ICC Receive Go-Ahead To Increase Twenty20 WC Teams

ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat has announced that The International Cricket Council (ICC) is implementing plans to increase the 2014 Twenty20 World Cup from 12 to 16 teams.

Originally, the proposal was put forward at last month’s Chief Executives’ Committee (CEC) meeting, which has now been approved by the ICC’s executive board at a meeting on Monday. The move will be implemented for Bangladesh’s staging of the competition and will see the ICC’s 10 full members joined by six qualifying nations. The expansion is also being seen as a method to grant more opportunities of top-level competition to cricket’s non-Test playing nations.

“What excites me is the decision to extend the World Twenty20 event, which takes place in 2014 in Bangladesh,” said ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat, according to Reuters. “From then onwards the board has decided to expand the event to 16 teams. I’m sure that is very comforting to all associates and affiliates… it provides them with a greater chance of competing on the global stage.”

The ICC has also approved the overhaul of its top-level administration, which will lead to the creation of a powerful chairman’s position with the president’s role being transformed into a purely ceremonial one. The board-appointed chairman will lead the ICC in future with the vice-president position being scrapped. Lorgat himself is set to leave his position following the ICC’s annual conference in June, with the Council adding that four candidates have been shortlisted to replace him.

Program Manager – Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games

Location: Queensland, medstore Australia

Closing Date: 8th October

Overview:

The role of Program Manager is responsible for developing and implementing rigorous program management control and disciplines across the corporation, including strong issue, risk and assumption management. In consultation with relevant external partners, technical staff, and specialist contractors; this role will implement and manage best practices for the program including developing a culture of high performance and delivery of high quality yet efficient program outcomes. 

The role

– Specific responsibilities will include:

  • – Ensure that high quality project and program management practices are applied across GOLDOC by partnering with and mentoring Functional Area teams and assisting in the development of robust programs and risk/issue/assumption processes.
  • – Implement and facilitate the GOLODC project governance framework and project management methodology standards and processes through partnership with the Functional Area teams.
  • – Deliver program reporting and communications both internal and external as required; monitor inputs from projects for accuracy and relevance, review/identify/escalate issues, risks and assumptions.
  • – Provide timely advice and insight to the Manager Program and Risk Management and a portfolio of senior stakeholders across the organisation through data gathering, modelling and analysis to identify exceptions and recommended resolutions.
  • – Monitor and drive compliance of projects to agreed project management methods and processes; facilitating and executing quality reviews and project health checks as required. Ensure that program management integration occurs with aligned Games functions being delivered by GOLDOC and other Games delivery partners.
  • – Delivery oversight – monitoring program alignment, integration and performance. Assist in validating the integrity, coherence and alignment of projects across the program.
  • – Support and assist the knowledge transfer process (TOK).
  • – Assist Project Managers in creating schedules for projects. Monitor schedules to determine impact on the program, and help formulate actions to correct scheduling problems

About you

The successful candidate will have 5 – 10 years demonstrated experience in applying project management processes and a flexible approach in adapting practices to suit the environment as required. You will have Leadership experience in multi-disciplinary teams including team management, allocation of tasks and monitoring of outputs. Further, you will have extensive experience in the development, implementation and ongoing monitoring of governance, project management processes and methodologies.

In return, you will be given the opportunity to work within a highly dynamic environment. GREAT features daily in our organisation where the values of thinking Globally and Respecting each other and our unique abilities underpin daily activity. Where we deliver Excellence in all we do, remaining Accountable at all times and where Trust for each other ensures we work in a collaborative environment that drives team unity, passion, energy and a commitment to deliver a great Commonwealth Games in 2018.

How to Apply

Click HERE to apply

Aberdeen Asset to continue with Cowes Week

Cowes Week, ed one of the UK’s longest running and most successful sporting events, therapy has been given a boost this week with the announcement that Aberdeen Asset Management has agreed to support the sailing regatta for one more year in 2016.

Aberdeen’s original five-year title sponsorship commitment of Cowes Week came to end after the 2015 regatta.

Read more HERE.

UK Broadcaster Channel 4 Agrees F1 Production Deal With Whisper

UK broadcaster Channel 4 has awarded the production contract for its coverage of Formula One to sports production company Whisper Films.

Channel 4 secured the free-to-air rights to F1 in the UK in December after the BBC decided to end its contract three years early.

Full story HERE. 

AEG Sells MLS Franchise Houston Dynamo

Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise Houston Dynamo and Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) has announced that a group led by Gabriel Brener, sale uk viagra. CEO of Brener International Group, LLC, has acquired AEG’s interests in MLS’s Houston Dynamo, the NWSL’s Houston Dash and the BBVA Compass Stadium.

