Ben Wright and Drew Barrand have joined the Football League as Commercial director and Marketing director, cough | it has been revealed today.

Wright has had a distinguished career and joins The Football League from Wasserman Media Group where he is senior vice president of partnerships and business development, having previously worked as head of commercial at Tottenham Hotspur.

Barrand, a former sports editor of Marketing magazine and deputy editor of SportBusiness, joins the League from sports marketing agency Pitch where he is an associate director with experience of delivering marketing campaigns for FIFA, UEFA and LOCOG.

Football League chief executive, Shaun Harvey, said of the appointments: ‘I am delighted to welcome two experienced executives with proven track records in the sports industry to The Football League. I very much look forward to working with both of them.’

‘We have an important period ahead of us and the appointments of Drew and Ben complete a restructuring of our commercial operation that will enable us to meet the challenges of the future so that we can generate greater levels of income for our clubs.’

Wright commented: ‘This is a really exciting opportunity and I look forward to working closely with Football League clubs and the League’s existing partners, as well as identifying new opportunities for commercial growth.’

Barrand added: ‘I am thrilled to be joining The Football League at such an important time in its development. The marketing potential of the League is significant and I am looking forward to the challenge ahead.’

The Bradford Bulls directors who quit on Christmas Eve have agreed to come back to the club while discussions over the future of the Bulls continue.

Bradford chairman Mark Moore and directors Andrew Calvert and Ian Watt walked out, citing former owner Omar Khan’s refusal to transfer his shares to them as the key reason.

The trio claimed in the process that Khan was requesting the repayment of director’s loans be made by the club.

Moore, Calvert and Watt – along with the previously-departed Ryan Whitcut – stepped in at Odsal in September but in early December told the club’s fans that the financial problems they were dealing with were worse than they had thought.

They said Bradford needed to make savings of up to £400,000 and a day later redundancies were made across the club.

Their sudden departures left the club in the hands of Khan and Gerry Sutcliffe MP, who stepped in after Bradford initially went into administration in 2012.

But the trio are back at the helm, Bradford announced on Monday evening, while stating all significant parties involved in the leadership of the Bulls have come around the table to discuss where the club goes next.

The club said in a statement: “Bradford Bulls are pleased to announce that constructive talks have taken place today, between all important stakeholders, under the chairmanship of the Rugby Football League.

“All parties concerned are working to maintain positive levels of progression, with a view to a final agreement being made over the club’s ownership in the near future.

“Ian Watt, Andrew Calvert and Mark Moore will now continue to direct the business and the club will make no further comment at this time.”

Khan and Sutcliffe brought Bradford back in 2012 after the club’s dramatic financial implosion.

As part of their partnership with FOX Sports, adiposity the International Motorsports Association’s (IMSA)  have launched amulti-media brand advertising campaign including a 30-second television commercial of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship.  

FOX Sports 1 is part of the five-year partnership between IMSA and FOX Sports announced in August. The advertising campaign showcasing the 2014 TUDOR Championship includes four different print advertisements in four major North American motorsports publications: Autoweek, apoplectic | Road & Track, RACER, and Grassroots Motorsports. The first of those ads also ran in the current issue of the Sports Business Journal (Dec. 16, 2013). The campaign includes vertically integrated digital, radio and social media components. 

“This advertising campaign is our opportunity to announce to the world that, after 15 months of preparation and a lot of hard work by many, the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship is about to launch,” said IMSA President and Chief Operating Officer, Scott Atherton. “The creative for this campaign showcases the technology and diversity of our multiple classes, which is the basis and point of difference for our form of motorsport. It captures the essence of what we are about with a clear and concise message: It’s time to go sports car racing.” 

Pfanner Communications, a brand development and marketing agency based in Irvine, Calif., led by long-time automotive and motorsports publisher/marketer Paul Pfanner, produced the advertising campaign. The on-track footage was captured in November during TUDOR Championship test sessions at Daytona International Speedway and Sebring (Fla.) International Raceway. 

