Threepipe have been hired by the England & Wales Cricket Board to launch the NatWest T20 Blast, apoplectic the new domestic T20 competition, in 2014. 

NatWest T20 Blast launches on 16th May 2014, with a total of 87 of the 126 group stage matches due to take place on Fridays over the 10-week course of the competition.

The agency will be delivering an integrated digital, PR, social and content campaign to generate awareness, build excitement and drive ticket sales, focused on aligning NatWest T20 Blast with Friday nights. 

Eddie May, co-founder of Threepipe, said: “The launch of NatWest T20 Blast is a truly exciting opportunity to re-energise the domestic game and get more fans through the gates.  We are really excited to be working with the ECB on this and to have the opportunity to put together a fully integrated campaign that uses multiple channels to engage, excite and drive ticket purchase.” 

Edgbaston will once again host Finals day on Saturday August 23 after the quarter-final stages are completed over the first weekend in August.

Welsh Athletics have announced a one-year partnership with the World Athletics Center in Phoenix, Arizona.

Home to athletes including Olympic 110mh champion and world record holder Aries Merritt (USA) and 2008 Olympic champion Steve Hooker (Aus), the World Athletics Center is a world-leading training centre for athletes and coaches.

The partnership, beginning in November, will see the World Athletics Center aiding in the preparation of Welsh track and field athletes and coaches in their bid for success at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.

World Athletics Center coaches will travel to Wales to deliver coach development workshops and athlete development clinics on behalf of Welsh Athletics and – in the build-up to the Commonwealth Games – Welsh Athletics will send groups of athletes and coaches to the main WAC base in Phoenix for extended training camps at various points throughout the training year.

Welsh Athletics National Performance Coach Scott Simpson: “On behalf of everyone at Welsh Athletics, I can only say how truly delighted we are to be embarking on such an innovative and novel partnership with World Athletics Center.

“This enterprise will offer Welsh coaches and athletes access to some of the best Track and Field minds in the world.

“The staff at World Athletics Centre offer cutting edge insight into the world of performance sport and the opportunity for identified individuals in Wales to spend time with them, on both sides of the Atlantic, is extremely exciting.

“Our objective at Welsh Athletics is “preparing coaches and athletes to represent Wales and win Commonwealth Games medals” – and this latest step couldn’t be more aligned with supporting this philosophy.  I am certain that the environment created by the world-leading coaches and athletes based at the World Athletics Center will provide the perfect setting for the further development of Wales’ best coaches and athletes.”

World Athletics Center CEO John Godina added: “The World Athletics Center is excited to partner with Welsh Athletics for the 2013-2014 season. We look forward to working with the athletes and coaches to maximize their performance through training camps at our home base in Arizona and Coaches’ Education events in Wales.

“Providing athletes, coaches and Federations with premium training systems and a world-class environment is what the World Athletics Center is all about. We are thrilled that Welsh Athletics will be joining us for the season.”

The European Tour has announced leading Malaysian property developer, link Sime Darby Property Berhad, as an Official Partner to the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Club, Surrey, England, from May 23-26.

The European Tour at Wentworth Club’s famous West Course, Sime Darby Property, owner of the Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club (KLGCC), which has played host to The European and Asian Tour-sanctioned Maybank Malaysia Open and LPGA- sanctioned Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia, effectively solidified its international profile and leadership position in terms of quality and innovation in the Malaysian and global property industry. The Tour’s flagship event is one of the most significant tournaments in the season-long Race to Dubai. The company is also the first Asian partner to sponsor the tournament.

This is fortified by the company’s presence and experience in London (UK) and in the Asia Pacific region with projects in Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and China.

Sime Darby Property will become a welcome addition to the BMW PGA Championship’s family of sponsors at Wentworth Club in May, when England’s Luke Donald, the current World Number Three, and attempts to win the iconic title for the third consecutive year.

Sime Darby Property Berhad said, “This partnership will enable Sime Darby Property to expand its brand presence in the international market. It strengthens the Company’s overall leadership position in the property industry while cementing its commitment towards quality and innovation, especially in the way it positions its brand and luxury products on the global front.

“This positioning also reinforces the Company’s presence amongst an important segment of our target market, namely golf fans, captains of industry and high net worth individuals to be part of our network of customers and potential customers.”

George O’Grady, Chief Executive of The European Tour, said: “We are delighted to welcome Sime Darby Property as Official Partner of the BMW PGA Championship. The Championship is our Tour’s flagship event and the involvement of each new Partner can only serve to further enhance the important status of the event as an integral part of The Race to Dubai.”

The British Basketball League (BBL) has axed Cheshire Jets from the league due to their finacial problems.

New owner Hadyn Cook saved the club from going out of existence last month.

The Jets asked the league to postpone Sunday’s fixture against the Mersey Tigers as he tried to raise extra funds – a request that was rejected.

In a statement the BBL said: “The BBL have withdrawn the Cheshire franchise from its operating company with immediate effect. 

“This decision follows an urgent review of the franchise following notification from the club that they were unable to fulfil their fixture this weekend.

“The BBL is currently exploring a number of options to ensure the continuation of the franchise. It is anticipated there will be a further announcement in the coming days.”

