The Weely Brief, highlighting recent soccer industry stories from around the World is provided to San Francisco Seals Fans courtesy of FMMInternational See below for more information regarding FMMInternational.
Current and past issues of the Weekly Brief can be found in our News/Information section under the "Weekly Brief Archives".
* Americas * May 9, 2008
VW Signs Partnership with MLS and DC UnitedVolkswagen will be the official automotive partner of MLS and also partner with DC United. VW’s logo will be on DC United’s jerseys and prominently featured through a variety of other club and in-stadium marketing components. In addition, fans attending games at RFK Stadium can visit Volkswagen's Garage, which will serve as a hospitality area and vehicle showroom with space for 1,000 people. Source: MLSnet
MLS Sees Big Future for Seattle
MLS commissioner Don Garber expressed excitement about the 14,700 season ticket deposits sold by the Seattle Sounders, even though their 1st match will not be until 2009, and suggested that they might emulate the success enjoyed by Toronto FC, who averaged 20,127 fans in its 20,522-seat stadium in 2007. “We're very excited about Seattle. (Part owner) Joe Roth is very passionate about the game, he's very engaged in the team. He's got great ideas and he's deeply involved in strategic areas of the league. I'm anxiously awaiting '09. I think we got lightning in a bottle in the Pacific Northwest. I'm looking forward to the cork coming out of that bottle and the magic coming out.” Source: the Seattle PI
Reports Link Canadian Corp with Sheffield Wednesday Purchase
The Canadian Press reports that Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE), which owns most of the major sports franchises in Toronto, may be interested in adding Sheffield Wednesday to its stable. The Championship club announced it is looking for the investment needed to regain promotion to the EPL and last month executives from MLSE met club officials during a fact-finding mission to England. Source: the Canadian Press
Brazil Schedule Friendly in US
For the 2nd consecutive year Brazil will be playing in Foxboro (near Boston), this time against Venezuela as part of an 8 June doubleheader that will also include a match between the New England Revolution and FC Dallas. Last year, an area record 67,584 came to Gillette Stadium to see their team edge Mexico, 3-1. Source: O Journal
Vancouver Sets-up Youth Development Program
The USL’s Vancouver Whitecaps FC, in conjunction with the Delta School District, have set up 2 youth programs focused on education and soccer skill development. The Whitecaps Delta Prospects Academy is for boys in grades 11 and 12, and the Whitecaps Delta School Academy is for boys grades 8 to 10. Both programs will start September 2008, and the partnership will be extended to include a girls’ academy a year later. Source: Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Comment: MLS Should Keep Future Stadium Options Open
The news that Seattle, which will not even begin to compete in MLS until next season, has already sold 14,700 season ticket deposits raises an interesting issue. Unlike most MLS franchises, which covet stadiums with capacities of around 20,000 seats, Seattle will play at Qwest Field, a state-of-the-art facility accommodating up to 72,000. Can Seattle do this capacity justice? While this is not necessarily a suitable approach for other franchises, at least for the foreseeable future, it might be wise to consider building stadiums that can be easily expanded. If the Sounders average more than 30,000 per match, MLS may have to reconsider some basic assumptions about its potential.
