It is important for every leading English Premiership football club to operate an effective strategy for pre-season tours, friendly matches and tournaments. This can facilitate a range of positive benefits, but is not without inherent risks for the unprepared. Clubs engage in pre-season tours and friendly matches generally do so for the following reasons:=

• – To help condition the playing squad for the coming season
• – To extend the club’s brand visibility and connect with local fans
• – To allow local sponsors the opportunity of activating against club assets
• – To cultivate positive PR by engaging in local community projects
• – To generate incremental revenue

So what are the key issues for a touring club to consider before loading their most precious assets onto a plane (I mean the players, not the directors) and flying off to some far-flung destination to raise their club colours high and claim dominion over the territory and its indigenous fans for themselves?

1. 1. Understand and establish the key motivation for the activity. Make sure this is communicated throughout the club on both the playing and commercial sides.
2. 2. Identify the territory and research carefully any competitive activity that might affect the granting of regulatory approval or local demand for tickets.
3. 3. Identify and establish good working relationships with the regional and national regulatory bodies necessary to sanction the planned activity
4. 4. Implement a rigorous approach to tendering for local promoters, particularly where there are cultural issues such as language and local customs to meet.
5. 5. Develop an internal project team and a robust operational process with representatives from each relevant department of the club participating.
6. 6. Develop a comprehensive security plan in conjunction with local security services, club resources and advice from HMG Foreign Office as appropriate.
7. 7. Put in place a detailed strategy for broadcast rights and other media facilities, ensuring that a tour website is available for each territory.
8. 8. Implement a sponsorship plan to establish a range of global and local sponsors with a suitable rights inventory to activate around the tour.
9. 9. Plan local strategies for linking with local fans through membership and CRM initiatives prior to, during and after the tour.
10. 10. Plan the ticketing pricing and distribution strategy carefully in relation to local preferences and customs.
11. 11. Ensure that club merchandise distribution licenses are in place before the tour commences and that tour-specific merchandise is available in each territory.
12. 12. Develop a programme of community activity, ideally to operate in conjunction with the national governing bodies or the local opposition club.

A successful and sustainable tour strategy is therefore one that:-

• – Establishes a brand presence in the market prior to the team’s visit through use of media, merchandise, sponsorship, CRM and local membership
• – Forms a good working relationship with the regional & national associations
• – Develops a strong portfolio of local sponsors keen to activate around the tour
• – Leaves behind a legacy of social programmes to benefit the local community

  Follow these guidelines and you can avoid many of the pitfalls that so often trap the unwary. Star Sports Marketing has the experience and capability to help you plan your tour, organise friendly matches and execute tournaments at home and abroad. Visit www.starsportsmarketing.com or email steven.falk@starsportsmarketing.co.uk for an informal discussion on the possibilities for your club.

Steven Falk

A graduate of Manchester University, Steven started his career in the motor industry before taking an MBA at Warwick University Business School.

There followed progressively senior roles in the Marketing and Commercial departments of Astra Zeneca; United Utilities; Great Universal Stores and MBNA, latterly as Head of Affinity Marketing. During this period, he worked on a range of UK and international assignments.

In 2001, Steven joined Manchester United as Director of Financial Services. Following the successful launch of the MU Finance business promoting a range of club-branded FS products to fans worldwide, Steven was promoted to Marketing Director. In this role he added Sponsorship, Brand Marketing, CRM and Club Pre-Season Tours to his existing Affinity FS responsibilities.

He was a member of the Executive Committee of Manchester United and a board director of Manchester United Foundation the club’s charitable trading arm.

In January 2010, Steven launched Star Sports Marketing, a specialist sports marketing consultancy. Details at www.starsportsmarketing.com

The business focuses on the key sports marketing disciplines of:-

• -Brand management and development of company vision and image
• -Sponsorship activation, relationship management and retention
• -Affinity marketing including development of own-brand financial services
• -CRM including data management, organisation and event marketing
• -Loyalty and membership programmes
• -Touring and friendly match organisation

To comment on this article or for an informal chat about how Star Sports Marketing can help your business, please contact Steven directly by email at steven.falk@starsportsmarketing.co.uk This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Steven Falk’s

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The German Football Association (DFB) has confirmed that it will bid to host UEFA EURO 2024, and has opened a process for countries to get involved in the campaign.

The DFB has hosted Europe’s primary international tournament previously in 1988, and has been considering applying to host EURO 2024 for a number of years. The German Football Association have now voted unanimously to bid for EURO 2024, and will submit their formal application on March 3.

