The National Basketball Association (NBA) has announced a digital content partnership with LINE Corporation which sees the NBA become the first major U.S. professional sports league to unveil an official LINE account.
The NBA’s official account on LINE will be available through a variety of devices, including mobile, tablets, and PCs, the league said in a statement.
“We are very pleased to announce that the NBA, one of the world’s leading sports leagues, is the latest addition to LINE’s list of official account holders,” LINE chief executive Akira Morikawa said.
“Through its partnership, the NBA will be able to connect with LINE’s more than 181-million monthly active users and communicate with NBA fans all over the world.”
“LINE also looks forward to expanding its user base outside Asia into other regions where basketball is also extremely popular, such as Europe and the Americas.
Scott Levy, NBA Asia’s Managing Director said: “As a leading communications platform, LINE has entrenched itself into the daily lives of millions of users across the globe.
“The NBA enjoys a large international following and, through this partnership with LINE, we will provide our tech-savvy fans with another way to enjoy and engage with NBA, wherever they may be.”
The European Synthetic Turf Organisation (ESTO) is an association formed to ensure quality turf and to provide information that can help clients and end-users find the most appropriate solutions in synthetic turf systems. ESTO is uniquely positioned for research/universities, abortion end users (clubs, leagues, sports governing bodies) and trade. ESTO is an organisation that brings everyone together to discuss, debate, research and develop the future of synthetic turf.
ESTO is a non-profit organisation and offers neutral and unbiased information for the promotion of synthetic turf, enhancing its numerous advantages and benefits. ESTO is a forum for all parties to meet and to facilitate communication along the business chain, from manufacturers to architects, installers, contractors, test institutes and particularly to the end-users.
ESTO is actively contributing to standardisation in order to improve test methodology and continuously strive for transparent and consistent harmonisation of the requirements for the large variety of sports performances.
A report with KPMG called the Synthetic Turf Study found that synthetic turf is “supported by FIFA, UEFA, and many football associations, whilst a range of top-tier clubs use synthetic fields across Europe.” The report also acknowledged that “synthetic turf requires maintenance, but general lower costs are incurred than when maintaining natural pitches.”
There are four main arguments used to support the application of synthetic turf:
> Increased frequency of usage
> Extra revenue generation
> Cost saving opportunities
> Strategic benefits
A major positive for synthetic turfs is that they can be used more frequently than natural turf. Synthetic turf will drain well in wet weather, but natural pitches cannot be used immediatelty after heavy rain.
Synthetic turf therefore offers the opportunity to generate a steady, year-round revenue stream, not dependent on the on-pitch performance of the club. FIFA does however state that they should be restricted to 36 and 48 hours use a week.
(Source: KPMG Research)
A fundamental aspect of the business case for switching to synthetic, is the chance for a facility owner to generate extra revenue. There is higher demand in countries where they experience extreme weather conditions. There is a shortage of playing fields that are appropriate and therefore a synthetic turf owner can take advantage of commercial opportunities.
As the report says: “Our research findings show that with a proper business plan and professional management, some clubs can generate respectable revenues on a weekly basis, by renting out their synthetic field.”
Case study: FC Thun, Switzerland
FC Thun play in the Swiss first-division at the 10,000 capacity Arena Thun. Before the move, the club played on a natural pitch at the Stadion Lachen. The club could not make the most of the stadium because of maintenance and the need for longer resting periods. Revenue generation was primarily concentrated on match days.
Since switching to synthetic turf, FC Thun lets their stadium to private & business events twice a week. In the first year of operation they held more than 100 of these events and generated CHF 700,000 annually. This is CHF 100,000 more than would be possible on natural grass.
Cost saving opportunities
As well as extra revenue, there is also evidence for cost saving. Whilst maintaining the synthetic pitch is important, KPMG research shows that natural pitches require nearly double the amount of time spent on maintenance than synthetic.
As a consequence the cost of maintaining the pitch can be significantly lowe than that of natural pitches. Typical values range between €5-15,000 annually, compared to €20,000+ for natural pitches.
Case study: AS Nancy, France
AS Nancy installed a new synthetic turf in 2010. Club management say the number of hours spent on maintenance has halved since switching from a natural pitch. This has saved the club considerably on wages and overall maintenance costs.
