Cricket

Cardiff rises for the Ashes! 

ardiff has been chosen to host one of the test matches in the 2009 Ashes series, at the expense of Manchester’s historic Old Trafford ground, the England and Wales Cricket Board’s independent Major Match Group (MMG) has announced.

Following England’s dramatic success over the Australians during last summer’s Ashes series, the 2009 contest between the two teams is certain to provide a huge boost for all the localities chosen to host test matches. The selected venues are The Oval, Sophia Gardens (subject to a ground redevelopment plan), Edgbaston, Headingley and Lord’s.

Another major cricket ground that will miss out is Trent Bridge, which was not considered due to the rotational system that is in place for major matches, but Old Trafford’s omission will be seen as huge blow to the City of Manchester, which has hosted test matches at their famous ground since 1884. Instead of playing a part in the Ashes series, both the Old Trafford and Chester-le-Street grounds have been granted test matches for the 2007 West Indian tour, with Old Trafford gaining an additional New Zealand test the following year.

Cardiff’s ambitious redevelopment plans, which are due to triple the ground’s current capacity of 5,500, have clearly swayed the MMG under the chairmanship of Sir Bill Morris in their favour. Paul Russell, chairman of the ground’s resident Glamorgan county side, recently said to reporters: “This is an historic day for cricket in Wales. The award of an Ashes test match will build on the Welsh Assembly’s exciting programme for the development of tourism through sport.”

At a recent Lord’s meeting, the England and Wales Cricket Board confirmed all venues recommended by the MMG for test matches to be staged between 2007 and 2009, along with other international and major domestic events for 2007-8.

Test match venues:
2007
- West Indies tour: Chester-le-Street, Headingley, Lord’s, Old Trafford. 
- Indian tour: Brit Oval, Lord’s, Trent Bridge.

2008
- New Zealand tour: Lord’s, Old Trafford, Trent Bridge. 
- South African tour: Brit Oval, Edgbaston, Headingley, Lord’s.

2009
- Zimbabwean tour: Lord’s, tbc. 
- Australian tour: Brit Oval, Cardiff, Edgbaston, Headingley, Lord’s.

Other major match venues:
2007
- ODI v West Indies: Edgbaston, Lord’s, Trent Bridge (3 matches). 
- T20 v West Indies: Brit Oval (2 matches). 
- ODI v India: Bristol, Brit Oval, Edgbaston, Headingley, Lord’s, Old Trafford, Rose Bowl (7 matches).
- Domestic Twenty20 finals day: Edgbaston.

2008
- ODI v New Zealand: Bristol, Brit Oval, Chester-le-Street, Edgbaston, Lord’s (5 matches). 
- T20 v New Zealand: Old Trafford (1 match). 
- ODI v South Africa: Brit Oval, Cardiff, Headingley, Lord’s, Trent Bridge (5 matches). 
- T20 v South Africa: Chester-le-Street (1 match). 
- Domestic Twenty20 finals day: Rose Bowl.

Construction

Terminal 5 and Emirates Stadium hailed as ‘Best of British’

ack Lemley, the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) Chairman, has hailed both Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 5 (T5) and Arsenal FC’s new Emirates Stadium as the ‘Best of British’ construction. Speaking at the International Construction Superconference 2006 he said: “In the last two weeks I have visited the T5 project at Heathrow and the new Emirates Stadium at Ashburton Grove. Both are hugely impressive. 

“Both demonstrate clearly how, in particular, good planning and effective project management, alongside an effective decision-making structure to ensure timely decisions are made, are integral to success.

“That is why the ODA is putting such a sharp focus on planning and the recruitment of the Delivery Partner at the early stage of the Olympic project. It is inevitable that more attention is focused on construction projects that encounter difficulties than those that don’t. But high profile problems should not be allowed to define an industry. There are many outstanding examples of success — not just T5 and Emirates Stadium — and there should be no creeping fatalism that the construction industry in this country cannot deliver major projects.

“I have every confidence that the Olympics will be a major showcase for the talents of the UK construction industry in the coming years,” Mr Lemley concluded.

