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The Office of Fair Trading and Horse-racing: Lessons for Other Sports - David Elliott, Tom Hoehn and Eric Morrison, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Wednesday 29th June For the last five years the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) have been considering the Orders and Rules under which horse racing takes place in the UK. It has been the longest investigation to date under the 1998 Competition Act yet the OFT have arguably achieved nothing. Nevertheless other sports’ industries should take no comfort in this. In this seminar, the speakers outline why other sports (such as football) should seek to draw upon the arguments made by the British Horseracing Board (BHB) to inform their own policies on competition policy; this being particularly important as “sport” remains very much top of the OFT agenda for “reform”.…. more

Quality Management in Football: Can the ISO 9001 Standard be Successfully Applied to Improve the Administration of a Football Club? A Case Study from Holland - Dr Henk J. de Vries, Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, The Netherlands
Wednesday 15th June 2005 In mainstream business an accepted benchmark initiative for improving business performance is the quality management system. The most common model for such a system is the ISO 9001 quality standard. In this seminar, Dr Henk de Vries asks whether the implementation of quality management systems in football clubs can significantly improve operational performance, most notably through the implementation of IS9001? Dr de Vries will illustrate his discussion with reference to a case-study of the implementation of ISO9001:2000 at the RBC Roosendaal football club in the Dutch First Division…. more

What if? An Examination of English Football Under an American Sports Model - Professor John Wolohan, School of Sport Management & Media, Ithaca College, New York
Wednesday 25th May 2005 In this seminar Professor John Wolohan examines what a re-organised English Football League might look like under the American sports model. In particular, he will: review various different American sports models; outline some of the benefits and shortcomings of both the American and English sports models; give an example of what English Football would look like under an American sports model and playoff system…. more

We'll Support You Evermore – Or Just Till Next Season? Uncovering the Truth About Football Fans Dr Alan Tapp, Bristol Business School
Wednesday 18th May 2005 The football industry is characterised by a series of assumptions about `the way things are' and `the way things get done' in the industry. One such assumption is that fans are endlessly, often stupidly loyal to their club. Rain or shine, through good times and bad, they will be there for their club. You can rely on them. Football fans are not ‘customers': no one has their ashes scattered down the aisle of Tesco. This is the accepted wisdom of commercial directors who run clubs, reinforced by the media and commentators. To what extent is this assessment supported by research evidence? In this lecture, drawing from his own recent research, Dr Alan Tapp challenges these assumptions…. more

What are players worth? Transfer fees, player capital and performance
Dr Fiona Carmichael, School of Accounting , Economics & Management Science University of Salford
Wednesday 11th May 2005 In this seminar Dr Fiona Carmichael employs economic theory to address a number of key questions relating to the valuation of football players' contracts: (1) How are transfer fees determined?; (2) What are clubs paying for when they pay a transfer fee and why is one player worth £40 million and another £10,000?; (3) Do economic theories relating to human capital and production offer any insights that might help us to answer these kinds of questions or do they raise more questions that they answer?... more

Football Hooliganism – A Re-Emerging Problem? Professor Eric Dunning
Wednesday 4th May 2005 In this seminar Professor Eric Dunning, widely acknowledged as one of Britain's leading experts on the phenomenon of football-related violence, addresses the key question as to whether the football industry has been able to resolve its long-standing problems with violent conduct by some supporters at games. Critically he will... more

Supporters Direct: The Role of Organised Fan Power in the Reform of the English Football Industry - Dave Boyle, Deputy Manager Supporters Direct
Wednesday 27th April 2005 In this seminar Dave Boyle outlines the potential influence of the Supporters Trust movement (supporters trusts are fan-owned co-operatives who take ownership stakes in their football clubs – for full details see the Supporters Direct website below) in the ongoing reform of the English football industry. He addresses the following key questions… more

