iSportconnect, Author at iSportConnect

Two Weeks to Deadline for Entry into 2016 UK Sponsorship Awards

There’s just two weeks go before the final deadline for entering the 2016 UK Sponsorship Awards (UKSA), medic the industry’s largest and most prestigious awards event.

The exact deadline is January 15, clinic 2016 with the event itself held at the London Marriott Hotel in Grosvenor Square on March 22, 2016. Bookings and reservations are being taken now.

The 2016 Awards will celebrate the best campaigns across areas such as sport, media, the arts, community and PR.

But this year there are a number of new categories designed to reflect current trends within the business: Empowering Women Through Sport’, two categories designed to celebrate rugby union sponsorship and Best Use of Celebrity Endorsement.

“After the success of the recent 2015 Rugby World Cup, we wanted to reward those brands that have done an outstanding job of partnering the dynamic sport of rugby union, both in terms of the commercial benefits they have realised and what they have given back to the sport” says Rosemary Sarginson, organiser of the UKSAs. We are asking for your nominations for which sponsor you believe performed most effectively during the RWC2015.

“As for celebrity endorsement, our view is that the relationship between talent and sponsorship has become one of the most potent forces in 21st C. brand communications.”

Although the basic format of the UKSA event has stayed the same in recent years, the organising team has made a point of shaking up the categories: “In recent years we have introduced awards for entertainment, digital activation, innovation, sustainability and best consultancy,” says Sarginson.

“Our commitment to the future of the business was also the driving force behind the creation of the Barrie Gill Award for the Most Promising Young Sponsorship Executive, named after one of the industry’s most popular figures, now sadly gone.”

To ensure the most democratic result possible, the Awards also contain categories geared specifically towards small-to-medium sized enterprises. “If you look at our categories you’ll see numerous ways in which we have created an inclusive format,” says Sarginson.

“Sport, Brand and Consultancy are split into two price bands, for example, and there are also categories for low budget, first timer, grass roots, education, sustainability and community, all of which open the door to more tailored campaigns.”

One other important category is the Personality of the Year, which rewards the person deemed to have made the most significant contribution to the sponsorship industry in the last year. “The final decision is made by the judges,” says Sarginson, “but we ask for nominations from the industry.

So if you’d like to put someone’s name forward please email rosie@sponsorship-awards.co.uk with your nomination and reasons why.”

For more information on the Awards or to submit an entry, please go to www.sponsorship-awards.co.uk or email us at: info@sponsorship-awards.co.uk

Angry Champagne Quits FIFA Presidential Race

By Keir Radnedge

Jerome Champagne’s FIFA fizz has evaporated. The Frenchman has quit the presidency trail, accusing federations and officials of running scared, after failing to secure the necessary support to enter the formal race.

The withdrawal of the former FIFA deputy general secretary has left three challengers to Sepp Blatter’s ambition for a fifth term in office: FIFA’s Asian vice-president Prince Ali of Jordan, Dutch federation chairman Michael Van Praag and Portugal’s former world player of the year Luis Figo.

New rules stipulate that a candidate needs written nominations from at least five of the world federation’s 209 member associations.

Champagne said that, despite a year-long campaign, he had attracted only three.

Clearly he blamed European federation UEFA’s ‘multiball’ strategy of backing the other three candidates for eating away at his potential support.

He also regretted a fear factor among federations eager to remain in the good books with FIFA and their own regions.

Potential supporters turned away because:

“they feared reprisals from their confederations having issued ‘recommendations’;

“their federations were candidates to host continental competitions;

“they relied too heavily on the financial support;

“they were committed to defend a united continental front; and

“some of the presidents were themselves engaged in an election or simply preferred another candidate.”

Pointing a finger directly at UEFA, without naming it or its Qatar-supporting president Michel Platini (pictured right), Champagne added: “The latest events orchestrated in secret with barely veiled intentions by one of [the confederations], distributing letters of support between candidates, made me lose sponsorships especially in Europe.”

Champagne said he did not “feel any bitterness” but that was hardly borne out by the derision he poured on “proxy candidates waging the battles that others did not have the courage to fight.”

Intriguingly, the one figure at whom he did not aim his rhetoric was his old boss for 11 years, Blatter.

Instead UEFA and its puppeteers were repeatedly painted as the villain of the piece.

Champagne raged on: “So-called programmes will appear with a list of high-sounding slogans and little precise substance.

“Proposals will be touted, smelling of demagoguery and politicking, such as increasing the number of teams in the finals of the World Cup – and certainly some ‘copy and paste’ sections directly from my programme.

“The hidden agenda – or not so hidden after all – is clear: under the guise of reforming FIFA lies the objective of further weakening it in favour of continental structures.

“This at a time when a strong governance of football, with regulatory and redistributive powers, is needed more than ever. It constitutes the perennial vision of UEFA since 1998.

“It is also to pave the road for the wealthy actors of the West European football to get their hands on the last thing they do not control yet: FIFA and the world government of football.

