Seb Coe has revealed his 100-day plan that he would immediately put in place if he is to be elected as the next IAAF president.

Coe plans to work with Member Federations to ensure a number of objectives are carried out by the start of 2016.

Full story HERE. 

European Athletics has created a new marketing company named ‘European Athletics Marketing’ based in Switzerland, in a joint venture with sports marketing agency Tridem Sports.

Read more HERE.

Liverpool Football Club has confirmed the expansion of the Main Stand at Anfield Stadium will begin on Monday.

The construction work is due to be completed during the 2016-17 season and will add around 8,500 additional seats, taking the Main Stand capacity to over 20,000 and overall Anfield capacity to around 54,000, which will significantly increase the club’s revenues.

Tom Werner, Liverpool chairman, said: “Since Fenway Sports Group took ownership of the club, we were committed to explore in depth all options for the future of Anfield Stadium.

“We listened to fans, the community, partners, the Supporters’ Committee and key stakeholders involved in the club.

“It was just over two years ago that we said our preference was to stay at Anfield and here we are today announcing that the expansion is going ahead.

“We have made more progress in the past two years than in the last decade.

“Having experience of expanding Fenway Park and being through a similar and very successful project for the Red Sox, everyone at FSG is extremely proud and excited to be part of expanding Anfield Stadium.”

The expanded Main Stand will become one of the largest all-seater stands in Europe’s top divisions and will consist of three tiers, with the existing lower tier re-profiled to accommodate a widened player tunnel, new team benches, media platform and wheelchair viewing positions.

The project will also include extra conference and banqueting facilities, a new club shop and more car parking.

The expansion is part of a wider £260m regeneration of the Anfield area of the city.

Chief executive officer Ian Ayre commented: “Today is an important milestone in the history of Liverpool Football Club.

“Since we embarked upon this journey we have always said that we need certainty; we now have that certainty and will progress with the expansion of the Main Stand.

“We received very positive support for this expansion during a public consultation exercise and today is also an important step for the wider regeneration of the Anfield area.

“There has been a tremendous amount of work done to get us where we are today but this is just the beginning.

“This is a major construction project which will take place during the football season and while we will make every effort to minimise any impact or disruption to normal operations, we ask for the continued support and understanding from our fans and the local community.

“Expanding Anfield is very much part of our long-term strategy of growing the club and on behalf of the directors, players and staff, I’d like to thank the local community and residents, our fans, Liverpool City Council and Your Housing Group for all their support.”

The landscape improvements around the Main Stand will integrate into the neighbourhood and improve wider connections to Stanley Park as well as creating a space for fans to gather and enhance the experience of those visiting the stadium on matchdays and non-matchdays.

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“What’s the ROI model?”, as if it’s that straightforward. There isn’t an ROI model, it’s as simple as that. That’s not to say there is no point in connecting the stadium – there absolutely is – but approaching the problem in such linear terms is a complete red herring.

There is a reason that the Connected Stadium vision has never got out of square one in Europe. The reason is that the sellers generally don’t understand the buyers and the buyers generally have no idea what they’re buying. It’s time for a more consensual approach: everyone needs some skin in the game.

For too long, the sellers have been trying to wow the buyers with their technical solutions. For too long the buyers have had no marketing strategy of their own so they have no idea how the buyer’s product might help move them to where they need to be. 

It’s high time the sellers stopped selling technology and started selling customer solutions. If the buyers could then utilise those solutions to plug gaps in their strategy then we start to have the makings of an ROI model. Each model will be different, of course.

Of course, that is just the start. Just because customers can get online whilst in your venue doesn’t mean you’re suddenly going to double sales of your poor quality, overpriced replica shirt (that is another discussion altogether). In the same way that creating a Twitter hashtag campaign doesn’t suddenly mean you’re “engaging” with your customers, your Connected Stadium is a means to an end, it’s not a silver bullet.

We’re always looking for short cut, an easy answer to things and like most things that are worth doing, the Connected Stadium model is worth doing properly. Think of it as an alternative to your website: it’s a gateway. Beyond that, if your products and services were not selling before, there is probably a reason for it and this new way of selling them isn’t going to change that.

The way I see it, the connected experience at entertainment venues by-and-large is behind that of your average coffee shop. The live experience in many people’s eyes is lagging way behind the televised experience. Something has got to give: if not for today then what about tomorrow? Google’s “Generation C“, those interested in creation, curation and community aren’t interested in appointment viewing, or sitting on their hands for 90 minutes. The only good thing is they can’t immediately share their disappointing experience with their network.

The question is not about cost, it’s about value creation. We’re all in the entertainment business and we’re all getting better at judging what constitutes value. Connectivity is viewed as an absolute minimum requirement these days, especially by younger consumers (see the bastardisation of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs). The RoI model needs to be judged not on how many more hot dogs have been sold but on how many people actually turn up in the first place. 

