UEFA President, Michel Platini, has officially announced he will stand as a candidate for the FIFA presidency.

The Frenchman sent a letter to the presidents and general secretaries of the 209 member associations of world football’s governing body, in which he said:

“This was a very personal, carefully considered decision, one in which I weighed up the future of football alongside my own future.

“I was also guided by the esteem, support and encouragement that many of you have shown me.

Platini has been the President of UEFA since 2007 and a member of the FIFA Executive Committee since 2002. He is considered the favourite to replace outgoing president Sepp Blatter.

The 60-year-old added: “During this last half-century or so, FIFA has only had two presidents. This extreme stability is something of a paradox in a world that has experienced radical upheavals and in a sport that has undergone considerable economic change. However, recent events force the supreme governing body of world football to turn over a new leaf and rethink its governance.”

“I am counting on your support and our common love of football so that, together, we can give the tens of millions of football fans the FIFA that they want: a FIFA that is exemplary, united and shows solidarity, a FIFA that is respected, liked and of the people.”

Candidatures must be submitted by 26 October 2015, and the election will take place at an Extraordinary FIFA Congress in Zurich on 26 February 2016.

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The International Olympic Committee’s commissions now contain 32 per cent more women than they did when Thomas Bach first became president two years ago.

The changes come as the IOC reveals the new composition of the commissions under the Agenda 2020 project.

Among the changes, two new commissions have been created.

Bach said: “These changes are another major step in the implementation of Olympic Agenda 2020, the strategic roadmap for the future of the Olympic movement.

“They demonstrate the close dialogue with our stakeholders and society at large, with whom we started this process nearly two years ago. The increase of women’s participation and the broader geographical representation will encourage more inclusive decision making,” he said.

Read more HERE.

iSportconnect, the world’s largest private network of sport business executives, is delighted to announce Tom Hill, Head of Sponsorship Sales at Manchester United and Mohammed Al Alawi, Associate Director of Marketing at Falcon and Associates as the first panellists for the Directors’Club in Dubai.

The event, in partnership with Professional Sports Group (PSG), will be hosted by Falcon and Associates on 11th June.

Tom Hill is Head of Global Sponsorship at Manchester United, having joined the Club in 2008 from the Rugby Football Union.

In that time he has worked on a number of key projects including the appointment of Aon as the shirt sponsor of Manchester United, the international development of the club’s media & telecommunications strategy, distribution of the clubs 24/7TV channel, financial services affinity partnerships and the growth of the club’s regional partnerships strategy in Asia.

Prior to joining Manchester United, Tom worked in rugby union, as Commercial Director at Saracens rugby club and more recently responsible for the Sales & Marketing at The RFU.

Mohammed Al Alawi is the Associate Director of Marketing at Falcon and Associates, as trategic advisory company working on behalf of the Dubai leadership, and joined the company in 2011.

Since 2013,Mohammed has been heavily involved with Dubai’s sponsorship of the ChineseTable Tennis Association (CTTA), the first of its kind in any sport, further connecting the people of China and Dubai while also supporting the growth of table tennis in the Emirate through a community initiative, Ping Pong Dubai.

Mohammed worked closely on the UAE’s successful World Expo 2020 bid developing the brand and its guidelines, including support on submitting the candidacy of the UAE’s bid in November 2011. He led and activated both local and international marketing campaigns as well as managing the bid’s premier partners.

With nine years’ experience in marketing, communications, branding, advertising and event management, Mohammed has led multiple private and public initiatives from launch to delivery in the US, UK, China, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Mohammed has previously worked as Head of Marketing at Four Communications in Abu Dhabi and for a real estate company as Marketing Manager in the US.

The Directors’ Club will consist of a question time-style panel which will be extremely interactive and will allow rightsholders and sponsors in the Middle East a real opportunity to shape the industry through an honest and open discussion platform on the latest issues in sports business.

iSportconnect Founder and CEO Sree Varma said: “We are thrilled to have Tom and Mohammed on board as our first panellists. Their expertise and insight into the sports business industry will be valuable for the delegates in the Middle East.”

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

To register your interest in attending the Directors’ Club event in Dubai, please contact Sylvia-Line Lamaro at sylvia-line@isportconnect.com

Visit the official iSportconnect Directors’ Clubwebsite: http://www.directorsclub.biz/

Agenda Directors’ Club – Dubai 2015

7.45am – Registration 

8.00am – Networking breakfast

9.00am – Welcome remarks

9.10am – Panel discussion to begin led by Host/Chairman “Home & Away Sports Marketing”

Away is often home for many brands and rights holders…the globalisation of mainstream media and corporate brands has been no different in sport. Dubai and the Emirates have been at the fore of being a second home for sport. The first Directors Club in the region for 2015 will consider this phenomenon, its growth to date and its future path.

10.40am – Closing remarks from Host/Chairman & Organisers

10.45am – Close of discussion

11.00am – Finish

In partnership with:

Host Partner:

Partners:

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The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has appoined Kenneth Berger as the Executive Vice President and General Manager of Asia. 

Read more HERE.

