The PGA has appointed Hamish Ferguson into the role of Executive Director – Commercial.
This appointment follows on from the announcement last December where it was confirmed Deputy Chief Executive Robert Maxfield will succeed Sandy Jones as Chief Executive of The PGA when he steps down in 2017.
Hamish will assume commercial responsibility for The PGA – a role currently undertaken by Robert Maxfield.
Hamish brings a wealth of experience having successfully managed a number of hotels – notably Carden Park which he leaves after 20 years as general manager.
He has a proven track record of delivering exceptional financial performance at Carden Park and during his time at the Cheshire hotel he also supported and hosted many PGA tournaments including the PGA Professional Championship, the PGA Fourball Championship and five PGA Seniors Championships.
David Murchie, Chairman of The PGA, commented: “With the announcement of Sandy stepping down and Rob succeeding him as Chief Executive of The Association, it was important that we recruited someone to carry out Rob’s previous responsibilities in the commercial area of our business. We are delighted that Hamish has accepted the opportunity to join The PGA team.”
Sandy Jones, Chief Executive commented. “It is essential that The PGA have a strong commercial strategy. Our commercial relationships are critical in allowing us to deliver Member benefits as well as providing us with the funds to support our Member support programs. Hamish has an excellent record in delivering results and we look forward to him joining The PGA team.”
The British Basketball League (BBL) and Women’s British Basketball League (WBBL) are in the process of exploring commercial and sporting opportunities in the Far East.
BBL & WBBL Commercial Director, Bob Hope is meeting with senior members of the Chinese Basketball Association in Beijing later this week to continue the essential process of building partnerships to promote basketball in the UK.
“The Asian market is huge and obviously China in particular has established itself as a major powerhouse in basketball,” explained Hope.
“They will host the next FIBA Basketball World Cup in 2019, have a high-profile domestic competition and obviously compete at an elite level on the international stage – as we witnessed recently at the Rio Olympics.
“With the announcement of the BBC broadcasting deal and other major announcements in the pipeline, we are keen to now take the next step and that means a push to develop the BBL brand internationally.”
He added, “There are a few ideas that we will be discussing which will involve possible activities on and off the floor, so it’s an exciting development and one for our clubs, players, fans and commercial partners to keep an eye on.”
As Team GB’s medalists return to Britain, some will go back to business as usual whilst others will be hoping to capitalize on their success, build a bigger personal brand and reap all the benefits that comes with it.
For some time now, the term ‘brand’ has been successfully applied to athletes as well as the clubs they play for or the sponsors which support them. Brand Beckham was probably the first of the modern era – thanks in no small part to Victoria – since which time athletes from all areas of sport have vying to ‘do a Beckham’.
So what does this mean for our medal winners? Unfortunately, it is a universal truth that in any team – football, rugby, cricket, and now Team GB – there are usually three or four people who stand out and the rest are … well, exactly that. Not convinced? Take England’s last two World Cup wins; in the 2003 rugby team, most people remember Jonny Wilkinson and Martin Johnson but would be hard pushed to name a third. Matt Dawson or Ben Cohen may make the cut owing to their TV or tabloid profiles but few people, beyond hard-core rugby fans could name the others from that great night in Sydney. The intervening period since 1966 makes this test trickier but could many list more legends than Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst and Gordon Banks? Even if that doesn’t convince you, name a cricketer from Michael Vaughan’s 2005 Ashes’ team apart from the captain, Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff. On top of this, all these sports have major annual clashes, long seasons and good broadcast deals which keep them in front of the public; most Olympic sports dream of enjoying the same exposure.
So with Team GB arriving back, who are the winners and losers? Without a doubt Laura Trott has the world at her feet; she already enjoys several lucrative brand partnerships and with the prospect of good times in Tokyo, she can build on her medal haul and her bank balance. If she can persuade her partner, the equally stellar Jason Kenny, to take a cannier commercial stance, their rewards could be exceptional – especially as the popularity of cycling continues to escalate. Realistically Trott and Kenny have eclipsed everyone else in the cycling team and whilst highly marketable riders, such as Becky James and Callum Skinner, will doubtless do well, their rewards won’t be anywhere near that of these two.
Another two athletes who look set for greater things are Adam Peaty and Max Whitlock, not least because they enjoy an impressive blend of charm, looks, eloquence and admirable achievement. For most Brits, interest in swimming and gymnastics is a four-year thing so they will have to balance media and endorsements with competition to keep their brands relevant but if they continue on their current trajectory, they too could do very well.
