01 cover sbi 152.indd - FIFA/CIES International University Network

SIR KEITH MILLS 

On the America’s Cup and 

changing sport’s rules on 

environmental engagement 

AHMED HUSSEIN 

On the economic and 

strategic aims behind Abu 

Dhabi’s sporting expansion 

PAUL SAMUELS 

On sporting responsibility 

and making sponsorship 

sales easier, not harder 

ISSUE No. 152 • 12.09 

SportBusiness International • Issue No. 152 • 12.09 

TOP 

BLATTER HEADS ‘MOST INFLUENTIAL’ POLL 

MAN 

INFORMATION, INSIGHT AND ANALYSIS FOR THE GLOBAL SPORTS SECTOR

WHERE SPORT 

MEETS 

SportAccord is the new collective name for over 100 member associations including International Sports Federations 

and Rights Holders. Together, they award rights to more than 1,000 International Sports Events each year. 

The SportAccord International Convention is your annual opportunity to meet them and the global sport business 

community to exchange ideas and create partnerships that will define and shape the future of sport. 

If you only attend one networking event in 2010, make sure it counts. 

www.sportaccordconvention.com 

DUBAI 

25 – 30th April 2010 

ATLANTIS HOTEL, THE PALM 

SportAccord Convention 2010 Gold Sponsors:

12.09 CONTENTS 

SportBusiness International • No. 152 • 12.09 

REGULARS 

08 Agenda 

Looking ahead, comment 

and analysis 

14 Brands and Marketing 

Visa renews with the IOC and 

US professional teams join 

forces to beat the recession 

18 Media 

The EPL’s success in Asia 

and growing boxing’s reach 

22 Events 

Events the NFL way, Qatar’s 

2018 ambition and ticketing 

26 Headliner 

Sir Keith Mills, 

Principal, TEAM ORIGIN 

66 

VOICES 

PAGE 26 

“This has been an unhappy period for the 

Americas Cup which is indicative of the 

fact it is governed by an out of date 

structure. There is a ground swell of 

opinion - including the Defender and the 

Challenger - that a new governance 

structure needs to be put in place.” 

Sir Keith Mills 

Principal, TEAM ORIGIN 

26 

22 

70 Big Debate 

Which incidents have had 

the greatest impact on the 

business of sport in 2009 

72 Most Influential... 

Sport ’s Top 20 People 

82 People 

Mark Hargreaves, COO, 

Knowledge MGI 

FEATURES 

30 It’s All in a Name 

The fresh thinking driving naming rights deals 

34 Shaping up to the 21 st Century 

The stadia, arena and facilities pushing boundaries of innovation 

38 The Gold Standard 

The SportBusiness Sports Event Management Awards 

48 Motoring On 

The lowdown on F1, Rally, Nascar, MotoGP and SuperBikes 

62 Jumping for Success 

Rights Focus: Jump Racing 

66 An Increasing Influence 

International Focus: The Middle East 

PAGE 66 

“It’s a good start for motor sport in Abu 

Dhabi. To compete in [the wider] 

economic sense, we need these kind of 

activates as a catalyst to build more 

infrastructure for better growth.” 

Ahmed Hussein, 

Head of Sports & Events Marketing, 

Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority 

PAGE 70 

“Commercially it is going to be another 

tough year. Teams, governing bodies 

and owners are going to have to 

perform, behave and play by the rules 

- they need to make the sponsorship sell 

easier not harder.” 

Paul Samuels, 

Executive Director, 

AEG Sponsorship 

62

UPDATA 12.09 

www.sportbusiness.com 

DEAL oF THE MoNTH 

Global financial services 

provider Barclays agreed a 

three-year deal to extend its 

title sponsorship of the English 

Premier League. 

About the deal 

Barclays has been sponsor of 

the Premier League since 2001, 

using its Barclaycard brand from 

2001 to 2004. The deal covers 

the global title sponsorship 

of the Premier League and 

includes exclusive worldwide 

marketing rights, UK and 

international TV programme 

accreditation, extensive 

advertising packages, matchday 

tickets and hospitality. Barclays 

will also continue to include the 

biennial pre-season tournament, 

the Barclays Asia Trophy. 

What drove the deal 

“The Barclays Premier League 

sponsorship has been very 

successful for Barclays and 

the strategic fit is stronger 

than ever. The sponsorship is a 

very important element of our 

marketing mix and provides a 

cost effective method to market 

our organisation, helping us in our 

ambition to be one of a handful of 

banks leading the global financial 

services industry,” said Barclays 

president Robert E. Diamond Jr. 

What’s it worth 

$134.5 million over three years. 

ToP 30 SPoNSoRSHIP DEALS: OCTOBER 2009 

Sponsor Value Duration Deal 

No Sponsor Industry Country Event or Activity type ($m) (years) type 

1 Barclays Financial Services - Banking UK Barclays Premiership Event 134.5 3 R 

2 Staples Office Equipment USA Staples Center Organisation 100+ R 

3 ING Financial Services - Banking Netherlands Holland Team 40 8 N 

4 Mars Financial Services - Other UK English Football Association Organisation 40 5 N 

5 Thomas Cook Travel UK London Olympics 2012 Tier Two sponsor Event 35 3 N 

6 Garmin Consumer Electronics USA Garmin-Slipstream Team 18 3 R 

7 Repsol Oil/Petrol International Honda team in Moto GP Team 16 1 R 

8 Enterprise Rent-A-Car Car Rental USA NHL Organisation 12 3 N 

9 Puma Clothing - Sports Czech Republic Tomas Rosicky Personality 10+ N 

10 TW Steel Watches/Timing International Renault Team 10+ 3 N 

11 Mercedes Cars/Automotive USA US Open Event 10+ 4 N 

12 Babolat Clothing - Sports USA Andy Roddick Personality 10 4 R 

13 Nordea Financial Services - Banking Sweden Scandinavian Masters Event 9 3 N 

14 adidas Clothing - Sports UK Scottish Football Association Team 8 4 N 

15 Lindt Food - Confectionery International Roger Federer Personality 7.5 5 N 

16 Jacobs Creek Drinks - Wine Australia Australian Open Event 7.5 3 N 

17 Rolex Watches/Timing USA Andy Roddick Personality 5 - 9.9 R 

18 Valero Energy Energy/Power/Gas/Electricity USA Alamo Bowl Event 7.2 4 R 

19 Omega Watches/Timing Dubai Dubai Desert Classic Event 6 5 N 

20 Ford Cars/Automotive New Zealand New Zealand Cricket Team 5.4 3 N 

21 FedEx Couriers/Freight Europe Heineken Cup Event 5 4 R 

22 Efes Pilsener Drinks - Beer International Euroleague Basketball Event 4.2 3 R 

23 Friends Provident Financial Services - Insurance UK Friends Provident T20 Event 4 N 

24 McDonalds Restaurants Thailand Thailand Team 2.96 N 

25 John Smith’s Drinks - Beer UK John Smith’s Grand National 2011 to 2013 Event 2 3 R 

26 Visa Financial Services - Credit Cards UK Olympic Games Event 2 3 R 

27 Fujitsu General Engineering UK V8 Supercar Series Event 2 2 R 

28 Copart Cars/Automotive USA Roush Fenway Racing Team 2 1 N 

29 UMB Bank Colorado Financial Services - Banking USA Denver Botanic Gardens’ amphitheater Organisation 1 - 2.49 3 N 

30 Totinos Pizzas Restaurants USA Winter Dew Tour Event 1 - 2.49 1 N 

Notes: Fees are reported/estimated. (N) - New deal; (R) - Renewal 

Source: The World Sponsorship Monitor produced by Sports Marketing Surveys. Contact: nigelg@sportsmarketingsurveys.com 

SNAPSHoT 

BETTING INDUSTRY GRoWING STRoNG IN SHIRT SPoNSoRSHIPS 

Football shirt sponsorships 

have defied the credit crunch 

and stabilised across Europe’s 

six key leagues at a total of 

€395.5 million, according to 

SPORT+MARKT’s 11th European 

Jersey Report. 

Banking / Financial services / insurance 

Energy Supplier 

Telecommunications 

Betting/ Lottery 

Travel/ Tourism/ Accomodation 

Others 

The betting industry has been a 

driving force in avoiding a fall in 

value in the shirt sponsorship 

market for the 2009-10 season, 

despite operators having to 

find their way around betting 

restrictions in certain European 

markets, including France. 

“With the international exposure 

of English and Spanish teams, 

they provide a perfect global 

advertising platform to reach 

football fans across all markets, 

worldwide,” said Gareth Moore, 

SPORT+MARKT International 

Sales Director. 

29.0 

43.4 

48.3 

Source: SPORT+MARKT European Jersey Report 2009/10 

142.8 

Total 

395.5m 

56.4 

75.6 

4 SportBusiness International • No.152 • 12.09

UPDATA 12.09 

FERRARI SLUMP SEES RATINGS PLUMMET 

FoRMULA oNE television 

audiences in Spain and Italy 

fell drastically in the 2009 

season, reflecting disappointing 

performances by Spanish driver 

Fernando Alonso and Italian 

constructor Ferrari, which suffered 

its worst season in 16 years. 

According to the latest sports 

viewing survey from Eurodata TV 

Worldwide and TV Sports Markets, 

the big falls in Spain and Italy 

were partly counterbalanced by 

a significant lift in UK audiences. 

Viewership in the other two top 

European markets, France and 

Germany, remained broadly stable. 

Audiences in Spain dropped 

29 per cent on 2008, with Alonso’s 

worst-ever season coinciding with 

coverage shifting from what was 

the country’s leading commercial 

broadcaster, Telecinco, to smaller 

rival La Sexta. La Sexta’s live 

coverage averaged just under 

three million viewers per race. 

Audiences for Italian publicservice 

broadcaster Rai’s coverage 

fell 21 per cent against 2008, when 

Average live television audiences for Formula one 

Market 2009 season 2008 season % change 

000s Share (%) 000s Share (%) 08 v 09 

France 3,119 30.4 3,096 29.2 +0.74 

Germany 5,206 38.2 5,145 39.0 +1.19 

Italy 5,587 40.3 7,101 50.0 -21.32 

Spain 2,962 31.1 4,194 46.0 -29.38 

UK 4,743 47.7 4,079 41.0 +16.3 

Sources: TV Sports Markets, Eurodata TV Worldwide / Mediametrie - BARB - AGF/Gfk 

Fernsehforschung - AUDITEL - TNS Audiencia de Medios - All Rights Reserved 

Ferrari won the championship, 

averaging some 5.6 million viewers 

per race. 

In the UK, Jenson Button’s 

championship season provided 

a perfect start for public-service 

broadcaster the BBC, which took 

over the rights at the start of this 

year from commercial rival ITV. 

In France, audiences for 

commercial broadcaster TF1 rose 

less than one per cent to 

3.1 million. Some 33 per cent of 

the audience was women, slightly 

lower than the gender split for 

Champions League football, where 

35 per cent of TF1’s audience is 

women. In Germany, RTL averaged 

5.2 million viewers per race, with 

the penultimate race of the season 

in Brazil attracting the season-high 

of 7.2 million viewers and a 

28-per-cent audience share. 

The full 2009 F1 season’s viewing will 

be released in the Yearly Sport Key 

Facts Special Report from Eurodata 

TV Worldwide/Mediametrie. 

Eurodata TV Worldwide is the leading 

provider of sports television audiences, 

with access to ratings and programming 

details for 2,000 channels over five 

continents. Eurodata TV Worldwide 

offers a range of services to help clients 

successfully market TV programmes and 

monitor their broadcasts. 

Florent Simon 

Eurodata TV Worldwide Sport Manager 

Email: fsimon@eurodatatv.com 

Tel: +33 171 099 307 

TVSPORTSMARKETS 

TV Sports Markets is No.1 for the 

business of TV sports. With its unrivalled 

knowledge of TV rights deals and 

markets around the world, it provides 

market-leading analysis of the sector 

in a range of publications and bespoke 

research products. 

Ben Speight 

Head of Research, TV Sports Markets 

Email: ben@tvsportsmarkets.com 

Tel: +44 207 954 3505 

SportBusiness International • No.152 • 12.09 5


SPORTBUSINESS IN NUMBERS

COMMENT 

“The deal covers all territories 

where the Festival of Christmas is 

celebrated. This is a true partnership. 

Boogaloogaloo Santa will become far 

more efficient as a result of the deal.” 

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Cover Photo: Getty Images Sport 

Printed in the UK by: 

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SportBusiness International 

is published monthly © SBG 

Companies Ltd 2009. All rights 

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ISSN 1757-5346. 

KEVIN ROBERTS ON THE DIFFICULTIES IN GENERATING NEW REVENUES 

WHILE SECURING THE CONTINUED SUPPORT OF THE FANS... 

THE GLOBAL MARKETING COMMUNITY applauded 

a significant breakthrough in late November when 

emerging Asian search engine operator Boogaloogaloo 

announced a wide-ranging deal with the government of 

Lapland to become title sponsor of Santa and his portfolio 

of elves, reindeer and other helpers. 

A key element of the agreement is an initial five-year 

naming rights deal for Santa’s Grotto which will become 

known as: The Grotto@boogaloogaloo.com. 

All lead reindeer, including the world-famous Donner 

and Blitzen are included in the multi million Dollar 

agreement, although Rudolph, who remains under 

contract to the Red Nose Organisation, is excluded. 

“This is an excellent deal for Boogaloogaloo,” said 

its CEO. “It is the result of painstaking market research 

which revealed that to compete in a global marketplace 

we had to take steps to gain brand recognition and real 

traction among the key 5-12 years age group. After all, 

children are our future.” 

“The deal covers all territories where the Festival of 

Christmas is celebrated or where Santa is recognised. 

And that represents most of the world. This is a true 

partnership. Boogaloogaloo Santa will become far more 

efficient as a result of the deal. Our technology will enable 

kids to enter an on-line examination to determine whether 

they have been Good or Bad in the previous 12 months. 

The results of these will determine what types of presents 

they will be allowed to select from the offerings of the 

specially chosen and quality controlled suppliers chosen 

by and accessed via Boogaloogaloo.com 

“Once verified by Boogaloogaloo chief Elf, their 

gifts choices will be delivered by a sleigh guided by 

our specially developed SantaNav. This eliminates the 

possibility of children being disappointed by receiving the 

wrong presents.” 

A spokesman for the Lapland government, Mr S. Kimo, 

described the deal as “a truly mould-breaking partnership 

which will change the face of Christmas.” Asked by 

journalists to comment on the moral stability of Santa - who 

has previously been caught Kissing Mummies under the 

Mistletoe and drinking Sherry - Mr Kimo said: “We have 

no concerns. This is dealt with by a part of the agreement 

known as the Santa clause. This provides strict guidelines for 

Santa’s behaviour 365 days a year. We want him to be a proud 

ambassador for Lapland and Boogaloogaloo and to share and 

exemplify our brand values…whatever those may be.” 

The Boogaloogaloo deal is widely seen as pushing 

the sponsorship envelop in new directions and has been 

described in some quarters as ‘simply unbelievable.’ In 

fact, that scenario may be slightly more believable than 

an earlier deal which saw Mike Ashley, owner of English 

second tier football club Newcastle United announcing 

that the club’s historic stadium was to be named for his 

company, Sports direct. 

In an inelegant attempt at compromise, the ground is 

now known as sportsdirect.com@StJames’Park, a move 

which flies in the face of common sense, respect for fans 

and more or less every chapter in the Sponsorship text book. 

It is not our job to lecture Mike Ashley on making money. 

While accepting that there may be some clever 

accountancy reasons for the Sports Direct naming rights 

deal, it appears to fall down in more or less every other 

respect. Let’s start with the fans…who hate it. Newcastle 

is a one club city and the passion for everything Black 

and white runs deep. For the fans, St James’ Park means 

something special and the addition of an ugly commercial 

moniker is seen as desecration. 

Second, if the fans aren’t going to embrace the new 

name you can be sure that the media won’t. It’s difficult 

to imagine a single broadcaster referring to the ground 

by its new name. You can lead media horses to water but 

not make them drink. Legend has it that when Fosters 

first sponsored The Oval cricket ground, the BBC taped a 

notice to the commentary box wall reminding its staff that 

‘This Is The Oval -Not The Fosters Oval. 

Attitudes have, of course, relaxed significantly over the 

years and the media is now far more comfortable with the 

use of commercial names. But the fact remains that they 

really only seem natural when the facility in question has 

absolutely no history (see feature on pages 30-32). At a new 

facility, fans can embrace the sponsors, maybe even feel a 

little grateful that their cash has helped in some way with 

the creation of the stadium of arena. But to impose a name 

- particularly such a clumsy one - on a much loved and 

revered venue is simply asking for trouble. In many ways it’s 

the equivalent of sticking two fingers up at your customers. 

But looking on the bright side, even Newcastle United 

doesn’t have to deal with the same issues as the Colorado 

Rapids who play in Major league Soccer. Their impressive, 

purpose-built stadium is considered something of a 

masterpiece but it rejoices in the name of its sponsor…. 

Dick’s Sporting Goods Field. 

Naturally, Fans know it simply as The Dick. Quite what 

that does for the sponsor brand is anybody’s guess! 


AGENDA 

SHORTSTOP 

Super 15: Melbourne was chosen as 

the location for the 15th franchise in the 

expanded Super Rugby competition from 

2011. The Australian city was chosen by 

independent arbitrators after SANZAR, 

the body representing the rugby unions 

of South Africa, New Zealand and 

Australia, failed to reach an agreement 

between Melbourne and a competing bid 

from South Africa’s Southern Kings. 

MLB: The New York Yankees win in the 

MLB’s World Series was worth $59.6 

million in direct spending to business 

in New York City. Each of the playoff 

matches played at the Yankees’ stadium 

brought in $6.7 million from visiting 

fans, players and media, according to 

research by the Economic Development 

Corporation. 

Formula One: The Brawn GP F1 team 

will be renamed Mercedes Grand Prix 

from next season, after it was bought 

by carmaker Daimler AG and Abu 

Dhabi-based investment fund Aabar 

Investments PJSC. Daimler bought 

a 45.1 per cent stake and Aaber 30 

per cent. Team manager Ross Brawn 

retains a shareholding along with four 

other directors. 

BSkyB:UK pay-operator BSkyB said a 

review panel’s recommendations on 

protected sporting events for freeto-air 

UK TV could have a “disastrous 

impact” on the long-term health of UK 

sports bodies. The panel, led by former 

English Football Association executive 

director David Davies, recommended 

that Ashes Test matches, home and 

away international football qualifiers, 

the Open Championship, the whole of 

Wimbledon, the entire Rugby World Cup 

and Welsh Six Nations should be added 

to the current list. 

MCC: Marylebone Cricket Club chief 

executive Keith Bradshaw denied 

reports that the organisation is to 

consider selling the naming rights of 

the Lord’s cricket ground alongside 

a massive redevelopment scheme to 

modernise the stadium. 

European Football: German police said 

“high ranking European leagues” are 

involved in a match-fixing operation it 

has uncovered. Uefa has supported the 

investigation, providing the police with 

data on unusual betting patterns. 

Premier League: Manchester United 

manager Sir Alex Ferguson said the 

growth of foreign ownership of English 

Premier League clubs has made club 

chairmen more impatient for results. 

RAISING THE BAR 

Paul Deighton, LOCOG chief 

executive, said the Olympics and 

Paralympics would generate around 

£400 million from ticket sales. 

DEIGHTON ALSO SAID that he was aiming for 

between £600 and£700 million from private 

sponsorship, with £550 million already secured. 

Speaking at the Sport Event Management 

conference, he said: “If you look at the revenue 

we have yet to capture, the principal component 

will be from ticketing. Something like £400 

million will come through ticketing. We are 

building business plans for each of the sports to 

make sure that we can get tickets in the hands of 

the people who most want to be there.” 

Speaking before the announcement of BMW 

as LOCOG’s seventh Tier 1 sponsor, Deighton 

said it had been tough raising sponsorship cash 

in the economic downturn. “If I can point to 

the most gravity defying accomplishment of the 

project so far it’s raising that money in the light 

of extraordinarily difficult economic conditions. 

“It says a lot about the power of the Olympic 

and Paralympic brands, it says a lot about the 

BRAND BUILDING 

McCann Worldgroup promises to 

communicate the ‘truth’ when it 

takes control of the the ‘look and feel’ 

the London 2012 brand. 

“NEVER BEFORE has the public had a greater 

ability to scrutinise and control the messages we 

send,” said Brett Gosper, President & CEO of 

McCann Worldgroup EMEA. “Truth, more than 

ever is a brand’s most valuable asset.” 

As LOCOG’s Official Marketing Services 

Provider, McCann Erickson, supported by 

other Interpublic agencies, will be responsible 

for advertising, promotion and digital 

communications in relation to 2012. It will work 

with Greg Nugent who took the newly created 

role of brand and marketing director. Nugent is 

tasked with building the 2012 brand, reporting 

into Paul Deighton, who will concentrate on 

driving further commercial revenue. 

The agency will offer services worth up to 

£10 million in value-in-kind in return for 

obtaining third-tier sponsorship rights. It beat off 

competition from rivals WPP Group. 

“Every agency in London worth its salt went 

for the first round of the tender,” said Nick 

Sykes, managing partner, McCann Erickson. “It 

became obvious that LOCOG were looking for 

something quite different in terms of the tender, 

a genuine partnership for three and a half years, 

across every discipline”. 

Not yet on sale - Getty Images Sport 

appetite of this country to be involved in making 

this an incredible success.” He also defended 

the decision to abandon plans for a temporary 

venue for badminton and rhythmic gymnastics 

meaning athletes will journey across the capital 

to compete at existing venue Wembley Arena. 

“In this economic environment it’s not really 

acceptable to taxpayers to build a temporary 

venue when you already have an acceptable one. 

“It’s hard to say we were not prepared to send 

athletes another 15 minutes on the road... that 

we’d rather spend a lot more money and build 

something that we are then going to take down.” 

Truth behind the brand - Getty Images Sport 

It is the first time any Olympic Organising 

Committee has ever secured such a groundbreaking 

agreement for a marketing services 

partnership. Success for McCann, Sykes says, 

will be defined in three ways. “It will allow us 

to showcase our work in front of a huge global 

audience. Secondly, we will have proved the 

business case for bidding for the work in the 

first place. And thirdly, and this is more of a soft 

measure, it makes us one of the most attractive 

employers in the UK communications scene.” 

Lord Coe, chairman of LOCOG, described 

London 2012 as the two largest sporting events 

on the planet and said “marketing them has to 

be one of the most complex tasks that any agency 

can face. McCann Worldgroup is one of the few 

companies in the UK which has the breadth and 

depth of capability to help us deliver the Games.” 

8 SportBusiness International • No. 152 • 12.09

INSIGHT 

MIRIAM SHERLOCK 

Editor 

SportBusiness International 

“The way the America’s Cup works is that you 

have to win it to have a say on how it is run,” 

explains Paco Latorre, communications director 

for America’s Cup Management and spokesman 

for Alinghi 

In agreeing to race in Valencia in February and 

in publishing the Notice of Race - the rules and 

regulations that will govern the next edition of the 

event - Cup holder Alinghi has seemingly ensured 

the next chapter of the America’s Cup will actually 

unfold next year. But beyond that, the future of the 

competition is unclear. 

Arguments over the structure of the 

competition have led to a crippling two-year court 

battle between Alinghi (as the Defender) and rival 

BMW Oracle. Primarily a battle over who was the 

legitimate Challenger following the 2007 Cup, the 

legal issues have also stretched to cover disputes 

over the race Protocol and the venue. 

Latorre says despite resolution on the venue 

there are still three lawsuits pending and there 

remain a number of technical issues about how 

the 2010 race will be carried out. Nevertheless, he 

says, these should not stop the boats from sailing 

off the Spanish coast early next year. 

And it is once they are on the water that real 

resolution may come. At stake will be the Cup, 

but also the right to decide how its next editions 

will be managed. To the victor will go the role of 

de-facto promoter and the chance to shape the 

future structure of the competition. 

Fundamental changes to the Cup format can 

only be made by amending the 1857 Deed of Gift, 

through the New York Supreme Court where the 

document is registered. But to do so, the winners 

will need a consensus that has been sadly lacking 

over the past two years. 

The signs are, that should Alinghi once more 

emerge victorious, it will have the backing of 

other teams in its attempts to modernise both the 

2010 should see an America’s Cup - Getty Images Sport 

TO THE WINNER, THE SPOILS 

Alinghi may well have guaranteed that an America’s Cup race will now 

take place in early 2010. But longer-term, the competition’s future may 

depend on who emerges victorious next year. By Bernardo Domingues. 

structure of the Cup management and the format 

of the competition. 

Sir Keith Mills, the principal of the British 

entry for the next Cup, TeamOrigin, has described 

the current structure as “not fit for purpose” and 

has said he will work with whoever wins the best 

of three America’s Cup races next February. 

Mills (see our Headliner interview, page 26) 

advocates a third party group of management 

advisers brought in to draw up a new, workable 

blueprint which everyone could adhere to. 

Ideally, any new structure would offer stable 

day to day management of the competition, both 

on the water and also commercially, while still 

protecting the rights of the Cup Defender. 

What Mills seems to be proposing is not too far 

removed from the structure Bertarelli sought to 

install after he first won the Cup in 2003, through 

an independent organiser AC Management. 

“Certainly, Bertarelli has been discussing 

changes with Sir Keith Mills and other 

stakeholders as well,” says Latorre, “but first we 

must contest the 33rd America’s Cup.” 

Should BMW emerge victorious the future for 

the America’s Cup may be something different. 

According to the existing Deed of Gift, it is the 

Challenger of Record’s prerogative to open up the 

field to other competitors. BMW Oracle won a 

legal action earlier this year to be considered the 

Challenger of Record and then chose not to open 

up the field - a move which deprived all the other 

teams of the opportunity to take on Alinghi for the 

Cup, for next year at least. 

Whatever the outcome, the legal battles of the 

last two years have created an uncertainty which 

has derailed the momentum the competition 

achieved with the successful 32nd America’s Cup. 

It can only be hoped that, with a firm plan to get 

out onto the water in 2010, the spirit of sporting 

competition will put the sport back on track. 

IT WAS OUR very great pleasure here 

at SportBusiness, last month, to 

once again sponsor the Sports Event 

Management Awards. 

The Awards, presented at a 

prestigious Black Tie Ceremony at 

Lords Cricket Ground, London, are now 

in their third year and recognise the 

innovation and skill of the individuals 

and organisations that make sports 

events happen. They truly celebrate the 

Gold Standard in in each of the many 

sectors of event management. 

Such is the growth in popularity 

and scope of the Awards since their 

inception, that over 150 entries were 

received this year, meaning the judges 

really had their work cut out, and over 

200 guests attended the Ceremony. 

For the full list of worthy winners as 

well as the notable runners up, see our 

extended feature on pages 38-44. 

And it struck me while reading our 

Headliner interview this month - the 

subject is that guru of events marketing 

and organisation, Sir Keith Mills - that 

perhaps there might be scope next 

year for a new award category, based 

around the area of ‘sustainability and 

environmental impacts.’ 

Sir Keith is running TeamOrigin, the 

UK entry for sailing’s America’s Cup 

and, as he explains on pages 26-28, is 

aiming not only to win the prestigious 

trophy but also, in partnership with 

environmental partner the Carbon 

Trust, to change the rules of sporting 

engagement forever. His mission: to 

lead the way in using sport to improve 

the environment and persuade 

companies and consumers to change 

their behaviours. 

The Vancouver 2010 Olympics will be 

the first Games to go carbon-neutral, 

with help from 25 corporate sponsors 

and local and national governments. 

Its partners too are offsetting some of 

their own carbon emissions related to 

the Games. Then the FIA has proposed 

that the total activity of putting on a 

motor sport championship or series 

should be carbon neutral - quite some 

undertaking for the organisers and 

teams. These are just a few of many 

such worth initiatives… And, just 

maybe, early entries for the Sport Event 

Management Award for Sustainability.

AGENDA 

SHORTSTOP 

ESA: The European Sponsorship 

Association (ESA) launched a 

23-page guide for small sports 

rights-holders and newcomers to 

sponsorship looking to take their 

first steps into the industry. 

AF1: Arena Football One (AF1), 

the indoor American Football 

league founded in 2009 to replace 

the indefinitely suspended Arena 

Football League (AFL), submitted 

a formal offer to purchase the 

assets of the AFL. Formed in 2009, 

the coast-to-coast AF1 League will 

commence its inaugural season in 

the spring of 2010. 

SOCHI 2014: The organisers of 

the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi 

published an environmental 

strategy drawn up in conjunction 

with the United Nations 

Environment Programme (UNEP) 

and the Russian Government. The 

organisers say the strategy will 

see the natural environment in the 

region surrounding Sochi not just 

protected, but enhanced. 

AUSTRALIA: An independent 

review of Olympic sport in Australia 

commissioned by the government 

said the focus on winning Olympic 

medals was hitting participation 

rates and choking funding need by 

for grassroots sports. 

EHF: Austria-based betting 

company bet-at-home.com 

agreed a new deal to be an official 

partner of the European Handball 

Federation’s (EHF) European 

Handball Championships taking 

place in Austria in 2010. 

USL: Seven football clubs 

previously part of US professional 

league the United Soccer Leagues 

broke away to form a new league 

and begun seeking recognition 

from football authorities. 

NFL: The 80,000-seat Silverdome 

stadium in Pontiac, Michigan, which 

cost more than $55 million to build 

in 1975, has been sold at auction 

for $583,000 by the debt-ridden 

city authorities which own it. The 

stadium is the former home of the 

National Football League’s Detroit 

Lions, who left for a new stadium in 

downtown Detroit in 2002, and once 

hosted the Super Bowl. 

EXCEPTION PROVES THE RULE 

Barry Wilner on success breeding success in the NHL this year, according to the Forbes 

annual valuation. All except for the team at the top of the money rankings. 

IT PAYS TO BE an original 

member of the National Hockey 

League. Big time. 

The Original Six are among the 

seven most valuable franchises 

in the NHL, according to Forbes’ 

annual rankings. Only the 

Philadelphia Flyers, who joined 

the league in the first wave of 

expansion in 1967, broke up the 

old boys club. 

For the fourth straight year, 

the Toronto Maple Leafs are on 

top, which is quite impressive 

considering they have not made the 

playoffs in four years and don’t look 

likely to make them this season. 

According to Forbes, they are 

worth $470 million, an increase of 

5 per cent over last year and far in 

front of the New York Rangers at 

$416 million, up just 1 per cent. 

The Montreal Canadiens are 

third ($339 million), followed by 

the Detroit Red Wings 

($337 million), Philadelphia 

($273 million), the Boston Bruins 

($271 million) and the Chicago 

Blackhawks ($258 million). 

Chicago’s rise is the most 

noteworthy. The Blackhawks have 

been tailenders on the ice for much 

of the decade, which damaged 

their overall worth. But aggressive 

marketing by owner Rocky Wirtz 

and strong drafting have made 

the Blackhawks so attractive that 

they regularly sell out the United 

Center. And they will be a Stanley 

Cup contender for the 2009-10 

season, having made the Western 

Conference final last spring. 

2009 NHL VALUES 

TEAM 

“The common denominator is to 

win and we wanted to move the 

organisation ahead,” Wirtz has said. 

“I see us perennially going to the 

playoffs and, once we get there, 

anything can happen.” 

What has happened in the past 

year is the NHL’s biggest rise in 

value, up 26 per cent. 

The next biggest increase is by 

the Washington Capitals, up 15 per 

cent to $183 million. 

Of the top 10 franchises - Dallas 

is eighth ($246 million), Vancouver 

ninth ($239 million) and New Jersey 

10th ($223 million) - two actually 

decreased in value: the Flyers and the 

Stars, who dropped by 10 per cent. 

Winning the Stanley Cup did not 

catapult the Pittsburgh Penguins 

into the Top Ten. They are 11th at 

$222 million, but that is a 

14-per-cent-increase in value, 

which certainly has to do with 

being the champions. Look for the 

Penguins to move up further next 

Toronto Maple Leafs top the money table - Getty Images Sport 

2009 Value 

(in millions) 

One-Year 

Change (%) 

Revenues 

(in millions) 

Toronto 470 +5 168 

NY Rangers 416 +1 139 

Montreal 339 +2 130 

Detroit 337 +11 130 

Philadelphia 273 -1 101 

Boston 271 +3 108 

Chicago 258 +26 108 

Dallas 246 -10 97 

Vancouver 239 +1 109 

New Jersey 223 0 97 

League Averages 223 1 94 

year when their new arena opens. 

New Jersey’s value, which is the 

same as in 2008, is also the leaguewide 

average, a slight increase over 

the $220 million of last year. 

By contrast, the average value of 

an National Football League team 

this year is $1.042 billion, and the 

lowest-ranked team, the Oakland 

Raiders, are worth $797 million, 

dwarfing the NHL’s Maple Leafs. 

The Toronto team is also top in 

terms of operating income, with 

$78.9 million, more than double 

the $31.3 million for runners-up, 

the Canadiens. Toronto revenues 

were also top, at $168 million, 

followed by the Rangers at 

$139 million. At the other end 

of Forbes’ chart are the Phoenix 

Coyotes. Their ownership issues, 

which have existed for years and 

dragged on for months in the 

courts, drop their worth to $138 

million. Stunningly, that is only 3 

per cent down on last season. 


aGeNDa 

aMerICa The ParIah 

rick Burton asks if it might now be another decade before the uS hosts one 

of sport’s major events. 

I oPeNeD MY NewSPaPer this morning to 

read that an American racing team (Charlotte, 

North Carolina’s US F1) was thinking of joining 

the Formula One circuit. Interestingly, it will 

serve as the first US-based F1 team in 40 years. 

That’s quite a while. 

It’s been even longer - 42 years - since an 

American-based team won an F1 race - Dan 

Gurney in his black No. 36 Eagle-Weslake in 

1967 at Belgium’s Spa-Francorchamps - and 

more than 30 years since an American (well, 

okay, a naturalised American - Mario Andretti) 

won the FIA world title in 1978. 

Those are only trivial tidbits (including the 

fact America has not hosted an F1 race since 

2007 in Indianapolis) but it caused me to think 

about America’s future involvement in global 

sports and the act (or art) of playing with the 

other kids in the world’s sand box. 

The most obvious place to start was with 

the Olympics and dissecting Chicago’s firstround 

departure from bidding to host the 2016 

Summer Olympic Games. As we all know, 

Chicago and the US Olympic Committee lost 

badly and since then much has been written 

about the Americans not really understanding 

FACT OF THE MONTH: 

how the IOC really works (see Communiqué). 

That is undoubtedly unfair to the many 

Americans who worked tirelessly for Chicago’s 

bid during the last three years because those 

individuals always knew the USOC was standing 

outside the IOC’s Swiss-based windows looking 

in. They simply couldn’t change the physical 

choices and statements made by various USOC 

representatives during the last 10 years. The 

damage, if that’s what one would call how 

America conducted itself overseas, ran very deep. 

Or as Kurt Vonnegut often wrote in 

Slaughterhouse-Five, “So it goes.” 

Regardless, with Chicago leaving the party 

early, Rio de Janeiro went on to win big, thanks 

largely to a great branding campaign. Americans 

quickly returned to their North American-only 

National Football League (NFL), Major League 

Baseball, NCAA college gridiron and launch of 

another NHL season. 

But here’s an interesting statistic: With 

the US now out of hosting the 2016 and 2018 

Olympic Games and unlikely to bid for the 2020 

Summer Games (possibly sulking after losing 

2012 to London and then 2016), it is likely at 

least a decade will go by before a major global 

three hIll WInS often reQuIred to BeCome four hIllS ChAmPIon 

The annual Ski Jumping Four Hills Tournament takes place in December and January. Five of the last 

10 overall winners of the competition have won at least three of the four hills on their way to the title. 

overall four hills Tournament winners with at least three hill wins in one season 

# name nation oberstdorf garmisch Innsbruck Bischofshofen Season 

4 Sven Hannawald Ger 1 1 1 1 2001/2002 

3 björn Wirkola Nor 1 1 1 2 1968/1969 

3 Jens Weißflog GDr 2 1 1 1 1983/1984 

3 matti Nykänen FIN 2 1 1 1 1987/1988 

3 Toni Nieminen FIN 1 2 1 1 1991/1992 

3 Janne Ahonen FIN 1 1 1 2 2004/2005 

3 Wolfgang Loitzl AUT 2 1 1 1 2008/2009 

3 olav björnstad Nor 1 1 1 3 1953/1954 

3 björn Wirkola Nor 3 1 1 1 1966/1967 

3 Andreas Widhölzl AUT 3 1 1 1 1999/2000 

3 Toralf engan Nor 1 1 1 4 1962/1963 

3 Sigurd Pettersen Nor 1 1 4 1 2003/2004 

3 max Wolkart FrG 1 1 1 5 1958/1959 

3 Kazuyoshi Funaki JPN 1 1 1 8 1997/1998 

3 Helmuth recknagel GDr 1 1 1 15 1958/1959 

event plants its flag on American soil again. It 

seems likely the 2018 FIFA World Cup will go 

to a European country and we know Rugby’s 

World Cup and the Cricket World Cup have both 

been bid out through 2019 (meaning 2023 is the 

next available date). That’s three more Summer 

Olympics and three more FIFA, IRB and 

ICC World Cups (each) all closed out through 

2020. And no possibility of a US-based Winter 

Olympics until 2022. 

Even in the short term, just one single year, 

no F1 races will take place in the US in 2010 nor 

is there an America’s Cup or golfing Ryder Cup, 

which heads to Wales in October 2010. Even in 

the Davis Cup (tennis), the Americans open on 

the road in Serbia. 

That means no international events in the 

US in 2010 except the familiar major tennis 

tournaments (i.e., US Open or a later round of 

the Davis Cup) and major golf tournaments (the 

Masters, etc.). 

And lest anyone feel I am deliberately leaving 

out the biggest international federations, let’s 

address those sports here and now. 

To the best of my research capabilities, it 

appears FINA’s 2011 and 2013 swimming world 

championships are going to Shanghai and 

Dubai; the IAAF’s 2011 and 2013 world athletics 

championships will play out in Daegu (South 

Korea) and Moscow; the FIG 2010 and 2011 

world artistic gymnastics championships are 

headed to Rotterdam and Tokyo and the 2010 

and 2011 world figure skating championships 

are slated for Turin and Nagano. 

Plus - and I write this as the former 

commissioner of a basketball league with teams 

in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore - FIBA’s 

2010 and 2014 men’s basketball championships 

will take place in Istanbul and Madrid with the 

women’s world championships for those years in 

12 SportBusiness International • no. 152 • 12.09

COMMUNIQUE 

November 2009, 

New York 

InternAl AnAlySIS And WrAnglIng Are 

unSurPrISIngly the reSPonSe to ChICAgo’S 

fAIlure to BrIng home the olymPIC gAmeS. 

US rejection and dejection Getty Images Sport 

the Czech Republic and India respectively. 

