McLaren F1 Launch New ExxonMobil Livery to Celebrate 20-Year Partnership

ExxonMobil have launched a new marketing campaign to commemorate their 20th anniversary of their technical and commercial relationship with McLaren F1.

In honor of the major milestone, the McLaren Formula 1 cars will feature a special livery in Australia that will include both Mobil 1 and Mobil brands.

“To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Mobil 1’s relationship with McLaren, we are looking forward to showcasing a special branding scheme during the first race of the 2014 season,” said Artis Brown, global motorsports manager, Mobil 1. “There is a lot of energy entering this race. Not only are we celebrating our 20th anniversary with McLaren, but we will be welcoming Kevin Magnussen to the team. When you combine these elements with the introduction of the new V-6 engine, this should be a very exciting weekend.”

Jonathan Neale, Chief Operating Officer and Acting CEO of McLaren Mercedes said: “We are privileged to have worked closely with ExxonMobil over a very successful 20 years and counting. During 332 races together we have achieved four world championships, 78 wins, 229 podium finishes and 76 pole positions, which is testament to our powerful technology partnership. Seeing the Mobil fuels branding alongside Mobil 1 on the MP-4 29 is a great recognition of the relationship’s contribution to performance over our two decades together.”

ExxonMobil began its relationship with McLaren in 1995, with its Mobil 1 synthetic lubricant brand, developing new lubricants and fuels designed to help improve the race team’s performance, efficiency and reliability.

“We are proud to celebrate our relationship with McLaren this weekend and we are looking forward to an exciting season,” said Brown.

Ronaldo’s Marketing Agency to Represent Rafael Nadal in Brazil

Soccer great Ronaldo, through his marketing agency, has signed a deal with tennis superstar Rafael Nadal to represent his advertising contracts in Brazil.

The agency said the “non-exclusive” agreement was reached with Goramendi Siglo XXI, which handles the tennis player’s image rights worldwide.

Ronaldo said in a statement, “Nadal is a lot more than just a new partner, he’s an idol that all of us learned to admire for his talent on the courts and for the kind of person that he is.”

The No. 1-ranked Nadal joins Ronaldo’s list of other top sports personalities he manages in Brazil, including Neymar, Rubens Barrichello and Anderson Silva.

 

London Broncos Agree Groundshare with Barnet FC

London Broncos have agreed a groundshare with English fifth-tier football team Barnet Football Club to play their the rest of their Super League fixtures for the 2014 season at the Hive. 

The agreement, which will see the Broncos play their home games at the Hive as well as training at Barnet’s former ground at Underhill, secures the immediate future of the club.

Last week, the club announced they had lodged their intention to appoint an administrator as talks continued to try and keep them afloat.

Broncos chairman, David Hughes, said: “Our focus has always been to ensure we made the right decision going forward. Over the last 10 days, we have worked closely with the Rugby Football League and Barnet chairman, Tony Kleanthous, to avoid administration and secure the future of the Broncos.

“I believe this is the right decision, not only for the club, but also for the future of Rugby League in London.

“Many hours have been spent working to make sure the Broncos are positioned in an environment where they are best able to prepare and compete at the highest level.

“I’d like to thank Chief Executive, Gus Mackay and our staff for the long hours they’ve spent working to make sure the Broncos survived

“I’d also like to thank the RFL Board and its Executive, in particular Blake Solly who have also worked tirelessly in their efforts to find a solution.”

Broncos chief executive officer added: “These discussions have been ongoing for six months and I’m personally delighted they have reached a successful conclusion for an exciting future.

“The facilities at The Hive are outstanding and the excellent transport links around the ground make it a perfect venue for Rugby League in London.

“The initial agreement is for the 2014 and 2015 season with a view of a longer and permanent agreement.

“I’d also like to thank the players, staff and loyal fans for their patience and understanding through this period of negotiation. Now we can all move forward positively”

Barnet chairman Tony Kleanthous said: “We are delighted to welcome the London Broncos into our family here at The Hive.

