl continues his mission: to assure continuity of ownership by broadening its ownership base, and assuring that the fans of Wisconsin will enjoy NBA basketball and other events in a new state-of-the-art facility.”