The English Football Industry in 2005: A Case of Failed Regulation? – Professor Professor Tom Cannon
Wednesday 16th March 2005 In this seminar Professor Tom Cannon, drawing on his paper to the House of Commons All-Party Football Group (2004) Football & Its Finances Report , presents an assessment of the current financial health of the English game. He particularly focuses on the roles of the FA and the Football League, and their relationship with the Premier League, and discusses how effectively the three organisations have effected the financial stewardship of the industry. Making reference to developments in the policy of UEFA and the G14 group of major clubs at the wider European level he poses the question – is there a need for a re-structuring of the regulation of the English game?… more

On the FIFA trail – investigative studies in the sociology of sport. - Professor John Sugden and Professor Alan Tomlinson
Wednesday 9th March In this seminar Professor John Sugden and Professor Alan Tomlinson, authors of FIFA and the Contest for World Football – Who Rules the Peoples' Game? , cast a critical eye over the performance of FIFA as the regulatory custodian of the world game at the beginning of the 21 st century and then present some possible future strategic scenarios for the organisation. Critically they will ask the question: what is the future role for FIFA in the light of increasing pressure from commercial business forces to re-structure the organisation of the world game… more

The Premier Soccer League South Africa, World Cup 2010, And the rise of South African Soccer
Wednesday 2nd March 2005 In this seminar Trevor Phillips, Chief Executive, The Premier Soccer League (PSL) South Africa, will first outline the strategic challenges faced in establishing a professional football league in a developing country like South Africa. He will then detail the measures taken to establish financial stability in the 2002-2004 period, before going on to discuss the plans of the Premier Soccer League executive for the competition's development over the next five years. He will conclude by explaining how the PSL fits within the wider structure of the football industry in South Africa, most notably regarding how the construction of a successful professional league is playing a critical role in the preparations for the organisation of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Please note that this attendance at this seminar is by RSVP invitation. The venue is also different from the usual one…more

How well is it working? Regulation of the football industry in England
Wednesday 23rd February 2005 In this seminar Dr Chris Gamble, Company Secretary of the Independent Football Commission (IFC), examines and comments on current regulatory practice in the English football industry and on the role of the IFC, and poses some questions about how the football business might reposition itself to address public interest issues and alleviate concerns about the game's central governance… more

Fragile China: Is a football industry possible? Dr Rogan Taylor
Wednesday 9th February 2005 In this seminar Dr Rogan Taylor details how the extraordinary pace and scale of economic and social change in China over the last decade, as the country has embarked on an industrial revolution, is reflected in developments in the domestic football industry. In particular he discusses the implications of this are for the development of a globally competitive indigenous professional Chinese league… more

International Football Sponsorship: Simple Strategies for Success – Oliver Butler Account Manager, SPORT+MARKT AG
Wednesday 2nd February 2005 Oliver Butler is the Account Manager for sports communications research company SPORT+MARKT AG, which works with rights holders, sponsors and marketing agencies in optimising their communications strategy in the world of sport. In this seminar, following on from Simon Chadwick's (12 th January 2005 seminar) earlier analysis of football sponsorship in the UK, Oliver will utilise data from international research projects undertaken by SPORT+MARKT to demonstrate the effectiveness that sponsorship in football can achieve… more

The Growth of the Professional Footballers Association – Geoff Walters
Wednesday 26th January 2005
The growth of the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) in the 1980s and 1990s provides a case study example of a trade union that bucked the general trend of union decline throughout this period. Geoff Walters will discuss the PFA from an internal union perspective, focusing on industrial relations, professional and educational activities. The focus will then turn to external factors that have assisted in strengthening the position of the PFA in the football industry… more

The Problem with Franchise Football – Kris Stewart
Wednesday 19th January 2005
The decision by the English football authorities to allow Wimbledon FC to be moved from its traditional home in south London to a new midlands location at Milton Keynes has been one of the most controversial regulatory decisions in the history of English football. Critics argue that it potentially heralds the beginning of an era of so-called `franchise' football which they see as antipathetic to the traditions and well-being of the English game. In this lecture Kris Stewart, Chairman of AFC Wimbledon, the club formed by Wimbledon FC supporters opposed to the Milton Keynes move, uses the case of the metamorphosis of Wimbledon FC into MK Dons and the emergence of AFC Wimbledon to present the case against `franchise football' in English football. Critically he asks:

•  Is the ultimate responsibility of the football club to deliver glory to its supporters or profits to its financial shareholders?

