Shorts: Ryder Cup, European Tour, Hull Kr
Luton Hoo, a luxury hotel in Bedfordshire, has revealed its intentions to host the Ryder Cup with plans to build a ‘championship level golf course.’
The hotel’s owner, Arora Group, said the prospect was ‘a very realistic ambition’ and would like to host the international golf tournament in either 2031 or 2035.
Luton Hoo currently has an 18-hole golf course, but it plans to replace it with a higher standard of course to fulfil its ambitions.
The Ryder Cup 2023 will be played at the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome from 29th September to 1st October.
The European Tour Group – which administers the DP World Tour, Challenge Tour, Legends Tour, G4D Tour and the Ryder Cup in Europe – has announced the appointment of Eric Nicoli CBE as the new Chair of its Board of Directors.
Nicoli was initially appointed to the Board as a Senior Independent Director in March 2019 before assuming the position of Vice Chair in September 2021.
He becomes only the third Chair in the Tour’s 50-year history, taking over from the previous incumbent David Williams who stepped down at the end of last year in accordance with the Board’s rotational system; one of the many best practices of corporate governance he himself introduced in his time as Chair which began in January 2014.
Eric Nicoli commented, “I’m honoured and excited to succeed David Williams as Chair of the European Tour Group. I want to pay tribute to David who, in his nine years in the position, has transformed the management and governance of the Group and leaves it in excellent shape.
“I look forward to working with the Board, Keith Pelley and our exceptionally talented team as well as our many partners around the world, to continue to build all of our Tours for the benefit of all of our members. This is a pivotal time for our sport and we intend to grasp the opportunities before us to participate in the development of the definitive global golf Tour.”
Professional rugby league club Hull KR has appointed David Kilburn to the newly formed board of directors.
David joins the recently appointed, James McNicol alongside Chair Paul Sewell, the club’s Chief Executive, Paul Lakin, and Robins’ owner Neil Hudgell.
David commented, “I see joining the board of Hull KR as a real privilege. As someone who’s not been a fan of Rugby League previously, this is an opportunity for me to understand the game and help see if I can lift the Robins into being the team at the top again.”
“Joining the Board of Hull KR is an opportunity to help create something really special on the East side of the city. As MKM, we have been supporting Hull City Football Club for over 20 years, and it’s time we had a presence closer to our base in the East to compliment it. Big changes are coming to how the league is run, and I’m excited by the plans the club has in embracing them.”
National League football club Wrexham AFC has announced its new partnership with Wrexham-based online sports equipment retailer Net World Sports.
The award-winning global eCommerce retailer has become the official goal and training equipment partner’ of the football club.
As part of the partnership, Net World Sports will supply a wide range of training equipment to the men’s team, as well as supplying new team shelters to Wrexham AFC’s Women’s team.
Alex Lovén, Founder and Managing Director at Net World Sports, said, “We’re a business that is built by the people of Wrexham for the people of Wrexham, so we’re delighted to further grow our roots within the city and partner with the much-loved Wrexham AFC. Within our team, we have some big Wrexham AFC fans and season ticket holders, so as you can imagine this is a welcomed partnership by many. We’re hugely excited to see our equipment being used throughout the club and hopefully aid the team to a well-deserved promotion!”
English Football League (EFL) Two football club Gillingham FC has announced that cryptocurrency platform Stake.com has agreed to be the official sleeve sponsor for its Emirates FA Cup match against Leicester City on Saturday 7th January.
The agreement will see the Stake.com logo on the sleeve of the player’s shirts for the third round tie, which is being televised on BBC One.
Commercial Manager at the Gills, Joe Comper, said, “We are delighted to have Stake.com on board with us for the Leicester game. The fact that such a large business want to support the Gills is great for us, and we thank them for their backing. Hopefully we can upset the odds on Saturday!”
Dominic Rae, Sponsorship Manager for Stake.com, added, “We are delighted to be sponsoring Gillingham in what looks like a classic FA Cup third round fixture with the stage set for a giant killing. We wish our new partners the best of luck in delivering a famous FA Cup upset in front of a huge TV audience.”
