Michael Owen gets behind BT’s Sky Sports ad campaign

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Micheal Owenis one of several current English Premier League players that BT will be using to promote their new BT Vision Sky Sports packages.

From 1st July 2010, BT will begin to promote the BT Vision’s Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports 2 packages that will be available from August 1 2010 – spending more than £30m on TV, radio, press, outdoor and Digital Media promotion.

Owne will be on the television ad, alongside current footballers such  Shay Given, Gareth Bale and Wes Brown.  Also feautred will be the BT advert regular Adam, who is played by Kris Marshall.

The ad follows Adam from his flat, down the lift and into the carpark as the sound of a football crowd gets louder and louder. He heads toward a square of bright light ahead and as he keeps walking toward the light, he finds himself in a football tunnel, joined by Michael Owen, Shay Given, Gareth Bale and Wes Brown lining up to go out on the pitch. The ad culminates with Adam running out on to the pitch.

Entry prices for the new Sky Sports service will be as low as £6.99, with BT hoping to capture a slice of the market for TV football viewing with either new viewers or switching viewers put off by the high prices with Sky.

Capello’s future not to be decided for two weeks

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Capello’s future not to be decided for two weeks Fabio Capello revealed that his future with the England team as manager will be decided in two weeks, after he completes a series of meetings with Sir David Richards, the England chairman.

The manager’s future was cast into the wind after England had a disappointing performance at the World Cup, facing defeat 4-1 against Germany in the second round.

Capello stated that he has already discussed his potential future with Sir David Richards, and that a decision will be made in two weeks.  He said that he wants to stay, and that he has refused many potential opportunities in order to stay, but he will have to decide with the England chairman.

He also said that the World Cup was a valuable learning experience and that the team understands much more now that the tournament is complete. He continued to explain that the team is very tired, and that they need a winter break, which Germany is afforded due to their shorter season.

When asked further about the players’ performance in South Africa, Capello stated that he was concerned about his players  and that it breaks down to how each player is doing physically by the time they reach the play-offs.

He also said that they are not happy with the performance, and that while Rooney played some excellent games, you cannot just exemplify the performance of one player to represent the team.

What could possibly go wrong at the World Cup

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Just as the World Cup kicks off, it’s sobering to think that the World’s biggest sporting event requires a huge amount of insurance cover.  Everything from natural disasters and terrorism to player injuries and household damage, there are a huge amount of eventualities must be insured for, which means that there is a multi billion pound risk industry that surrounds the World Cup.

Here are some example World Cup Risk Factors:

FIFA alone has purchased $650 million in insurance for total cancellation of the World Cup 2010

22% have seen friends or family spill food or drink while watching sport on TV – Indian food caused the worst stains, leading insurers to urge football fans not to get “curried away”

A footballer at the peak of his career who is playing for one of their nation’s top leagues, could be covered by approximately £50 million worth of insurance

David Beckham has taken out the biggest personal insurance policy in sporting history at £100 million

In 2006, Paul Hucker from Ipswich took out insurance against ‘football trauma’ so that he would be compensated with £1m in damages if England were knocked out early of the World Cup

Watch this video to learn more fascinating facts about the World Cup insurance industry.

Capello calls for FA to get World Cup bid in order

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Capello calls for FA to get World Cup bid in order The Football Association is still dealing with the weekend affair that left Lord Triesman without his job as chairman of the World Cup bid, and his position as chairman of the organization.

FIFA are also now involved in order to investigate allegations that the Spanish FA’s and Russian FA’s within the broadside of Lord Triesman went against bid regulations.

The mess clearly has affected England’s chances of winning the right to host the largest football tournament in the world, with Russia pulling ahead as the favorite.

Geoff Thompson, the former FA chairman, has been charged with figuring out the mess before the decision comes in December of 2010.

Before this happens however, Capello has issued a request to the FA try to figure out their position, stating that the team is still confident they will be allowed to host the 2018 World Cup given that England is a great location with excellent stadiums and facilities.

While England has had their stance weakened by recent events, many feel that Triesman’s exit will help England out down the road, due to the fact not everyone approved of his confrontational style.

Capello stated that he however did have a great relationship with Lord Triesman and regrets what happened but that England’s chance to get the bid for 2018 has not been altered, since those in charge of making the final decision will be able to see and comprehend what occurred.

West Ham jockey to use Olympic stadium

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West Ham jockey to use Olympic stadium The West Ham United team is still hopeful that after the London 2012 Olympic Games they will be able to call the Olympic Stadium home.

Currently West Ham plays at Upton Park, but they are working on a joint bid that will allow them to call the £537m venue in Stratford home along with Newham Council sports interests.

Monday was the deadline for any hopeful tenants to officially note their interest in the Olympic Park Legacy Company.

A spokesman for West Ham United stated that they hope they soon will get to the chance to meet with officials for discussions about what may or may not be possible.  The spokesman added that they are excited about the idea and cannot wait to move forward.

He also stated that they have already had many positive discussions with Essex Cricket about also holding Cricket games at the field as well as discussions with UKA about how the field could be used for athletics in general with the additional potential to hold rugby, festivals, and concerts at the location.

He closed by stating that they realize the great potential the stadium holds for the community as a central location for all types of sports and events but at the same time plan to leave the stadium as unaltered as possible keeping it the same height but potentially extending the roof so that it will be able to offer full cover to seats during football games.