The £390m, 60,000-seater Emirates Stadium, the new home of Arsenal FC, is in the final stages of construction. It is on budget and on schedule to open this coming August. It is a key regeneration project for North London and will provide 2,500 new homes, a quarter of which will be affordable housing, and create around 2,600 new jobs. (See February'06 edition of PanStadia for further details on the 'Arsenal on the Move' project.)

Terminal 5 is one of Europe’s largest constructional undertakings with its sixteen major projects that include: transport and other infrastructure works, parking and a hotel, all alongside the terminal itself. It is similarly on budget and on schedule, and is due to open in March 2008. It will safeguard thousands of jobs and boost the UK's tourist industry.

Football/Soccer

‘No-fly’ zones during German FIFA World Cup

he German air traffic control agency recently announced that all flights around World Cup soccer stadiums would be restricted throughout the 2006 tournament.

Aircraft to come under particularly close scrutiny will include helicopters and small, privately owned aircraft that rely on ‘visual flight rules’, where pilots have to rely on controlling their aircraft according to what they actually see. However, military and police aircraft will be exempt from the ban.

A three nautical mile, ‘no-fly’ zone will be set up around all World Cup venues on match days and will remain in force for six hours. This will be increased to a radius of thirty miles should any intelligence of a security threat be received, an air-traffic-control statement said.

Champions Chelsea cease the Hunt

he newly crowned Premier League Champions are seriously considering redeveloping their current home at Stamford Bridge in West London, but are not yet entirely ruling out the possibility of a move to new stadium.

London’s Evening Standard newspaper recently reported that Chelsea had given up searching for a new location for the club and would instead consider increasing the capacity of Stamford Bridge to 55,000.

While Premiership neighbours Arsenal look forward to moving into their new stadium, Chelsea look on enviously. Their archrivals were unable to expand their old Highbury home due to their stadium being ‘listed’ as a building of historical importance.

Yet Chelsea have other constraints hindering their redevelopment, and finding land in West London would be at a premium. The club has already been linked with a number of possible stadium sites, from Earls Court and Olympia to White City. 

A recent club statement said: “The club’s position regarding ground redevelopment has remained unchanged for many months and it has not changed now. Chelsea have always maintained they would ideally like to expand the capacity at Stamford Bridge to a figure approaching 55,000, but that expansion is difficult because of the well-documented constraints on the site.

“All possible options regarding expansion are being examined and these are yet to be exhausted. No decision has been made. Only if these options are exhausted and any expansion plan is deemed unfeasible will the club be prepared to debate the possibilities of moving. However, Chelsea would not consider moving outside their ‘spiritual home’ of West London, which has led to speculation linking us with a whole variety of sites in the surrounding area.”

Motor Racing

Toyota successfully mount Fuji challenge

he revamped Mount Fuji circuit has been successful in its attempt to take the Japanese Grand Prix away from Suzuka, which has held the Formula One event continuously since 1987.

The circuit, which is situated at the foot of the spectacular snow capped volcano, has been confirmed by Bernie Ecclestone as the race’s new home from 2007. It is now owned and operated by car manufacturer Toyota, and was reopened at the start of last year after being completely rebuilt and upgraded to F1 specifications. 

Suzuka is of course owned by rival concern Honda, who will no doubt spend a small fortune on renovating their facility, which has always proved popular with both drivers and spectators alike, but has recently started to look a bit frayed around the edges.

Mount Fuji was the first circuit to host the Japanese Grand Prix, in 1976 and 1977, but can sometimes suffer from inclement weather due to its altitude and location.

The race is on for 2008 Grand Prix

t least half a dozen different countries are currently studying proposals to host their own Formula One grand prix, now that the major car manufacturers have announced they no longer plan to breakaway and set up a rival series in 2008.

With current World Champion, Fernando Alonso, possibly on course for a second title, the City of Valencia is hoping to gain a second race for Spain. Its local circuit is regularly used for F1 testing and both Germany and Italy have enjoyed two races every season for some time now (read Schumacher and Ferrari).

