Location: London, UK – NBA EMEA

Closing date: 30th November 2016

Overview:

The NBA’s international offices work to carry out the league’s strategy of growing the game of basketball globally by hosting NBA events around the world, creating sponsorship opportunities for local businesses, developing merchandising strategies with regional licensees, selling international media packages, and overseeing international public and media relations. Based in London, the Director of Events, Marketing & Operations will work across all business units on the design, planning and implementation of NBA events and operations throughout EMEA. This position will take a lead role in the management of our Global Games series and influencer marketing programs.

Major Responsibilities:

• Serve as EMEA City Manager for Global Games in region, focusing on overall management of event operations; including:
  • Work closely with NY/NJ colleagues on event operations and logistics;
  • Day-to-day contact for event promoter and venues;
  • Support management of marketing plans working in conjunction with Marketing team;
  • Liaison with Global Partnerships on partner deliverables;
  • Budget planning & internal event memo process;
  • Support tracking all event costs;
  • Manage any relevant agency contracts/RFP process.
• Serve as project manager for new events (outside of existing event program); including:
  • Manage projects from inception to completion;
  • Coordinate involvement of other departments both in region and from US departments;
  • Manage third party contractors, where needed.
• Support management of celebrity/influencer marketing programs; including:
  • Foster relationships with targeted ambassadors across sports and entertainment;
  • Serve as internal contact to leverage opportunities;
  • Manage contract process.
• Manage day-to-day operations of player marketing initiatives serving as primary contact for EMEA
• Support management on strategic partnerships in effort to maximize NBA business opportunities across region
• Maintain open and ongoing communication lines with New York and regional EMEA offices
• Monitor, research and track European trends in event sponsorship and marketing

Required Experience & Knowledge:

• Minimum of 8 -10 years of relevant international event and marketing experience
• Fluent in English. A second language preferred, additional languages a plus
• Direct European event management experience
• Ability to work well in complex and dynamic environment
• Abilityto develop strong relationships both internally and externally to execute successful events based on stated objectives
• Expertise in project management techniques and application
• Team player, self-motivated and goal oriented
• Excellent management skills (may have direct reports)
• Strong communication skills (verbal and written)
• Broad knowledge of event marketing, experiential marketing, media, brand management, promotions – conception through execution and event management
• Position will require significant international travel
• Excellent computer skills including PowerPoint, Excel, Word, Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator

Educational Background Required:

• Bachelor degree

Click here to apply

Bundesliga CEO Christian Seifert has extended his contract with the German Football league (Deutsche Fußball Liga GmbH, impotent DFL) for five more years until 2022.

Seifert has been the CEO of the German league since 2005, and has made a “crucial contribution to the overall success of the German league,” says Dr. Reinhard Rauball, chairman of the DFL supervisory board, adding, “With the challenges that lie ahead, the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 clubs will be able to continue relying on the proven and successful joint activities.”

Seifert, who has been a proponent for the European Super League, claiming it would be good for the Bundesliga, has overseen the acquisition of sports broadcaster DSF and an extensive merchandising rights package for the 2006 FIFA World Cup during his tenure.

“I am pleased to have the supervisory board’s trust and look forward to tackling the tasks awaiting me. Together with the clubs, committees and the DFL team, I will be furthering German professional football as a sports competition with a solid economic basis and great popularity in all parts of society,” said Seifert.

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By Christian Radnedge

The Qatar Football Association are close to launching an independent court of arbitration for sport, cough according to their vice president.

Saud Al Mohannadi revealed last week that efforts to establish an internationally recognised sports judicial body in Qatar have been going on for the past three years.

Now, with the recent launch of a fully independent footballers union, Al Mohannadi confirmed that the body was close to being established.

“In addition to various entities in and outside of Qatar, the Qatar National Olympic Committee has lent its support since the early stages of this project, this was demonstrated back in March when QFA and QNOC confirmed the partnership between the two bodies”, he added.

The court will provide services in order to resolve legal disputes in the field of sport through arbitration and mediation in accordance to the rules and regulations of FIFA and other internationally recognised bodies.

The body will be of particular use to players who may find themselves in a similar situation as French footballer Zahir Belounis, who claimed he was being kept a prisoner in the country following a pay dispute with former club El Jaish.