The Connected Stadium isn’t the solution – as I say, it’s not that straightforward – but it’s a vital part of that jigsaw. The question really needs to be “how can I afford not to connect?”.

Ben has seventeen years’ experience on the marketing side side of sport. Having spent six years at Chelsea FC, where he was Head of Marketing and a year as Commercial Director at Reading FC, Ben has set up his own consultancy, specialising in improving business model elasticity through genuine long-term customer engagement programmes. Prior to his time at Chelsea, Ben spent nearly four years at Redmandarin, the strategic sponsorship consultancy. Follow Ben on Twitter @ben_wells1 This blog appears regularly at http://benwells1.blogspot.com.

Ben’s 

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Former New Zealand batsman Lou Vincent has been imposed with a worldwide, lifetime ban from cricket after admitting to match-fixing.

The ban has been imposed by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and applies to matches put on by themselves, the International Cricket Council (ICC) or any other national federation.

Before his punishment was announced, Vincent said: “My name is Lou Vincent and I am a cheat.

“I have shamed my country. I have shamed my sport. I have shamed those close to me. For that I am not proud.”

He was found guilty of breaching 18 anti-corruption rules between 2008 and 2011 and is therefore banned from playing, coaching or participating in organised cricket.

In his statement, Vincent added: “I have abused my position as a professional sportsman on a number of occasions by choosing to accept money through fixing.

“I have lived with this dark secret for many years, but just months ago I reached the point where I decided I had to come forward and tell the truth.”

Vincent admitted to match-fixing in two domestic Twenty20 games involving Lancashire, a team he played used to play for.

One match was against Durham in June 2008 where he scored only one run.

Other matches included a 2011 quarter-final where he was caught behind first ball and a CB40 fixture where he played for Sussex and was run out.

ECB chief executive David Collie said: “We are extremely pleased that an individual who repeatedly sought to involve others in corrupt activity for his own personal gain has accepted his conduct warrants a lifetime ban from cricket.

“It once again highlights our resolve to keep cricket clean and rid the game of the tiny minority who seek to undermine the sport’s integrity.”

ICC Chief Executive David Richardson added: “The ICC endorses the decisions of the CLT20 and ECB to impose life bans on Lou Vincent.

“The ICC has a zero-tolerance approach towards corruption and these life bans, together with the life ban recently imposed by the ECB on Naveed Arif, should send out a loud and clear message to all those who indulge in corrupt practices and think they can get away with it.”

Eurosport has achieved record breaking audience figures through their coverage of the 2014 French Open.

The tournament attracted an average live audience of 1.36 million European viewers on Eurosport, erectile which is a rise of 17% from the previous record set back in 2012.

Maria Sharapova’s victory over Simona Halep was the most watched women’s tennis match in Eurosport’s history with an average live audience of 3.8 million viewers (+ 24% vs 2012 WTA Miami final Radwanska – Sharapova, previous best match).

The men’s final which saw Rafael Nadal triumph for the ninth time at Roland Garros was the best ever French Open final on Eurosport with over 4.1 million viewers in Europe and the second best ever tennis match on the channel, just behind the 2012 Australian Open final Nadal – Djokovic (4.3 million).

Fantastic achievement

Jean-Thierry Augustin, Eurosport Group CEO, said: “To have the best-ever French Open this year is a fantastic achievement for the whole Eurosport team.

“The strategy to identify and secure exclusivity in specific European markets on key properties has delivered the expected results. The French Open is definitely one of those key properties.”

This year’s French Open saw the highest live average audience rises vs 2013 in Romania and Spain (both +128%), UK (+79%) and France (+49%).

Audience reach was also up for Eurosport, with a total of 60.7 million different European viewers tuning in, against 58.8 million in the previous year.

That figure is narrowly behind Eurosport’s best ever Grand Slam reach on Eurosport and Eurosport 2, with 61.2 million viewers tuning in for the 2012 French Open.

“Our on-air coverage has been excellent and clearly matched viewers expectations who enjoyed some incredible tennis and great analysis from our experts,” added Augustin.

“It is especially pleasing to achieve this record in our 25^th year, which also marks the 25^th broadcast of the French Open on our channels.”

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Spend a few moments with anyone that has sailed competitively and very quickly you will see ‘the look’ they all have. ‘The look’ is filled with passion, eyes glaze over’ as the stories about amazing performances in high winds and heavy seas come flooding back. There islittle doubt that the tales are enthralling and entertaining and usually compelling.

What they almost inevitably are not is easy to decipher. Sailing has a language all its own, which is hardly surprising for an international sport. However, as it is not something easily accessible to the ‘man in the street; sailing is not well understood and the sport has done little to help itself.

The challenge for sport in the modern area is one of remaining relevant in an ever increasingly competitive environment. The sporting industry is fiercely competitive and faces perhaps one of the most challenging economic climates in recent memory. For a sport such as sailing, which can hardly be described as ‘mainstream’, broadening the appeal of the sport starts with the fundamentals.