Blatter (pictured left) remains overwhelming favourite to hold off what Champagne regards as Europe’s ‘evil empire.’

Whether this will result in the reward of a return to FIFA for the Frenchman with an anti-European common interest will remain an open question until after FIFA Congress in Zurich on May 29.

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Sion to Launch Bid For 2026 Winter Olympics

The Swiss city Sion, clinic | along with the Valais region, ask will bid to host the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Business Review Debuts on iSportconnect TV

The Business Review debuted on iSportconnect TV today featuring Major League Baseball (MLB) and Tokyo 2020.

There is an exclusive interview with World Baseball Softball Confederation President Riccardo Fraccari discussing the $9 billion MLB received in revenues for 2014 and how the sport is growing.

WATCH THE BUSINESS REVIEW HERE.

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European Games 2019 Hosts to be Decided in May

The European Olympic Committee (EOC) has confirmed it will name the host of the 2019 European Games in May 2015.

The inaugural European Games will be held in Baku, discount Azerbaijan in June 2015 and the announcement was made by the EOC at an executive committee meeting in Baku yesterday.

The EOC also confirmed that it was considering bid from six cities, cialis who will rename anonymous for now.

EOC president Patrick Hickey (pictured) said the timeframe for selecting the next host city would give them the necessary time required to assess and decide which of the six cities is best suited to host the Games.

“The process will take slightly longer than we first anticipated, but having six cities on the table is a dilemma we are very happy to have,” he said.

“We have had to turn away 14 sports from the inaugural edition in Baku, and we are going to be turning away five top-class potential hosts for the second edition – clearly the European Olympic family has a huge amount of enthusiasm for a continental games.”

Hickey added: “We do not want to put cities through a lengthy expensive process.

“We want to focus on flexibility, innovation, sustainability and value for hosts, athletes, fans and commercial partners.”

London Broncos in ‘positive talks’ Over Next Season’s Home Ground

Rugby Super League club London Broncos are involved in “positive talks” regarding a home for next season which could save the club from going into administration.

The Broncos could enter administration on Tuesday if a deal is not struck according to a report by Sky Sports News.

They are currently without a home for next season after ground-sharing with Harlequins for eight years. That deal ended in September.

It has been a turbulent period for the club with several members of the playing and coaching staff leaving and the club’s official website and Twitter feed have not been updated since September after their media officer left.

Coordinator, Corporate Partnership Activation – Cleveland Browns

Location: Cleveland, generic US

Closing Date: 25th October

Overview:

The Coordinator, Corporate Partnership Activation, is responsible for the management of select corporate partnerships, and departmental task management within the Corporate Partnership Department. This individual will manage many of the team’s small to mid-sized partnership activations, with expectation to renew and grow these partnerships throughout the years, as well as representing the entire Corporate Partnership department with management of key responsibilities including inventory management, budget management, hospitality management, and other responsibilities assigned.

Duties:

– Manage small to mid-sized corporate partner relationships, which includes fulfilment of the partner’s corporate marketing plan, renewal of these partnerships, and identifying opportunities for growth within these partnerships
– Manage all corporate partner trade relationships, which includes management of how trade is distributed within the organization, renewal/growth of those trade partnerships based on the needs of the organization and general management of the deliverables that the trade partner receives from the Cleveland Browns
– Gain keen understanding of the partner’s goals and objectives and develop compelling marketing and activation programs to maximize the partnership value for the partner and Team
– Further the new business sales efforts by collaborating with the sales group to identify revenue opportunities utilizing existing and newly-created partnership inventory (i.e., television, radio, social media, etc.)
– Manage annual partnership recap meetings and presentations
– Main lead for Corporate Partnership inventory management, and providing inventory updates frequently to the Corporate Partnership Department
– Day-to-day management of the entire Corporate Partnership expense budget, and working closely with the Finance department to reconcile all expenses
– Liaison between the Corporate Partnership department and Ticket/Premium Membership departments on the needs of all corporate partner contractual needs and special requests
– Management of the SABR reporting to the NFL
– Responsible for the final scorecard and contract process, and contract execution tracking
– Lead on all home and away game hospitality needs for Corporate Partners and staff members
– Represent the Team at various networking events and participate in other sales and community events, as defined by the Team

Qualifications:

– 4-year college degree
– Minimum 3 years of professional sports team, property and/or agency experience
– Strong written and oral communication skills
– Strong organizational skills
– Proficiency in Microsoft programs (including CRM)
– Proficiency in Stone Timber River (STR) (preferred)
– Ability to work weekends, nights and holidays as dictated by event
How to Apply
Click to apply HERE

NBA nets deal with Shock Doctor

The NBA and Shock Doctor, a mouthguard technology company, have announced a partnership in order to highlight the need for mouth guards in all levels of play.

The deal sees Shock Doctor become the official mouthguard of the NBA, the WNBA, the D-League and USA Basketball.

The partnership will also allow Shock Doctor to create retail lines for each league and make team-specific merchandise.

