FA CEO Martin Glenn on Shaping England’s Future at the Soccerex Global Convention

The future of English football will be addressed at this year’s Soccerex Global Convention, generic 7-9 September, impotent with the confirmation that FA CEO Martin Glenn will be giving an exclusive 1-2-1 interview at the event, taking place at the Manchester Central Convention Complex.

In his first industry event appearance since taking the role, Glenn will be sharing his vision for the development of football in England, in particular looking at how The FA is being restructured to become more cost effective so that more funding can be distributed to grassroots and elite development in the England teams.

He will also touch upon what can be learned from the England Lionesses’ achievements in the Women’s World Cup and will be giving delegates an insight into The FA’s work to get more playing time for English players with the possible introduction of tougher rules on the home grown player quotas.

Martin Glenn first came to prominence in 1992 when, as the UK president of PepsiCo, he recruited  England legend Gary Lineker to the “No More Mr Nice Guy” campaign for Walkers Crisps – a move leading to him being labelled as a “rebranding guru”.. Glenn has also had experience in the football industry after sitting on the Leicester City board as a non-executive for four years.

The recently appointed CEO leads a revamped FA senior management team, aimed at restructuring due to The FA’s programme to reprioritise significant investment towards grassroots facilities, coaching and their England teams.

The new team includes expanded roles for the likes of Julie Harrington moving from Managing Director of St. George’s Park (SGP), to the newly created position of Operations Director for Wembley Stadium and SGP, and Robert Sullivan, who has been promoted to Strategy Director.

Soccerex CEO, Duncan Revie, said: “I’m delighted to be welcoming Martin to the Convention. I am looking forward to hearing his vision for the future of the English game and how the reconstruction of The FA is going to help support the development of English football, which will be a fascinating learning opportunity for our delegates.”

Martin Glenn will join an impressive and diverse list of expert speakers that already include the likes of Davor Suker, Croatia Football Federation President and UEFA Executive Committee member, Don Garber, MLS Commissioner, Ian Ritchie, Rugby Football Union CEO, Dave Kaval, San Jose Earthquakes President, Javier Tebas, La Liga President, Nathan Homer, Barclay’s Head of Global Sponsorship and Partnerships, Tim Ellerton, Global Sponsorship Manager at Heineken, Alex Trickett, Head of Sport Twitter UK and Glenn Miller, Head of Sport and Entertainment Media Partnerships, Facebook.

The Soccerex Global Convention brings together more than 3000 of football’s elite over three days of a thought provoking conference programme packed with business insight, alongside a market-leading international exhibition and extensive networking.

A programme of social events completes the schedule for what is widely acknowledged as the world’s leading football business event.

For further information about this event please call +44 (0)208 987 5522 or visit www.soccerex.com/global

England Netball Put Liverpool Forward to Host Netball World Cup 2019

The city of Liverpool in England has been put forward as a candidate to host the Netball World Cup in 2019.

The bid was submitted by England Netball, pills Liverpool City Council, clinic UK Sport and ACC Liverpool to the International Netball Federation (INF).

At the heart of the bid is the ACC Liverpool complex, which includes the 8,300 capacity Echo Arena.

The bid also includes the Exhibition Centre for the athlete training venue and the BT Convention Centre which would act as the INF Congress venue.

England Netball Chairman Cheryl Danson OBE said: “Liverpool is an iconic city immersed in sport and, with its global reputation and warm welcome, would be the perfect host to showcase the Netball World Cup 2019 to the world.

“Through ACC Liverpool we are able to offer the INF a wonderful single site venue that includes the competition arena, training venue, INF Congress venue and event hotel.

“All these facilities are interlinked and situated on a World Heritage waterfront site, perfectly located to deliver the most seamless and athlete centred Netball World Cup ever.

“To ensure a lasting impact from the INF’s flagship event, we want to create a step change in knowledge transfer that supports the INF in its ambition to develop the game world-wide.

“Within our bid we have a budget to support emerging nation delegates coming to Liverpool to attend INF Congress, be part of the tournament observer programme and exchange ideas to develop the sport at every level.

“What’s more, our commercial offer to the INF to host the Netball World Cup is strong, all underpinned by the British Government through UK Sport.”

ACCLiverpool

The bid forms part of UK Sport’s Gold Event Series, a programme investing over £40million of National Lottery funding to bring up to 100 of the world’s most prestigious sporting events to the UK by 2023.

Roberto Martinez, Manager of Everton Football Club also offered his support to the Liverpool bid saying: “Sport is the lifeblood of this city and creates passion among its people whatever their team, or activity, or league.

“Whilst the world may be currently tuned into the World Cup, we must remember the importance of all sports in encouraging support and participation both now and as a lasting legacy.

“I have no doubt that Liverpool would do netball proud if the Netball World Cup was held in the city.”

UEFA Approve New Nations League

European football’s governing body UEFA has approved the launch of a Nations League which will start in 2018.

The Nations League will be played every second year and countries will have the chance to win qualifying places for the 2020 European Championship by performing well in the league.

The league will replace the majority of international friendlies after unanimous support from UEFA’s 54 member associations in Kazakhstan.