So here’s my concluding fact: it now falls to US 

Soccer (bidding for the 2022 World Cup) and the 

city of Denver (a possible candidate to bid for the 

2022 Winter Olympics) to bring the world back 

to the US. Simple maths says 20 years will have 

passed since the US hosted the scandal-plagued 

2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. 

Two decades is a long time in a digital age and 

it might suggest the world’s sport site selectors 

are quietly determining they can sustain their 

championship business despite America’s wealth 

and modern stadia infrastructure. That or they 

are determining other places are better suited, or 

more deserving, for global sports celebrations. 

Does it mean America is falling behind in 

something that isn’t quite a race Does it suggest 

Americans need to start joining (or getting 

elected to serve as members on) the federations 

that make these decisions 

My sense is an unqualified ‘yes’ and I write 

that knowing America has been well placed with 

selection for many of the major IF events in the 

past (Olympics, FIFA World Cup) although not 

for rugby union, cricket or athletics. 

I also know that no country is better than any 

other country and all are deserving if they are 

capable of managing the logistics and generating 

the appropriate local/national community support. 

As a first-generation American, though, I can 

only quietly (and humbly) hope that my country 

of birth, with its many resources, will fully 

support US Soccer and the USOC to get America 

back in gear by 2020 or 2022. Otherwise, I will 

need to keep my passport active. 

Rick Burton is the David B. Falk Professor of Sports 

Management at Syracuse University in Syracuse, 

N.Y and a former chief marketing officer of the US 

Olympic Committee. 

The fallouT from the failed Chicago 

bid could last for years, perhaps 

decades. “It’s very real,” Doug Logan, 

Ceo of USA Track and Field, told The 

Associated Press, “and for us to take 

our rightful place, we have to have an 

understanding of what’s really going 

on out there.” 

one thing that is going on - and is a 

positive for the US olympic movement 

- has been the upheaval within the 

USoC ranks since the failure in 

Copenhagen. Stephanie Streeter, 

who replaced Jim Scherr as Ceo has 

stepped aside. A search is on to find 

a leader with stronger connections to 

the international olympic community. 

There certainly won’t be any plans 

for future US olympic bids until 

new leadership is in place at the 

USoC after what Swiss IoC 

member Denis oswald 

called “a defeat for 

the USoC, not for 

Chicago.”The 

United States may 

well contribute 

more money 

to the olympic 

movement than 

any other nation, 

but the USoC’s 

infighting and 

perceived arrogance 

contributed to the loss 

of face. “I’m incredibly 

saddened by the developments, which 

I lay largely at the feet of the USoC, 

which has clearly lost its way,” said 

NbC Universal Sports and olympics 

chairman Dick ebersol. 

The well-connected Scherr believes 

it is more complex and that rio was 

destined to win hosting rights for the 

2016. Games. 

“The headline should be: rio won 

the bid. Chicago did not lose the bid 

and Chicago did not lose by bidding,” 

said Scherr, who was forced to resign 

in march, a move that agitated many 

national governing bodies within the 

US olympic movement. 

“The IoC and the IoC president 

Jacques rogge wanted to plant the 

flag of the olympic movement and 

the olympic Games in South America. 

Jacques rogge wanted that, I believe, 

as part of his legacy as president of 

the IoC, to go to another continent 

with the olympic Games.” 

Still, Scherr concurs that the 

tumult within the USoC couldn’t have 

helped his country’s case for 2016 and 

could continue to damage US chances 

in future bidding. 

“This wasn’t something new in the 

last six or seven months,” Scherr 

said. “The Salt Lake City bid scandal, 

what the IoC felt was the overcommercialised 

Atlanta Games, the 

Iraq War, America’s role in the global 

economy... All of these issues have 

affected the USoC and its standing in 

the IoC for a long time. 

“If the United States chooses to 

bid again, it’s going to be a very 

long and difficult process to 

address those issues 

so that a US city 

really has equal 

footing and an 

opportunity to 

win the right 

to host an 

olympic and 

Paralympic 

Games.” 

All of 

which does 

not mean the 

United States has 

become a non-player 

on the olympic stage. 

“I don’t think you’re ever going 

to abandon hope,” USA Swimming 

executive director Chuck Wielgus 

said at the time. “but the recent 

happenings at the USoC - certainly 

some of those things have probably 

not helped in the minds of IoC 

members who have long memories.” 

So what next for the USoC As bob 

Ctvrtlik, a former IoC member who 

was part of the initial Chicago 2016 

bid team puts it: We’ll just have to 

see. When we said it was the right 

place, the right time, we meant it. I 

don’t think it’s anti-American. I think 

we still don’t have the horsepower 

to do the politicking. ... International 

engagement takes a lot of time.” 

Barry Wilner 

AP and SportBusiness International 

SportBusiness International • no.152 • 12.09 13

BRANDS & MARKETING 

SHORTSTOP 

MARETIN 

REAL MADRID: Cristiano Ronaldo, 

the world’s most expensive football 

player who moved from Manchester 

United to Real Madrid this summer, 

has not matched the sales boom 

when David Beckham made the 

same move in 2003. According 

to Bloomberg, sales of adidas 

shirts are as much as 75 per cent 

lower from data gathered across 

six sports stores in Madrid. Team 

income went up 27 per cent in the 

year after David Beckham signed for 

the club and 22 per cent of revenue 

came from sales of team apparel. 

BMW: The car maker signed up as 

the latest top-tier domestic sponsor 

of the 2012 London Olympics, in a 

deal worth an estimated 40 million 

pounds ($67 million) in cash and 

services. BMW will provide about 

4,000 vehicles to transport athletes, 

officials and other members of the 

Olympic community. 

BARCLAYS: Global financial 

services provider Barclays 

extended its title sponsorship of 

golf’s Singapore Open until 2012. 

Under the terms of the agreement, 

prize money will remain at least $5 

million, the field size will increase 

from 156 to 204 players and the 

event will move to Week 46 of the 

annual golf calendar for 2010. 

ING: European financial services 

provider ING extended its title 

sponsorship of the New York City 

Marathon for another three years. 

The contract - which now runs until 

after the 2013 race - was originally 

signed in 2003 and has been renewed 

twice 

IZOD: Clothing brand Izod signed a 

multi-year deal with the Indy Racing 

League (IRL), the sanctioning body 

for the IndyCar Series, to become 

title sponsor from the 2010 season. 

The deal marks the sport’s first title 

sponsorship since 2001. Under the 

agreement Izod will also retain its 

label of official apparel partner of 

the Indy Racing League, which began 

in 2008. 

188BET: English Premier League 

club Liverpool signed online gaming 

and entertainment company 188bet 

as its betting sponsor. The deal will 

run for three years and aims to step 

up Liverpool’s profile in Asia. 

Phelps is exclusive to Visa - Getty Images Sport 

TAKING CENTRE STAGE 

Visa is signed up with the IOC for next 11 years, a particularly notable deal and 

fee in difficult economic times. Barry Wilner explains the company’s rationale. 

CREDIT CARD COMPANY VISA extended its 

contract as official global sponsor to the IOC 

for the 2016 Summer Games in Rio and onto 

the Summer Olympics in 2020. With the 

going rate for February’s Winter Olympics 

in Vancouver just under $100 million for 

the quadrennium, it’s a significant financial 

commitment by Visa. 

“The Olympic Games transcend political and 

geographical boundaries to deliver incomparable 

international exposure,” said Joseph Saunders, 

chief executive officer of Visa Inc. And analysts 

estimate Visa could spend as much as another 

$300 million promoting the tie-in with the 

Games through the 2014 Winter Olympics in 

Sochi. Those are never numbers to dismiss, but 

they are particularly notable in these times. 

Visa also recently extended its NFL 

sponsorship for five years, a deal worth about 

$40 million overall. Why the big spend And 

why now For one thing, Visa is able to attract 

athletes like Michael Phelps to represent the 

company, and that association pays huge 

benefits. Only Visa, for example, will have an 

affinity card with Phelps’ likeness. 

Also, Visa and its member banks have 

exclusive rights to Olympic symbols, something 

they use heavily in advertising. The company 

estimated that brand equity increases by 25 per 

cent among consumers who know about Visa’s 

Olympic sponsorship. 

Visa’s recent Olympic promotions have led 

to large increases in applications, including a 

40 per cent jump at banks for its platinum card 

prepared for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Those 

Olympics were viewed as a grand opportunity 

to open up the biggest untapped market on the 

planet, and Visa dived in by adding 90,000 

ATM machines, with more than 200,000 

merchants accepting Visa in China.One US 

retailer estimated an increase in Visa spending 

at 9 per cent for Olympic promotions. 

The IOC deal also ensures Visa has a 

monopoly on the two biggest global sports 

events, the Olympics and the World Cup. “One 

wonders whether Visa would still spend as much 

as they are if they were guaranteed that their 

competitors would not purchase (such) rights,’’ 

said Craig Depken, an economics professor at 

the University of North Carolina-Charlotte who 

specialises in sports economics. 

“This is potentially the case in many 

sponsorship situations: Do firms purchase 

sponsorship (be it a stadium name, a NASCAR 

car, or Olympic naming rights) because they fear 

what their competitors will do This is famously 

called the `prisoner’s dilemma.’ Furthermore, 

Visa has been a primary sponsor for the USOC 

and IOC for quite some time. To abandon the 

relationship at this point might raise more 

questions than Visa cares to answer - specifically 

concerning their financial well-being.” 

Visa is one of nine global sponsors for the 

Vancouver Games, along with McDonald’s, 

Coca-Cola, Panasonic, Acer, Atos Origin, General 

Electric, Omega, and Samsung. Panasonic and 

Samsung also remain affiliated through Soch 

2014 and Rio 2016. Dmitry Chernyshenko, CEO 

for the Sochi 2014 Games, said Visa’s extension 

helped his city raise its sponsorship budget to 

$850 million - five years before any skiers or 

skaters compete. 


PARTNERING UP 

Barry Wilner on an emerging US trend. Rather than battle each other for the 

entertainment dollars during the economic downturn, some professional 

teams from across the leagues are joining forces. 

THE LATEST US FRANCHISES to partner up are 

Chicago’s Bears of the NFL and Blackhawks of the 

NHL. Their cross-branding promotional initiatives 

include commercials and representation inside 

Soldier Field, home of the Bears, and the United 

Center, where the Blackhawks play. 

It’s the first such partnership between an NFL 

club and an Original Six franchise from the NHL. 

“Partnering with the Blackhawks is a unique 

relationship that showcases two storied Chicago 

franchises,” said Bears senior director of sales 

and marketing Chris Hibbs. “The collaboration 

of the two teams and our star athletes is 

something we hope the passionate Chicago 

sports community can rally around.” 

On the surface, it would seem the Bears have 

less to gain from such an arrangement than the 

Blackhawks. Only the Cubs can rival the Bears 

for attention in the Windy City. The Blackhawks 

rank behind the Chicago Bulls (NBA) and White 

Sox and Cubs (MLB). A closer look though, 

shows why such a concorde works. 

Barring making the playoffs, the Bears play 

only 10 homes games (eight regular-season, 

two pre-season). The Blackhawks have 41 home 

dates, which provides months of extra exposure 

at sporting events for the Bears. 

Plus, the young Hawks have a growing 

legion of youthful players who seem bound for 

stardom: Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Patrick 

Sharp, Brent Seabrook and Brian Campbell. The 

Bears can’t match that. 

A set of five commercials featuring those 

skaters and Bears players Jay Cutler, Devin 

Hester, Robbie Gould, Lance Briggs and Greg 

Olsen have been planned. It’s an opportunity 

for both teams to expand their horizons among 

Chicago’s fans. For the Blackhawks, the benefits 

are obvious. “We are honoured to partner with 

one of the most recognised brands in the world,” 

Blackhawks senior vice president of business 

operations Jay Blunk said. “This will give our 

players and organisation exposure to millions of 

loyal Bears fans.” 

Two states east in Ohio, Major League 

Baseball’s Cleveland Indians and the NHL’s 

Columbus Blue Jackets have also partnered up. 

The Indians have attendance issues, so 

attempting to draw fans from the middle of the 

state, where Columbus sits, has always been 

attractive. Unlike the NFL and NHL, the schedules 

for baseball and hockey barely intercede, so the 

partnership makes sense calendar-wise. 

As for the Blue Jackets, they have barely 

made a dent in the Columbus community so 

dominated by Ohio State football and basketball. 

They are the only major league hockey team in 

the state, too. 

The pact calls for shared advertising and 

hospitality and special ticket offers to fans via 

e-mail and direct mail. The Blue Jackets were 

promoted at Indians games during the 2009 

season, with the Indians now being showcased 

at Nationwide Arena during the hockey season. 

Also included in the deal are opportunities 

to reach each team’s fan base, in-ballpark/ 

arena presence at each team’s venue for select 

games, and media exposure across broadcast 

partner channels, according to the Indians and 

Blue Jackets. “Our new partnership with the 

Blue Jackets is just another example of two 

organisations taking a creative approach in 

marketing the product of professional sports 

entertainment within the same region,” said 

Indians senior vice president of sales and 

marketing Vic Gregovits. 

Look for such partnerships to crop up 

elsewhere in the USA. 

Cutler of the Chicago Bears and Toews of the Chicago Blackhawks - Getty Images Sport 

MARETIN 

EYE ON THE 

INDUSTRY 

FORMULA ONE PLUS 

Shaun Whatling, CEO of 

Redmandarin, on the momentous 

change afoot in Formula One. 

When FOM first mooted capping, it 

seemed a futile gesture. After all, what 

chance did FOM stand against the power 

of Ferrari, FOTA and the combined weight 

of the automotive industry 

And yet, nine months later, F1 is in 

a very different place - a much better 

one. The sudden reshaping of the F1 

landscape began with the withdrawal of 

some of the long-standing partners in 

2007, but it was Honda’s decision to pull 

the multi-million dollar plug that really 

turbo-charged the change. 

Fears that the credibility of F1 had 

been damaged following the McLaren- 

Ferrari spying scandal were fuelled by 

the contrived Nelson Piquet Jr crash, 

provoking yet more media speculation 

around long-term sponsor investment. 

F1 had already seen multiple attacks on 

its sponsors - the loss of tobacco money, 

alcohol sponsors fears, green advocates 

criticising the environmental impact of 

the sport - a ‘back to basics’ approach 

was long overdue. 

The cost-cutting moves agreed under 

the revised Technical and Sporting 

Regulations; now heavily reinforced 

through the Resource Restriction 

Agreement, although effective in terms 

of limiting big ticket expenditure such 

as wind tunnel and live testing, could 

never seriously dent the will of the larger 

automotive teams to compete in the arms 

race that F1 had become. 

Now, without Honda, Toyota, BMW and 

with the likely withdrawal of Renault, the 

RRA has found its teeth. Mercedes and 

Ferrari are the only automotive players 

and if the grid looks very different, the 

economic picture is radically more so. 

Despite the influx of new brands behind 

Brawn, Force India and USF1, the 

investment required to deliver technical 

advantage will be directly visible on the 

bottom line of every team. 

Team performance will ultimately 

be a function of balanced business 

performance: financial management, 

commercial creativity, product 

development and brand management. 

Now is the time to see if an F1 team can 

be run along conventional business lines: 

to perform on the track and produce a 

profit, on a year-by-year basis. 

We’ve seen this commercialisation 

in the upper tier of the Premier League, 

in the IPL, and it’s been a longstanding 

feature of the NFL. In this year of economic 

turmoil, change has come to the paddock.

SHORTSTOP 


MARETIN 

ADIDAS: Sportswear brand adidas 

ended a $3 million sponsorship of 

the University of Central Florida’s 

athletic department after one of 

basketball star Michael Jordan’s 

sons played a match for the 

university wearing Nike shoes 

named after his father. 

ETIHAD: An English court ordered 

Etihad Airways and real estate 

developer Aldar Properties to 

pay the Force India F1 team 

$5.25 million as the result of a 

sponsorship dispute. Etihad and 

Aldar had claimed a change of 

livery to the Force India car, and 

the addition of a kingfisher logo, 

when it bought by Indian billionaire 

Dr Vijay Mallya in October 2007 

constituted a breach of their 

sponsorship agreement, and pulled 

out. Etihad and Aldar had entered 

into a three-year $20 million title 

sponsorship deal with the team in 

April 2007. 

MASTERCARD: MasterCard 

became match title sponsor for the 

Barbarian rugby internationals for 

the 2009-2010 season. The series 

of matches will be known as ‘The 

MasterCard Trophy 

SCRATCH GOLF: US golfer Ryan 

Moore, the 2004 US Amateur 

champion, signed an unusual 

agreement with sponsor Scratch 

Golf that will see him take a stake in 

the company, with the opportunity 

to earn performance bonuses and 

additional payments. 

ENGLISH LEAGUE: Football club 

Newcastle United agreed a stadium 

naming rights deal with sportswear 

retailer Sports Direct, owned by 

Newcastle owner Mike Ashley. 

The club plans to rename its home 

stadium sportsdirect.com@St James’ 

Park Stadium under a deal lasting 

until the end of the season, prompting 

an angry response from fans. 

ADIDAS: Andy Murray signed a 

new £15 million, five-year deal with 

sportswear maker adidas. The 

deal begins 2010, ending Murray’s 

relationship with Fred Perry. 

LV=: LV= will title sponsor rugby 

union’s Anglo-Welsh tournament, 

the joint competition managed by 

the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and 

Welsh Rugby Union (WRU). 

WITHOUT WISHING TO READ too much 

into this year’s forecasts for the sponsorship 

industry, one can at least take heart from the 

statistics that predict year-on-year growth in 

global expenditure of between 2-3.1 per cent in 

2009 (GroupM/IEG June 2009 respectively) to 

circa $44.4 billion. 

Against a backdrop of a forecast 5.5 per cent 

fall in global advertising spend to $417 billion 

and a 3.7 per cent decline in other marketing 

services this year, those in the sponsorship 

industry should be feeling reasonably confident 

that it continues to show positive signs of 

progression, even in the most challenging times. 

In fact, global sponsorship growth has been 

strong over the past two decades, consistently 

outpacing growth in advertising and sales 

AIG dropped out, but AON will step in - Getty Images Sport 

OPTIMISING TOUCH POINTS 

Jeremy Clark, Managing Director, MEC Access, Europe Middle East & Africa, 

explains that insight is the key to a bright future for sports marketers. 

promotion in percentage terms. Sport continues 

to dominate the industry in terms of the number 

of deals and overall investment by brands. 

But a 5 per cent decrease in its total share of 

investment between 2007 and 2008 (Source: 

TWSM) is statistical evidence, if we needed it, 

that some brands are seeking new or alternative 

platforms, in entertainment and cause, to 

drive differentiation and deeper consumer 

engagement, potentially at the expense of sport. 

So, on the one hand the industry is in 

reasonable health and continuing to buck the 

trend. But on the other side sport must react to 

the increasing competition by demonstrating its 

true worth as one of the most effective platforms 

for brands to drive consumer engagement and 

deliver a positive return on investment. 


BrandZ map - Brand equity across markets 

80 

60 

40 

20 

0 

-20 

10 15 20 25 30 35 

Source: BrandZ 2008 Base: 400 per market 

PartnerZ - Consumer engagement in sports (France) 

100% 

90% 

80% 

70% 

60% 

50% 

40% 

30% 

20% 

10% 

0% 

16 

15 

Mexico 2008 

Sweden 2008 

UK 2008 

Taiwan 2008 

Spain 2008 

Brazil 2008 

Japan 2008 

France 2008 Australia 2008 

Thailand 2008 

China 2008 

Russia 2008 

USA 2008 

Canada 2008 

Italy 2008 

Korea 2008 

Germany 2008 

Netherlands 2008 Denmark 2008 

Hong Kong 2008 

Czech Republic 2008 

Rugby Formula Football Cycling Tennis Skiing Sailing Horse Golf 

union one Racing 

Source: France PartnerZ 2008 Filter: 3,000 

R.O.S.E - Event’s impact on brand buying intention 

Event XX explains 12% of exposed XY brand buying 

intention 

75% 

12 

18 

India 2008 

12% 

Source: Rose 2008 Base: 461 

It was in last November’s issue of SportBusiness 

International that Editorial Director, Kevin 

Roberts, highlighted that the sports industry 

could benefit from better PR, given the 

disconnect between the public perception of 

sports marketing and the business realities. 

This disconnect, it was suggested, could 

drive some brands away from sport out of fear 

of upsetting and alienating the public. And sure 

enough, we’re witnessing it all over the world 

with high profile fall-out from the likes of AIG, 

Buick and ING, to name but three. 

Call it a necessary ‘correction’ or ‘spring 

clean’ brought about by the recession, but we 

should not shy away from the fact that there are 

some fundamental challenges in the industry 

that need to be addressed. Brands are rightly 

scrutinising every marketing dollar spent and 

need to understand the return that they can 

expect from their investment. 

Too often in the past sponsorships have 

been established without appropriate research 

and insights, an understanding of the role of 

16 

16 

8 6 4 3 2 1 

4 5 

9 

12 

16 

16 

MALE 

FEMALE 

18-34 

25-34 

UP TO $3,000 

OVER $3,001 

Event impact 

Love it 

Like it 

It’s OK 

Dislike it 

Not interested 

Unaware of it 

Brand impact 

sponsorship within the wider communications 

mix, the setting of clear objectives and KPIs. 

Rarely will a perfect partnership come from 

a single flash of inspiration. Research and 

insight should play an integral role across 

the sponsorship process and should feed the 

strategy, property selection and its activation. 

So where should a brand-owner start We 

know about all the investment that has already 

been pumped into associations with FIFA 

through 2014, and London 2012, many of which 

will have built a robust business case for that 

investment. But beyond these there is a wide 

range of high-profile opportunities on the horizon 

in the world of sport that with the right strategic 

approach, brands could be capitalising on. 

The starting point is a thorough investigation 

into the brand, the appropriate platforms and 

properties and an in-depth analysis of the target 

audience. We use BrandZ, a proprietary WPP 

resource, which delivers in-depth measurement 

of brand equity and imagery across 23,000 

brands and 31 countries. 

 


Extending this insight and research is the 

PartnerZ tool which moves the principles 

of BrandZ into the sponsorship arena and 

maps consumer engagement and perceptions 

of platforms and properties across 13 markets 

worldwide. Supplementing this is the extensive 

profiling of consumer demographics, behaviours 

and attitudes delivered through TGI which 

itself covers the major markets worldwide. 

A rigorous approach such as this will help 

brand-owners build a compelling and objective 

business case for sponsorship investment. 

These tools help to confirm brand issues, 

identify property strengths and weaknesses, and 

ensure that the consumer is put at the heart of 

all strategic development. 

Without it brands run the risk of wasting 

marketing dollars on inappropriate associations 

that fail to drive meaningful engagement with 

their audience and consequently deliver a 

negligible return on investment. 

For those brand owners that have made the 

decision to invest in a sports property it’s critical 

for the long-term viability of the association that 

this investment can be monitored and its effect 

determined. In the past, much of the focus has 

been on measuring the output, evaluating brand 

exposure delivered through the association and 

measuring the awareness shift. 

However, with sports marketing having the 

capacity to deliver against multiple brand and 

business objectives this will more often than not 

be an insufficient evaluation of the association. 

The industry has been crying out for a 

robust model that can help isolate the effect of 

partnership activity and identify the direction 

and strength of influences between partnership 

activity and consumers, which in turn can help 

drive the credibility of the discipline. 

Over the past two years, such a tool has 

been in development within MEC Access. The 

recently launched ROSE© model is a unique 

consumer research and modelling tool that 

maximises the effectiveness of sponsorships. 

It measures the overall performance of 

partnerships, isolates the influence of 

association on brand buying intention and 

delivers a roadmap for future improvements in 

their activation. We should be in no doubt that 

the sports industry continues to make enormous 

progress and that more and more brands are 

realising the potential power of sponsorship. 

With the right strategic approach to determining 

the most appropriate solution, brands will 

capitalise on the great many opportunities that 

exist within sport in the years to come. 

Supplement this with comprehensive 

measurement of any partnership activity and 

there should be ample justification to support 

long-term investment in the discipline. On 

that basis, I believe sponsorship and sports 

marketing will not just maintain its position 

in the marketing hierarchy, but will become a 

driving force for the future. 


MEDIA 

SHORTSTOP 

Al Jazeera: Pan-Arabian broadcasters 

ART and Al Jazeera signed a 

preliminary agreement for ART’s 

six sports channels to become a 

part of Al Jazeera Sports, according 

to Rapid TV News. A Memorandum 

of Understanding was signed and 

although terms have not been 

disclosed the payment is believed to 

be well in excess of $1 billion. Under 

the deal, Al Jazeera Sport will take 

over ART’s existing sports contracts, 

becoming the exclusive provider of 

sports content for ART’s Arab Digital 

Distribution platform. 

IOC: The International Olympic 

Committee awarded South American 

TV rights for the 2010 Winter Games 

in Vancouver and the 2012 Summer 

Games in London to ESPN. Under the 

deal, ESPN will have free-to-air rights 

in Argentina, pay-television rights in 

Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, 

Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay 

and satellite-only rights in Venezuela. 

Asia meets England in the Premier League - Getty Images Sport 

EPL STILL SCORING IN ASIA 

Pay-television competition in key Asian markets continues to fuel the rise of 

the English Premier League’s Asian television rights fees. James Pickles of 

TV Sports Markets reports on the league’s latest round of deals. 

Serie A: International sports media 

company MP & Silva acquired the 

international media rights for Italian 

football’s Serie A for the 2010-11 and 

2011-12 seasons. The rights were 

awarded by the Italian Football League 

(Lega Calcio) after a competitive 

tender process, and cover all 

platforms including television, internet 

and mobile. 

Euro 2012: Portuguese paybroadcaster 

Sport TV acquired the pay- 

TV rights in Portugal for Euro 2012 in 

a deal with UEFA. Sport TV has rights 

for all 31 matches in the tournament, 

including exclusive rights for 12 group 

stage matches. Free-to-air rights in 

Portugal will be sold at a later stage. 

Serie A: An Italian court blocked 

pay-broadcaster Sky Italia’s deal for 

a package of rights for Italian league 

football for the 2010-11 and 2011/12 

seasons. Conto TV had challenged 

the deal, which was for the ‘Platinum’ 

package of rights covering all Serie 

A matches. Sky Italia said it would 

challenge the decision. 

FIFA: Chinese state-broadcaster China 

Central Television (CCTV) acquired 

the rights to all FIFA tournaments, 

including the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World 

Cups. Under the deal, CCTV will also 

show matches from the FIFA Women’s 

World Cup and FIFA youth football. 

THE ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE extended its 

enviable record of television-rights-fee increases 

in Asia under the latest raft of deals that were 

agreed in October, covering the 2010-11 to 2012- 

13 period. Sports rights specialists TV Sports 

Markets estimate that the league enjoyed around a 

40-per-cent fee increase in deals signed in the 22 

territories covered by its main Asian tender. 

There were not uniform increases across the 

board, however. The overall rise was principally 

driven by big jumps in the big markets of 

Singapore and Malaysia, with India also seeing 

spectacular growth. In other territories increases 

were more modest and fees even fell in a couple 

of markets, including South Korea. 

The Premier League stoked up what interest 

there was by tweaking its rights offering to 

make it even more attractive for broadcasters. 

It liberalised internet rights, removing the 

stipulation in existing contracts that matches 

shown on the internet must be simulcast on 

television. It also offered broadcasters the 

possibility of buying a centrally-produced Premier 

League channel - the so-called Premier League 

content service - providing winning bidders with 

what is effectively a “plug-and-play” solution. 

This is thought to have been aimed 

specifically at helping new telecoms companies 

come into the market, such as Singapore’s 

SingTel, which stunned incumbent rights-holder 

Starhub with a knockout first round offer. 

Singapore proved to be the only territory 

where the gap between the highest and nexthighest 

bids was big enough for the league to 

award the rights in the opening round. Starhub 

was hit by a double whammy in that within 

hours of SingTel announcing its Premier League 

win, pan-regional broadcaster ESPN Star Sports 

said that it was shifting its sports channels from 

Starhub to SingTel as well. 

In an attempt to stem the expected subscriber 

churn, Starhub has since radically overhauled its 

sports offer. It has promised to cut the price of its 

premium sports bouquet by over 50 per cent when 

its Premier League deal expires next summer. In 

addition it is offering all its existing cable television 

customers two new sports channels for free, 

including the Eurosport News channel. 

ESPN Star Sports held on to Premier League 

rights in 18 territories, although it lost Vietnam 

to the MP & Silva agency and retained the rights 

in Malaysia through a joint-bid with its longterm 

partner Astro. The threat from Telekom 

Malaysia, which is gearing up to launch an 

IPTV service, played a key role in driving up the 

Malaysian price by an estimated 70 per cent. 

That threat took bidding into a second round but 

it soon became clear that Telekom Malaysia was 

not ready to commit yet to major investments in 

sports content. That battle now looks likely to be 

deferred until the next three-year cycle. 

Elsewhere, it is thought ESS will use the 

Premier League rights to drive carriage of a slew 

of new sports channels, including its recentlylaunched 

ESPNews channel and a high-definition 

offering. ESS’s new Premier League deals cover 

Malaysia, Indonesia, the Indian sub-continent, 

South Korea and other smaller territories. 

The Premier League will sell the rights in 

China and Hong Kong in a separate auctions 

which were about to commence as this article 

went to press. 


EXTENDING BOXING’S REACH 

The US market remains the top target for boxing promoters, who are seeking 

fans’ attention with an ever-wider array of media initiatives. Barry Wilner 

reports on the tactics being used, and the new overseas markets targeted. 

DEAL OF 

THE MONTH 

JAMES PICKLES 

Editor, TV Sports Markets 

NEVER THE TYPES to be shy about how and 

where they seek money for their productions - 

sometimes the more outlandish the source, the 

better - US boxing promoters are mining new 

areas - thinking outside the ring, if you will. 

Young audiences, for whom boxing is now 

seriously battling with mixed martial arts, are 

being targeted with a barrage of new products 

on traditional and new media. And promoters 

are reaching far beyond American shores and 

into China, a market that every forward-thinking 

sports entrepreneur covets. 

“Boxing has to reach a younger audience, a 

new audience,” HBO Sports vice president Mark 

Taffett says. “We need to connect them to the 

athletes to move the sport forward.” 

HBO has been doing this through its “24/7” 

behind-the-scenes programmes broadcast in the 

lead-up to major bouts. These fights tend to be the 

easiest to sell to the public, even on pay-per-view, 

but the idea that HBO can create new fight fans, 

particularly amongst youngsters, through those 

specials is an original one. 

“HBO’s 24/7 draws new fans to the sport of 

boxing in order to ensure boxing’s future,” Taffet 

said, speaking about the broadcasts leading up 

to US boxer Floyd Mayweather’s big victory in 

September over Mexico’s Juan Manuel Marquez. 

“The [Mayweather fights] are must-see TV that 

have our fans glued to their television sets. 

“We have made it so that wherever consumers 

go, watch, listen, read, tweet, text, they are going 

to be surrounded by Mayweather and Marquez.” 

There was a pre-fight show televised by Fox 

Sports Net, which is a stronghold for the viewing 

demographic promoters seek: young male sports 

fans. De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions, 

Marquez’s promoter, helped things along by 

releasing lots of video content for broadcast prior 

to the fight. 

Golden Boy also went back to a tried and 

trusted broadcast method from the 1960s and 

‘70s and showed the fight in nearly 200 cinema 

theatres across the country. Theatres throughout 

America showed trailers advertising the bout in 

the weeks leading up to it. 

The one million-plus pay-per-view buys 

for Mayweather-Marquez suggests that the 

promoters’ approach to the media, combining 

traditional methods with new, definitely works. 

But the US is no longer the only market the 

promoters think they can make big money in. 

Dino Duva and businessman Richard Davimos 

have formed D&D Global, which has reached 

agreement with the Chinese Boxing Federation 

to train and market its amateur fighters. 

“This is the chance to develop them right to 

the pros,” Duva says. His company is the first 

overseas player to do a broad, comprehensive 

deal with the Chinese in boxing. 

In addition to training Chinese boxers - many 

already have spent time at camps in the States 

- D&D Global gained exclusive rights to market 

them. Several sponsors, including adidas, are 

already on board. 

“We’re in the process of working on TV deals 

in China and globally,” Davimos says. 

“The thing that’s interesting for me is the 

money is there to commercialize, even while 

they’re amateurs. We’re talking to sponsors that 

would never go near boxing in the U.S.” 

Adds Duva: “There are markets out there 

where you can make more money than you can 

in the United States.” 

Juan Manuel Marquez fights Floyd Mayweather - Getty Images Sport 

Mumbai-based agency Nimbus 

Communications extended its deal with 

the Board of Control for Cricket in India 

(BCCI) for a further four years, from 

2010 to 2014. The rights, which cover 

India’s home international matches 

and domestic competitions, have 

traditionally been the country’s most 

important sports rights property. 

What’s it worth 

Nimbus is paying approximately Rs20 

billion ($425 million) over the period, with 

a flat rate of Rs312 million per match. 

How does that compare 

On a per match basis, Nimbus is paying 

about four-per-cent less than what 

it pays now. The decrease is largely 

attributed to the changed economic 

environment but also perhaps tacitly 

acknowledges that the rights are no 

longer the undisputed driver in the 

market, given the spectacular growth 

of Twenty20’s India Premier League 

in the last two years. It is also worth 

remembering that Nimbus’s winning offer 

last time round was over $100 million 

clear of the next highest bid. 

What competition was there 

The BCCI was restrained from offering the 

rights on the open market by a very strong 

renewal clause in the existing Nimbus deal 

which gave the agency first right of refusal. 

Were there any potential challengers 

Rivals Sony and ESPN Star Sports were 

interested in the BCCI rights, especially 

Sony, which is looking at launching a 

dedicated sports channel to fill a gap in 

its present bouquet of channels. Winning 

the BCCI rights, which it could combine 

with its existing nine-year deal for the 

IPL, would have given Sony an impressive 

platform and at the same time landed a 

crippling blow on one of its rivals. 

What would have happened had Nimbus 

lost 

The BCCI rights are the backbone of 

Nimbus’s Neo channel, which would have 

seen its turnover plummet at least 80 

per cent if it had lost the rights, raising 

serious questions over its future. As it is, 

the new extension contains a similarly 

strong renewal option for a further four 

years up until 2018, in effect guaranteeing 

Neo’s future for almost a decade. 


MEDIA 

SHORTSTOP 

IPL: Entertainment & Sports Direct, 

promoted by investment advisory 

and private equity company DAR 

Capital Grouphas, won the theatre 

rights for the Indian Premier 

League from 2010-2019. The tenyear 

deal is reported to be worth Rs 

330 crore ($71 million). 

TyC Sports: Argentinian sports 

broadcaster TyC Sports acquired 

the TV rights in Argentina for the 

Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics 

and London 2012 Olympic Games. 

TyC Sports has had the broadcast 

rights in Argentina for every 

Summer Olympic Games since 

Atlanta 1996. TyC Sports also 

acquired rights for the IAAF’s 

Diamond League series of athletics 

meets, which begins next year. 

World Series: Major League 

Baseball’s World Series averaged 

an 11.7 television rating and 

19-per-cent audience share on US 

television, up 39 per cent from the 

record low of 8.4 and 14 per cent in 

2008. This year’s World Series was 

contested by the New York Yankees 

and the Philadelphia Phillies. Last 

year the teams were the Phillies and 

the Tampa Bay Rays. 

Eurosport: Eurosport International 

reported an operating profit of 

€33.7 million for the first nine 

months of 2009, up over 100 per 

cent on the €16.7 million profit 

in the same period in 2008. 

Subscription revenues rose yearon-year, 

driven by the launch of 

the Eurosport HD channel, which 

launched in May 2008 and now has 

four million paying subscribers, and 

of Eurosport 2, which now has 38 

million paying subscribers. 

MTV3 Max: Finnish broadcaster 

MTV3 renewed its rights for Formula 

One for the 2010 to 2012 period. MTV3 

will continue to show live coverage 

on its MTV3 Max low-priced paychannel, 

and delayed coverage on its 

free-to-air MTV3 channel. 

IPL: Sony’s Entertainment 

Television Network’s channel SET 

Max, the official broadcaster of 

cricket’s Indian Premier League 

(IPL), is estimated to bring in over 

Rs 650 crore ($135 million) for the 

2010 edition of the competition, 30 

per cent higher than in 2009. 

TO SELL OR NOT TO SELL 

Rick Burton on the timing conundrum facing the IOC when it comes to 

negotiating the US broadcast rights for the 2014 and 2016 Olympic Games. 

READ A NORTH AMERICAN Sports Business 

Journal and you will come across a treasure trove 

of rights fee information covering the various TV 

network sports deals for the largest American 

sports properties, including the Olympics. 

They are significant and what is particularly 

interesting is that the Olympics, particularly 

following the massive ratings success of the 

2008 Summer Games from Beijing, were not 

only the lowest dollar value of the six (which are 

all in a single, sophisticated market) but also that 

the IOC tends to only bid the Olympics in single 

four-year (or two Games) blocks in the US. 

That means the next round of bidding for 

the US rights, (covering at least the Sochi 2014 

Winter Olympics and 2016 Summer Olympics in 

Rio de Janeiro) are due for negotiation, logically, 

sometime next year, after the Vancouver Games. 

To that end, there are a number of interesting 

factors at play: 

● The possible number of bidders in the US 

(likely ESPN/ABC, Fox, CBS possibly with Time 

Warner and NBC possibly owned by Comcast), 

how these parties are likely to compete and how 

they will drive the pricing 

● Economic conditions in the US and whether 

they will continue to improve during the 2010-12 

window when this process could take place 

● Vancouver’s ratings performance in the US. 

This is where the performances of certain 

American athletes will influence NBC’s outcome 

● Whether the selection of Rio gets ‘spun’ by the 

bidders as warranting a discount in the US 

● Whether the selection of Sochi (and its 

European time zone) will dictate a discount 

● Whether US broadcasters will act ‘coy’ about 

bidding for rights that only serve them for a 

‘couple of weeks’ in February 2014 and August 

2016. This coyness is consistent (since the 

networks always know the Games only last a 

few weeks) but will undoubtedly be measured 

by cash flow projections related to how much it 

will cost each respective broadcaster to maintain 

future rights with the NFL, NBA, NASCAR, 

NCAA and Major League Baseball (all which will 

go back up for grabs between 2013 and 2016) 

● The IOC’s desire to get the deal done early in 

order to benefit Sochi and Rio or to wait for more 

favorable economic conditions in the US. Dick 

Pound wrote in his 2006 book Inside the Olympics, 

that due to the economic conditions in the TV 

industry at the time, the longer the IOC waited 

to sell the US rights (after Atlanta’s selection) the 

more revenue the sale would generate. But Atlanta 

needed cash for construction of the Olympic 

Stadium and wanted the bidding to begin ASAP. 

