iSportconnect Directors’ Club London – All Set To Go

The inaugural iSportconnect Directors’ Club London is happening today, generic order with senior decision makers from across the sports industry meeting to share high level insight and opinion on business trends and relevant industry news.

In a ‘Question Time’ format, order | Sir Craig Reedie, Member of the IOC Executive Board, Ed Warner, Chairman UK Athletics, Sally Hancock, Director, Olympic Marketing and Group Sponsorship at Lloyds TSB, Paul Vaughan, CEO of England Rugby 2015, and Nic Coward, General Secretary, Premier League will meet on Tuesday, 21st February at around 4pm, with a specially invited audience of premium iSportconnect members.

The event, in partnership with Generate Sponsorship and Field Fisher Waterhouse LLP, invites guests to offer questions to speakers in a session moderated by Richard Gillis, Sport Business writer and blogger for The Wall Street Journal, followed by a networking opportunity in a relaxed environment.

Attendees are able to post questions for the panel in advance as well as arrange meetings via the iSportconnect Directors’ Club London networking tool, adding further value to the delegate experience.

Founder and CEO of iSportconnect Sree Varma, said, “We’ve received an excellent response from this first event, attracting high profile speakers from across the industry.   The Question Time format should keep the event interactive and provide an interesting discussion format.”

For further information go to dev.isportconnect.com

Attendees include:

Alastair Marks McDonalds: Head of Sponsorship

Rupert Daniels Arsenal: Partnerships Director

Misha Sher Rangers FC: Global Partnerships Director

Rajesh Agrawal RationalFX: CEO

Giancarlo Bernini Sony Ericsson: Head of Global Sponsorship

Gordon Lott Lloyds TSB: Head of London 2012 Partnership & Group Sponsorship

Roger Maslin Wembley National Stadium: CEO

Keith Harris Seymour Pierce: Chairman

Peter Daire The Football Association: Head of Sponsorship

Justin Walkey Bird & Bird: Head of Media & Sport

Andy Martin London Irish RFC: CEO

Mike Pask IMG: Vice President

Kenny Logan Logan Sports: MD

Chris Akers Sports Resource Group: Chairman

David Piggins Powerplay Golf: CEO

Mark Osikoya Coca Cola: Head of Sponsorship

Helena Christopher QBE: Head of Marketing

Danny Talbot Thomas Cook Sports: MD

Andy Westlake Fast Track: CEO

Mike Lee Vero Communications: CEO

Banned Pakistan Cricketers Butt & Amir Lose Appeal

Former Pakistan cricketers Salman Butt and Mohammad Amir have lost their appeal against the sentences dished out for spot-fixing of a test match.

Ex-Test captain Butt, 27, received 30 months for his role in a plot to bowl deliberate no-balls in the Lord’s test against England in August 2010.

Fast bowler Amir, 19, was detained for six months in a young offenders institution after he admitted bowling two intentional no-balls at Lord’s.

The duo, along with fellow team mate Mohammad Asif, were sentenced at London’s Southwark Crown Court on November 3.

Butt and Amir were not present at the Court of Appeal in London for the proceedings before the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Judge, and two other judges, the Press Association reported.

A lawyer representing Butt had argued that his 30-month prison sentence was “manifestly excessive” while counsel for Amir urged the court to suspend his sentence.

Ali Bajwa, for Butt, argued that his sentence was “out of proportion to the seriousness of the offence that was committed”. Although serious, it was at the “lower end of the scale” of such offences, he added.

Bajwa described Butt as a broken man in a state of “ruin and disgrace”.

He told the appeal judges: “The very fact of conviction and imprisonment amounted to exceptional punishment for Mr Butt.”

Henry Blaxland, for Amir, urged the court to impose a suspended sentence of a length that would enable his immediate release.

Unprecedented Demand for London 2012 Tickets Continues

Tickets remain only for football, volleyball and wrestling at London 2012 after another 850,000 tickets were sold in the second round sale last Friday, as demand for tickets to the game remains high.

