Premiership Rugby have announced a renewal of their partnership with Land Rover.

Land Rover is the Official Vehicle Partner of Premiership Rugby, a relationship that dates back to 2004.

“We are delighted that Land Rover, Premiership Rugby’s longest-running partner, is renewing its partnership with us until 2020,” said MarkMcCafferty, Chief Executive, Premiership Rugby.

“The new deal comes at a time whenPremiership Rugby is in great shape with a 2.4% rise in attendances last season, to a record high.

“Over the past 12 years, this valued partnership has contributed to the development of the game and seen graduates from the Land Rover PremiershipRugby Cup go on to play in Premiership Rugby fixtures.

“With Land Rover we share a passion for supporting the growth of the game at the grassroots. This renewed partnership will allow the community departments at our clubs to continue to perform their outstanding work, with the Land Rover Premiership Rugby Cup helping rugby in the UK to continue to flourish.”

Jeremy Hicks, Managing Director, Jaguar Land Rover UK added: “Land Rover’s heritage in rugby is a very proud one. Supporting Premiership Rugby for over a decade is testament to the shared values between Land Rover and rugby but also highlights the valueLand Rover places on encouraging the development of the game in the UK.”

“The sentiment behind Land Rover’s ‘We Deal In Real’ campaign remains true, with the support of grassroots rugby a vital aspect of Land Rover’s partnership with Premiership Rugby. Engaging nearly 68,000 youngsters with the sport through the Land Rover Premiership Rugby Cup, since its inception, has given the next generation of rugby stars the platform needed to develop their skills and grow the game.”

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Two Circles staged its 4^th Client Conference last week at the spectacular Sea Containers building overlooking the Thames from London’s South Bank.

The Two Circles Client Conference has now become a major event on the sports marketing calendar. Over 50 sports governing bodies and rights holders, here all Clients of Two Circles, cialis heard in-depth presentations and analysis looking in particular at the changing media landscape and the impact that data can have on driving commercial returns.

Following the opening presentation from Two Circles titled, “Growing faster than the Market” delegates heard from Two Circles Consultants alongside Matthew Baxter, Chief Media Officer, Liverpool F.C., who shared highly enlightening insight into how to monetise social media within their club frameworks, and Tarquin McDonald, MD of Bath Rugby who presented new models for selling out stadiums sustainably.

Dominic Grainger, EMEA CEO of GroupM, part of the WPP Group that controls a third of global marketing spend by brands delivered a keynote presentation on what brands want from partnership opportunities with rights owners in a future that is now counted in months rather than years.

The day concluded with a panel discussion drawing on lessons from outside the industry, with senior directors of leading media owners Twitter and The Guardian.

Two Circles Chief Executive, Gareth Balch spoke about the unique qualities of the event, “There are now plenty of commercially driven sports marketing conferences which brands, rights owners and agencies can attend. However, all too often, speakers and contributors are not too willing to divulge candid and meaningful information, facts or insight.” 

“Our clients all face different challenges but have a common aspiration to making more money, with data as the enabler. What we have aimed to create and deliver with our conference, is a unique, exclusive and confidential programme which gives our clients authentic and genuine insight into the very latest technological developments, trends and innovations to enable them to move their business forward”.

FIFA has banned former vice-president Jack Warner for life from all football related activities at national and international level.

The decision was taken by the FIFA Ethics Committee, cough chaired by Hans-Joachim Eckert.

The ban was handed to Warner on the basis of investigations carried out by the investigatory chamber of the Ethics Committee following its report on the inquiry into the 2018/2022 FIFA World Cup bidding process.

According to a FIFA statement, ailment Warner was found to have committed “many and various acts of misconduct continuously and repeatedly during his time as an official in different high-ranking and influential positions at FIFA and CONCACAF”.

The statement continued: “In his positions as a football official, he was a key player in schemes involving the offer, acceptance, and receipt of undisclosed and illegal payments, as well as other money-making schemes.”

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iSportconnect, the world’s largest private network for sports business executives, is delighted to announce Erich Wolf, CEO of the Red Bull Air Race, as a confirmed panellist for the return of the Directors’ Club to London this summer at the five-star Grange Tower Bridge Hotel.