When we consider the bidding process this 

time, there are two major ‘player’ developments 


MEDIA 

Current Major US TV Deals 

NFL 

NBA 

NCAA 

Major League Baseball 

NASCAR 

Olympic Games 

worth noting: the emergence of ESPN/ABC as a 

committed bidder and the likely acquisition by 

Comcast of General Electric’s NBC. 

Up first is ESPN. The Connecticut-based giant 

has not been shy in announcing it will bid for 2014 

and 2016 and recently tipped its cards even further 

by scooping the Vancouver 2010 and London 

2012 broadcast rights in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, 

Columbia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay 

(and satellite-only rights in Venezuela). 

ESPN’s executive vice president of content, 

John Skipper, attended the Beijing Games and 

brought with him a team of seasoned executives 

that had long been crunching Olympic numbers. 

He knew only too well that the IOC receives 

approximately half of its revenue from media 

rights and the US portion has traditionally been 

greater than the rest of the world combined. 

It gives a global player like ESPN (owned by 

Disney) notable leverage. Perhaps the only other 

Phelps helped exonerate Ebersol- Getty Sport Images 

At least $28.34-billion over eight years (through 2013) with Fox, CBS, NBC, ESPN 

and Direct TV 

At least $7.44-billion over six years (through the 2015-16 Finals) with ESPN/ABC, 

TNT, Direct TV, Dish Network and iN Demand 

At least $6-billion over 11 years (through 2013) for up to 66 collegiate 

championships with CBS, ESPN and Direct TV 

At least $4.87-billion over seven years (through 2013) with Fox, ESPN, TBS, Direct 

TV, Dish Network and iN Demand) 

At least $4.8-billion over eight years through 2014 with Fox, ESPN/ABC, TNT and 

Speed Chanel 

At least $2 billion (for the Vancouver 2010 and London 2012 Games) with NBC 

Universal 

party to bring a similar big picture orientation is 

Murdoch’s various Fox platform. 

Translation: ESPN (or possibly Fox) can 

amortise its US investment (i.e., paying a premium 

in one country) by averaging out its investment via 

other territorial purchases. 

NBC has long been the rights holder in 

the US and long appreciated by the IOC. “The 

Peacock” is also fronted by NBC Sports chairman 

Dick Ebersol and, as 2009 was wrapping up, 

Ebersol was verbal about the growing overtures 

by Comcast and the strong possibility the two 

companies would complete a deal by early 2010. 

As this issue went to press (mid-November) that 

acquisition looked imminent. 

Interestingly, much has been made of the 

suggestion (or fact) that NBC overpaid for the 

2008 Games in Beijing. But in return, Ebersol 

received morning swimming finals (featuring 

Michael Phelps) so the action would be seen live 

in prime time in the US. When Phelps delivered, 

the ratings went through the roof and Ebersol 

was exonerated. 

For the IOC, the continued delivery of the 

Games, stage-managed in a carefully-crafted love 

letter from Ebersol to the American public - truly 

benefitting the IOC and its values - cannot be 

underestimated. 

Translation: Richard Carrion, the IOC’s finance 

commission chairman, would logically recommend 

taking the highest bid. But (and these are significant 

disclaimers) if Comcast buys NBC because it wants 

to establish itself as a major sports force in the US 

(to rival ESPN) … and bids aggressively … and if 

Comcast is able to keep Ebersol engaged beyond 

London 2012 … and if Ebersol is asked to remind the 

IOC bid evaluators of his personal contributions in 

growing the Games in the US then the Comcast/NBC 

package, if particularly creative, might receive extra 

attention and could win despite slightly less dollars. 

So when will the IOC go to market A 

successful Winter Olympics in Vancouver for 

NBC (in terms of ratings, ad inventory sold, 

overnight, final ratings and critical appreciation 

by the media) could create favourable timing for 

the IOC anxious to bring Comcast and ESPN 

into a head to head showdown by June. 

On the other hand, by waiting for US market 

conditions to continue improving and by more 

fully priming the pump with Fox and CBS, the 

IOC might truly get four legitimate bidders. 

Admittedly, not all four networks will bid 

with real intent (meaning at least one will likely 

submit a stalking horse bid) but for the IOC to 

get four major players to the table may outweigh 

the benefits of a early bidding process. 

It would also allow IOC’s administration to 

believe that selecting Rio was just as viable as 

selectin Chicago. 

There is no doubt that Chicago’s loss cost 

the IOC money and Carrion acknowledged 

as much immediately following the vote in 

Copenhagen. The question remains what the 

discount percentage will ultimately equal. By 

selecting Rio, could the IOC have missed out on 

maybe as much as an extra $500-million from 

US broadcasters 

No one will know for sure but in his book 

Rome 1960, author David Maraniss noted that it 

is not uncommon for the IOC president to feel 

the pangs of revenue lost. Current IOC president 

Jacques Rogge will want his fine legacy enhanced 

by a great gathering of financial spoils from the 

Americans. Odds are that if his negotiators do 

their jobs well, the Sochi-Rio Express will bring 

in at least $2-billion. It is doubtful the bidders 

will overpay but one never knows at an auction. 

Money is a quirky commodity. 

Rick Burton is the David B. Falk Professor of Sport 

Management at Syracuse University and a former 

chief marketing officer of the USOC. 


EVENTS 

SHORTSTOP 

2020 OLYMPICS: Turkish city Istanbul 

will bid to host the 2020 Summer 

Olympics. Speaking at the Sports Event 

Management conference in London, 

Prime Ministerial sports adviser 

Mehmet Atalay said: “We decided not to 

bid for 2016 while we concentrated on 

trying to make sure we had everything 

in place to launch a serious attempt for 

2020.” Istanbul hosted the 2005 UEFA 

Champions League final. 

WINTER OLYMPICS: Quebec City said it 

is considering a bid for the 2022 or 2026 

Winter Games. Quebec failed in bids to 

host the 2002 and 2010 Winter Olympic 

Games. Host cities for the 2022 and 

2026 Winter Olympic Games will be 

chosen in 2015 and 2019 respectively 

FRENCH OPEN: The French tennis 

federation (FFT) threatened to move 

the French Open from Roland Garros 

if plans for a new roofed centre court 

are not approved by Paris City Council. 

The FFT is facing ‘hostility’ from 

the Council and local residents over 

the development. The project was 

announced last May, with an estimated 

finish date of 2013 or 2014. 

2014 WINTER OLYMPICS: International 

Olympic Committee president Jacques 

Rogge expressed his approval for 

Russia’s preparations for the 2014 

Winter Games in Sochi. Rogge said 

he was encouraged by “the pace and 

quality’’ of the work in the Black Sea 

resort area where almost all of the 

venues and infrastructure are being 

built from scratch. 

2014 YOUTH OLYMPICS: Poznan 

announced its intention to bid for 

the 2014 Youth Olympic Games. The 

Polish city has hosted numerous 

Olympic Sports events in the recent 

years such as the 2009 Rowing World 

Championships, the 2009 European 

Championships in Basketball, and is 

one of the key host cities for the 2012 

UEFA EURO. The 2014 Youth Olympic 

Games bid is a part of the city’s 

commitment to sport and to promoting 

a healthy life style among its citizens. 

QATAR BID GETS SERIOUS 

Matthew Glendinning, reports on the Middle East State of Qatar’s highprofile 

bid to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup. 

THE QATAR 2022 World Cup Bid team is 

taking its Bid message of ‘unity, progress and 

understanding’ to football industry conferences 

and exhibitions worldwide in a high-profile 

promotional push for the Middle Eastern state’s 

hosting ambitions. 

From the October’s ‘Leaders in Football’ 

Conference in London to a major exhibiting 

presence at Soccerex in Johannesburg in 

November, Chairman of the Qatar 2022 Bid, 

HE Sheikh Mohammed Bin Hamad Bin Khalifa 

Al-Thani is championing what would be the 

first global sporting event ever to be hosted in 

the Middle East - and confirms that Qatar is 

“extremely serious” about its plans to host the 

World Cup in 2022. 

“We are not doing this just to give Qatar some 

publicity,” said the Qatari Royal. “We really want 

to host the World Cup and we are more than 

capable of doing so. There is a huge interest and 

passion across the Middle East for football and 

we have a track record of hosting great events - 

national, regional and multi-national.” 

Sheikh Mohammed says that he feels people 

do not yet know Qatar as well as he would like 

them to. “We’re a small nation, but we have 

made some huge leaps forward. We are blessed 

by having a very strong economy - and this is 

why we are able to invest in our future. Our 

World Cup Bid is part of that investment. 

“Why are we bidding Because we truly 

believe in the FIFA slogan ‘For the Game. For 

the World’. There are not enough global events 

in the Middle East. We want to give people in 

the Middle East the chance of experiencing this 

wonderful tournament.” 

In answer to those who question whether, given 

its small size, Qatar could host the World Cup, 

Sheikh Mohammed responds: “I guarantee we can 

host it. It’s all going to be about the fan experience. 

The compact size of our proposal will give fans 

the opportunity to see every match, without the 

need for travel and hotel changes. It will be highly 

organised, so there will be hardly any need for 

commuting between matches.” 

Nor, says Sheikh Mohammed, would the 

summer temperatures in Qatar be a problem for 

players or fans. “It’s only 2009 and we already 

have cooling technologies that create a very 

comfortable atmosphere in our stadiums, while 

outside temperatures are much higher. 

“And just look at what we have achieved in 

only the past few years in our country - and then 

please believe that in 2022 we will certainly have 

amazing cooling technologies for stadiums, 

training grounds and fan zones. 

“We want to do this by developing 

environmentally-friendly technologies - and 

these technologies will then be used to the 

benefit of other countries around the world.” 

Looking further ahead, Sheikh Mohammed 

explains that the Bid meshes with Qatar’s 

existing long-term infrastructure development 

plan, the ‘Qatar Vision 2030’. “Hosting the 

World Cup fits into that existing plan - and 

would be an important chapter in that plan. We 

want a Qatar World Cup to leave a long legacy, 

not just in Qatar but much further afield,” says 

Sheikh Mohammed. 

“We would also like to put on a really familyfriendly 

World Cup, where parents feel safe 

bringing their children to watch the match. Their 

young memories of a fantastic World Cup will 

also be our legacy to FIFA.” 

England lost to Brazil last month in Doha - Getty Images Sport 

COMMONWEALTH GAMES: Cardiff 

began forming a bid for the 2022 

Commonwealth Games which will be 

presented to the Welsh Assembly. 

Cardiff has hosted a Rugby World Cup 

final, FA Cup finals, rallying, Grand 

Prix speedway and an Ashes Test in 

recent years. 


EVENTS 

SHORTSTOP 

RYDER CUP: London-based marketing 

agency The Sports Consultancy was 

appointed by Spain’s Real Federacion 

Espanola de Golf to advise on all 

aspects of the country’s bid to host the 

Ryder Cup in 2018. 

THEY ARE SOME of the hottest tickets in sport, 

but the heat has been turned up even further in 

the fierce battle to prevent fans being defrauded 

in their desperation to see the 2010 FIFA World 

Cup finals next summer. 

A quick search on the internet brings up a 

handful of websites offering ‘unbeatable’ deals 

on both tickets and even packages. Some are 

legitimate FIFA-approved tour operators, but 

the vast majority fall into the category of 

‘rogue trader’. 

The danger therefore is that despite 

warnings, numerous supporters will sign up for 

a package which may, or may not, get them to 

South Africa but will certainly not secure entry 

into the stadia. It is believed a vast number have 

already handed over money for worthless tickets. 

The scams vary from a simple tickets-forcash 

arrangement, credit card-based fraud or 

e-mails telling the recipient that they have won a 

lottery backed by the South African government, 

supposedly counter-signed by Nelson Mandela. 

The FIFA website goes to great lengths 

to explain that ticket-only deals should only 

be purchased through its offices, while those 

wishing to combine matches with hospitality 

will only be guaranteed to get what they require 

through FIFA’s partners MATCH. 

The governing body adds that the popular 

ticket-and-travel packages associated with major 

sporting events will only be available through its 

60 affiliated tour operators scattered around the 

world, and that official match tickets will only be 

printed a few weeks before the tournament. 

The International Olympic Committee also 

took legal action against websites that set up 

Olympic ticketing scams for Beijing 2008, with 

people paying for tickets and accommodation 

that did not exist. 

Warnings over ‘rogue’ ticket sellers - Getty Images Sport 

TACKLING TICKET THIEVES 

With the third phase of 2010 World Cup tickets going on sale December 4, 

Adrian Hill investigates what the authorities are doing to try to stop tens of 

thousands of individuals being ripped off by rogue operators. 

In one instance fans paid about £30,000 for 

tickets and accommodation that did not exist via 

the website www.beijingtickets.com. 

The World Cup situation has become so 

intense that FIFA has called on the assistance 

of London’s Metropolitan Police, specifically 

its e-crime unit. ‘Operation Phyllite’ has so 

far closed down over 100 websites that were 

offering unauthorised goods connected not 

just with the World Cup, but Premier League, 

international and FA Cup matches. The Met 

claims it’s the biggest single cull of websites in 

the history of law enforcement. 

“Fraudsters capitalise on the victim’s desire 

to attend an event knowing that they will pay 

out for the opportunity to be present at that all 

important one-off event,” the e-crime unit’s 

Detective Superintendent Charlie McMurdie 

says. “The risk begins when your desire to 

purchase the tickets blinds your judgment, or 

leads you to unlawful websites. If it looks too 

good to be true, it probably is”. 

The Australian Competition and Consumer 

Commission (ACCC) said an international 

review of thousands of websites, including 

1,400 based in Australia, underscored the need 

for consumer vigilance against unauthorised 

websites. FIFA’s Legal Affairs team is working 

closely with other international authorities to 

spot illegal offers and then take action to put the 

traders out of business. 

The draw in Cape Town on December 4 is 

third of five phases of ticket sales and, with the 

first round matches revealed, will be the busiest 

of the lot as fans search frantically to find a 

means to watch their country on the biggest stage 

in football. Whether or not this will coincide with 

a proliferation of scammers across the internet, 

the authorities are primed to take action. 

AMERICA’S CUP: Alinghi, the America’s 

Cup holder, accepted the Spanish port 

of Valencia as the venue for next year’s 

race against BMW Oracle. Oracle said 

it was “very pleased to see that Alinghi 

has finally agreed with us that Valencia 

in February is the correct venue to hold 

the 33rd America’s Cup”. 

GERMAN SUPER CUP: The German 

Football League (DFL) reintroduced 

the German Super Cup to the domestic 

footballing calendar for the first time 

in 14 years. The proposal received 

majority approval and will see the 

Bundesliga champions take on the 

DFB-Pokal winners in the official 

prelude to the 2010-11 season. 

EUROPEAN ATHLETICS: Helsinki 

was awarded the European Athletics 

Championships for a third time. The 

Finnish capital, which hosted the event 

in 1971 and 1994, was the unanimous 

choice of the European Athletics 

Council to stage the championships 

in 2012. The event will take place 

between June 27 and July 1. 

2012 OLYMPICS: UK newspaper the 

Telegraph reported the real cost of the 

London 2012 Olympic Games is 

£2.7 billion more than the UK 

government has stated. It said the 

announced sum of £9.3 billion public 

Olympic spending “substantially 

understates” the true position which 

is at least £12 billion. The extra cost 

reportedly includes £1.15 billion spent 

to buy and clean up the Olympic site 

and £269 million in interest payments. 

RUGBY UNION: The coach of the Italian 

rugby union team said he wants his 

side to remain based at decaying Rome 

stadium Stadio Flaminio, despite an 

80,000 attendance for Italy against New 

Zealand at the San Siro in Milan. 

2010 OLYMPICS: Organisers of the 2010 

Vancouver Winter Games postponed 

the third phase of ticket sales because 

of major website problems which 

prevented the sale of 100,00 tickets. 

Officials made additional tickets 

available on November 14 due to the 

“online technical glitch”. 


EVENTS 

PLAYING IT THE AMERICAN WAY 

Wembley Stadium gets a US-transformation - Getty Images Sport 

The NFL staged another hugely successful regular season game at Wembley Stadium in October, rekindling debate 

over a London franchise and whether the Super Bowl could one day come to the UK. Adrian Hill looks at whether 

the British, and the rest of the world, need to embrace the ‘American Experience’. 

AMERICAN FOOTBALL’S ‘team of the decade’, 

the New England Patriots, exhibited the power, 

speed and skill that have taken them to three 

Super Bowl triumphs in the 21st century by 

crushing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 35-7 at 

Wembley Stadium in October. 

The NFL charm offensive, which came to 

Wembley for the third successive year, aims 

to seduce not just the relatively small band of 

avid American Football followers in the UK but 

the so-called floating voters, those who may be 

swayed by the distinctly different atmosphere, 

where sport is certainly not everything. 

Cheerleaders, parties in the car park, an 

NFL cinema, live bands and video game tents, 

as exhibited at Wembley, are all part of the 

established fun of a day out at an NFL game. 

The stated intention is, eventually, to base an 

NFL franchise in London. Certainly the devotees 

who have flocked beneath Wembley’s famous 

arch on an October Sunday for the past three 

years would grasp the concept, but is there an 

appetite among the wider public For any large 

franchise to work the surrounding community 

as a whole must get behind it. 

Of course, the rhythm of American sports 

is distinctly different to what most British fans 

are used to. The concept of ‘time-outs’ is an 

opportunity for off-field entertainment, while 

the pulsating nature of Premier League football 

and Heineken Cup rugby, with very few lengthy 

stoppages, provide little scope for additional 

non-sporting entertainment. And the question 

is, would the fans in places such as Birmingham, 

Manchester and Newcastle really want it anyway 

Where the NFL frequently attracts some of 

the biggest bands in popular music, traditional 

British sporting occasions, such as the FA Cup 

final and Six Nations matches, only offer the 

singing of the anthems, a few fireworks and 

the church hymn ‘Abide With Me’. Does British 

sport need to learn from the ‘American-Way’ 

Julian Marks, of event360, organised 

the NFL show in London and has provided 

entertainment at many showpiece occasions in 

various sports over the years. 

Marks and others in his field are essentially 

responsible for everything inside the stadium 

that’s not the actual sporting event - whether 

content for the huge display screen, music, 

announcements or entertainment. 


EVENTS 

“The crowd at the NFL game is a different 

audience,” Marks told SportBusiness 

International. “There are a lot of Americans and 

ex-pats, plus British American football fans. 

They expect entertainment and really buy into 

it - it’s not just a match for them, an NFL game 

is an event. 

“Getting a full NFL fixture in London is a 

big deal, and we had approximately 90 per cent 

of the crowd in the stadium pre-match. You get 

nothing like that figure in the States, where 

people tend to drift in before kick-off. An NFL 

game outside America is a real event and people 

want to savour it.” 

Difficult to change habits 

The next step may be to double, or even 

quadruple, the number of regular season NFL 

matches at Wembley, although the plan raises 

issues about damage to the Wembley pitch with 

the NFL season running in conjunction with 

the traditional sequence of autumn England 

international football matches. 

The American approach to staging sports 

events clearly works when transplanting one 

of their own into another country, but can 

it be successful within traditional British 

sporting activities, or indeed for other 

non-American pursuits worldwide Is there 

even a demand for it 

“British sports fans are a bit set in their 

ways and the clubs that could afford to spend 

on entertainment don’t really need to, because 

they could sell their tickets 10 times over as it 

is, so there’s no requirement to lure people 

in,” explains Marks. 

“The clubs that would have more of 

an interest in entertainment wouldn’t 

or couldn’t afford to commit the money 

required on a game-by-game basis. So, 

I think we will only really see sports 

entertainment happening at big matches 

in the UK. Football and rugby are 

very different to American sports. 

Fans like to drink in pubs, 

chatting to their mates and 

come into the stadium late. It’s 

difficult to change habits.” 

This selective approach 

has worked for Marks, his 

company having incorporated 

such techniques as innovative banners 

and fireworks at international matches and 

Cup finals, earning praise from governing 

bodies and sponsors alike who are of 

the shared opinion that it adds to the 

spectacle. And even if it isn’t well received 

by spectators, putting on a spectacle can 

still be a valuable commercial tool. 

“Sponsorship of sports entertainment 

is an opportunity for a brand to get an 

emotional bond with the spectator. It’s 

an opportunity to enhance its exposure,” 

explains Fred Porro, managing director of the 

UK arm of Ignition, a leader in the field of 

experiential marketing. 

“Everyone wants to be entertained and the 

key is to find out how to do that. What works in 

the US does not necessarily work in the UK, or 

elsewhere. You have to be cognisant of where 

you are and what your audience wants. 

“I think 20,000 showing up for the postmatch 

‘tailgate party’ at Wembley was proof that 

it worked there.” 

There have certainly been signs that 

showmanship is starting to be more welcome 

in global events recently. This year, Formula 

One has introduced ‘F1 Rocks’, live concerts 

involving some of the world’s leading artists 

running alongside the Grand Prix. FIFA plans 

an event along similar lines, the ‘Official 

Kick-Off Celebration Concert’, at the Orlando 

Stadium in Johannesburg on June 10 next year. 

“Music complements sport incredibly well 

and has intrinsic value,” Porro argues. “We’ve 

seen this with F1 Rocks and the show that 

Control Room are going to put on for the FIFA 

World Cup Kick-Off Celebration in South Africa 

will also have a very big musical influence. It 

will be more focused than the rather theatrical 

performances we see at the Olympics and will 

be something special.” 

Spotlight on London 2012 

The Olympic Games was the first global 

sporting event to adopt ceremonies and 

entertainment to bookend the sporting spectacle 

and the Chinese brought it to a new level with 

their lavish production last year. 

The question from a UK point of view at least 

is, following the successes of Beijing and of the 

NFL event on home turf, what can be done for 

the 2012 Olympics but also beyond the Games 

“I think China missed an opportunity after 

the Beijing Olympics to extend the legacy,” says 

Porro. “Now there is a chance for Brazil, with 

both the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics 

coming up, to really make its mark. And with 

the carnival spirit of Rio they have all the 

ingredients to put on some fabulous shows.” 

The concept of entertainment at sports 

events has certainly come a long way since 

marching bands at FA Cup finals and the 

release of doves at the Olympic Games. America 

is the world leader but Marks is keen to point 

out that each event needs to be taken in its own 

context, both in terms of location but also within 

its sector and the culture of its following. 

“Entertainment has been a great success 

in Twenty20 cricket, for example, where it has 

seamlessly slotted in with the action, and I can 

only see it growing and growing in that form of 

the sport,” he adds. 

“But I’m not sure that the same is true of 

Test cricket. I couldn’t see dancing girls being 

tolerated during the Test at Lord’s.” 


sAiling inTo 

The fuTure 

As PrinciPAl of TeAm origin, sir KeiTh mills hAs Two goAls - win The AmericA’s 

cuP And reduce globAl cArbon emissions. buT ThAT’s noT All. As he Told Kevin 

roberTs, he Also wAnTs To helP chAnge The wAy The world’s oldesT regulAr 

inTernATionAl sPorTs evenT is governed. 

By hIS own admISSIon, Sir Keith Mills is 

not the world’s best sailor. He may be a globally 

revered marketer and entrepreneur who has been 

writing the cheques that have kept Team Origin, 

the UK’s America’s Cup contender, in the water 

these past two and a half years, but he has a 

realistic take on where his talents begin and end. 

“Other team principles like (Ernesto) Bertarelli 

and (Larry) Ellison are both part of their race 

teams and are on the boat. But I won’t be sailing. 

The only people on a boat in Team Origin Colours 

will be the best in the world. In the same way, the 

only people in our design team will be the best in 

the world.” 

That’s more of a declaration of intent on behalf 

of Team Origin than an assessment of his own 

abilities. And it is made despite his having been 

part of a winning crew in the Clipper Round The 

World Race, a sporting achievement which would 

buy many people a lifetime of bragging rights. 

But Sir Keith isn’t about bragging. He is about 

influence rather than profile as evidenced by his 

involvement at the heart of London’s successful 

bid to bring the 2012 Olympic Games to the UK 

capital and his role as deputy to Lord Coe on 

the Organising Committee. He’s also a board 

member of Premier League club Tottenham 

Hotspur and an advisor to the England campaign 

to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup. 

Elsewhere he is in a highly publicised battle 

with Coutts, the private bank, over its advice and 

handling of his investment of some £65 million in 

AIG Life - an investment which cost him some 

£30 million of the reported £160 million share 

of the proceeds of the sale of LMG, the company 

which owned Nectar, the loyalty scheme operator. 

His sporting loves are illustrated in his office 

in Pall Mall, London, where a framed picture of 

Spurs centre back Jonathan Woodgate (“Oh that’s 

Woody”) sits alongside an impressive model of an 

America’s Cup Class boat in Team Origin colours. 

But one can only guess that, even for a man 

clearly adept at juggling projects, Team Origin 

must be top of mind right now. 

In many respects, Team Origin is blazing a trail 

for sport and sports marketing in an age where 

discussions over the power of sport to play a role in 

helping protect the environment have generated as 

much heat as light. 

There’s been a lot of talk, but action has been 

thin on the ground and on those occasions when 

sports and brands have put their heads above the 

environmental parapet, there have almost always 

been accusations of ‘greenwashing’. 

Team Origin is a project that Mills sees as both 

a “very, very serious bid to win the America’s 

Cup” and to have “a real impact on carbon 

emissions worldwide.” 

And that is one hell of a challenge. “Last year 

we sat down and talked about how we should 

position Team Origin and to me it was pretty clear 

that the world really has changed and the way in 

which companies are marketing their products and 

services has changed,” Mills says. “The levels of 

corporate social responsibility shown by companies 

and their awareness of environmental issues have 

changed for the better. I felt that we, as a team, 

needed to be reflective of those changes. 

“When we launched two and a half years ago we 

had put in place a grass roots sailing programme 

with the RYA called On Board and this is getting 

500,000 kids in the UK into sailing. But we 

wanted to see if we could do more that that in 

terms of making our contributions to society.” 

It became obvious to Mills and the team 

that their sport provided them with a unique 

opportunity. The America’s Cup represents the 

very pinnacle of a sport which delivers the most 

obvious and consistent example of how natural 

energy - the wind and waves - are used to generate 

excellence in sporting performance. 

“We asked ourselves whether there was a way we 

could use that extraordinary phenomenon to help 

reduce our carbon footprint and promote the race 

against climate change,” Mills explains. 

Consultants McKinsey were drafted in to examine 

the possibilities and advise on whether the vision 

could be turned into a marketing reality which 

delivered value for a range of different partners. 

“From the outset we were aware that we needed 

a partner if we were going to make this work. It 

is a complex area and one that we alone didn’t 

understand enough of.” 


Sir Keith Mills - Getty Images Sport 

After a thorough search, The Carbon Trust was 

selected and, earlier this year, signed a partnership 

agreement for The Race For Change. The Carbon 

Trust will - among other things - advise the team 

on Best Practice in minimising its own carbon 

footprint, something which is fundamental to the 

credibility of the entire exercise. 

For Sir Keith, the twin goals are clear. “We 

intend to win the America’s Cup and if we can 

win the race against climate change we will have 

accomplished extraordinary feats,” he says. 

The America’s Cup has always been a rich man’s 

sport but few individuals could personally bear 

the cost of designing, developing, building and 

refining boats and keeping a professional crew on 

the water without corporate support. 

And Team Origin believes it has a unique 

proposition for corporate partners who share 

the team’s environmental agenda and concerns 

and want to find a credible way of leading carbon 

reduction efforts by example. 

The quest is for four Premier partners and a raft 

of smaller partners who “have similar goals and a 

business imperative of not simply reducing their 

own carbon footprint but telling the world that is 

what they are doing and telling others to so get 

behind the Race For Change campaign.” 

In many respects sailing is the consummate 

standard bearer for environmental issues and 

the stars appear to be in perfect alignment as 

corporations around the world scramble to meet 

Sir Keith Mills, 

Principal, Team origin 

Sir Keith Mills worked for 20 years in the 

advertising industry and in 1988, founded 

Air Miles International Group BV (AMIG) to 

develop the AIR MILES programme. 

He remains Chairman of Loyalty 

Management Group Ltd (LMG), the company 

which owns and manages the Nectar 

programme in the UK and licenses Air Miles 

programmes internationally. 

Sir Keith was International President 

and CEO of London 2012, the company 

that was established to bid for the 2012 

Olympic Games. There he led the team 

and, along with Lord Coe, was responsible 

for developing the bid strategy and 

persuading the 115 IOC members that 

London should be granted the rights to 

host the Olympic and Paralympic Games 

in 2012. Sir Keith remains as non-executive 

Deputy Chairman of LOCOG alongside Lord 

Coe. He is also a non-executive director of 

Tottenham Hotspur FC. 

He is a keen amateur sailor and, in 1999, 

was one of the crew that won the Clipper 

Round the World Yacht Race. 

the social responsibility expectations of a world 

which is making business choices in new ways. 

“Just think,” says Sir Keith. “There are no 

engines on these boats. They can sail at twice the 

speed of the wind that is propelling them. It is 

the ultimate demonstration of capturing natural 

energy and generating performance. 

“Our message to businesses is that you don’t 

have to reduce your profit to reduce your carbon 

footprint. Indeed we think that if you adopt 

carbon reduction technologies you actually make 

more money. 

“This is a way you can reduce carbon footprint 

by 20 per cent over as period of time and have a 

better performing company as a result... All that 

and we can win the America’s Cup together.” 

To date the response from the corporate sector 

has been enthusiastic. 

“We have really hit a nerve,” Sir Keith says. “A 

lot of companies are taking this really seriously 

now. It is a Key Performance Indicator for many 

CEOs and they know that this can really resonate 

relative to traditional Olympic, F1 or even football 

sponsorship. It is relatively inexpensive and impact 

could be enormous.” 

It is, he says, the Real Deal. No participating 

company will be accused of ‘greenwashing’ 

because they will have to sign up to a programme 

of internal carbon reduction measures which 

ensures that they walk the walk as well as talking 

the talk. 


This has been an unhappy period for the 

Americas Cup which is indicative of the fact 

it is governed by an out of date structure. 

The Deed of Gift isn’t really fit for purpose 

Sir Keith draws on his experience with London 

2012 to provide an example of how sports 

properties can work with partners and suppliers to 

effect change. 

“Between now and 2012 the London Organising 

Committee will have signed 75,000 commercial 

contracts with companies, Every single one of 

those suppliers has to sign up for and demonstrate 

their sustainability credentials. That’s a guarantee 

that their products and services meet those 

standards - and the same applies to their sub 

contractors,” he says. 

“So you can see that the impact of that 

sustainability strategy is felt across tens of 

thousands of companies across the UK. 

“Bringing together partners behind Team 

Origin, the same will happen. Some of the people 

we have talked to are among the biggest companies 

in the world and the impact of having them 

practice what they preach is not insignificant. 

“One of the issues we face is persuading 

companies and consumers that unless behaviour 

alters we will continue to have a climate change 

problem and one of the most powerful tools for 

doing this around the world is sport. 

“Naturally I would like to think that what we 

are doing with this America’s Cup team will be 

the first of many initiatives where sport is used to 

improve the environment.” 

While there is no doubting Sir Keith’s own 

commitment to the cause, it is important not 

to be carried away by the notion that this is not 

just an environmental initiative carried by sport. 

Team Origin is an extremely serious contender for 

the America’s Cup, whenever and wherever it is 

eventually contested. 

While it is a UK entry, it is a multi-national 

team which beings together some of the world’s 

most talented sailors and technicians. Under multi 

Olympic Gold medal winning skipper Ben Ainslie 

is a hugely experienced international crew and the 

team is convinced that it can give anybody a run 

for their money, something they demonstrated 

during the Luis Vuitton series in Nice during 

November. 

“Ours is an international team and we are 

talking to big multinational companies. We may 

have a British skipper but many of the crew are 

from outside the UK. We are taking an entirely 

professional approach because while there are still 

wealthy benefactors prepared to invest their time 

and money in sport, behind them there needs to 

be increasingly professional team management,” 

says Sir Keith who expects initial partnership deals 

to be signed in the first quarter of 2010. 

“Our proposals are based on a five year 

partnership and the companies we are talking to 

want to be in for the long haul. They are buying 

into a long-term programme and in that five years 

there will probably be two America’s Cups and a 

lot of other elite sailing competitions. 

“If we are successful in our goal of winning 

the America’s Cup, the marketing impact will be 

huge. It has never been won by a UK team and it 

will be a truly historic moment. 

Of course we then have the ability to host it 

in this country where it can be a Mini Olympic 

Games in respect of its ability to regenerate 

one of the major ports. Just look what has been 

achieved in Valencia.” 

While the scope of Team Origin’s vision and the 

power of the Race For Change concept are beyond 

dispute, there appears to be one weak link in the 

chain - the America’s Cup itself. 

The competition, and all those who are part of it, 

has been becalmed by a series of legal challenges 

which, at the time of writing mean that we don’t 

know where or when the next edition will take 

place or what format will be adopted. 

Ultimately the fault-line runs through the 

Deed of Gift, a kind of arcane covenant which 

ultimately governs the event. According to Sir 

Keith it has no place in today’s world of big 

money sport. 

“This has been an unhappy period for the 

Americas Cup which is indicative of the fact it is 

governed by an out-of-date-structure. The Deed of 

Gift isn’t really fit for purpose now and every 20 or 

30 years there is a dispute which ends up in court 

because it’s the only mechanism to resolve issues,” 

Mills explains. 

“Ironically, both sides recognise that is 

essentially the problem and there is a ground 

swell of opinion amongst the America’s Cup 

community - including the Defender and the 

Challenger - that a new governance structure 

needs to be put in place and a number of us have 

had discussion over a few months with all the 

interested parties about making that happen after 

the next Deed of Gift match. 

“We hope the America’s Cup after next, the 

34th America’s Cup match, will be sailed under a 

different structure - that’s work in progress. Look 

at all sports, whether F1, the Premier league or the 

Olympic Games and there are governance lessons 

to be learned. None of them is perfect and all 

have their strengths and weaknesses. We have an 

opportunity with the America’s Cup to learn from 

the structures of others. 

“We have to adopt a governance structure which 

is fit for purpose and which reflects the scale and 

complexity of the event and the way media rights 

are governed these days. Out of a really unhappy 

situation we could have a really remarkable 

turnaround.” 

Sir Keith is confident that there will be a 

resolution to end the current impasse. “As a team 

we are working on the expectation that it will be 

sorted some time next year. 

“I decided to bring the team back together 

again and we announced a programme of 200 

days of sailing training for next year. We need to 

get the team back in the water and race fit in the 

expectation that we will get into an America’s Cup 

cycle during 2010,” he says. 

“Our sailing programme is not dependent on 

the America’s Cup. There is a Luis Vuitton series 

which races in Nice in the America’s Cup boats 

and we will be supplementing that sort of racing 

with the Audi Med Cup, a semi pro circuit. 

“There will be a lot of top class racing 

irrespective of the America’s Cup but this is a big 

business to keep on the water. I have funded it 

for the last two and a half years and have had a 

small number of commercial partners who have 

provided value in kind. 

“But we have not really had anything to offer to 

them until now,” he says. 

Given the strength of the America’s Cup brand 

and the genuine quality of the Team Origin crew, 

technical and management teams, the sporting 

components of this remarkable project are firmly 

in place. Now it is up to the corporate world to back 

the team’s environmental aspirations with money 

and harness the power of sport to their commercial 

and social objectives. 

Whatever the eventual outcome of the America’s 

Cup one thing is for sure. Team Origin and The 

Race For Change is set to become a textbook 

example and Sir Keith Mills may come to be seen 

as the man who helped change the relationship 

between sport, the corporate world and the 

environment forever. 


NAMING RIGHTS 

IT’S ALL IN A NAME 

While economic uncertainty has hit many parts of the sponsorship world, the demand 

for naming rights for stadia and arena remains high. Andy Fry asks why naming rights 

deals retain their attraction in touch economic times and looks at the fresh thinking 

that are being used to derive maximum value. 

NO ONE IN SPORTS MARKETING would 

really question the value or impact delivered 

by naming rights sponsorships. But brands 

considering this approach need to realise it is 

far more complex than simply hoisting a banner 

over a sports stadium. 

For a start, it needs to be supported by a good 

marketing programme, explains Gareth Moore, 

international sales director at sponsorship 

consultancy Sport+Markt: “Naming rights 

sponsors form a league of their own,” he 

says. “But to guarantee success they have to 

implement their partnerships through further 

communication. Early communication with 

stakeholders such as fans and journalists is 

important because they have to be willing to 

accept and transport the name.” 

Moore’s point about fans cannot be overstated. 

While most are willing to tolerate a shirt 

or event sponsorship, the prospect of a company 

buying a venue’s name is - potentially - a much 

more direct assault on the fan’s relationship 

with their chosen club or team. Get it wrong 

and a naming rights deal can quickly become a 

millstone around a brand’s neck. 

This is why brands mostly prefer to be 

involved in new-build projects rather than 

trying to rename existing stadia. In the former 

scenario, it’s possible to be seen as the financial 

lynchpin of a project - as Emirates Airline was 

when it took naming rights to Arsenal’s new 

stadium in Ashburton Grove. 

In the latter, however, there’s a real risk that 

both fans and the wider community will reject 

the sponsorship - either by criticising it overtly 

or refusing to use its name as required. It’s 

tough, for example, to imagine Liverpool FC fans 

accepting a new name for Anfield. It’s easier, 

instead, to picture a brand attached to Liverpool’s 

proposed new-build at Stanley Park - since fans 

have yet to imprint on that venue and would be 

grateful for financial input into their club. 

A timely example of this issue is the decision 

by Newcastle United’s board to rename its iconic 

soccer stadium St James’ Park as sportsdirect. 

com@St James’ Park. Although this is just a 

stopgap measure until next season - when a new 

naming rights partner will be chosen - fans have 

already made it clear that they regard the move as 

an attack on the heritage of the club. Any brand 

that chooses to step in to this breach next season 

will need to think very carefully before doing so. 

The appeal of new-builds isn’t just about sidestepping 

a negative fan reaction, however. While 

established stadia have history on their side, 

it’s far more compelling for a forward-looking 

brand to be associated with a state-of-the-art 

stadium than a damp, crumbling fleapit where 

the toilets don’t flush. Not only that, but the new 

generation of stadia are being integrated more 

effectively into communities - something that is 

of real value to sponsors. Spurs chairman Daniel 

Levy made this point recently when he said 

his club’s proposed 56,000 stadium had been 

designed to be “a vibrant area 365 days a year - 

not a stadium with dead space surrounding it.” 

This distinction between new-builds and 

existing stadia isn’t a hard and fast rule - since it 

is possible to get involved with legacy facilities 

in a supporting role (naming a stand, for 

example, or partnering one part of a complex - 

as Timex has just done by linking up with the 

New York Giants’ new practice facility - now 

called the Timex Performance Center). 

The right fit 

But it’s worth noting that even in the US, where 

naming rights is a well-established and accepted 

concept, fans are not always comfortable with 

stadia name changes. The classic example is 

the San Francisco 49ers’ Candlestick Park 

which was known for a while as 3Com Park and 

Monster Park. Neither brand name ever won 

support from hardcore fans. 

