A New York judge has rejected a request from the Buffalo Bills to dismiss a lawsuit brought by the team’s cheerleaders over pay and working conditions.

The NFL franchise has been accused by five former Buffalo Jills cheerleaders of paying less than the minimum wage and subjecting them to sexual harassment.

The Bills argued the cheerleaders are contracted with outside firms and that they should not be involved in the lawsuit.

Supreme Court Justice Timothy Drury’s rejected the appeal and ruled that there is a question over how much control the Bills had. 

The chief executive of the Alpari World Match Racing Tour (AWMRT) has praised new television technologies and said they have ‘revolutionised’ televised sailing events.

Sailing has often been considered a niche sport and confusing to follow on television, pills but James Pleasance, chief executive of AWMRT said this is changing and his company are now benefitting from new technology.

Speaking exclusively to iSportconnect, Pleasance said: “Sailing has never been the easiest sport to either watch or televise, added to which it is a very fragmented sport with multiple disciplines which makes it impossible for there to be a ‘world’s best sailor’ for example.

“With the new technologies available in television such as adding 3D animations and the ability to broadcast live in HD for example, sailing is now more exciting to follow on television and we are certainly seeing an increase in our viewer numbers and broadcast deals this year which would suggest that we are moving in the right direction.

“The America’s Cup in particular this year has invested millions of dollars in their television technology including on screen graphics during live coverage, and this has really revolutionised the way we watch sailing on television.”

Pleasance added: “The number of subscribers and viewers to our YouTube channel has already risen sharply this year so we know there is the interest.”

Pleasance spoke in depth to iSportconnect about many different areas of the AWRT, including their sponsorship deal with Alpari, activations that have impressed him and viewing figures for their recent Chicago Match Cup event.

You can read the full article here

{jcomments on}

Most of us think of The FA Cup final as the moment when spring turns to summer, and the sporting events calendar swings into operation.  For all here at PPL it heralds the start of our busiest time of year when we support many events, but we are especially busy in the world of golf.

We begin up in beautiful Nairn where Great Britain and Ireland golfers will be taking on the Americans for the Curtis Cup. Described as one of the finest courses in the UK, it hosts the 37th Curtis Cup. We’ll support this event and many others providing a range of scoreboards, signage and print services.

The biggest golf event of the year is The Open, and after a winter of refurbishing signage and scoreboards, we start in March with a site visit to mark out the course. Any changes to the course need noting from previous events played there, particularly to see how sight lines have changed. 

From May we have an office at Royal Lytham & St Annes and the build begins. One piece of work we are particularly proud of is the 18th leader-board, which was a bespoke design and build project. The R&A wanted something that was in keeping with the event, but also updated the look and feel for their iconic scoreboard.

Seeing it in the warehouse it is a bit like looking at a giant Meccano set. It has to withstand any weather condition the British summer can throw at it, so our calculations have to be perfect.

This and all the other scoreboards are transported to the venue and gradually it moves from being a great golf course to ‘The Open’ venue.  This year the British Open is played at Royal Lytham & St Annes golf course between Thursday 19th and Sunday 22nd July 2012.

About Paul Kimberley:

Paul Kimberley is Sales and Marketing Director at the PPL Group who provide publishing and signage solutions to major events such as the Six Nations, Wimbledon Tennis Championships and The Open. 

Before joining PPL Group, Paul served as the Commercial Director of the Rugby Football League.

With around 20 years of experience in the sports industry, Paul specialises in the fields of Marketing, Sponsorship, Commercial, Broadcasting and People Management.

Prior to his 8 year stint at the RFL, Paul served as Sponsorship Manager at Leeds United Football Club (2003-2004). Prior to that, he served as the Commercial Director of Rotherham Titans (2202-2003). Paul has also held positions as Manager at PGA European Tour Courses (1996-2001) and as Marketing Manager at the Broadgate Club (1992-1996).

He studied Business at Manchester Metropolitan University.

Visit: www.thepplgroup.com

Paul Kimberley’s 

{jcomments on}

Diagnosis:

FIFA is not just sick; it is in terminal decline. The symptoms are clear, so no need for a Gregory House ‘Lupus’ moment here. FIFA’s malaise is almost wholly self-inflicted, the result of a massive overdose of greed, egomania and overweening hubris.

Here is living proof that the strength of a brand is so much more that a strong logo and a popular product offer. When an organisation displays values, attitudes, beliefs and behaviours that run contrary to those stated in its mission, the brand’s essence and vital life-signs start to fail and shut down with alarming speed.

Unfortunately, this patient is in denial and refusing all treatment. Consequently, the heartbeat of the brand is becoming erratic. Without immediate correction, its function will fade and become an irrelevant appendix as the vibrant body it purports to represent naturally regenerates and bye-passes the malignant areas.

Prognosis: the next major trauma may prove fatal.

Remedies

• – Implement root & branch reform of the FIFA hierarchy to excise all corruption.

• – Introduce robust processes for the democratic election of all ExCo members and full transparency concerning all subsequent voting and commercial dealings.

– Bring a greater degree of demographic and gender balance to ExCo members.

– Modernise its outlook, listen to the views of its key constituencies and allow each member FA to introduce video technology if it so wishes.

Treatment

Radical external intervention is required. The successful surgery applied to the IOC after the Salt Lake City debacle is the proven treatment regime to follow.

If leading national governments take concerted action to forbid commercial organisations within their jurisdiction from engaging with or sponsoring FIFA tournaments, the necessary internal reforms will quickly follow.

Only in this way can the twin cancers of corruption and mismanagement at the heart of our beautiful game be excised and FIFA be returned to full fitness for purpose.

About Steven Falk

Steven Falk’s

{jComments on}

Brazil beat Colombia 1-0 in an international friendly organised to raise funds for the Brazilian side Chapecoense. The game, which took place outside the FIFA international calendar and thus mainly comprised domestic-based players, was won by a goal from Dudu.

The match was organised in the wake of the Colombian November plane crash, which saw 71 people – many of whom were Chapecoense players or staff members on their way to the Copa Sudamericana Final- tragically lose their lives.

The benefit match raised around $378,000, which will be distributed by Chapecoense to the families of those affected by the tragedy.