The other star likely to have been born in Rio but who will have to wait for their brand to mature is Joe Joyce; whilst he ‘only’ achieved silver, if he turns pro – and why wouldn’t he – he can look forward to some very exciting times ahead. His self-assigned brand strapline ‘He’s no ordinary Joe’ could certainly catch on.
Many stars from London 2012, including Tom Daley, Jess Ennis-Hill and Greg Rutherford have probably reached their pinnacle in terms of their brand, not least of all because their stock was so high four years ago that they couldn’t realistically get any higher. The chances are they will score a TV job on a reality series or presenting sport but it is hard to see what else they can do to capitalize on their profiles, especially for any who retire. Probably included in this group, surprisingly – and frustratingly – are Mo Farah and Nicola Adams; despite having a phenomenal time in Rio the biggest thing holding them back is that their sports simply don’t enjoy mass appeal outside the Games.
In many respects, the brand that is set to do best from Rio is the Team GB brand itself. Having hugely exceeded both its medal target and made the unprecedented step of beating China in the final medal tally, the brand has never been better positioned to eclipse any individual competitor who sits within it. The Team GB sponsors, which include Adidas, Aldi, BP, DFS and Nissan, can consider themselves very well served by their deals and, if they haven’t already renewed, would do well to see what the plans are for Pyeongchang and Tokyo. Team GB’s management has already proved itself successful and forward thinking off the field as well as on it, the popular Stella McCartney designed kit being an obvious example of this. If it continues in this vein, of all Rio alumni, Team GB could well be the one to watch.
Rebecca Hopkins – Managing Director of ENS Sports PR
Rebecca’s company, ENS, is an award-winning PR agency with over a decade of success working with brands, individuals and sports organizations, including BT, Craig Bellamy, VisitEngland, the LTA and Rhino Rugby.
Rebecca’s most recent ventures have been to devise and found The Sports Technology Awards (www.sportstechnologyawards.com), now in their third cycle and Women In Sport Week.
Rebecca is a regular TV pundit on the subject of sports business and presents The Sports Marketing Show on iSportconnect; she is a founding partner of the Sports Reputation Group, a guest lecturer for CIM, she serves on the National Council of the PRCA and she has judged several industry awards, including the PRCA awards and the Football Business Awards.
Tottenham Hotspur have appointed Infiniss as its new Licensing Agent in South Korea.
The Club’s South Korean fanbase has seen growth of nearly 30% in the last year and an increased demand for Tottenham Hotspur product as a result.
This was sparked by last summer’s arrival of South Korean international and Asian Footballer of the Year, apoplectic Heung-Min Son, as well as the Club’s exciting Premier League title challenge during the past season.
Infiniss will now work with the Club to appoint licensees for Tottenham Hotspur-branded goods and accessories.
The partnership is already bringing results with SJ Trend appointed to produce Club-branded apparel with a sales focus on South Korea’s popular TV shopping channel market.
Gary Jacobson, Brand Licensing Manager, Tottenham Hotspur, said: “We are delighted to welcome Infiniss on board as we strive to cater for the growing demand for Club product in South Korea.
“The form of the team over the past season, coupled with Son’s arrival, has sparked a huge amount of interest from that part of the world.
“Infiniss has a proven track-record in this market, and the early addition of SJ Trend to our growing licensing portfolio in Far East Asia is an encouraging beginning to the partnership.”
Jason Lee, Managing Director, Infiniss Co Ltd, said: “We are thrilled to work with one of the great football clubs in Europe that has such a strong influence in Asia.
“Infiniss is committed to developing a bespoke Tottenham Hotspur lifestyle clothing range that is slated to launch in Korea later this year, as well as further licensing projects in the pipeline.
“We aim to work closely with Tottenham Hotspur to help it achieve its aim of bringing its Korean fanbase closer to the Club and to meet an increased demand for product in the region.”
It was a story that rocked athletics, and sport, to its core. Russia was accused of state-sponsored doping in November last year.
Russia’s involvement at the Olympics in Rio hinges on WADA and the IAAF being satisfied that Russia has made genuine changes. So far the outcome is far from clear, with WADA saying Russia still has some way to go.
Zimbabwean gold medallist and IOC member Kirsty Coventry sits on the WADA commission and foundation board and she admits that she was surprised by the level of doping she’s discovered since taking up the role.