* Europe *
EPL Promotion worth $120m for Clubs
According to accountants Deloitte, promotion to the EPL can be worth up to $120m to a club. The promoted Championship teams who win a place get $60m from TV rights, as well as $10m from extra sponsorship and merchandising deals each season. Even those who are relegated after 1 season receive $47m over the next 2 years. By comparison, participation in the Champions League can net clubs from England around $60m. Source: Sky News
European Parliament Rejects Blatter’s ‘6+5 Proposal’
The European Parliament this week called on governments and sports associations to block Fifa plans aimed at promoting the use of home-grown players because it would discriminate against players on the basis of their nationality. The EP's vote came just 1 day after Fifa president Sepp Blatter said he did not foresee a conflict with the European Union over his plans to force professional clubs to field at least 6 players from the club's nation and no more than 5 foreigners. Source: International Herald Tribune
Liverpool Gets Green Light for New Stadium, but Everton Face Problems
The city council has given Liverpool the go-ahead to build their redesigned $780m stadium in Stanley Park. The new ground will initially hold 60,000 fans but further applications to add seats may up the capacity to 76,000. Meanwhile, plans for Everton’s new stadium in Kirkby could be ‘killed off’ if the scheme is called in for a public inquiry, which could come on the heels of Sefton council’s planning committee’s formal objection to the plan. Any substantial delay might be fatal because the money assembled for this scheme, both by Everton and Tesco, will not be available indefinitely. Sources: the Daily Mail and icLiverpool
Scudamore Worried Europe Suffers from ‘EPL-Envy’
EPL chief executive Richard Scudamore claimed that the rest of Europe may take ill-advised steps to weaken the English league: “Another worry is European colleagues in other leagues getting jealous or envious. I'm sure the legislators and regulators in Europe would like to see us levelled down or dumbed down. We would never say to the French that we like their wine but can't make it as good. Would you mind making yours worse so ours can compete? It's the same the other way around.” Source: TeamTalk
Russia Waves Visa Requirement for Champions League Final
UEFA president Michel Platini successfully petitioned Russian President Vladimir Putin to allow all fans travelling to the Champions League final in Moscow on May 21 to use their match tickets as visas. The tickets will be valid as visas for a 72-hour period between May 19 and 23, and must be kept after the match to be shown on leaving the country. Meanwhile, Russia has alleged that Zenit St Petersburg supporters, hoping to travel to the Uefa Cup final at the City of Manchester stadium on 14 May, were being held up by the insistence that they undergo a biometric test and personal interviews. Source: CNN and the Independent
Spurs on Verge of New Stadium?
Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy is reportedly close to confirming plans for a new 50,000-capacity stadium to be built next to White Hart Lane. According to Sportsmail, work will start before the end of the year and the $585m project bears ‘more than a passing resemblance to Arsenal's Emirates home.’ Source: Goal.com
More Funding for Football Foundation
The Football Foundation, a partnership among the EPL, the Football Association and British government, announced that it will invest $260m in grass roots sport over a 3-year period. Since it was launched in July of 2000, the Foundation has invested in over 5,000 projects worth $1.25b, with the goal being to rebuild the infrastructure of community sports facilities across the country. Source: the Premier League
Consortium to Bid for Southampton?
A source has told BBC Radio Solent that, after several months of discussions, a consortium led by barrister Jonathan Fulthorpe is close to tabling a full offer for Southampton's parent company. If the bid stalls, former Saints chairmen Michael Wilde and Rupert Lowe are poised to take control of the club ahead of a planned Extraordinary General Meeting on 16 May. Source: BBC
MP Pushes for Alcohol Ban
A ban on alcohol advertising at sporting events is being demanded by a Labour MP Dr. Howard Stoate in an attempt to tackle binge drinking among young people. “Watch any top-flight football match these days on television and you'll see dozens of references to alcohol products. You see drinks firms' logos on team shirts, drinks commercials at half-time and bottles of champagne for the 'man of the match'– the list is endless. We need a more radical measure that will prevent alcohol companies from associating themselves with the excitement and glamour of professional sport and using it to boost their sales among the young in particular.” Both Merseyside teams, Liverpool and Everton, currently have brewers as their main club sponsor. Source: the Independent
* Rest of the World *
Hyundai Extends Partnership in Australia
Football Federation Australia (FFA) and Hyundai Motor Company Australia announced that the naming rights partnership of the Hyundai A-League football competition will continue for an additional 4 years to the end of the 2011-2012 season. The S Korean conglomerate also sponsored the Hyundai Club Challenge last November that saw an Australian record crowd (for a match between club teams) of 80,295 watch Sydney FC face LA Galaxy at ANZ Stadium in Sydney. Source: Hyundai official website
German Government Funds Liberia Tour
The German government will pay $75k to fund Liberia's 2-week training tour of the European country later this month, as part of the Lone Star’s preparation for the 2010 World Cup qualifiers in June. “We feel a special commitment to football in Africa and this is part of our assistance to the continent's preparation for the 2010 World Cup,” explained German ambassador to Liberia, “moreover, many Germans like African football because players from the continent play with passion and fun.” Source: BBC
* The Weekly Brief is published every Friday and delivered free via e-mail to registered users.
* FMMInternational is a London-based soccer consultancy with offices in New York and Beijing. For more information about our business, click here
* Interested in using the Weekly Brief for Press/Media Releases, then please contact us via info@fmminternational
* The information contained herein is believed to be correct, but should not be relied upon as such. All financial figures should be seen as indicative only as they may have been converted from another currency.
