iSportconnect capped off a hugely successful year of events with a memorable Directors’ Club at the Grange St.Paul’s Hotel in London on Tuesday evening.

As usual, the event attracted a number of influential figures in the sport business industry from major sports organisations, teams/clubs and brands.

This included representatives of Arsenal FC, Baku 2015, British Olympic Association, BT, Commonwealth Games England, ECB, ESPN, Eurosport, Force India F1, Harlequins RFC, ITN Productions, Manchester United FC, NBC, Norwich City FC, Perform Group, SAP, The Premier League, Tottenham Hotspur FC, UK Sport, Wembley Stadium, West Ham United FC and more.

The attendees enjoyed an evening of intriguing and informative discussions by what was arguably the best ever Directors’ Club panel.

The panel featured David Gold, Co-Chairman of West Ham United, Ed Warner, Chairman of UK Athletics, Jonathan Ford, CEO of FA Wales and Nick Bitel, CEO of London Marathon and Chair of Sport England.

They expertly discussed and debated on a number of wide-ranging topics in the sport industry, such as sport governance, doping and the legacy of the London 2012 Olympic Games and the future of the Olympic Stadium.

Speaking after the event, David Gold said: “It was a great event and I’m glad I was able to contribute. It was an excellent panel and the audience were very receptible and I enjoyed it immensely.”

The panel session was followed by a special Christmas Dinner and entertainment, sponsored by ScribbleLive.

This part of the evening also featured two truly inspirational guest speakers, Sport for Freedom founder Julia Immonen and Extreme Endurance Runner Rob Young, who shared their amazing stories with the delegates.

This event wrapped up a remarkable year for the Directors’ Club, as it featured in multiple new territories across the world, with a record number held. It successfully debuted in Moscow and Mexico City and returned to Paris and Dubai for a second straight year.

iSportconnect will be staging more events in 2016 and taking the Directors’ Club to new markets. Stay tuned to iSportconnect.com for announcements and details of our upcoming events for 2016.

More event pictures below

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Major League Soccer (MLS) club San Jose Earthquake have partnered with messaging-based fan engagement platform FanKave.

The aim of the partnership is to provide fans with an interaction platform both inside and outside of teh club’s Avaya Stadium.

Read more HERE.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has announced the appointment of Professor Lord Patel of Bradford OBE to its board of directors as an independent member.

Lord Patel becomest the first British Asian appointee to the ECB Management Board.

Read more HERE.

FINA, abortion the international governing body of swimming, has announced that the 16th FINA World Championships will distribute record prize money of almost $5.5 million.

Full story HERE. 

SportAccord Convention has announced Filmmaster as Silver Partner to this year’s World Sport & Business Summit taking place from 19-24 April 2015 at the Sochi Expocentre, unhealthy Sochi, Russia.

Filmmaster is the producer of the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Ceremonies, as well as the Olympic and Paralympic torch relay, and recognised for staging some of the most exclusive sporting and cultural events worldwide.

For the last 5 years, Filmmaster has been awarded Best Event Agency.

Antonio Albete, CEO of Filmmaster Events commented: “Filmmaster Events is a leading global event agency that over the years has produced the main international sports events.

“This is going to be a big year for us, since we are involved in several sport and institutional events around the world and we will work at the production of Rio 2016 Olympic Ceremonies and Torch relay.

“We are really proud to be here for SportAccord Convention and would not miss this important event in the sport industry.”

With 35 years experience and offices in Rome, Milan, Dubai, London and Rio, Filmmaster takes care of every phase including the creation, planning and production of events.

Nis Hatt, Managing Director, SportAccord Convention noted, “Filmmaster creates unforgettable events and moments people treasure. Their flair and brilliant mastery are hallmarks of their brand and we’re delighted to welcome Filmmaster to the SportAccord Convention World Sport & Business Summit.”

The SportAccord Convention World Sport & Business Summit is a unique opportunity for key decision-makers in sport to engage with business leaders across 25+ industry sectors.

