Stadia

For the first time in the history of the English soccer divisional play-offs, the four teams participating in the play-off for promotion to the Premier League from the first division are all quoted on the stock exchange.

The San Francisco Giants are preparing a proposal for a 20,000-seat sports and entertainment arena across China Basin from Pacific Bell Park, team officials say.

An investigation has been launched into a stadium disaster in Iran which left more than 250 people injured.

If Miami does not come up with a stadium financing plan for the Florida Marlins in the next 30 days, owner John Henry will look north to Broward or Palm Beach counties for help.

FA chief executive Adam Crozier?s position has come under pressure over the weekend as the fallout from the Wembley stadium fiasco continues to spread.

The organisers of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City may have to pay property tax to three counties in Utah if they want to host venues there in February.

The Australian Football League?s (AFL) reputation could be on the line after allegations of financial irregularities discovered in an internal audit of its membership department.

Nine of Japan's 10 stadia for the 2002 World Cup finals will be staging soccer matches before the end of July. But organisers are still concerned about the way fans will get to and from the grounds in rural areas, and are considering banning private transport to some stadia to ease traffic congestion.

British sports internet company Sportal has axed a further 20 staff.

The collapse of plans to redevelop London's famous Wembley as a state-of-the-art national stadium, due to a lack of funding, may have signalled the end of UK Prime Minister Tony Blair?s affair with soccer. For further details, see the FEATURES section of sportbusiness.com.

South African soccer officials are introducing numbered tickets for the World Cup qualifier against Zimbabwe in Johannesburg on Saturday after 43 people died at the city?s Ellis Park stadium last month.

Global Spectrum, the Philadelphia-based venue management company, has acquired Front Row Marketing Services, which specialises in sales and marketing services for sports and entertainment facilities, including naming rights, premium seating sales, and venue advertising and sponsorship opportunities.

Brazil's most popular club have been kicked out of their spiritual home by pop stars, the Backstreet Boys.

The Australian Olympic Committee members may be getting big pay rises this year to reward them for the ?best ever Olympic games?, but Stadium Australia Group, the builders of the A$690m ($351.7m) Aussie national stadium, has seen its share price tumble since the end of the games to A$0.10 ($0.05) from A$0.5 ($0.3).

Liverpool soccer club is to launch the first club-owned broadcasting service over a broadband internet network tomorrow, as part of its alliance with media group Granada.

The UK government should either stump up for the Wembley National Stadium project or the Football Association should ship out of Wembley altogether, according to industry experts speaking exclusively to sportbusiness.com. To read this article see the FEATURES section.