Premier League ice hockey side Manchester Phoenix "folded" after talks with a potential investor to ease its financial situation "came to nothing." The club had not played in its home city since '15 when the Manchester Storm was "reformed to play in the Elite League at the Altrincham Ice Dome." The club "will leave the league immediately." A club statement said that it could not complete the season because of a "significant budget shortfall," but confirmed it "would pay any outstanding wages to players" (BBC, 2/1).
Shares in Under Armour "plunged after the sportswear brand revealed an unexpected fall in quarterly profits" and announced the departure of its CFO for "personal reasons." The kit supplier to Tottenham Hotspur, the Wales rugby team and world champion heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua said that sales had risen by 12% to $1.3B in the fourth quarter, "less than analysts were expecting." The company’s forecast of $5.4B sales in the coming year "was also well below forecasts." The shares fell by more than 25% in N.Y. after the company reported a 6% fall in quarterly profits to $167M. They closed on $21.49, down $7.41 (LONDON TIMES, 2/1).
The Gaelic Athletic Association's revenue increased 7% in '16 "despite falling attendances." Attributable "primarily to a number of high-profile replays last year," gate receipts were up by 12% across all League and All-Ireland Championship matches in both codes, from €26.7M in '15 to €30M last year. Total revenues "shot" from €56.6M to €60.5M over the same period while the GAA’s total income across all its units and companies rose to over €100M (IRISH INDEPENDENT, 2/1).
