http://www.fcbusiness.co.uk/ Football Industry and Community News http://www.fcbusiness.co.uk/news/article/newsitem=2430/title=watford+fc+and+lindley+venue+catering+seal+%A318m+partnership+deal Following a hugely successful season both on and off-the pitch Watford FC and Lindley Venue Catering have forged a new 18 million deal extending the caterers original five-year contract at Vicarage Road to a new 10-year partnership agreement which will see Lindley providing catering, hospitality, sales, marketing and event management services through to 2023-24. At the heart of the long-term commitment is the development of the south west corner facilities at the stadium. The... http://www.fcbusiness.co.uk/news/article/newsitem=2429/title=aston+villa+scoop+top+hospitality+prize Aston Villa were toast of the town last night after they scooped the Overall Matchday Hospitality Experience Gold Award for 2013 at the prestigious Stadium Hospitality Awards. The awards, hosted by Stadium Experience at Readings Madejski Stadium, recognise and reward exceptional standards in the industry shining the spotlight on the off-the-pitch staff. It was a good night for Villa, who also walked away with the Premier League National Stadia Matchday... http://www.fcbusiness.co.uk/news/article/newsitem=2428/title=%A3120m+premier+league+promotion+prize+for+the+eagles+or+hornets The Football League Championship Play-off Final on Monday 27 May will offer the biggest financial prize in world football, worth around 120 million to the winners according to the Sports Business Group at Deloitte. Crystal Palace hope to return to the Premier League after an eight year absence, whilst Watford are bidding for a top flight spot for the first time since 2007. The winner will join Cardiff City and Hull in what will be the richest season ever to be in the Premier League. Adam... http://www.fcbusiness.co.uk/news/article/newsitem=2427/title=portsmouth+fc+partner+with+audienceview After an extensive tendering process, AudienceView has been selected as the new ticketing and fan management partner by Portsmouth FC. "Our partnership with AudienceView means we have the leading fan service platform, which was selected by the fans for the fans," said Mark Catlin, CEO of the Portsmouth Football Club. "Portsmouth FC is delighted to be deploying a solution that will truly revolutionize our service and bring us into the 21st century." With AudienceView, Portsmouth FC has the... http://www.fcbusiness.co.uk/news/article/newsitem=2426/title=pars+united+launch+campaign+to+buy+dunfermline+athletic A new fund-raising campaign called BuyThePars has been launched by Pars United, assisted by Pars Supporters Trust and Supporters Direct Scotland. The groups aim is to purchase Dunfermline Athletic Football Club to take the club under the control of supporters. Pars United hope to raise a minimum of 500,000 before the end of July. All capital raised will be held in secure trust accounts to allow the money to be repaid to those pledging support if a CVA is not... http://www.fcbusiness.co.uk/news/article/newsitem=2425/title=streamuk+welcomes+new+commercial+director+ StreamUK announces that Steve Garvey has been appointed to the Board of Directors as Commercial Director with immediate effect. Steve Garveys experience spans more than 25 years in television and online video. He was World Televisions CEO and Chairman and led the sale of the business to a Swiss-based investment group in December 2012. He is a non-executive director of the International Visual Communications Association. Duncan Burbidge, CEO of StreamUK, commented:... http://www.fcbusiness.co.uk/news/article/newsitem=2424/title=man+city+take+a+slice+of+the+big+apple Manchester City have teamed up with US Baseball franchise, the New York Yankees to launch the MLSs newest club. The link up between Manchester City and the New York Yankees, will see the Leagues 20 th expansion club, named New York City Football Club (NYCFC), begin play in 2015. We proudly welcome two of the most prestigious professional global sports organisations to Major League Soccer, said MLS Commissioner Don Garber. This is a transformational development... http://www.fcbusiness.co.uk/news/article/newsitem=2423/title=swindon+town+partners+with+ticketmaster Swindon Town FC has signed a five-year deal with Ticketmaster following a review of its ticketing operation over the past few months. The new system will incorporate integrated online ticketing and retail, offering fans a single location for purchasing tickets and merchandise. As part of the venture, the current STFC Club Shop and Box Office will become one operation - allowing fans to have a single point of sale for their purchase of tickets and merchandise. The club will also be introducing a... http://www.fcbusiness.co.uk/news/article/newsitem=2422/title=bristol+city+revamps+ticketing+system Bristol City have signed a revolutionary new deal with CRM