The Millennium Stadium in Cardiff will host the Heineken Cup final in 2014, marking the seventh and record time the Welsh capital has hosted European rugby’s premier tournament.

On top of the Heineken Cup final on 24 May, the Cardiff Arms Park will also host the Amlin Challenge Cup final a day earlier.

Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) chief executive Roger Lewis said he was ‘delighted’ to be hosting the final.

Speaking exclusively to iSportconnect, Lewis said: “We are delighted to have been chosen to again host the next Heineken Cup final at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

“The (Millennium Stadium is) the spiritual home of European rugby, it’s quite an accolade and we are so grateful to the European Rugby Cup (ERC) for awarding to the Millennium Stadium what will be its 7^th European final.

“We know from experience that it will be a fantastic rugby occasion and a great opportunity for Cardiff and Wales to welcome tens of thousands of supporters.

“There is something special about a Heineken Cup final and our events team at the stadium has a well-deserved reputation for ensuring that we deliver a spectacular atmosphere.”

Lewis also thanked ‘Team Wales’ for their continued support.

“There are so many men and women who have worked so hard to secure this final,” Lewis added.

“Most importantly we need to thank ‘team Wales’ – The Welsh assembly government, Cardiff County Council, Cardiff Blues and everyone at the Welsh Rugby Union who has put so much effort into ensuring the Millennium Stadium is awarded this fixture in 2014.”

Cardiff hosted the very first final at the old National Stadium in 1996 and last entertained the Heineken Cup final in 2011.

The decision came after the French pulled out of the running due to uncertainties over the availability of the Stade de France.

Location: Los Angeles, salve USA

Closing Date: 4th October

Overview:

The primary focus of this position is to coordinate day-to-day aspects associated with the implementation, drugs development and retention of assigned corporate partner sponsorship accounts, discount in addition to other duties to support the Corporate Partnerships team.

Principal Duties And Responsibilities

·         Coordinate day-to-day operations, activation and development of assigned Los Angeles Clippers corporate partnership accounts.

·         Act as corporate marketing consultant to partner contacts to develop and deliver on impactful, effective and measurable sponsorship platforms.

·         Participate in and lead parts of the planning, execution, tracking, and reporting of all assigned partners’ contractual elements, including but not limited to: traditional media assets (e.g. radio, print, television, digital, social, etc.), in-market promotions, in-arena activation, hospitality, experiential, and community programs.

·         Work closely with internal and external stakeholders to collaborate on the strategy and fulfillment of partnership marketing initiatives.

·         Help manage the process of measuring the effectiveness of assigned sponsorship platforms to demonstrate partner ROI and ROO using tools such as Scarborough, Repucom, independent internal studies, etc.

·         Maintain and grow partner relationships at all levels from day-to-day contacts to decision makers through regular touchpoints, including but not limited to: weekly or bi-weekly status calls; annual partner activation summit; hospitality and events; pre-season planning, mid-season check-in, and post-season recap meetings, etc.

·         Act as an extension of assigned partners’ brand, understanding the industry landscape, business objectives, challenges, opportunities, etc.

·         Responsible for directly contributing to overall department revenue goals by assisting with current sponsor partnership renewals and upsell opportunities.

·         Work with Director of Partnership Services and Corporate Sales Managers to collaborate on new sponsor partnership opportunities.

·         Maintain working knowledge of NBA approval process. Initiate process by submitting all necessary promotional materials and paperwork through the Team Promotions Proposal (TPP) process.

·         Attend and participate in weekly departmental, activation team, and game-related marketing meetings.

·         Manage both internal and external partner expectations on processes, timelines, approvals, and deadlines.

·         Represents the Clippers in pitch meetings and presentations with clients and agencies.

·         Demonstrates knowledge of the competitive landscape for the Clippers sports and entertainment properties and venues.

·         Supports the Corporate Partnerships department with tasks relating to proposals, presentation development and special project deliverables to include strategy development, writing and visuals.

·         Manage and maintain departments’ CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system to help drive sales and streamline business processes.

Characteristics / Qualifications

·         Bachelor’s degree in business management, marketing, advertising, or sports management (or similar field) from a four-year college or university required.

·         2 years of professional work experience with a consumer brand, agency, sports property or venue required. Sales and corporate marking experience preferred.

·         Computer skills required: experience with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Power Point, Outlook) is required.

·         Possess strong proficiency with Adobe Photoshop (preferred).

·         Demonstrated ability to be strategic, creative and solution-oriented.

·         Ability to establish effective client and interdepartmental relationships, manage multiple client contacts and projects, and drive business.

·         Ability to work collaboratively with a group of highly motivated individuals, and also be an independent thinker.

·         Ability to interface with colleagues, senior executives, and clients effectively and personably, recognizing the need to adjust communication style accordingly to the audience.