Meanwhile, South Africa is still hoping to revive its national race, which has not been held since 1993, as is Mexico, a country whose last Grand Prix dates back to 1992.

Elsewhere, both India and Russia are still continuing with plans to attract a race for the very first time and, after its Olympic success, even Greece is reported as being interested.

Completely new to the scene however is Singapore, whose government is actively examining the possibility of creating a suitable street circuit somewhere on the south east Asian island.

This new wave of interest follows F1’s governing body the FIA announcing new regulations that will allow for up to twenty races a year from 2008, when the existing agreement with F1 teams expires.

Press Releases

First Seat Installed at Arsenal FC’s new Emirates Stadium

ne of Arsenal’s star players, Abou Diaby, recently secured in place the first of the 60,000 seats to be installed at the new Emirates Stadium, which will be the clubs new home from August of this year.

Placing the first seat on to the supporting steel framework, the French midfielder began the installation process of the 60,000 seats, which have actually been named the ‘Arsenal Seat’ and are all upholstered — a first for football stadia in the UK.

Diaby commented on the day: “It’s great to be at the stadium today and be the person who actually fixes the first seat at this fantastic stadium. It is exciting to think that in a few months time one of our supporters will be sitting here watching the team play. It’s the first time I’ve been to Emirates Stadium and it is amazing — I really can’t wait to play here next season.”

Arsenal Managing Director, Keith Edelman, added: “I’m delighted to be here today to see the first seat going into the stadium — we are starting to reach the final stages of construction now and seeing the seats going in is extremely exciting. The ‘Arsenal Seat’ will guarantee that every supporter will enjoy an improved comfort level from what they currently experience at Highbury — we really wanted to provide our supporters with the very best facilities possible at our new football home.”

As PanStadia went to press, Arsenal officials confirmed that all seats within Club Level were now sold-out. The club has created a waiting list and interested parties are urged to sign up as soon as possible. Club Level, which is comprised of some 6,700 premium seats in a separate tier that encircles the venue at the Directors’ Box level, provides supporters with quality hospitality benefits and some of the best sightlines in the arena.

The first batch of seats were flown in by Emirates’ SkyCargo from Malaysia to the UK, via the carrier’s global hub in Dubai. Installation will commence with all eight rows of the Club Level tier in the North Stand. The seats will be delivered in weekly batches of 4,000 until completion. 

After an extensive research programme, the revolutionary ‘Arsenal Seat’ has been designed to deliver a range of features to enhance the match day experience for spectators, and will also provide Arsenal with a product that complements the new world-class Emirates Stadium.

Made by Ferco Seating at their factory in Malaysia, the seat has integrally fitted pads, as well as a higher back and a larger seat area than in any other stadium in the UK, moving spectator comfort to the forefront of seat design.

Software4Sport jumps to Rangers FC’s service

oftware4Sport has enhanced the functionality of it’s TALENT Sport ticketing and CRM system. One of the enhancements is a new automated 3-in-1 online season ticket renewal service, which is helping Rangers Football Club to cut costs, drive ticket sales and offer supporters a quicker and easier service. Rangers FC recently launched an online season ticket renewal service with a difference: supporters can now renew their season ticket, pay by Direct Debit AND sign up to the Rangers pre-payment ticket scheme (‘CCM’) — all in one transaction.

Andy Ward, Head of Ticketing for Rangers FC says: “We launched season ticket renewals for the 2006/7 season in early April. By giving supporters the opportunity to do all this in one go online, we have made the process quicker and easier. Because it is an automated process, supporters get an instant confirmation of their purchase.” 

So far, the new service is proving popular, as Andy Ward confirms: “We have 42,000 season ticket holders and so far, 18% of those renewing for next season, have chosen to do so online, which we are delighted with.”