Belounis was not granted an exit visa by the club, required by law in Qatar to leave the country. However, 19 months after his initial dispute with his former employers, he was allowed to leave and returned to France.

At the time, the QFA maintained that they had tried to intervene but legal wranglings prevented them from providing an amicable solution.

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The iSportconnect Media and Communications Masterclass made an inspiring debut in London today at the headquarters of executive search firm, Odgers Berndtson.

Senior media and communications professionals from across the sport industry attended what was an informative and thought-provoking event.

Attendees included representatives from ATP, BBC, Bundesliga, Chelsea FC, City Football Group, ECB, England Rugby 2015, NBA, Newcastle United FC, Premier League, Southampton FC, PGA European Tour, The FA, UEFA, UK Sport, WADA, West Bromwich Albion FC, WTA and many more.

The morning’s first panel featured Shaun Custis, Head of Sport Content at The Sun and Lee Clayton, Group Head of Sport for the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday.

The pair discussed several topics including where the importance sits between the newspaper and online/social media, where and how sporting organisations can be more proactive when working with the media and how they see the media landscape in the future.

The second panel of the day had a football theme to it as Dan Johnson, Director of Communications at the Premier League, Steve Atkins, Head of Communications and Public Affairs at Chelsea FC and Christian Pfennig, Director of Corporate and Brand Communications at the Bundesliga took to the stage.

Dan Johnson, commented: “The sport industry is changing rapidly and the communication is a very important element. We’ve seen the media and the leagues and club sides during this event. It’s a very interesting debate.”

The trio each focused on where communications sits within their respective organisations, how their work has changed with the emergence of social and digital media and the level of their involvement at the formative stages of key decisions within their organisations.

The third and final panel of the day involved Pedro Pinto, Chief of Press at UEFA, Will Chignell, Head of Communications at the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and Philip Bernie, Head of BBC TV Sport.

They touched on several issues such as what sport organisations should be doing to generate more coverage, examples of proactive work that has resulted in successful campaigns and coverage and how their respective organisations have responded to social and digital media generating instant news.

Speaking after the event, Pedro Pinto said: “For me it was particularly interesting to hear from the Premier League and from a club, and the Bundesliga as well because these are similar set ups as we have at UEFA in terms of communication, so it’s interesting to see how they are thinking about communicating themselves and what their priorities are.”

The event proved to be hugely successful and was one of the best Masterclass events to date.

The Masterclass event continues with the first Sport Performance Masterclass taking place on July 14^th.

For more information visit the website HERE.

More pictures below

Networking in full flow at the Masterclass

(Steffen Merkel, Bundesliga, left, Christian Pfennig, Bundesliga, centre & John Williams, WRU, right) 

(Greg Demetriou, FA, left & Pedro Pinto, UEFA, right)

(Welcome by Simon Cummins, Managing Director, Global Sports Practice, Odgers Berndtson) 

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By Christian Radnedge

Clubs within the Football League have approved changes to the league’s insolvency policy meaning that going into administration will now carry a 12 point penalty, rx rather than the previous amount of 10.

The move was agreed at the owners’ and executives’ conference and AGM this week. Changes made will come into force on the first weekend of the 2015-16 season.

The heavier sanction comes even in the knowledge that for two seasons the league has not seen one of their clubs go into administration.

But it is seen as the Football League’s commitment to further dissuade owners from being tempted to play around with the club’s finances too much.

Other changes include removing the requirement for a potential club purchaser, viagra order after administration, illness to acquire a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA). The league said this would have the aim of reducing “the insolvency period and the associated professional costs, as well as providing greater certainty that the club will continue”.

Also, it’s hoped this will mean that the administration process will not be controlled by the previous owner who in some instances will be the only party able to achieve a CVA.

The Football League’s Chief Executive, Shaun Harvey said: “The League has now gone two full seasons without a club suffering an insolvency event which is an encouraging sign.  The use of Financial Fair Play regulations in all three divisions, the requirement for new owners to demonstrate the source and sufficiency of their funding and the ongoing monitoring of club’s tax affairs have helped us bring more stability to club finances.

“However, we cannot be complacent and this is the right time to strengthen our Insolvency Policy and also refine its effects, so that it is as fair as it can possibly be for clubs, creditors and supporters.”

Other changes in terms of club ownership include the rule that clubs will have to notify the league if anyone acquires a club shareholding of 10 per cent or more.