By Christian Radnedge

Basketball looks set to take some of the lessons away from football after it was announced today that Euroleague will introduce Financial Fair Play regulations from the 2015-16 season.

Under the new measures coming into effect next month, any Euroleague club that does not guarantee a minimum budget of €4m will not be permitted to participate in the competition.

A club may also be rejected if it has overdue debts or its aggregate budget deficit averages more than 10% over the three previous seasons. Euroleague said though that some leeway is in place, providing “a compliance plan is approved by the company”.

The implementation of such rules coming after an intense study into the financial wellbeing of clubs involved in Euroleague basketball since 2012.

It’s understood all clubs have agreed to the regulations which will apply to the fiscal year between July 1 and June 30.

FFP exists in European football under the guidance of UEFA. The regulations were agreed in principle in 2009 and implemented two years later to try and stem the tide of professional clubs spending more than they earn and suffering financial problems.

UEFA say that aggregate net losses of Europe’s clubs “have fallen from 1.7bn euros in 2011 to 400m euros in 2014”.

But there has still been criticism of the rules saying they unfairly punish new owners looking to invest heavily, particularly the likes of Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain who have been fined for breaching FFP.

UEFA president Michel Platini admitted last month that the regulations would most likely be “eased” this summer.

The revenue streams seen in European basketball by the likes of FC Bayern Munich and FC Barcelona are no way near the same level as their footballing counterparts. Nevertheless, a control commission made up by Euroleague Basketball and independent experts will monitor the implementation of the FFP across the continent.

World Rugby have confirmed that Georgia will host the 2017 U20 Championship.

Full story HERE.

World Rugby officially opened their new headquarters in Ireland today ahead of this year’s Rugby World Cup.

This adds to the organisation unveiling a new logo and brand late last year.

Read more HERE.

SportAccord Convention has announced Cellhire as Global Telecommunications Service Partner for this year’s World Sport & Business Summit taking place from 19-24 April 2015 at the Sochi Expocentre, symptoms Sochi, ailment Russia.

As part of the partnership, viagra order | SportAccord Convention has negotiated exclusive rates with Cellhire, allowing delegates travelling to Sochi, to choose from a variety of cost-saving solutions including voice and data products.  Available in voice bundles priced from €36.50, this includes a sim card and 250 minutes of local calls, along with unlimited cellhire to cellhire calls.

Commenting on the partnership, Aymeric Bouffard, Cellhire Managing Director Americas and Mainland said,

“We are delighted to be returning to Sochi in partnership with SportAccord Convention. This is a great platform to meet new and existing customers in the sports event industry. We will be presenting our bespoke offers for the European Games in Baku in June 2015 and the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics, and we look forward to providing SportAccord Convention delegates with the best wireless offers for their international travels.”

Cellhire has service agreements with more than 100 network partners in over 40 countries, ensuring coverage is truly global.

Nis Hatt, Managing Director, SportAccord Convention noted, “We’re pleased to be able to offer delegates this opportunity as networking and communication is an essential part of SportAccord Convention. Partnering with leading supplier Cellhire, provides delegates with cost-effective options for sharing insights, and conversing with friends and colleagues at 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, as well as hosting the annual general meetings of governing bodies of world sport.

English rugby union club Bath Rugby have agreed a three-year partnership with sports marketing agency Two Circles.

Two Circles will be working with Bath to improve customer engagement and work with the club to help understand and manage the various customer data sets across the business.

Vicki Smith, pharm Sales and Marketing Director at Bath, medicine said: “The nature of sports marketing today is such that a professional club’s ability to manage, ampoule understand and utilise data effectively is now fundamental for it to operate efficiently and grow.

“It’s crucial that clubs like ours can measure the levels of fan engagement and the effectiveness of marketing activity to ensure that we are competing with the best in Europe at a commercial level. Two Circles fully understands this, and therefore seemed the perfect business partner to help us become a customer-focused rugby club.”

Harry Palmer, Lead Consultant at Two Circles, added: “We are delighted to have been appointed to work with the club at such an exciting time, and look forward to helping the team achieve their vision of being the most successful club in Europe – off the field as well as on it.”

NASCAR’s Gene Haas has been given acceptance by the International Automobile Federation (FIA) to own a Formula One team from 2015.

The confirmation follows F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone telling Forbes last week that the FIA were on the verge of making the announcement.

Haas, who is one half of the Stewart-Haas Racing team in NASCAR, has now been accepted after a period of due diligence.

Haas said: “Obviously, we’re extremely pleased. It’s an exciting time. Now, the really hard work begins.

“It’s a challenge we embrace as we work to put cars on the grid.”

The move will mark the first time a US team has been on the grid in F1 since 1971, when Penske left the sport.