One of the main benefits for the club is that it reduces administration as it is an automated process. Although only part way into the season ticket renewals period, the service is already helping the club reduce administration costs. Ward continues: “We originally estimated that around 5% of people would chose to renew online. This was a conservative estimate judging by the statistics so far, but even 5% would bring us major cost savings on postage, stationery, printing and administration. We normally employ temporary staff to help us cope with the extra workload that season ticket renewals brings. This year, we have been able to reduce the temporary staff headcount by ten people, thanks to the new service and other cost efficiencies that TALENT Sport brings.

“Another advantage is that with CCM now part of the season ticket renewals process, it is easier for supporters to join the scheme. Rangers hope to see sales increase as a result.”

‘CCM’ is a pre-payment scheme for non-season ticket home games, such as European and Scottish cup games, and non Scottish Premier League away games — matches for which tickets are often in high demand. Supporters sign up in advance to buy tickets, and when the match is confirmed, payment for their ticket is taken automatically. The process is managed by the TALENT Sport Pre-Payment Scheme module.

Andy Ward comments: “The CCM scheme gives fans priority on semi-final and final tickets, and is the only way to guarantee a discounted price. For the club, the more people that sign up the better. When a match is announced you may only have a matter of days to sell thousands of tickets. TALENT Sport’s Pre-Payment Scheme module processes payments automatically in batches, instead of us having to set up and process each sale manually, one by one. Last season, 21,500 season ticket holders signed up for the European home matches — that’s roughly half of our season ticket holders! By making it now possible to sign up to CCM whilst renewing season tickets online, we aim to encourage more people to join the scheme.”

The technology behind the service was developed by Software4Sport, part of Computer Software Group plc, as an enhancement to the TALENT Sport system. TALENT Sport is a ticketing and customer relationship management (CRM) system for sports clubs. It is built in a modular structure, so on top of the core ticketing and CRM, clubs can add integrated modules to manage processes such as web sales, marketing, corporate sales or loyalty scheme management.

Glenn Jackson, Managing Director of Software4Sport, says: “We developed TALENT Sport’s online season ticket renewals functionality to help both the club and it’s supporters save time. Many clubs offer their customers the option to pay by Direct Debit, but few can process Direct Debits automatically. This can leave you facing an administrative nightmare or having to outsource to an agency, which can be costly. With TALENT Sport, Direct Debits can now be processed automatically.

“These enhancements are part of extensive developments we have made to the TALENT Sport system in the last twelve months. We have worked with our customers to introduce innovative new functionality that meets their needs, such as automated telephone sales, automated customer purchase tracking and SMS ticket notification. TALENT Sport is now better equipped than ever to help sports clubs cut their operating costs, drive revenue and provide their supporters with a speedier, personalised 24 hour service.”

RSC Anderlecht first to install Barco’s new sports perimeter LED solution 

arco recently announced that the Royal Sporting Club Anderlecht (RSC Anderlecht) has chosen their latest sports perimeter LED solution for its very own Constant Vanden Stock Stadium in Belgium. The SP-10, specifically optimised for Broadcast, brings LED visualisation and the broadcasting world together for the first time. 

Anderlecht chose the Barco SP-10 and Sports Box management controller for its stadium as it wanted to differentiate itself from others by providing an enhanced match day experience for fans, viewers and advertisers alike. As one of the most successful Belgium football teams on the European level, Anderlecht fully recognises the real value the SP-10 will add to the sponsorship packages that it is able to offer advertisers. 

With the SP-10, advertising opportunities are greatly improved, and provide a better experience for viewers, and greater revenue opportunities for Anderlecht. The SP-10 will also be used to show score updates and traffic news, as well as spot announcements for fans.

Stephan Paridaen, President of Barco’s Media and Entertainment division, stated: “This is a very important moment for Barco, we have been working closely with RSC Anderlecht to ensure that the solution provided would both meet, and exceed, their requirements, the fans expectations, and crucially the sponsors needs, making this a good commercial decision for Anderlecht.” Paridaen continued: “We are looking forward to a long and successful relationship with the club.”