“This deal represents a new beginning for the club and we hope to work with them in the community to grow the participation and support of Rugby League in North London.”

The Broncos had been looking for a new home since an eight-year groundshare with rugby union side Harlequins ended in September.

MotoGP’s Aspar Switches to Honda in New Deal

MotoGP team Power Electronics Aspar has revealed a new technical agreement with Honda Production Racer machinery.

The Thursday announcement at Phillip Island marks the start of a new era for the Valencia-based team headed up by former racer Jorge Martinez ‘Aspar’, which will switch to the Honda bike from ART machinery. The Honda deal have been confirmed for two seasons as well as the signing of former World Champion Nicky Hayden.

“It is great news for the Power Electronics Aspar Team to have the acquired services of Honda and a rider of the profile of Nicky Hayden,” says team CEO Aspar. “We are taking a huge step forward in terms of quality, prestige and image. We have grown a lot in a short space of time and we are all very excited about this new project with Honda. It is the factory that the Aspar Team first started with back in 1992 and I have great memories of that period. Our objective is to continue being a reference point in the premier class.

“I think the combination of Honda’s MotoGP Production Racer and Nicky Hayden is going to be a very successful one. We are thrilled to be working with a manufacturer with the history that Honda has and a rider like Nicky, a World Champion with huge experience. It will be a big change for us after so many years working with Italian factories, but we have high hopes for this new project. We are up for the challenge and we will give maximum effort to making sure the Power Electronics Aspar Team continues achieving top results.”

Angus Glen Golf Club Revealed as 2015 Pan American Games Venue

Angus Glen Golf Club will be the venue for golf, cough when the sport makes it Pan American Games debut in 2015.

Toronto will host the 2015 edition with Golf being introduced for the first time.The Markham, Ont., club, which has two 18-hole championship courses, was selected through a request for proposals process conducted by Golf Canada.

“We’re excited to announce that the first gold medals ever awarded in golf at the Pan Am Games will be presented on the course at Angus Glen,” Ian Troop, chief executive officer of TO2015, said in a statement.

The International Golf Federation voted in favour last month to allow both amateur and professional players to compete in the Toronto 2015 Pan Am golf tournament. Sixty-four golfers are expected to compete in the 72-hole competition.

The tournament, which will be played on a redesigned south course at Angus Glen, is tentatively set for July 16-19, about a year before the sport returns to Olympic competition at the Rio Games.

NBA Continue to Push Short Sleeve Jersey, Jay Z Licensed to Represent NBA Players

In a bid to increase shirt sales, the National Basketball Association is to continue to push their short sleeve shirt idea to teams. 

According to ESPN as many as five teams will wear the short-sleeve jerseys as an alternate jersey for as much as 12 games during next season.

“We are interested in doing more short-sleeve jerseys when it makes sense,” said Patrik Nilsson, president of adidas North America.

Nilsson said Wednesday that adidas is motivated to get more fans wearing jerseys while also innovating the game jersey for the players. The company pays roughly $35 million a year to be the official apparel provider of the league through the 2016-17 season.

Sal LaRocca, the league’s executive vice president of global merchandising, revealed all teams were offered the option to wear short sleeve jerseys but Golden State Warrios were the only ones to trial it last season.

The shirt provides a different option at retail according to LaRocca who suggests this its appeal but added it was unlikely to bypass the sales of the current design of the league’s jersey any time soon.

“The life cycle of our jersey continues to be really strong,” LaRocca said. “Over the last few years, sales of our traditional tank-top basketball jersey has been growing worldwide. But we know that more men are comfortable wearing T-shirts than tank tops, so the idea that part of our consumer base would be interested in wearing a jersey with sleeves makes sense.”

Jay Z Gets Hands On with the NBA

JayZAccording to ESPN Jay-Z is now licensed to work as an NBA agent for his agency Roc Nation Sports.

Ron Berkowitz, a spokesman for Roc Nation Sports, confirmed the news while also announcing Juan Perez, president of Roc Nation Sports is now certified as well to work as an agent.