“Sitting on the commission has really opened my eyes – previously I was very much proud of the fact that swimming was a very clean sport but I don’t necessarily have the same feeling going into Rio. I didn’t realise the amount of systematic doping – not just in Russia but in other countries.”
“As athletes we do everything we can in training to make sure that we’re at our peak and to be in the last 6 months of my career and recognising people’s names in tests – that they’ve been caught doping – is a little bit hard, but it’s a challenge and with social media now, no one can hide – that’s a good thing.”
“If you are cheating, we will catch you; it might not be right now but we are working on new intelligence and while it’s hard to ask people to be brave enough to do so, if you know it’s happening come to us and give us the information to help us stop the cheats.”
It was a message Brian Cookson, President of the UCI, echoed in his exclusive interview with iSportconnect, which you can read here – http://goo.gl/ndzGLQ
“You can separate sport into two groups, there are those sports that have a doping problem and are trying to deal with it, and I think we are one of the leaders there, and there are those sports that have a doping problem and are still in denial about it. Sooner or later if you don’t take this problem seriously it will come up and bite you on the backside.”
Coventry, a member of iSportconnect, is determined to help the sports and countries that have had problems, and wants to see a compliant Russia at the Games.
“WADA is continually working with Russia and all other countries that have been non-compliant to get them back to being compliant and that’s ongoing.”
Coventry also spoke about the new Olympic plans to reach more people than ever before, by moving its coverage further into the digital world.
2016 will see the launch of new over-the-top (OTT) platform ‘The Olympic Channel’, which will offer Olympic sports 24 hours a day.
It’s hoped that the channel will bring in a younger audience, to perhaps discover new sports or even take them up.
“I think we need to stay relevant in today’s times and The Olympic Channel will allow us to reach the younger generation and be able to hear back. With social media it’s opened so many things and to be able to get honest feedback will be really helpful – especially when it’s coming from the younger generation that are techno-savvy and maybe aren’t playing as many sports.”
“The president said ‘get the couch potatoes active’ and ‘get people re-engaged in community’ and hopefully those are some of the things we can achieve with The Olympic Channel.”
Having grown-up and discovered the sport of swimming in Zimbabwe, Kirsty went on to gain the most medals for a female swimmer in history while also becoming Africa’s most successful Olympian of all time.
She now sits on both the Zimbabwe Olympic Committee and National Olympic Committees of Africa and says working to promote the Olympic movement across the continent has its difficulties.
“It comes with more challenges than developing sport in first world countries, I have the opportunity to live and train and see different sports and how they are run in a first world country, the knowledge and experience I’ve gained to take back and improve our sporting structures and improve the mind-set that a sport you’re good at can become a profession – I think that’s something we struggle with in Africa.”
“I think sport can play a huge role in equality and in pure development and strengthening of community; people talk about the role of Rugby in 1995, I got to see that in 2004 and 2005 when Zimbabwe was going through hard times – but when I got home it’s like the problems didn’t exist as everyone just wanted to celebrate.”
“The power sport has in educating and bringing about equality is truly significant it’s just a case of being able to find a means to create that environment.”
As with almost every Olympic Games any issues regarding infrastructure or safety are heightened, with UCI Chairman Cookson admitting he is ‘concerned’ about the velodrome for the Rio games.
Kirsty – who will be competing in her final games before retiring in Brazil – believes there are no concerns on the aquatics side.
“The aquatics centre from what I’ve heard there have been no issues, they held a test event a couple of weeks ago, the roof is a little bit open so it might be a bit cool but as swimmers we’re used to that, I think from an aquatics side of things, it’s looking very good.”
The ‘Golden Girl’ of Zimbabwe has only been a member of the IOC since 2012, so while she may have cemented her legacy as an athlete but perhaps her legacy within the IOC is just beginning.
In 2004, Kirsty won her first Olympic gold medal in Athens as well as silver and bronze.The moment marked the beginning of a record-breaking athletic career, with Kirsty ultimately becoming one of the world’s highest achieving female swimmers. She went on to win another gold and three silver medals at the Beijing Olympic Games – a shining light for her fellow African athletes across all sporting disciplines
In 2012, Kirsty was elected to the International Olympic Committee’s Athletes’ Commission, a tremendous honor with a enormous responsibility. She will serve as a Member for eight years. As part of this she is also a member of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)
Her membership on various Committees in Zimbabwe is playing a key part in the furthering of the global Olympic movement and the development of sport in general. As part of her efforts to develop and support athletes in Zimbabwe, Kirsty sits on the board of the Zimbabwe Olympic Committee.
