The Business of Sport Seminar Series
Convenor: Sean HamilThe Business of Sport Seminar Series runs weekly in term time on Wednesday evenings at 6pm unless otherwise stated. It is designed to provide a forum for debate on key management challenges facing the sports industries amongst academics researching the sector, professional managers in the industry, and students on the MSc Sports Management & the Business of Football programme.
Please note that the Business of Sport Seminar Series operates under strict Chatham House Rules i.e. there can be no external reporting of the presentation or discussion without the express permission of the speaker.
Details of future seminars in the programme can be found below and on our news page.
Seminars for the Autumn 2009 Term will take place in the Lankaster Lecture Theatre in the Medawar Building, (off Malet Place), London WC1, in the University College London campus. (For directions please see the pdf map).
Future Seminars
The Policing of Football Supporters in Italy in the 21st Century: Repeating the Mistakes of England in the 1980s?
A Roundtable Discussion
- Lorenzo Contucci, Civil Rights Lawyer.
- Dr Mark James – Salford University and an expert on the evolution of the law in England & Wales as it has been applied to football supporters.
- Dr Geoff Pearson – Liverpool University, and expert on the history of policing of football supporters in England.
- Marco Perduca, Senator for the Radical Party in the Italian Parliament.
Wednesday 24th March 2010
This roundtable event brings together distinguished speakers and experts from England and Italy to discuss the comparative experience of the policing of football supporters in both countries, and in particular the application of the special laws focused specifically on controlling the behaviour of football fans. Critically the panel address a key question: is the legislative and policing response of the Italian authorities in the 21st Century simply repeating the mistakes of England in the 1980s? In addressing this question the panel will also address another key question: can any reform of the policing of Italian football avoid one of the alleged shortcomings of the English “modernisation”, the over-sanitisation of the stadium experience.
Read more about The Policing of Football Supporters in Italy
As this event is expected to be heavily over-subscribed please confirm your place by RSVP to s.hamil@bbk.ac.uk.
Recent Seminars
“Greek Professional Football: ‘What’s the score after the triumph in Euro 2004?”
Christos Anagnostopoulos, Researcher at Salford Business School, University of Salford
Drawing on a recently published book - Business in Football: The Structure & Organisation of Greek Professional Football - co-authored with Takis Alexopoulos (University of Peloponnese, Greece), Christos Anagnostopoulos will examine the development of Greek football with particular focus on its organisational structure. Beginning with a historical overview of Greek football the core discourse concerns the institutional structure, power struggles amongst the football authorities, and the financial regulations which underpin the Greek leagues. The presentation will then outline four characteristic types of ownership seen in the current Greek professional football context, and briefly concludes with some possible suggestions for tackling the organisational challenges which confront Greek football.
Read more about “Greek Professional Football: ‘What’s the score after the triumph in Euro 2004?”
The Royal African Society & the Birkbeck Sport Business Centre, Birkbeck College, University of London, are proud to present:
Dr Danny Jordaan, CEO, 2010 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee South Africa
“The 2010 World Cup: What will it give South Africa?”
11.00am, Thursday 4th March 2010
Tambling Suite, Chelsea Football Club, Stamford Bridge, London SW6 1HS
Twenty years since Nelson Mandela was released from prison South Africa hosts the 2010 FIFA football World Cup. However, despite this historic anniversary, many questions remain. Will the Rainbow Nation host a tournament that is successful on more than just a sporting level? Can football hasten the healing process for millions of South Africans still in the shadow of apartheid? What does this mean for South Africa and the continent's developing global image? Dr Danny Jordaan, CEO of the tournament, explores the legacies the World Cup bequeath.
Seats are limited. Please RSVP by e-mailing RSVP@royalafricansociety.org
Read more about “The 2010 World Cup: What Will It Give South Africa”.
Securing the Future of a Medium-Sized English Football Club: the Case of Brentford FC’s Planned Move to a New Community Stadium
Wednesday 3rd March 2010
Brian Burgess, Director, Brentford FC (Lionel Road) Ltd
In this presentation, former Bees chairman Brian Burgess first explains the challenging financial environment in which a medium-sized football club must operate United (Bees United is the supporters’ co-operative that has a controlling interest in English Football League Division 1 club Brentford FC). He will then outline how a proposed “community hub” model may offer the best model for survival and indeed prosperity for such clubs going forward into the future. He will then discuss the specific challenges relating to moving a club like Brentford from its current 100 year old home to a planned new 20,000 Community Stadium which can secure the club’s future for the next generation on Brentford supporters. Finally he will reflect on the supporters’ trust/private investor partnership model at Brentford, which over the last five years has delivered stability to the club in a very difficult financial environment.