The first-come first-served second round scramble for tickets was open to the 1.2 million people who had failed to secure any tickets in the original sale, which was decided by a ballot system.

More than 150,000 applications have been processed since Friday for around 850,000 tickets. Just under 90 per cent have received tickets, subject to payment.

With still more than a year to go until the Olympics are due to start, 23 of the sports are now completely sold-out. This is unprecedented in the history of the Games.

There were 2.3 million tickets on sale and 24 sports were in the second round sale, 18 of which were sold out by Friday evening, the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (LOCOG) confirmed.

Only tickets for football, which had 1.7 million tickets for sale in the second round, volleyball, which is due to take place at Earls Court, Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling, at ExCel, remain for sale.

This massive demand meant about 10 per cent were not successful in this round.

Sebastian Coe, the chairman of London 2012, said: “Over 130,000 more people will now have tickets to the Games following the first day of the ‘second chance sale’ on Friday.

“We know there is still some disappointment from those who were not successful in their requests but we will continue to do everything we can to get them to the Games.”

Those who were successful in the first round will get another chance to buy tickets from 6am on July 8 to 6pm on July 17. Another major round of ticket sales will take place early in 2012.

Coe added: “Over a million new tickets will be offered to the British public next year from contingency seats, once venues are tested and licensed, and we aim to get as many of these tickets as possible into the hands of customers who have missed out to date.”

WTA Launch New Global ‘Strong is Beautiful’ Ad Campaign

A new global advertising campaign entitled ‘Strong is Beautiful’ has been unveiled by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), covering television, print and digital platforms as well as social media applications.

The campaign features 38 of the game’s top current and up-and-coming players and will be pushed across 80 markets over the next two years, designed to support the WTA’s efforts to establish a deeper engagement with fans around the world and to promote both the sport’s next generation of players alongside current established names.

The 30-second television and digital advertisements focus on the players’ lives and the intense and sometimes difficult social undercurrents of realising their dreams.

WTA chairman and CEO Stacey Allaster stated: “We want to develop a closer relationship with our fans and attract a new generation of fans to women’s tennis, and the ‘Strong is Beautiful’ campaign is one way to get it done. This campaign will serve as a creative marketing platform for our players, tournaments, year-end WTA Championships and the entire sport.

“The personal stories of our athletes are inspirational. The unique combination of athleticism, strength and determination on the court and success, interests and inner beauty off the court is what makes women’s tennis so attractive to millions of people around the world.”

The TV, print and digital elements of the campaign will begin to run globally later this month. Advertising agency Goodby, Silverstein and Partners is behind the campaign.

Singapore FA withdraws from 2011 Asian Champions League

The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) has withdrawn from next year’s Asian Champions League in protest against a ban on foreign teams, it has been announced.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has ruled that top leagues across Asia cannot contain foreign team, but the Singapore’s S.League has three – Chinese club Beijing Guoan, Japanese side Albirex Niigata and Etoile FC of France.

Chief of the FAS, Zainudin Nordin, said: “We concluded that due to our current lack of critical mass in key areas such as talent pool and resources, there is still a pressing need for us to continue having foreign teams participating in our league, to help address these gaps in our game and safeguard the sustainability of our league in football excellence, commercial and financial terms.”

President of the AFC, Mohamed Bin Hammam, added: “We have taken on board the situation of the FAS. We hope they will consider seeking direct entry to the ACL soon.

“It is hard to see Singapore out of AFC’s professional football activities in spite of their great potential. We will work hard towards seeing them playing an active role in our professional football programmes in the future.”

Alex Horne to Step Down as FA General Secretary

Alex Horne will step down as FA General Secretary on 30 January 2015 it was announced today.

He will leave his position after 11 years at The FA where, for the last four years, he has been General Secretary.

