Los Angeles Dodgers bankruptcy claims have take a turn for the worse as the season-ticket holders, including the singer Frank Sinatra’s three children will seek an official committee to represent their interests in court during the team’s bankruptcy.

The Sinatra’s and the other season ticket-holders who plan to participate in the case will seek to have their legal fees paid by the Dodgers through the appointment of a court-approved committee.

“We feel the season-ticket holders are the true stakeholders in the bankruptcy case and currently have no voice in the case,” Robbin L. Itkin, an attorney for five season ticket holders, said in an e-mail today. Her clients, including the Sinatras, represent “the interests of the public who have supported the Dodgers franchise for years.”

Frank Sinatra Jr., Tina Sinatra and Nancy Sinatra hold eight seats their father bought in 1958 when the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles from Brooklyn New York, where the iconic 1950s singer and actor became a fan, family attorney Jeffrey Berkowitz said in an interview.

“They are long-time Dodgers fans,” Berkowitz said. Their seats are behind the first base dugout in the first and second rows, he said. The original chairs where Sinatra sat were preserved and moved to the team offices after the stadium was remodeled, Berkowitz said.

The Dodgers filed for bankruptcy in June after almost two years of falling attendance and a decline in merchandise sales.

Following an Ontario court ruling backing Labatt’s claims that the National Hockey League (NHL) had reneged on a deal with its former sponsor, Molson Coors Canada and the league have both pledged to appeal the decision which could jeopardise a record sponsorship deal between the two parties.

The Denver-based brewer confirmed that it saw the ruling made late last week as a ‘surprise’ but insisted it is still committed to the seven-year deal agreed in February, thought to be worth close to US$400m.

Molson Coors president and CEO Dave Perkson said the company was disappointed with Judge Frank Newbould’s ruling “given we entered into negotiations with the NHL in good faith”.

Perkson’s statement, released yesterday, June 6, added: “While Friday’s ruling was an unfortunate surprise, we remain committed to doing all we can to keep this sponsorship agreement in place with the NHL.” Perkson said the NHL’s commitment to ice hockey “remains unwavering regardless of the outcome of this situation”.

NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly also claimed that the League disagreed with the court’s decision and pledged to “pursue an appeal of the ruling on an expedited basis”.

Cadbury has become an official supporter of the Games Maker programme in order to strengthen its ties with the London 2012 Olympic Games. The company were already announced in 2008 as the official treat provider to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Cadbury will play its part in the London 2012 Games Maker programme by aiming to bring games and team building spirit to the Games Maker experience. Cadbury is aiming to push its Spots v Stripes campaign through the Games Maker selection process, ailment by playing the game at the selection days with the aim of bringing the volunteers together.

70, clinic 000 people will be chosen from the quarter of a million that have applied for the Games Maker programme, for the volunteer initiative at selection centres across the UK over the next 14 months.

Tottenham made a £6.6m loss after tax for the year ending 30 June 2010 following the investment in a squad that clinched fourth place in last season’s Premier League and a place in the Champions League.

Increased prize money for the north London club’s highest position since 1990 contributed to record revenue of £119.8m in the annual report released today, but the team could not match last year’s £23.2m profit after buying players including Sébastien Bassong, Peter Crouch and Younes Kaboul. Profits before player trading were £22.7m.

Still, qualification for the lucrative Champions League was expected to boost income further this season. “We are benefiting now from our investment to date in the first-team squad,” the chairman Daniel Levy said.

Tottenham said total income was up 6%, despite a lack of European competition, due to a season of sold-out home matches and increased broadcast revenue.

But that lack of European midweek matches contributed to a drop in sponsorship and corporate hospitality income to £25.8m from £27.4m, while revenue from ticket sales dropped by a similar amount for the same reason even though all 38 Premier League matches at the 36,310-seat White Hart Lane stadium were full.

Since 30 June, Tottenham have added William Gallas, Stipe Pletikosa, Sandro and Rafael van der Vaart to their squad for around £20m. That expense will feature in next year’s results, although Tottenham should compensate for that in Champions League income.

Source: Guardian.co.uk

Wales’ deputy first minister Ieuan Wyn Jones has said talks have begun over the possibility of Cardiff hosting the Uefa Champions League Final.

The announcement comes with the launch of the country’s first Major Events Strategy yesterday. The Strategy aims to build on opportunities which may arise from Newport staging this year’s Ryder Cup golf tournament, and Wales is now looking to host other major sporting events in the future.

Wyn Jones said: “Wales is now delivering the Ryder Cup on behalf of a continent and going forward we will work with Welsh, UK and International federations to realise the huge untapped potential that remains in other sporting events as well as in artistic and cultural genres.

“The Rugby World Cup in 1999 got the ball rolling and our partners at Wales Rugby Union and the Millennium Stadium are now the custodians of one of the most dramatic, versatile and enjoyable major events locations in the world.”

Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium hosted six FA Cup finals between 2001 and 2006 and will host Olympic football as part of the 2012 London Games.

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has reversed his decision to ban the national football team from international competition for two years after their poor performance at this summer’s FIFA World Cup.

FIFA had given the Nigerian Government a deadline of 1700 BST yesterday afternoon to lift the ban or face a larger punishment, as under FIFA rules, any government interference on member associations is strictly prohibited.

The presidency said in a statement: “The Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) assured the president of their commitment to evolving an enduring football development programme, and grow a new senior national team that will bring glory rather than consistent embarrassment to Nigeria on the World stage.

“Based on these assurances, and the appeals of well-meaning Nigerians, including former leaders, President Jonathan has decided to review the earlier two-year ban on the country from all international competition.”

On Sunday, two of the NFF’s top officials were sacked in an effort to appease the president.

The format and match schedule for the second edition of the Airtel Champions League Twenty20 in South Africa has been announced.

The ten competing teams will be split into two groups of five for a round robin phase before the top two teams from each group progress to the semi-finals.

The Airtel Champions League T20 is the grand finale of the Twenty20 season and sees the world’s ten champion teams take each other on.

This year’s competition will begin on 10 September and will see Sachin Tendaulker’s Mumbai Indians take on the Highveld Lions at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg.

 

Officials from Gillette Stadium, which hosts the NFL’s New England Patriots and MLS’ New England Revolution have selected FieldTurf’s Revolution turf system and VersaTile drainage for their new upgrade to their surface.

The installation of the FieldTurf Revolution and VersaTile has begun and will be completed and ready for use for the Revolution’s next home match on April 12.

The FieldTurf Revolution product is currently used at many venues across North America, including CenturyLink Field (home to the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks and MLS’s Seattle Sounders) and Providence Park, home of the MLS’s Portland Timbers, where its installation was recently completed.

FieldTurf was initially installed at Gillette Stadium in November of 2006, which marked the first in-season grass-to-turf conversion in National Football League history. Since then, Gillette Stadium has utilized FieldTurf products exclusively and the Patriots have enjoyed unprecedented success at home with a league-leading .870 winning percentage (60-9). 

“When we made the decision to install a new turf surface, we underwent an extensive evaluation and testing program of many other turf products in the marketplace” said Jim Nolan, Senior Vice President of Finance, Administration and Operations. “Selecting the FieldTurf Revolution product was a well-informed decision. What we are getting is an elite level turf system that will significantly benefit our players for years to come.” 

“FieldTurf is thrilled to continue our long-standing relationship with the New England Patriots and the New England Revolution,” said FieldTurf President Eric Daliere. “We pride ourselves on delivering innovative and high quality synthetic playing surfaces and are extremely proud that two of the highest profile teams in North American professional sports will continue to play their games on our surface.”