As of yet the format has not been decided but reports suggest the 54 countries will be split into four divisions according to ranking and there will be promotion and relegation.

Wolfgang Niersbach, Chairman of the National Teams Competition Committee said: “We accept and respect that all UEFA member associations have agreed to create a new competition.

“This is a big step for national teams in Europe and we hope that fans will support the format.”

UEFA President Michel Platini added: “The friendlies don’t really interest anybody – neither the fans nor the players nor the media and nor the national associations.

“This is a good decision because nobody wants these friendlies.”

The English Football Association has gone on record to support the introduction, with General Secretary Alex Horne speaking to Sky Sports News.

Horne said: “It’s a positive one. We’ve been working on this for perhaps 18 months now as a collective.

“I think what we have got in front of us with the Nations League is the prospect of some really exciting fixtures followed by the qualification games.

“For an England player, for manager Roy Hodgson, you want to be taking part in those big games.”

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Inaugural iSportconnect Directors’ Club Paris is Today!

Directors’ Club to be staged in Paris on December 12th

Paris event at Paris Saint-Germain’s Parc des Princes with Frédéric Longuépée, Pascal Grizot and Florence Njamfa

iSportconnect, the world’s largest private network for sports business executives, together with Havas Sports & Entertainment, is preparing to host the first ever Directors’ Club event in Paris. 

The Directors’ Club will come to Paris for the first time on December 12th at the home of French Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain, the historic Parc des Princes.

The event will feature high-profile panellists including Frédéric Longuépée, Deputy Director General in charge of Commercial Affairs at Paris Saint-Germain Football Club; Pascal Grizot, President of the Ryder Cup 2018 Organizing Committee; and Florence Njamfa, Global Brand Identity, Advertising & Sponsorship Director at Orange.

iSportconnect CEO Sree Varma said: “It has always been a dream of mine to take the iSportconnect Directors’ Club around the world and I am excited to start in Paris next week. We have established a great panel for the event which is being held in such a wonderful venue.

“We are looking forward to seeing all of you this week.”

Following on from the Paris event, the iSportconnect Directors’ Club will continue to go global, with visits to Moscow, Russia on January 16 and New York City for a pre-Super Bowl party on January 29.

Invitation Policy: iSportconnect Directors’ Club is an invitation only event open exclusively for chief executives, chairmen and director level executives from governing bodies, sports teams and sponsorship brands.

To register interest, please email:  matthias.moulin@isportconnect.com

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Wasserman Media Group Purchase Ignite Agency

Global sports and entertainment specialist, viagra 40mg Wasserman Media Group, prostate has acquired the brand experience agency Ignite.

The sums of the deal were undisclosed but Ignite will assume the Wasserman name and all members of staff at Ignite will stay on.

They will join the consulting division at Wasserman, which works with high-profile brands such as American Express and PepsiCo.

Part of their duties will include creating strategic programmes across the sports, fashion and music sectors.

Fred Porro, Ignite’s group managing director said: “We are incredibly excited to be joining Wasserman, as the acquisition provides us with an unlimited opportunity to work across the company to deliver superior experiential campaigns for their clients, while integrating our clients into their global network.”

Casey Wasserman, chairman and chief executive of Wasserman Media Group, added: “Ignite’s experience and capabilities will further enable our teams to connect key client strategic initiatives directly with the audiences they are working to engage.

“Most significant is that the Ignite team is a perfect cultural fit for Wasserman, and we look forward to immediate and substantial results.”

Ignite was formed in 2002 and has held clients such as the National Football League (NFL), Tesco and Vodafone.

Porro will not be relocating from Ignite’s current US headquarters in Miami, Florida, to Wasserman’s office in New York.

Manchester United Marketing Manager Defends Sponsorship Strategy

Manchester United have denied that their vast sponsorship strategy has weakened the brand and that they have reached their limit.

Last week, United announced deals with two Chinese companies; the soft drink manufacturer Wahaha and China Construction Bank.

Following on from this, the Premier League side announced Japanese paint manufacturer Kansai as their official paint partner.

On top of these sponsorship deals, United have also bought out Sky’s one-third minority equity stake in MUTV, leading some critics to argue they have diluted their brand and cannot go any further.

Jonathan Rigby, Marketing Manager at Manchester United has moved to deny these claims. He said: “There is nothing of what we know of our own brand that suggests that is the case. We don’t see that at all. We see an increase in growth in the vibrancy of our brand.

“In fact we see the opposite. We see a fanbase that is growing, we see engagement levels growing, we see viewing figures continuing to grow. We don’t know how far we can go.

“We certainly don’t think we are reaching a limit. It is a model that is working very well. The evidence I see every day is that our partners get a huge amount and are all able to get their own part of Manchester United.”

United will also start a seven-year deal with car manufacturer Chevrolet in 2014, worth £357m ($563m).

The Red Devils posted a 13.7% increase in commercial income in their most recent annual results, rising to £117.6m ($185.5m).

In the recent Deloitte Football Money League, Manchester United recorded a total of €395.5m ($527.9m) in their earnings for 2011-12.