Full story HERE.

The Unicorn Company in Chinese Sports Market: Understanding the Model of LETV Sports

SPORTEL is the must-attend convention for the sports media industry leaders. For the 2015 edition, SPORTEL is proud to welcome LETV Sports, the only Chinese company who target itself as a sport marketing company rather than a media plateform only.

During the past year, the sports industry in China, particularly the sports companies, has been changing significantly. Many would be surprised to witness LETV Sports coming from nowhere to become the unicorn company, valued at 3 billion USD. But, who is LETV Sports? What is its plan?

LETV Sports was part of LETV Group and runs as an independent sports company since the beginning of 2014. LETV Group is one of the leading video internet companies in China. The main businesses of LETV include online video providing, filmmaking, consuming electronics, applications, e-commerce and agriculture.

Supported by the strong LETV Group, LETV Sports is the fastest growing sports company in China. LETV Sports is composed of four key sections: content, event management, smart hardware, value-added service.

In terms of content, LETV Sports holds almost all the important media rights in the market, ranging from football, basketball, tennis, badminton, fighting, cycling, marathon to Formula 1 and golf. In particular, Chinese fans can get access to all the top class football matches on various LETV Sports platforms (PC, Phone, Pad, Smart TV).

LETV holds the live streaming rights of UEFA Champions League, Premier League, Bundesliga, Serie A, Ligue 1, Chinese Super League, J-League, K-League, A-League, MLS, Copa America etc. And the recent acquisition of English Premier League media rights in Hong Kong territory showed LETV’s ambition in the overseas market.

LETV Sports’ various platforms are the best guarantee of its content distribution and penetration: Apart from its official website, its apps on mobile devices, it also has the broadcasting terminals on the self-produced and self-branded OTT box, the smart Super TV and the smart Super Phone.

Regarding event management, LETV Sports is providing comprehensive services, including ticketing, marketing, sponsorship, media rights, hospitality and merchandise. The operation of International Championship Cup China epitomizes LETV Sports’ ambition and ability.

In July 2015, Real Madrid, AC Milan and Inter Milan played three matches in China, which was organized and operated by LETV Sports. Also, LETV Sports is the exclusive operation partner of Chinese Women Super League.

Concerning smart hardware, LETV Sports shows its strength as a leading technology company. LETV Group has already launched Smart Super TV and Super Smartphone.

In September, LETV Smart Bicycle offered sporting fans the smart era bicycle combined with latest technology and brilliant appearance. Moreover, LETV Sports will launch several self-branded smart hardware such as personal camera and exercise equipment.

As for value-added service, LETV Sports is creating Lottery, E-commerce, O2O training services to our sports-driven fans, which highlights the mission of LETV Sports: Keep changing the sports lifestyle.

In May 2015, LETV Sports announced the Round A funding result. Wanda Group’s Wang Jianlin and an investment firm founded by Alibaba Group Holding Ltd’s Jack Ma took part in the Round A funding for LETV Sports.

These investments not only guarantee LETV Sports’ cash flow, but also the valuable resource: Wanda Group is the owner of Infront Sports & Media, and Alibaba is the biggest B2B & B2C platform in China. Recently, LETV Sports is in the Round B funding process, with market value estimated to be USD 3 billion.

In the fast growing process, LETV is also facing the challenges—few fans choose to pay for sports content, and few companies ask fans to pay. Nobody can give an answer to the question that how long China will establish a mature Pay-Tv/Pay-per-view sports media market. However, opportunities are definitely existing in this awaken sports giant country.

Russia Unwilling to Reduce Stadiums for FIFA

Russia is refusing to give in to demands by FIFA to reduce the number of stadiums for the 2018 World Cup from 12 to 10.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter had previously stated that two of the 12 planned stadiums could be cut. Blatter was in Sochi over the weekend to discuss the issue with Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko.

“The conception, clinic under which 12 stadiums in 11 cities will host World Cup matches, ampoule is not being changed, symptoms ” said Mutko.

“FIFA recommends 10 stadiums in nine cities, including two arenas in Moscow.”

Mutko expects a final decision to be made at a FIFA executive committee meeting in October. Mutko, who is one of the members of the executive committee, believes deciding any later would cause problems as construction is due to start soon at several arenas.

The Russian Sports Minister also said a FIFA delegation will begin inspecting the 2018 arenas on Wednesday, beginning with the planned 45,000-seat stadium in the central Russian city of Saransk.

