Cost : The application is free to download on iPhones and iPod Touch and requires a minimum of IOS3.

Other Features of the application:

1. Combines all information of the scattered venues.

2. The application details of the games to be held at the venue, its location and other infrastructure information for each and every commonwealth games.

3. Exact date, day and time for commonwealth schedule.

4. Real time information when the games start.

5. Online Ticket booking.

Where can you get your application from: iTunes

Their old school though process mixed with arrogance and a ignorance about how the internet can help them get richer – really surprises me!!

So keeping this theme in mind, I decided to do some research on how other sports governing bodies, associations and clubs are engaging in Social Media platforms.

I have put together some interesting case studies on Cricket Australia, Liverpool FC and WRC.

Please Click on the CLICK NOW button to view the presentation.

Thanks

1. They just can’t manage the club finances – Liverpool and Manyoo are the best examples.

2. They are bad decision makers – look at the latest case of Liverpool FC the new chairman a banker and one head of BA who is a Chelsea fan- he does not see the last home game because Chelsea was playing duh !! Who is your employer? Isn’t it Liverpool FC?

3. They like to shoot themselves in the foot – again Liverpool FC as an example . The latest Rafa saga everyone knew he wanted to quit and inter Milan made it very obvious that they want him. Then why pay £6 million to rafa? Waiting for inter to compensate would have been more sensible, isn’t it?

4. They just don’t get the picture – Liverpool again – the yanks have asked Kenny Daglish to look for a new manager for the club- duh!! He is the best candidate for the new managers post!!

5. They call the game Soccer – the fundamental mistake – it’s FOOTBALL not SOCCER.

If the Yanks can’t get the name right how on earth can they get the management of a football club spot on??

Management is of utmost importance in today’s sports. In modern days of keen competition success depends upon management skills of high grades. Management indicates execution or implementation for the sake of attaining predetermined objectives of Sports associations.

The success of any sport depends upon on three factors – Organization, Management and administration. Of these, Management is the most important as it is concerned with planning and programming, policy formulation and coordinating activities. It also includes control or work performance and maintenance of discipline for a purpose of maintaining a satisfactory quality of the sport.

The Key Problems in Sports revolve around the above-mentioned paragraph, and the following is a summary of the problems analysed by me:

Key problems facing Sports

Management: The problems that are seen at management level can be dubbed as the root of all problems in sports today.

There are numerous sports governing bodies in many countries, which operate very unprofessionally. This is a very common problem in developing countries. In India politicians who have no interest in developing the sport occupy top positions in sports associations. They are all given honorary positions and since they have no experience in the sport due to which the growth of that sport hampers.

Sports associations and governing bodies should change their mindset and should issue serious job roles with ex sports men on decision-making posts.

National associations and federations must stop whining about the governmental support and work towards developing a saleable product.

Economic: Economics of scale is a major talking point in the sports today. Inequality in the finances is a major threat to popular sports like Football. Economic imbalances in football leagues are a major drawback in the sport today. Issues of differences in salaries across sports is causing a very evidential competitive imbalance which will have a near term disadvantage which may result in declining popularity of the sport amongst the fans.

Developmental: The development of sports in the country needs a change in the basic mindset and evolution of the new culture. There is a need for sports associations and marketers to change the face of marketing by Professional methods, Packaging the sport well, Present the concepts better and position the sport confidently.

Grass Roots: Development of Sport at grass root level should be a focus of all sports governing bodies across the world, unfortunately only the popular sports, which are country specific, manage to flourish at grass root levels, there are success stories of grass root development which nations and sports associations can boast off example International Tennis Federation’s Mini Tennis Promotion and US Soccer’s Grassroots’ development program, which has made soccer a popular sport in a country that has popularized their national sports in the world. Development of grass root sports is the starting point of disciplined and structured atheism of the future.

Disciplinary: Discipline in Sports is a major problem in the past and even consists today. That’s the reason why there is negligence in the case of Doping, Match fixing, biased selection procedures, violence in sports. These are key problems that are hampering sports.