Herman Van Holsbeeck, General Manager, RSC Anderlecht commented: “This partnership is an extension of our existing collaboration with Barco, and is an important momentum for RSC Anderlecht. With Barco we have chosen a professional partner with high qualitative products. Their LED solution will offer our fans a new generation of entertainment and interactivity, and will also offer our sponsors a significant added-value and a new tool of communication.” 

Barco’s sports display solutions give fans and sponsors the ultimate sports experience, before, during and after the game. Sponsors see real value in Barco’s attention-grabbing displays, as they capture the crowd with promotions for future events, merchandise and concession sales. The SP-10 consists of cutting-edge visualisation hardware and advanced dedicated sports software, developed and optimised specifically for broadcast. Having seven years experience in large LED displays in the Sports Market, and over twenty years in designing and producing specific visualisation solutions for the broadcast market, Barco has all the experience and knowledge needed.

RSC Anderlecht was founded in 1908 and it was in 1917 that the club based themselves on the border of Parc du Meir (later Astrid park), in a new stadium they built with only one stand, which was made of wood. This venue was known as Stade Émile Versé, named after the generous patron who bank-rolled the building. Then, in 1983 the stadium was completely rebuilt and renamed after the club’s president, Constant Vanden Stock. Its capacity is 28,361 including standing places behind the two goals but during European competitions the venue becomes all-seated.

Barco, an international company headquartered in Kortrijk, Belgium, provides visualisation and display solutions for professional markets. The company designs and develops solutions for large screen visualisation, display solutions for life-critical applications, and systems for visual inspection. 

Barco is active worldwide and has its own facilities for Sales & Marketing, Customer Support, R&D and Manufacturing in Europe, North America and Asia Pacific. The company is quoted on Euronext Brussels and is a BEL 20 and a Next 150 company (Euronext: BAR; Reuters: BARBt.BR; Bloomberg: BAR BB).

West Brom choose POS software solution from InfoGenesis

nfoGenesis and UK partner, Triangle, recently announced that West Bromwich Albion Football Club have, after an extensive selection process, chosen to implement the InfoGenesis POS (Point of Sale) software solution throughout their Hawthorns Stadium from the start of the 2006/7 season.

Finalising their selection, West Bromwich Albion FC visited Manchester United’s Old Trafford stadium to understand the commercial successes gained and the improved guest experience realised throughout all areas of the venue.

Phil Everett, Head of IT for West Bromwich Albion FC, commented: “The InfoGenesis solution will allow West Bromwich Albion to progressively improve the service experience given to our fans throughout the forthcoming seasons, whilst providing the club’s management with a real-time vision of the business operation.”

InfoGenesis is an acknowledged leader in POS software solutions for the unique retail and hospitality demands within stadia and arena environments. The company is expert in growing and reporting new revenues delivered on the most reliable technology to streamline processes and improve personalised interaction with clients in large venues.

China and Sheffield team up to track Olympic success

uture Olympic Games contenders from the Far East and Europe could soon be given a boost, thanks to a visit by some of Beijing’s top sports scientists to Sheffield’s leading sporting facilities and sports science research centres. 

Sheffield Hallam University’s award-winning sports science professor, Steve Haake, welcomed three visitors from the China Institute of Sports Science (CISS) to Sheffield, the UK’s first City of Sport and home of Channel Four TV series The Games. 

Chen Qi, Gao Jianhe and Li Xiangchen from the CISS in Beijing, the host city of 2008 Olympic Games, toured the Centre of Sports and Exercise Science (CSES) labs at the university’s Collegiate Crescent Campus to see processes that are helping British professional athletes lead the field. This work has included developing the aerodynamic performance of bikes and helmets for the GB cycling team prior to the Athens Olympics, and creating a new golf putter for PGA tour golfer, Stuart Appleby, who recently won the Mercedes Open. They also help enhance player performance through analysis. 

During the day, Professor Haake showcased close working relationships with Olympic training venues, such as Sheffield’s English Institute of Sports (EIS), the Ponds Forge International Sports Centre, and the University of Sheffield. Alongside his team’s ground breaking product designs and research, cross-city partnerships are helping in the run up for Britain’s success in the London 2012 Olympics.