“There was an overarching objective to create something that was evocative and emblematic of the brand ethos of the TUDOR Championship, what the series is about, what it represents and what the future is moving forward,” said George Tamayo, Pfanner Communications Associate Creative Director/Brand Strategist. “I threw out an idea early in the process about thematically positioning the series around the idea of time. They had recently announced TUDOR as the [series] title partner so it made sense from that point of view. The whole concept is about time and preparation. There’s a time you need to get ready and there’s a time you have to go. 

“I think the final product turned out great and it’s something everyone involved with this historic debut of a new era in professional sports car racing can be proud of. Everybody put the best foot forward. We had a storyboard that we initially presented and, in the end, we produced something better than the storyboard.” 

“This was a truly collaborative effort between IMSA and Pfanner Communications which yielded a fantastic result,” said IMSA Vice President, Marketing David Pettit. “Our goal was to create excitement and whet the appetite of our fans that the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship is almost here. We believe we achieved that goal and will build on that momentum as the season continues.” 

The 2014 TUDOR Championship opens at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. with the 52nd Rolex 24 At Daytona on Jan. 25-26, 2014.

Infront Sports & Media have agreed a joint venture with Aspire Katara Investment (AKI) to target the growing sports marketing business in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region.

The company will operate with immediate effect under the name AspireInfront from its new premises in Doha, adiposity Qatar.

The joint targets to support further development of domestic sport and to connect the GCC economy to international sports properties and sponsors were presented at today’s Doha Goals Forum. The first project handled by Aspire Infront will be the organisation of the FC Bayern München Training Camp, therapy hosted and presented by Volkswagen, which is taking place in Qatar in January.

The launch of AspireInfront unites the influential GCC-based business consortium with one of the leading sports marketing companies in the world. AKI and its shareholders will contribute its regional networks, know-how, and marketing capabilities together with Infront bringing its experience in developing sports properties around the world and its capacity as a full-service covering media, sponsorship, production and event delivery. For both partners, the new joint venture is a significant strategic step in diversifying current business fields as well as in expanding geographic reach.

H.E. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, Chairman of AKI, commented: “Qatar and its neighbour countries have a strong legacy in sport, a passionate population and a flourishing economy keen to link into impactful sports platforms with a long-term perspective. AspireInfront will prove to be an essential driver in establishing GCC’s international prestige as a region that is dedicated to sport and committed to delivering unforgettable events.”

Philippe Blatter, President & CEO of Infront, added: “Not only the global economy, but in particular the sports industry has recognised the strong growth potential of the GCC market and the commitment to sport. AspireInfront is to accommodate these developments and meet the emerging demand for a powerful gateway that links potential international partners with the region. For the Infront Group, this is a significant geographic expansion that provides our existing clients with access to an important growth market and rights holders in the region with our first class services and expertise.”

A crowd of 160,000 could fill NASCAR’s Bristol Motor Speedway to watch a American Football college game between Virginia Tech and the University of Tennessee.

The two schools have reportedly agreed to play a non-conference game at the venue in 2016, with Bristol’s seated capacity of 160,000 far higher than the record 115,109 fans that filled Michigan Stadium last month for Michigan University v Notre Dame.

The idea of staging a college game at Bristol goes back almost a decade, but it will only become a reality in three years’ time.

In 2005, track owner Bruton Smith offered Virginia Tech and Tennessee $20 million each to stage a non-conference game at the track, however Tennessee was reluctant and never engaged with the offer despite Virginia Tech willing to work on the concept.

While the entire infield is concrete and asphalt for the benefit of NASCAR races, roll-in technology could be utilised in place of growing a field of grass.

The University of Phoenix Stadium, which hosts the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals, has a roll-in grass field which allows the grass to grow evenly under sunlight as opposed to sitting under the retractable roof.

This wouldn’t be the first game of American football held at Bristol Motor Speedway.

When the track first opened in 1961, it hosted an NFL pre-season game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins.

French manufacturer, advice Citroën have announced today that they will join the FIA World Touring Car Championship from the next season.