experts, Green 4 Solutions. The partnership will see the club embrace a new single platform solution across all facets of commerce including ticketing, corporate sales, marketing, communications and supporter relationship management. As a result, supporters will be rewarded for their backing in the form of loyalty points and benefit from the removal of all booking fees in a ground-breaking initiative. City... http://www.fcbusiness.co.uk/news/article/newsitem=2421/title=liverpool+fc+opens+its+doors+to+melwood Liverpool FC is giving its fans the opportunity to go behind the scenes at the clubs first team training ground, Melwood, for the first ever time. Melwood has been LFCs training ground for over 70 years and has seen many Liverpool greats craft some of the teams most memorable moments. Fans will have the opportunity to see where the players train, work out, change and take up their seat in the press room, where Brendan Rodgers addresses the world's media on a weekly basis.... http://www.fcbusiness.co.uk/news/article/newsitem=2420/title=man+utd+receive+%A360.8m+in+premier+league+broadcast+payments Manchester United received 60.8m in broadcasting payments from the Premier League it has been revealed. Announcing the value of its broadcast payments made to clubs for the season 2012/13, the Premier Leagues newly crowned champions were top of the pile closely followed by Manchester City who made just over 58.1m. TV cash is distributed to all clubs competing in the league with 50% of UK broadcast revenue split equally between the 20 clubs, 25% paid in Merit Payments... http://www.fcbusiness.co.uk/news/article/newsitem=2419/title=coventry+city+supporters+trust+seek+legal+advice+over+former+ceo Coventry City supporters group, the Sky Blue Trust are seeking legal advice over the clubs former CEO, Tom Fishers influence at the club. The League One side were placed into administration in March amid a row with the clubs home stadium owners - Arena Coventry Limited who claim to be owed over 1.3min unpaid rent stretching back 12 months. However, since being placed into administration, former CEO, Tom Fisher has continued to exert his influence over the... http://www.fcbusiness.co.uk/news/article/newsitem=2418/title=budweiser+launch+non-league+coaching+scheme Budweiser have today announced a new programme to help non-league coaches improve their skills by learning from some of the biggest names in UK football. The new initiative, called Budweiser Coach the Coaches, is backed by The League Managers Association. The programme aims to help coaches raise their game and improve their skills so they can achieve their full potential and instil confidence in players to reach their dreams in the game. Former Sheffield United, QPR Leeds... http://www.fcbusiness.co.uk/news/article/newsitem=2417/title=fulham+sign+long+term+kit+deal+with+adidas Fulham Football Club have confirmed a new long-term partnership with adidas, which will see the global sportswear brand become the clubs official technical kit supplier. Fulham CEO Alistair Mackintosh said: adidas has a fantastic football heritage and tradition and I know that we will work well together. "The synergy between the two organisations has led to a partnership that promises both brands a platform on which to achieve success. We are looking forward to producing a... http://www.fcbusiness.co.uk/news/article/newsitem=2416/title=board+room+changes+at+port+vale Norman Smurthwaite has become the sole owner of Port Vale after Paul Wildes stepped down from his current position following the sale of his 50% share in Alchemy Investment Group, which owns the club. Norman will also become Chairman of the football club, with immediate effect, moving from his current role of Chief Executive. The documentation was finalised on Friday following extensive discussions between both parties. Norman said: "I would like to reassure supporters this is business as usual.... http://www.fcbusiness.co.uk/news/article/newsitem=2415/title=swansea+city%92s+groundsman+wins+premier+league+award A fantastic footballing year for Wales has ended with Swansea City adding another trophy to this seasons list of achievements, after Dan Duffy was named Barclays Premier League Groundsman of the Year. Run by The Sports Turf Research Institute (STRI), the Groundsman of the Year awards recognise the importance of the quality of pitches for professional football, encourage all groundstaff to produce high quality pitches and acknowledge the head groundsmen and their staff who produce the best... http://www.fcbusiness.co.uk/news/article/newsitem=2414/title=vauxhall+agree+4+year+extension+to+england+team+sponsorship The FA has agreed a new four-year extension as lead partner for all 24 England teams with vehicle manufacturer Vauxhall Motors. The current Vauxhall agreement expires in July 2014 and the new agreement will run until July 2018 up to and including the FIFA World Cup Finals in