Of course, getting fans and journalists on 

board is only part of the challenge - even in the 

context of a new-build facility. Assuming you 

get both those relationships right, there’s still 

a lot of work to be done in terms of making 

such a deal work, says Trevor Watkins, head of 

the sports team at legal firm Clarke Willmott. 

“Critical to a successful naming rights deal is 

creating a partnership where both the rights 

owner and the brand feel they are achieving 

their goals,” he explains. “For most venue 

owners, naming rights will be their single 

biggest asset, so they need secure a true value 

for them. Equally, brands need to feel that the 

venue rights owner is a partner which will work 

with them to fulfil their core objectives.” 

At the same time, it’s important not to 

operate as silos with the two sides pursuing 

agenda in parallel. “A real partnership is one 

where the two sides reinforce each other’s 

activities,” adds Watkins - who spent a period 

of time as chairman of AFC Bournemouth. “A 

good rights owner can facilitate the naming 

rights partner’s integration into the wider 

community. Likewise, leading brands have a lot 

more to offer than cash.” 

Still on the subject of new-builds, the 

importance of a transparent and pro-active 

partnership is evident from the moment 

the plans for the venue are drawn up, says 

Watkins: “Naming rights contracts are usually 

very long so marketers should ensure that 

their requirements in terms of exposure and 

activation are considered right from the start - 

before it’s too late. Getting involved early also 

means that the risk of an alternative venue 

name being used by fans is diminished.” 

Moore and Watkins agree that new-builds are 

generally a better option than existing stadia for 

the reasons above. But what kind of new-builds 

Should brands only be interested in NFL and 

soccer - or do other sports have something to 

offer And does it have to be major clubs like 

Arsenal - or do smaller sports franchise have 

something to offer “The answer to the first 

question is that a lot of venues are suitable for 

naming rights,” says Watkins. “Within sport, 

we’re seeing interesting activity in cricket (eg 

the Brit Oval and Swalec Stadium) and I’d say 

horse-racing is an untapped opportunity. But it’s 

not just professional sports venues. I think we’ll 

see activity at universities and multi-purpose 

civic facilities.” 

This point is underlined by recent trends 

in the US, where five college sports facilities 

have managed to secure deals worth more than 

U$20m in the last few years. Looking outside 

sports, one of the hottest US naming rights 

opportunities on the market right now is the 

GM Building, an iconic skyscraper in the heart 

of Manhattan’s shopping district - available 

for the first time in 40 years. What, you might 

say, has this got to do with sports marketers 

Well the simple fact is that it is competition for 

sports rights holders - just like the O2-branded 

millennium dome in London. Sports rights 

holders that are serious about securing a partner 

need to demonstrate the kind of best-practice 

seen in other sectors. 

At the same time, it’s a reminder that brands 

need to approach naming rights with an open 

mind. Leaving aside the fanbase, does the rights 

holder have a clear strategic vision Is the venue 

based near a transport hub Is it close enough to 

retail locations to facilitate experiential activity 

such as sampling Is the local economy in 

growth or decline Watkins, for example, talks 

up Plymouth - whose bid to be a 2018 World 

Cup city could transform its value to a naming 

rights partner. 

As for the second point, the size of the 

rights owner, Watkins says it’s clearly a relevant 

consideration. “If you’re a global brand like 

Emirates then you want a partnership that delivers 


NAMING RIGHTS 

Tottenham FC/PA Archive/Press Association Images 

“Critical to a successful naming rights deal is creating a partnership where both 

the rights owner and the brand feel they are achieving their goals. A good rights 

owner can facilitate the naming rights partner’s integration into the wider 

community. Likewise, leading brands have a lot more to offer than cash.” 

significant exposure and fits the brand image. But 

that’s not to say smaller franchises can’t secure 

excellent deals. For them, it’s about identifying the 

most appropriate partners then demonstrating 

why their facility might have relevance.” 

Credit crunch 

Of course, all of the above has to be seen in the 

light of the current recession - which has had an 

inevitable impact on the naming rights market. 

Take a look at the US, for example, where 

financial service company Citigroup Inc signed 

a U$400 million, 20-year deal in 2006 for the 

naming rights to the new New York Mets Major 

League Baseball stadium. 

When the deal was struck, it looked like 

the perfect example of a naming rights deal - 

between a state-of-the-art sports franchise and 

a stable blue-chip brand. But as a result of the 

financial crisis, Citigroup’s involvement with 

the Mets is now seen by many as excessive - 

particularly since the company needed U$45bn 

of taxpayer money to survive. When the 

economy bounces back, Citigroup’s deal with 

Mets may look like good value. But for now, 

the criticism it is receiving is indicative of the 

difficulties facing financial service groups. 

Not only are they strapped for cash, they are 

subjected to opprobrium by politicians and the 

press if they spend it. 

This is a challenge for the naming rights 

market, which has been heavily reliant on 

financial services for support. Aside from Citi, for 

example, one of the biggest US deals of the decade 

was Bank of America’s 20-year link-up with NFL’s 

Carolina Panthers. Others to have stepped up 

included Barclays, Prudential and the TCF Bank 

of Minneapolis - which paid $35 million for title 

rights to the University of Minnesota’s stadium 

(the biggest deal in the college sector). 

It’s a similar story outside the US. In 

continental Europe, says Moore, the standout deal 

is the Allianz Arena - home to Bayern Munich. 

Also prominent are the Suncorp Stadium in 

Brisbane and Aviva’s support for the new national 

stadium in Ireland - which, from 2010, will host 

the country’s rugby union and football teams. 

Now though, the financial services has gone quiet 

- which may explain why major US franchises 

such as The Dallas Cowboys, New York Jets and 

the New York Giants (see box off) have yet to sign 

deals for newly-constructed stadia. It may also 

be one reason why 2009 saw the closure of the 

Denver-based Bonham Group, a market-leading 

agency which handled 100 naming rights deals 

over a 20-year period. 

New players 

It’s not all doom and gloom however. While 

many banks and automotive groups are 

struggling, some other sectors are still able 

to flex their muscles. O2, already mentioned, 

has spearheaded the mobile sector’s move into 

naming rights (though mainly, it has to be said, 

in live music venues). Similarly, Etihad Airlines 

has joined Emirates and American Airlines as a 

high-profile player in the space - securing rights 

to the 55,000-capacity Telstra Dome stadium 

in Melbourne. Back in North America, office 

supply retailer Staples has just become the first 

brand in the US to sign a naming rights deal 

in perpetuity - extending its current 20-year 

deal (1999-2019)with the Los Angeles sports 

arena for the lifetime of the building (home of 

the Los Angeles Lakers NBA team). No price 

was revealed - but so iconic is the so-called 


NAMING RIGHTS 

CORNERSTONE SPONSORS 

The O2 is a successful example Getty Images Sport 

Staples Center that it’s hard to see either side 

wanting to end the partnership. For Staples, the 

deal represents an onsite audience of 4 million 

people a year - not to mention huge swathes of 

media coverage. Meanwhile for AEG (the arena’s 

rights holders), the deal represents steady 

income, support via the Staples retail chain 

and, tellingly, a brand which is now inextricably 

associated with the golden era of LA Lakers. 

This last point harks back to something 

Watkins said earlier, with regard to European 

stadia. While the sponsoring brand may want 

to become deeply embedded in the fabric of 

a stadium, does that necessarily serve the 

long-term interests of the rights holder What 

happens if the venue owner wants to replace the 

incumbent - only to find that new partners are 

concerned about the background noise created 

by its predecessor. Who, after all, would want 

to try and rename Bolton Wanderers’ Reebok 

Stadium Or the Staples Center 

A new direction 

Just how significant an issue this is should 

become clearer once Etihad Airways beds in as 

naming rights replacement at the AFL Telstra 

Dome. Venue boss Ian Collins expects the new 

name “to become part of Melbourne’s sporting 

vernacular” quite quickly. But brands should 

watch and learn. 

Conflict with previous sponsors is not the only 

consideration for naming rights partners. There’s 

also the issue of how to juxtapose the needs of the 

naming rights partner with those of other existing 

partners. This is true in motorsports - where the 

diverse array of team, driver and event sponsors 

may be one explanation for the lack of circuit 

naming rights deals. 

It’s also an issue in soccer, where big clubs 

like Manchester United have shirts sponsors, 

official suppliers and, increasingly, partners with 

sets of geographic rights. Partly, the answer is 

to have clearly defined contracts, says Watkins. 

But this is another example of a situation where 

an effective working relationship will also help: 

“When you are looking at a 10-20 year contract, 

it’s inevitable the venue rights holders will find 

new ways to commercialise its facility,” says 

Watkins. “That’s reasonable - but it has to be 

done in a way that doesn’t impact adversely on 

the naming rights partner.” 

Still, for all the potential pitfalls, the general 

view is that naming rights is set for another 

surge. Moore sees potential in France and Italy, 

where stadia investment is needed to prepare 

both countries for hosting big events. 

The same would be true for England if it 

hosts the 2018 World Cup. Further afield, there 

are opportunities in developing markets which 

have hosted, or will soon host, major events. 

China’s National Stadium (The Bird’s Nest) 

and South Africa’s Cape Town Stadium are 

just two of the venues looking for big brand 

involvement. In the case of the former, there 

have been reports in the Chinese media that the 

venue management is looking for as many as 

14 partners in the form of naming rights deals, 

partnership sponsors and suppliers. 

With the Chinese economy already bouncing 

back from the downturn, perhaps this is where 

we’ll start to see the first shoots of recovery in 

the naming rights marketplace. 

Barry Wilner on a new naming rights 

trend emerging in the US. 

MORE THAN HALF A YEAR before the new 

$1.3 billion stadium opens in the New Jersey 

Meadowlands, the future home of the NFL’s 

Giants and Jets has four cornerstone sponsors 

in place. That was achieved even before naming 

rights were sold. 

Well, not precisely, because in 2008, those 

naming rights were about to be purchased by 

Allianz for approximately $30 million annually 

before the teams broke off negotiations. 

So while the Giants and Jets have proceeded 

slowly and carefully in that area, they had 

no delays in lining up the four cornerstone 

partners: Verizon, Pepsico, Bud and MetLife. 

Each of those companies will pay more 

than $6 million a year to have branding inside 

the building and on the stadium’s facade, plus 

signage in the concourses. 

“In what is a challenging time economically, 

the fact that we have attracted four major 

corporate sponsors for the stadium is 

significant,” said Mark Lamping, president and 

chief executive officer of New Meadowlands 

Stadium Co. 

In addition, the Giants previously announced 

a 15-year agreement with Timex for the naming 

rights to their training facility and corporate 

headquarters located within walking distance 

of the new stadium. That deal is worth about $3 

million annually. 

Does all of this mean that smaller 

partnerships with sponsors will become 

the norm for US stadium deals The Dallas 

Cowboys opened their billion-dollar palace 

in Arlington, Texas, without awarding naming 

rights, but with a collection of sponsorships on 

a lesser scale. 

“The Jets and the Giants will be playing in 

this facility for a long, long time,” Lamping said. 

“You can’t force the economics of the deal in 

year one or year two simply because the market 

may not be where it needs to be.” 

When Yankee Stadium opened in the spring, 

baseball’s most famous franchise kept the 

iconic name and opted instead for agreements 

similar to the cornerstone partnerships in the 

Meadowlands. The new Yankee Stadium has 

deals with Audi, Budweiser, Delta, H&R Block, 

Jim Beam, Ketel One and Mohegan Sun for 

such things as clubs and suites. 

One NFL team owner whose stadium does 

not have a naming rights deal, believes a trend 

is being set. Speaking anonymously because 

“I don’t want to damage any opportunities with 

anyone,” he added: “In this economy, there 

are so many large corporations - Fortune 

500 companies - who simply can’t make the 

investment or are fearful of the repercussions 

publicity-wise if they sink millions of dollars into 

naming rights. 

“Plus, you won’t see any automakers or 

airlines doing it the way they once did. Instead, 

they are willing to spend less for a smaller 

presence, perhaps with the idea that later 

on, when the economy is stronger and their 

businesses are on more solid ground, they can 

move up to full naming rights.” 


Ultimate Sports Websites 

Creating a Winning Online Proposition for Sport 

For more information or to order: 

T: +44 (0) 207 954 3484 

E: Emile.Ben-atar@sportbusiness.com 

www.sportbusiness.com/usw

FACILITIES 

SHAPING UP TO THE 

21 ST 

CENTURY 

From the Middle East to Middle America the 

sharpest minds in design and engineering are 

creating a new generation of facilities which 

will shape the way sport is viewed and played 

for decades to come. In this feature 

Andy Stevens highlights a selection of stadia, 

arena and training facilities around the world 

which push the boundaries of innovation, 

creativity and engineering excellence to deliver 

the ultimate sporting experience while meeting 

critical cost and environmental criteria. 

Venue: Soccer City Stadium 

Location: Johannesburg, South Africa 

Open: 11 June 2010 

Type: Football stadium 

Use: FIFA World Cup South Africa 2010 

Capacity: 94,700 

Owner and Operator: City of 

Johannesburg 

Architect: Boogertman and Partners 

Architects 

Cost: ZAR1.5 billion 

EIGHT OF THE 64 matches of FIFA World Cup 

South Africa 2010, including the opening match 

and final, will be hosted by Johannesburg’s 

Soccer City Stadium. The venue is being rebuilt 

in a project that has required the demolition 

of three-quarters of the original First National 

Bank Stadium that opened in 1989. An 

extension to the seating bowl will increase 

capacity from 80,000 to 94,700, while 99 

additional luxury suites will increase hospitality 

inventory to 184 units. The construction 

programme has included the installation of a 

new roof and facade, floodlighting and playing 

surface. The design was inspired by a calabash, 

or melting pot of African cultures, which was 

selected as being the most recognisable and 

distinctive object to represent the continent’s 

identity. The facade is comprised of panels 

in eight colours and incorporates ten vertical 

slots which are geographically aligned with 

the nine other host venues and the Berlin 

Olympiastadion, which hosted the final 

in 2006. The venue was not used for FIFA 

Confederations Cup South Africa 2009, but 

FIFA and the local organising committee are 

confident that it will be ready for the opening 

ceremony of the World Cup. 

Venue: Donbass Arena 

Location: Donetsk, Ukraine 

Open: 26 September 2009 


Use: FC Shakhtar Donetsk and UEFA 

Euro 2012 Poland Ukraine 


Owner and Operator: Stadium Shakhtar 

Limited 

Architect: Arup Sport 

Cost: USD$400 million (EURÐ281 

million, GBP£248 million) 

THE GLAZED FACADE of the Donbass Arena 

has led to it being referred to locally as the 

Jewel in the Park. The 24,000 square metre 

curtain wall, oval footprint and sloping roof 

complement the landscape of Donetsk’s 25 

hectare Leninsky Komosol Park, which itself 

has received a USD$30million refurbishment. 

Included in the 51,504 capacity is seating 

for up to 830 guests who can be hosted in 45 

luxury suites, while 83,823 square metres of 

accommodation offers visitors access to four 

bars, three restaurants, two cafes, a lounge 

bar, 53 concession points, as well as a FC 

Shakhtar Donetsk retail outlet, museum and 

fitness centre. The bowl includes two video 

boards of 92sqm each, while the playing 

field will be bordered by a 267 metre digital 

perimeter board system. 

The idea for the stadium was first 

conceived in 1999, although the appointment 

of architects Arup Sport was not made for 

another four years. Construction then started 

in 2006 and was completed in less than 36 

months. It will be a host venue for UEFA Euro 

2012 Poland Ukraine and was designed to 

adhere to UEFA’s standards for staging the 

Champions League and Europa League finals. 


FACILITIES 

Venue: Yas Marina Circuit 

Location: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates 

Open: 30 October 2009 

Type: Motorsports circuit 

Use: Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 


Owner and Operator: Abu Dhabi 

Motorsports Management 

Architect: Hermann Tilke 

Cost: Undisclosed 

IN 2009, Formula One welcomed a new event 

and a new destination to its racing calendar 

when the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and the 5.5 

kilometre Yas Marina Circuit were inaugurated 

on 30 October. With a capacity of 50,000, the 

venue includes a 7,000 seat grandstand and is 

believed to be the only motorsports venue in the 

world where all seats are covered. 

The Pit Building has 40 garages for teams and 

officials, as well as hospitality facilities, while 

the Driving School Building, Drag Racing Centre, 

Karting Centre and Business Park will serve 

the motorsports community. The circuit can be 

divided into two tracks of 3.1 kilometres and 2.4 

kilometres which can operate simultaneously 

for different motorsports events, such as drag 

racing and karting. Abu Dhabi Motorsports 

Management, which is a joint venture between 

the Abu Dhabi Government and the property 

developer ALDAR Properties PJSC, was 

incorporated in 2008 to oversee the construction 

and operations management of the circuit. The 

cost of the facility has not been disclosed but is 

Venue: Forsyth Barr Stadium at University 

Plaza 

Location: Dunedin, New Zealand 

Open: August 2011 

Type: Rugby stadium 

Use: Rugby World Cup 2011 New Zealand 

and Highlanders Rugby 


Owner and Operator: Carisbrook Stadium 

Trust 

Architect: Warren and Mahoney 

Cost: NZD$198.3 million 

CONFIGURED TO A RECTANGULAR 

playing field, the Forsyth Barr Stadium at 

University Plaza will be the home venue of 

the Highlanders Super 14 franchise and, in 

addition to rugby union, has the capacity to 

stage rugby league, soccer, American football 

and entertainment events. It will be the first 

stadium with a natural turf playing surface to 

be covered by a permanent roof and utilises 

20,558 square metres of transparent ethylene 

tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) panels. Indeed, 

part of a $40 billion 162 hectare project which 

also houses The Yas Hotel - a 500 room, fivestar 

complex - plus the Yas Marina and the Yas 

Yacht Club. 

the three largest ETFE clad buildings in the 

world are all sports venues, with only Beijing’s 

National Aquatics Centre and Munich’s Allianz 

Arena exceeding the Forsyth Barr Stadium. 

Three matches for Rugby World Cup 2011 

New Zealand have been awarded to Dunedin’s 

existing Carisbrook Stadium by the organising 

committee, Rugby New Zealand 2011 (RNZ 

2011), and a decision will be made in 2010 if 

these are to be transferred to the new facility. 

Construction began in May 2009 with completion 

due by August 2011. 

25,000 permanent seats will be installed in 

the north, east and south stands and the west 

stand will have temporary seating for 5,000. 

This can even be further expanded if necessary 

to 35,000 with a mixture of both seating and 

standing accommodation. 

Dunedin City Council is contributing $98.5 

million to a private public partnership that is 

formed of an alliance of national, regional and 

city government, the University of Otago and 

other stakeholders. Initially marketed as the 

Otago Stadium, the Carisbrook Stadium Trust 

announced in January 2009 that the financial 

services provider Forsyth Barr would be the 

venue’s naming rights partner. 

Venue: Red Bull Arena 

Location: Harrison, New Jersey, USA 

Open: 17 March 2010 


Use: MLS New York Red Bulls 


Owner and Operator: Red Bull Park 

Architect: Rossetti 

Cost: USD$200 million 

THE ORIGINAL BLUEPRINT for what is to be 

the eighth soccer-specific stadium in MLS 

was completely redesigned when the owner’s 

of the Red Bull Energy Drink brand acquired 

the franchise and venue in 2006. The Red Bull 

Arena will now be the first European-style 

MLS stadium with a fully covered two-tier 360 

degree bowl. 

The capacity of the intimate venue 

will be 25,189 and includes 30 luxury 

suites and 1,116 club seats. All hospitality 

accommodation will be located to the west of 

the bowl and patrons will have access to their 

own private club. Visitors will be served via 

three clubs, 65 concession stands, up to 20 

portable vendor carts and two retail outlets. 

There will be two video boards - one at each 

end of the stadium - plus a ribbon board and 

over 300 television panels 

The facility is owned and operated by Red 

Bull Park and the 12 acre site is owned by the 

Town of Harrison. 

Venue: Singapore Turf Club Riding 

Centre 

Location: Singapore 

Open: 16 November 2009 

Type: Equestrian centre 

Use: Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic 

Games 


Owner and Operator: Singapore Turf 

Club 

Architect: Undisclosed 

Cost: Undisclosed 

OFFICIALLY OPENED in November 2009, 

the Singapore Turf Club Riding Centre is a 

community sports project managed by the 

Singapore Turf Club and its parent body, the 

Government of Singapore’s Tote Board. The 

facility is located on a 3 hectare site next to 

Singapore Racecourse and has an extensive 

grass roots programme and is to be the 

equestrian sports venue for the Singapore 

2010 Youth Olympic Games. Its specifications 

include a 5,000 square metre open arena, 5,000 

square metre sheltered arena, viewing gallery 

for 1,500 spectators with a café, retail outlet, 

administration building and classrooms. 


FACILITIES 

Venue: Gold Coast Stadium 

Location: Carrara, Queensland, Australia 

Open: 2011 

Type: Australian Rules football stadium 

Use: AFL Gold Coast 


Owner and Operator: Gold Coast City 

Council 

Architect: Populous 

Cost: AUD$126 million 

Venue: Vancouver Olympic/Paralympic 

Centre 

Location: Vancouver, British Columbia, 

Canada 

Open: 19 February 2009 

Type: Curling arena 

Use: Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games 


Owner and Operator: Vancouver Board of 

Parks and Recreation 

Architect: Hughes Condon Marler 

Architects 

Cost: CAD$87.85 million 

THE VANCOUVER Olympic/Paralympic Centre 

will host the curling events for the 2010 

Games and will also be a stage for the Cultural 

Olympiad with the installation of exhibits as 

part of the Vancouver 2010 Venues Aboriginal 

Arts Program. Construction of the 10,000 

square metre (108,000 square feet) arena 

began in March 2007 and opened within two 

years. The Vancouver Organizing Committee 

for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter 

Games (VANOC) is contributing $40.25 million 

to the capital budget and the City of Vancouver 

$47.60 million. 

In legacy mode, the facility will be converted 

by 2011 into a multi-use sports and recreation 

complex featuring an ice pad, curling club with 

up to eight sheets of curling ice, gymnasium, 

field house, community centre, pre-school 

facility, library and offices. An adjacent 6,200 

square metre (66,500 square feet) aquatics 

centre with indoor and outdoor pools will be 

funded solely by the City and the Board of Parks 

and Recreation. 

CARRARA STADIUM is to be rebuilt to 

host the Australian Football League (AFL) 

Gold Coast expansion franchise from 2011. 

The 25,000 capacity venue will include 

2,000 hospitality seats and 1,500 standing 

places, while the oval playing surface will 

also be able to accommodate an ICCcompliant 

cricket field; an IAAF standard 

athletics track, and it will accommodate the 

requirements of Australia’s bid to host the 

FIFA World Cup in 2018 or 2022. 

The undulating wave form of the roof reflects 

the nearby seascape and landscape, with the 

stadium being designed to be a contemporary 

version of “footy in the park”. Food and 

beverage services will be located in the park 

rather than inside the stadium, and will be 

complemented by outdoor picnic and barbecue 

areas. Hospitality facilities will also attempt to 

“bring the living room to the park” with openair 

luxury suites and barbecue terraces that 

offer views of the field of play and the park. 

Funding from the federal, state and city 

governments was confirmed in May 2009, 

while the AFL will be investing in both the 

stadium and community projects. 

Venue: Consol Energy Center 

Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA 

Open: 1 August 2010 

Type: Ice hockey and multi-use arena 

Use: NHL Pittsburgh Penguins 


Owner: Sports & Exhibition Authority of 

Pittsburgh and Allegheny County 

Operator: Pittsburgh Arena Operating 

and SMG 

Architect: Populous 

Cost: USD$321 million 

THE NHL PITTSBURGH PENGUINS are currently 

based at the 16,940 capacity Mellon Arena which, 

having opened in 1961, is now the oldest venue in 

the league. Ground was broken on the new Consol 

Energy Centre at the 8 acre downtown construction 

site in August 2008 and is expected to open just 

two years later for the start of the 2010/11 season. 

The facility will have 18,087 seats including 

62 luxury suites, four party suites, 2,000 club 

seats and 236 loge box seats. Although this does 

not represent a significant increase in seating 

capacity, the size and quality of accommodation 

and ancillary services has been enhanced, with 

the 6 level building offering 720,000 square feet 

of space compared to 420,000 at the Mellon 

Arena. It will boast a restaurant, banquet facility, 

two clubs, five retail locations and two food 

courts - one of which affords views of the event 

floor and the other overlooking the downtown 

Pittsburgh skyline. General admission spectators 

will be catered for by the provision of one 

concession point of sale for every 158 spectators, 

while an enclosed elevated walkway will connect 

to the adjacent parking garages. 

The arena has been designed specifically 

for the NHL, but the 29,470 square foot floor 

will have the flexibility to be configured to host 

other sports and entertainment events, including 

basketball, arena football, indoor soccer, tennis 

and volleyball. 

In April 2009, the Penguins and the Sports & 

Exhibition Authority announced their intention 

for the facility to be the first NHL arena to attain 

the Leadership in Energy and Environmental 

Design (LEED) Gold Certification, which is 

awarded for the design, construction and 

operation of green buildings. 


2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa 

Official Hospitality Programme 11 June - 11 July 2010 

Enjoy all matches of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in luxury and style to 

make it a once-in-a-lifetime experience and witness football history. 

MATCH Hospitality, FIFA’s worldwide exclusive rights holder of 

the Official Hospitality Programme, is offering a wide range of 

Hospitality Packages for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa. 

For further information please contact: 

MATCH Hospitality 

Aurorastrasse 100 

8032 Zurich, Switzerland 

Telephone: +41 (0) 43 222 6801 

E-mail: sales@match-hospitality.com 

Website: www.FIFA.com/hospitality

SPORTS EVENT MANAGEMENT 

AWARDS 2009 

Awards presenter Charlotte Jackson - Action Images 

THE GOLD STANDARD 

The third SportBusiness Sports Event Management Awards were presented at a glittering Gala Dinner in 

London which attracted key figures from all sectors of the international sports community to celebrate 

excellence among the individuals and organisations that make sports events happen. 

THE INGENUITY, creativity and management 

expertise of the international sports events 

community was celebrated at the third 

SportBusiness Sports Event Management 

Awards which saw 29 organisations and 

individuals recognised for their achievements 

and contributions during the past 12 months. 

The Awards were presented during a Black 

Tie Gala Dinner at Lord’s Cricket Ground in 

London, attended by many senior figures from 

the sports events sector. 

The evening proved a triumph for Olympic 

Games director Gilbert Felli, the City of 

Melbourne, leading agencies Fast Track and 

Nova International and many other companies 

recognised in 11 categories. 

Nigel Rushman, chairman of event 

organisers Rushmans praised the high quality of 

the entries. 

“This may not have been a year in which we 

had a mega-event such as a FIFA World Cup or 

Olympic Games but it was still a fascinating year 

of sport which demonstrated the ability of the 

sports events industry to continue to raise the 

bar of the planning and staging of events of all 

size,” he said. 

“Our congratulation to all of the winners. 

They thoroughly deserve their success. But our 

thanks also go to those who entered but did not 

make the cut. They will have another chance in 

12 months time.” 

Gilbert Felli, who won the Rushmans Award 

for Outstanding Contribution to Sports Events 

for his work with the International Olympic 

Committee, was not able to be at the ceremony 

but said, “It is a great honour for me to receive 

the Rushmans Outstanding Contribution to 

Sports Event Management award and I’d like to 

thank Rushmans and Sport Business Group for 

this accolade. 

“It is very gratifying to have your work 

recognised in this way and little did I think 

when I first started out as a young volunteer 

in event management almost 50 years ago, 

that one day I would end-up looking after the 

organisation of the Olympic Games. 

“It just shows where volunteering in sports 

events can take you and I hope that it may 

inspire a few young volunteers out there to 

keep giving their time and energy in the service 

of sports. Of course, organising the world’s 

foremost sporting event - the Olympic Games 

- is undoubtedly a team effort, so I’d also like 

to dedicate this award to all of the people who 

have helped to stage inspirational and excellent 

Games over the years. “It is their work and 

dedication that has allowed the Games to 

flourish and for the Olympic values to continue 

to be appreciated the world over. 

“I just hope that through my work, I have 

been able to contribute to keeping the Games 

and sport where they deserve to be, on the gold 

medal step of the podium.” 

The new Award for Brand Presentation 

was won by MasterCard Europe for the 2009 

Champions League Final. MasterCard Europe 

vice president and head of sponsorship, Paul 

Meulendijk was delighted. “Such a prestigious 

industry award recognises our people and the 

integrated approach we’re taking in activating 

our sponsorship properties while helping 

the consumers to further benefit from our 

involvement,” he said. 

“Sponsorships represent a critical component 

of MasterCard’s global marketing approach. 

It enables us to further deliver shareholder 

value by creating exclusive business-building 

opportunities for our customer financial 

institutions and merchants, while also 

offering Priceless Experiences to our 

MasterCard cardholders.” 



AWARDS 2009 

The 2009 SportBusiness Sports Event Management Awards were a celebration 

of all that’s best in a diverse, highly professional and ultimately fundamental 

sector of the global sports business – and a chance for guests to let their hair 

down at a Black Tie dinner at Lords Cricket Ground in London. 

“It was a hugely enjoyable evening and a fantastic opportunity to 

meet and appreciate the work of the professionals who create and 

manage the events on which the business of sport is built.” 

Phil Savage, Publishing Director of SportBusiness Group 

Action Images 



AWARDS 2009 

SPORTBUSINESS SPORTS CITY AWARD 

Gold: Victorian Major Events Company for the city of Melbourne 

Silver: Senate Department for the Interior and Sport for Berlin 

Bronze: Qatar Olympic Committee for the city of Doha 

MELBOURNE’S reputation as a 

world-class city is well-recognised 

and well-deserved. Few cities 

approach the business of attracting 

and then delivering top quality 

domestic and international events 

with the professionalism and 

enthusiasm which the team at the 

Victorian Major Events Company 

demonstrates so consistently. 

And according to the winners, the 

true measure of a city’s worth - in 

sporting terms - is its passion for the 

major events it hosts. 

Melbourne, they say, is a city 

that lives and breathes sport. One 

of the key requirements of the 

SportBusiness Sports City Awards 

was to demonstrate the role played 

by local government, local business 

and the community in making 

sport happen. Over more than a 

century, political leaders of the 

day have demonstrated a strong 

commitment to major sporting events 

in Melbourne through ongoing, 

significant investment in they city’s 

sporting infrastructure. 

Melbourne has been staging 

major events, including and Olympic 

Games for many years but the key, it 

appears, is continually planning for 

the future. 

In the last 12 months Melbourne’s 

sports precinct, on the doorstep of 

the city centre, has welcomed a new 

member of the family. Joining the 

iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground, 

Rod Laver Arena, Hisense Arena, 

and Olympic Park is the Melbourne 

Rectangular Stadium which will 

provide the city with its first purposebuilt, 

rectangular pitch stadium with 

a world-class playing surface. 

In a national and regional 

context, the new stadium ramps up 

Melbourne’s competitive position 

as host city of choice for a range of 

different sporting codes, and offers 

event owners a new level in quality 

and amenity. 

In January, the Victorian government 

announced plans for a multi-million 

dollar redevelopment of Melbourne 

Park, to ensure that the Australian 

Open maintains its position as one of 

the best-loved and most successful 

tennis events on the calendar. 

The redevelopment will improve 

the comfort of patrons, players and 

media with more open space and 

shade, increased seating capacity, 

better public transport access and 

enhanced facilities including an 

international broadcast centre. 

In the last twelve months more 

than five million people have attended 

major sporting events in Melbourne 

- with a population approaching 3.9 

million people, this is an impressive 

indicator of the importance of sports 

events to the city. 

BRAND PRESENTATION 

GOLD: MasterCard Europe for the UEFA Champions League Final 

JOINT SILVER: McLaren Marketing Limited for the Formula One Grand Prix Season 

JOINT SILVER: The Look Company for the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Championships 

THE RELATIONSHIP 

between events and the 

brands which become 

their partners is, at best, 

symbiotic. But too often 

brands are thought to 

fail to take advantages of 

the opportunities at their 

disposal, relying on the 

tried and tested value of 

perimeter boards and 

hospitality rather than 

embracing the event 

and applying intensive 

creative overlay to produce 

outstanding results. 

In the 2009 SportBusiness 

Sports Event Management 

Awards, Mastercard 

Europe demonstrated a 

commitment to creativity 

and a willingness to build 

promotions around the UEFA 

Champions League final 

which delighted the judges. 

The UEFA Champions 

League is a major element 

of Mastercard’s football 

sponsorship portfolio and 

the 2009 Final in Rome 

was MasterCard’s most 

successful ever event 

programme. 

The game in the 

Eternal City captured the 

imagination of the world, 

as Spain’s Barcelona 

overcame an early onslaught 

to beat English champions 

Manchester United. 

With a record 97 million 

worldwide TV viewership for 

this year’s UEFA Champions 

League Final, increased 

brand awareness and 

affiliation for MasterCard 

was achieved through 

broadcast sponsorship 

packages, perimeter boards 

and on-site branding. 

Mastercard Europe was 

the only sponsor to conduct 

a venue branding exercise. 

The branding programme 

included specific Romethemed 

materials and 

a replica of the Trevi 

Fountain in the customer 

hospitality suite. 

In a five-day festival 

next to the world-famous 

Colosseum, MasterCard 

ran a joint promotion with 

adidas that provided all 

fans and visitors with free 

UEFA merchandise for 

every purchase made with 

a MasterCard. 

The promotion was 

communicated through 

over 10,000 flyers, posters, 

giant screens, as well as 

a number of MasterCard 

hostesses. Through the 

exclusive hospitality area at 

the Champions League final, 

MasterCard showcased its 

newest payment, PayPass, to 

over 600 key customers. 

Guests were provided 

with specially designed 

PayPass watches and cards 

that allowed guests to use 

their contactless payment 

Charlotte Jackson and MasterCard’s Paul Meulendijk with the Award - Action Images 

device by tapping the watch 

against terminals that 

were positioned in front of 

a reconstruction of Rome’s 

iconic Trevi Fountain. Each 

tap represented the idea 

of throwing a coin into the 

fountain to make a wish 

and for every tap made, 

MasterCard donated €1 to 

charity. Overall, MasterCard 

Europe’s sponsorship 

of the 2009 Champions 

League Final in Rome was 

judged an an outstanding 

success. The brand says its 

programme helped deliver 

unique value to consumers 

and customers, and drive 

key business outcomes 

locally in Italy, and in key 

global markets. Key to this 

was the stadium branding 

activity through walk-way 

and Fan Zones branding, 

which created the perception 

that MasterCard was the 

dominant Champions 

League final sponsor for the 

72,000 fans who attended. 


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For everything else there’s MasterCard.


AWARDS 2009 

MASS PARTICIPATION EVENTS 

Gold: Nova International for the BUPA Great Manchester Run 

Silver: IMG Mass Participation Sports for the Mazda London Triathlon 

Bronze: Diamond Sports Events for the Bournemouth Sevens Festival 

MASS PARTICIPATION EVENTS was 

the second category making its debut 

at the 2009 Awards. 

From cycling to half marathons and 

Iron Man events, mass participation 

sports continue to gain tremendous 

popularity world-wide. 

The Award recognised the unique 

event management pressures 

required to deal with athlete 

management, overlay requirements, 

security, transport, medical services 

and catering in an environment where 

thousands of competitors as well as 

spectators are involved. 

Gold went to Brendan Foster’s 

Nova International agency which has 

worked with the City of Manchester to 

turn the Great Manchester Run and its 

associated activities into a world-class 

event. It attracts thousands of visitors 

to the region from every corner of 

the UK and overseas (80,000 visitors, 

including participants, in 2008). This 

programme has also been a major 

contribution to the Councils’ physical 

activity agenda. 

The project team work for twelve 

months to deliver this event with 

support from Manchester City Council 

and thousands of volunteers. 

The event comprises an entire 

weekend of activities. It features 

the UK’s biggest 10km run and this 

year, it culminated in the BUPA Great 

City Games, a series of 150m sprint 

events featuring the phenomenal 

Usain Bolt and a host of other world 

class athletes. They raced on an IAAF 

and UKA approved running track setup 

in the city centre on Deansgate. 

The event was free to spectators. 

Judges agreed that Nova, together 

with Manchester City Council, had 

delivered a uniquely innovative events 

programme, showcased to the world. 

The event plays an integral part in the 

city’s growing reputation as a sporting 

capital whilst continuing to address 

social issues on a more local level. 

Operationally, the undertaking 

of the road closures and traffic 

management to facilitate the 

weekend’s festival of running was on 

a unparalleled scale. 

While the involement of Usain 

Bolt and a host of other stars gave 

the 2009 event a significant level of 

additional visibility, judges remained 

Heat on the streets of Manchester - Getty Images Sport 

focused on the event from every 

angle. They praised not only the 

precise planning and execution 

required to turn a city centre into a 

sports venue but also the specific 

examples of innovation demonstrated 

in creating the 150 metre track to the 

most exacting standards. 

“This was a particularly difficult 

category for the judges to determine,” 

said Nigel Rushman, co-chair of the 

panel. “The standard was uniformly 

high which reflect well on all involved.” 

EVENT LOOK 

GOLD: Fast Track for the UK School Games 

SILVER: ICC World Twenty20 Team for the ICC World Twenty20 

BRONZE: Designwerk for the Victoria Cup 

FAST TRACK took the Gold Award in 

the Event Look category for its work 

on the fourth edition of the Youth 

Sports Trust’s UK School Games, 

multi-sport event for elite level 

youngsters which aims to deliver the 

experience and spirit of an Olympic or 

Paralympic Games for young athletes 

who may well one day represent their 

country on the big stage. 

International agency Fast Track 

was appointed to plan, manage and 

deliver the event which, this year, saw 

track cycling added to the established 

four-day event programme of 

athletics, badminton, fencing, 

gymnastics, hockey, judo, swimming, 

table tennis and volleyball. 

Among Fast Track’s challenges was 

to create a complete brand identity 

which not only provided a strong event 

look but which reflects what the event 

stands for. 

This includes not only providing 

a showcase for young talent but 

bringing about a ‘step change in the 

content, structure and presentation 

of competitive sporting opportunities 

for young people.’ Fast Track created 

the UK School Games (UKSG) 

identity featuring the running 

figure - a friendly, iconic, bold, 

distinguishable, simple and friendly 

figure, recognisable to children of 

school age. 

The icon is uncomplicated in 

its construction, making it easily 

transferable in its use from marketing 

to merchandise to signage. In being 

fluid and indicating movement, it 

works in its endorsement of active 

participation sport. 

Supporting the UKSG logo, is 

a series of sport-specific icons, 

adapted from the running man. 

They all dictate specific sports 

featured under the UKSG umbrella. 

With the use of their own definitive 

colour, they act as a cost effective 

and adaptable tool for depicting 

specific sports with use in marketing, 

collateral, venues and stadiums. 

