Saturday, April 16, 2016

NBA basketball to allow shirt sponsorship

NBA basketball teams will be able to sell advertising space on their playing jerseys for the first time starting from the 2017-18 season.
The NBA said teams in the league, encompassing the biggest basketball clubs in North America, could place a 2.5in (6.3cm) square sponsor's logo.
Teams until now have been unable to exploit this lucrative commercial option enjoyed by many other sports.
Experts predict the deals will generate more than $4m (£2.8m) a year for clubs.

'Deeper engagement'

The NBA, which is the first major North American sports league to announce plans to put ads on jerseys, said a small patch would appear on the front left of match jerseys as part of a three-year pilot programme.
"Jersey sponsorships provide deeper engagement with partners looking to build a unique association with our teams, and the additional investment will help grow the game in exciting new ways," said NBA commissioner Adam Silver.
Featuring their brand logo on shirts will give advertisers more opportunity to be seen by fans watching on TV.
David Carter from the USC Marshall Sports Business Institute said the pilot initiative was part of the NBA's march towards "aggressively featuring corporate brands" on team shirts.
In June, the NBA signed a $1bn sponsorship deal with Nike that places the Nike's "swoosh" logo on the right shoulder of all the NBA teams shirts.
The NBA's 30 teams will be responsible for making their own deals with sponsors for this new patch space.
"Anything that makes the individual franchise more viable will pay a positive dividend to the league itself," said Mr Carter.
The concern for teams and players will be how any new deal interacts with existing sponsorship agreements. A player, for example, that is endorsed by Pepsi may not be so keen to wear a Coke logo on their shirt.

Sport sponsorship

Company sponsorship is a huge revenue stream for sport globally.
According to Price Waterhouse Coopers global sport sponsorship revenue was worth $45.3bn (£32bn) in 2015.
Collectively, teams in England's top football division, the Premier League, brought in £200m in the 2015-2016 season from shirt sponsorship alone.
Tottenham HotspurImage copyrightGetty Images
Image captionTottenham Hotspur with their shirt sponsor logo for AIA
The potential value of these deals for the NBA will vary greatly based on team.
"The big market teams already have hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue, so as a percentage this won't be much, but for the smaller teams the percentage this could add to sponsorship revenue will be better," said Mr Carter.

Leading the way

The NBA is the first of the four big US sports to allow on shirt brand sponsorship.
The National Football League, Major League Baseball and National Hockey League do not allow sponsors logos to feature on playing shirts.
Leagues have been reluctant to put advertising on shirts for fear it will turn off fans.
The new sponsor patch will not appear on the retail version on the shirts sold at team or NBA stores, but the advertisers will be allowed to sell branded shirts at their own stores.
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Share this page Volunteering outdoors

Volunteers play an important role for many wildlife charities and organisations across the UK.
Opportunities vary from the hands-on, like acting as a wildlife guide or cleaning up waterways, to more office based areas.
There are also many volunteer opportunities in 'citizen science' work like wildlife or garden surveys.

Volunteering in the great outdoors

Volunteering to help animals and insects

Volunteering to protect woods and waterways

Citizen Science

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Aston Villa manager Eric Black wary of post-relegation 'anarchy'

Aston Villa have won only three of their 33 Premier League games
Aston Villa caretaker manager Eric Black says he will take a hardline stance to prevent "anarchy" if they are relegated from the Premier League.
Villa have lost eight successive matches and are 15 points from safety with five games of the season left.
"They're probably going to be relegated," Black said. "This could very easily implode. It could very easily turn into anarchy.
"I'm going to try and ensure that is not the case."
He added: "If they're all relegated I can only put certain parameters down to ensure that doesn't happen."
Villa will drop out of the top flight for the first time since 1987 if they fail to win at Manchester United on Saturday or if Norwich avoid defeat by Sunderland earlier in the day.
Black has told forward Gabriel Agbonlahor to undergo a personal fitness programme after deeming him unfit. He will not play for at least two weeks.
Black added: "The players are waiting to see what's going to happen here. They're all in limbo.
"They are not great elements to motivate yourself every single day.
"That's my responsibility and I will do my utmost to ensure that it continues to be done on an extremely professional basis."
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Jonas Gutierrez: Newcastle players congratulated me after tribunal victory