The DFB has invited venues with capacities of over 30,000 to submit their interest in staging tournament matches.

UEFA is due to select the EURO 2024 host in 2018.

Location: Melbourne or Sydney, prostate Australia

Closing Date: January 13, unhealthy 2017

Overview:

The Finance Director is a key member of the Senior Management Team (SMT) and reports directly to the Chief Executive Officer, AIMG. The Finance Director will be responsible for the financial management of Federal and State Government funds, financial reporting and planning for the Games. This is a very hands-on leadership position, requiring financial flair, flexibility and agility to react to a fluid environment in order to achieve successful commercial outcomes for the Games. The Finance function will work closely with all departments which will be critical to the success of delivering a smooth and efficient event in October 2018.

The role will have the following key responsibilities:

Program Accounting including:

• Managing the overall program budget
• Managing work package budgets

Statutory reporting including:

• Monthly, quarterly and annual reporting
• Budget v actual reporting
• Oversight of the accounting and bookkeeping function
• Reporting requirements including BAS and ASIC Statements
• Ensure all local compliances regarding statutory financial statement, VAT, agents, etc
• Responsible for year-end activities relating to the accounts payable and revenue functions, and interacting with external auditors during audit field work.
• The role will be supported by an Account Manager and Bookkeeper

In addition the role seeks a true business partner who will collaborate effectively with key stakeholders, including corporate partners, agencies, broadcasters, community and government departments to build sustainable relationships. You will be required to respond to enquiries and communicate accounts payable and revenue information to employees and suppliers as required, whilst ensuring proper payroll and HR operations are in place.  You will be responsible for collecting, reviewing, recording and preparing all ticket sales and revenues accurately.

Skills & Experience Required

Essential:

• Management of Federal and State Government funds in accordance with specified requirements and Commonwealth guidelines
• Demonstrated ability to manage finances in a program environment with budgets of $25 mil or more
• Proven people and stakeholder manager, open to direction and collaborative work style and commitment to achieving results and outcomes
• Demonstrated ability to manage all statuary accounting requirements of business with an annual turnover of approximately $8 mil
• Excellent attention to detail and accuracy and strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• A high degree of professionalism and customer service skill, including strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• CPA and Accounting Degree qualified

Key attributes required:

• An inspirational leader who will make a visible and positive contribution to the senior leadership team and help, support and guide the Games to sustainability and success
• High levels of financial and business acumen with strong negotiation skills within B2B and B2C environments
• A good communicator, experienced in operating in complex multi-stakeholder environments with an ability to think through problems, innovate and achieve effective solutions
• Proven record of fostering relationships across different geographies, both internally and externally
• Understanding of the Invictus Stakeholder environment
• Demonstrated commitment to the Invictus Movement and cultural fit with AIMG

How to apply: Letters of application and full CV’s should be sent by email to Josie Lahey at jlahey@sriexecutive.com. For a confidential discussion about the role please contact Josie on +61 478 803 255.

Ahead of the third Sporting Equals LeaderBoard Conference at EY’s headquarters in London, Sport England and UK Sport have pledged support to help more black, asian and minority ethnic (BAME) professionals and athletes get appointed to sports boards.

Following the recently announced Governance Code for Sport, the two government agencies have backed Sporting Equals’ efforts to help national governing bodies and other sports organisations work proactively to create more opportunities for BAME candidates to fill roles.

This includes Sporting Equals’ LeaderBoard Programme and the newly-created LeaderBoard Academy which will provide training, mentoring and coaching support for candidates.

Recent audits conducted on the profile of national governing body boards and senior teams show that there is a significant lack of BAME diversity.

Sporting Equals latest 2016 figures suggest that only 26 out of 601 board positions (4 per cent) have BAME members and out of 68 sports organisations only one has a BAME CEO.

The Sporting Equals LeaderBoard and Academy will provide national governing bodies with a thorough and transparent process to encourage greater diversity in board and leadership roles at a national and, where relevant, regional and county level.

Arun Kang, Sporting Equals CEO, said, “These are exciting times for British sport as there will be real commitment to develop and support governing bodies and other sporting organisations with their diversity strategies that ensure they empathise, engage and increase the ethnic diversity in their decision making positions which ultimately will give them financial dividends. We will also empower the BAME professionals and former athletes to be ‘board ready’ to further support the development of sport in the UK.”