Influenced by the running figure, 

are a series of circle compositions 

and supporting swoosh graphics, 

used to create a recognisable 

Fast Track’s Michelle Diete receives the Award from Paul Nelson of SportCentric - Action Images 

endorsement for any UKSG 

communication or branding. All 

marketing and communications, from 

in-the-hand to on-site, follow this 

clean and simplistic route. 

The aim is to give clarity with clear 

honest dialogue with simple straight 

forward typography, keeping the 

message and tone of language direct 

and informative. 

Steve Grainger, chief executive of 

the Youth Sports Trust was clearly 

delighted with the results. “The new 

look reflected the growing stature 

of the event and we felt it to be 

an important development for the 

athlete enjoyment and spectator 

experience. As with the Olympic and 

Paralympic Games, the look and feel 

of the event is integral to its success 

and I believe that the strides that 

were made fully demonstrated the 

professionalism of the UK School 

Games,” he said. 


ISEMS Innovative 

Event Marketing 2007 

Ultimate Sports 

City 2007 

Ultimate Sports 

City 2008 

SportBusiness 

Sports City 2008 

SportBusiness Sports City 2009 

Talk to the people who know major events. 

Contact Brendan McClements, CEO, Victorian Major Events Company 

Tel +61 3 9868 4600 Email vmec@vmec.com.au www.vmec.com.au


AWARDS 2009 

EVENT OVERLAY & FACILITIES 

GOLD: GL Events and Oasys Innovations for the FIFA Confederations Cup South Africa 

JOINT SILVER: Nova International Ltd for the BUPA Great City Games Manchester 

JOINT SILVER: NÜSSLI (Schweiz) AG for the Sony Ericsson WTA Championships 

THE FIFA Confederations 

Cup is the warm-up 

competition for the 2010 

World Cup which will be 

staged in South Africa just a 

few months from now. 

The GL Events-Oasys 

Consortium supplied overlay - 

the equipment and temporary 

structures required to equip a 

venue to successfully meet the 

requirements of special events 

- at the four competition 

stadiums in Johannesburg, 

Pretoria, Rustenburg and 

Bloemfontein. Officials at the 

companies described the 

project as a huge challenge 

on a number of fronts. 

Significantly, it was the 

first time that a company was 

appointed as an exclusive 

overlay supplier on a major 

international football event 

Distance also created 

challenges as the South 

African venues are a long way 

from major event markets 

world-wide, where overlay 

commodities are usually 

stocked. Overcoming this 

demanded good organisational 

and logistic skills. 

With only 13 weeks 

between appointment of 

the preferred bidder and the 

final hand-over, time was a 

major factor. 

The project benefitted 

the local economy thanks to 

the appointment of 70 local 

suppliers, the hire of some 

500 local staff for the setting 

stage of the project and the 

purchase of rental of around 

two thirds of the necessary 

equipment. In addition, 

the consortium worked 

not only for the Organising 

Committee, but also for 

other clients such as Match 

Hospitality, Match Ticketing, 

Sponsors and Host Cities. 

The project involved 

site preparation including 

groundwork, the supply of 

27,000sqm of temporary 

structures; 5,000sqm of 

scaffolding structures; 

170 modular containers; 

100 storage containers; 

60 temporary toilet 

facilities; electrical power 

distribution: over 10,000m of 

cabling; 6,500m of cabling 

pathways; 1,500 distribution 

boxes, 8,000 plugs; four 

audio and simultaneous 

translation systems for 

press conference rooms 

34,500sqm of internal 

and emergency lighting 

22,000sqm of fire alarm 

systems. 

In addition the heating 

and ventilation requirements 

were for 100 floor standing 

and 15 roof top units while 

2.5 kilometres of internal 

partitioning, 26,700sqm of 

floor covering and 14,000 

pieces of furniture were 

supplied and installed. 

Field of play and other 

Action from the FIFA Confederations Cup final - Getty Images Sport 

equipment included 24 

goals, 20 team shelters, 

corner flags, 40 flag-hanging 

systems and 70 flagpoles 

together with the fit-out of 

25 TV and presenters studios 

50 camera platforms 600 

press desks and commentary 

positions. 

The entire project was 

delivered by a team of 50 

staff drawn from across 

Europe and Hong Kong as 

well as South Africa, together 

with 10 main sub-contractors 

and some 70 suppliers. 

Equipment was delivered 

from the UK, Hong Kong 

and France by sea freight in 

an operation involving 175 

containers - 85 from France 

and 90 from Hong Kong. 

EVENT SERVICES 

Gold: Creative Technology Limited for the European PGA Tour 

Silver: Gameday Management Group for the Super Bowl XLIII 

Bronze: Aesthetics Models and Events Ltd for Major Sporting Events in 2009 

CREATIVE TECHNOLOGY 

took Gold in the Sports Crowd 

sponsored Award for its 

innovative work on behalf of 

European Tour Productions 

on ‘The Race To Dubai’, the 

$10 million season-long 

competition which replaced 

the European Tour Order of 

Merit. The company’s work 

provides a tournamentspecific 

video and data feed 

which allows huge crowds 

spread around golf courses, in 

press centres and hospitality 

areas to follow and be fully 

engaged in the action. 

While tournament television 

has become a regular feature 

of major championships, 

every event leading up to the 

season-ending Dubai World 

Championship at Jumeirah 

Golf Estates in Dubai provided 

enhanced coverage through 

the innovative visuals provided 

by Creative Technology. 

Creative Technology 

developed a bespoke realtime 

production system that 

combines live information 

from broadcasters, pre 

-recorded material and 

highlights with real time 

graphics and scores updated 

from the event results 

system. This signal was then 

distributed to a network of 

TVs and large format video 

screens installed in key areas 

around the course. 

Where required the network 

can be expanded to include 

the clubhouse and/or oncourse 

hotels. 

The content production 

system allows for real time 

recording of all four days of 

each golf tournament, with 

a dedicated playout server 

to store and schedule clips, 

commercials and highlights 

packages produced on a 

separate edit system. This 

content is combined with a 

locally generated graphic 

wrapper, providing a live 

scoring and results panel 

which is updated from the 

central scoring database. The 

wrapper also incorporates 

tour and local sponsor logos 

and a real time clock. 

The signal distribution 

system, perhaps the most 

challenging element of the 

package, is built around 

a ruggedised military 

specification fibre system 

allowing fast and reliable 

installation of a bi-directional 

IPTV Network. Multiple HD 

Paul Sanders and Steve Purkess of Creative Technology with Kevin Roberts (left) 

and Glenn Kirton representing Award sponsors Sports Crowd - Action Images 

channels can be delivered to 

any suitable display device 

including televisions, LED 

displays and projection 

equipment. Every display can 

be individually controlled and 

monitored from the head end 

and all critical components 

are UPS protected to ensure 

the network is maintained in 

the unlikely event of localised 

power failure. The displays 

themselves vary between 

each tournament on ‘The 

Race to Dubai ‘series, but 

typically include an 18m2 

LED screen packaged in 

a purpose-built and fully 

branded mobile trailer unit 

and up to 100 HD televisions 

deployed throughout the 

hospitality and tournament 

management facilities. All of 

this equipment is installed, 

operated and removed on a 

weekly basis for the duration 

of the European Tour - a 

logistical challenge in itself. 


A pArtnership thAt mAkes 

the difference in AfricA 

© esprit pubLic - photographie : istockphoto 

GL events and Oasys Innovations have combined their global and 

local experience, in order to meet the expectations of all stakeholders 

involved on major international sporting events in Africa: governing 

bodies, organising committees, host cities, sponsors, federations, broadcasters, 

media, hospitality service providers, etc... 

Our expertise includes all types of Overlay Services (planning & design, project 

management, delivery and installation, maintenance) and event production and 

management (from creative concepts to implementation) 

Let us buiLd your successes for you. 

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AWARDS 2009 

HOSPITALITY & TRAVEL 

GOLD: Keith Prowse for the Twickenham Experience Rugby Hospitality 

JOINT SILVER: Sportsworld Group Ltd for the British Tennis Series 

JOINT SILVER: Air New Zealand Holidays for the 17th Golden Oldies World Rugby 

Festival Edinburgh 

IN A MARKET feeling the 

impact of reduced corporate 

budgets, the challenge 

facing sports hospitality 

professionals is to find new 

and exciting ways of making 

their match day experience 

fresh, exciting and valuable. 

This year’s Gold Award 

went to Keith Prowse 

Hospitality for its work at 

Twickenham stadium, home 

of English rugby during the 

2008 Autumn International 

series, when the visitors 

were New Zealand, The 

Pacific Islanders and world 

champions South Africa. 

The Twickenham Experience is 

a joint-venture between Keith 

Prowse and the Rugby Football 

Union to create, develop 

and implement innovative 

packages for individuals and 

corporate guests throughout 

the stadium. 

November 2008 saw the 

launch of the redeveloped 

South Stand which 

incorporates a variety of 

hospitality areas, notably 

The Players’ Lounge and 

Rugby House. Guests had 

the once-in-a-lifetime 

opportunity to meet, chat and 

quiz some of the stalwarts of 

English rugby history within 

The Players’ Lounge. Guests 

were guaranteed a postmatch 

Question & Answer 

session with four of the current 

England squad fresh from the 

pitch, whether they won or lost. 

In addition, the introduction 

of the new Rugby House - a 

large central facility, comprising 

the 800 capacity Rose Suite 

and a number of smaller, 

more intimate suites, together 

with new hospitality packages, 

has secured the Twickenham 

Experience’s reputation as the 

unrivalled hospitality package 

at Twickenham. 

Peter Selby of Keith Prowse receives the Hospitality Award - Action Images 

On entering Rugby House 

guests are greeted by the 

sights, smells and sounds 

of a real rugby atmosphere. 

They are able to walk on the 

Astroturf carpet, mingle among 

the life-sized rugby scenes 

including a scrum and a 

changing room, before entering 

their suites for a champagne 

reception followed by a fourcourse 

lunch. 

As a result of changes 

throughout Twickenham, 

Keith Prowse has seen 

unparalleled demand for 

packages in the modern 

Rugby House and highly 

sought-after The Players’ 

Lounge. Packages that, in 

recent years, have received 

a good degree of positive 

feedback are now at the 

height of their popularity. 

OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION 

Gilbert Felli, International Olympic Committee 

THE ACCLAIMED SUCCESS 

of the Beijing 2008 Olympic 

Games underscored just how 

far ‘The Greatest Show On 

Earth’ has come since its 

boycott-ridden low period 

in the late 1970s and early 

1980s, after which few cities 

were willing to take on a 

major event which appeared 

to be losing prestige as 

well as representing a huge 

financial liability. 

In the same way that the 

Games turned around its 

financial fortunes from 

Los Angeles onwards, the 

presentation and organisation 

of the Games has also taken 

significant steps forward with 

each successive edition. 

While this has undoubtedly 

been a team achievement, 

a key role has been played 

by Gilbert Felli, the Olympic 

Games Executive Director, 

responsible for the running, 

co-ordination and follow-up of 

all Olympic Games activities, 

from the candidature phase 

to the actual holding of the 

Olympic Games. 

Under his direction the 

Games have yet again become 

a sought-after property, 

whose value is highlighted 

by the ferocity of the bidding 

campaigns run by prospective 

hosts. Critically, he has been 

responsible for Games held in 

geographically and culturally 

diverse parts of the world 

which have been technical 

Sir Craig Reedie accepts the Outstanding Contribution Award 

on behalf of Gilbert Felli from Nigel Rushman - Action Images 

triumphs and strengthened 

the Olympic brand while 

holding up a mirror to the 

host city and country. 

EVENT MARKETING 

Gold: ICC World Twenty20 Team (part of the ECB) for the ICC World Twenty20 

Silver: Fast Track for the Aviva London Grand Prix 

Bronze: Munster Rugby for the Munster vs New Zealand Game 

THE INAUGURAL International Cricket 

Council World Twenty20 tournament, 

played in June, saw the newest form 

of the game played over 21 days at 

fours venues. In addition to the 42 

tournament matches there were 20 

warm-up games and the event set 

an international precedent with a 

women’s tournament taking place 

alongside the men’s. 

Despite the current popularity of 

Twenty20 cricket, the ultra competitive 

sports market meant there was no 

room for complacency among the ECB 

team responsible for marketing the 

event and ensuring that grounds were 

full. That attendance was close to 100 

per cent is evidence that they achieved 

their objectives. 

The UK was the tournament’s 

core market with a determined 

focus on engaging Britain’s ethnic 

communities. 

The tournament’s campaign 

creative strategy was based on 

the ICC World Twenty20 being 

‘Everyone’s Game’, emphasising 

that Twenty20 has a wide audience 

which encourages engagement and 

participation from those who may not 

normally follow cricket. 

The campaign’s media executions 

featured1000 poster placements 

on Underground and overland train 

stations sites over a six-week period, 

including digital posters; national 

radio advertisements; and UK regional 

press advertising with an audience 

reach of two million. 

Steve Elworthy of the ICC World Twenty20 team with 

Charlotte Jackson and John Shanley - Action Images 

The campaign also had a significant 

digital dimension. Along with pages on 

social networking sites, a four-week 

digital campaign on www.cricinfo. 

com resulted in over 14 million 

impressions. It was seen by over 

390,000 unique users and delivered 

22,000 clicks to the ticket sales site. 


SECURITY 

GOLD: Sword Event Guard International for the Volvo Ocean Race, the 

Galway Stopover Festival 

SILVER: Controlled Solutions Group for the World Fire-Fighter Games 

AWARDS PRESENTER Charlotte 

Jackson reminded the audience 

of one of the fundamental truths 

in modern sport, announcing: 

“No security…no events.” 

The companies which 

plan and deliver the security 

programmes which enable 

events to take place, play a vital 

role yet many of their strategies 

and tactics inevitably remain 

shrouded in secrecy. 

However, judges were quick to 

applaud Sword Guard Security, one 

of the leaders in the field, for its 

work around an event which provides 

significant security challenges. 

They won Gold for their work at 

The Galway Stopover Festival of the 

Volvo Ocean Race. Galway was the 

only port in the British Isles to host 

the spectacular Volvo 70 fleet. 

The 15-day event attracted over 

600,000 visitors and was broadcast 

live on TV and streamed online to a 

two billion world-wide audience on 

Volvo Ocean Race TV. 

The maritime festival site received 

a location-specific analysis which 

enabled Sword to prepare preevent 

risk assessments and also 

allowed them to conduct precise 

administrative forecasting and 

Sword reduced the challenge 

of managing the security by 

implementing a system that they 

have developed through their 

experience at major events. 

Sword demonstrated both 

flexibility and innovation through 

their ability to logically adapt and 

redefine the same systems and 

procedures to meet the needs of one 

event to the next. 

This was reflected in the ability to 

cater for crowds 150 per cent bigger 

than anticipated and the late arrival 

of the race boats into Galway. 

SPECIAL AWARD FOR INNOVATION 

THE ALL ENGLAND LAWN TENNIS CLUB 

IAN RITCHIE, chief executive of the 

All England Lawn Tennis Club, was 

on hand to receive a special Award 

for Innovation, sponsored by Group 

Partners, for the completion of 

the far-sighted project to install a 

retractable roof over Wimbledon’s 

Centre Court. 

In just 10 minutes, one of sport’s 

most revered and iconic venues can 

be transformed from an open air 

court into a charged and atmospheric 

indoor arena. 

It represents a multi million pound 

investment by the All England 

Club which at a stroke brings 

one of the world’s most 

historic sports venues into the 

21st century. 

Judges felt that the 

Wimbledon roof is a perfect 

example of a positive 

investment which extends 

the use of Centre Court and 

expands its potential. 

The project combines 

enlightened investment with 

engineering excellence and 

management of an extremely complex 

two-year project. 

Above all it is entirely in keeping 

with the look, feel and spirit of one of 

the world’s best-loved sports events. 

Judges considered the forward 

thinking project as and an example of 

precision planning, attention to detail, 

utilisation of the best technology and 

the skilful combination of traditional 

structures and styles of the 20th 

century with the innovation and 

technology of the 21st. 


MOTORSPORT: 

OVERVIEW 

Simon Berger, IM2 CEO, is the man 

behind the Motor Sport Business 

Forum. Here, by way of introduction 

to our motor sport feature, he gives 

his overview of where the industry 

sits on the cusp of 2010. 

In this time of economic instability, how would 

you say the motorsport industry has stood up 

I think every industry has suffered in the global 

downturn, just in varying degrees. Motorsport 

has been affected by the withdrawal of several 

manufacturers and sponsors from the sport 

and this has been compounded recently with 

certain global suppliers announcing that they 

are following suit at the end of 2010. 

It is not all bad however. Several new teams 

will appear in various series, new sponsors are 

emerging as the cost of sponsorship falls and 

I believe that nearly all the commercial rights 

holders are looking to improve ‘the show’ to give 

more value-added to the sponsors and the fans. 

The banking sector has been hit hard - it is 

only natural that they have to look both internally 

and externally at everything they spend. A few 

have left the sport, but several have remained 

despite the hard times, which reiterates the fact 

that the ROI they receive through this medium is 

both quantifiable and justifiable. 

Is motorsport still a financially viable investment 

for brands and sponsors 

The simple answer is yes. Motorsport is still 

truly global and there aren’t many other sports 

that can say the same. 

It is also interesting that in F1 next year we 

will have at least 12 and potentially 13 teams 

on the grid and many of them come with new 

investors in the sport. You just have to look at 

Malaysia’s investment in the Lotus team and the 

fact that the founder of YouTube is investing in 

USF1 to see that motor sport continues to attract 

major investors. 

Is there a case for saying the recession has 

actually helped some of the series For example, 

F1 in terms of cost cuts and Rally in terms of 

cutting manufacturers from the series 

I wouldn’t say the recession has helped. But 

I think that F1 and WRC will be better for the 

changes that they have had to make. There is no 

doubt that the cost cuts made in F1 have paved 


F1 has kept its show on the road - Getty Images Sport 

the way for new investors and teams in the sport. 

I think the same will be happening in rallying, 

especially since ISC signed its new 10-year 

promoter’s contract. 

What would you say is the overall value of the 

motorsport market at present And what is your 

prognosis for 2010 

I think stability is the key for 2010. Motorsport, 

like all industries, has suffered from the economic 

downturn and no doubt we will see more bad 

news for some series and competing teams. But 

the major championships such as F1, WRC, 

WTCC and GT will remain because they have 

the support and the history behind them. Next 

year they will hope to achieve stability but I can 

certainly see growth in future years. 

Has a season full of controversy and headlines 

been good for Formula One 

Whilst I believe there here have been far too 

many negative headlines this year, I don’t think 

it has damaged F1 too much. People almost 

expect intrigue and controversy in the sport 

and sometimes this is as interesting as the 

race itself. People also tend to move on to the 

next ‘headline’ rather quickly so whilst one day 

it might be about a manufacturer leaving the 

sport, the next all the talk is about the incredible 

Abu Dhabi circuit and the end of another 

exciting season. 

World Rally seems to be in better than ever 

shape, it has listened to its fans and looks 

healthy and sustainable. Could other series learn 

anything from WRC 

The major stakeholders from the World Rally 

Championship will participate in a special 

session on 9 December. Neil Duncanson, 

chairman of WRC promoter International 

Sportsworld Communicators will talk about his 

plans for this new era in the sport. 

This will be followed by a presentation from 

Paul Hembery, director of motorsport for Pirelli, 

who will discuss the tyre company’s unique 

role as supplier, sponsor and promoter of the 

championship. Also speaking will be John 

Nolan, head of digital at ISC’s parent company 

North One Television, Jarmo Mahonen, 

promoter of the successful Rally Finland event, 

and a representative from one of the competing 

manufacturers 

The Motor Sport Business Forum has expansion 

plans - ME, America, Asia Pacific. What is the 

rational for the expansion 

The fact we are expanding further afield is 

indicative of the increasingly global nature of 

motorsport. We noticed that many executives 

from other regions expressed an interest in our 

Monaco event but weren’t able to merely hop 

across continents. So we decided to look into the 

possibility of creating an event in each continent. 

These events very much focus on the region 

they are in. The Bahrain event had a distinct 

Middle Eastern flavour to the conference 

programme, featuring presentations from the 

major industry players in that region. 

Our US event, which will be held in Orlando 

on 8-9 December, will be ideally positioned to 

host the region’s first international event that 

creates a wealth of networking and business 

opportunities to companies, corporations and 

individuals alike. 

Our aspirations are to keep growing and to 

continue to provide an important platform for the 

motorsport industry. 

What would you say was the key benefit in 

attending the forum 

We launched the Forum five years ago and I think 

a lot of motorsport executives grasped the concept 

straight away. They saw the value, especially from 

a networking point of view. 

Once people realised that there would be a 

place where they could meet and talk business, 

where the focus of attention is not on the track, 

they immediately saw its value. The Forum is like 

a paddock, created specifically for the commercial 

side of the sport. 

THE WORD ACCORDING TO: 

BERNIE ECCLESTONE 

“I am happy, happy, happy that a lot of 

new teams are coming in. And they are 

coming in because they realise they can 

be competitive with a lot less money than 

before. It was really a bit of a closed shop 

by virtue of the cost. We are now getting 

new and interesting teams.” 

“I think we have adjusted (to difficult 

economic times) in the right way. We 

have conquered the necessity to spend 

a lot of money to be competitive. The 

best thing to come out of the recession 

for us was that it was a wake-up call for 

the teams. We didn’t need to make an 

agreement to say you couldn’t spend… it 

has happened on its own.” 

“What happened to the Renault team 

was probably quite fair. Perhaps we were 

a little bit harsh in what we meted out 

to Flavio [Briatore]. He needed a bit of 

a slap perhaps because he is the team 

manager. He could have said - you can’t 

do that. The buck stopped with him and 

in fairness to him he acknowledges that.” 

“There have been many difference 

incidents over the years which have been 

portrayed as the beginning of the end for 

Formula One. But I think the brand of 

Formula One is so strong that these sorts 

of things don’t hurt it.” 

“The good thing about it is that when 

you go to a race now and somebody asks 

who is going to win I’d have to say I 

haven’t a clue. I just don’t know. 

Before, when Michael (Schumacher) 

was around we knew that if he was on 

pole he was probably going to win... 

Now we don’t know and that’s good, it’s 

what people want.”

MOTORSPORT: 

SPONSORSHIP 

Virgin Group...seized the opportunity - Getty Images Sport 

If 2009 won’t go down as a vintage year for motorsports 

in terms of its commercial performance, it is certainly 

not all doom and gloom as the sector continues to be 

held in high-regard by blue-chip brands. By Andy Fry. 

SO THE HEADLINES looked bad. 

General Motors was forced to file 

for bankruptcy in 2009, the impact 

of which was most keenly felt in 

US stock car series NASCAR. In 

Formula One, the crisis led to the 

withdrawal of both Honda and 

BMW from the race grid during 

the year and the withdrawal of 

sponsors, including RBS, Credit 

Suisse, Dell and ING. The World 

Rally Championship saw long-time 

supporter Subaru pull out while 

iconic motorcycle brand Kawasaki 

quit MotoGP. Both blamed the 

economic downturn. 

And yet, there were also positive 

signs. Cast your eye across F1, 

Nascar, rallying and two-wheel 

motorsport and you’ll spot new 

deals involving Santander Bank, 

Vodafone, MegaFon, The National 

Bank of Abu Dhabi, Shell, Lenovo 

and Virgin. That’s hardly a sector 

on the verge of collapse. 

The rationale for every deal 

varies. But there are a few 

core attributes that explain 

the continued popularity of 

motorsport. First, there is the huge 

upmarket audience it delivers. 

Then there are its brand-based 

attributes - which cover everything 

from technical performance to 

aspirational lifestyle. Finally, there 

is the fact that motorsports is such 

a great b2b platform. 

LG Electronics chief marketing 

officer Dermot Boden summed 

up the appeal pretty neatly when 

talking about his own company’s 

partnership with F1 - unveiled at 

the end of 2008. “This is a great 

sponsorship for LG,” he said. 

“F1 is one of the most dynamic 

sports in the world, relying on 

leading-edge technologies and 

continually pushing the boundaries 

of engineering excellence. LG 

has a similar focus on innovation 

and technological leadership. 

This, alongside a global audience, 

provides clear synergies for us.” 

Global audience 

The global audience referred to 

by Boden is the reason why F1, 

more than any other motorsports 

franchise, is well-placed to weather 

the downturn. You only have to 

look at some of the deals it has 

pulled off in 2009 to see the value 

of territorial reach. At the start 

of the year, for example, came 

Panasonic’s decision to renew its 

partnership with Toyota until 2012 

- a deal estimated in some quarters 

to be worth $45 million a year. 

Then there was Casio’s decision 

to back both Red Bull and its top 

driver Sebastian Vettel. 

More recently, Santander Bank 

agreed a five-year deal with Ferrari 

reckoned to be worth around 

$50-60 million a year. In the 

same week, it renewed its existing 

partnership with McClaren - a deal 

which many expected it to end. Like 

LG, Santander is no doubt that F1 is 

doing a decent job - and has figures 

to back it up. Since joining forces 

with McLaren, it says that UK 

awareness of its brand has jumped 

from 20 per cent to 82 per cent. 

Even more impressive, perhaps, is 

the claim that every 1 invested in 

F1 leads to a return of 5. 

Bernie Ecclestone realised long 

ago that the circuit’s international 

dimension is a crucial part of 

its resilience, which is why he 

continues to open up new markets. 

Any new Grand Prix race gives 

F1 access to an enlarged pool of 

sponsors and investors. 

And Grand Prix in territories 

like China, Turkey and the Middle 

East give big brands a way into 

emerging markets - encouraging 

them to stick with F1. 

The fruits of this endeavour are 

clear in Chinese computer firm 

Lenovo’s link up with Williams 

(estimated value $190 million), the 

creation of the Indian-backed Force 

India team and the $10 million deal 

between Russian mobile operator 

MegaFon and Renault. 

Not to be overlooked either is 

the way F1 has anchored itself 

in the Gulf. After opening for 

business in Bahrain during 2004, 

it has seen airline Gulf Air come 

in as title sponsor of that race and 

Etihad Airlines become a major 

backer of the Ferrari team. Further 

expansion came this year when 

the inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand 

Prix secured a $4.5 million title 

sponsorship with The National 

Bank of Abu Dhabi. 

We’re seeing a similar pattern in 

Southeast Asia - where the creation 

of the Malaysian and Singapore 

GPs has brought in Petronas and 

Singtel as race sponsors. Now 

we are poised to see a Malaysianbacked 

Lotus team join the grid in 

2010, a move which will spark yet 

more valuable sponsorship activity. 

Aside from the 

internationalisation of F1’s revenue 

base, the other big story in F1 

sponsorship this year has been 

the rise of Brawn GP and new 

World Champion Jensen Button. 

Although not viewed as a threat at 

the start of the season, a storming 

start to the 2009 campaign by 

Button led to a rush of deals. 

The most noteworthy was Virgin 

Group’s one-year deal in March. 

But this season has also seen 

brands like Henri Lloyd (clothing), 

Gieves & Hawkes (clothing) 

Ray-Ban (designer sunglasses) 


MOTORSPORT: 

SPONSORSHIP 

Top Motorsport deals in 12 months to December 2009 

Report Date Sponsor Team Sport Sponsor Type Reported Value of Deal Years Deal Type 

Dec-08 Lenovo McLaren Formula One Team Sponsor $16,000,000 1 New 

Jan-09 Panasonic Toyota Formula One Team Sponsor $105,000,000 3 Renewal 

Mar-09 Virgin Group Brawn GP Formula One Team Sponsor $30,000,000 1 New 

Apr-09 Petronas Yamaha Motorcycling Team Sponsor $24,000,000 3 New 

Sep-09 Santander McLaren Formula One Team Sponsor $48,000,000 3 Renewal 

Oct-09 Repsol Honda team in Moto GP Motorcycling Team Sponsor $16,000,000 1 Renewal 

Source:TWSM 

and MIG Invest (finance) join 

the team. Brawn (alongside Red 

Bull Racing) is notable for leading 

a trend towards non-traditional 

commercial partners. Others 

following suit include McLaren 

(Marks & Spencer) and Williams 

(Hell Energy Drink). 

And Brawn has been very 

flexible in terms of the types of 

deals it is willing to do, opening 

up motorsports to a wider range 

of partners. Sony Pictures came in 

for the Spanish Grand Prix while 

other race-specific relationships 

entered into by Brawn included 

Canon (Singapore) and Cervejaria 

(Brazil). With a price-tag of around 

$100,000-$150,000, that makes F1 

an affordable platform for brands. 

F1 aside, there was also good news 

for rallying when Ford and Citroen 

elected to stay with the WRC for 

the next two years. Given the 

pressure on car manufacturers, it 

was a welcome boost when Citroen 

Racing team principal Olivier 

Quesnel called WRC “an excellent 

promotional vehicle where costs 

are contained”. Also positive for 

the WRC was the news that Edox 

will be official timing partner until 

the end of 2012. 

Two wheels good 

In the two-wheel sector, 

international circuit MotoGP’s 

experience has, in some respects, 

echoed that of F1. At the start 

of the year it lost Kawasaki. But 

throughout the season, commercial 

rights holder Dorna Sports has 

managed to sign some important 

deals. Gaming company Bwin, 

for example, reaffirmed its 

commitment when it renewed as 

title sponsor of MotoGP events 

in Spain (at Jerez) and Portugal 

(Estoril). In another coup, Shell 

Advance became title sponsor 

of the Malaysian motorcycle 

Grand Prix - adding to existing 

partnerships with races in Qatar, 

Italy, Germany and the USA (as 

well as being a partner of the 

popular works Ducati team). 

And there are other 

stories which suggest a minibounceback. 

In Australia, for 

example, Nikon made a lastminute 

decision to renew its 

sponsorship of the Surfer’s 

Paradise SuperGP event - which 

featured V8 Supercar races. In 

the US, meanwhile, there are 

rumours that the IndyCar series 

may be on the verge of a big deal 

with Phillips Van Heusen apparel 

line IZOD, owner of brands such 

as Calvin Klein, Van Heusen, 

Arrow and Bass, meaning 

potential scope for a more broadbased 

partnership involving all of 

the above in a secondary capacity. 

With the global economy still 

fragile, it’s too early to claim a 

sustainable recovery. But such 

developments show that leading 

motorsports franchises continue to 

be a big pull for brands. 

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MOTORSPORT: 

MEDIA 

Dale Earnhardt Jr in action - 

Getty Images Sport 

Storylines are the key to ratings spikes in motorsport 

since compelling, relevant dramas help it reach beyond 

the petrol-head audience. But Andy Fry discovers that 

consistency is also crucially important. 

THE ORTHODOX WISDOM is that 

fans spend more time at home 

during downturns because they 

can’t afford to go out; and that 

thesis certainly seems to have been 

borne out in the case of F1 which 

has delivered robust ratings across 

a range of territories. US stock car 

series Nascar the sector’s other bell 

weather franchise, has struggled by 

comparison though. So what’s the 

explanation 

While top motorsports 

franchises can usually be 

guaranteed to deliver a solid 

hardcore of viewers, the sheer 

range of digital media alternatives 

means that a genuine hook is now 

needed to boost TV ratings. 

For F1, this added incentive 

usually comes in three forms - 

race location, the performance 

of key individuals/teams and the 

competitiveness of the overall 

driver’s championships. 

The first point is underlined by 

the Mediametrie figures oppostite 

which show that TF1 France 

secured a 40 per cent share of 

audience for the 2009 Monaco 

Grand Prix - its highest rating of 

the year (at the time of writing 

before the Brazilian GP). Similarly, 

RAI Italy’s best figures came for 

the Italian Grand Prix (45 per 

cent share, 7.7 million). In other 

words, races close to home have a 

particular appeal to viewers. 

This point is even more 

accentuated in new F1 markets 

where news that a Grand Prix is 

on its way can have a ripple effect 

across the entire racing season. 

Take Singapore for example where 

ESPN Star Sports reported an 

increased appetite for the sport 

ahead of its debut GP in 2008. 

The most impressive figures came 

in the male 35-44 demographic, 

where audiences for live F1 races 

grew 127 per cent year-on-year 

(2008 vs 2007). Even among 

younger men figures were up 

around 20 per cent. 

While ESPNSS shows most 

F1 races, the Singapore GP itself 

is aired on domestic Englishlanguage 

network Channel 5. 

This year (2009), the race secured 

23.6 per cent of audience - which 

may not sound high until you 

consider a) it aired in primetime 

not daytime b) most viewing 

in Singapore goes to Chineselanguage 

Channel 8 and c) a highproportion 

of fans watch the race 

in bars. With all that in mind, the 

fact that the race was Channel 5’s 

12th best performer of the year (up 

to Sept 27) is pretty impressive. 

The impact on TV ratings of 

hosting a GP is only matched when 

one of the other key factors come 

into play. Take a look at the UK’s F1 

viewing figures, for example. Despite 

a five-hour time difference between 

the UK and the Americas, the 

Brazilian Grand Prix has delivered 

extremely strong ratings in the UK 

for both of the last two seasons. 

Home advantage 

The reason is simple. In both cases, 

the race has delivered a British 

World Champion - Lewis Hamilton 

in 2008 and Jenson Button in 

2009. In 2008, the race averaged 

8.8 milion viewers (41 per cent 

share) and peaked at 12.5 million 

for commercial network ITV. In 

2009, it averaged 6.6 million (35 

per cent) and peaked at 8.9 million 

for new rights holder the BBC. 

The impact of driver 

personalities in motorsports has 

been evident for years. Ayrton 

Senna, Michael Schumacher, 

Fernando Alonso and Kimi 

Raikkonen have all had a dramatic 

impact on F1 viewing figures 

in their domestic markets. By 

contrast, the absence of a top talent 

- or their retirement - generally 

causes the reverse effect. 

This was certainly the case in 

Germany after Schumacher retired. 

And it’s possibly one reason why 

Nascar on Fox US saw the average 

rating for its first ten races in 2009 

drop to 5.4 (8.9 million viewers) 

from 6.1 (10 million) year-on-year, 

which analysts have, at least partly, 

attributed to the inconsistent 

performance of Nascar icon Dale 

Earnhardt Jr. 

Nascar is acutely aware of the 

point - with Nascar Media Group 

president Paul Brooks saying that 

2009 has suffered from a lack of 

“storylines” - since it is these which 

drive viewing momentum. Usually, 

Nascar can rely on set-piece events 

like the Daytona 500 to help turn 

things round. But this year the race 

was rain-shortened - with the result 

that the audience was down 10 per 

cent on the previous year’s race. 

As we’ve noted above, a good 

story will make audiences ignore 

time differences. But this isn’t the 

same as saying time differences 

don’t matter - they do. In F1, 

Bernie Ecclestone has grasped this 

point - which is why he encouraged 

Singapore to hold a night-race 

(since this suited European 

television audiences better). It has 

also been noted also how much 

difference rescheduling race times 

in the likes of Australia and Asia 

can make to European audiences. 

Of course, it’s not always an 

easy judgment to make changes. 

Looking again at Nascar, for 

example, there is an argument that 

moving ad breaks away from pit 

stops would boost ratings since 

Nascar fans like pit stops. 


Countries Without a Domestic F1 GP 

TV Data - 2009 Season (up to Brazil GP) Total Individuals 

rat% rat# shr% 

Romania TVR1 1.5 295.7 6.2 

Best F1 Race Bahrain GP 1.9 387.7 8.1 

Hungary RTL Klub 10.5 970.1 40.1 

Best F1 Race Brazil GP 15.1 1395.8 32.3 

Croatia HTV2 5.8 256.1 25.2 

Best F1 Race Bahrain GP 7.7 318.6 28.4 

Sources: Eurodata TV Worldwide - Armadata - AGB NMR 

Countries With a Domestic F1 GP 

TV Data - Local race in 2009 Season Total Individuals 

rat% rat# shr% 

Singapore Channel 5 8.3 386.5 23.6 

Only Singapore GP shown on channel 5 

France TF1 7.5 4342 39.8 

Best Race in France was Monaco GP 

Italy RAI1 13.4 7672 45 

Best Race in Italy was Italian GP 

Sources: Eurodata TV Worldwide - TNS - Mediametrie - Auditel 

But imagine the outcry if an ad 

break missed some race action 

instead. Likewise, fans aggrieved by 

Nascar rain delays have suggested 

that the series should be flexible 

enough to alter race times if the 

weather looks bad. But, imagine 

the outrage among fans who come 

in at the expected start time to find 

the TV coverage is almost over. 

Clearly, all of the above has to be 

seen in the context of the kind of 

broadcast deals that franchises do. 

The best illustration of that is 

IndyCar in the US. Here, flagship 

race the Indianapolis 500 saw an 

18 per cent rise in 2009 - recording 

a 5.3 rating and a 14 per cent 

share for ABC. But the rest of the 

IndyCar season - which airs on 

cable channel Versus received an 

average rating of 0.39 per race. 

Contrast that situation with 

MotoGP - where rights holder 

Dorna has focused its efforts on 

securing free-to-air live coverage. 

Dorna’s ratings for the MotoGP 

race at Donington Park show a 

record audience for the BBC (2.9 

million viewers, 23 per cent share). 

This strong figure was echoed in 

Spain where public broadcaster 

TVE attracted 2.34 million people 

(23 per cent share). 

Consistent delivery 

Indeed, MotoGP viewing figures 

perfectly reinforce the points 

made regarding F1 and Nascar. 

The undisputed star of the circuit 

is Valentino Rossi - a hero in his 

native Italy. For Italia 1, this means 

audience share of around 40 per 

cent is normal. 

But it gets even better when 

there’s something special going on. 

For Italy’s home race in Mugello, 

ratings hit an incredible 6.79 

million. When Rossi scored a 

spectacular win in Catalunya, 5.98 

million Italians watched. Ratings 

like this can have a hugely beneficial 

effect on a network or a sporting 

franchise. But, it’s important not to 

be hypnotised by these peaks and 

troughs. In the case of Nascar, for 

example, more important than the 

2009 ratings dip is the fact that 

the series remains one of the topperformer 

TV sports in the US. It 

was still the top sport on television 

six times. 

For sponsors, who need to 

plan well in advance (usually 2-4 

year contractual cycles), it’s this 

long-term consistent delivery of a 

young predominantly male which 

is important - with sudden boosts 

in audience regarded as a bonus. 

That’s why season-long circuits like 

Nascar, F1, MotoGP and the World 

Rally Championship continue to 

attract sponsors. 

Look at Mediametrie’s figures 

for Central and Eastern Europe 

for example and you can see F1 

regularly outperforms the network 

average - delivering strongly 

against male viewers. 

WRC is another classic case 

in point. Comprising 12 races in 

different locations, it attracts a 

cumulative audience of more than 

800 million in 180 countries. It 

provides live coverage in exotic 

locations and produces a range of 

highlights, updates and magazine 

shows which extend the brand’s 

appeal. With content also pumped 

out via YouTube, Facebook and 

Twitter, it’s exactly the kind of 

franchise that sponsors can plan 

their activation against - without it 

needing to deliver one-off ratings 

spectaculars. 