A new trend in sponsors?

Brian Sims, an F1 sponsorship expert who is a consultant for Oxford Brookes University told iSportconnect: “The introduction of a US based team in F1 can only be a positive factor. It’ll be interesting to find out what the response will be from the US corporate sector. Could this herald a new trend in Formula 1 for NASCAR style consumer-orientated sponsors to test the waters?

“Something needs to spice up the commercial involvement in F1, as new sponsors have become rather conspicuous by their absence.”

Haas, who also owns factory facilities in Brussels, was quick to react when the FIA opened a tender for a 12^th team in December, 2013.

Ecclestone was at first unsure of the financial legitimacy behind Haas’ bid, but has since been convinced.

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Notts County Football Club can confirm that owner Ray Trew has reached an agreement with local businessman Alan Hardy over the sale of the club.

Having held discussions with a number of prospective buyers in recent months, Mr Trew feels that a deal with Mr Hardy was the best option for all parties and will now work towards finalising the agreement and completing the transfer of ownership in due course.

Mr Trew, who took over Notts when they were on the brink of being placed into administration in February 2010, said of the deal: “It has been one of the hardest tasks of my time at Meadow Lane to find a successor to my tenure of the club, but I feel that in Alan Hardy the Notts County fans will have found someone who they can get behind and believe in to usher in a new era that I hope will bring success and happiness for all involved.

“In handing over the reins of this great club, I am comfortable in saying that I have always given my all to the betterment of the World’s Oldest Football League Club and whilst things haven’t always gone as I would have liked, I have enjoyed some incredibly memorable moments during my time at Meadow Lane and leave the club feeling incredibly proud of the fact that the fans still have a club that they can believe in and support on to bigger and better things in the future,” he added.

“I would like to thank everyone who has played any part in the running of Notts County during my time at the club, there are far too many to name, but I hope that they know how much I appreciate the hard work and commitment that they put in to ensure that Notts battled through thick and thin over the years that I was at the helm.

“Football is an industry like no other and I have learned some valuable lessons along the way, but I wish Alan and everyone associated with Notts County all the very best for the future and hope that they bring the success that we all crave for the club over the coming years.”

Mr Hardy was delighted to have reached an agreement over the purchase of the club, saying: “I am delighted to confirm that I have reached an agreement with Ray Trew to purchase Notts County Football Club.

“This follows a series of discussions over the weekend. As part of the agreement, I will be ensuring the club is able to settle a High Court hearing scheduled for Monday.

“There is still a considerable amount of work to be undertaken in the coming days and together with my team, we will be working around the clock to conclude our agreement and make a more formal announcement in the near future.

“I wish to emphasise my passion, desire and commitment to all Notts County supporters to drive this club forward.”

Notts County will be making no further comment on the sale of the club until the deal is finalised and ratified.

Location: Madrid, impotent Spain

Closing date: 19th December 2016

Overview: 

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and implement the sales strategy for the Spanish market as part of the overall EMEA new business strategy.
• Consult with both multinational and national companies to determine their marketing objectives and create integrated marketing partnerships/programmes that will meet these objectives (IP, media, promotional, and event-based assets).
• Engage with potential partners at a senior decision-making level.
• Engage with sports marketing agencies representing potential NBA partner brands.
• Target, pitch and sell tailored NBA partnerships to identified target brands.
• Maintain an understanding of the sales and marketing activities of prospective clients, as well as the strategic direction of their business, markets and competitors.
• Maintain a strong understanding of advertising, marketing channels and technologies in order to understand potential client solutions.
• Be creative to adapt current marketing programs to keep up to date with market changes and also create new initiatives to suit market needs.
• Work with the other members of the Business Development team on the preparation of sales presentations, deal memo’s/summaries and other relevant documents.

Essential:

• Successful track record in sales within an international business.
• Track record of securing sponsorship contracts for rights holders in sports.
• Strong understanding of the sponsorship market and a network of relationships across all sectors of the sponsorship landscape.
• Experience in technology and digital advertising in sports is preferred.
• High level connectivity – client side and sponsorship community in general.
• Ability to develop creative solutions which will meet the objectives of prospective marketing partners.
• Business knowledge – being up to date with business trends across various markets and industry sectors.
• International thinker and operator – someone who is appreciative of other cultures and business practices.
• Strategic thinker – able to shape, develop and execute the strategy for a diverse region.
• Strong negotiation skills, adept at operating at Senior Executive level and with excellent presentation skills.
• Commercially minded – ability to meet and exceed sales targets.
• Ability to work well within a matrix organization.
• Fluency in English and Spanish required, any additional language is a plus.
• A passion for sports and an interest in Basketball is a plus.
• BS/BA required; MBA preferred.

Please click here to apply