Reports have suggested Jay Z has still not sold his less than 1% shares in Brooklyn Nets which would stop him from signing players as owners of NBA teams cannot represent players. 

The first NBA player Jay-Z is expected to sign is Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant, who told his agent, Rob Pelinka, in recent days that he would sign with Jay-Z.

Since announcing his intention to start a sports agency a few months ago, Jay-Z’s firm has signed New York Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano, New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith and former Notre Dame guard Skylar Diggins, who recently was selected third by the Tulsa Shock in the WNBA draft.

Derbyshire Cricket Reveal Increased Membership Revenue

Resurgent Derbyshire cricket team have registered their 1,000th member for 2013 on the back of their ‘Proud to be Derbyshire’ campaign.

Membership revenue has shot up by 101 per cent on the corresponding date last year following Derbyshire’s LV= County Championship Division Two title and the signing of second-ranked Test batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul.

The total figure for 2012 has already been trumped, including 201 new members and 799 renewals who took advantage of an early bird incentive.

Three hundred and sixty four juniors took advantage of free membership before February 1 and, with 132 life members, the club boasts 1,497 members.

An ambassador initiative, which incentivises members to assist in recruitment with £50 cash back, has already reached its half-century and remains open to old and new members.

Chief executive Simon Storey said: “Such impressive membership results at such an early stage reflect a fantastic response from the Derbyshire public as we prepare for the new season.

“We are heading into new season with a huge sense of ambition and we’re keen to share our exciting journey with as many people as possible across the county of Derbyshire.

“The eagerly-awaited first home game of the season is against Nottinghamshire at the end of April and we expect to welcome many more members to the club in the coming weeks.

“There is immense pride at the prospect of Derbyshire representing the county at the highest level of English cricket and there has never been a better time to get involved at the club.”

49ers Compete with Miami & Houston to Host 2016 or 2017 Superbowl

NFL owners on Tuesday named the San Francisco 49ers’ new Santa Clara stadium as a finalist to host either the 50th Super Bowl in 2016 or the 51st Super Bowl in 2017.

The Niners will compete with the Miami Dolphins, to host Super Bowl L, which will be packed with extra pageantry to mark the historic occasion, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said. The loser will go toe-to-toe with Houston, where the Texans play, for the following year’s game, Super Bowl LI.

The owners expect to pick the locations for Super Bowls 50 and 51 in May.

The Super Bowl Advisory Committee picked the short-list of contenders at the fall owners meeting in Chicago on Monday and the owners finalized the three candidates on Tuesday.

This is the first Super Bowl bid process for the $1.2 billion Santa Clara field, which began construction in April and is scheduled to open in 2014. The NFL previously slated the next three Super Bowls for the home fields of the New Orleans Saints (on Feb. 3), the New York Giants and Jets (February 2014) and the Arizona Cardinals (2015).

If successful, it would be the second Super Bowl in Bay Area history. The first was at Stanford Stadium in 1985, when the 49ers beat the Miami Dolphins 38-16 in Super Bowl XIX. California, which has three of the oldest stadiums in the NFL, last hosted the big game in 2003 in San Diego.

“We’ve been working for a long time to get a new stadium built in California,” Goodell said.

The Niners submitted their preliminary plan to the NFL over the summer along with other teams interesting in hosting the two games. CEO Jed York will now put together a selection committee, led by philanthropist Daniel Lurie, to present their bid during the May owners meeting.

As part of an agreement announced five months ago, San Francisco would act as the Super Bowl week host city and could choose to host many of the related events while the actual game will be played at the Santa Clara stadium.

The deal allowed the 49ers to escape its Candlestick Park lease with the city of San Francisco a year early. The team, which will continue to be called the San Francisco 49ers after moving to the South Bay, also wanted to show some love to its historic host city.

