The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS) have agreed a new partnership to increase and improve safety and security in Asian football.

Read more HERE.

Image: Ethan Rohloff

By Populous’ Senior Principals Richard Breslin and Paul Henry

The recent AFC Asian Cup hosted by Australia in January this year was one of the most watched and talked about football event ever in Asia. 

More people went to the Games than ever before, more people throughout Asia watched the matches on television and even more were connected on social media.

The official #AC2015 Twitter hashtag reach was 3.1 billion by the end of the tournament.  My colleague Paul Henry was at both a Quarter Final in Brisbane and the Final in Sydney and considers what this connectivity means for stadium designers  …..

Soaking up the atmosphere, amongst 50,000 people at the Brisbane Stadium at Lang Park during the quarter final of the AFC Asian Cup, it was fascinating to reflect that more than 20 million people were also watching that same match on television in China.

It was a good illustration of the true intersection between the live and remote audience during a major sporting match in today’s digitally connected world and the real global connectivity sporting events offer to a city. For designers, it was also an opportunity to reflect on the key part stadium design plays within that mix.

Attending the live event with 50,000 other fans IS undoubtedly a special and exhilarating experience. But the reality is that you can’t always be there, especially if you live half way around the globe in Beijing, Cape Town or New York.

Technology has made it possible to view or listen in by television, radio or via the Internet.  Ever since the Internet became a part of the design of sporting arenas some 15 years ago,   Populous has strived to better design venues to reach two types of audiences -the live audience in the stadium or arena and the remote audience watching the game at home. 

Now Social Media is part of the mix and it has brought a greater level of engagement that is much more personalised. It’s about sharing “your” experiences with “your” friends, instantly, regardless of where you friends are around the world. Social media has, in fact, enhanced the experience of interacting with the game.

We are witnessing exponential growth in the way audiences behave on social media at both the live event and at home. What’s more the digital habits of a football fan at an AFC Asian Cup live game can be quite different to those of a tennis fan at the Australian Open, or a cricket fan at the MCG where the longer event means fans have more time to interact with their friends on social media. 

In the case of the Asian Cup, the vast majority of these incredible levels of activity on social media platforms were the remote audiences around the world.

So what does this phenomenon of ever growing connectivity and exposure mean for stadium design moving forward?  Do we need to adapt the stadium further and if so how?

How, for example, do we make  stadium even more accessible to the international broadcaster at the event, so they can better tell the “away team” story  and make the Game more relevant for the fans sitting back home in Beijing or Seoul, New York or Paris.

The truth is that stadium design matters just as much for the live audience at the match as the remote audience around the world. It all begins with atmosphere. The intensity that atmosphere creates is the key to a great stadium design and maximizing atmosphere is what designers constantly strive to better achieve.

AC Milan Vice President Barbara Berlusconi is hopeful the club will have its own stadium by 2020.

The Italian giants are aiming to begin construction on the new stadium in 2016.

More on this story HERE.

The National Basketball Association (NBA) will stage an exhibition game in South Africa next August as they expand their global reach into Africa.

Africa will be the latest continent to host an NBA pre-season game, capsule following on from games played in Asia, discount Europe and South America last year.

The NBA’s Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum made the announcement Tuesday in Johannesburg, where the NBA is currently holding a ‘Basketball without Borders’ camp.

‘‘Becoming the first U.S. professional league to play a game in Africa is just an evolution of our commitment to continuing to bring basketball to the continent of Africa,’’ said Tatum.

‘‘I think it’s a pretty big deal.’’

Tatum also revealed that all proceeds will go to charity, but details of who will play and which charities will benefit are still to be determined.

‘‘The involvement of our players in growing the game internationally and on a global basis is critical and it’s important and I think that our players understand that and I think that the basketball community understands that,’’ said Tatum.

The NBA first held one of its camps in South Africa in 2003 and has returned nearly every year. Players and coaches will provide instruction to 60 top young African players while also conducting clinics and providing the campers with life skills lessons.

