China’s Rastar Group has confirmed it is set to purchase a 56% controlling stake in Spanish LaLiga club Espanyol.

The company said it will pay €78 (£55) for each share of the La Liga club for a 45.1-56% stake in a deal valued between €14.3-17.8m (£10.1-£14m).

Read more HERE.

The latest episode of iSportconnect TV’s Weekly Round Up is available now, medstore with Tokyo 2020 and the 2022 Winter Olympic Games on the agenda.

iSportconnect TV Editor Jay Stuart was joined by Tim Crow, prescription CEO of Synergy Sponsorship and Marzena Bogdanowicz, discount the Founder of b-focused, to talk about the subjects in a week where bidding for the 2022 Winter Games reached a pinnacle point and IOC President Thomas Bach visited Tokyo for the first time.

Tim lent his sponsorship knowledge to the programme and in particular his expertise of Tokyo 2020. Synergy Sponsorship boasts a number of brands who are involved in Olympic sponsorship, including Coca-Cola and BMW. Tune into the show to see how Tim thinks Olympic sponsorship will move into an Asian cycle as the Tokyo 2020 Games approach.

Alongside Tim was Marzena, who has over 15 years’ experience working in Olympic marketing. Marzena talks about the need for host nation athletes to perform well for a Games to be a success and discusses the six bidding cities for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games.

Tune into iSportconnect TV to watch the whole of the Weekly Round Up.

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London’s Olympic Stadium will host five games at the Ruby World Cup in 2015 along with 12 other venues.

Twickenham will host the opening match and Millennium Stadium, Kingsholm and Exeter’s Sandy Park are the only rugby venues in the list.

Football stadiums Wembley, St James’ Park, Elland Road, the Etihad and Villa Park will also be used for the tournament.

The 82,000 capacity Twickenhma will host 10 games, including three of England’s four pool games, two quarter-finals, both semi-finals and the final itself on 31 October.

The Olympic Stadium, that West Ham United recently acquired, will host pool games involving South Africa, New Zealand and France, as well as the Ireland vs. Italy match on 4 October and the bronze match on 30 October.

The 13 venues were selected from a list that was announced back in October 2012.

Sandy Park and the Etihad were added to the list after Old Trafford was withdrawn.

World Cup venues:

Twickenham – 81,605 (London) (10 games)

Wembley – 90,256 (London) (two games)

Olympic Stadium – 54,000 (London) (five games)

Millennium Stadium – 74,154 (Cardiff) (eight games)

Etihad Stadium – 47,800 (Manchester) (one game)

St James’ Park – 52,409 (Newcastle) (three games)

Elland Road – 37,914 (Leeds) (two games)

King Power Stadium – 32,312 (Leicester) (three games)

Villa Park – 42,785 (Birmingham) (two games)

Kingsholm – 16,115 (Gloucester) (four games)

Stadium MK – 30,717 (Milton Keynes) (three games)

Amex Stadium – 30,750 (Brighton) (two games)

Sandy Park – 12,300 (Exeter) (three games) 

Relegated Premiership rugby club London Welsh have released a statement expressing their disappointment in dropping to the Championship and suggesting their future home could depend on where they find investment.

Defeat against Northampton on the weekend condemned London Welsh to the drop and primary investor Kelvin Bryon has said he will pull his investment at the end of the season in June.

Relegation and a lack of investment has raised questions over where the club will play their rugby next season, drug with their current ground, buy Oxford United’s Kassam Stadium, drugs proving too costly for Championship rugby.

Chairman Bleddyn Philips has released a statement confirming their future will depend on where they find investment. He said: “Despite heavy investment by certain other people, serious and sustained efforts to identify further major potential investors have proved unsuccessful thus far as have attempts to try and attain a more equitable means of central funding.

“We will of course continue our efforts on the above matters and this is certainly one factor which will have a bearing on where we may base ourselves for next season.”

Bleddyn confirmed that staying in Oxford, where the club have generated a strong supporter base, is still an option, as is returning to their roots at Old Deer Park.

On top of this news, CEO Tony Copsey has stepped down. Copsey said: “I’m obviously very disappointed to be stepping down as the CEO of London Welsh, but given the situation I did not feel carrying on in my current capacity was the best for me or the club.

!I will continue to support the club going forward and wish it all the best in the very challenging times it faces ahead.

“I know it has the players, the staff and the spirit to overcome the difficulties it has had to contend with in recent weeks and would like to thank all the staff, players and supporters, who have been tremendous in their support and professionalism through increasingly difficult times.”