The club have also managed to host more events since changing to synthetic turf. Forty more events were held in 2011 than in previous years and rental income amounted to €20,000.
Strategic benefits
In general, a synthetic turf can enable greater community access to a stadium. Pitches can be used during the day by schools, which is something a natural pitch would not be able to withstand.
Some smaller and mid-sized clubs have a clear strategy for community involvement, which could mean they rent out the pitch for significantly lower rates. This can directly attract new customers to the stadium, who will provide revenue streams more directly, for example through food and drink.
This is crucial when a pitch is under public ownership or has some public support. Providing greater community access can play a key role in securing future projects with public support.
(Source: KPMG Research)
Conclusion
The KPMG report therefore shows the work ESTO is doing, is vitally important and has a very meaningful business case for different organisations. The switch to synthetic turfs can allow for more usage of the pitch, which can generate more revenue and save costs. Synthetic turfs also provide community strategic benefits that can provide your business with more loyal customers.
Richard Tennent, vice-chariman of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club, has praised the vision of Nottinghamshire County Council for providing a £900,000 grant towards the funding of a £1.8 million replay screen at Trent Bridge ahead of the Ashes this summer.
The new screen, designed by Huw Evans of Maber Associates, will be the largest outdoor screen in Europe and is set to improve the matchday experience of cricket fans.
The council recognised the benefits of keeping Test cricket at Trent Bridge, leading to their decision to part-finance the project, which has created 300 local jobs to develop the scoreboard.
Tennent said: “The sheer size of the screen and the quality of it is breathtaking and it will be a special moment when the first ball is bowled at the outset of the Ashes series.
“Nottinghamshire County Council have been steadfast supporters of our efforts to ensure the long-term prosperity of Test cricket in Nottinghamshire because the knock-on effects of games of this type are huge.
“We have committed to the delivery of a social inclusion project in Hawtonville as a condition of this funding where we will use the same model that has delivered an 80% reduction in juvenile crime in Cotgrave over the past three years.”
Councillor Kay Cutts added: “It is unthinkable to imagine Trent Bridge without Test matches but that was a genuine possibility before the funding was in place to deliver the second replay screen.
“This development will help to preserve Test cricket which will in turn enable the club to continue to deliver schemes for the benefit of the community and the local economy.
“Furthermore, these matches will place Nottinghamshire in the global spotlight, particularly when the world’s media descend this July.”
Yachting New Zealand is the national organisation that oversees the sport and recreation of sailing. We aim to help New Zealanders access, enjoy and succeed on the water for life.
The role of Communications Manager is based at Yachting New Zealand in Takapuna, Auckland and is being offered on a 12-month fixed-term basis while we develop our new digital strategy. This is a full-time position but with some flexibility around the actual hours and days of work – for the right candidate we may be open to a 0.8FTE working arrangement.
In this role you will be responsible for overseeing both internal and external communications for the organisation from planning through to delivery. You will create and deliver an effective Communications Plan to support the organisation’s Strategic Direction and our Digital Strategy.
This role also supports the commercial activities of the organisation, working closely with partners and sponsors, identifying commercial opportunities, and working alongside the CEO in managing stakeholder engagement.
The Communications Manager interacts with and supports a broad range of stakeholders, initiatives and events across all areas of the business including participation and grass roots, to cruising and racing, to youth and high performance.
As the Communications expert within the Yachting New Zealand team you will need to be self-managing, time-efficient, reliable and proficient at delivering on your responsibilities in a fast-paced dynamic environment.
A tertiary qualification in Communications is preferred and proven workplace experience in a broad communications role is essential. Excellent knowledge of digital platforms including both CMS and CRM systems is also a requirement, and you will need to be a skilled copy-writer and content creator.
We require an excellent verbal communicator with strong inter-personal skills, and previous experience in dealing with external media would be advantageous. If you know about sailing and boating – even better!
To find out more about the role or to request a copy of the Position Description please contact:
The European Club Association (ECA) has agreed to inject €60m ($66m) per season into the UEFA Europa League and to clubs that take part on the qualification phase from 2018.
Last year, ambulance the ECA had pledged to reduce the financial reward disparity between the Europa League and Champions League tournaments after consultation with UEFA.
