LMA Business Club e-news issue 1 - January 2010

Leaders in Football

The annual Leaders in Football event took place at Stamford Bridge on the 7th and 8th October 2009.

The event proved even more successful than last year, with the attendees list giving an idea of the value placed on the event by the world of football:

• 1,045 delegates
• 31 exhibitors
• Over 200 clubs represented from more than 30 leagues
• Delegates from 45 countries worldwide attended

The two-day Leaders in Football conference comprised three separate elements focused around football:

• Football Leaders Summit (two day programme)
• Brand Leaders Summit (day one only)
• Leaders in Performance (day two only)

With the speaker line-up for the Football Leaders Summit including representation from the very top echelons of the LMA, the FA, the Premier League, the Football League and UEFA - as well as many other key stakeholders, it's no surprise that the conference attracted some media attention, with 100+ accredited media and 11 international TV crews covering all the topical issues discussed by key speakers including Jack Warner, Lord Triesman and Lord Mawhinney.

The two-day event has gone from strength to strength with 2009 seeing the LMA host the closing session on day one. The LMA panel entitled, 'The Changing Role of Management' was hosted by Chris Brady with the panel consisting of Chairman of the LMA, Howard Wilkinson, LMA Chief Executive Richard Bevan, Director of Football at Notts County, Sven-Göran Eriksson and Fulham Manager, Roy Hodgson.

One of the topics discussed during the session was the relationship between a manager and the person he reports to – which is important across all industries. However, all of the panellists were in agreement that unlike in business, the reporting lines for a football manager can often be blurred which can make the job even more complicated.

Another issue discussed was the difficulty of reporting into someone who does not always have much football knowledge. As Roy Hodgson explained, a lot of CEO's are appointed for their accounting and marketing knowledge and have very little experience, if any, of the business of football.

"It's very important as a manager that you report into one person, but often that person doesn't understand football. For me, the owners say they don't understand football, so if it's about football, they let me make the call."

Sven-Göran Eriksson, Director of Football, Notts County FC

Leaders in Football proved a huge success and the LMA are delighted to have been involved with such a notable and well organised event and look forward to continuing the relationship next year.

For further information about Leaders in Football, please contact LMA Marketing Manager, Michelle Dorgan on 01926 831556 or michelle.dorgan@lmasecure.com or click here to visit the Leaders in Football page on the LMA website