The Sporting Equals LeaderBoard Conference will be hosted by Sky Sports News broadcaster Mike Wedderburn and the Event will feature Olympic and Paralympic legends Christine Ohuruogu MBE and Baroness Tanni Grey Thompson.

Phil Smith, Sport England’s director of sport, said: “We were really proud to launch the Governance Code for Sport after a lot of hard work to deliver against a pretty challenging brief. But clearly, the job doesn’t stop there.

“Whilst the code is one of the most advanced in the world, what it shows is that so much more needs to be done to help sports organisations to be truly reflective of the customers and communities they serve.

“We want our sporting bodies to be among the best run in the world and it’s important that the public have full confidence in them. The onus is now on them to reach the code’s standards, and if they can’t or won’t, they will not be eligible to receive public money for their work.

“But as well as setting the required standards, we want to help and encourage as many sports bodies as possible to reach them. That includes encouragement and guidance on improving diversity in all its forms. 

“Sporting Equals work is a vital part of this, supporting more BAME professionals and athletes to take up roles they are rightly qualified to hold. This is a really positive step forward, but only the very start.”

Simon Morton, UK Sport’s chief operating officer, said: “The new Governance Code requires funded organisations to demonstrate a strong, public commitment to increasing diversity, including BAME diversity, on their boards.  They will be required to publish action plans and publicly report on progress against them each year. UK Sport and Sport England have committed to give funded organisations support to meet these enhanced diversity requirements. We therefore welcome the announcement of the Leaderboard Academy, and look forward to working with Sporting Equals and Sport England to increase the number of BAME candidates for positions on boards.”

 Christine Ohuruogu, a Sporting Equals Ambassador, said: “I’m delighted to be supporting the Sporting Equals Leaderboard programme. The continued work of Sporting Equals will I am sure go a long way to helping create a long term solution for BAME professionals and former athletes as they look to secure board level positions in sport.”

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The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Sky Italia have announced a multiyear expansion of their existing broadcast partnership that will see Sky Italia host www.nba.com/italia, see  the NBA’s new official online destination in Italy. 

As part of the partnership, pills Sky Italia will broadcast 4 live games per week including  22 primetime “NBA Sundays” games during the 2016-17 regular season.  

Set to launch during the 2016-17 season, apoplectic the new online destination, hosted in a dedicated section of www.skysport.it/, will provide fans in Italy with extensive video highlights, news, stats and scores and original digital content.

“Sky Italia has been a trusted partner of the NBA for more than two decades and is the ideal choice to serve as the host of our official online destination in Italy,” said NBA EMEA Vice President, Global Media Distribution, Elsa Memmi.  “With primetime games on Sundays, a season-long slate of programming and extensive highlights available online, Sky Italia will be the true home of the NBA in Italy.”

“We are thrilled to have renewed our long-term relationship with the NBA dating back 20 years, and we are glad that, once again, the NBA has recognized the Sky platform as a key driver for maximizing exposure of its brand.  We are also very excited to announce that skysport.it will host the Italian localized version of NBA.com for the first time, thus providing  360 degree coverage of the NBA on all our platforms.  We look forward to the partnership and continuing to serve NBA fans in Italy,” said Sky Italia Rights, Programming and Production Senior Director, Matteo Mammi.

Yorkshire Carnegie and Crabbie’s Alcoholic Ginger Beer have struck a three-year partnership deal.

The deal will see the Crabbie’s logo on the club’s away shirt for the next three seasons  – starting with this Sunday’s clash with title rivals Cornish Pirates.

Additionally, Crabbie’s and Carnegie will work together to extend rugby’s reach across the region.

John Bradbury, Managing Director of Crabbie’s owner Halewood Wines And Spirits, says: “Crabbie’s involvement in rugby is all about developing the game and encouraging participation at all levels.

“There is a real appetite for the game in Yorkshire and whether you are playing rugby or watching rugby, Crabbie’s will be there.”.

Yorkshire Carnegie Commercial Director Rob Oates commented: “We are delighted to welcome Crabbie’s into our family of partners. There is a great synergy between their brand and the fans who enjoy the wealth of sport available at Headingley Carnegie Stadium, all year round. They are excited about the Yorkshire project moving forward and want to be part of our vision for the club.”

Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter, former Secretary General Jérôme Valcke, and former Deputy Secretary General Markus Kattner have been accused of offering themselves bonuses and pay rises to the sum of $80 million by FIFA’s lawyers.

Attorneys for FIFA provided an update on the internal investigation and details on compensation for former top officials