Events
THE BRITISH AND IRISH CUP, a new semi-pro rugby union tournament featuring 24 teams from England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, will begin next season. The English Championship will contribute 12 teams; the Welsh Premiership 6; the Irish provinces three – Munster, Leinster and Ulster; and Scotland also three. Matches will take place over five weekends, finishing with semi-finals and finals played on April 24 and May 15, respectively.
THE RFU said England would bid to host the 2015 Rugby World Cup. The bid will propose hosting matches in England and Wales. It will be presented to the IRB council in Dublin on May 13. Members of the 2003 world cup-winning side Lawrence Dallaglio and Will Greenwood will be part of the five-person delegation making the presentation.
LIVERPOOL will stage a Davis Cup tennis event for the first time this September, when Great Britain plays Poland. The matches will take place at the Echo Arena. Great Britain must win to avoid being relegated to group two of the Euro/Africa zone - the third tier of the Davis Cup.
THE TOUR OF BRITAIN cycle race has revealed its 2009 route. The eight-day event begins in Yorkshire on September 12, and finishes in central London on September 19. Areas visited include Dumfries, Galloway, York, Bideford, Scunthorpe, Darlington, Newcastle Gateshead, Blackpool, Stoke-on-Trent, Exmoor, Frome, Bideford, Hatherleigh, and Yeovil.
THE SPORTSMAN’S ASSOCIATION asked volunteers to boycott the London Olympics due to a row over the location of shooting events. The Sportsman’s Association wants them held at the sport’s traditional home of Bisley, Surrey, instead of the planned temporary venue in Woolwich, south-east London.
RUGBY LEAGUE ROADSHOW, the Murrayfield Magic Weekend, was declared a success by the Rugby Football League. Just under 60,000 supporters travelled to Edinburgh for the weekend which saw a full round of Super League matches played in the city.
MUIRFIELD was named as the venue for the Open Championship in 2013. The Scottish course last hosted the tournament in 2002.
HARRY REDKNAPP was announced as a speaker at this year’s Soccerex Forum, taking place May 13 at Wembley Stadium. Redknapp will at a session on football club ownership, alongside Keith Harris, executive chairman of Seymour Pierce, and Alan Keen MP, chair of the All Party Parliamentary Football Group.
Personnel
VIC WAKELING, managing director of sport and news at BSkyB, will retire at the end of June. He will be replaced on the sports side by Sky Sports executive producer Barney Francis. Sophie Turner-Laing will take over responsibility for Sky News.
Marketing
CASTROL appointed UK sponsorship and hospitality agency Kempster to manage its international hospitality and ticketing programme for the football World Cup in 2010.
SYNERGY, the sports marketing consultancy, acquired the brief to plan, develop and manage Betfair’s cricket sponsorships ahead of the Ashes.
INVESTEC, the financial services firm, became the new sponsor of Epsom Racecourse’s Derby Festival, in a deal running from this year until 2013. Investec replaces Vodafone, whose association with the event concluded last year.
Legal/Regulatory
BERNIE ECCLESTONE said he would not let Ferrari’s Formula One team be destroyed by its row with FIA president Max Mosley, according to The Times newspaper. Ferrari president Luca de Montezemolo said last week that the proposed budget cap could damage the sport. Mosley responded over the weekend that, although it would be sad to see them leave, Formula One could survive without the Italian team.
DONINGTON PARK was given an extension until the end of June by local authority planners to get signed agreements required for upgrades to bring the circuit up to scratch to host the Formula One British GP in 2010. The operator of the circuit, Donington Ventures Leisure Ltd (DVLL), needs the signature of the owner of the circuit, Tom Wheatcroft. The owner is currently seeking nearly £2.5 million in rent arrears from DVLL.
Finance
WEST HAM UNITED chairman Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson’s personal debt is reported to be £300 million. A consortium of his creditors are in discussions about taking over the London club.
STAN KROENKE became the largest shareholder at Arsenal Football Club, after increasing his stake to 28.3 per cent. The American paid more than £41 million for the shares, which were bought from members of the Carr family, including Arsenal director Richard Carr.
Media
SETANTA SPORTS is trying to renegotiate its television rights contracts due to problems it is having with cash-flow. The broadcaster’s director of sport Trevor East said there was “no question” of it defaulting on any payments, in an interview with UK newspaper The Independent. The next major payment due is £35 million owed to the Football Association on May 15.
THE SCOTTISH PREMIER LEAGUE extended its media rights deal with the Sportfive agency until the end of the 2013-14 season. Sportfive will continue to market the league’s overseas broadcasting rights under the extended contract. Lex Gold, executive chairman of the SPL, said the deal would bring in more than £10m for the clubs.
