Free bagels in the Big Apple – running with the New York Road Runners

Our senior consultant Andrew Weltch looks at the success of New York Road Runners in getting people of all ages and abilities running the sidewalks, streets and parks of the five boroughs.

Andrew Weltch with son Rich ahead of the Al Gordon 4M in Prospect Park, Brooklyn

Running (or, more accurately for many of us, jogging) is perhaps the simplest form of exercise, and this blog has celebrated in a previous post the phenomenal success of parkrun in getting many thousands of people completing a 5k run every Saturday morning.

Parkrun’s rapid growth in recent years has seen it spread well beyond its UK home. At the time of writing [March 2019], it claims 3.6 million runners at 1,700 weekly events in 21 countries across five continents. But this isn’t the only organisation succeeding in getting people on their feet in a big way.

Neil Warnock’s Public Relations Masterclass

Guest post by Reece Chambers on the weekend’s post-game press conference by Cardiff City manager Neil Warnock, and how it demonstrated a mastery of PR.

It’s 6.54pm on Saturday evening. Mr Warnock has just trudged back into the house and kicked his shoes off before settling down with a glass of fine red wine for the evening. All seems normal in the Warnock household, but what had preceded Warnock’s journey home was another masterclass in the communicatory skills of a wise professional.

90 years of speedway in Cardiff

As the British Speedway Grand Prix returns to Cardiff, our senior consultant, Andrew Weltch, author of the history of Speedway in Wales, looks at the arrival of the sport in the city 90 years ago.

Top-level speedway has become an annual fixture on Cardiff’s sporting calendar, and as the 2018 Adrian Flux FIM British Speedway Grand Prix gets under way in the Principality Stadium on Saturday [July 21st], it will be 90 years since the sport arrived in the city.

Will GB’s promotion deliver a boost for UK ice hockey?

Great Britain’s sensational promotion to the top flight of world championship ice hockey could give the sport the boost it needs, writes our senior consultant Andrew Weltch.

As the lowest ranked team in the IIHF’s Division 1A (the second level), GB was expected to struggle against the likes of Hungary, Italy and Kazakhstan.

But they won four of their five games – including a final-game penalty-shot victory over hosts Hungary in front of 8,500 fans in Budapest last night (Saturday April 28th) to clinch the gold medal.

World Rallycross to switch on electric championship

It has been clear for some time that the days of petrol and diesel cars are numbered – not just on the roads, but on the race tracks too, writes Weltch Media senior consultant, Andrew Weltch.

Reports that World Rallycross will have electric cars as its headline class within the next two years have made that fact even clearer.

For Dutch women’s soccer, something was even bigger than winning Euro 2017

Guest post by Emma Coolen, would-be professional soccer player, whose ambition is to be part of the Netherlands squad for the 2019 World Cup.

‘Come on ladies. Make us proud. Show the entire country what you are capable of!’, I wrote on my blog on July 16th, earlier this year [2017].

Reaching out to leverage synergies? Please don’t!

Our senior consultant Andrew Weltch reaches out to leverage some synergies going forward. A look at the crime against language – business jargon.

Three reasons to sponsor women’s sport

Women’s sport is on the rise, and it offers great opportunities for sponsorship.

In the UK this year [2017] we’ve seen the success of women’s Super League cricket, the continuing growth of women’s soccer, England reaching the final of the women’s rugby world cup, and many other examples.

Challenges and changes: How an independent soccer magazine defied the prophets of doom

Guest post by David Collins of Welsh Football magazine. Here he looks at the challenges this independent print magazine has faced in its 25 years of covering all aspects of soccer in Wales.

As the editor / publisher of a small, independent magazine, the publication’s recent 25^th anniversary gave me cause to reflect on the changes – and challenges – we’ve faced since we launched in 1992.

Fatima joins the Capitals – because hockey is for everyone

Top-level sport has huge potential to influence attitudes and behaviour. That’s why we despair when a pro soccer player takes a dive and rejoice when a tennis player concedes a disputed point. Athletes’ actions will be imitated and their attitudes set the moral tone for their sport.