“With a view to strengthening unity and solidarity in European club football, pharmacy it was decided to allocate an extra amount of €50million to the Europa League and €10million to the qualifying phase,” said a statement on the ECA’s website.
The ECA also said it believes that the distribution mechanism of solidarity payments to European leagues ought to be revised to allow for a more equitable split among all top-division clubs.
“I am pleased that within ECA we manage to reach quick and simple decisions for the good of football,” said ECA Chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. “ECA is a strong and reliable partner of UEFA. Solidarity is a key pillar of the European club football model, which has always been supported by ECA and its member clubs.”
Konami Digital have announced an Official Partnership with the German football club, BV Borussia 09 Dortmund, that is to be effective across their football titles.
Through this agreement, PES 2017 -Pro Evolution Soccer will include the downloadable data of the team’s home stadium “Signal Iduna Park”. These new implementations will richen to fully experience “BV Borussia 09 Dortmund”.
It follows Konami’s partnership with Liverpool FC, which will include the recreation of the official club uniform, the team’s home stadium “Anfield” in the new design after the new extension※, and the club anthem “You’ll Never Walk Alone”.
These new implementations are planned in order to provide the best experience of the teams, fully authenticating the club and it’s many well known iconic trademarks.
The National Basketball Association (NBA) and have announced that will open the first NBA Stores in the Middle East.
The first two NBA Stores are scheduled to open in Doha, generic Qatar, during the 2016-17 NBA season, with additional stores in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to follow.
The NBA Stores will provide fans in the Middle East with access to the widest range of official NBA merchandise and memorabilia ever available in the region, including apparel, jerseys, footwear, sporting goods, toys and collectibles.
“This long term project cements the NBA’s commitment to grow our footprint across the Middle East,” said NBA EMEA Vice President, Global Merchandising Vandana Balachandar.
“As the demand for the NBA continues to grow in the Middle East, our partnership with Al Mana Fashion Group will allow us to provide a comprehensive assortment of NBA merchandise while bringing the official NBA shopping experience to our fans in the region.”
Amongst the over 400 NBA-branded retail locations globally, the NBA opened its new flagship NBA Store in New York on 45th Street and Fifth Avenue in December 2015 and three other stores are currently operating in Manila with a fourth scheduled to open in Cebu, Philippines in August.
The ECB have announced that talkSPORT and talkSPORT 2, denture have secured broadcast rights to the NatWest T20 Blast and Royal London One-Day Cup competitions for the next two seasons.
The agreement will see talkSPORT and talkSPORT 2 broadcast a minimum of 30 live commentaries per season across both competitions and includes a weekly round-the-grounds show dedicated to the Friday night round of NatWest T20 Blast fixtures.
Confirming the new deal which begins with live coverage of Essex’s opening NatWest T20 Blast fixture against Surrey at Chelmsford on Friday, May 20th, Sanjay Patel, ?the ECB’s Commercial Director,said:
“This is great news for all cricket fans. Our new partnership with talkSPORT means county cricket can reach an even wider audience and will help build on the excellent levels of coverage our domestic game already receives from all sections of the media.
“It’s also a significant boost for our two major limited overs competitions – both of which saw their crowds increase last summer following a season which resulted in record attendances for domestic and international cricket.
“With England performing so well in the recent World T20 competition and in 50 Over cricket this winter, this is the ideal opportunity for talkSPORT to capitalise on increased interest in the limited overs game and bring their own distinctive brand of coverage to domestic cricket. “
Mike Bovill, Managing Editor of talkSPORT 2, said: “Cricket is at the heart of the talkSPORT 2 schedule and the success of our coverage of the World Twenty20 and Indian Premier League has already shown there’s a huge appetite for our brand of limited-overs action.
“With personalities like Darren Gough on talkSPORT every day, we want to change the way cricket fans listen to the sport and I believe this is the start of a fantastic partnership with the ECB.”
Enrique Sanz has officially been sacked as the general secretary of CONCACAF following the ongoing FIFA corruption scandal.
The 41-year-old was given a ‘leave of absence’ in May by the confederation of Central and North America after revelations of corruption, clinic but he has now been formally relieved of his duties.