The full 2009 F1 season’s viewing will 

be released in the Yearly Sport Key 

Facts Special Report from Eurodata 

TV Worldwide/Mediametrie. 

Driven by Passion, Powered by People. 

At Just Marketing International we’re known as specialists, exclusive to the world of motorsports. 

We’re the leading global motorsports-exclusive marketing agency. Our insider knowledge, influence 

and relationships enable us to provide unique creative solutions customized for each of our clients. 

And now, we’re also known as JMI, with a new look that represents the passion and commitment 

we bring to every assignment. Learn more about JMI at www.justmarketing.com. 


MOTORSPORT: 

FORMULA ONE 

FUELLED BY 

CONTROVERSY 

As the world’s most-watched annual sport, and with no other 

single-seater racing series in close competition, Formula One 

has built itself an almost unassailable position. Scandals don’t 

dent it; in fact the sport seems to thrive on them. With the 

twists and turns of the past 12 months it is in its heyday. 

By Christian Sylt and Caroline Reid. 

Going on strong - 

Getty Images Sport 

ON THE FACE OF IT F1 seems to have had a 

dreadful time over the past year. As if a recession 

wasn’t enough to deal with, the sport has also 

faced the threat of a rival series, the departure 

of Honda and BMW and the ousting of Renault 

team boss Flavio Briatore after it was revealed that 

he influenced the outcome of last year’s Singapore 

Grand Prix. Despite all this, possibly because of 

some of it, the finances of F1 are rosier than ever. 

F1 had a record year financially in 2008. The 

addition of a race in Valencia as well as the new 

Singapore night race drove the turnover of Delta 

3, the sport’s UK holding company, up 13 per cent 

to an all-time-high of $1 billion. These two races 

alone are reportedly paying combined annual 

fees of $82.5 million and F1 is building on that 

this year with November’s inaugural Abu Dhabi 

Grand Prix, another blockbuster event which will 

pay $45 million every year. 

This year a record 41 per cent of F1’s races 

are in Asia compared to 12.5 per cent a decade 

ago. Next year the balance will tip even further 

as South Korea joins the F1 calendar with India 

following in 2011. There is good reason for F1’s 

drive into emerging markets. 

Race hosting fees bring in around a third of 

the F1 Group’s revenues but the teams prevent its 

chief executive Bernie Ecclestone from increasing 

the number of races. In order to raise revenues, 

Ecclestone has taken the sport to countries which 

are prepared to pay more instead. 

Emerging markets such as Singapore, South 

Korea and Abu Dhabi pay top dollar since their 

governments bankroll the hosting fees in order to 

use the race as a flagship to drive tourism. Getting 

an F1 race puts them on a calendar alongside 

developed and exotic nations such as Monaco, 

Malaysia and Australia. It puts them on the global 

sporting map and gives the country publicity to 

F1’s 600m annual viewers. 

However, since Europe is still F1’s biggest 

single TV market, the new Grands Prix in Asia are 

being held at night so that they can be broadcast 

live in Europe at peak time. Singapore was the 

first night race and Abu Dhabi takes it to a new 

level as it will begin at sunset and finish under 

floodlights. After Korea and India, Ecclestone has 

plans to move further into Asia. “We keep talking 

about Moscow but I don’t know if they are going 

to do anything. Probably yes,” he says. 

F1 isn’t immune to the economic downturn 

of course. It is believed to have dented the sport’s 

corporate hospitality revenues by as much as 30 

per cent this year as sponsors and their clients 

shied away from public displays of excess. 

Nevertheless, F1 has a trick or two under its 

bonnet to mitigate the impact of this revenue loss. 

Cleverly the race hosting contracts all contain 

an escalator clause which increases the cost by 

10 per cent annually. Accordingly, F1’s turnover 

is likely to increase by a few per cent this year 

despite the drop in corporate hospitality demand. 

F1 has also been well prepared for the 

downturn by being extremely lean. Staff 

payment is one of the biggest cost items for any 

company but F1 only employs 249 people with 

its headcount rising by 10 last year in contrast 


MOTORSPORT: 

FORMULA ONE 

“Hospitality revenues have been 

dented by as much as 30 per cent 

this year as sponsors and their clients 

shied away from public displays of 

excess. Nevertheless, F1 has a trick 

or two under its bonnet to mitigate 

the impact of this revenue loss.” 

to the cuts made by most businesses. Indeed, 

the sport’s employees are so productive that, 

according to research by F1’s industry monitor 

Formula Money, they each generate more revenue 

than those at any company in the FTSE 100, the 

International Olympic Committee, FIFA and 

leading entertainment rights holders such as 

Marvel and Nintendo. 

One cost which F1 couldn’t keep down was 

the amount of prize money paid to the 10 teams. 

This accelerated 52.3 per cent to $521 million 

under a new agreement which gives the teams 50 

per cent of F1’s underlying profits. This doubled 

their previous take from the sport and was a key 

condition they demanded to prevent them from 

leaving the sport. 

It served its purpose as in August the teams 

signed an extension to the Concorde Agreement, 

the contract committing them to F1, until 2012. 

The increased team payments sent Delta 3’s 

operating profit down from $206 million in 2007 

to $86.4 million last year. 

The biggest risk to F1 of course comes from 

the teams and their not quite annual threat to 

quit the sport. In response to the question of 

how he can prevent teams leaving F1 Ecclestone 

bluntly says “you can’t. The manufacturers won’t 

commit. Are they going to write that they commit 

to race for seven years, or ten years, five years 

They won’t. They don’t know what they’re going 

to do next week,” adds Ecclestone. 

The teams themselves have put in place a cost 

reduction programme, due to be implemented 

over the next few years. Ecclestone says that 

“it’s not in the Concorde Agreement that’s been 

signed...they’re doing it amongst themselves.” 

One of the best indications of the outlook on 

F1 is its debt price. When private equity firm 

CVC bought F1’s commercial rights-holder in 

2006 it used $2.8bn of debt from Royal Bank of 

Scotland (RBS) and Lehman Brothers. This must 

be paid back by 2014. That debt has since been 

sold by the banks and the price of the debt gives 

a good indication of the sport’s health. The better 

the sport is perceived to be doing, the higher the 

price of its debt. 

After Honda pulled out the debt price 

plummeted reaching a low of 48.7p in the Pound 

at the end of March according to Markit Group, 

which charts credit pricing. This level was lower 

than the mean price on Markit’s iTraxx LevX 

Index, a gauge of high-risk, high-yield loans 

in Europe, which fell to a record low of 68p in 

March over debt default concerns. However, the 

signing of the Concorde Agreement boosted 

F1’s debt price by 9.2p to 84.1p at the end of 

August. Since then the debt price has 

risen further hitting 90.8p at the 

beginning of October - its highest 

price in 12 months. 

Clearly the scandal 

surrounding Flavio Briatore, 

which engulfed F1 in September, had 

no impact on investor confidence in 

the sport. In fact, it seems it may just 

have had the opposite effect. 

Why Well perhaps the 

answer lies in the response, 

back in 2005 to an FIA survey 

of 93,000 fans. When asked, 

amongst other questions, 

‘what attributes are perceived 

as essential to F1’ some 56 

per cent of the surveyed fans 

replied ‘intrigue’. No wonder 

then that F1 has gone from 

strength to strength. 

Photos cour tesy of Netball Singapore, Lexus Cup (IMG) & Singapore Spor ts Council 


MOTORSPORT: 

RALLY 

ON 

THE 

RIGHT 

TRACK 

Rallying now has two thriving series, the World Rally Championship 

and the Intercontinental Rally Challenge. Despite the economic 

downturn, both series have developed and innovated in 2009 and, 

for different reasons, finish the year in pretty good shape. 

IN DECEMBER last year it looked 

like the wheels were coming off 

the World Rally Championship. 

Within a 24-hour period it lost 

two manufacturers as Suzuki 

and Subaru announced that they 

would pull their teams out of the 

series. That left WRC with just 

two manufacturer teams, Ford and 

Citroen, puncturing its pride but 

not exhausting it. 

In fact, it gave WRC a clean slate 

to create a path to fortune. Learning 

from some of the problems in 

Formula One, which has more 

manufacturers than podium places, 

Neil Duncanson, chief executive 

of North One, the production 

company which owns ISC, made a 

crucial decision. 

“I decided I didn’t want more 

than four significant manufacturers 

because any more than that and 

they can’t win,” he said, adding: 

“I’ve got one or two who I think will 

come in.” 

Fiat recently entered one 

round of the Rally Finland with 

Ferrari’s F1 driver Kimi Räikkönen 

who famously rolled the car and 

Duncanson says “if we mix it up 

with Fiat and Volkswagen, and 

whoever else coming in, they need 

to win rallies.” 

To give its chances an added 

boost, WRC will introduce a 

1600cc turbo engine in 2011. “This 

brings WRC in line with the way 

the automotive industry and public 

opinion is moving towards more 

energy efficient engines,” says 

ISC’s chief executive Simon Long. 

“At the same time, this will 

further support our efforts to 

attract new manufacturers and 

car brands into our sport with the 

prospect of more cost effective and 

relevant WRC car regulations.” 

“Subaru were a real part of our 

DNA and that [their departure] 

really hurt us. I’d like to think they 

will come back to WRC at some 

point,” says Duncanson. 

As the road to economic 

recovery becomes smoother 

there are good reasons why car 

companies may pull in to WRC. 

“Manufacturers can subscribe to 

World Rally at much less cost than 

F1,” says Duncanson. 

Running a top rally team costs 

a car manufacturer around $20 

million annually - around five per 

cent of the investment required for 

an F1 campaign. 

“I think the future of World 

Rally is very positive and the 

reasons are because it is not 

Formula One, it is real cars with 

real drivers in real locations.” 

The cars in the series are roadlegal 

and race on tracks which are 

more akin to everyday conditions 

than F1 circuits. That means 

manufacturers can legitimately 

use success in WRC to advertise 

the quality of the everyday vehicles 

they sell. 

These attributes are also 

attracting other companies to 

WRC. We will not go far away from 

last year’s very small operating loss 

for the next financial year and in 

the current climate that is a very 

significant advertisement for what 

we are doing,” says Duncanson. 

Motorsport’s governing body 

the Fédération Internationale de 


MOTORSPORT: 

RALLY 

l’Automobile (FIA) seems satisfied 

with ISC’s trajectory since, in 

February this year, it was reappointed 

as global promoter of 

WRC until the end of 2020. 

“With our new powers as global 

promoter we now set the calendar. 

We’ve just signed a five year deal 

with Rally Finland and others will 

follow shortly,” says Duncanson. 

Freedom trail 

ISC has given promoters more 

creative freedom when it comes to 

the format of races. 

“We need to make more of 

a virtue of the sheer variety of 

experience and geographical reach 

which WRC can offer,” says Long. 

“By allowing organisers more 

flexibilty over the make-up of their 

event we anticipate being able to 

Ordinary cars... extraordinary action - Getty Images Sport 

connect with a wider landscape of 

communities, places and fans. The 

prospect of mixed surfaces will 

only add to the unpredictability and 

challenge which characterises the 

sport of rallying.” 

This particular opening up of 

the calendar may be something 

that the WRC has learned from 

its increasingly successful rival 

series, the Intercontinental Rally 

Challenge (IRC) which fans forums 

praise for its geographical range, 

varied calendar and roughly 50-50 

mix of asphalt and gravel rallies. 

For the IRC, 2009 certainly 

kicked off with a bang with the 

legendary Monte Carlo Rally, an 

emblematic event on the world 

sporting calendar and the most 

prestigious of all rallies. Monte-Carlo 

made the switch from the WRC to 

the IRC this year and will stay with 

IRC for 2010, again providing a 

buzz to start the season. 

Since its inception in 2007, IRC 

has attracted a lot of attention not 

only from the public, but from rally 

promoters and car manufacturers 

(it now has seven on board). 

Manufacturers like the series, 

in part because of the number of 

rallies that are run per season (10 

in 2009 and 12 for 2010) and in 

part because the series is less costly 

for them and for their drivers. 

Organisers like it because 

the IRC is less restrictive than 

the WRC and organisers, 

manufacturers and fans alike say 

the series retains the spirit of rally, 

harking back to what they perceive 

as the ‘good old days.’ 

The 2009 IRC calendar 

continued the tried and trusted 

formula of combining well-known 

classic rallies with new events in 

emerging markets and next year 

will see new rallies in Argentina, 

Sardinia and Cyprus for the season 

finale. These geographical changes 

reflect the increasing prominence 

of the IRC in world motorsport 

after a successful and highly 

competitive 2009 season. 

For Geraldine Filiol, director 

general of Eurosport Events which 

created, owns and promotes the 

IRC, the series is a key plank of the 

company’s events portfolio. 

“We created the series because 

we saw a gap in the market, an 

opportunity to create a property to 

showcase and promote a number 

of rallies that were lacking in 

exposure. We created an umbrella 

brand and, through its promotion 

on Eurosport and elsewhere, 

we have healthy, growing, 

commercially successful and 

profitable series.” 

Next year will be season four 

for the IRC and it has grown to 

the point where Eurosport is now 

talking to potential title sponsors. 

Up until now, each individual rally 

promoter has had local sponsors, 

Filiol explains, but the series has 

not had a main partner. 

“We are now in a position where 

we are offering a mature, attractive 

property, with three seasons of 

growth and exposure behind it.” 

With Eurosport Events as 

its owner and promoter, a high 

quality of TV coverage and wide 

exposure were never in doubt. But 

2009 has seen a clear step change 

in innovation in terms of IRC 

broadcast and production. 

Broadcast innovation 

“We have the helicopter camera, 

the on-board cameras and this 

year we introduced live split times 

for each stage, as you would get 

in skiing. That means the viewer 

really has all the information to go 

with what they are seeing unfold. 

This year we have also produced 

more live coverage than ever 

before, with multiple stages 

covered live at three events in 

our calendar. Next year, five or six 

events will benefit from this live 

coverage of stages.” 

And the 2010 Calendar will also 

see Eurosport providing a world 

premier with fully live coverage of 

all 14 stages of the Rally of Monte- 

Carlo, a feat so-far unprecedented 

in rally coverage. 

Filiol says that for Eurosport 

as promoters, the end game is to 

see IRC distributed worldwide via 

broadcast and online platforms, 

beyond Eurosport itself. 

This happens with another 

Eurosport property, the FIA WTCC. 

Filiol is confident that that scenario 

is not too far off. 

“In just three seasons, we have 

created a big buzz around our brand 

and around the series. 

“That has driven attendances 

and, of course, TV viewing and a 

wider exposure. It has really been a 

truly virtuous circle.” 

IRC viewing 

Year Events Total Reach (Different European viewers) 

2008 10 16.2 million 

2009 10 (so far this year) 25 million 


MOTORSPORT: 

NASCAR 

for fans, has been delayed. 

So has construction of new ticket 

and merchandise sales buildings. 

“We’re a small state with a small 

population and we need all the help 

we can get,” Dover Motorsports 

president Denis McGlynn said. 

“With the economy the way it is 

and the finance industry so slow 

to lend money, we’ve got to wait a 

little while. Maybe another year or 

two, but we’re going to do it.” 

HITTING THE NUMBERS 

Barry Wilner says the surge in popularity and revenues experienced by Nascar earlier 

in the decade has subsided and the tough economy has inflicted some damage. But 

the stock car series remains one of America’s top sports. 

IT HAS BEEN an awful year for the 

US auto industry, with bankruptcy 

filings, rising unemployment, weak 

sales and a distrust of General 

Motors, Ford and Chrysler among 

the American public. 

Some of that negativity has 

filtered over to Nascar, yet the 

series still keeps company with 

baseball, college and pro basketball 

and college football in the US 

sporting landscape. All chasing the 

NFL of course. 

But there have been some 

setbacks for Nascar and heading 

into 2010, they are issues the sport 

is attempting to address. 

“We’re always looking at ways 

to lower costs for the teams related 

to travel and everything that that 

means,” Nascar chairman Brian 

France said, noting that more twoday 

weekends might be scheduled 

to save on expenses. 

“The schedule has already been 

announced. The testing policy is 

out. We saw some (changes), but it 

won’t be dramatic. 

“We have people in every 

division that understand everything 

from the team owners’ direct cost 

to the per-event cost and everything 

in between. We have quite a 

command of that.’’ 

On the sponsorship side, 

Nascar has had to adjust to 

sponsor defections more often 

in the last two years than anyone 

would have projected. For 2010, 

Richard Childress Racing has lost 

Jack Daniels, the famed bourbon 

distillery and a loyal participant 

in the sport for years. “While it is 

difficult for us to end our formal 

relationship with RCR, the current 

economic environment has 

compelled us to re-evaluate our 

spending, and we’ve concluded 

that other areas in the marketing 

mix require additional investment,” 

said Tim Rutledge, vice president 

and brand director for Jack Daniels. 

Investments on hold 

Petty, the most successful driver 

in stock car history and Nascar’s 

resident icon, searched long and 

hard for a partner who could keep 

his company afloat. 

RPM had not won since 1999, 

but when it merged with Gillett- 

Evernham Motorsports to begin 

2009, Petty’s group got star driver 

Kasey Kahne into one of its cars. 

Kahne won at Sonoma in the 

spring, then qualified for the Chase 

for the Sprint Cup, a first for any 

Petty-associated driver. 

But Chrysler’s deep financial 

problems plagued all of the RPM 

teams, with the Dodge brand 

offering less and less factory support 

throughout the season. Finally, in 

October, Petty agreed a merger with 

the Yates team for 2010. 

Dodge though remains 

committed to the sport. 

Ralph Gilles, the new head 

of Dodge’s car brand, says the 

manufacturer will remain in 

Nascar because development and 

marketing of Dodge vehicles “still 

works’’ through its participation 

in Nascar.” 

Then there were the tracks. 

Even Nascar’s most popular 

track, Bristol Motor Speedway 

in Tennessee, had issues in the 

sponsorship area this year. 

“We had a lot of corporate 

sponsors actually cut their 

allocation because of the economy, 

so a lot of fans who had been 

wanting to come to our race 

for years but hadn’t been able 

to get tickets actually had that 

opportunity,” said BMS spokesman 

Kevin Triplett. 

“We’ve had to spend more in 

advertising than we ever have. We 

haven’t advertised Cup tickets in 13 

years. But we had to do that.” 

Darlington Raceway, which 

has a Cup race on Mother’s Day 

weekend in May, has already cut 

ticket prices on more than half 

of its seats for the Southern 500. 

Darlington executives surveyed 

customers and found that many 

planned to stay away because ticket 

costs were too high. 

“We’ve faced hardships before,” 

Darlington president Chris 

Browning said. “We always seem 

to be able to adjust. Hopefully, 

the whole country will adjust and 

move on.” 

Some racetracks have put 

upgrades, whether for fan comfort 

or racing considerations, or both, 

on hold. 

At Dover Downs, where the two 

Nascar weekends each year are the 

only significant sporting events 

held in Delaware, work on a new 

garage, including rooftop viewing 

On-site gambling 

One intriguing way for the tracks 

to enhance revenue streams could 

be through on-site gambling. 

Dover is considering it, with live 

gaming tables to go with slot 

machines that already exist. 

Nascar has yet to pass judgment 

on such a proposal, and McGlynn 

notes that Las Vegas is a regular 

stop on the circuit. 

Plus, Delaware has legalised 

sports betting on a limited basis. 

“I think the sports betting could 

have had the ability to draw new 

people into Nascar just to give 

them some other reason to watch,” 

McGlynn said. 

Not as many eyeballs are 

watching on TV, although no 

trends are certain because some 

races just before and early in the 

Chase saw increases in viewership. 

Nascar’s contracts with Fox, 

ESPN/ABC, Turner and SPEED 

have four more years to run and 

net $4.48 billion for the eight-year 

deals. That makes one area where 

stock car racing is in excellent 

shape, although make-goods to the 

broadcasters are possible should 

ratings slip excessively - something 

NBC has done in the past for lowrated 

Olympics. 

As for the folks in the stands, 

well, when you are still averaging 

six-figure crowds, how negative 

a slant can anyone place on your 

sport Yes, some tracks have 

struggled to fill up, particularly 

those outside racing hotbeds. But 

others venues remain touch tickets. 

“This year, obviously, everyone 

has seen changes in attendance, 

but we’re still averaging about 

110,000 fans per event,” said 

Nascar spokesman Ramsey Poston. 

“Two or three years ago, the 

average was closer to 120,000. 

“But given where we are in 

the country with the economy, 

we think this shows how strong 

Nascar is. To keep hitting those 

numbers is very reassuring.” 


As one of motor racing’s top-3 and fastest growing events, the 

production bike series FIM Superbike World Championship (SBK) 

features the world‘s leading manufacturers Aprilia, BMW, Ducati, 

Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha. It stages 13 rounds in 

12 countries, making it a truly global event with two billion TV 

contacts every year. 

SBK is arguably the most exciting form of motor sports offering a 

format of two races plus the FIM Supersport World Championship 

and its support classes. 

With superstars like Max Biaggi (ITA), Troy Corser (AUS), James 

Toseland (GBR) or Nori Haga (JAP) and fast newcomers including 

Max Neukirchner (GER), Jonathan Rea and Leon Haslam 

(both GBR), SBK is really a fantastic viewing. All Superbikes are 

competitively engineered to boost performance, with top speeds 

exceeding 300 km/h. 

As promoter of the FIM Superbike World Championship and 

partner of the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), 

Infront Sports & Media exclusively holds all types of commercial 

rights to the FIM Superbike World Championship and provides 

clients with a top TV product, a first class sponsorship platform 

and high quality event services. 

Infront – Racing action at its best.

MOTORSPORT: 

MOTORCYCLING 

Rossi rides high - Getty Images Sport 

Both MotorGP and World 

Superbikes continue to 

defy the downturn with 

new TV deals and the 

addition of new sponsor 

partners. But is MotoGP, 

at least, basing too much 

of its value on its biggest 

star, Valentino Rossi 

By Richard Gillis. 

IN THE HECTIC HOURS after 

Valentino Rossi secured the 2009 

MotoGP World Championship 

in Malaysia, his fourth with the 

Yamaha Racing team and ninth 

overall, Lin Jarvis, the team’s 

managing director was hedging 

questions as to the future. 

It’s not news that Yamaha are 

desperate to keep him: “I don’t 

think I can convince Valentino to 

continue racing (after 2010, when 

his contract runs out), that’s up to 

him, but I’ll certainly do my best to 

make sure he’s on a Yamaha if he 

does,” said Jarvis. 

Rossi is arguably the greatest 

ever, reaching the rarefied air 

occupied by that small group of 

stars for whom history can talk 

louder than money. Ahead of him 

is Giacomo de Agostini’s record of 

123 grand prix career wins, a mark 

that Rossi, who has amassed 102 

career victories, has admitted to 

‘thinking out loud about’. 

To keep their man, Yamaha are 

making a legacy play, with talk of 

a brand ambassador role and long 

term tie-ups: their hunch is that 

the Italian will sell bikes long after 

he’s stopped riding them. 

But Rossi’s future is not just an 

issue for the Japanese motorcycle 

industry. It holds the key to 

commercial future of the entire 

sport. “It’s hard to overstate how 

important Rossi is to motorbike 

racing,” says David Emmett, 

editor of motomatters.com, the 

influential website. “He’s a oncein-a-generation 

type, combining 

riding genius with real charisma.” 

When energy drinks brand 

Monster consolidated its move into 

motorsport, it was Rossi they chose 

as their Trojan horse, signing up a 

two year deal worth in the region 

of $3.2 million to the rider, plus an 

extra $650,000 for claiming this 

year’s MotoGP title. 

But Rossi’s retirement date, 

2011 is mentioned regularly, 

For now at least, the sport 

continues to reap the benefit of 

his participation. In 2008, rights 

holders Dorna hired IMG to sell 

media rights outside the core 

markets of Italy, Spain and UK, 

which Dorna handles in-house. 

This led to a spate of TV deals 

in key markets, with free-to-air 

terrestrial a significant component 

of the strategy. In the UK, the BBC 

bought five years of MotoGP’s 

full inventory, including exclusive 

rights to show all races - 125cc, 

250cc and MotoGP itself, plus 

qualifying sessions. 


MOTORSPORT: 

MOTORCYCLING 

Of these, only MotoGP races 

will be shown live on the BBC’s 

main free-to-air channels, with 

the rest shown on their interactive 

service and online. Additional 

coverage of MotoGP races will 

also be available on the hugely 

successful BBC iPlayer. 

Filling the gap 

In France, the AB Groupe and 

Eurosport France signed for 

three years 2011, with the digitalterrestrial 

channel NT1 taking all 

18 MotoGP races while cablesatellite 

channel Eurosport France 

screening practice and qualifying 

sessions and all three races live 

on Sunday. Likewise, in Germany 

DSF committed to 170 hours of 

coverage per year. 

From a sponsorship point of 

view, MotoGP can also look back at 

the end of 2008-09 with at a roster 

of new partners. The credit crunch 

came at a time when motorsport 

was still weaning itself off tobacco 

money, and new categories of 

partner - betting, insurance, 

finance and most recently, energy 

drinks such as Monster - have 

helped fill the gap. 

But there does remain a gap, 

something Dorna Sports have 

never been afraid to acknowledge. 

Part of the answer may lie in cost 

cutting. But cost cutting is a trigger 

issue for MotoGP. Slash budgets to 

suit the new economic reality and 

the series runs the danger of losing 

its bleeding edge image, narrowing 

the gap between MotoGP and 

Superbikes, its perennial rival. 

The annual cost for a 

manufacturer team in MotoGP 

varies between 5 million and 

10 million per annum and 

beyond. The smaller, privately 

owned teams budget for up to 

2 million. For Superbikes, team 

costs are considerably lower due to 

harmonisation of parts and tyres, 

and the fact they race on-road bikes 

rather than prototypes. 

One obvious place where cost 

cuts may come in is in the riders’ 

contracts. Along with Rossi, 

the front of the MotoGP grid is 

dominated by Jorge Lorenzo, Casey 

Stoner and Dani Pedrosa - all tied 

to multi-million Euro contracts. 

But from fifth place down - there 

is often twenty seconds between 

fourth and fifth place - the salary 

cuts might be deep. 

“The riders were paid crazy 

amounts,” says Herve Poncharal, 

team owner of the Monster Tech 

3 Yamaha team, who suggests the 

market, rather than legislators, will 

deal with the issue. 

The riders that are coming to 

the end of their contract in 2009, 

he says will see sharp falls in 

fees. ‘Apart from the Untouchables 

- it will be 50, 60, 70 per cent 

down. That will be a big, big 

saving. We always talk about the 

bike, but the riders department is 

sometimes bigger than the cost of 

the bike.” 

As Formula One has shown, 

with the Brawn GP team in 

particular leading the way, 

lowering costs means that the price 

demanded of sponsors for title 

partnerships, the key commercial 

revenue stream for most teams, is 

lowered, raising hopes of drawing 

a broader constituency of brands 

into the sport. 

This is something that should 

perhaps be the aim of both 

MotoGP and Superbikes. 

As ever, broadcast exposure 

will be critical in determining 

sponsor revenues and in October 

2009, Infront Motor Sports, 

the commercial rights owner of 

Superbikes, struck an important 

and wide ranging TV deal with 

Eurosport Group, which gave the 

pan-European broadcaster the 

TV and digital rights to the FIM 

Superbike World Championship 

(SBK) for the 2010, 2011 and 2012 

seasons. The deal includes the 

support classes FIM Supersport 

World Championship and FIM 

Superstock 1000 Cup. 

This pan-European agreement 

includes all 59 territories covered 

by Eurosport which promises 

an increased number of live 

broadcasts and that 24 out of 26 

races will be shown live or delayed 

on either Eurosport or Eurosport 2. 

Superbkes - Getty Images Sport 

“We have not only signed a very 

significant TV agreement with 

Eurosport, but also secured 

additional media coverage across 

Europe and Asia during the last 

two years,” explains Stephan Herth, 

executive director of Summer 

Sports, Infront Sports and Media. 

“The sponsorship market has 

been slower, but is looking brighter 

for 2010 although our targets for 

hospitality remain conservative.” 

Hospitality matters 

The hospitality side of the 

business, he says, is a real point of 

difference for Superbikes, allowing 

VIPs to get very close to the teams 

down in the pit. This informality is 

attractive, and broadens the appeal 

of the sponsorship. 

On the key difference between 

motorcycling’s top two series, 

Herth says. “MotoGP is more 

about R&D while Superbikes 

is about marketing for the 

manufacturers, that’s why all major 

brands are in the series, compared 

to say four of the manufacturers 

who remain in MotoGP. For the 

manufacturers, World Superbikes 

offers greater benefits in terms of 

a direct link between what fans see 

on TV and the type of bikes they 

can go and buy on the high street. 

“The great advantage we have 

is that we have seven major 

manufacturers in the series, which 

is a tangible sign that they see 

value in Superbikes. 

“For MotoGP, Rossi is very 

outstanding and the TV rights 

market responds quickly to 

personalities,” says Herth, 

“Without local heroes it makes 

the job of selling media rights 

more difficult. It is up to Dorna 

to find a new Rossi, and that is a 

formidable challenge. 

It certainly is and with the man 

himself, aged 29, stating, “I will 

ride until I’m 31 or 32 at most,” 

earlier this year, the curtain calls 

on the great rider’s career will be 

watched closely by a varied group 

of stakeholders, from fans and 

rival team members, through TV 

executives and sponsor directors 

through to the rights owners of 

both MotoGP and Superbike series. 


RIGHTS FOCUS: 

JUMP RACING 

JUMPING FOR 

SUCCESS 

The National Hunt horse racing season is in full swing, attracting large 

crowds and betting revenues. As Adrian Hill explains, British Jump racing 

is in rude health. 

BY ANY REASONABLE MEASURE the British 

Racing industry is at the forefront of the UK 

sporting and leisure markets, and the Jump 

racing sector plays a major part in that success 

story. The quality and breadth of the National 

Hunt scene in the British Isles is unrivalled 

anywhere else in the world. 

The Grand National and the Cheltenham 

Festival are renowned as two of the UK’s 

top sporting events, attracting extensive TV 

coverage. While 5.7 million spectators attended 

the 60 tracks operating in Britain in 2008, a 

figure second only to football among UK sports. 

Bearing in mind that the highlights of the 

National Hunt season occur during the winter 

and early spring months, a tally of two million 

people going through the gates to see steeple 

chasing is some achievement. 

According to the British Horseracing 

Authority’s Economic Impact report, UK 

racecourses produced revenue of £456 million 

in 2008 - a sum bettered only by football and 

£90 million more than the third-placed sport, 

rugby union. 

“I think British racing is in a pretty healthy 

state,” says Alan Switzer, director of the Sport 

Business group at Deloitte which produced the 

study. “Our report relies mostly on data from 

2008. Due to the recession, in some instances 

the figures might show peaks for some time. But 

attendances, the number of racehorse owners 

and media coverage are all in a healthy state. 

Crowds in 2009, up until the end of September, 

were marginally up too.” 

The report also reveals that the UK 

government was handed £325 million in tax 

income from British racing and its role as a 

very significant employer. Only a handful of 

British rugby stadia could accommodate the 

18,600 working full-time within the core racing 

industry, while if those who earn a living from 

related fields, such as betting, are included 

even Twickenham would not be big enough. An 

estimated 100,000 people directly or indirectly 

look to racing for their livelihoods. Success 

comes from investment and £706 million 

worth of capital resources were spent on the 

racecourses from 2004 to 2008. This added 

to the annual £400 million that the 50,000 

racehorse owners contribute, a significant 

proportion of which is inbound from major 

overseas benefactors. 

The effect of the recession has made the 

loyal band of owners dwindle slightly. Racing 

is an expensive sport, although unlike its Flat 

counterpart, Jump racing at the highest level, 

is not the sole playground of the extravagantly 

wealthy. Switzer reports that owners are feeling 

the pinch. 

“The number of owners has gone down this 

year, but has by no means fallen off the cliff. 

Where we have seen a marked decline is in 

bloodstock, the buying and selling of horses. 

However, the big yearling sales in October held up 

reasonably well, thanks to the support of wealthy 

benefactors such as the Maktoum family.” 

Affluent patriarchs 

The seriously affluent racing patriarchs tend to 

concentrate on the Flat, where the long-term 

bounty available from the breeding of champion 

racehorses dwarfs prize money. A top-class 

stallion earns a five-figure stud fee, with recently 

retired Derby and Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe 

hero Sea The Stars expected to attract nearly 

£100,000 every time he is matched with a mare. 

The practice of gelding top-class National 

Hunt performers means that avenue is not 

open to its owners and a major attraction 

of the winter sport is the continuity 

provided by its top horses returning 

season after season. Followers identify 

with them and there is a clear structure 

to the campaign, with Cheltenham and 

Aintree providing a rousing climax. 

Take the two superstars of the respective 

racing codes in Europe this year. Sea The Stars 

has been packed off to stud after a career of only 

two years while Cheltenham Gold Cup winner 

Kauto Star aims to retain his crown next March 

to round off a sixth campaign in the UK, having 

previously raced in France. 

“It’s a fantastic storyline for broadcasters 

and the public at large,” says Peter McNeile, 

Cheltenham’s sponsorship director. “If Channel 

4 were to ever lose the Festival, their interest 

in racing would probably wane. If a horse wins 

a race in December there is always talk about 

which race at the festival it is being aimed at - it 

engages the occasional viewer.” 

Cheltenham - Getty Images Sport 


Thanks to Channel 4, whose racing output is 

paid for by the sport to the tune of £3 milion per 

year, Jump racing has two hours of terrestrial 

broadcasting time every Saturday during the 

winter, a regular audience of 1m viewers 

each week. Add in nearly 15.7 million 

watching the BBC’s coverage of the Grand 

National meeting and the cumulative reach 

for Jumping each year is in excess of 46 

million viewers. 

In addition to that, Racing UK (Sky 432, Virgin 

536, Corus ntl 411) broadcasts more than 650 live 

flat and jump meetings a year, with commentary, 

debate and tipping from 30 of the UK’s top 

racecourses. The specialist channel is indicative 

of the enduring appeal of horse racing. Despite 

reverting to independent status following the 

departure of Pay TV partner, Setanta, from the UK 

in May, it now boasts more than 38,000 residential 

subscribers, 5,000 more than it had as a standalone 

channel pre-Setanta. 

During a recession, racing more than ever 

needs the stimulus that the characters of the 

jumping game provide. The Levy (the sport’s 

revenue from betting) has fallen, due in large 

UK Racecourse Revenues 

2005 

£m 

2008 

£m 

Admissions 98 120 

Catering (raceday) 80 100 

On-course betting 11 9 

Media 42 57 

Sponsorship 16 20 

Other commercial 51 61 

Levy distributions 89 89 

Total revenue 387 456 

Source: BHA; Racecourse financial statements and BHA 

returns; Deloitte estimates. 

part to external influences at work, which 

Switzer believes need to be challenged. “It’s 

down to three factors,” Switzer explains. “Firstly, 

there has been an increase in online offshore 

betting operators (who are not compelled to 

contribute to the Levy). Secondly, there’s the 

so-called `high roller effect` - the large punters 

who have not been participating as much as in 

previous years - and lastly the underlying general 

decline in betting. 

“Racing really needs to address this, perhaps 

by creating new bets where punters do not 

require a great knowledge of the sport but gives 

the prospect of a low stake-high return. 

“The on-course Tote has suffered due to a 

fall in the level of average stake, rather than the 

number of bets made. People are still going 

racing; they are just putting less money on per 

bet. Corporate hospitality is down by 20-25%, as 

has happened with other sports. Companies are 

being more cautious about being seen to make 

this kind of spend these days.” 

Corporate sales 

Racing is certainly not alone in seeing a 

downturn in corporate sales, but it is only one 

of the instruments racecourses use to generate 

their impressive revenue streams. Admissions, 

catering, broadcasting, advertising and betting 

all add to the pot and the average day’s racing 

offers half-a-dozen gilt-edged opportunities 


RIGHTS FOCUS: 

JUMP RACING 

for sponsors to put their names against races, 

earning local coverage but also national and 

international visibility through the vast network 

of betting shops and the web and print media. 

The majority of racing’s backers are in related 

fields but the sport in anxious to widen its net. 

“My nirvana is to have sponsors for most 

of our races who are not directly connected 

with racing,” McNeile confirms. “It’s great to 

have the bookmakers and others in the racing 

industry, but they don’t always have to be the 

lead partner. We need to garner sponsors from 

other walks of life. They will open doors for new 

opportunities for sale. 

“Our relationship with Ryanair (sponsor of a 

top race at the festival) is an example. 

Selling bundles 

“I often sell bundles of races to a sponsor, races 

that are not necessarily held at Cheltenham or 

other Jockey Club racecourses - so it benefits the 

sport at large. The Pertemps series has one race 

in Ireland, four in France and two outside of the 

Jockey Club Racecourses group.” 

Another example of that strategy is the 

Jewson Novices Hurdle Series - 16 races across 

6 months, which impresses the Jewson brand 

on the racing audience through newspaper and 

television. UK Jump racing’s wide geographical 

spread; with courses as far apart as Perth and 

Newton Abbot and Bangor and Folkestone, offers 

companies backing such series a chance to easily 

reach customers in a variety of locations. 

There are also options beyond event activity. 

“Obviously, the advertising and sponsorship 

market has been turbulent over the past year,” 

says Racing UK commercial director Nick 

Mills. “Overall we are very pleased with our 

retention. We have a very defined audience – 

predominantly male, 35-65, ABC1 – and our 

partners see clear benefits in maintaining open 

communication, regardless of the recession. We 

are also starting to see momentum in the market 

again, which is a reassuring sign.” 

A criticism of racing is that its public profile 

is all about a select few races in the calendar. The 

sport in the UK is slowly recognising this, with the 

Racing for Change initiative putting a particular 

focus on the complex web of Flat fixtures that is 

impenetrable to all but regular fans. 

Jump racing’s focus on the Cheltenham 

festival and Aintree’s Grand National meeting 

provides it with a better structure but efforts 

have been made to strengthen the ‘undercard’ 

events - valuable race days that signpost towards 

the end-of -eason championship races. 

Cheltenham has made a push to promote its 

November `Open` meeting, which marks the 

start of a sequence of big occasions leading up 

to Christmas at Kempton Park - the traditional 

mid-season bookmark that incorporates the 

valuable King George VI Chase on Boxing Day. 

The narrative of talented horses building their 

campaigns to peak in the spring is clearly laid 

out. McNeile is keen to put further exclamation 

marks against the key events. 

Cheltenham Statistics 2002-7 (millions) 

“As a racecourse operator, the best way to make 

money is to stage a fixture,” McNeile adds. “We 

get money from the Levy board, so there’s not 

the need to get people through the door. The 

bread and butter fixtures during the week are 

really betting shop products with a localised 

market. The big events need to be given that 

‘wow!’ factor, making it a social occasion. 