The 11th anniversary of the Sports Podge in London on May 6 is supporting the Bobby Moore Cancer Fund.
The England legend’s widow, Stephanie Moore, MBE, founder of the fund, which targets bowel cancer, will be in attendance representing Cancer Research UK.
Other guests at the annual luncheon will include figures from outside sports such as Harry Keogh, Managing Director of Coutts, and Peter Denton, North Europe Regional Manager of Maserati. Both companies are supporters of the Podge, which takes place at the Institute of Directors.
Podge founder Phil Jones always puts together an imaginative high-end design theme for the event. This year’s theme is Podge 66 (celebrating England’s World Cup victory with Bobby Moore as captain)
iSportconnect will be represented at the event, as will many iSportconnect community members including British Olympic Association CEO Bill Sweeney, Mediacom Head of Sport Misha Sher, Liverpool FC CEO Ian Ayre and Saracens CEO Heath Harvey (to name just a few).
The Bobby Moore Fund is close to the heart of iSportconnect who supported the‘Football Shirt Friday’last week.
While the Cubo Group– the agency behind the branding for this years Sports Podge – were also supporting the cause.
The Cubo Group did last years cycling theme for the event and have created this years theme which is Bobby Moore.
Aston Villa Football Club confirmed today that former FA Executive Adrian Bevington is now working with the Club.
Bevington will work with David Bernstein and the Football Board as part of the current review and to implement the changes that arise from it.
David Bernstein said: “Adrian has a wealth of experience with over 20 years working at the highest level of football.
“He was the Managing Director of Club England and worked with many managers and coaches during his 17 years at The FA.
“More recently he has worked with several Clubs and the Welsh FA, and I’m convinced his experience, contacts and understanding of football will be a tremendous asset to Aston Villa Football Club.”
Indian Wells tournament director Raymond Moore quit under heavy fire on Monday after he said women players owe their success to men.
Moore said over the weekend: “In my next life when I come back I want to be someone in the WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) because they ride on the coattails of the men. They don’t make any decisions and they are lucky. They are very, very lucky. If I was a lady player, I’d go down every night on my knees and thank God that Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal were born, because they have carried this sport.”
WTA CEO, Steve Simon has now responded to Moore’s decision to resign:
“Raymond Moore has taken full responsibility for the unacceptable comments he has made. It is the right decision for him to step down. The BNP Paribas Open has supported the payment of equal prize money to all players since 2009. The WTA looks forward to working with Mr. Ellison and the Indian Wells team on the continued efforts in making the sport better and equal for all players.”
Canterbury has extended its relationship with sports marketing specialist Synergy to activate its partnership with the British & Irish Lions, arthritis a deal that sees Canterbury hold exclusive rights to manufacturing both the Lions match and training kit alongside a new lifestyle range.
Synergy will create and execute an integrated PR, herbal digital and experiential campaign that will run from now until the Lions tour of New Zealand in 2017.
Chris Stephenson, ambulance CEO of Canterbury, said “We’re delighted to continue our working relationship with Synergy off the back of a hugely successful Rugby World Cup campaign which delivered some of our strongest commercial results ever.
“As an agency they understand our brand proposition and are perfectly placed to activate what will be one of the biggest sponsorship campaigns in our history”.
Tim Crow, CEO Synergy, said: “Canterbury and Synergy share a longstanding history in rugby and we’re looking forward to delivering a campaign that cements Canterbury’s place as a leading brand in the sport”.
British luxury car brand Jaguar will be making a return to global motorsport after announcing its participation in Formula E in 2016.
Jaguar will enter the third season the FIA Formula E Championship, returning as a manufacturer with its own team.
Nick Rogers, Group Engineering Director for Jaguar Land Rover, said: “I am proud to announce Jaguar’s return to racing with an entry into the innovative FIA Formula E championship.
“It is my belief that over the next five years we will see more changes in the automotive world than in the last three decades.Formula E has recognised and reacted to these trends and the championship’s exciting and pioneering approach is the perfect fit for our brand.”
Alejandro Agag, Chief Executive Officer for Formula E, said: “We are delighted to welcome Jaguar into Formula E. Jaguar is a brand with a rich sporting heritage and the fact that it is returning to global motorsport with Formula E is a huge endorsement of the championship and its ability to influence the development of electric cars.”
Jaguar will release details of its team and partners in the run up to the third Formula E season.
