The Business of Football at the North West IoD conference
Just 91 days before World Cup fever grips the nation, the North West Annual Conference of the Institute of Directors is holding a debate on the Business of Football, featuring a panel with Chief Executives from some of the top Football Clubs in the land. Football is a key component of the North West economy, generating more than £500 million a year in turnover across 23 Clubs in all Divisions and employing more than 2,500 people.
Premiership high-flyers Alistair Mackintosh, of Manchester City FC, and Brenda Spencer, of Wigan Athletic FC, who are bosses at Clubs currently in the top 10 of the highest Division and Dave Edmundson, of Burnley FC, who appear secure in the middle of The Championship Table, will be available to answer questions from the audience.
The competition on the football field is nothing compared to the challenges in the board room and Paul Rawnsley, Senior Consultant in the Sports Business Group at Deloitte, will be adding his side of the debate and an insider’s perspective to the ‘battles’ that go on. The debate will be chaired, or indeed refereed, by author and award-winning sports journalist David Conn. There are lessons every business manager can learn from football and David will examine the financial workings of what has become one of the most glamorous and lucrative sports on the planet.
Steven Broomhead, NWDA Chief Executive, said: “Football plays a big part in the cultural life of the Northwest as well as making an important contribution to the regional economy. With seven Premiership football clubs and 12 football league clubs, the region is no stranger to the ‘business of football’. I am sure that this innovative conference, which includes a debate on the challenges professional sports clubs face off the pitch, will be a great success providing key lessons for business managers across all sectors.”
The Business of Football debate, which runs from 10.30 to 11.15am on Thursday March 9 is part of the IoD North West Conference, fittingly held at the City of Manchester Stadium.
Tickets are available by booking online at Click here to view the website . Alternatively email Click here to email or call 0161 209 3150.
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The inaugural North West Annual Conference of the Institute of Directors is the first regional venture of this kind outside of London for the IoD. Its world-renown annual conference is traditionally held at the Albert Hall.
The Conference is to be opened by IoD Director General, Miles Templeman, with other speakers including Olympic medallist, World, European and Commonwealth athletics champion, Kriss Akabusi MBE and retail tycoon, Gerald Ratner, responsible for one of the most famous gaffes in corporate history.
Other highlights include a chaired topical debate allowing the audience to pose their questions to senior North West business leaders including Stuart Chambers, CEO Pilkington plc; Nighat Awan OBE, chief executive & co owner of the Shere Khan Group; Alistair Mackintosh, Chief Executive Manchester City FC; David Briggs, MD Dawsons Music and Edwin Booth, Executive Chairman EH Booth & Co.
Panelist Profiles
David Conn is an author and journalist, having written ‘The Beautiful Game: Searching for the Soul of Football’, and ‘The Football Business’, which covers the English game since the Hillsborough disaster. David also is a weekly columnist for The Independent: “Inside Football” and writes for The Daily Telegraph, Sunday Telegraph, The Observer, The Times, The Guardian and the Financial Times. He wrote an award winning article on the takeover of Manchester United FC for Insider magazine. David, who is the Guardian’s Sports News Reporter of the Year, lectures to MBA courses at Liverpool University, Birkbeck College, London and to undergraduates at Manchester Metropolitan University.
Dave Edmundson was appointed as the new Chief Executive of Burnley Football Club at Turf Moor in October 2003. Dave had previously spent time as the Secretary of Lancashire County Cricket Club and the Lancashire Cricket Board, a post which he left in 2002. Dave has since worked with his own consultancy with Bolton Wanderers FC, Wigan Warriors Rugby League FC and the South African Cricket Team and contributed to the management of several top cricket players such as Shoaib Akhtar, Waqar Younis, Graham Thorpe and Dominic Cork. Dave has also worked in the media on a freelance basis for the BBC Radio Lancashire, Granada and The Daily Telegraph.
Alistair Mackintosh, Chief Executive of Manchester City FC, was appointed Financial Controller of the Sky Blues in 1998, returning to his roots in the North West. He was promoted to Finance Director in 1999, at the age of 28. In 2002, Alistair was promoted to Joint Managing Director, becoming Managing Director in 2003 before being made Chief Executive in 2004. He is a former Young Director of the Year for the IoD.
Brenda Spencer, Chief executive of Wigan Athletic FC, joined the Club in 1986 in accounts, when average crowds were 1,800. Brenda became Club Secretary and then Chief Executive in 1995 when Dave Whelan bought the Club. Fortunes have been turned around and the club is in the Premiership.
Paul Rawnsley is a Senior Consultant in the Sports Business Group at Deloitte based in Manchester. He has undertaken various assignments working with governing bodies, leagues, clubs and other sports business organisations in the UK and around Europe. During the past two years, Paul has led Deloitte’s assistance to UEFA for the development of the financial requirements of the European-wide club licensing system.
Paul is also the Project Manager and Editor of Deloitte publications including the Annual Review of Football Finance and is a regular media spokesperson on the business of sport.
The Institute of Directors is a non-political independent organisation with 55,000 members. In addition to its wide range of business services, the IoD provides an effective voice to represent the interests of its members to government and key opinion-formers. It also brings the experience of business leaders to bear on the conduct of public affairs. More information at www.iod.com/northwest
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