“If you have a quality product people will 

tend to oscillate towards it. Our job is to 

make as many of the best events as we can 

and encourage everyone to enjoy the sport by 

watching it close up. 

Watching on TV is great but there’s nothing 

like seeing what these guys go through - it’s a 

very exciting experience.” 

Up against the present tough economic 

background, marketing becomes all the more 

important. However, it doesn’t matter how slick 

the promotion if there isn’t the raw material to 

engage the punters. McNeile’s biggest concern 

comes down to brass tacks - quality competition 

on the track. 

“The biggest challenge feeding through this 

recession is the number of horses in training 

and how that impacts on the number of 

fixtures,” he says. “Animals may not be replaced 

as they reach the end of their careers, and that 

would feed down the food chain. When the 

economy picks up people may come back into 

the sport but there may not be the quality of 

animals to buy, and that would cause inflation in 

the value of bloodstock. 

“At Cheltenham we have a concern about 

what is happening in Ireland. The `Celtic Tiger` 

has caught a cold in a bad way. All-bar-one of our 

Festival sponsors have renewed but it makes us 

more vulnerable than other courses. 

However, it looks likely that more Irish horses 

will come over here to race, as the prize money 

in Ireland has taken a severe hit. People are 

saying they may as well come to the UK - the 

money may at least pay for the boat across the 

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 

Prize Money 4,038 4,072 4,268 4,662 4,675 5,613 

Race Sponsorship 1,452 1,295 1,495 1,928 2,204 2,701 

Source: Jump Racing Focus 2009-2010 edition 

Jump racing...never a smooth ride - Getty Images Sport 

Irish Sea.” Cheltenham is synonymous with the 

Irish invasion. - it just wouldn’t be what is without 

them - but there’s no resting on laurels at the 

UK’s premier Jump racing track. 

The industry’s Jump Racing Focus report, 

issued last month, states that National Hunt 

appeals to `virtually the entire age and sociodemographic 

profile of the UK at large` but it’s the 

young audience that needs to be strengthened. 

The Flat has chased the youth pound with 

top musical artists performing after racing, on 

hoped- for blissful sunlit summer evenings. 

Such schemes have transformed run-of-the-mill 

race days into events. 

The dark winter days seen in Britain are not 

conducive to such outdoor entertainment, but 

there are other ways to lure twenty-somethings 

into the enclosures. 

“Our core audience may be 35-55, but at the 

big events there is a significant 20-30 presence,” 

McNeile claims. 

“We went through a focus group exercise a 

few years ago which led to us to re-brand our 

junior tickets as 18-24. The research told us that 

this group is motivated to come racing but also 

wants it to be a big occasion. 

Thrilling proposition 

“Where we start and finish, and what makes us 

attractive to the younger audience, is the quality 

of the sport and our heritage. But we widen the 

experience for them with our retailing, with a 

vast array of shops on course,” said McNeile. 

The spirit of Jump racing is literally the 

thrill of the chase, the edge of the seat drama 

as mighty animals launch themselves over 

fearsome obstacles with the bravest of the brave 

- the jockeys - risking serious injury every time 

they saddle up. 

It’s always been a staple of the British winter 

and, in turbulent times, is more than holding its 

own. However, it must move with the times to 

maintain its position in the sporting firmament. 


Sports Tourism: Strategies for Successful Development 

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INTERNATIONAL FOCUS 

MIDDLE EAST 



MIDDLE EAST 

STRATEGY BEHIND THE SPEND 

Matthew Glendinning looks at the broader economic and strategic aims behind 

the spectacular event hosting success of the Gulf states. 

THE SPORTS INDUSTRY may occasionally 

feel like it rules the universe, especially when 

bankers are having a bad day. But the sheer scale 

of the global tourism industry puts even the 

sports sector in the shade. 

The United Nations states that sport accounts 

for as much as three per cent of global economic 

activity. Impressive enough, but the UN’s World 

Tourism Organisation estimates that tourism 

makes up 10 per cent of world GDP. 

Small wonder that the new country or city 

entrants to sports event hosting in the Middle 

East see the promotion of tourism as a major 

part of their brief. 

At the tourism industry trade show ‘World 

Travel Market’, staged at London’s Excel 

Centre in November, those UN numbers were 

supported by the thousands [50,000 attended in 

2008] of delegates swarming the eye-catching 

exhibition stands. 

In the Middle East section, a falconer in 

traditional Arab dress held out a hooded bird on 

a gloved arm to intrigue passers-by in front of 

the Egypt stand. The Abu Dhabi desk next door, 

staffed, admittedly, by three London girls in 

flowing golden robes, was located in front of an 

artificial waterfall. 

On the first floor of Abu Dhabi’s mobile 

exhibition unit - the one with the waterfall - 

SportBusiness caught up with Ahmed Hussein, 

who heads up sports and events marketing for 

the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA). 

It had been a good few weeks for the 

marketer. Yas Island, the $40 billion leisure and 

entertainment development containing the Yas 

Marina F1 track, had just been selected as the 

‘World’s Leading Tourism Development Project’ 

by the World Travel Awards, the so-called travel 

industry ‘Oscars’. 

Yas Marina itself had won rave reviews for the 

inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, not least from 

Bernie Ecclestone who hailed the track as the 

best ever. “What they’ve done is unbelievable,” 

said F1’s impresario. 

In a month when the UK government 

baulked at a request of £5 million funding for 

the England 2018 FIFA World Cup bid, the 

Emirate’s spending of a minimum $400m on 

Yas Marina seems from another world. 

But there are sound strategic reasons for the 

outlay, Hussein explains. “A world-class event 

like the F1 Grand Prix was always top of our wish 

list and with the right timing and hard work we 

have been able to make it happen, “he said. 

“The [F1] strategy comes from the 

government, which always backs initiatives for 

cultural heritage, economic diversity and so on. 

“Awareness [of Abu Dhabi] is one of the 

priorities and although an F1 Grand Prix sounds 

like a one-off, from this kind of activity we can plan 

a whole year of intentional motorsports events. 

“Before the F1 event, for example, we had three 

support races which provide the right seeds to start 

promoting the track and motor sports in general: 

the Chevrolet V8 Supercar Championship, the 

Porsche Supercup and GP2 Asia. 

“From F1 to production car racing, to more 

training and track days, we’re growing a new 

business very fast and in a couple of year’s time 

you will see a lot more events here.” 

While the event owner, Abu Dhabi 

Motorsports Management, a joint venture 

between the Government of Abu Dhabi and 

ALDAR Properties, has yet to measure the 

economic impact of the race, Hussein adds that 

“the feedback from normal public access the 

feedback from clippings from media and so 

on has been amazing. There was a lot of work 

done before and a there’s a lot of echo to come - 

harvesting the results after the race.” 

Ferrari World 

Then, of course there is Ferrari World, the 

Ferrari-branded theme park on Yas Island, 

which is set to open next year. “It’s a one of a 

kind,” says Hussein. 

“We will create a theme park around 

motorsport and Ferrari especially. After football, 

motor sport is a priority in Abu Dhabi and F1 

provides an opportunity for the industry to grow. 

It’s a good start for motor sport in Abu Dhabi.” 

If this understatement highlights the almost 

fantasy quality of the Emirate’s ambitions, the 

Gulf states in general are nevertheless shrewd 

operators in the sports industry with an eye on 

the big picture. 

“To compete in [the wider] economic sense, 

we need these kind of activates as a catalyst to 

build more infrastructure for better growth,” 

says Hussein. 

Coming up on the event radar, there is the 

FIFA Club World Club, hosted by Abu Dhabi at 

two venues, which have been upgraded for the 

event, the Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium and 

the Zayed Sports City. 

Having hosted the AFC Asian Cup in 1996 

and with plans for future events in the pipeline, 

showcase football is also part of the overall 

strategy. “On the tourism side, we leverage on 

these kind of events which relate to the Abu 

Dhabi government’s strategy and we have a lot 

of big plans to get more of them,” says Hussein. 

But it’s not just motorsport and football. The 

Emirate’s major golf event, the Abu Dhabi Golf 

Championship, leads off the so-called ‘Desert 

Swing’ series at the start of the year en route to 

Doha and Dubai. 

So how does Abu Dhabi differentiate this 

event from those of its ambitious neighbours 

“Being in Abu Dhabi is the point of difference,” 

says Hussein bluntly. 

“There’s a different feeling here and without 

comparing, we complement the region. It’s a 

very healthy environment and we would wish 

to have a fourth or fifth big tournament held in 

the Gulf. 

“The golf events are more prestigious, more 

B2B, with more government involvement and 

stakeholder engagement over four wonderful 

days in Abu Dhabi and 12 days in the region.” 

As for the longer term, the strategy will be to 

keep looking at world class events and building 

up infrastructure, perhaps with the intention of 

bidding for the Olympic Games, as Qatar did for 

the 2016 Games. 

But the Abu Dhabi Sports Council is also 

pursuing other avenues -creating events of its 

own like the Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge 

and Abu Dhabi Triathlon, events that are not 

shared with any governing body or organisation. 

The Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge, for 

example, is a multi-sports race for teams of four, 

who race over six consecutive days across six 

disciplines: sea kayaking, cross orienteering, 

mountain biking, adventure running and rope 

activities (e.g. abseiling). 

The aim, says Hussein, is to spread 

awareness of the Emirate’s natural assets, from 

its water frontage and islands, to its sand dunes 

and mountains. This year, he adds, the race will 

attract 47 teams, up from 36 last year, and 25 

nationalities, up from 11 last year. 

Given the marketing savviness of the 

interviewee, it seemed reasonable to ask one 

more question about Abu Dhabi as a sports 

destination. What does the national brand 

represent The response was immediate. 

“Respect: our brand essence is respect, you will 

find more than 180 nationalities with us, and for 

visitors, locals, people of any ethnicity or religion, 

it’s about respect. It’s our main message.” 

Coherent, strategic and high-spending, 

western commentators are now anything but 

dismissive of the Middle East sports programme, 

in general, and Abu Dhabi’s F1, in particular. 



MIDDLE EAST 

Alan Switzer, director in the Sports Business 

Group at Deloitte, is one analyst who believes 

the trend could be a win-win for both the region 

and sporting organistions. 

“In recent years, emerging nations and 

particularly those in the Gulf region have sought 

to use sport as a way to raise the profile of 

their city, country or region. There is no more 

prestigious global sporting event that a country 

can host over a single weekend than a Formula 1 

Grand Prix,” says Switzer. 

“Staging a Grand Prix brings many visitors to 

a region, both individual tourists drawn by the 

race and commercial visitors from race teams, 

sponsors or other partners. 

This provides a direct opportunity to 

showcase what a country has to offer. Television 

coverage of the race brings an indirect 

opportunity and the Middle East is well placed to 

maximise exposure in prime European markets 

with the race starting at 5 pm local time, or 1pm 

in the UK.” 

Looking forward, Switzer is confident the 

investement story will run and run. “The trend 

for international sporting events taking place in 

emerging nations is here to stay, and may even 

increase. Sport is being used as a way to market 

the hosts to potential new investors or tourists 

while bringing new audiences to the sports.” 

Giving credit where its due, however, it was 

the UAE neighbour Dubai which instigated the 

sport tourism revolution in the Gulf with events 

like Dubai Duty Free tennis, which is now 17 

years old. It has grown up to become an ATP 

World Tour 500 series event. Dubai will also 

host next year’s SportAccord Convention. 

New ground 

And Dubai continues to break new ground 

with the building of Dubai Sports City, which 

includes a 60,000 capacity outdoor stadium, a 

25,000 capacity cricket stadium, a 10,000-seat 

indoor arena and a 5,000-seat hockey stadium, 

all coming on stream within the current 

Olympic cycle. 

In addition, the multi-billion dollar 60,000 

capacity Meydan Racecourse in Dubai is set to 

open in 2010 and promises to boast the best 

facilities of any racecourse in the world. It will 

stage the richest race in the world, the Dubai 

World Cup. 

Dubai is also hosting the PGA European 

Tour’s season-ending World Championship, 

while another prestige event for the sports 

industry, the annual SportAccord Convention 

will be hosted in Dubai next April - the first time 

the event has been hosted in the Middle East. 

Over 1,500 leading representatives of 

international sport, including IOC president 

Jacques Rogge, the IOC executive board and 

over 100 international sports federations will 

gather at the Atlantis resort, host venue for 

the event. As Mattar Al Tayer, VC of the Dubai 

Sports Council, enthuses, “This is a wonderful 

opportunity for Dubai to welcome our existing 

sporting partners as well as to showcase, to 

new audiences, our advantages as a sporting 

community and host location.” But if Dubai has 

already made its name as an event and tourist 

destination, it’s the small gas-rich peninsula 

state of Qatar which continues to astonish with 

the scale of its event hosting ambitions. 

Although Doha failed to make the 

Candidate city cut for its Olympic 2016 bid, 

Qatar is bidding with renewed energy for the 

right to host the FIFA World Cup in 2022. 

Doha’s staging of the Brazil versus England 

international friendly football match in 

November is just one of the initiatives seized 

upon to boost the campaign message. 

According to Professor Simon Chadwick, a 

consultant to sport businesses on the economic 

and commercial impact of sporting mega-events, 

Qatar’s major event strategy embraces tourism 

and economic development but also addresses a 

number of national development goals. 

“Qatar is getting it right: top-level support, 

a coherent national strategy, recognising the 

multiple roles that sport fulfils, investing 

appropriately, promoting a sporting culture - all 

are important in working towards the success of 

sport in its broadest terms,” he says. 

Indeed, Professor Chadwick argues that the 

Middle East is leading the way in terms of a new 

integrated sports strategy paradigm, which the 

world can learn from. 

“Given what I perceive to be a 21st century 

global mega-shift eastwards in the world’s 

sporting power base, I think the west has to 

pay much much more attention to Asian sport 

and can, indeed, learn a great deal from the 

integrated strategic models of sport now being 

implemented across the Middle East,” he says. 

“What is required of nations is for them to 

integrate the multiplicity of roles that sport 

fulfils. To do this requires national political 

intervention; this doesn’t mean state-run sport; 

it does mean that governments have to stimulate 

the creation of an environment … where the 

social, economic, cultural, education and health 

roles of sport co-exist and mutually strengthen 

one another.” 

Within this context, he would even advocate 

that Qatar tries again for the Olympic Games, as 

well as the 2022 World Cup. “I think it [Qatar] 

would bring an expertise and a competence, 

The England v Brazil friendly in Doha, a campaign coup for the Qatar 2022 bid - Getty Images Sport 

as well as a level of investment that would add 

a significant new dimension to the industrial 

architecture of world sport. 

Broad strategy 

“I particularly liked the way in which Qatar 

had considered how staging the Olympic 

Games would contribute to the nation’s broader 

strategic objectives. 

“In my view, if sport is not to lose its way, 

it has to demonstrate that it has a clear and 

tangible role to play in the 21st century.” 

The speed with which these Gulf states are 

turning theory into practice by hosting major 

events may be the most difficult for westerners 

to comprehend. 

The Sony Ericsson Championships, the 

season-ending tournament of the WTA Tour, for 

example, was successfully held in Qatar for the 

second time this year. 

In another move more explicitly about 

promotion of the country, in October, Qatar 

sponsored flat racing’s prestige Qatar Prix de 

L’Arc de Triomphe for the second year, a race 

won by the phenomenal ‘Sea The Stars’, a result 

which also worked wonders for the sponsorship 

in terms of international media profile. 

Of course, should Qatar or one of the other 

Gulf states succeed in a bid for one of the global 

mega events that would further increase the 

region’s sphere of influence. 

But even if they do not, in the medium term, 

no one can doubt that then Middle East model 

of a state-sponsored sports strategy aligned to 

tourism and economic diversity, but also nationbuilding, 

health, education and many other 

benefits, is here to stay. 

“I am not sure that westerners, in particular, 

know what is happening in the Middle East,” 

Chadwick concludes. 

“Indeed, when people here in the UK discuss 

Asian sport, they instinctively refer to China, 

then India and often don’t consider what is 

happening in places like Qatar. 

“But patience and perseverance will 

ultimately yield the desired outcome [for the 

Gulf states]. The strategic intent is there, the 

investment is there, and the justification for 

wanting to do it is there.” 


SIR CRAIG REEDIE 

IOC EXECUTIVE BOARD 

MEMBER 

THE SPORTBUSINESS DEBATE 

“Golf was the last great, international 

game not to be in the Olympics. It is 

set to become a significant part of the 

Games and that will give a particular 

boost to women’s golf.” 

“Which incidents, decisions and 

developments have had the 

greatest impact on the business 

of sport during 2009 and how will 

they influence the future” 

THE DECISION TO AWARD the 2016 Games to 

Rio means that Brazil will now hold the world’s 

two biggest sporting events - the Olympic Games 

and FIFA World Cup - in quick succession. That 

is real evidence of the country’s emergence from 

Third World status and of the way that our world 

is changing. 

Elsewhere the World Swimming 

Championships in Rome provided evidence of a 

governing body facing up to a major issue and 

making the right decision. 

For some time swimming has been dogged 

by issues around swimwear. As with any sport, 

the difference between success and failure can 

be measured in millimetres and thousandths of 

seconds and swimming was, to an extent being 

determined by swimwear technicians and fabric 

developers as well as athletes. 

This is one of the world’s great natural sports 

and I am delighted that FINA has decided to take 

steps to return it to its natural state. 

The World Athletics championships in Berlin 

provided a fantastic showcase for the phenomenal 

talents of Usain Bolt whose exploits on the track 

has surely helped to move the sport of athletics 

forward. The event itself was very TV friendly. 

It looked distinctive and, of course, it helps 

when the home team does well. But it was two 

magic moments from Bolt which defined the 

athletics year and will do so much for the sport. 

I am pleased that the IOC completed its journey 

from Singapore to Copenhagen by adding two 

sports to the programme to replace those lost. 

I think golf was the last great international 

game not to be in the Olympic programme and 

its inclusion will be of an enormous benefit to 

the sport. It is set to become a significant part of 

the Games and that will give a particular boost to 

women’s golf. 

Likewise, the inclusion of Rugby Sevens 

will help the development of the rugby code 

worldwide. The 15-a-side game would be 

impossible to accommodate during an Olympic 

Games but Sevens will provide a global platform 

for some of the emerging rugby nations such as 

Kenya, to show what they can do. 

On the face of it, 2009 may not go down as a classic sporting year. Of course 

there were many, many highlights among the hardy perennials which 

decorate the sporting landscape, but it was a year which lacked either of the 

two sporting mega-events, the Olympic Games or FIFA World Cup. 

Yet 2009 remained an important year for sport in many other ways. It 

was a year which saw sport breaking new ground in key areas and one 

which saw the potential revival of an elemental sporting discipline which 

has been too long in the doldrums. 

This will go down as a year in which the geography of sport continued to 

change. The shock elimination of Chicago in the first round of voting for 

the host city of the 2016 Olympic Games sent out a signal that nothing 

would ever be the same again. 

American influence appears to be on the wane within the Olympic 

Movement while that of emerging nations continues to grow. That Rio won 

and will be the first South American host of the Greatest Show may be seen 

as evidence of a New World Order. 

That view is given further credence by the energy and enthusiasm being 

demonstrated by the State of Qatar in the sports sector. The tiny but hugely 

wealthy Gulf State is busy with an ambitious but ultimately credible bid to 

host the 2022 FIFA World Cup while news of a bid for the 2020 Olympic 

Games has also emerged. 

Were the IOC to adopt a more relaxed policy to the timing window for 

the Games, the door would be open to serious bids not only from Qatar but 

also from the other Gulf States whose stupendously hot summers would 

otherwise preclude them. 

The IOC also voted to include Golf in the Games, a move which brought 

an instant response in China which has embarked on a massive talent 

development and course building programme. Anybody prepared to bet on 

the next golfing megastar being from China rather than the US 

And then there’s athletics. In Berlin this summer, Usain Bolt put on a 

one man show which rolled back the years for a sport that had been in the 

doldrums. Bolt has helped breathe fresh life into the sport at the right time. 

With the new Diamond league set to debut in 2010, track and field may be 

on its way back to sport’s top table. 

Each of these events and decisions ultimately had an impact on the 

business of sport and the opportunities and challenges it faced this year. We 

asked our experts for their personal points of view. 


PETER HUTTON 

CHIEF OPERATING 

OFFICER, TAJ TV 

PAUL SAMUELS 

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, 

AEG SPONSORSHIP 

KEVIN ROBERTS 

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR, 

SPORTBUSINESS GROUP 

“The new format [Twenty20] has 

certainly led to some huge deals, but 

it’s also created problems for the 

value of the traditional game.” 

“Teams, governing bodies and owners 

are going to have to perform, behave 

and play by the rules - they need to 

make the sponsorship sell easier, 

not harder.” 

“Whenever government interferes in 

the sports market, something goes 

wrong. Just look what happened 

when the European Union decided 

Sky had to give up part of its Premier 

League TV package.” 

IT’S BEEN A TOUGH YEAR. Even the Indian 

cricket board rights have decreased in value. The 

one-off tournaments that normally spring up 

every month have simply failed to find buyers. 

Currency fluctuations in our core markets in 

the Indian sub-continent also played a major role. 

Most rights were bought in US Dollars, most 

income was in Indian or Pakistani rupees, whose 

fall increased the pressures. 

The Champions League cricket was the most 

notable economic failure. ESPN-Star’s ten year, 

billion dollar acquisition, failed to excite 

advertisers or viewers to the degree expected and 

has considerable ground to make up. It was 

perhaps a reality check for the value of Twenty20 

cricket. The new format has certainly led to some 

huge deals, but it’s also created problems for the 

value of the traditional game. The smaller cricket 

boards have now realised, perhaps too late, that 

the IPL’s riches are based on the same 

advertisers that have brought them such 

increases in their own incomes over the years. 

The current arguments over cricket’s next 

five-year fixture plan sum up the consequences of 

overcrowding in the mind of the viewer and 

advertiser. The actual or effective windows for the 

ICC or IPL based events mean that the big four 

boards (India, England, Australia, South Africa) 

increasingly just want to play each other in the 

few months that remain. 

The power base of cricket has further shifted as 

the likes of the West Indies or New Zealand 

boards became more reliant on the hand-outs 

and favours from the ICC or the Indian board. 

Away from cricket, the developments in our 

Middle East backyard have been fascinating. Pay 

TV has made no business sense in the area. 

Rights figures have escalated way beyond the 

potential income from a small pay market. 

Showtime and Orbit have consolidated the 

English speaking audiences. ART and Al-Jazeera 

have consolidated the major football rights. 

Yet, Abu Dhabi media’s purchase of the Premier 

League and development of a major media hub in 

the UAE’s capital has led to the potential 

emergence of a new force in the region’s 

television game. The Abu Dhabi decisions on 

distribution and future strategy may well be a 

story to watch in 2010. 

IT IS MAJOR INCIDENTS off the pitch which have 

rocked sport in 2009 - from the allegations of 

cheating by Briatore to the Harlequins Bloodgate 

scandal. These incidents along with the economic 

downturn will have corporate organisations 

revaluing their sponsorship spend. 

This hit to sponsorship revenue streams, along 

with the change to the major sporting television 

rights, could stunt sports investment. 

The industry needs to weigh up whether a 

greater audience watching a sport will lead to 

more interest and excitement in that sport, and 

ultimately participation at grass roots level. 

If it doesn’t, the lack of big money which was 

previously poured into sporting bodies through 

the purchase of TV rights will be hugely 

detrimental. Reducing investment in this area will 

see a lack of development across the board - and 

we only have to look back at the success of 

Beijing to realise how much direct investment in 

athletes can achieve. 

I am strong believer in naming rights and have 

no doubt this will be high on the agenda in 2010. 

Spurs, Everton and Liverpool have all talked 

about new stadiums and the selling of naming 

rights offers brands strong opportunities to reach 

new audiences - but this is still in the very early 

stages. With established clubs like Chelsea and 

Newcastle looking for potential naming rights 

partners, they need to take into consideration the 

failings of The BT Cellnet Riverside Stadium and 

the Friends Provident St Mary’s Stadium, which 

have made me wonder if some owners and 

management teams really understand what 

naming rights is all about. Sports Direct.com @ St. 

James Park really sums this up. 

Commercially it is going to be another tough 

year, so players, teams, governing bodies and 

owners are going to have to perform, behave and 

play by the rules - they need to make the 

sponsorship sell easier not harder. 

With greater accountability we need to 

demonstrate ROI and the entire industry needs to 

be responsible for demonstrating its effectiveness 

to keep us at the forefront of marketing decision 

maker’s minds. 

IT WAS, ON THE FACE OF IT, a meaningless match. 

A dead World Cup qualifying rubber between 

Ukraine and an England team which had already 

qualified for the finals in South Africa. 

In fact it was so dead that no UK broadcaster 

was willing to meet the asking price for the rights, 

an unheard of situation in a football mad nation. 

So up stepped digital media company Perform to 

stream the game live over the internet at £4.99 

($6.30) a pop. The move created ripples 

internationally. While some sports events have 

routinely been streamed for years, this was the 

first time that a webcaster had stepped in to 

replace the anticipated television service for a 

major football international in quite this way. 

Perform claimed an audience of around 500,000 

and reviews of the service were distinctly mixed. 

But this is a Genie which can never be put back in 

its bottle. It provided proof absolute that the rights 

market for live sport is no longer a simple 

competition between established broadcasters and 

that - for certain properties in certain 

circumstances - there are new kids on the block. 

While this provided a glimpse into the future, 

2009 also saw the past re-emerging in the form of 

fresh Listed Events recommendations in the UK. 

These are the sports events which have to be 

shown live on free-to-air television, driving a coach 

and horses through the notion of free competition. 

The England and Wales Cricket Board is furious 

that there are moves for its Crown jewel event - the 

home Ashes tests against Australia - to be 

returned to the free domain from Sky Sports which 

shows ALL its other properties….even the less 

popular ones... The Board reckons it may cost 

them £100 million which would otherwise be 

ploughed back into sport. 

Whenever a government interferes in the sports 

market, something goes wrong. Just look what 

happened when the European Union decided 

BSkyB had to give up part of its Premier League TV 

package. Fans had to pay more and Setanta 

couldn’t make their minority interest work. And 

went bust. 

The result... chaos and financial misery for the 

people in football who can least afford it. So a 

memo to governments re 2010: Back Off….Please. 


THE WORLD’S TOP 20 … MOST INFLUENTIAL 

INDIVIDUALS IN THE SPORT BUSINESS 

Here are the results and analysis of the first SportBusiness poll to identify the individuals who 

have done most to shape the business of sport in 2009. The list has been complied from the 

results of voting in our readers’ poll on sportbusiness.com and the analysis of an expert panel. 

Of course, such lists always engender strong opinions, so we expect you to fully debate the final 

Top 20 at www.sportbusiness.com/poll. 

SportBusiness 

International’s 

take each 

month on 

the 20 most 

influential 

people or 

factors within 

specific sectors 

of sport... 

20. Casey Wasserman (WMG) 

As CEO of the company bearing his 

name, Wasserman is at the reins 

of the beast challenging IMG in the 

realm of sport representation through 

a series of mergers and acquisitions. 

Wasserman Media Group represents 

high-profile athletes in many US 

sports as well as golf, rugby, football 

and extreme sports. But management 

is only one arm of a company that 

also extends notably into the sale of 

naming rights. Wasserman set up his 

agency in 1998 and, around a decade 

later, it has annual revenues that 

approach $100 million. 

19. Mohamed Bin Hammam (AFC) 

As AFC President, Bin Hammam has 

overseen the creation and subsequent 

revamp of the AFC Champions 

League for the top clubs in Asia and 

the move of Australia into the AFC. In 

the words of no less an authority than 

Richard Scudamore, Bin Hammam’s 

vision for football development in 

Asia is both “progressive and exciting, 

providing opportunities to help the 

game flourish throughout the AFC 

for the benefit of football right across 

the region.” Also a member of FIFA’s 

executive committee, Bin Hammam 

has been heavily involved in sport 

in Qatar, a small gulf state with big 

sporting ambitions. 

18. Silvio Berlusconi (AC Milan) 

Into his third term as Italy’s prime 

minister, Berlusconi’s influence 

is undimmed. His investment 

company controls Italy’s three biggest 

private TV stations and in office, 

his appointees run the three public 

ones. His private business empire 

also spans advertising, insurance, 

food, construction and Italy’s most 

successful football club, AC Milan. His 

investment in the club ushered in the 

most successful period in its history, 

with seven domestic championships 

and five European Cups. 

17. Herbert Hainer (adidas) 

Under Hainer’s management, adidas 

has undertaken the titanic task of 

challenging Nike in the American 

market through sponsorships of the 

NBA, MLS, NFL and NHL, the latter 

two through subsidiary brand Reebok. 

Hainer was at the forefront of one of 

adidas’ finest moments two years ago 

when he survived a challenge from 

Nike to sponsor the German football 

federation, securing the sponsorship 

instead for adidas for under half the 

cash put on the table by its rivals. 

16. Ted Forstmann (IMG) 

The chairman and CEO of one of 

the world’s leading sports and 

entertainment groups, Forstmann’s 

influence stretches through 

investments in academies for 

young sports talent, to ownership 

of sports events, to elite athlete 

representation. Since acquiring IMG 

in 2004, Forstmann has expanded its 

business beyond sports and under 

his leadership, IMG helped create the 

Indian Premier League and signed a 

long-term joint-venture with CCTV to 

develop sports in China. 

15. Richard Scudamore (EPL) 

Scudamore heads up the richest and 

most powerful football league in the 

world. Chief executive since 1999, he 

has overseen growth in popularity of 

the league on an almost exponential 

scale, particularly in the Far East. 

Despite being shot down for his idea 

of a 39th game played outside of the 

UK, Scudamore came out of the latest 

domestic TV rights bidding smelling 

of roses having achieved a £1.782 

billion deal and is set to comfortably 

exceed the current international 

rights revenue, all despite a faltering 

domestic and global economy. 

14. Lalit Modi (IPL) 

As chairman and commissioner of the 

IPL, Modi oversees all that he surveys. 

One of the scions of Modi Enterprises, 

the industrial conglomerate founded 

in 1933, he is currently believed to be 

sitting on an empire worth around 

$1.5 billion. In 2005 he became the 

youngest vice-president of the Board 

of Control for Cricket in India and 

used this influence to put forward 

a proposal for the IPL. Set for its 

third season in 2010, the league has 

become a by-word for innovative 

marketing in the launch of a new 

sports property. 

13. Philip Anschutz (AEG) 

Owner, among other interests, of 

the Anschutz Entertainment Group, 

Anschutz has built and created some 

of the world’s top sports venues, 

including the Staples Center and the 

Home Depot Center in Los Angeles, 

the O2 in London, and O2 World in 

Berlin. Through AEG he also owns 

stakes in an impressive list of sports 

ventures, including basketball teams 

the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los 

Angeles Sparks; football teams Los 

Angeles Galaxy, Houston Dynamo 

and Hammarby IF Fotboll; and ice 

hockey teams the Los Angeles Kings, 

the Manchester Monarchs, Eisbären 

Berlin and the Hamburg Freezers. 

12. Dick Ebersol (NBC Sports) 

As chairman of NBC Universal Sports, 

Ebersol is widely known as US TV’s 

‘Mr. Olympics’. He has been inducted 

into both the US Olympic Hall of Fame 

and the Broadcasting & Cable Hall 

of Fame. He oversees every aspect 

of NBC Universal’s Olympic Games 

coverage and his most significant 

achievements have been establishing 

NBC as the home of the Olympics 

and negotiating the six-year NFL deal 

which through to the 2011 season with 

Super Bowls in 2009 and 2012. 

11. Roger Goodell (NFL) 

Goodell is the top guy at the top 

sport in America, making him a 

very big fish in a very big pond. He 

manages one of the most sprawling 

and complex businesses in sports 

and is answerable to 32 franchise 

owners. The NFL is by far the biggest 

TV sports property in the US and its 

annual revenues are over $6 billion. 

Like the other Major League, US 

sports, his imperative of late has 

been in spreading the NFL message 

overseas. Under Goodell, the NFL 

has hosted regular season games 

in London and introduced a stripped 

down version of the sport into Chinese 

schools - moves the Commissioner 

hopes will win over new fans. 

10. Florentino Pérez (Real Madrid) 

A building magnate by ‘trade’, 

Florentino Pérez’s marketing vision 

for Real Madrid has seen him reprise 


his role as club president with a new 

generation of ‘Galacticos’. Pérez 

famously signed Zidane, Figo and 

Beckham in his first term, but may 

have trumped their marketing power 

with new signings Kaka and Ronaldo. 

On signing with Real, players must 

submit to a clause that allows the 

club to take fifty per cent of every 

endorsement they receive whilst 

under contract at the club. 

9. Philip Knight (Nike) 

Philip Knight and Nike co-founder 

Bob Bowerman spawned a revolution 

in athletic footwear and a worldwide 

marketing powerhouse. Through 

astute marketing, including groundbreaking 

tie-ups with top athletes 

such as Michael Jordan, they built 

the company into the world’s leading 

athletic shoe and sports apparel 

maker. As Nike’s largest shareholder, 

Knight continues to take an active role 

in the company, overseeing continued 

growth, finding new markets and new 

products to push out. 

8. David Stern (NBA) 

Head of the NBA since 1984, Stern 

has overseen a period during which 

the world’s leading basketball league 

has added seven new franchises, 

increased revenues fifteen-fold, and 

established a full-time women’s 

league. The NBA credits Stern 

with having a hand in “virtually 

every matter that has shaped the 

league”. Achievements include the 

1976 settlement between players 

and league, the introduction of the 

salary cap and revenue-sharing, 

and the creation of the league’s 

media management organisation 

NBA Entertainment. Stern has 

also overseen the NBA’s $2 billion 

investment in NBA China, capitalising 

on the sport’s popularity in the world’s 

most-populous country. 

7. George Bodenheimer (ESPN) 

Under his tenure, ESPN has grown 

into a multi-media powerhouse 

with more than 40 business 

entities, including seven US and 25 

international networks. Bodenheimer 

has notably embraced technology 

and is responsible for a variety of 

projects focusing on interactive TV, 

broadband technology and wireless 

products. He can also boast making 

ESPN the first TV company in US 

history to own rights for all four major 

US professional sports leagues at the 

same time and has reportedly set his 

sights on snatching the rights to the 

2014 and 2016 Olympics from rival 

network NBC. 

6. Rick Dudley (Octagon) 

As President and CEO of Octagon, 

Dudley has worldwide responsibility 

for all functional disciplines of 

Octagon, including marketing and 

event production and of course, 

athlete representation, meaning he 

has some of sports biggest names 

under his wing, including Michael 

Phelps. With clients including brands 

such as Sony, BMW and MasterCard 

on the roster and a big presence in 

South Africa (Octagon SA is one of the 

country’s biggest sports sponsorship 

groups), Dudley and his team will have 

a lot of say in where money is spent in 

the global sport market in 2010. 

5. Rupert Murdoch (News Corp.) 

Murdoch’s broadcasting empire is 

a colossal size and through News 

Corporation, he has varied interests in 

the global sports market including the 

National Rugby League in Australia 

and pay-TV operators Fox Sports, 

BSkyB, Sky Italia and Sky Deutschland 

as well as the ESPN Star Sports joint 

venture in India. At the age of 78, he is 

as ambitious as ever, forever seeking 

to expand his business. Murdoch 

continues to wield a huge global 

influence in sport and he remains the 

most progressive mover-and-shaker 

in the media business. 

4. Bernie Ecclestone (Formula One) 

Without question, Ecclestone remains 

the most important component in the 

global success of Formula One and, 

as such, one of the most influential 

sporting powerbrokers. A master 

marketer, he re-invented the sport’s 

relationship with brands when its 

marriage with the tobacco industry 

timed out and adeptly plays countries 

off against each other in the bid to 

host grands prix. As UK newspaper 

The Guardian put it, Ecclestone’s real 

masterstroke has been ‘to persuade 

presidents and prime ministers that 

no state could look itself in the mirror 

unless motorised billboards travelled 

round its racetrack at 190mph. 

3. Michel Platini (UEFA) 

The second-biggest power-broker 

in the world’s biggest sport gets a 

place on the list due to the European 

dominance of football in terms of 

the money and talent in its leagues. 

Platini often speaks out and has been 

vocal in his condemnation of the 

commercial ambition of England’s 

Premier League, particularly around 

the 39th game proposal and the 

levels of debt in the English game. He 

does not always see eye-to-eye with 

FIFA President Sepp Blatter, most 

significantly disagreeing with him on 

the home-player quota plan. 

2. Jacques Rogge (IOC) 

Re-elected unopposed to another 

four years in office, 2009 also saw 

Rogge cement his influence within the 

IOC and his legacy beyond. Both the 

election of Rio as host city for the 2016 

Olympic Games and the inclusion of 

golf and rugby on the 2016 Olympic 

programme were proof of his 

influence. He does not vote in bid city 

elections, but it seems clear that his 

desire to extend the Olympic brand to 

emerging world powers was followed 

by the membership and Rogge now 

stands firmly at the head of an IOC 

that moves the way that he leads. 

JAPPO 

www.jappo.org 

AFRICA INTERNATIONAL SPORT CONVENTION ( CISA ) 

"Sports for Education and Development" 

CISA 2010: 22 – 24 April, Ekurhuleni (Johannesburg) Emperors Palace Hotel 

The Africa International Sports Convention (CISA) , inaugurated in 2007 is an initiative 

of JAPPO (www.jappo.org), an Events and Sport Management Company based in Dakar, 

Senegal. After Dakar in 2007, Abuja in 2008 and Alexandria in 2009, the City of 

Ekurhuleni (Johannesburg) is hosting the 4th edition of CISA from 22—24 April 2010 

just few months before South Africa welcomes the world the first ever FIFA World Cup 

organised in Africa. 

Registration and information: 

info@cisaconvention.org 

Website: www.cisaconvention.org 

Do not miss THE ONLY SPORTS BRAINSTORMING SESSION IN AFRICA 

CISA represents a unique opportunity for international sport organizations 

to meet and network with leaders, decision makers of African sport. 

The programme of the Convention includes: 

- DISCUSSION FORUM 

- A SPORT EXIHIBITION 

- The publication of the 400 pages AFRICA SPORTS DIRECTORY book 

- The INDUCTION TO THE AFRICA HALL OF FAME during a gala night scheduled 

on the last evening of the convention programme 

- A CHILDREN SPORT DAY on the opening day of the event 


#1 

A MATTER OF INFLUENCE 

THE MARGIN of Sepp Blatter’s victory 

in the SportBusiness poll to find the 

‘Most Influential’ person in the sport 

business in 2009 was significant. 

He came in ahead of IOC President 

Jacques Rogge and both were well 

ahead of all other contenders. 

What is of greater consequence 

to those who study the international 

world of sport is that the result 

reaffirms accepted wisdom - that 

is that when it comes to sport, the 

World Cup and Olympic Games stand 

head and shoulders above any other 

property –above the NFL, NBA and 

Premier League, and above even the 

UEFA Champions League. 