As a relative new comer to the sport, it appears that there is still not a unified strategic approach to attracting an audience out of the niche sailing fraternity that have grown up with the sport.

The recent Perth 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships demonstrated very clearly that if sailing can be made accessible and clearly explained, there is a market ready to appreciate the amazing skill and abilities required to succeed in this compelling sport.

The organisers of Perth 2011 had to carefully consider the variances of sailing and worked very hard with ISAF to develop an approach that found a balance between what was required to ensure fair competition (it was an Olympic Qualifier after all) and being attractive to the sailing enthusiast and general public alike. 

In order to ensure that the World Championships were appealing to a more ‘mainstream audience’, the strategy adopted was ambitious, yet simple. Get the public close enough to see the action, to see the athletes in the “thick of the competition” and explain that action in simple terms.

Part one of ‘getting the audience closer’ is nothing new; all sports are trying harder than ever to deliver that ‘insider’ viewing experience. However, sailing is unique in that challenges of wind, water and weather present challenges that a game in a stadium will never appreciate. 

Television is crucial for the sport of sailing and the sport has done much to ensure that the broadcast is shot very close, supported by informative 3D animation and graphics and supported by knowledgeable and entertaining commentary. Being able to explain the nuances of some of the more exciting phases in a manner that was compelling, not patronising to the audiences. Sailors love their sport, they just need to ‘demystify the core elements’ in general terms. 

Investment in sport has been a foundation strategy to help Abu Dhabi meet its targets of attracting 2.3 million hotel guests a year by 2012 and 7.9 million staying in 80, therapy 000 hotel rooms by 2030.

ADTA’s (Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority) strategy is to utilise high-visibility sporting events to globally promote the emirate. It has proved effective in internationally highlighting the emirate’s pedigree as a world-class destination of distinction and a major events hub.

For example, the F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2009 was televised in more than 180 countries, reaching 600 million viewers. The Abu Dhabi Golf Championship 2010 – which celebrated its fifth anniversary – had a combined viewership of more than 400 million. These events bring significant gains both in terms of building awareness and exposing visitors to all that Abu Dhabi has to offer.

Abu Dhabi furthermore signed on to become the Official Destination Partner Manchester City Football Club (MCFC) in the English Premier League. Through this, Abu Dhabi’s name touches a TV viewership of over 2 billion. Abu Dhabi’s brand appears on perimeter boards around the City of Manchester Stadium at every home league and domestic cup game, ADTA has exclusive naming rights to the club’s Carrington, Trafford training ground and is the sole title sponsor of all pre-season tours.

Abu Dhabi has furthermore recently opened two new world-class golfing properties in the Gary Player-designed Saadiyat Beach Golf Club and the Kyle Phillips-designed Yas Links, as well as the newly-upgraded Palm Sports Resort Golf Course in the emirate’s Oasis City of Al Ain. These courses have already garnered strong interest internationally and continue to attract high-end tourists, which are of great interest to the emirate. For example, on average, golf visitors spend more than double than any other type of holiday maker, and notch up about US$26.1 billion a year on golf travel, 75 percent of which goes to the hotel, transportation and food and beverage sectors. By building a strong golf proposition, ADTA taps into this buoyant market.

The emirate’s staging of the FIFA Club World Cup Abu Dhabi 2009 was also a major highlight and showcased the Emirate’s facilities to an international audience. The Zayed Sports City Stadium, which holds a capacity of 50,000, and the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium, which holds more than 40,000, were key facilities for the FIFA Club World Cup Abu Dhabi 2009.

Of course, the Yas Marina Circuit, home of the Formula 1™ Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, also plays host to some of the world’s top motor racing series year round including the GP2 Asia Series and Australia’s legendary motor racing series, the V8 Supercars. Top fuel dragsters recently made their Middle East debut at the International Drag Racing Festival and the world’s top sports car series, the FIA GT Championship, has also taken place.

ADTA also supports the “President of the UAE Cup”, an annual series devoted to the racing of Arabian thoroughbreds which raises awareness of this distinct equestrian breed which places a huge role in the heritage and culture of the United Arab Emirates. Taking place throughout Europe and in the US, the series gives a key platform to entertain guests and media. ADTA mounts ‘Arabian tent’ style promotions for visitors at races in France, Ireland, the UK, Russia and the US where they can engage with Abu Dhabi’s warm and rich heritage through a number of initiatives such as falconry and henna demonstrates and award-winning photographic displays.

For ADTA, the sports tourist to Abu Dhabi may be described as someone travelling to the destination for the distinct purpose of engaging in activities and/or events. As part of the spectator experience for Abu Dhabi, the vibrant sports event calendar and diverse range of world-class facilities affords then a unique opportunity to capitalize on both segments. Research has demonstrated that the sports visitor has a high yield profile and is highly likely to return as a leisure visitor.

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