2. Not enough resource allocated to manage the sponsorship properly.

3. Not understanding the right due diligence on the property before signing the check.

4. Paying for rights fees and doing nothing with the sponsorship.

5. Misunderstanding the relationship between the different stakeholders in an event.

6. Jumping from one sponsorship to another without making the most of long-term involvement

7. Insufficient integration with other communications channels.

8. Failing to secure trade interest and support in the sponsorship.

9. Not understanding that an event you create takes time to build and grow too.

10. Failure to specifically measure Return On Investment of the sponsorship activity.

As a broad guide, if a publicity – sponsorship usually could cost Rs.100 of exploitation cost for every Rs. 100 of direct sponsorship. It might also require a reserve of another Rs.100 in management time. Therefore a payment of Rs.100, 0000 to secure sponsorship could eventually cost the organization closer to Rs.3000000 – 4000000. From this sum, it is possible to calculate the cost per thousand of reaching the direct audience and the indirect audience who watches the event on television. Sometimes, if the event is of a prestigious or innovative a factor can be allowed for the favorable aura created.

The calculation is simpler with an entertainment opportunity. The number of guests who will attend can divide the cost with the actual costs incurred and can decide whether it’s cost effective. The direct costs of entertaining a guest at the private marquee at Wimbledon may seem very reasonable at sterling £ 200 per head; however, it is possible to incur over sterling pounds 1000 per head from the guest in indirect costs. Some private boxes at football matches or cricket matches can cost ten times the rate for the equivalent number of individual seats.

There can be no set answers to the question of what is a good sponsorship. Public relations advisors to potential sponsors should establish relative importance of entertainment, publicity, goodwill and favorable associations.

The financial calculations can be related to the usual basic factors:

1.Who is the organization trying to reach?

2.   What attitudes is the sponsor trying to shape?

3.  What message are they trying to convey?

4.   How do the organizations try to monitor the effectiveness?

If the activity is carefully selected and controlled, it can be a most powerful technique. If not, it is a waste of money and diversion of scarce management from more important communication areas.

I support the F1 race in India, do you?

So, the Sports ministry has refused to endorse the F1 race as a sports event, saying it would not have an impact on Indian sports “in terms of participation, broad-basing or promotion of excellence.”

Coming from a Search Engine Marketing back ground – Instinctively, I picked up the key words from the statement:

1. Participation
2. Broad Basing / promotion of excellence

Having identified the key words, let’s pick up on them a little more in details. Participation is a broad term and if you relate it to motor sport context, it’s more or less irrelevant because we can’t have 100 cars starting on the race tracks. So, participation is a lame excuse that the government has considered for terming the sport as entertainment. On the other hand, the government should be proud of Force India and their ambitions to play with the big boys.

My question to the minister is simple. Isn’t Force India’s participation in F1 justifying the participation issue in their own statement?

And if the ministry is aware, there was a certain Narain Kartikeyan from India, who was a F1 driver a few years back. Wasn’t that participation? Even on technical level there are Indian’s in F1. Mr. Minister, for your kind information – this is not a mass participation sport and is a skilful sport where training is required and it’s sad we are not way up in the grass root development. Rallying is a big sport in India – we have an Indian team in WRC, we host APAC rallies in India, we host motor cross events in India, why is F1 being singled out?

Mr. Minister, may I ask you on behalf of the millions of sports fans in India- What have you done for development of Sports in India? The answer is –Nothing! So, if someone is putting in initiative to get a unique SPORT to India, why are you killing it?

Please don’t forget the economic development around that one event and how much the government can earn out of that one event. Look beyond, think out of the box and you will find your answers.

Apparently, the F1 race does not satisfy conditions which focus on human endeavour for excelling in competition with others. The second key word and I strongly disagree with that statement too.

Mr. Minister, can you ask millions of Indians their reaction after the podium finish of the Force India team? Should the government feel elated to host a race that every country is wanting to host?

I have a feeling this is a ego battle of the ministry and F1 will suffer in India just like all other Sports.  By hosting a race of this magnitude we are excelling in competition with other countries, doesn’t that mean anything at all?

Instead of being proud of associating with one of the top sports in the world and enjoying the economic impact that comes along with the event, we are haggling with the concept and busy penning definitions that mean nothing to F1 fans and is a wasted opportunity for the government.

I think, the government must open their eyes look at how other cities have taken on sports tourism seriously and are successful and laughing away earning millions, opening jobs, improving infrastructure, inviting business opportunities , keeping fans happy and more over developing grass roots and improving standards in sports training.