Contacts:


The Leisure Media Company Portmill House, Portmill Lane, Hitchin, Herts SG5 1DJ, UK Tel: +44 (0)1462 431385 Fax: +44 (0)1462 433909 e-mail: please use contacts' fullname@leisuremedia.com


Subscriptions subs@leisuremedia.com Editor Liz Terry 01462 431385 Head of news Jak Phillips 01462 471938 Journalists Tom Anstey 01462 471916 Helen Andrews 01462 471902 Products Editor


Jason Holland +44(0)1462 471922 Design Ed Gallagher 01905 20198 Internet Dean Fox 01462 471900 Tim Nash 01462 471917 Emma Harris +44(0)1462 471921 Publisher Julie Badrick 01462 471919 Publisher, Spa Opportunities Astrid Ros 01462 471911 Associate publishers Ricky Popat 01462 471908 Simon Hinksman 01462 471905 Annie Lovell 01462 471901 Jed Taylor 01462 471914 Paul Thorman 01462 471904 Property desk Simon Hinksman 01462 471905 Financial Administrator Denise Adams 01462 471930 Circulation Manager Michael Emmerson 01462 471932


Subscribe to Leisure Opportunities, Online: www.leisuresubs.com Email: subs@leisuremedia.com Tel: +44 (0)1462 471913 Annual subscription rates are UK £31, Europe £41, Rest of world £62, students UK £16.


Leisure Opportunities is published fortnightly by Te Leisure Media Company Limited, Portmill House, Portmill Lane, Hitchin, Herts SG5 1DJ, UK and is distributed in the USA by SPP, 75 Aberdeen Road, Emigsville, PA 17318-0437. Periodicals postage paid @ Manchester, PA POSTMASTER Send US address changes to Leisure Opportunities, c/o PO Box 437,Emigsville, PA 17318-0437. Te views expressed in print are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the publisher Te Leisure Media Company Limited. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recorded or otherwise without the prior permission of the copyright holder. Printed by Warners Midland plc. ©Te Leisure Media Company Limited 2014 ISSN 0952/8210


2


SPORT PL club revenues hit £3bn landmark


The combined total of English Premier League clubs’ revenues broke the £3bn mark for the first time during the 2013-14 season. The Annual Review of


Football Finance, by busi- ness analyst Deloitte, also shows that Germany’s Bundesliga remains Europe’s most profitable league, with operating profits of £226m, followed by the Premier League with operating profits of £82m. Dan Jones, partner at


Deloitte’s Sports Business Group, said the increases in the Premier League rev- enue is mainly down to broadcasting rights. “Te global appeal of the Premier League


Te wealth of talent means clubs spend 71 per cent of revenue on wages


revenue growth expected at the biggest clubs.” The increase in broadcasting income is


has continued to drive commercial revenue growth, particularly at the highest ranked Premier League clubs,” he said. “We estimate that Premier League clubs’ rev-


enue will have increased by almost 30 per cent to £3.2bn in 2013-14. Tis growth will be driven by the revenue from the first season of the new broadcast deals and further commercial


mainly down to the entry of BT Sport into the market to battle BSkyB for broadcasting rights. The report also shows that, on average,


Premier League clubs now spend 71 per cent of their revenue on wages – a record high – and only 13 of the Premier League’s 20 clubs made an operating profit last year. Details: http://lei.sr?a=V5R7b


Fresh Qatar 2022 corruption allegations


FIFA investigator Michael Garcia was set to meet organ- isers of the Qatar 2022 World Cup last week, amid calls for the bidding process to be reopened following fresh alle- gations of corruption. World football’s governing


body is currently awaiting results of a semi-indepen- dent inquiry led by Garcia into outcomes of the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bidding races, with senior stakeholders reportedly considering what action to take if the report rec- ommends a new vote. UK politicians and former football execu-


One of the main Qatar 2022 stadiums has been designed by Zaha Hadid


tives have expressed concern over the current process, following allegations made in the Sunday Times that Mohamed bin Hammam, a Qatari former Fifa executive committee mem- ber, paid £3m in cash, giſts and legal fees to senior football officials – particularly from Africa – to help build a consensus of support. FIFA vice-president Jim Boyce has said he would support a re-vote if corruption


Read Leisure Opportunities online: www.leisureopportunities.co.uk/digital


allegations can be proven. “I certainly as a member of the executive committee would have absolutely no problem whatsoever if the recommendation was for a re-vote,” said Boyce in a radio interview with the BBC. “If Garcia comes up with concrete evi-


dence – and concrete evidence is given to the executive committee and to Fifa – then it has to be looked at very seriously.” Details: http://lei.sr?a=E7j2y


Twitter: @leisureopps © CYBERTREK 2014


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24