The conference will examine the potential and pitfalls of buying British football clubs and examine the latest thinking on talent identification, coaching and motivational techniques with the help of US sports management guru Billy Beane, General Manager of baseball’s Oakland Athletics.
The Future of Football is presented by London-based Circa Group and has been developed in conjunction with Keith Harris, the former Football League chairman who, as Chairman of Seymour Pierce has been pivotal in a number of high profile football club acquisitions.
Keith Harris will be among the main speakers at the conference at the Marriott Hotel, Grosvenor Square, London on 20 November, where he will be joined by many of the most active and influential figures in world football.
The conference will be split into individually themed morning and afternoon sessions. The morning will focus on football club acquisitions while the afternoon session, featuring Billy Beane, speaking in the UK for the first time, will examine ways of identifying and maximising talent cost-effectively and discuss leading edge coaching, performance analysis and motivational techniques.
“The Future of Football is designed go deeper than ever before into two of the major issues shaping the future of the world’s game, drawing on the expertise and experience of many of the people who are shaping that future,” said John Hockey, Chief Executive of Circa Group.
“The conference is a serious forum for football’s leaders and those involved in club administration to expand their knowledge and understanding by drawing on the insight of peers.
“We are grateful to Howard Wilkinson and the League Managers’ Association for their support and encouragement.”
Among the issues to be addressed at The Future of Football are:
THE MARKET
Market trends and issues - What drives the market for football clubs
Identifying a purchase target
Establishing value and setting a price
Funding options and mechanisms
Legal and taxation issues
DEVELOPING THE ASSET
Building brand value
Expanding the fan and consumer base
Effective customer relationship management
Rights identification and management
Building profitable sponsor partnerships
Opportunities outside the UK
THE AMERICAN WAY…
Identifying and developing undervalued player assets
The role of the front office
Access to and use of statistical data
Do football stats stack up - versus baseball
Can the US lesson apply to the UK
New thinking in coaching and player management