Read more about Securing the Future of a Medium-Sized English Football Club
New Geographies of the International Recruitment of Football Players in Europe
Wednesday 17th February 2010
Dr Raffale Poli, Sports Science Institute of the University of Lausanne, in Switzerland
The About to go into its fifth year of publication, the Annual Review of the European Football Players is the definitive reference publication for information on football labour market trends and the logics of squad formation in the five main European leagues. Now in its second year of publication the Demographic Study of European Footballers is an annual publication which offers a scientific analysis of the European football players’ labour market. It presents the dynamics at work in 36 first division leagues in UEFA member countries. Dr Raffaele Poli is one of the founders of both publications. In this seminar, drawing on data from both publications and the work of the, Dr Poli presents the latest results on international flows of footballers towards and within Europe.
Read more about New Geographies of the International Recruitment of Football Players in Europe
Talent Identification and Elite Player Recruitment in ‘Network Football’ – A critical case study from inside the Premier League
Wednesday 10th February 2010
Dr Jonathan Magee, Senior Lecturer in the School of Sport, Tourism and the Outdoors, University of Central Lancashire
The global development of the professional football world has increased the rate, scale, and destinations of professional football labour migrants. A key conduit behind such increases has been the legislative changes to labour legislation whereby contractual freedom has greatly facilitated professional players to cross national and international borders for occupational purposes. Following over a decade of academic research into the football labour market the author secured a Consultancy Post in 2008 at an elite level English professional club where he established and then managed a Player Recruitment System. With the approval of the football club, this paper focuses on critical issues regarding talent identification and player recruitment.
Read more about Talent Identification and Elite Player Recruitment in ‘Network Football’
Sport Marketing and the Globalization of Football
Wednesday 3rd February 2010 at 6pm
Michel Desbordes, Professor in Sport Marketing, University of Paris Salford
In the light of a prevailing view that football is ‘the global game’, in this presentation Professor Desbordes examines the state of football marketing in different geographic areas across the world. He then assesses the state of marketing in football across the world, based around the following groups: a) marketing football in the ‘big-5’ European leagues; b) marketing football in small European countries; c) football marketing in the rest of the world. He concludes by identifying some of the challenges that football marketers are likely to face over the next 5 to 10 years.
Read more about Sport Marketing and the Globalization of Football
Why England Lose & Other Curious Football Phenomena Explained
- including “The Strange Death of the FA Cup”?
Professor Stefan Szymanski, Cass Business School, City University London
In this presentation, drawing on material from his latest book Why England Lose & Other Curious Football Phenomena Explained, (co-authored with Simon Kuper, journalist and columnist with the Financial Times), Professor Stefan Szymanski focuses on a key phenomenon addressed in the book; the decline in popularity of the FA Cup. He explains how for the 1970s, an examination of attendance figures illustrates that games between the same two teams in the FA Cup attracted a higher crowd than when the teams met in league competition in the same season. However, from the 1994/95 season the gap in superior attendances at FA Cup games began to erode quickly until in 1997/98 they fell below the figure for equivalent league games for the first time.
Read more about 'Why England Lose & Other Curious Football Phenomena Explained'
Supporting Arsenal FC's Community Department Outreach - Arsenal FC Case Book for Schools
Wednesday, January 13th 2010 at 6pm
Paul Kitchin and Jon Pettigrew
In this seminar, Paul Kitchin and Jon Pettigrew review their recent publication, a Casebook for UK Schools and Colleges about the business of running a major sports venue and brand - Arsenal FC's Emirates Stadium. Examples will be shown of the range of business studies issues which were researched with the Club's support, starting with an MBA Case about the financing of the stadium, leading to a 96 page full colour Case Book, published by London Metropolitan Business School, about to be launched into UK Schools and Colleges. Insights will be provided into the management of the relationship between academia and professional sport, including football, when dealing with project working. In particular the difference between organisational support and commitment to projects (which differ in their critical insight and audience) will be explored. Data from observations and interviews regarding organisational partnerships will be presented. Current project developments for a 2012 MBA Case on the London 2012 Olympics and spin-off Schools and Colleges materials will be reviewed.
Read more about Supporting Arsenal FC's Community Department Outreach