Football Partnerships

Football Partnerships podcast

Football Partnerships welcomes Misha Sher, Director of Business Development at Soccerex, back to the Football Partnerships podcast.

Listen here on Football Partnerships, or subscribe to the show via iTunes by searching the podcast directory for ‘Football Partnerships’. Please note that the recording is best heard via iTunes, as some browsers disrupt audio transmission.

 

 Episode 26: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (27)

By Alex Kotler

About the same time as I key the final punctuation mark in this piece, my weekly Offsides column, the Soccerex London Forum will be opening its doors at Wembley Stadium.

I picture crisp collars, shiny cufflinks, rimmed glasses and polished shoes opposite a mountain of promotional handbags. The suits stand in a line. The bags sit in a heap. Friendly faces from Soccerex await a stroke of the minute hand to connect them.

Inside jacket pockets, families of business cards cling together before they are dispersed like seeds. Wrenches and drills twist and twirl to fasten fixtures and set stages. It’s nearly show time.

I don’t see myself in these visions, but that’s because I’m sitting at my desk in New York conjuring the images. I won’t be there. Instead, I’ll head to California tomorrow for one of the United States’ top beach soccer events.

Let’s evaluate my decision:

West London v. West Coast
Thames River v. Pacific Ocean
Big Ben v. Big Beaches
Wembley v. Bikini

Need I go on?

In truth a scheduling conflict is what keeps me on American shores, otherwise I would be in the UK. That, and Gino Rossi, Managing Director of the Southern California Beach Soccer Championships (SoCaBeSoCha), persuaded me westward.

Beyond fun and sun, because this not a vacation, I am attending the SoCaBeSoCha to do the following:

1. To observe participant/partner engagement
2. To measure sponsorship satisfaction and perceived ROI
3. To appreciate the scale of the event (15,000+ attendees)
4. To understand the amount of work involved
5. To meet Gino Rossi and partners
6. To strengthen ties to the west coast
7. To critique the integration of non-football activities
8. To watch some great competition
9. To get a tan

As I did whilst in South Africa for Soccerex, I’ll endeavor to take notes and provide commentary on my trip – savory details omitted, of course. While I’m gone, I invite you to:

1. Listen to the interview of Gino Rossi and get the skinny on the SoCaBeSoCha

2. Listen to the interview of Misha Sher and get the lowdown on Soccerex Londontown