·         Must be able to maintain confidentiality and use the upmost discretion when privy to sensitive information.

·         Ability to maintain an impeccable professional appearance.

·         Ability to demonstrate uncompromised judgment and discretion with regard to interpersonal relationships.

·         Self-directed and able to work independently.

·         Availability and willingness to work extended hours, including nights and weekends and be on-call as necessary.

·         Demonstrated dedication with the ability to oversee projects from origin through execution.

·         Willingness to learn and should be able to flourish in a high growth, dynamic environment.

·         Effective communication skills, both oral and written.

·         Self-starter and entrepreneurial spirit with hands-on approach towards business.

How to Apply

Click HERE to apply

English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur are confident of securing a deal to make Wembley stadium their temporary home for one season after matching an offer from London rivals Chelsea.

Tottenham will have to spend the 2017/18 season away from White Hart Lane while their new £400 million, 61,000-seater stadium is under construction and are believed to have offered the Football Association (FA) a deal worth £15 million a season. 

Spurs are open to the idea of sharing the stadium with Chelsea for a season, but the Blues are reluctant to do so and made the offer in the hope of securing the stadium exclusively. 

Chelsea may have to use the national stadium for up to three years while work is being undertaken on their £500m redevelopment of Stamford Bridge, which could begin as early as next year.

The club were concerned about having to compromise over domestic and European fixtures with Spurs during 2017-18.

The FA could be the big winners if the two clubs agree to share the stadium for a season, as it could bag them as much as £80m.

FA CEO Martin Glenn admitted in September that they would be willing to allow both clubs to share the stadium.

“It’s in our interest as an association for clubs to redevelop their grounds, make superb facilities and if it’s possible to help them in that transition by using Wembley, we are absolutely supportive of that,” he said.

Tottenham were granted planning permission for their new stadium by the Haringey Council last month.

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Turkish media company Saran Media have agreed a deal to retain the English Premier League rights in Turkey.

The company will provide coverage of 380 Premier League matches over the next three years, cheap cheap with a deal until 2019.

Saran Media has had the Premier Leageu rights in Turkey for the past four cycles. 

UEFA have announced they will select the 13 host cities for Euro 2020 on Friday 19 September 2014, price with a ceremony in Geneva, apoplectic Switzerland.

UEFA President Michel Platini’s idea to host a “Euro for Europe” in various major cities across the continent was ratified by the UEFA Executive Committee in December 2012.

The matches have been split into 13 different packages. There are 12 standard packages, therapy including three group matches and one knockout round match and one package for the semi-finals and the final.

The 19 cities that have submitted bids for the standard package are, Baku, Azerbaijan, Minsk, Belarus, Brussels, Belgium, Sofia, Bulgaria, Copenhagen, Denmark, London, England, Skopje, Macedonia, Munich, Germany, Budapest, Hungary, Jerusalem, Israel, Rome, Italy, Amsterdam, Netherlands, Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Bucharest, Romania, St. Petersburg, Russia, Glasgow, Scotland, Bilbao, Spain, Stockholm, Sweden and Cardiff, Wales.

The cities that have submitted bids for the semi-final and final package are London and Munich. But German FA officials recently revealed they were contemplating dropping their Munich bid to concentrate on a potential Euro 2024 bid.

The bids will be distributed into between six and eight geographical zones which will be approved by UEFA’s Executive Committee prior to their meeting on Thursday 18 September.

Sports marketing and PR group Chime has announced the sports division has seen profits fall by 40% in the first half of 2013, see due in part to a lack of major events after London 2012.

The sports and entertainment division dragged Chime’s performance downwards according to a report in The Guardian, but are looking forward to 2014 with more major events taking place.

The division, chaired by Lord Coe, said in the same period last year the, Olympics provided a 64% profit boost, but in the first six months of 2013 an operating profit of £4.5m ($6.9m) has equated to a 40% drop.

Chris Satterthwaite, the chief executive of Chime, was not concerned though and said: “2013 was always going to be a challenging year for our sports and entertainment division but we are pleased with the progress we have made.

“We are also pleased with the progress we are making in relation to the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the Winter Olympics in Sochi. These both take place in 2014 which we are expecting to be a strong year of growth for our sport and entertainment division.”

The report ended on June 30 and also showed that the sports and entertainment division would make less revenue than previously predicted for the whole of 2013.

A statement from Chime read: “The second half of 2013 will remain challenging with financial performance depending to a large extent on what proportion of major event work for 2014 [Brazilian World Cup, winter Olympics and Commonwealth Games] is completed in 2013.

“The closure of one of the main stadiums in Rio de Janeiro for which we sell sponsorship has led to a delay in income in the first half of 2013, which we expect will continue to have an impact in the second half.

“Although sports and entertainment revenues will be lower in 2013, we now expect revenues in 2014 to be higher than we were previously forecasting.”