All of which leads to this question: 

Is influence in sport to do with 

personal qualities and characteristics 

or simply a reflection of the scale and 

importance of the properties which an 

individual represents 

In the case of Sepp Blatter, the 

answer lies somewhere between the 

two poles. His personal influence is 

naturally bolstered by the fact that he 

oversees the ‘Global Game’ and that 

the FIFA World Cup is undoubtedly 

the greatest single sport event in 

the world, generating massive TV 

audiences and huge amounts in 

commercial sponsorship. 

Sir Martin Sorrell, head of 

WPP, the global marketing and 

communications giant, regularly talks 

of the role that major sports events, 

notably the Olympic Games and 

FIFA World Cup have in creating real 

economic upturn - not only in the host 

country but way beyond. 

The fact is that the World Cup, 

FIFA’s Blue Ribband Event, rocks 

the world. Even in those countries 

where the national team has not 

qualified for the final 32, the television 

audiences reach near record levels 

and the water cooler conversation 

is dominated by the exploits of the 

teams and individuals who have 

become household names thanks to 

the ‘Beautiful Game.’ 

So how much has Blatter’s 

personal influence contributed to the 

phenomenal power of football 

To come close to an answer it is 

important to understand a couple 

of things. First that football has two 

faces - the public and private side. 

FIFA is unremittingly political and few 

prisoners are taken in the scrabble 

for power. 

Blatter is master of the politics. 

He’s a former PR man and journalist 

who speaks four languages likes a 

native and who made a seamless shift 

from paid FIFA employee to elected 

President when he succeeded the 

Brazilian Joao Havelange in 1998. 

The politician 

According to his official FIFA 

biography, Blatter decided to stand 

for President as a result of the 

interest shown by numerous national 

associations from around the world. 

That in turn was the result of his 

innate ability to ‘work the room’ 

making friends and influencing people 

during his time on the other side of 

the fence, first as Director of Technical 

Development, then as General 

Secretary and then as CEO. 

Ask almost any football insider and 

they will tell you that Sepp Blatter has 

never stopped working the room. It’s 

just that the rooms have got bigger 

and their inhabitants more important 

as he has scaled the ladder. 

Now into his third term, Blatter 

has learned on the job and his 

accumulated knowledge is probably 

unsurpassed. He is, by all accounts, 

the consummate politician - 

somebody who knows how to get 

things done but who is careful to 

deliver on his promises to those who 

have helped him. 

Blatter’s record at FIFA suggests 

that he has been smart enough to 

alienate as few people as possible 

in a 34 year career. In his time he 

has seen the World Cup grow to its 

all-encompassing 32 team scale and 

taken it to Asia (Japan and Korea) for 

the first time. 

Next year is scheduled to deliver 

what may be seen as his crowing glory 

- the first World Cup to be staged 

in Africa. Delivering a tournament 

to the Continent became an article 

of faith for Blatter and helped him 

win essential African votes down the 

years. The draw for the 2010 World 

Cup will be held in Durban early this 

month and, despite some frantic 

paddling beneath the waterline, the 

event is expected to be given a clean 

bill of health. 

South Africa’s success in winning 

the right to host the World Cup was 

due to Blatter’s ability to push through 

a - now abandoned - policy of rotation 

which ensured that various continents 

would share FIFA’s Blue Ribband 

event. It was a policy which won him 

a lot of friends and built alliances 

which have helped him through some 

stormy times when his leadership and 

even integrity have been in question. 

While he has been associated with 

many successes he has also been 

at the heart of a number of apparent 

scandals, although he has walked 

away from each with his reputation 

officially untarnished. 

Despite that, some sections of the 

media remain distrustful of the most 

powerful man in football and Blatter 

is under constant scrutiny from those 

who believe there are still questions 

to answer over the collapse of ISL, 

allegations of voting irregularities 

and of his handling of the switch 

between Mastercard and Visa as 

FIFA sponsors. This last drama led to 

FIFA’s commercial director Jerome 


Valcke leaving the organisation, only 

to return some time later in the role 

of Secretary General, a position which 

Blatter himself had occupied during 

his accent of the top office. 

But despite the ceaseless attacks 

and innuendo, Blatter remains in 

position and there is little doubt that 

FIFA has taken tremendous strides 

on his watch. Since assuming the 

presidency he has overseen the 

re-structuring of FIFA’s competition 

portfolio, seen women’s football gain 

an unprecedented degree of exposure 

and credibility and moved the 

organisation into a shiny new palace 

of a headquarters in Zurich. 

All in all that’s not bad going for a 

former Swiss amateur league player 

who started his professional career 

as head of PR for his local tourist 

board in Switzerland before becoming 

General Secretary of the Swiss Ice 

Hockey Federation. 

He developed a career in 

journalism and PR, ultimately getting 

his first shot at the international 

sports scene at the Olympic games 

of 1972 and ’76 as Director of Sports 

Timing and PR for the Swiss watch 

brand Longines. 

Extra responsibility 

It was the springboard to a career 

which has shaped FIFA, football and, 

some would say, the world. 

And it is the way that FIFA has 

reached out beyond football to 

harness the power of the sport to a 

range of causes and projects which 

demonstrate the most positive 

exertion of his influence. 

“FIFA is no longer merely an 

institution that runs our sport,” he says. 

“It has now taken on a social, cultural, 

political and sporting dimension 

in the struggle to educate children 

and defeat poverty. At the same 

time it has also become a powerful 

economic phenomenon. The 208 

national associations affiliated to FIFA 

represent 260 million people actively 

connected to the game, including 

players, coaches and administrators. 

Based on the reasonable assumption 

that each of them has three or four 

family members or friends with an 

interest in the game that figure rises 

to one billion, a seventh of the Earth’s 

population. The football family has a 

major responsibility and must set an 

example.” 

The history books 

That responsibility is being discharged 

in a number of different ways, not 

least of which is the Football for Hope 

movement which aims to use the 

power of football to drive sustainable 

social development around the world. 

Football for Hope supports and 

sustains a wide range of innovative 

and imaginative football based 

projects on every continent. 

These projects are set up to deal 

with social issues ranging from 

encouraging children to stay in 

education to providing a focus and 

incentive for long-term unemployed 

youngsters. Some promote peace 

and conflict resolution, others health 

awareness, particularly in relation to 

AIDS in Africa. 

When historians come to review 

Sepp Blatter’s personal contribution, 

he will inevitably be regarded as a 

controversial character who built 

influence and a fiefdom on a mixture 

of easy charm, hard bargaining and 

tough politics. 

But in the villages of Asia, the 

townships of Africa and the favellas 

of Latin America - places where the 

name Blatter probably means next to 

nothing - the social work instigated 

and supported by his FIFA may well 

prove to be life changing. And that’s 

real influence. 


CONFERENCES www.sportbusiness.com/marketplace/conferences 

SAILING ON 

A FAIR WIND 

world yachT racIng forum 

monTe -carlo - monaco 

09-10.12.09 

Yacht racing and sailing are today 

attracting some of the biggest 

names in corporate sponsorship 

as the sport continues to 

innovate, grow and reach out to 

new global audiences. 

The second edition of the World Yacht Racing Forum aims to capitalise on this interest 

and offer strategies, case studies and best practice in sailing sponsorship and major 

yacht racing events around the world to help grow the sport globally and increase its 

value and appeal to new investors. 

Leading speakers from inside and outside the sport will present case studies and 

challenge some of the sports most current issues including the value of sailing 

sponsorship, cost cutting measures for major events and developing new audiences and 

fan-bases for the sport. 

Highlights for the 2009 event include: over 40 international speakers and panel 

members; eight market driven panel sessions/debates with audience participation; over 

nine hours of networking sessions scheduled; over 35 exhibition showcase stands of 

cutting edge solution and technology providers and three evening social functions. 

Confirmed speakers include: Peter Gilmour, chairman, World Yacht Racing Forum; 

Mark Turner, CEO, OC Events; Knut Frostad, CEO of Volvo Ocean Race and Bruno 

Troublé, who founded the Louis Vuitton Cup. As last year, the World Yacht Racing Forum 

will be co-located alongside the Motorsports Business Forum. 

The annual conference on SporTS law 

london- uk 

02.02.10 

2010 marks the beginning of what some have 

called a “Golden Decade” for British Sport. 

In addition to the 2012 Olympic Games, Britain 

will host the 2015 Rugby World Cup, the 2013 

Rugby League World Cup, the 2014 

Commonwealth Games and perhaps even the 

2018 FIFA World Cup. 

Sport and the business of sport will take an 

ever more prominent place in national affairs and 

this conference, chaired by Richard Verow, Head 

of Legal for Sky Sports, will consider all the key 

legal issues which affect sport and which will 

form such an important part of the planning and 

implementation of the Golden Decade. 

legacy lIveS 

london, uk 

03.-05.03.10 

Legacy Lives is back and is returning to London. 

Firmly established in the annual conference 

calendar, the event is a ‘must attend’ for 

everyone involved in the major events arena. 

Among the topics for discussion are: What 

positive impacts will bidding bring to our city 

How do we ensure that we deliver legacy 

benefits before, during and long after our 

event;How do we put economic, social and 

environmental sustainability at the core of our 

planning When and how can we create long 

term benefits across sport, the economy, 

tourism, business, education, social and 

community empowerment, the environment and 

culture And what best practice examples can 

we learn from 

Delegates will represent bidding cities; cities 

considering the merits of a future bid; National 

Olympic Committees; Local Organising 

Committees; major event rights holders; 

International Federations; local authorities and 

and numerous contributors to the world of sport 

and major events including the leading global 

firms working in this sector. 

daTe evenT locaTIon organISerS conTacT 

decemBer 2009 - SepTemBer 2010 

Dec 8-9 Motor Sport Business Forum USA Orlando - USA IM2 GmbH +44 207 313 9180 

Dec 9-10 Motor Sport Business Forum Europe Monte-Carlo, Monaco IM2 GmbH + 351 91 917 2287 

Dec 9-10 World Yacht Racing Forum Monte-Carlo, Monaco Informa Yacht Group +44 20 8871 2354 

Feb 2 Annual Conference on Sports Law - A Year in Sports Law London - UK Management Forum Ltd +44 1483 730071 

Feb 22-23 ISPO SpoBiS Sport Business Summit Munich - Germany ESB Event Sport Business + 41 712237882 

March 2-3 Soccerex European Forum 2010 Manchester, England Soccerex +44 208 742 7100 

March 3-5 Legacy Lives 2010 London - UK PMP Legacy +44 207 6315500 

March TBC Sport and Social Responsibility Summit London - UK SportBusiness Group +44 207 954 3439 

April 21 Sport and New Media Manchester - England SportBusiness Group +44 207 954 3439 

July 5 International Sports Tourism Conference Johannesburg, South Africa SportBusiness Group +44 207 954 3439 

July 5-9 The World Sport Destination Expo Johannesburg, South Africa World Sport Destination Expo/SBG +44 207 925 0000 

Sept TBC Sports Marketing 360 London- UK SportBusiness Group +44 207 954 3439 

76 SportBusiness International • No.152 12.09

PEOPLE MOVES www.sportbusiness.com/marketplace/peoplemoves 

The SporTBuSIneSS guIde To who’S goIng where In The world of SporT and BuSIneSS ThIS monTh 

doug arnot was appointed by the London 

Organising Committee of the Olympic Games 

(LOCOG) to be responsible for the overall 

planning, co-ordination and delivery of London 

2012’s Games Time Operations. The position will 

include integrating venues, sport, village, 

security, games services and broadcast 

functions. Arnot, who reports directly to CEO 

Paul Deighton, joined LOCOG at end October. 

Jean Todt was elected President of the FIA for a 

four-year term by the FIA General Assembly at 

its annual meeting in Paris. The FIA 

membership voted for Todt by a margin of 135 

votes to 49 for his rival Ari Vatanen. There were 

12 abstentions/invalid votes. 

lord mawhinney, Chairman of England’s 

Football League informed the League Board of 

his decision to stand down from the 

Chairmanship on in March 2010, after more 

than seven years in the role. Ian Ritchie, the 

Board’s independent director will oversee the 

process to select a new Chairman, which will 

include consultation with League clubs. 

mark hargreaves and Steve robinson were 

appointed to the management team of boutique 

sport and media management consultancy - 

Knowledge MGI. Hargreaves will become Chief 

Operating Officer and Robinson becomes Chief 

Technology Officer. Hargreaves joins from 

Manchester United, where he was General 

Manager of Man Utd Interactive. Robinson was 

an international WebSphere consultant and has 

previously been a consultant for both IBM Lotus 

Notes and Microsoft.NET technologies. 

peter kenyon, former Chief Executive of 

Chelsea FC and Manchester United, joined CAA 

Sports to lead its international efforts. Kenyon 

joins CAA Sports’ leadership team and will be 

responsible for guiding the agency’s growth 

overseas in areas including athlete 

representation, endorsements, sports 

properties for sales and sponsorship, media 

rights, and corporate consulting, among others. 

Additionally, Kenyon will develop CAA Sports’ 

London operations, helping to build a dedicated 

international sales and management team. 

michael whan was appointed as the new Ladies 

Professional Golf Association (LPGA) 

Commissioner. Whan, most recently President 

and Chief Executive Officer of Mission-Itech 

Hockey, has a background in golf, including 

serving as Executive Vice President and General 

Manager (North American Region) for 

Taylormade-adidas Golf. Whan will officially take 

the Commissioner’s office in January 2010. 

Jon Teeman was appointed Partner 

Development Director for TEAMORIGIN, the 

British challenger for the America’s Cup headed 

by Air Miles founder Sir Keith Mills. Teeman, a 

former Head of Partnership Marketing at 

Arsenal FC, will be responsible for securing 

commercial partners for TEAMORIGIN. 

Suresh kalmadi, the Indian Olympic Association 

President was re-elected unopposed as the 

president of the Asian Athletic Association (AAA). 

He was elected for another four-year term, from 

2009 to 2013, at an AAA Annual General Meeting. 

He will serve his third consecutive term in office. 

Manchester United chief executive david gill, 

ex-Birmingham director karren Brady, Sports 

Minister gerry Sutcliffe, Sir keith mills, Sir 

martin Sorrell and the English Football 

Association’s former chief operating officer 

Simon Johnson stood down from England’s 

2018 World Cup bid team in order to make the 

decision-making process more efficient. They 

will continue to advise the board. Former FA 

chairman geoff Thompson has been added to 

the new-look seven-man board, chaired by 

current FA chairman Lord Triesman. 

magnus malmros joined sport agency IEC in 

Sports, to work on special projects. Earlier this 

year, IEC agreed a deal with IAAF on World 

Athletics Series for Europe and Africa 2010-13. 

Malmros formerly worked with major events at 

the EBU. The first project for Malmros will be 

the international club team tournament in 

Marbella, Copa del Sol, where top teams from 

Scandinavia, Russia and Ukraine will compete 

for at total prize purse of SEK 2 million. 

archie norman, a former Conservative MP and 

Asda chief executive was named chairman of UK 

commercial broadcaster ITV – ending the 

two-month search for a successor to Michael 

Grade. Norman, who will take up the post in 

January, will start by overseeing the search for a 

new chief executive. 

dr. chungwon choue was elected for a third 

term as president of the World Taekwondo 

Federation at the General Assembly in October. 

Dr. Choue garnered 104 votes against 45 for 

Thailand’s Nat Indrapana, with one vote invalid. 

ouT and aBouT... 

enTrepreneurS are, By naTure, always 

looking forward. But, as people often remind 

me, it is important to reflect on what has been 

achieved. So, as 2009 comes to a close, it 

seems an appropriate time to look back at 

where we were at the beginning of this year. 

UR7s.com was very much a work-inprogress 

as 2009 began. Most of my typical 

week was spent chasing after every last detail 

prior to the site’s soft launch. With the aim of 

creating a portal that the Rugby Sevens 

community around the globe could call home, 

a first-class website was by far the most 

important job at hand. 

Early on, I had assembled the team of Tom, 

Robin and Stewart and at the turn of the year 

we moved into our first office after months 

rotating between coffee shops. How times have 

changed. A year on, we are preparing to move 

Diary of a Sport Business Entrepreneur 

office again and a typical week recently has 

seen me rushing from meeting international 

sports broadcasters, discussing the future for 

Sevens and their interest in this TV-friendly 

format of the game, to dinners with some old 

heroes of the game. 

I’m in touch with the RFU on an almost 

day-to-day basis, collaborating on plans to 

bring more structure into the UK Sevens 

season, and the press has become a significant 

part of my schedule too. Interest is growing 

considerably as we move forward. 

Add to this conference calls with the IRB 

and a number of tournaments around the 

world, a reception at the Australian High 

Commission, meetings with potential investors 

and plans for a business tour of Australia and 

New Zealand in Q1... and I should probably not 

leave out the smooth running of a global Rugby 

Sevens website! One valuable lesson that I have 

learned is that patience is key amongst all of 

the excitement and drama involved with being a 

sports entrepreneur. It is often not until you go 

through this process of reflection that you 

realise just how far you have come. 

Considering the tangibles - whether 

financial, our products, website traffic and 

employees - and the intangibles - such as 

goodwill, relationships, brand positioning and 

PR - I can see that giant strides having been 

made in an encouragingly busy 2009. We are 

still merely in the foothills and can’t climb the 

mountain fast enough. But we must take stock, 

if just for a moment, and acknowledge how 

well we’ve done to get here. Then, I can look 

ahead to next year’s ascent with confidence. 

Tim Lacey, founder, Ultimate Rugby Sevens 


SportBusiness Marketplace now offers a new weekly email alert bringing you news of tenders, jobs and 

other opportunities in the business of sport. To receive your free weekly alert visit 

www.sportbusiness.com/marketplace and register your details. You will also have the chance to register 

your organisation in our directory and to receive details of the annual Marketplace Global Sports Services 

Yearbook. For more information contact Cyril.Dujacquier@sportbusiness.com or call +44 20 7954 3482. 

ASSOCIATIONS, FEDERATION AND 

GOVERNING BODIES 

EUROPE 

CCPR 

www.ccpr.org.uk 

TENNIS EUROPE 

www.tenniseurope.org 

WOOOBA 

www.woooba.com 

INTERNATIONAL 

UNION CYCLISTE INTERNATIONALE 

www.uci.ch 

AGENCIES: 

ADVERTISING, PR & SALES PROMOTION 

BRABEN 

www.braben.co.uk 

DAMSEL & VIRGIL 

www.damselandvirgil.com 

EVENT 360 

www.event360.co.uk 

FULFORD PR 

www.fulfordpr.com 

GRAPEFRUIT GRAPHICS 

http://grapefruitgraphics.co.uk 

INTERFUSE 

www.interfuse.net 

KHP 

www.khpconsulting.com 

OCTAGON 

www.octagon.com 

MICHEZONET 

http://michezonet.org 

MTA MEDIA 

www.mtamedia.co.uk 

PERFORMANCE PR 

www.performancepr.com 

TWO UP FRONT 

www.tuf.com.hk 

VERTICAL BANNER 

www.event360.co.uk/vertical_banners 

CONSULTANCY 

BTD INTERNATIONAL CONSULTING 

www.btd.de/btd-consulting/en 

FAST TRACK 

www.fast-track-events.com 



IMG 

www.imgworld.com 

Connecting 

ambitious host cities 

with progressive 

sports federations 

www.tseconsulting.com 

We help cities, LOC’s and 

national federations bid, 

win, plan and deliver major 

sporting events. 

Contact: Peter Mann 

petermann@pmpgenesis.com 

www.pmplegacy.com 

INFRONT 

www.infrontsports.com 

JON TIBBS ASSOCIATES 

www.jtassocs.com 

LEXIS SPORT & ENTERTAINMENT 

www.lexispr.com 

PMPGENESIS 

www.pmpgenesis.com 

Q SPORTS 

www.qsportsonline.com 

SPONSORSHIP CONSULTING 

www.sponsorshipconsulting.co.uk 

SPORT STRUCTURES 

www.sportstructures.com 

VERO COMMUNICATIONS 

www.verocom.co.uk 

WITH-HINDSIGHT ASSOCIATES 

www.with-hindsight.com 

DESIGN, LICENSING & BRANDING 



IMG 


OCTAGON 


SENTIO PRINT AND MULTIMEDIA LTD 

www.sentio-pm.co.uk 

SME EUROPE 

www.smebranding.com 

SPRINGETTS 

www.springetts.co.uk 


www.event360.co.uk/vertical_banners 

PHOTO & VIDEO 

CREATIVE TECCREATIVE TECHNOLOGY 

www.creative.com 

EUROSPORT 

www.eurosport-tv.com 

GETTY 

www.gettyimages.com 

IMG 


RED PHOTOGRAPHIC 

www.red-photographic.com 

RESEARCH & EVALUATION 

APPLIED IMAGE RECOGNITION 

www.air-ltd.com 



OCTAGON 


SPONSORMETRIX 

www.sponsormetrix.net 

SPORTS MARKETING & SPONSORSHIP 

ACTION HOUSE INTERNATIONAL 

www.actionhouseintl.com 

BAT PARROT MARKETING 

www.batparrot.com 

BRABNERS CHAFFE STREET 

www.brabnerschaffestreet.com 

BRAND RAPORT 

www.brand-rapport.com 

CITY OF MANCHESTER 

www.visitmanchester.com 

DORNA SPORTS 

www.dorna.com 

EVENT 360 


“Connecting 

customers with your 

brand” 

• Strategic Consulting 

• Brand Promotions 

• Retail Marketing 

• Event Management 

• ROI Modelling 

• Research & Evaluation 

Media Village, 

131-151 Great Titchfield St, 

London W1W 5BB 

Tel: +44 (0) 203 008 7640 

londoninfo@teamvelocity.com 

www.teamvelocity.co.uk 

EVENT SCOTLAND 

www.eventscotland.org 

EXPERIENCE 

www.experience-worldwide.com 

FAST TRACK 


FEI 

www.fei.org 

FOUR COMMUNICATIONS 

www.fourcommunications.com 



HALLY SPORTS INTERNATIONAL 

www.hallysports.com 

HAVAS SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT 

www.havas.com 

ILUKA 

www.iluka.co.uk 

IMG 


INFRONT 


INTERFUSE 


JARDINE INTERNATIONAL 

www.jardine-international.com 

KENTARO 

http://kentaro.hdlab2.de 

KHP 



CLASSIFIED www.sportbusiness.com/marketplace/organisations 

LEXIS SPORT & ENTERTAINMENT 

www.lexispr.com 

PLUS EVENT MARKETING 

www.plus-em.com 

PMPGENESIS 


PROMO SEVEN 

www.promosevensports.com 

RELAY DUBAI 

www.relayworldwide.com 

RESULTINC 

http://resultinc.co.uk 

RT MARKETING 

www.rtltd.com 

POPULOUS 

www.populous.com 

TICKETING, CRM & SMART CARDS 

IMG 


MIKE BURTON SPORTS TRAVEL 

www.mikeburton.com 

UK T & I 

https://www.uktradeinvest.gov.uk 

EDUCATION & TRAINING 

EDUCATION & TRAINING 

RECRUITMENT 

ISM 

www.ismsearch.com 

RESULTINC 

http://resultinc.co.uk 



SPORTING APPOINTMENTS 

www.sportingappointments.com 

UK T & I 


UNITED MEDIA ENTERTAINMENT 

www.umegroup.net 

KHP 


MICHEZONET 




PLAYMAKER 

www.playmaker.com.tr 

PLUS EVENT MARKETING 

www.plus-em.com 

PROSKE GROUP 

www.proskegroup.com 

RUSHMANS 

www.rushmans.com 

SCHILLINGS 

www.schillings.co.uk 

EVENTS 

CONFERENCES, EXHIBITIONS & VENUES 

SHEFFIELD CITY COUNCIL 

www.sheffield-lightingtheflame.com 

SELA SPORT 

http://sela-sport.com 

ACC LIVERPOOL 

www.accliverpool.com 

SLS GROUP 

www.sls-group.com 

SINE QUA NON 

http://sinequanon-intl.com 

BIRMINGHAM CITY COUNCIL 

www.birmingham.gov.uk 

SPORT EVENT SOLUTIONS 

http://sporteventsolutions.com 

SPONSORSHIP CONSULTING 

www.sponsorshipconsulting.co.uk 



SPORTSMARK EUROPE 

www.sportsmark.com 

SPONSORSHIP IDEAS 

www.sponsorshipideas.com 

SPORT DRIVEN LTD 

www.sportdriven.co.uk 

SPORTBIZ 

www.sportsbiz.gr 

UCD MSc Sport & Exercise 

Management 

LEISURE INDUSTRY WEEK 

www.liw.co.uk 



THE CO-OPERATIVE 

www.co-operativetravel.co.uk 

SPORTSWORLD 

www.sportsworld-group. 

comswgsportsworldindex.html 



SECURITY 

SPORTFIVE 

www.sportfive.com 

UK T&I 


THE SPORTS CONSULTANCY 

www.thesportsconsultancy.com 

UK T & I 





www.event360.co.ukvertical_banners 

WITH-HINDSIGHT ASSOCIATES 

www.with-hindsight.com 

WORLD SPORT GROUP 

www.worldsportgroup.com 

CAPITAL PROJECTS 

ARCHITECTS, CONSTRUCTION & 

ENGINEERING 

FRANKLIN + ANDREWS 

www.franklinandrews.com 

NUSSLI GROUP 

www.nussli.com 

POPULOUS 

www.populous.com 

POYRY ARCHITECTS OY 

www.architects.poyry.fi 

SERVICE & EQUIPMENT PROVIDERS 

AGGREKO 

www.aggreko.com 

ES GROUP 

www.esgroup.uk.com 

NUSSLI GROUP 

www.nussli.com 

Sport, Golf and Exercise 

Management Streams 

www.ucd.ie/css 

Ph+353 1 7163430 

AISTS 

www.aists.org 

BIRKBECK UNIVERSITY 

www.bbk.ac.uk 



CIES 

www.cies.ch 

ESSEC GROUPE 

www.essec.eduhome 

INSTITUTO DE EMPRESA 

www.ie.edu 

MIDDLESEX UNI 

www.mdx.ac.uk 

NOTTINGHAM TRENT UNIVERSITY 

www.ntu.ac.uk 

SCOTTISH UNIVERSITIES SPORT 

www.susport.org.uk 



SPORTS MANAGEMENT WORLDWIDE 

www.sportsmanagementworldwide.com 

STREET LEAGUE 

www.streetleague.co.uk 

EVENT MANAGEMENT & CORPORATE 

HOSPITALITY 

BIRMINGHAM CITY COUNCIL 

www.birmingham.gov.uk 



CORPORATE LEISURE LIMITED 

www.corporateleisureltd.com 

DORNA SPORTS 

www.dorna.com 

EVENT 360 




FAST TRACK 


FEI 

www.fei.org 

GB CREATION & ADVICE CONSULTING 

www.gbpresentaciones.com 



IMG 


INFRONT 


INNOVISION 

www.innovision.eu 

KENTARO 


In today’s environment it has become 

essential for federations, sporting bodies 

and organisations to focus on reducing 

the risk and exposure on athletes, 

executives, assets and their reputation. 

Shodan Security partners with numerous 

bodies to achieve this outcome. 

• Team Security & Logistics 

• Travel Security and Risk Assessment 

• Event Security Planning 

• Risk Management 

• Close Protection Services 

• Asset Protection 

• Crisis Management 

Contact: Mark Saliba 

Director of Operations 

+61 (2) 9907 3800 

Email: mark_saliba@shodan.com.au 

www.shodan.com.au 

SPORT EXPERIENCES 

GLOBAL GAMES ONLINE 

http://globalgamessports.com 

MEDIA 

DATA & INFORMATION SUPPLIERS 

EURODATA 

www.eurodatatv.com 

SPORTS STATISTICS & INFORMATION 

SYSTEMS 

www.sportstat.co.uk 

STATS 

www.stats.com 

SportBusiness International • No. 152 • 12.09 79

www.sportbusiness.com/marketplace/organisations CLASSIFIED 

MEDIA OWNERS 

We analyze 

all Sport TV ratings 

worldwide 

Contact 

Florent SIMON 

fsimon@eurodatatv.com 

We speak TV 



EUROSPORT 


NEW MEDIA 

DIGITAL INK SOLUTION LTD 

www.digital-ink.co.uk 

INFRONT 


STATS 

www.stats.com 

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES 

ATHLETE MANAGEMENT 

UK T&I 

www.uktradeinvest.gov.uk 

LAWYERS 



CLARKE WILLMOTT 

www.clarkewillmott.com 

DAVIES ARNOLD COOPER 

www.dac.co.uk 

DLA PIPER 

www.dlapiper.com 

EATON SMITH LLP 

www.eatonsmith.co.uk 

HAMMONDS 

www.hammonds.com 

RAJAH & TANN LLP 

www.rajahtann.com 

ROCKSTAR LEGAL 

www.rockstarlegal.co.uk 

SCHILLINGS 

www.schillings.co.uk 

SPORT RESOLUTIONS 

www.sportresolutions.co.uk 

THE SPORTS CONSULTANCY 

www.thesportsconsultancy.com 

KENTARO 


PGA EUROPEAN TOUR 

www.europeantour.com 

PROSKE GROUP 


UFC 

http://uk.ufc.com 

UK T & I 






SPORTS APPAREL 

HIGH STYLE MANUFACTURING 

www.hi-style.com 

GREEN LIGHT TV 

www.greenlight.tv 

HOST BROADCAST SERVICES 

www.hbs.tv 

IMG 


MICHOZENET 




SERVICE & EQUIPMENT PROVIDERS 

AERIAL CAMERA SYSTEMS 

www.aerialcamerasystems.com 

BOWTIE 

www.bowtietv.com 

CREATIVE TECHNOLOGY 

www.creative.com 

EVS BROADCAST 

www.evs-global.com 

MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC EUROPE 

www.diamond-vision.com 

SPORTS STATISTICS & INFORMATION 

SYSTEMS 

www.sportstat.co.uk 

STATS 

www.stats.com 

CLOVER MARKETING 

www.cmlsports.co.uk 

MANAGEMENT CONSULTANTS 

TRAVEL & TOURISM 

IMG 


INTER SPORT CLUBE 

www.internacional.com.br 

KENTARO 


MICHEZONET 


PACE SPORTS MANAGEMENT 

www.pacesportsmanagement.com 

TYLER SPORTS 

http://tylersports.co.uk 

FINANCIAL SERVICES & ACCOUNTANTS 

FX4SPORT 

www.fx4sport.com 

GRANT THORNTON 

www.grantthornton.com 

PROSKE GROUP 


SAFFERY CHAMPNESS 

www.saffery.com 

INSURANCE & RISK MANAGEMENT 

AIRTON RISK MANAGEMENT 

www.airtonrisk.com 

MARSH SPORTS PRACTICE 

www.marsh.co.uk 

TAKE FIVE SPECIAL RISKS 

www.takefiveinsurance.com 

IT, SOFTWARE, TECHNOLOGY 

INTERFUSE 


COFFEY COMMERCIAL ADVISORY 

www.coffey.com 



PMPGENESIS 


STRATEGIC LEISURE 

www.strategicleisure.co.uk 

TRANSLATION AND LOCALISATION 

KOMMUNICERA 

http://corporate.kommunicera.se 

PROPERTIES 

RIGHTS HOLDERS 

DORNA SPORTS 

www.dorna.com 

ENGLAND & WALES CRICKET BOARD 

www.ecb.co.uk 

EUROSPORT 




FAST TRACK 


FEI 

www.fei.org 

IMG 


INFRONT 




SPORTS TELEVISION 

DISTRIBUTION COMPANIES & 

SYNDICATORS 

APPARENT GRAVITY MEDIA 

http://apparentgravity.com 

COTTERILL & ASSOCIATES 

www.cotterillassociates.com 

EUROSPORT 


GREEN LIGHT TV 

www.greenlight.tv 

IMG 


INFRONT 


PRODUCTION COMPANIES 

APPARENT GRAVITY MEDIA 

http://apparentgravity.com 

FAST TRACK 


LOGISTICS: AIR, COACH, RAIL 

AIR PARTNER 

www.airpartner.com 

DUBAI DUTY FREE 

www.dubaidutyfree.com 





SPORTS TRAVEL MANAGEMENT 

GULLIVERS SPORTS TRAVEL 

www.gulliverstravel.co.uk 

TRAVELEADS 

www.traveleads.co.uk 

TOURIST BOARDS 

ACC LIVERPOOL 

www.accliverpool.com 








THE GLOBAL SPORTS SERVICES DIRECTORY 

Over 340 pages of 

information, analysis and 

contact details for the global 

sports industry 

THE 

GLOBAL 

SPORTS 

SERVICES 

DIRECTORY 

Country by country 

listings of federations, 

government agencies, stadia, 

broadcasters and many more 

Order your printed version of 

the Marketplace Directory for 

only £95 today 

Editorial content provides 

a unique insight into 

the “business of sport in 

numbers”, event calendars, 

TV viewing, rights summaries, 

sponsorship deals and 

commercial partnerships 

Contact: brian.williams@sportbusiness.com 

+44 (0) 207 954 3415

PEOPLE 

hard work. On a personal level I would have to 

choose attending the two UEFA Champions 

League winning finals in 1999 & 2008. 

And the worst 

Two come to mind: pulling some exhausting 

all-nighters to complete the foreign language 

web sites in time for the team’s Asia Tour in 

2007 and on a personal note, seeing the huge 

disappointment on my daughter’s face after the 

FA Cup final defeat to Chelsea at Wembley. 

MR INTERACTIVE 

Mark Hargreaves, COO, Knowledge MGI, on the new challenge 

of working within the wider sport and technology space and the 

joys, after over 12 years spent working at Manchester United, of 

reverting to being simply a fan. 

Mark Hargreaves has headed south to join the 

London-based consultancy company Knowledge 

MGI as Chief Operating Officer after over a 

decade’s service with the reigning Premier 

League Champions. 

At Manchester United he headed up the New 

Media division, becoming the General Manager 

of Manchester United Interactive where he ran 

ManUtd.com one of the world’s most successful 

sports websites for over seven years. 

He also spearheaded the development of four 

sister multi-lingual sites for Asia and the Middle 

East, working with major brands, support 

service companies, major domestic and global 

sponsors, licensees and the club’s charity arm, 

the Manchester United Foundation. 

What was your introduction to the world of sport 

and business 

My transition to the new media arm of sports 

business was a natural segue from the telecoms 

industry where I began my career in the mid 

80’s - a time that saw exponential growth year on 

year in the technology space. Then the attraction 

to work for the football club that I also supported 

was an enormous draw and I found Man Utd’s 

aspirations both on and off the field irresistible. 

Being able to now take that accumulated 

sports industry and new media acumen, and 

work with a boutique management consultancy 

within the wider sport and technology space is 

my latest irresistible challenge. 

Who would you say has had the biggest 

influence on your career 

Having worked for the club for over 12 years and 

witnessed the CEO, David Gill, at close quarters, 

I would have to pick him. The dignified way in 

which he has managed the business over the 

years and especially during the contentious 

period of transition when the club went from 

being a public company to Glazer-family private 

ownership has always been very inspiring. 

What has been the best moment in your career 

in the sport industry 

From a business perspective - winning a Webby 

Award. The Webbys are the leading international 

awards that honour excellence on the Internet. 

ManUtd.com won one in 2007 and I flew over 

to New York receive it on behalf of the club. A 

fantastic experience if a surreal one too - getting 

to share the stage with David Bowie and the You 

Tube founders. The win was a huge boost for all 

involved in the gargantuan build of ManUtd.com 

and a terrific acknowledgement of everyone’s 

How was the experience of working for such an 

expressive football brand as Manchester United 

Well during this halcyon period for the club I 

have accumulated six Premier League titles, two 

European Cups, two FA Cups, two League Cups 

and numerous other trophies! It goes without 

saying that to work for Manchester United was 

an honour and a fantastic experience. I am 

however now looking forward to being able to 

watch a match without obsessively checking 

the digi-boards, looking at my phone for alerts, 

or monitoring the website to make sure that 

everything is working and instead become a 

fan again. I’ll let you know how long it takes to 

reverse the process. 

What is on the horizon for you in the next phase 

of your career at Knowledge 

Knowledge is an ideas driven service. We analyse 

business problems, then tactically problem-solve 

to create strategy and operational improvements 

through objective business insight and 

mentoring, ultimately making positive changes 

for our clients. 

Straight out of the gate I am working on 

a project for a client called Ve Interactive, a 

company delivering online efficiency solutions 

(CEM - Customer Experience Management) 

which has developed a patent-pending shopping 

cart/form abandonment software. Abandonment 

is one of the biggest problems that website 

operators face in terms lost online revenues. 

What do you see as the biggest challenges and 

opportunities for sports in the interactive arena 

Two of the biggest challenges and opportunities 

for sports and new media remain those of how to 

monetise content (ie. turn fans in to customers) 

and how to transact abroad. Knowledge is 

working with a client, Krores which is a global 

supplier of bespoke technology-based financial 

services, (including payment technologies) that 

is breaking into this very space. 

Another area of opportunity is the harnessing 

of social media from fan base, marketing 

reach, brand awareness and online revenue 

perspectives. The benefits of which can leak into 

other areas of a sport’s brand too, for example 

boosting sponsorship opportunities. 


Because Sport 

Reflects Society 

Jorge Andreu, A. Bahi – Cimo. 

The Global Sports Forum Barcelona 2010 will once again 

unite over 1000 delegates and media representatives 

from around the world, to encourage and provoke 

debate, action and reaction on today’s hottest issues 

facing sport: sustainability, education, politics, culture 

and business. 

Juan Antonio Samaranch 

Together we will produce considered policy 

recommendations to be shared by the wider 

international sporting community. 

Donna de Varona 

Join us in Barcelona 

8-10 March 2010, 

and become a player 

for change. 

Samuel Eto’o 

For information and registration visit us at: 

WWW.GLOBALSPORTSFORUM.ORG 

MAIN PARTNER INTERNATIONAL MEDIA NATIONAL MEDIA 

Networking area

PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA - JUNE 18: Gilberto Silva of Brazil battles with Jonathan Spector of USA during the FIFA Confederations Cup Group B 

match between USA and Brazil at the Loftus Versveld Stadium on June 18, 2009 in Pretoria, South Africa. 

88561627, Mike Hewitt/FIFA via Getty Images 

SINGAPORE - SEPTEMBER 26: Heikki Kovalainen of Finland and 

McLaren Mercedes drives during qualifying for the Singapore 

Formula One Grand Prix at the Marina Bay Street Circuit on 

September 26, 2009 in Singapore. 

91168528, Clive Mason/Getty Images Sport 

VAL D'ISERE, FRANCE - FEBRUARY 04: Lars Elton Myhre of Norway 

competes during the Men's Super G event held on the Face de Bellevarde 

course on February 4, 2009 in Val d'Isere, France. 

84621915, Clive Mason/Getty Images Sport

01 cover sbi 152.indd - FIFA/CIES International University Network

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