International Cycling Union (UCI) Presidential candidate Brian Cookson is facilitating a meeting with the Tour de France owners with the ambition of setting up a female equivalent of the race.

ASO own the Tour de France and Cookson, who is the president of British Cycling, wants to meet with them and leading female riders to reach a solution one of the hot topics in cycling.

Writing in his blog, Cookson said: ““There’s been a lot of attention recently on the need to develop women’s cycling at all levels of the sport and it is a key part of my election manifesto for the Presidency of the UCI.  People are passionate about the issue and are rightly frustrated that not enough is being done.

“We need to work closely with organisers, sponsors, teams and broadcasters to create new events on the professional calendar.

“A women’s equivalent of the Tour de France is one potential solution and the focus of attention of a really successful petition which now has over 77,000 signatures.”

Cookson is running for president of the UCI and is hoping to replace his sole competitor Pat McQuaid, who has been in the position since 2006.

With the Lance Armstrong doping scandal and open feuds with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), Cookson has called for change at the UCI.

Greater numbers of women cyclists is one of the aspects of Cookson’s manifesto and in his blog post he went on to add: “Undoubtedly having a female equivalent of the biggest bike race in the world is an objective we should need to explore. 

“This is why I am currently setting up a meeting involving Marianne Vos, Emma Pooley and other key representatives behind the petition with the right people, including Tour de France owners ASO and UCI Management Committee member Tracey Gaudry.

“Cycling has a long way to go to ensure women’s cycling is given an equal stage to the men’s events. We won’t get there tomorrow, nor next week, but what riders like Marianne and Emma have achieved shows us the potential there is given the right focus, investment and, crucially, leadership by the UCI.”

The GREAT Britain yacht that has been entered into the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race will be launched in Trafalgar Square at the end of July.

Sports Minister Hugh Robertson will launch the 70 foot racing yacht on July 31, viagra 60mg unveiling the campaign partnership between the race organisers, doctor UK Government and British brands.

GREAT Britain Team partners from the private sector will engage with branding and activation opportunities during the launch.

Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, founder and chairman of the Clipper Race said: “This is a unique project and I am very proud that the Clipper Race can provide a powerful platform to promote GREAT Britain trade and tourism to a global audience.

“We look forward to working with GREAT British brand partners and the UK Government, through the Prime Minister’s office, to deliver a highly effective international marketing campaign.”

The project is bringing together a cross-section of partners from the private sector to sponsor the GREAT Britain yacht over the next 16 months and participate in an international campaign that will link up with UK trade and tourism global marketing initiatives. The first partners will be unveiled at the launch.

Lionel Messi has denied allegations that he and his father committed tax fraud in Spain and claimed that he only heard the news in the media.

The World Player of the Year is being investigated for allegedly defrauding the state of more than €4m ($5.3m) in a tax returns for 2007-09.

His father Jorge Horacio is also accused alongside Messi of three crimes of defrauding the state of taxes related to income from the use of his image.

They are suspected of using companies in Belize and Uruguay to sell the rights to use the image.

The allegation states that by using the firms outside of Spain where Messi lives and plays football, viagra coupon the pair have avoided more than €4m ($5.3m) in tax.

Messi wrote on his Facebook page: “We have never committed any infringement. We have always fulfilled all our tax obligations, following the advices of our tax consultants who will take care of clarifying this situation.”

On Wednesday a complaint was signed by prosecutor Raquel Amado and filed at the courthouse in Gava.

Judges must now accept the complaint before the two can be charged.

Messi, who earns €16m ($21.4m) a year, could face up to six years in prison if convicted.

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In a few weeks the procession down Magnolia Lane at Augusta National Golf Club will once again be in full flow, as well as in full bloom. The first major of the year will soon be upon us and the golfing world will gather to see who will win the first major championship of 2012.