Jonas Gutierrez spent seven years with Newcastle United
Jonas Gutierrez says his former Newcastle United team-mates phoned to congratulate him on winning an employment tribunal against the club.
It ruled he was dropped by Newcastle because of his cancer diagnosis, with the 32-year-old suing for about £2m on grounds of disability discrimination.
Gutierrez called the ruling a "relief" but says he "can't understand" the St James' Park club's treatment of him.
"I am so frustrated about that period," the Argentine told BBC Sportshour.
The tribunal also ruled on Thursday that the club made it impossible for Gutierrez to trigger an appearance-based contract extension.
"I have good pals from my time there," he said.
"Players I have played a long period with, like Perchy [James Perch], Ryan Taylor, [Dan] Gosling, [goalkeeper] Robbie Elliott - we were so close and we continue talking sometimes."
He added: "They know what things were going on. They can't understand the way [Newcastle] treated me.
"When the court announced, they called me and said congrats because they know what I had to go through."

'I want to set a precedent'

Gutierrez, who joined Newcastle from Real Mallorca in 2008, was diagnosed with testicular cancer in October 2013.
The Argentina international sued Newcastle over the way he was treated following his diagnosis and claimed the Premier League club saw him as a liability after he returned from treatment.
Claims of unfavourable treatment and another of harassment related to disability were dismissed.
Gutierrez says he was always "honest" during his seven-year spell at St James' Park and did not directly blame owner Mike Ashley.
He said: "I don't want to say it was him.
"I don't want to speak too much about this, but one who runs the club is Mike Ashley - he is the owner, so he makes the decisions over there."
During the tribunal, Gutierrez's mother Monica Montore said she "wanted to take my own life at the club's door" due to the treatment of her son.
The midfielder says his family found it "tough", adding "it was as difficult for them as me".
Jonas Gutierrez Twitter
Jonas Gutierrez posted this message to Mike Ashley on Twitter
However, he wants his case to set a precedent for employees, not just footballers, who face similar battles.
"For me, it was the worst period in my life," he added. "I didn't deserve that type of treatment.
"It's important to leave a precedent for the future. No-one can go through this again - not footballers or any employees, that is more important.
"It made me learn a lot about life. Now we're here I'm really happy about what I've been through. To be alive and be healthy is more important for me."
Newcastle United were contacted for a response and referred to their original statement from Thursday.
"The tribunal has now given its decision in the case brought against the club by Jonas Gutierrez. It found for him on two of the four heads of claim.
"We recognise that the task facing the tribunal was a difficult one, but we are dismayed by its decision. We will now take time to consider the judgement in full and consult with our legal team to understand the options available to us."

'Once a Geordie, always a Geordie'

Newcastle currently sit 19th in the Premier League table and six points from safety, but Gutierrez says he hopes Rafael Benitez's side can avoid relegation.
"I want them to stay up," he said. "The city and the fans don't deserve to go down.
"It is a massive club. The fans are massive and they deserve to stay in the Premier League. They're in a tough situation, but I say to the fans to be positive, to believe.
"It is for me, the best years in my career. The fans, the city make me feel so at home. Once a Geordie, always a Geordie is something that is totally true.
"Once you play in that shirt you want to support that team."
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Emre Can: Liverpool midfielder out with ankle injury for four weeks

Emre Can suffered the injury late in the game at Anfield and was replaced by Lucas
Liverpool midfielder Emre Can has been ruled out for at least four weeks after rupturing ankle ligaments in the Europa League win over Borussia Dortmund.
The German, 22, limped off during Thursday's thrilling last-eight victory and left Anfield on crutches.
He is set to miss the rest of the domestic season, including the Reds' semi-final tie against Villarreal.
Fellow midfielder and captain Jordan Henderson will miss the rest of the season with damaged knee ligaments.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said: "Emre is injured. He will take time. It'll be for the next four or five weeks so we should not say the season is finished."
Should the Reds beat the Spanish side in the last four they will face either Sevilla or Shakhtar Donetsk in the Europa League final on 18 May.
Can joined Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen for £9.75m in the 2014-15 summer transfer window. This season, the Germany international has played 49 games and scored twice.
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Thursday, April 14, 2016