The 6-day event features a 3-day Conference, dynamic exhibition, LawAccord, City Forum, the SportAccord Convention Village and Sports Demo Zone, the SportAccord Sport Awards, as well as hosting the annual general meetings of governing bodies of world sport.

Chinese conglomerate company Dalian Wanda Group have agreed a deal to acquire international sports marketing company Infront Sports and Media for €1.05 billion (£780 million).

Dalian Wanda will make the purchase with a group of investors and secure 68.2% from private equity firm Bridgepoint.

Speaking about the deal Wang Jianlin, Chairman of Wanda Group, said: “This acquisition of Infront will significantly increase the future impact of the Wanda Group in the culture and entertainment industry and will also drive the development of Chinese sports industry and its interest around the globe.

“Infront, through its long-standing partnerships with some of the most important sports rights-holders, is top-connected in the global sports industry. It is best-positioned to actively support China in its bidding efforts for major sports events, as it is already involved in the planning, delivering, marketing and servicing of a broad array of top international events.

“By acquiring Infront, Wanda will also be in a position to increase its influence in the global sports industry and help raising the level of competition in Chinese sports. We are very confident to support Infront in its aim to become the number one global sports marketing company.”

Philippe Blatter, Infront’s President & CEO, added: “Based on our existing strategy and the combined experience of Wanda and Infront, we will continue to grow our business across the board, both internationally as well as in China.

“We are looking forward to jointly tackle a variety of major expansion projects with the aim to strengthen our leading position in the global sports market. Wanda is fully committed to actively contribute to Infront’s ambitious growth plans and shares our long-term vision as well as our corporate values.

“Overall, we are convinced that the new and strengthened ownership structure will help to further enhance our service offering to benefit our valued partners and clients.”

More info HERE.

Related story

Read: China’s Financial Muscle Makes its Mark on the Global Sport Industry – Simon Chadwick

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The former CEO of Microsoft Steve Ballmer has reached an agreement to purchase the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers for a potential record of $2bn.

The Clippers were put up for sale by the NBA after owner Donald Sterling was recorded making racist remarks.

Sterling, who owns the Clippers with his wife Shelly, was banned from the sport for life as a result of the comments.

However, despite Mrs. Sterling saying she was “delighted” with the deal, reports from Mr. Sterling’s lawyer Bobby Samini said that as a co-owner of the team, he has to consent to the deal – something he is not willing to do.

Samini said: “That’s his position. He’s not going to sell.”

NBA owners are now set to meet in New York next week to discuss Mr Sterling’s comments and could force him to sell his interest in the team.

Regarding his potential purchase, Ballmer commented: “I love basketball. And I intend to do everything in my power to ensure that the Clippers continue to win – and win big – in Los Angeles.

“LA is one of the world’s great cities – a city that embraces inclusiveness, in exactly the same way that the NBA and I embrace inclusiveness.”

Despite comments from her husband’s lawyer, Mrs. Sterling said: “We have worked for 33 years to build the Clippers into a premier NBA franchise. I am confident that Steve will take the team to new levels of success.”

Ballmer retired from Microsoft in February and outbid two rivals for the Clippers – media mogul David Geffen and talk show host Oprah Winfrey.

The NBA needs the approval of three-quarters of the 30 teams to force the sale of the LA Clippers.

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NASCAR’s Gene Haas is set to be given approval to own a new Formula One team according to Bernie Ecclestone.

Haas became one of the leading contenders to take on a F1 team when the International Automobile Federation (FIA)opened a tender for a 12^th team in December 2013.

Despite being sceptical of the financial valildity of Haas’ bid, tadalafil F1 chief Eccleston has recently changed his opinion of the team.

Ecclestone told Forbes on Thursday that “Haas has been accepted.”

“The FIA has accepted him for sure,” Ecclestone continued. “It is done. They are going to put that out tomorrow.”

Haas co-owns the Stewart-Haas outfit in NASCAR with Tony Stewart, and the team won the 2011 Sprint Cup Championship.

If the F1 team is cleared, it would be the first American team in the sport since Penske left in 1978.

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