FIFA will "double its development funding for women's football over its next four-year cycle, culminating with the World Cup in Russia in 2018."
FIFA has earmarked $21M for this purpose in '15-18, up from just under $10.3M in '11-14 (INSIDE THE GAMES, 9/13). ... IOC VP Craig Reedie "has predicted that Scotland's biggest sports stars would be likely to just 'follow funding' and refuse to represent a newly-independent nation." Reedie believes that Olympians and Paralympians "would snub the chance to compete for an independent Scotland at Rio 2016." The "reason?" The funding and facilities available to British athletes "would far outweigh the other factors" (EUROSPORT, 9/14).
THIRD-PARTY TALKS: Spanish Superior Sports Council (CSD) President Miguel Cardenal said of the role of third-party investment firms in Spanish football, "UEFA favors the total suppression of investment firms and FIFA does not see it this way. Spain deserves to debate on this topic and from this analysis, to later adopt conclusions. This is the position that the RFEF (Spanish Football Federation) has expressed. We are not opposed to anything and if the agreement is to suppress the funds, it will be correct. We are against doing this without analysis, debates and studies" (AS, 9/14). ... The National Rugby League "could introduce a finals-based incentive scheme for next season that would see clubs share in the gate takings provided they are able to increase crowd numbers past a certain threshold."
NRL Head of Football Todd Greenberg said that "the scheme had already been raised at the last chief executives’ conference and was met with a favourable response" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 9/15).
DIRTY WATERS: An official investigation revealed that top-ranking Australian swimming coaches "took part in parties involving strippers, porn movies and binge-drinking at annual bonding sessions on the Gold Coast." An inquiry commissioned by Swimming Australia "described these private strip shows, which took place during the annual national coaching conferences, as 'legendary'" (SUNDAY HERALD, 9/14). Swimming Australia "does not believe any of its coaches have a case to answer for misconduct." The report of the independent inquiry, conducted by barrister Louise Donohoe SC, "was leaked" to a Sunday newspaper, "more than four years after she concluded that no individual had a case to answer" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 9/15).