The event will be making its second appearance of the year in London on 12th August.

Wolf will be joining England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chairman Colin Graves, who was previously confirmed as the first panellist for the event.

Erich Wolf was appointed CEO of the Red Bull Air Race GmbH in 2011. He successfully brought back the Red Bull Air Race Championship in 2014 after a 3-year hiatus.

Prior to joining the Red Bull Air Race, Wolf served in several positions at the Austrian Ministry of Defense (MoD). He became the Head of Air Staff at the MoD in 2001 and then became Commander of the Austrian Air Force in 2002.

In addition he organised and directed more than 30 airshows, such as the famous Air Power event in Zeltweg, Austria, which attracted 250,000 fans on each occasion. Winning the Military Solo Jet Aerobatic competition, the unofficial World Championship, in Greenham Common, UK in 1979 was his greatest achievement in his sports career.

Originally starting in London but now with an impressive international roster, iSportconnect Directors’ Club events are a gathering of exclusively invited director level delegates, partaking in a BBC Question Time-style discussion with a panel of well-established executives from the sport industry, followed by a networking dinner.

Followed by networking, the discussion is held under Chatham House rules, allowing for an open and free flowing debate.

iSportconnect Chairman Michael Cunnah said: “We’re extremely pleased to welcome Erich as our latest panellist. His background in sports and his success with the Red Bull Air Race will allow him to add some real expertise to the discussion.”

Save the Date: 12th August

Venue : Grange Tower Bridge Hotel

To register your interest please contact Sylvia-Line Lamaro at: sylvia-line@isportconnect.com

Invitation Policy: iSportconnect Directors’ Club is an invitation only event open exclusively for CEOs, chairmen and director level executives from governing bodies, sports teams and sponsorship brands.

Partnership opportunities: Our partners benefit from a range of different branding opportunities and introductions to potential clients. Please contact Mike Rocha-Keys at mike@isportconnect.com or call +44(0)20 3239 5400.

Global patners:

Venue Partner :

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English rugby union club London Irish have announced that businessman Frank McCartney has joined the Board of Directors of the Club.

More info HERE. 

For the third straight year the Westminster Kennel Club teamed with Omnigon, the digital consulting firm to the WKC and other leaders in the sports, media and entertainment industries, to design the app for the 139^th Annual Westminster Dog Show, the second longest continuously held sporting event in the United States.

The 139^th show takes place February 16 and 17. The day sessions will be held at Piers 92 and 94 on Manhattan’s West Side; the evening sessions will be held at Madison Square Garden.

The event will be covered live Monday night on CNBC from 8-11PM, ET; USA Network will cover the event Tuesday night from 8-11 PM, ET.

The app was created to serve multiple purposes including enhancing the experience of those who attend the event, providing real time updates for those who couldn’t, and sharing the rich history of this event.

Key features of the app include:

– Westminster 101, sharing the event’s rich history and proving a glossary of dog show terms
– Photos and descriptions of all 192 breeds and varieties, including the two breeds added for 2015 – the Coton de Tulear and the Wirehaired Vizsla
– Venue and Vendor Maps of both Piers 92/94 and Madison Square Garden
– Real time video feeds and results

Also in the app, based on its resounding success from last year’s debut, is The Masters Agility Championship at Westminster.

The Agility Championship, similar to an obstacle course, will feature 330 entries. Each dog will have two runs; the Championship will feature the top 10 dogs from each of the five height classes.

This event will again kick off the show on Saturday, February 14 at Pier 94 and the finals will be televised nationally on Sunday, February 15 from 12-2PM, ET on FOX Sports 1.

“We worked with Omnigon to help us enhance our show app,” said Sean McCarthy, Westminster Kennel Club. “Building on the success of the last two years, we are confident this app will again enable our extensive fan base to follow all the action, from the Agility competition on Saturday straight through to Best In Show Tuesday evening.”

“We are excited to once again be working with the Westminster Kennel Club,” said David Nugent, Chief Commercial Officer, Omnigon. “As in past years, the WKC app’s purpose is to serve this passionate fan base, and bring additional visibility to the second longest continuously held sporting event in the country.”

The app, available for both iOS and Android devices, is available to download in both the Apple and Google Stores.