Dr Jiang Yong, a researcher at University of Manchester who accompanied the visitors, interpreted the group’s thoughts on future benefits of the visit: “The sporting facilities in Sheffield are very different. The experimental work we have seen at Sheffield Hallam University is very efficient and is useful for sports and all sorts of other areas. In China we use the same methods and experiments but focus only on sports subjects. 

“We hope to establish a working link with the University. We want to use this trip to help introduce the work and expertise of Sheffield Hallam University to China and the CISS, and also introduce Chinese manufactures to the UK to help develop the existing skills.”

Delegates sampled the value of sports science in the biomedical industry through a balance prototype. It is a stability mechanism that helps athletes improve steadiness for sports such as archery, but is also used to help people practice their balance after accidents to avoid breaking bones.

Sports science centres encourage research for the benefit of people’s health and the performance of elite athletes. The CISS was founded in 1958, but has only recently focused on competitive performance of athletes, monitoring physique and good health of citizens, and developing sports instruments and equipment. 

Steve Haake, head of sports engineering at Sheffield Hallam University said: “Although we are competitive within the city and industry to encourage the best of our skills, we have strong working relationships with sports industries and individuals within Sheffield. We wanted to highlight this to the Chinese delegates and show the value of sports science beyond the sports industry. When working in connection with sports engineering we can create unique products and also help medical research. 

“Our team can offer biomedical laboratory support to the EIS, deliver scientific services to clients in the lab and the field, achieving the best quality of sports and biomedical science across all areas. By working together across the industry we can provide a stronger opportunity for the UK’s sporting success.”

The trip to Sheffield was part of a nine-day visit to the UK (24 April — 2 May) organised by the British Council. The CISS visited other leading sports institutes in the UK — Loughborough University, University of Birmingham and University of Bath. The UK is one of the most advanced countries in sports engineering research. 

Olympic hopes ‘cast’ in Gateshead 

he treasured feet of two of Gateshead’s Olympic hopefuls have recently been cast in plaster to stamp their mark on Gateshead International Stadium’s new development.

Brazilian triple jumper, Jadel Gregorio, and long jumper, Chris Tomlinson, were invited by Gateshead Council to have their feet cast by local arts organisation, Makers and Shakers, to form part of a new artwork that features in the development, which officially opened on May 12th. 

Lord Sebastian Coe and the leader of Gateshead Council, Councillor Mick Henry, joined Jadel, Chris, students and local children when they also had their feet cast at the official opening.

Head of cultural services at Gateshead Council, David Bunce, said: “The new developments at Gateshead International Stadium have something for everyone — from elite athletes at every level to five-a-side team. This project is part of our ‘Streets to Stadium’ project, funded by Culture 10, and we hope that it will give visitors the chance to find out what inspires people to run and mark the opening of the new facility with a point of interest that can be enjoyed by everyone.” 

The athletes each made a deep footprint into a tray of sand with one bare foot and recorded a ten second message in response to the question: “What Makes You Run?” The footprints were then filled with a plaster mix in which the recording button had been embedded. 

Together the foot casts will feature at Gateshead International Stadium where visitors can explore and discover what makes other people run. Jadel Gregorio’s sized fourteen feet are the biggest to be cast so far.

Jadel moved from Brazil to Gateshead in 2005 to join Chris Tomlinson who recently relocated from Middlesborough, each to get better access to the coaching expertise of Peter Stanley, who coached Jonathan Edwards, and the new state of the art facilities in Gateshead. 

The new development hosts integrated top quality sports facilities, a community based sports centre, and a broad range of sport related education and training programmes in partnership with Gateshead College and the Learning and Skills Council. 

Co-ordinated by Gateshead Council, the development at Gateshead International Stadium has been funded by One NorthEast through the Tyne & Wear Partnership and their Single Regeneration Budget, Active England — a joint initiative between the Sport England Lottery fund and the Big Lottery fund, European Regional Development Fund, Northern Rock Foundation and the Learning and Skills Council.