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Soccerex: the business of football

Brad Morgan

27 November 2009

Soccerex, the leading business convention for the global football community, kicks off at Johannesburg's Sandton Convention Centre on Saturday. The event consists of a two-day football festival and a three-day conference and exhibition.

Duncan Revie, the son of the late England football coach Don Revie, is the CEO of Soccerex. He says the 2009 expo will serve as a blueprint for Brazil, the 2014 Fifa World Cup host.

"This Soccerex, we have all the Brazilian cities hosting the 2014 World Cup coming here to learn from South Africa," Revie said. They will be joined by the South African 2010 host cities, along with representatives from every sphere of the football world.

Big business

Football is big business, with the Globo G1 website saying the 12 host cities for the 2014 Fifa World Cup will have a projected spending fund of US$41.7-billion - about R311.7-billion. That figure is an excellent reason for people to attend Soccerex 2009; there is plenty of business to be done.

England's bid to host the 2018 Fifa World Cup will be promoted at Soccerex. At the same time, the Netherlands and Belgium will be promoting their joint bid for 2018 and 2022. Russia, too, will promote its bid for the same two editions of the World Cup.

There will also be a presentation by Tom Bender, chief marketing officer of the German Bundesliga, which is the most profitable league in Europe.

Unlike the other members of the "big five" European Leagues – England, Spain, Italy, and France – the Bundesliga doesn't generate most of its income from broadcasting deals. Bender's presentation will therefore be watched with interest by other stakeholders in the game.

Exhibitors

Top travel agencies, equipment manufacturers, radio and television broadcasters, sports agencies and agents, tourism bodies, and charity organisations related to football will be in attendance.

Former England coach Glenn Hoddle, representing the Glenn Hoddle Academy, and Tom Vernon, Manchester United's scout for Africa, will be among the many speakers at Soccerex.

Hoddle's academy, which is based in Spain, works with players who have been released from European clubs, with the aim of returning them to the top of the game. Vernon will discuss the latest thinking on the development of academies in Africa.

Clubs

Many of the leading clubs of the world, from different continents, will be represented, among them: Ajax Amsterdam, Aston Villa, Boca Juniors, Chelsea, Glasgow Celtic, Flamengo, Paranaense, Vasco da Gama, Cruzeiro, Schalke 04, Galatasaray, Gremio, Liverpool, Olympique Marseille, Real Madrid, Benfica, Sao Paulo, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City, and Corinthians.

Many of South Africa's Premier Soccer League clubs will also be represented.

Personalities

There is an amazing list of attendees, available on the Soccerex website, which looks a lot like a who's who of football's top personalities. They include:

From the stature of the people and organisations in attendance, it is clear that Soccerex is a can't-miss expo for anyone serious about the business of football.