West Ham to pay £2.5m Olympic Stadium rent per year

West Ham released computer graphics of what their team playing at the Olympic Stadium would look like
West Ham will pay £2.5m a year to rent the 60,000-seater Olympic Stadium, it has been revealed after the deal was made public following a legal battle.
The ground's owners, the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC), fought a ruling that the contract should be published, but the appeal was rejected this week.
West Ham will pay the sum per year over the 99-year lease, the 207-page document has revealed.
The Hammers move in this summer.
The first £4m of any naming rights deal will go to the LLDC and Newham borough, with anything above that between the two bodies and West Ham, although the amount is capped.
The rent will be halved to £1.25m if West Ham are relegated.
The LLDC, which had spent thousands of pounds fighting the ruling, said the decision could cost the organisation "millions of pounds".
But it has decided not to appeal against the tribunal's ruling.
Extra payments West Ham could have to make annually
£1m if they win the Champions League£100,000 if they win the FA Cup or Europa League, or qualify for it
£250,000 if they qualify for the Champions League group stages (All payments linked to inflation)£100,000 if they finish in the top five in the Premier League, with smaller payments for other positions in the top 10
The club were awarded tenancy of the London 2012 stadium in 2013, and at least £272m has been spent to convert the site for use as a Premier League ground.
West Ham have contributed £15m towards those costs. Last year a BBC documentary revealed the club was having many of the running costs of the stadium paid for it by the taxpayer under the terms of the tenancy agreement.
The Hammers will not have to pay for a range of things including policing, stewarding, goalposts, corner flags, cleaners and turnstile operators. Heating and lighting costs will also be covered by the stadium managers.
However, stadium bosses point out that this is normal for a rental agreement, using the analogy that you would not expect to hire a badminton court and not have nets supplied.
A coalition of 14 supporters' trusts from around the country submitted a Freedom of Information request to obtain that tenancy agreement and believe the deal gives West Ham, who have played at Upton Park since 1904, a competitive advantage.
West Ham say they have nothing to hide, believe it is a "great deal" for the club and the taxpayer, and say the stadium offers a true legacy.
The club added: "Someone renting the stadium for 25 days a year cannot be responsible for 365 days' running costs."
A coalition of 14 supporters' groups and trusts of several different clubs campaigned for the information to be released. In a statement it said: "This is the right decision for the taxpayer, and the right decision for football."

Analysis

BBC Sport's Frank Keogh:
"After a long-running legal row, campaigners have finally succeeded in getting all the details of the Olympic Stadium deal made public.
"That is unlikely to completely end the story, with critics saying West Ham have got a new stadium on the cheap.
"The Hammers are keeping their distance, although insist by becoming a high-profile anchor tenant, the club is helping to ensure the venue does not become a 'white elephant'. As a tenant, it also misses out on benefits of added income which a venue owner enjoys.
"Focus may now turn to the stadium rights arrangement, and quite how much the Hammers might benefit from that."
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Barcelona: Luis Enrique takes blame for Champions League exit

Lionel Messi (left) failed to score for the fifth game in a row for Barcelona
Barcelona are "in a hole" and "finding it difficult to score goals" admitted boss Luis Enrique following their shock Champions League quarter-final defeat.
The holders were beaten 3-2 on aggregate by Spanish rivals Atletico Madrid,who won the second leg 2-0.
"The team are sad. We aren't at our best at the moment, nor our most effective," he said.
"I'm 99.9% to blame, no 100. That's why I am the coach, the most responsible. We all have to improve."
Antoine Griezmann scored both goals for Atletico at the Vicente Calderon, while Lionel Messi failed to net for the fifth club game in a row.
"It is clear that we are not in our best form, especially if you consider how we were playing before, but we need to lift ourselves," added Enrique.
It is only the third time in 11 years that Barcelona have not reached the semi-finals of the Champions League.
They are three points clear of Atletico at the top of La Liga, but have lost three of their past four games in all competitions.
"It was the game we predicted, although perhaps I didn't expect Atletico to play so deep. It wasn't our best day," added Enrique, who won the treble in his first year in charge at Barca.
"We have to stay calm and think that we still have two competitions where we are in the running.
"Everyone can choose the explanation. To give mine I have to analyse the performance. It is not our best time, but it is not the time to be nervous."
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