Football Partnerships

By Alex Kotler

Relief: MLS and MLSPU reach agreement

Major League Soccer and the Major League Soccer Players Union have announced that an agreement, in principle, has been reached and that the 2010 will commence as scheduled.

While details of the agreement are not yet public, both sides announced their satisfaction and reaffirmed their respective commitments to growing the league.

Said MLS Commissioner Don Garber: “This new agreement allows us to work with our players to continue our mutual efforts to build the sport of soccer in North America. We worked hard during the past few months to develop a new agreement that addressed many of the players’ most important issues and look forward to a meaningful and productive new relationship over the next five years.”

“The Union is happy with this agreement as it addresses the core issue of players’ rights and we look forward to working cooperatively with the League going foward,” said Bob Foose, Executive Director of the Union.

What is your opinion? Will this be a temporary fix until 2014 or does it represent a solid foundation for the continued growth of MLS and domestic player development?

Read about it on MLSnet

Red Knights take page out of Barcelona manual

The Red Knights, a Manchester United supporters’ group pursuing a buyout of the Glazer family, are modeling their bid after Barcelona FC.

According to a report by SportBusiness, a £1.25 billion bid is set to be tabled by June. Details of the proposal suggest that around 30 wealthy investors would take control of Manchester United and later sell shares to fans - a structure similar to that of Spanish rivals Barcelona.

Although Manchester United chief executive David Gill has voiced his support for the current owners, who own his employment contract, the movement is gaining momentum and increasing credibility.

What are your thoughts? Is this a costly and futile effort or just the sort that football needs to remained grounded?

Meanwhile, despite all criticism levied on United’s ownership, the club announced a third overseas sponsor in one week - with MTN Group joining Telekom Malaysia and Turkish Airlines.

Read about the Red Knights in SportBusiness

Read about the sponsorship agreement in SportBusiness

BSkyB, MSG, ESPN put on their funky goggles

British Sky Broadcasting Group announced plans to launch Europe’s first 3-D television channel on April 3, starting with a match between Manchester United and Chelsea FC on Sky 3D.

In New York, MSG network - which broadcasts New York Red Bulls matches, along with New York Rangers hockey and New York Knicks basketball - will air an event this spring. ESPN will follow suit during the World Cup this June.

Are you ready for the 3-D invasion?

Read about it in MediaBuyerPlanner

Thinking of el futuro

Sixteen years in advance, Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has announced his country’s plans to host the 2026 World Cup.

The nation won the right to host the 1986 World Cup, yet withdrew due to lack of funds.

Is it too early to think about 2026?

Read about it in USA Today

Preston NE taps PUMA to be kit supplier

Preston North End FC has announced a three-year deal with PUMA to serve as the official supplier of the technical and replica kits and training wear for the club.

Genesis Sports, PUMA’s licensee for PRO Teamsports for the United Kingdom and Ireland, will make apparel available over the coming months.

Read the release, and lots of quotes, in euFootball.biz

By Fabian Banchiero

The second annual Leaders in Football conference, held this past October 7-8 in London at Chelsea FC’s Stamford Bridge, labeled as the international business summit for all senior executives in the world of football, was – for me – just that.

An amalgamation of three mini conventions, the Football Leaders Summit, focusing on the vision and experience of the football industry’s top executives; the Brand Leaders Summit, spotlighting the world’s most innovative and successful brands; and the Leaders in Performance Summit, concentrating on the identification, measurement and management of sporting talent, Leaders in Football is two non-stop days full of football-business pomp and circumstance.

Keynote speakers included the crème de la crème of the industry, such as Sir David Richards, Jack Warner, Lord Triesman, Don Garber, Danny Jordaan, Sunil Gulati, Lord Mawhinney, Tim Leiweke, Andy Roxburgh, Sven-Goran Eriksson, Andy Anson, Harold Mayne-Nicholls, and Richard Bevan - just to scratch the surface.

As a football nutter and a first-time LiF’er, I found the majority of panels intriguing and relevant, particularly – given my business in the financial industry – topics like the wealth gap between professional clubs and football in the global recession. Despite the names and numbers and brands bandied about, for me, the presenters from football’s nether regions – like Trinidad and Tobago – stole the show.

I refer mainly to showstopper Jack Warner, President of CONCACF, who kicked off the conference and virtually kicked England’s 2018 FIFA World Cup bid out of the competition. Coming in studs up, Warner called out England for its lackluster effort and “divine” sense of entitlement. “England,” he said, “it’s time to stop crawling and start galloping.”

Mr. Warner went as far as to criticize England’s presence – or lack thereof – at the conference, leading to gasps from the audience and ripples of nodding heads. He also discussed broadcasting rights, salary caps, grassroot efforts, player vacations, coaching education, and the future impact of technology on the game itself – but, after effectively ruling England out of the running, no English ears could have really heard the rest.

This caused a dynamic shift in the next series of panels as Lord Mawhinney, Lord Triesman, Richard Bevan, and Andy Anson, CEO of England’s World Cup 2018 bid, made attempts to get the England campaign off its knees and back on its feet. Although many in the media saw differently, as an outsider, I felt that the Britons respectfully took Warner’s comments on the chin and that they will apply the constructive criticism toward improving the bid.

Closer to home, another outstanding panel included Americans Sunil Gulati and Tim Leiweke, who tackled working through the global recession. The give-and-go between Gulati and Leiweke was not only informative but entertaining - especially when Leiweke threw his support to England over the United States for 2018.

A last panel mention, that of Building Sponsorship Value and the Customer Experience at the Brand Leaders Summit, included Brett Yormark, CEO of the NBA’s New Jersey Nets basketball team. Mr. Yormark’s presentation was enlightening and demonstrated why more Americans – with backgrounds outside of soccer - are being hired by Premier League teams to revitalize their sponsorship and marketing programs.

In between the panels, delegates had the opportunity to network and form new and exciting business relationships. I attended all the speed networking sessions, and though I met some prospective partners I felt more could be done to improve the experience. That said, the attractive ladies managing the session made it easier to overlook its shortcomings and helped facilitate some meetings on the fly.

As for the exhibition hall, blinking lights, flashing signs, samples and demonstrations all soaked up my senses. For all the bells and whistles, though, I felt that technology vendors dominated which I found less useful than a greater presence by clubs and football federations.

In summary, Leaders in Football was money well spent, in terms of education, networking and entertainment. I look forward to next year’s event, fresh off of the FIFA 2010World Cup – especially if Jack Warner is handed a microphone.

Fabian Banchiero is a sports consultant specializing in Latin American football and owner of Banchiero Sports Enterprises LLC based in New York.

By Rob Harris

MLS commissioner Don Garber will tell European clubs this week that adopting U.S.-style financial controls could safeguard their futures and make for more competitive leagues.

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By Steven Goff

In an exclusive interview with the Insider, MLS Commissioner Don Garber suggested that, if a D.C. United stadium solution is not found soon, the league might have no choice but to move the club out of Washington.

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By Ridge Mahoney

Not for a few years will it be known if aggressive expansion by MLS owners in the five-year period from 2007 to 2011 is brazen or brilliant, or both. By adding Toronto, San Jose, Seattle, Philadelphia, Vancouver and Portland in that span, assuming all goes as planned, the league will have increased its membership sharply from 12 to 18 teams. It will have banked more than $150 million in expansion fees, greatly expanded its national TV footprint, and added some of North America’s largest markets.

MLS Commissioner Don Garber concedes the future is murky at best and foreboding at worst, not just for MLS investors and those who might yet come aboard, but just about everybody.

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