They also revealed nine-time World Rally champion Sébastien Loeb will be part of the team.

This will be Citroën’s first ever commitment in a world racing championship after winning eight WRC Manufacturers titles.

Olivier Fisch, cure Managing Director Eurosport Events, illness  commented: “We are honoured that a major car manufacturer like Citroën and a motor sport superstar like Sébastien Loeb have chosen WTCC to continue their cooperation after winning so many World Rally titles. This is a an exceptional reward for all the efforts Eurosport Events is putting in to organize and promote the championship.”

WTCC General Manager Marcello Lotti added: “The addition of the pair formed by Citroën and Sébastien Loeb is a big boost for WTCC on the eve of a technical evolution. We are confident that their arrival joint to the new generations of racing cars will contribute to further enhance the championship’s popularity and visibility worldwide.” 

“Citroën Racing has spent the last few months looking in detail at this programme,” revealed Frédéric Banzet, CEO of the Citroën Brand. “The WTCC is based on several aspects that are essential to Citroën: extensive media coverage, regulations that keep costs down and a genuinely global race calendar. Our involvement in this championship will give us not only another chance to showcase our Créative Technologie but it will also help us to develop the Brand in promising, growth markets such as China, Russia and South America.”

“Competing in a category for the first time, starting from scratch, gives our division a superb challenge,” confirmed Yves Matton, Citroën Racing Team Principal. “We will be able to re-use a large part of our existing expertise, starting with the DS3 WRC’s 1.6-litre direct injection turbo engine. Work has already begun in our Versailles technical centre and is set to be stepped up in the coming weeks, with the first tests of our car and the start of our development programme to prepare for the 2014 season.”

Denmark will host a European Tour event for the first time in more than a decade next year when the inaugural Made in Denmark is held at Himmerland Golf & Spa Resort from August 14-17. 

The tournament will be played at the North Jutland venue from 2014-2016 and will carry a prize fund of €1.5million, medstore with €270,000 on offer to the winner.   
Ian Poulter was triumphant the only previous time The European Tour has staged a tournament on Danish soil, the Englishman beating Colin Montgomerie by a single stroke after shooting a round of 66 on the final day of the 2003 Nordic Open, held in the capital city Copenhagen.    

Himmerland Golf & Spa Resort, in Farsø, is northern Europe’s largest golf resort, comprising two 18 hole courses, a nine hole course and extensive practice facilities in the NIKE Performance Centre.

The stunning 7,382 yards (6,751 metres), par 72 Backtee New Course, which will be used for the tournament, re-opened at the start of the year after a €2million renovation programme which included the re-laying of all 18 greens and the re-shaping of every bunker.

Prior to the recent redesign, which was carried out by Dane Philip Christian Spogárd of Spogárd and VanderVaart, Backtee New Course was also the scene of Thomas Björn’s first professional victory, in the 1995 Himmerland Open – one of 27 European Challenge Tour events played on Danish soil.

Björn beat Anssi Kankkonen and Nicolas Vanhootegem in a play-off, and he would register three more victories that season to kick-start an illustrious career which has so far yielded a total of 13 European Tour titles.

Björn said: “It’s fantastic news for the Tour and the country that we’re having a new tournament in Denmark next year. I think Himmerland will be a perfect venue, and I hope the Danish golf fans will come along and support the tournament in good numbers. With Thorbjørn [Olesen] playing so well and a lot good young amateurs coming through the ranks, it’s a good time for Danish golf and having a European Tour event in Denmark can only help grow the game even more.

“My first win as a professional was the Himmerland Open on the Challenge Tour in 1995, so in many ways that’s where it all began for me. I remember winning in the play-off and it was a great feeling to get my first professional victory, especially as it was in my home country. It would be lovely to win at home again on the main Tour almost 20 years later, but most of all I hope that the tournament is a great success – and I’m sure it will be.”