Sports and Events Tourism Exchange (SETE) and iSportconnect Announce Social Media Partnership

 

Sports and Events Tourism Exchange (SETE) 2012 organisers’ Thebe Exhibitions and Projects Group is proud to announce its partnership with iSportconnect, clinic the world’s largest sports business community. The partnership will bolster both the scope and efficacy of Thebe Exhibitions and Projects Group’s online marketing campaign in the lead up to their event at the ICC Durban later this year (12-14 September).

iSportconnect offers an exclusive online platform that brings together thousands of sports business professionals worldwide. With a wide range of applications, therapy iSportconnect combines business and social networking, detailed insights into the latest sports business news and market data, listings of business events and executive jobs, as well as market analysis to provide a one-stop shop for the sports business community. Existing LinkedIn and Twitter profiles can be synchronised and updated from iSportconnect, which also has iPhone and BlackBerry applications. iSportconnect has no introductory fees, and has no limit on communication.

Tasked with creating synergy between South Africa’s tourism, sport and event industries and promoting the country as a popular sports and events destination, there is a clear opportunity with SETE 2012 to maximize communication between the various elements with the help of a powerful specialized social media like iSportconnect, as well as others like Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.

iSportconnect’s Marketing & Partnership Manager Xavier Cureau said, “We are very pleased to be contributing to the Sports and Events Tourism Exchange event, as this will further expand our image in South Africa. We look forward to promoting a major event from Africa, across Europe, USA and the Middle East”.

SETE Conference Director Sugen Pillay said that “maximising our online presence is big part of our marketing and PR strategies. Identifying the appropriate social media and choosing from one of the many channels available to ensure that our messages are targeting the right audience is crucial, and in this way the specialised nature of the iSportconnect community is an ideal match. The ability to communicate with a captive audience is crucial, and the user-friendly way in which iSportconnect amalgamates all relevant and useful information renders it a powerful tool in the sports business industry”.

This year’s second annual SETE exhibition and conference will feature a number of high profile international and local exhibitors and speakers, as well as more than 60 international buyers who have been attracted by South Africa’s solid reputation as a viable location for events.

The two day SETE conference (12-13 September) boasts a line-up of high profile international and local speakers who will engage and exchange ideas that will ultimately enhance South Africa’s sport, tourism, and event industries.

As one of the quickest growing types of global travel, the sports tourism industry is estimated to have contributed over R6 billion to the South African economy last year.

For more information, visit www.sportsandevents.co.za, like www.Facebook.com/SETE.ZA on Facebook, follow @SETE_ZA on Twitter.

 

Exhibition Details:

Sports and Events Tourism Exchange 2012

12 – 14 September

ICC Durban

Entrance: FREE

Times: Wed 12 September & Thurs 13 September 09h00 – 17h00, Fri 14 September 09h00 – 14h00

Conference:

12 – 13 September

Registration: Open

 

Contact: Rene Staack on rene@tepg.co.za or Jenna Harper on jenna@tepg.co.za

 

 

RBS Cancels Wimbledon Hospitality after Payment Crisis

The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has curtailed plans to provide client hospitality at Wimbledon following the week-long payment processing crisis that has hit millions of customers.

Around three bank executives traditionally entertain more than a dozen clients on each day of the tournament, discount according to The Times. But the banking giant said last night that it would be “inappropriate” to provide hospitality at the tennis this year and has also cancelled a one-day tournament at Gleneagles in Scotland.

The crisis was sparked by a technical glitch last Tuesday which stopped payments going in and out of customer accounts. It happened again on Thursday and while the bank said the software was fixed on Saturday, patient a backlog of 100 million transactions had built up. An inside source talking to technology website The Register has claimed it was an “inexperienced operative” who caused the banking meltdown.

Thousands of customers were left without cash, causing disruption to people moving home and taking holidays. One man was left with nothing to eat or drink on a 12-hour night shift when his cash card was refused and another had to spend a weekend in prison because his bail money could not be transferred.

On Monday night, the bank said it had updated all but one per cent of NatWest and RBS account balances. However, many customers have vowed to leave the bank and shares in the group slumped 9.1 per cent yesterday.

RBS has apologised to its 16.9 million customers and promised that they will not be left out of pocket. But the bank is facing a “detailed investigation” by the Financial Services Authority (FSA), according to Sir Mervyn King, governor of the Bank of England.