Cricket Australia is to seek three independent Directors following an historic CA Extraordinary General Meeting decision today to modernise Australian cricket’s governance.

The EGM voted to replace CA’s historic, price state-based Board of 14 Directors with a new, ed nine-person Board with three independent Directors and one each appointed by the six State Associations.

The six State Association appointed Directors will be: Wally Edwards, pills John Bannon, Earl Eddings, Dr Harrry Harinath, Michael Kasprowicz and Tony Harrison.

The nine Directors making up the new Board will take up their new roles effective from CA’s 25 October Annual General Meeting.

Chairman Wally Edwards said today’s decision was the biggest change in Australian cricket governance since CA was founded in 1905.

“Australian cricket needs a governance that the modern sport deserves as a highly-professional, major player in the global sport and entertainment arena,” Mr Edwards said.

“The outgoing governance served the sport well, as our long-term record in community participation, on-field international performance, and winning a place as a part of our national identity over the decades shows”.

“But we are no longer a group of stand-alone states seeking to collectively organise international cricket matches – we are increasingly thinking and acting as one unified national sport facing increasing competition for the public’s attention and support”.

The changes CA’s EGM approved today follow an Australian cricket governance review by David Crawford and Colin Carter that recommended a smaller, independent board.

Next steps will be for a CA nominations committee consisting of Wally Edwards, Cricket Victoria Chairman Geoff Tamblyn, South Australian Cricket Association President Ian McLachlan and eminent business leaders Don Argus and Tony Hodgson to identify and recommend three independent directors to join the CA Board.

The new Board will meet for the first time on 26 October, the day after CA’s AGM. Each Director will have one vote except in the case of a deadlock in which case the CA Chairman will have a casting vote.

Governor Mark Dayton has given his seal of approval for Minnesota Vikings to build a new stadium by signing the bill allowing the building to go ahead.

However, allergist the Minneapolis City Council will still need to approve the project.

Both supporters and protesters were at the bill signing event. According to KSTP Reporter Tom Hauser, therapy supporters sang “Skol Vikings,” while protesters yelled “Shame on you Governor Dayton.”

Dayton has been one of the biggest cheerleaders for the new $975 million project, which won final legislative approval Thursday after years of failed attempts.

The legislation commits the state to raising $348 million by allowing electronic pull-tabs and bingo in bars and restaurants. There are also backup funding measures such as a lottery game and luxury suite taxes.

The Minneapolis City Council has 30 days to act on the plan, and their next meeting is scheduled for May 25.

Turkey’s Football Federation (TFF) have excluded Fenerbahce from playing in Europe’s elite competition the Champions League this season amid claims the club is involved in a police investigation into alleged match-fixing.

The federation made the decision after European soccer body UEFA said it might take disciplinary action against the entire Turkish league if Fenerbahce didn’t withdraw from the competition, according to a published statement on the Istanbul-based federation’s website.

“In the face of this development, on 24 August an extraordinary meeting of the board of directors was held to discuss the threat of the Turkish Football Federation being exposed to severe disciplinary sanctions if Fenerbahce took part in the UEFA Champions League this season, and it was decided to bar them from participating,” the statement said.

Uefa general secretary Gianni Infantino added: “The panel considered that the Turkish Football Federation took the right decision to protect the game, fully in line with our zero-tolerance policy against match-fixing.”

More than 30 players and officials have been jailed pending trial, including Fenerbahce chairman Aziz Yildirim and the coach and deputy chairman of Besiktas, in connection with alleged manipulation in 19 matches.

The decision came less than 24 hours before tomorrow’s Champions League group draw in Monaco. UEFA’s emergency panel selected Turkish club Trabzonspor to replace Fenerbahce in the draw, the governing body said on its website.

Trabzonspor had already been eliminated from this season’s Champions League in the qualifying rounds.

The decision means that their scheduled Europa League qualifier against Athletic Bilbao on Thursday has been cancelled, with the Spanish club progressing automatically.

In a statement on its website, Turkish league champion Fenerbahce called the federation’s decision “a clear violation of the law that negates decisions the federation has taken itself.”

The federation last week ruled that it wouldn’t take action on the match-fixing investigation until prosecutors released a full charge sheet and details of the evidence they’ve gathered.

 

The Nike Academy has been given the go-ahead to run as a full time operation after Nike and the Barclays Premier League confirmed their commitment to the talent development programme.

The Nike Academy is popular as it offers young players without professional clubs from across the globe a chance to enter the professional game through world-class coaching, anesthetist alongside games against elite academies and professional reserve teams. 

Since the Academy’s inception in 2009, nine academy graduates have won full time contracts to professional teams. There have also been fixtures played against the likes of FC Barcelona, Celtic and Paris Saint-Germain. 

Barclays Premier League director of Youth, Ged Roddy MBE, said: “The Nike Academy has had a number of success stories with players that have entered the professional game, most recently Ryan James who was helped on his way by the superb environment that has been created, and has just been signed by Oxford United.”

Huw Jennings, former academy head at Fulham, is the Academy director and under his watch the 22 man squad train five days a week at Loughborough University where they have use of grass pitches, an Olympic size swimming pool, Hipac running track and Powerbase gym. 

Access to these elite facilities is complemented by the full range of Nike Football equipment and apparel.