Alex said: “I am incredibly proud to have worked for The FA for over a decade in many differing roles. It’s been a privilege to have played my part in the financing, build and opening of Wembley Stadium and the National Football Centre at St. George’s Park, both of which will provide a huge benefit for the game.

“More importantly, it’s been a pleasure to work alongside so many devoted and talented people within The FA who are passionate about developing and improving football across the country at all levels.

“This is probably the toughest decision I have made during my career. But after 11 fantastic years at The FA, I have decided to move on.

“At the age of 42, the time is right for me to look for a change of direction and I will be leaving the organisation at the end of January next year.”

FA Chairman, Greg Dyke said: “On behalf of the Board and the staff at The FA, I would like to thank Alex for his dedicated leadership in a variety of roles over the last decade.

“I will now work with the Board on finding his successor.”

Alex joined The FA as Finance Director in February 2004 and was Managing Director of Wembley Stadium, overseeing its completion and opening.

He went on to become Chief Operating Officer in May 2008 before taking over the role of General Secretary in May 2010.

Algeria & Madagascar Become Members of International Surfing Association

The International Surfing Association (ISA), pharm recognised by the IOC, announced today two new Member Federations, Algeria and Madagascar, have become the 85th and 86th countries to gain full Membership taking the number of ISA Members in Africa to 14 and further driving the expansion of the sport on this important continent.

The ISA’s global expansion, with a goal of reaching 100 Members during 2015, is part of an overall strategy to demonstrate the sport’s universality and appeal with the ultimate objective of inclusion in the Olympic Programme.

Djazair Surf Club Founder and President, B. Amine, said:: We are very excited to join the ISA. This is a big moment in the Algerian history and an amazing opportunity for us to attract a worldwide audience. We are excited to grow our club, our own surfing potential, and help more Surfers from all over the globe to explore our amazing waves – allowing for more surf tourism and the sharing of cultures.”

President of the Madagascar Yachting, Rowing, Canoeing, and Surfing Squadron Federation, Brice Jacobson Andrianirina, said: “Becoming a member of the ISA provides us with a great opportunity to increase participation amongst young people in our country while providing recognised training schools and ISA certified instructors to improve performance levels.  Alongside the boost in grassroots activity, this is also an opportunity for us to build a bridge between sport and the economy by increasing tourism levels in Madagascar. Our aim is to build an international Surfing hub that provides a link to the rest of the world.”

Fernando Aguerre, ISA President, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Algeria and Madagascar as full member nations of the ISA and our successful expansion into new markets shows the true universality of Surfing. Our growth must continue as we step up our plans for inclusion in the Olympic Games – during 2015 we aim to have more than 100 Member Federations and by 2020 we want to have 50 million people Surfing worldwide.”

“With the Agenda 2020 debate ongoing and the new, state-of-the art wave technology that is set to revolutionise our sport, we believe that now is the right time to spread our love of Surfing to all corners of the globe making our sport accessible to everyone regardless of their location or background.”

Super Rugby Contemplates Adding Two New Teams

SANZAR, the organisers of the Super Rugby tournament, has revealed the competition may expand to 17 teams.

According to a statement released by SANZAR, a sixth South African team – most likely to be the Kings – will be included along with a team from Argentina. 

The new structure requires approval from the Unions of each country but would mean that Argentina are included in the tournament for the first time, with South Africa having more teams in the competition than Australia and New Zealand. 

“A scheduled meeting of SANZAR’s Executive Committee took place in Sydney on Thursday where the future of Super Rugby was among the agenda items,” read a statement. 

“Today’s meeting was another important step in deciding the future of Super Rugby,” said SANZAR CEO Greg Peters. 

“Encouraging progress was made and we now have a preferred model that involves six teams from South Africa and a new team from Argentina. 

“The model will now be taken to the National Unions for approval before SANZAR presents its final position to broadcasters and fans in due course.”

Currently Australia, New Zealand and South Africa all have five teams.