Location: Sydney, Austrailia

Closing Date: 16th September

Overview:

Key Responsibilities

• – Lead the development and execution of FFA’s PR, Media & Communications strategy
• – Contribute to the development and implementation of the FFA’s strategies communicating the right message, fan engagement, increasing participation and growing investment in the game
• – Develop an effective stakeholder based media strategy to ensure proactive reputation management, whilst mitigating reputational risk and issues through the development of appropriate network across all the broadcast and consumer media, sports journalist and other key influencers
• – Develop key messages for media and maximise newsworthiness of public relations initiatives. Leading and anticipating the conversation amongst the football community as much as responding to it.
• – Ensure that there is consistency and clarity in external messages,  by working in association with the key internal leaders to develop and implement proactive media relations strategy to appropriately position the FFA’s brand image
• – Responsibility for the proactive development and support of FFA policy position on public affairs, government relationships and corporate and social responsibility.
• – Support the communications of FFAs strategic and business objectives to key stakeholder groups across the SMT and staff but also member federations, HAL clubs, media, government, commercial partners
• – Build relationships with key media on behalf of the FFA globally, inclusive of football writers, sports journalists, news editors, radio & television programs, columnists, public commentators, bloggers etc.
• – Responsible for production of all FFA publications, including but not limited to the event media guides and the FFA annual report
• – Ensure all external corporate messages are delivered in a timely and effective manner. Support the CEO and the Board in the production of all presentations, speeches and media interviews
• – Monitor media coverage , informing the relevant internal stakeholders on issue coverage and recommending relevant responses

Essential:

• – Demonstrate significant experience and expertise in developing, formulating strategies and leading a communications department in similar, large, complex and issues rich environment managing external affairs, corporate media and reputational issues globally, preferably for internationally focused sports organisation or within football
• – Demonstrated experience in gaining positive coverage for PR initiatives / corporate positions in a large organisation and track record in delivering clear and consistent communications strategies
• – Strong network and established relationships with sporting media contacts globally
• – Ability to generate significant engagement with various key audiences and negotiate with stakeholders
• – Significant experience acting as a corporate spokesperson
• – Ability to work efficiently and lead in a fast paced, pressurised environment
• – Proven track record of managing and building relationships, internally and externally to get the best out of people at all levels
• – Significant experience operating and advising at an executive level
• – High degree of personal resilience and integrity and a willingness to operate autonomously, proactively and creatively
• – A passion and understanding for football and sport in general
• How to Apply

This role is being exclusively managed by SRi. Letters of application and full CV’s should be sent by email to jharris@sriexecutive.com. 

The world’s leading consumer goods manufacturer Procter & Gamble will become an official FC Bayern München Partner in Germany, drug Austria and Switzerland as of July 2016.

The partnership, cough unveiled at a press conference on Wednesday, adiposity incorporates Procter & Gamble’s entire brand and product portfolio.

The initial focus involves TV and digital campaigns, in-store promotions and special edition products for the Gillette, Braun, Head & Shoulders and Oral-B brands.

Read more HERE.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has awarded the broadcast rights in Brazil for the Olympic Games to Grupo Globo through to 2032.

Grupo Globo has acquired rights across all broadcast platforms, thumb including free-to-air television (on a non-exclusive basis), ailment | and pay TV, internet and mobile (on an exclusive basis).

The agreement covers the Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang in 2018, the Tokyo 2020 Games, the Olympic Winter Games in Beijing in 2022, as well as all Olympic Games through to 2032.

Globo already holds the rights for the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro, along with Banderiantes and Rede Record.

Thomas Bach, the president of the IOC, said: “This long-term agreement with our partner Grupo Globo demonstrates the confidence we have in them as Brazil’s leading media organization.

“In addition to broadcasting the Olympic Games until 2032, Grupo Globo has committed significant year-round promotional support for sport and the Olympic values, which will contribute to ensuring another positive long term legacy from the Olympic Games next year.”

Roberto Irineu Marinho, the chairman and CEO of Grupo Globo, commented: “We are very proud to be entrusted to broadcast the Olympic Games, the world’s greatest sporting event, until 2032.

“Our relationship with the IOC and the Olympic Movement goes back many years and this long-term renewal of our agreement shows the absolute faith that Grupo Globo has in our country, in the Olympic spirit and in the future.”

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The Football Association (FA) has announced that Stuart Turner will be stepping down from his role as FA Group commercial director at the end of the season. 

Turner has spent 11 years at the FA, ed joining as head of broadcast in September 2004 and going on to become FA Group commercial director in June 2011 and a Wembley National Stadium Limited Director in September 2015.

He will officially step down after the 2016 FA Cup final.

Giving his decisions for stepping down, Turner said: “Having worked 11 years at The FA, which has included four cycles of domestic and overseas broadcast sales and two sponsorship cycles, I feel that it’s time to seek new opportunities across the sports industry. 

“However in the intervening months before I leave The FA, there is much to do in terms of broadcast and sponsorship sales and in helping Martin Glenn and the rest of the Executive develop our new structure, which will do so much to transform football in this country.

“Once we’re through that period I’ll reflect more fully on my time at The FA, but suffice to say that I’m honoured to have served here.”

FA Chief Executive Officer Martin Glenn said: “When Stuart came to see me with his decision, I was naturally disappointed but I fully respect his decision to seek new challenges away from The FA.

“Stuart has done much to transform the fortunes of The FA since he arrived and over £1.5bn in attributable revenue in that time is testament to that.

“We both thought it important however to get the news out early, not least in order that we can find a replacement for Stuart, a process with which he has agreed to help. That process starts now, but in the meantime, Stuart will lead the commercial division and it’s very much business as usual.”

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