Russia. Club England Managing Director Adrian Bevington said: This is excellent news for England and all of our teams that Vauxhall support through this partnership. "The FA, as a not-for-profit organisation,... http://www.fcbusiness.co.uk/news/article/newsitem=2413/title=uefa+champions+festival+schedule+unveiled UEFA today revealed the full schedule of events for the annual UEFA Champions Festival, which will take place in London on 2326 May 2013. The free four-day football celebration, featuring a series of family-friendly activities, will be the first major event to come to the home of the 2012 London Olympics since last summer, taking place on The International Quarter close to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and celebrating womens football, futsal and grassroots football. The first day of... http://www.fcbusiness.co.uk/news/article/newsitem=2412/title=premier+league+kit+deals+reach+record+high American invasion drives Premier League clubs kit deals to new record high as Warrior and Under Armour help contribute to a 32% jump in kit deal revenues. The total value of Barclays Premier League clubs kit supply contracts has this season shot to 117.3 million (145.5 million EUR) a 32% increase on 2011/12. While traditional giants such as Nike, adidas and Puma continue to invest heavily, the surge in income has been driven by the entrance of North American duo... http://www.fcbusiness.co.uk/news/article/newsitem=2411/title=newcastle+united+top+public+transport+league A study of more than 1,000 football fans on how well (or badly) different grounds are served by public transport has placed Newcastle United at the top of the league with champions, Manchester United languishing in 18 th place. The research, carried out by Campaign For Better Transport looked at examples from other industries and countries such as the well-known German system where a match ticket includes free public transport over a wide area and at what several stadiums learned... http://www.fcbusiness.co.uk/news/article/newsitem=2410/title=sky+sports+awarded+rights+to+screen+uefa+euro+2016++fifa+2018+world+cup+qualifiers Sky Sports has been awarded the rights to Home Nations and Republic of Ireland qualification matches for UEFA EURO 2016 and 2018 FIFA World Cup. The new agreement with UEFA provides Sky Sports with coverage of England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, together with and all other UEFA member associations, between 2014 2017. The deal comprises: ENGLAND Highlights of every England qualifying match for both tournaments and live away matches should... http://www.fcbusiness.co.uk/news/article/newsitem=2409/title=doing+business+the+liverpool+way Liverpool Football Club has teamed up with the London School of Business Finance to form LFC E.L.I.T.E.S, an initiative delivering global training and education exploring the transferable skills and strategies between sport and business. The dynamic new fiveday CPD Management and Leadership programme is for business leaders of any sector looking for new ways to inspire and be inspired. Designed by an elite team of LFC coaches and LSBF management academics, and supported by guest... http://www.fcbusiness.co.uk/news/article/newsitem=2408/title=watching+sport+online%3A+better+than+tv%3F After winning the 2012 Best Webcasting Platform award last year, StreamUK plans to attend this years Streaming Media Forum with a slightly different focus; exploring online videos role in football and displaying how StreamUK and its partners are working on enhancing the viewer experience for the new season ahead. This year, StreamUKs CEO Duncan Burbidge will moderate Watching Sport Online: Better than TV?, a session on the second day of the 2013... http://www.fcbusiness.co.uk/news/article/newsitem=2407/title=supporters%92+trust+secure+kassam+stadium+as+an+%91asset+of+community+value%92 OxVox, the independent Supporters Trust of Oxford United, today heard that its bid to have The Kassam Stadium listed as a Community Asset under the Localism Act (2011) has been approved by Oxford City Council. This means that in the event that the Stadium is to be sold, OxVox must be notified, and can exercise the right to a six month moratorium on any sale in order to put together a bid for the Stadium. OxVox Chairman Mark Sennett said, This is a significant moment for the... http://www.fcbusiness.co.uk/news/article/newsitem=2406/title=brighton+fans+to+test+new+technology It will be a testing time in more ways than one for football fans at Brightons Amex Community Stadium when 100 Albion followers try out new technology from the University of Sussex during tonights nail-biting bid for a place in the Premier League. During the home leg of the play-off battle against Crystal Palace, 100 Brighton and Hove Albion FC volunteers using a phone app called digitalStadium will be helping scientists at Sussex test new software that connects fans and clubs via...