Havas Sports & Entertainment Moves Global Leadership to London

Havas Sports & Entertainment (HS&E), pills the subsidiary brand engagement network of the Havas Group, sale has revealed today that President & Global CEO, cialis Lucien Boyer, will now operate from London moving from the Paris base.

Boyer wil continue to apply his expertise and knowledge to strengthening HS&E’s global network, which spans 35 offices in 20 countries. HS&E’s global network is part of the Havas Media Group and delivers a variety of sports & entertainment services including strategy, research, brand communication, activation, SoMe, content and live experience.  All HS&E network offices will report in to him in London, as well as their respective local management. 

Boyer will be supported in global business development, strategy, planning, and network expansion by a diverse global team that includes top-level specialists in several worldwide locations: Global COO Jérôme de Chaunac and Global CFO Guillaume Bailly, based in Paris; Fredda Hurwitz, Global VP Strategic Planning, Marketing & Communications and Jez Jowett, Global VP Digital & Social Media, out of London, along with other team members in London, Paris, São Paulo, and Atlanta. 

The London-based global operations will leverage the local expertise and relationships of the UK team that includes HS&E ignition and major event bid specialists Seven46, who played a key part in Tokyo 2020’s Olympic bid. 

This newly bolstered team will build on recent achievements for international clients such as The Coca-Cola Company for whom HS&E are engaging fans around the FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour and the Sochi Olympic Torch Relay among other projects, and recent strategic partnerships with global music licensing agency Music Dealers and iSportconnect, the world’s largest online network for the sports community. 

Commenting on this new organization, Boyer said: “This is an exciting new development for the Havas Sports & Entertainment network that will help us take full advantage of one of the world’s leading global hubs for sports andentertainment. 

“As a global network with an extensive footprint, it became evident that our future development involves tapping into the tremendous opportunities in London, where we have a very talented team who work with a number of leading brands and organizations including The Coca-Cola Company, The Football Association, The Lawn Tennis Association, Sport England, Live Nation, Yahoo! and Aeroflot. 

“2013 was an especially creative and fruitful year for our network, with a record-breaking 77 global awards won by our teams including over 50 awards for our Spanish team’s ‘Enter the Game’ campaign for Konami, all while increasing network revenues with a 15%profitability ratio. We have delivered a number of fantastic projects for our clients, such as creating content and experiences for F1 fans around Burn’s Lotus F1 partnership; bringing football’s top prize to 89 countries for the FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour for Coca-Cola; developing a three year communications plan for the IAAF; among other successes, which make us well-positioned to offer brands strategy and insight into fan engagement. 

“With the constant changes and innovation in communications, we are proud to help brands stand out by telling their story through shareable, relevant content and experiences that create meaningful connections with fans. We also look forward to expanding synergies with our sister agencies within Havas Media Group and Havas Creative in the UK and worldwide.”

The new announcement follows Havas recently changing their global CEO. 

Toyota Grand Prix Unveil New Logo for 40th Edition

A new logo has been unveiled for the 40th Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach which is on April 11-13, doctor 2014 Grand Prix Association of Long Beach officials have announced.

The new logo, abortion created by the Los Angeles-based Vessel Design Group, features a stylized Indy car flanked by an ocean wave and a palm tree, signifying the unique attributes of the Grand Prix’s 1.97-mile, 11-turn race course on the downtown streets of Long Beach, Calif.

“The new logo perfectly captures our themes of sun, fun and speed,” said Jim Michaelian, president and CEO of the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach. “We are looking forward to putting on our biggest and best show yet for the race’s 40th running. The 2014 event will be a celebration of America’s number one street race, both off the track and on.”

Featuring a variety of entertaining activities for the entire family, the 2014 Grand Prix will again be headlined by the IZOD IndyCar Series, expected to feature drivers such as two-time series champ Scott Dixon, the series’ 2013 points leader; defending series champion Ryan Hunter-Reay; defending Long Beach winner Takuma Sato; past Long Beach winners Helio Castroneves, Dario Franchitti and Will Power, and Marco Andretti.