Steven Falk, Director of Star Sports Marketing, wen’t into detail about Manchester United’s sponsorship strategy.

“The club’s share of TV revenue has increased dramatically under the stewardship of the EPL,” the former Manchester United marketing director told iSportconnect.
“Meanwhile the Glazer family has maximised match day revenue and invested heavily in an in-house sales team operating out of the UK, Hong Kong and the USA. This sales-driven approach to commercial sponsorship rigorously searches out and solicits any organisation willing to engage with the club on a local, regional or global category basis.”
“Where this approach differs from most others is in the club’s attitude to renewing existing partnerships. Unless sponsors are willing to meet the club’s ever-increasing valuation of its rights, the deal is terminated and a replacement is sought. The strategy places little value on loyalty or in forming deeper relationships with partners over time. For this reason, there is a danger that with so many partnerships in place in so many categories for relatively short periods, the MU brand may become devalued. There is also a question of the sustainability in the longer term as the approach relies on a constant conveyor belt of new sponsors stepping up to take the place of the incumbents.”
“It may be that the club’s reputation for the hard-sell tarnishes the brand in the longer-term. Of more danger may be sustaining the ultimate expectation of success on the pitch. Without this crucial element, even the most overwhelming sponsorship sales effort is bound to fail.”

 

F1 Chief Confident Over Bahrain Grand Prix

F1 President and CEO Bernie Ecclestone has dismissed claims that security in Bahrain will continue to threat next month’s Grand Prix in the country, stating that it is ‘business as usual’ for the sport.

Last year’s race was cancelled because of civil unrest in the country, but Ecclestone has no fears that the situation will be repeated this year – and insists he has no concerns over security.

‘It’s business as usual,’ he told the BBC. ‘I don’t need any personal security but I’m sure whatever’s necessary will be looked after.’

The decision to proceed with the race in the troubled country has led to criticism from various human rights organisations, who have pointed to Bahrain’s human rights record, and the growing concern the event could be a target for protesters. Ecclestone, though, was unconcerned, adding: ‘I don’t think the people who are trying to demonstrate a little bit are going to use anything to do with F1. If they did they would be a little bit silly.’

An FIA spokesman said: ‘We welcome the spirit of reconciliation expressed by all parties and look forward to an exciting F1 race at the Bahrain International Circuit.’

Meanwhile, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner is refusing to sign off new cost-control suggestions in the sport, with Red Bull and Toro Rosso the only teams yet to sign a letter to the FIA concerning the policing of the Resource Restriction Agreement.

‘What I would like to make clear is Red Bull is fully behind cost control in Formula One,’ said Horner to the Press Association. ‘Whether the RRA is the right route to achieve that is what we question.’

Group Vice President, International Strategy, Europe – National Hockey League

Location: New York, US

Closing Date: 2nd October

Summary:

This position will report to the EVP of International Strategy and will be responsible for overseeing the NHL’s business strategies throughout Europe including cooperating interdepartmentally to execute specific strategies relevant to each business area. This individual will (i) assist in the creation of a multi-layered strategy for European markets; (ii) develop a strong knowledge of all of the NHL’s business areas and assist those areas in developing strategies on a country-by-country basis throughout Europe; and (iii) lead and/or facilitate the execution of these strategies in each relevant market.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Develop and execute growth strategies in relevant European markets Research markets and interdepartmental priorities as part of assisting in the development of a European strategy for the NHLInvestigate growth opportunities on a country by country basisFacilitate execution of the League strategy in each marketDevelop partnerships throughout the region that support the NHL’s overall international strategySupport regional partnerships and evaluate “boots on the ground” structure

Qualifications

Proven track record in European business development, preferably in a sports-related industryStrong analytical background and ability to adapt to quickly changing environmentWorking knowledge of the international sports business landscape including in areas such as, media, sponsorships, events, etc.Ability to work effectively to develop programs based on input across the organizationProactive and inclusive work styleStrong and extensive relationships in the European business community

Education/Experience

– The ideal candidate will possess a Masters Degree and have 10+ years of international business experience.

– We ask all interested applicants to apply to this posting. No phone calls or emails please.

1. Do you currently have the legal right to work in the United States?

2. This position will be based out of our New York City office, are you willing and able to work full time in New York City?
3. What are your salary requirements for this position? Please enter a salary range.
4. Do you have prior experience in a sports related European business development role? Please describe this role to us.
5. Do you have knowledge of the international sports business landscape? How did you obtain this knowledge?

How to Apply

Click HERE to apply

Mastercard renews MLB deal

Payment technology company MasterCard has extended it’s deal with Major League Baseball that will see the company become the presenting sponsor of the upcoming MLB All-Star Game as well as future All-Star Games.

MasterCard has worked with MLB as a major sponsor dating back nearly 20 years.

Find out more HERE.

Eurosport Signs Five-Year OTT Agreement With PSA

Eurosport has signed a new long-term partnership with the Professional Squash Association (PSA).

Under the five-year agreement, hospital Eurosport will become the new home of SQUASHTV in Europe, through its online on-demand channel Eurosport Player, and show up to 500 hours of squash action on the OTT platform per year.

Full story HERE.