The 2014 World Cup in Brazil used 12 stadiums in 12 cities and it is believed that FIFA are keen to cut some of the venues in Russia to avoid the construction delays which occurred at some Brazilian venues.

At this stage neither FIFA nor Russia have mentioned which stadiums may be cut but Mutko previously said that stadiums in the western city of Kaliningrad and southern city of Velgograd are proving the most difficult to construct.

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Audi Quattro Winter Games NZ and IMG Enter Marketing Partnership

The 2013 Audi Quattro Winter Games NZ has announced a marketing partnership with IMG to help secure coverage across traditional broadcast and digital platforms.

The deal will see Winter Games NZ work with the IMG Sales and Marketing division as well as IMG Media, sale a part of IMG Worldwide.

Martin Jolly, prostate Senior Vice President and Managing Director of IMG Australia & NZ stated in Queenstown, NZ: “We are delighted to be working again with Sport NZ and the NZ Winter Games organisation having signed IMG to a multi-year deal, to exclusively represent the commercial sponsorship rights as well as the international media and digital distribution rights. 

“We are particularly proud to have secured Audi Quattro as the naming rights sponsor for this year’s event.”

Coverage will be delivered to a minimum of 25 targeted countries through 14 daily 22-minute highlight shows, a 52-minute official film and daily video news releases.

An official release predicted the coverage would reach over one billion homes.

Chris Guinness, Senior Vice President, Head of IMG Media, Asia Pacific for IMG, said: “We are delighted to be working alongside the Winter Games NZ to assist them with growing exposure and developing the profile of the event through international TV distribution and digital media syndication.

“IMG will utilise our worldwide international sales team in sixty offices in thirty countries around the world to ensure that event highlights are seen in as many countries as possible.”

Dainty Regains Crown Of The USACA

It has been confirmed that Gladstone Dainty will remain as the president of the USA Cricket Association. Dainty won the re-election by a clear margin of 12 to two over competitor Ram Varadarajan during the weekend.

 

Gladstone Dainty had been re-elected in 2008 as well, by a closer margin of 18-15, also against California-based Varadarajan. As expected, all the four incumbent candidates were also re-elected. Kenwyn Williams, who was vying for the post of executive secretary, also won. Williams, a New Jersey resident, got 10 votes as opposed to his rival John Aaron’s five.

 

The voting for second vice-president was as follows. Rafey Syed of Chicago got six votes to Ahmed Jeddy’s five. Michael Gale of Austin, Texas became the first vice-president, getting nine votes as opposed to Shahid Ahmed and Krish Prasad, who got only two. John Thickett, also from Austin, defeated Gangaram Singh by a difference of 12-3 to retain USACA Treasurer’s chair.

NBA Confirm StubHub As Ticketing Marketing Partner

The National Basketball Association (NBA) and USA Basketball in the UK has agreed a deal with StubHub, for sale the largest secondary ticket marketplace in the US, ampoule it has been announced.

The contract will reportedly allow StubHub to become the exclusive secondary ticketing marketing partner of the NBA and USA Basketball in the UK. StubHub will also work with the NBA to support grassroots basketball development programs in the UK to further the development of the sport.

The partnership makes StubHub an official marketing partner for the games featuring USA Basketball and Great Britain men’s and women’s national teams in Manchester, adiposity on 18th and 19th July, as well as for future NBA games in the UK.

The partnership will be supported with a variety of media across the NBA network, including NBA.com and NBA TV.

StubHub is a ticketing marketplace that connects buyers to sellers, however the company does not buy or sell tickets itself, nor does StubHub receive allocations from promoters or venues – in the US, StubHub sells a ticket every second.

Geoff Lester, senior manager, business development at StubHub said: ‘We’re pleased to announce our first partnership in the UK with the NBA and USA Basketball.  We have a long history of working with NBA teams in the US and this is the first of many steps in growing from a US brand into a global brand as the NBA has done so successfully. We are thrilled to be able to provide basketball fans in the UK with a way to see some of the best basketball players in the world at some of the best venues in the UK.’

‘We are excited to have the NBA and USA Basketball serve as StubHub’s first UK marketing partners,” said Benjamin Morel, Senior Vice President, NBA Europe. “As StubHub expands its presence into the UK, we look forward to working with them on the grassroots development of the game and our efforts to bring fans more live, premier basketball events.’

In the US, StubHub has partnerships with more than 60 sports teams and leagues, including the New York Yankees, Major League Baseball and a number of premier collegiate brands such as the University of Texas and University of Michigan.

The StubHub UK site already lists over 140,000 tickets to high-profile events such as Madonna, Coldplay and Florence + the Machine with new events added daily.