Edgbaston, medicine home of Warwickshire County Cricket Club, the Birmingham Bears, T20 Finals Day and an Ashes Test in 2015 has extended its partnership with data-driven sports agency Two Circles.

Two Circles will continue to provide customer insight and strategic support on commercial strategy to Edgbaston. 

Buoyed by the recent allocation of major matches to Edgbaston from 2017 to 2019 including an Investec Ashes Test Match, the club are set to reap the rewards of their £32m ground redevelopment.  

Gareth Roberts, Commercial Director at Edgbaston, said “Two Circles have been a valued and extended part of our team providing insights on our fans, implementing the right business intelligence for our club and ensuring we deliver the right message to our customers at the right time.

“This has delivered tangible returns. We are delighted to extend our partnership with Two Circles and to continue to enhance our offering through what will be a very important year in 2015.”

Gareth Balch, Managing Director at Two Circles, added “it has been a pleasure to work as an extended part of the Edgbaston team over the last two years.

“We are very proud to extend this partnership and look forward to achieving record results with the Club in 2015 and beyond.”

Location: Milton Keynes, search United Kingdom

Closing date: 13th November 2016

In just 12 short seasons, Red Bull Racing has managed to carve itself a unique place in the records of Formula One, through exceptional on-track performance and through a radically different approach to racing and hospitality, we are the team that likes to do things differently!

We are currently looking for a full – time Hospitality Manager to join our Red Bull Racing Marketing Team. This role will be a combination of factory based hospitality event coordination and track side hospitality management, therefore it is imperative that the applicant must have a willingness to extensive travel.

Key responsibilities of this role are to display and maintain the highest standards of event organisation, working in a professional manner at all times to help promote a positive image for the brand, our racing team and our partners. The individual must be well organised and be able to work within restricted deadlines, manage multiple projects, have excellent people skills and know how to host a cross section of guests, they must have confidence in presenting and be an inspiring individual within the hospitality team as well as contributing to the overall marketing department.

Experience and Knowledge of the Red Bull Brand and Culture is highly desired for this role. 

The successful applicant will report directly to the Head of Hospitality and will be responsible for the following:

• – Organisation of race hospitality events including VIP hospitality and grandstand packages, coordination of guest groups, logistics; hospitality suite set up and execution, staffing and coordination with all team support agencies.
• – Responsible for the hosting of the Team Paddock Club, driver & team interviews, pit links and welcome speeches at the races.
• – Point of contact for all partner & Red Bull market hospitality requests for ticketing sales and ensures the partner management team have the correct information to be able to keep their partners well informed.
• – Assists in the creation of sales documents and brochures.
• – Oversees the pre-season and in-season test event coordination.
• – Facilitates factory tours of the Red Bull Racing Factory for guests when requested.
• – Responsible for maintaining high standards ensuring a consistent premium hospitality theme is delivered at all guest touch points from race track to factory.
• – Propose ideas and think creatively about how we can develop the use of our facilities available to us.

Click here to apply

West Bromwich Albion Football Club have confirmed that the change of control announced in August 2016 has now been completed.

All preconditions to completion of the agreement have been satisfied resulting in the transfer of ownership of West Bromwich Albion Holdings Limited, asthma the principal shareholder of the Club’s parent company, pills from Jeremy Peace to Yunyi Guokai (Shanghai) Sports Development Limited, symptoms a company controlled by Guochuan Lai.

Guochuan Lai commented: “I’m delighted to complete the acquisition and to become the next steward of the Club. I would like to thank Jeremy Peace for his leadership over the last 15 years and for laying the strong foundations for the next stage of the Club’s development.

“I am excited to have the opportunity to support the Club’s Chairman, John Williams, and the team in building the Club over the years ahead.”

Jeremy Peace said: “It has been a tremendous privilege to lead the Albion. I am proud that 11 of my 15 seasons as Chairman have been spent in the Premier League whilst three others brought automatic promotion from the Championship. Guochuan Lai has been a supportive partner during the handover process and we have both done everything possible to move the Club forward.

“Guochuan, John Williams, my board colleagues, our staff and supporters have my very best wishes for the future.”

The partnership will see New Amsterdam Vodka make its debut in football and become seen across the new match day digital content platform at Selhurst Park.

Through this multi-platform agreement, New Amsterdam Vodka will engage fans via a consumer campaign that will include fan promotions, consumer events and global awareness.

This is the third new partner to join us in the last couple of weeks with EA Sports and Global Reach Partners joining Palace’s partnership portfolio.

Barry Webber, Commercial Director, Crystal Palace Football Club, said: “New Amsterdam Vodka’s commitment to quality, character and being true to the brand echoes our own.  We are delighted that the fastest growing vodka brand has chosen Crystal Palace as the platform of choice to help underpin their marketing strategy as they continue to grow in new and imaginative ways.  This announcement continues to see us build an exciting platform of club partners in our ever growing corporate family.”

Olga Senkina, Marketing Director, New Amsterdam Vodka comments: “We are thrilled to be the Official Vodka Partner of Crystal Palace Football Club and we are looking forward to a very successful season.”

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