The Masters is utterly different to any other major, let alone tour event. Firstly, it is the only major that never changes where the tournament is played, less than 100 players will tee off as opposed to 156 that normally search for a major win and whoever comes out on top is allowed to wear a green jacket rather than lift a silver trophy or claret jug. There are no spectators, only patrons and the opening shots on Thursday will be made by official starters that go by the name of Nicklaus, Palmer and Player who collectively have won 13 green jackets between them. The course itself is wonderful to look at, though unexpectedly hilly when you walk it and the greens slope unbelievably. The poor caddies in their Augusta white boiler suits carry 40lbs on their backs.

There are no sponsors just official partners and no signage to promote your brand is permitted anywhere on the course or any other area of the club. The official partners are also not allowed to promote their association with the event within the USA, only overseas. Media accreditation is limited to one journalist per publication, if you are lucky enough to have the publication itself accredited. 

We have a team of ten going to support two of our clients, who are official partners of the tournament and our event team will go out a full ten days before the tournament actually starts. As ever, accommodation is difficult to find and not cheap, traffic is London like (though as one of our clients is the international automobile partner it certainly helps that we get around in one of their courtesy cars) and the crowds are huge. However, it is the ‘official partners areas’ that make The Masters the perfect and ultimate setting to conduct business, meet the press, host clients and colleagues. They are not erected tents or hastily arranged structures just for the week, but actually permanent houses and where at the back of the house runs the first manicured fairway of Augusta National Golf Club. As the picture below shows, they look great from the outside and they are just as impressive on the inside.

As ever, it will be frantic for our PR team on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday co-ordinating media/broadcast interview requests and picture opportunities before the invited client guests arrive in ‘the house’ for the event itself, which starts on Wednesday for the Par 3 competition. As well as client guests, we also host a few members of the media each day and they may strike lucky if one of the brand ambassadors is in having  lunch at the same time after his round. 

If one of our client’s ambassadors is among the leaders come the week-end, then expectation grows and nervous smiles abound hoping that he reaches the top on Sunday night and will pop in wearing a green jacket. 

Never mind that we are all going to be away for the whole Easter weekend because I can’t think of a better place to be on the day before Good Friday than watching Arnie, Jack and Gary standing on the first tee of Augusta National Golf Club about to drive off.

Jamie Salmon’s 

Team sponsors are having to focus on activation in their domestic markets during the tournament because of IRB restrictions on promotion at the tournament. Other companies involved in rugby union are capitalising on the opportunity to push their credentials in the sport.

The IRB is very tough on the whole area of national team sponsors activation, diagnosis much more so than Fifa and Uefa [in soccer]. They have tried to impose draconian restrictions, which have now lessened slightly.

To effectively promote their association with rugby, team sponsors must focus on classic domestic activation. Effective team sponsorship relies heavily on rugby unions offering their key partners opportunities for better cut-through, particularly around media interviews and partnerships.

Losing the shirt branding [national team jerseys must be free of their usual sponsorship logos during the Rugby World Cup] does impact TV ROI but there is a huge opportunity to be really creative and focus around the fans to create emotional engagement and cut-through, as opposed to some of the more generic above-the-line campaigns the worldwide sponsors have rolled out. The O2 breakfast campaign is a great example of an effective England sponsorship activity.

DHL, the express and logistics company, which is an official Rugby World Cup sponsor, has benefited from prominent branding at pitchside at Rugby World Cup matches but, in Europe, is having to fight for space with competitor FedEx, which is pushing its sponsorship of the Heineken Cup, the continent’s top clubs competition, at the same time.

Other companies such as McCoys, who are not currently involved in rugby union, have activated around the Rugby World Cup running on pack promotions.  This is a more traditional ambush but very short-lived and one-dimensional and therefore doesn’t create any longevity or emotive engagement. They’d be better picking up some domestic rights and building those in too.

Europe is a key commercial market for global rugby and France, England and Ireland are commercial powerhouses. 2015 is happening on their doorstep and it’s going to be competitive with industry sectors competing to sponsor.

The quicker you get involved the more benefit from first-mover advantage – price of rights and timeline to exploit. 2011 would have been a fallow tournament commercially, 2015 is when the IRB makes hay.

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