Lars Larsen, co-founder of the tournament and owner of Himmerland Golf & Spa Resort, said: “This dream opportunity has now become a reality. Made in Denmark will focus partly on Danish golf, but also focus on Denmark as a golfing destination. By working with a number of sponsors, Sport Event Denmark and other organisations across the North Jutland region, we will ensure that Danish design and innovation are both integral to the event marketing.”

George O’Grady, Chief Executive of The European Tour, said: “We’re delighted to be back in Denmark after a ten-year absence. With the current strength in depth of Danish golf, now is the perfect time to announce a new tournament here. 
“As Thomas Björn has been long been the flag-bearer for Danish golf and a tremendous ambassador for The European Tour, it is perhaps only appropriate that we return to the scene of his first victory as a professional.

Himmerland looks magnificent after its recent renovation, and I have no doubt our Members will enjoy testing themselves here next August.”

Lars Lundov, Director of Sport Event Denmark, said: “Made in Denmark complements our impressive event list for 2014, as Denmark also hosts the European Men’s Handball Championship, the World Badminton Championships and the World Half Marathon Championships.

“With golf joining the Olympics in 2016, we will now have even more focus on the sport. Along with the team behind Made in Denmark, we will therefore also ensure that there will be side activities at the tournament to encourage Danes and visitors to get into golf.”

The main sponsors of the tournament, which will be promoted by Flemming Astrup of GolfPromote, are: Nordea, ECCO, Willis, SAP, Mercedes-Benz, Einer Hessel, Hilding Anders, Freja Transport, JYSK and Garia.

NBA’s Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder is set to open a new retaurant in  Lower Bricktown entertainment district which is scheduled to open early fall 2013. Construction will begin following the groundbreaking ceremony held on Oct. 30.

The upscale Southern cuisine restaurant will feature Durant’s favorites including chicken satay, popcorn lobster, honey-dipped fried chicken, center cut pork chops, blackened catfish stuffed with crab meat and shrimp, slow-smoked barbecue ribs, chicken and shrimp jambalaya as well as a variety of steaks, seafood and desserts. KD’s will also feature a complete wine list and specialty drink menu.

“I am very excited to be opening my first restaurant in Lower Bricktown,” Durant said. “I look forward to spending a lot of time there with my fans and friends, and enjoying great food and live music. I want customers not only to enjoy incredible food at my restaurant, but to always gather for a great experience.”

The interior will be warm and comfortable with a vibrant atmosphere. The restaurant will feature a walk-around bar and live music played by local and nationally known musicians on select nights. KD’s will seat approximately 320 people and will occupy approximately 10,000 square feet.

Nestled between Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill and Harkins Bricktown 16 movie theater in Lower Bricktown, the restaurant will be built along the Bricktown Canal and will include an outdoor patio as well as a hookah room. KD’s is expected to be another popular destination point along the canal where water taxis carry visitors to various stops including restaurants, shops and nightclubs.

“This new restaurant will undoubtedly be a hotspot for the Oklahoma City community, Thunder fans and tourists alike,” said Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett. “We are lucky to have a professional athlete like Kevin Durant who is helping make Oklahoma City a great place to live, work and have fun.”

Lower Bricktown is an extension of Bricktown, which received a much-needed facelift in 1993 following a massive public facility enhancement project. Just steps away from Chesapeake Energy Arena, home of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Bricktown is a popular destination for both locals and tourists. Today, Bricktown together with Lower Bricktown are home to more than 50 restaurants, Harkins Theaters Bricktown 16, Bass Pro Shops, and nightclubs as well as corporate headquarters of Sonic Drive-In.

The restaurant is being developed by Hal Smith Restaurant Group and Oklahoma City Developer Randy Hogan in partnership with K. Durant Restaurant Group, LLC. Joe Jungmann will serve as managing partner overseeing day-to-day restaurant operations. Jim Buchanan from Buchanan Management Group, LLC, consulted on the project. The Hal Smith Restaurant Group is a restaurant management company which owns and operates a variety of concepts in seven states with more than 50 locations.

Durant is a professional basketball player with the Oklahoma City Thunder of the NBA.