Emilio Collins, NBA Executive Vice President, Global Partnerships said: “We are proud to partner with industry leader Shock Doctor, which shares our commitment to youth basketball,”

“Together, we will educate kids, parents and coaches in our Jr. NBA and USA Basketball Youth Development programs about the benefits of wearing mouthguards.”

Shock Doctor already has partnerships with some of the league’s talent including DeMarcus Cousins, Kevin Love and Harrison Barnes.

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Assumption that England is not producing quality coaches is incorrect – FA’s Head of Education

As soon as the English men’s team lose at major tournaments the recriminations usually begin. Why are we not as successful as other nations? We have the numbers playing the game, why do we not produce players capable of winning major tournaments?

The reasoning changes year to year, but one charge that keeps appearing is that England don’t produce as many quality coaches as the continental nations do.

The Head of Education at the Football Association Chris Earle has heard these claims many times. He is tasked with educating the countries’ coaches, from Sunday league teams to Premier League managers.

Earle’s answer to the charge that England doesn’t produce enough coaches is simple – it’s not correct. Instead the problem lies in how coaches of young players are treated.

“We’re usually criticized for not winning World Cups and other tournaments, due to the lack of coaches.We recently had a UEFA visit to the FA, a four or five day study looking at what we are doing. The findings of the UEFA group was we are one of the leading countries in Europe for delivering coaches.”

“I think what we don’t do particularly well is the deployment and reward of those coaches. Coaches in England don’t necessarily have that career pathway that they may do in Spain or Germany. So what we’re concerned with is that coaches at every level of the English game are as good as they can be, working with age specific groups”

This is the crux of Earle’s issue with English coaching. On the continent coaches of young players are cherished, and paid well, seen as a vital part of ensuring a club’s long term success. In the UK it is more seen as stepping stone to working with adults, with pay that reflects this.

Earle wants to see coaches with a talent for coaching young footballers celebrated, and offered chances to excel in that category.

“We don’t want coaches, in terms of their career pathway or kudos that they get, being forced to go through age groups and coach a leading or senior team. For example you do not want to take a fantastic classroom teacher away from the classroom by making them a head teacher necessarily. You want to keep them in the classroom. It’s the same principal we’re working on: keeping excellent coaches working with groups throughout the age ranges, whether they be eight year olds, 12 year olds, or 17 year olds.”

Earle also feels a badge seeking culture isn’t helpful to English coaches’ development. The two most significant coaching qualifications are the UEFA B and A licences.

They are unquestionably important steps in proving competence, but the feeling within the FA is that too many coaches focus solely on passing these exams, rather than learning and looking to become better coaches. Like any exam, there is a certain amount of box ticking and examiner pleasing that takes place. Earle wants to see the culture shift away from this and focus on learning.

“I think there has been this fixation with ‘getting my badges’, then I can get a job. We’re trying to change that. It’s a cultural change, it will take time. We need to encourage people to say that the coaching journey, is that, a journey. There will be hurdles in the way, that people have to get over to demonstrate their competence. But actually we’re trying to create an environment where people are curious all the time, learning all the time. It doesn’t matter if you’re a Premier League manager, who learns every day. You talk to anyone who has managed in the Premier League they will tell you it’s a learning journey, wherever you are, wherever you their experience is.”

While there is plenty of work to do be done in the coaching of young players, at an elite level, Earle’s job is a fairly simple one.

“I keep saying to people, I want owners of Premier League clubs not to have to dial international dialling codes when they are looking for their next coach or manager for their club.”

On that front Earle has some work to do. Of the 20 Premier League clubs, only six have permanent British managers (Eddie Howe, Alan Pardew, Alex Neil, Mark Hughes, Sam Allardyce and Tony Pulis).

Compare that with the split of local coaches in other leagues: 11 out of 18 in Germany, 18 out of 20 in Italy and 15 out of 20 in Spain.

“I would like to see the majority of managers in the Premier League from England, I want to make sure our English team managers are English, both men’s and women’s and all the way through the game”

English football fans will hopefully back Earle and his goals – with the hope that success off the pitch will be reflected on it.

NBA Partners With Binbit to Provide Mobile Content Across Multiple Territories

The National Basketball Association (NBA) has entered into a new multiyear partnership with Binbit.

The agreement with the provider of mobile entertainment content will see the distribution of exclusive NBA content to fans in across Latin America, order Europe and Asia.

Through the partnership, try Binbit will distribute a comprehensive lineup of NBA pictures, check videos, and audio files tailored for feature mobile phone devices within certain territories.

“As always, we are interested in bringing more value to our customers and business partners, so we saw a great opportunity in this partnership with the NBA, which is spectacular news for the fans. The NBA is a premium brand all around the world, so considering our operational territories, this is a great opportunity for both companies,” said Binbit Chairman Antoni Muntaner.

NBA Senior Vice President, Global Media Distribution & Business Operations Matthew Brabants said: “Binbit is a leading developer of mobile content, and their extensive reach will give our fans the opportunity to experience the excitement of the NBA in more ways than ever before.”

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