•  Is a key role of the Football League and the Football Association not to protect the traditional structures of the game and did they neglect that duty in allowing Wimbledon to move to Milton Keynes?….more

Emotional fog versus commercial logic: the key contest in today's football shirt sponsorship market? - Dr Simon Chadwick
Wednesday 12th January 2005
Following recent increases in the financial value of football shirt sponsorship deals, some commentators believe this has been accompanied by the development of sponsorship management practices. Despite this, there are still widespread concerns about some of these practices. This seminar therefore sets out to examine and comment upon the practice of shirt sponsorship management in English football. This is an area of sponsorship that has previously been examined, and is an activity in which there have been recent and significant commercial developments. Using face-to-face interviews and questionnaires, 43 companies provided information about their sponsorship programmes....more


UEFA and its role in European Football - Alex Phillips
Wednesday 15th December 2004
Before taking a position within UEFA, Alex Phillips worked in the City and then in Paris, Madrid and Milan before switching careers via the MBA Football Industries at Liverpool. Alex then spent four years at Deloitte Sport as an analyst and consultant. Fluent in French, Italian and Spanish, he created the European financial analysis for Deloitte which is now the lead feature in the Deloitte Annual Review. He has been at UEFA since 2002.

Alex’s role at UEFA encompasses:

(a) specific stakeholders such as:
(i) European professional leagues; and
(ii) player unions; and
(b) specific projects such as, for example:
(i) strategic analysis and planning; and
(ii) “Investing in Local Training of Players”....more

The Administrative Challenge of Managing a Professional Football League and National Team In a Small European Nation in the 21st Century: The Case of Wales - Alun Evans
Wednesday 9th December 2004
The perceived drift in power from national football associations, and their major international associations Uefa and Fifa, to the major clubs has been a staple of press commentary on the football industry over the last ten years. In Europe the most influential clubs have formed their own association – G14 – to assert their influence. Within the English game recent comments by Newcastle chairman Freddie Shepherd (see reading below) regarding the desirability of the Premier League taking over the Football League have provided an insight into the highly commercially-driven agenda of some Premier League chairmen and their very negative attitudes to the conventional competitive and regulatory structures of the game. This raises questions as to the strategic response the game’s traditional custodians and regulators, the national associations, should adopt in the face of this onslaught. more...

Best Practice in the Commercial Utilisation of Sports Assets: Lessons from the United States - Myles Gallagher
Wednesday 1st December 2004
While there have been significant improvements in the commercial management of Britain’s football clubs in recent years, many business commentators argue that the application of best practice has been uneven and piecemeal, with most clubs heavily reliant on TV revenues (which can be unstable e.g. witness the impact of the collapse of the ITV Digital broadcasting deal for the Football League) and gate receipts (which are constrained by ground size). Comparisons are frequently drawn with practice in the United States where effective wider commercial exploitation of sports assets, for example through stadium-naming rights, is more advanced. more....

The Realities of the Financial Administration Process: The Case of the Football Industy - Nick Wood
Wednesday 24th November 2004
 Despite the points penalty introduced for the 2004/2005 season by the Premiership, the Football League, and other divisions for clubs entering administration, the administration process will remain the only way for most clubs in severe financial difficulty to re-structure and survive. However, despite the critical influence of financial administration on the recent re-structuring of English football’s finances,  much of the public commentary on how the process has been implemented in the industry has been confused and ill-informed. In this seminar Nick Wood explains the realities of the administration process from the viewpoint of the professional insolvency practitioner charged with engineering the rescue of a business in the financial equivalent of the intensive care ward....more

The Place of the Stadium in the Modern Football Industry - Simon Inglis
Wednesday 17th November 2004
Simon Inglis is Britain’s leading authority on the place of stadia in the football industry. In this seminar Simon addresses the issues outlined above by chronicling the history of football stadia development in Britain over the last twenty years. Beginning by addressing the reasons for the parlous state of the grounds of the football league in the 1980s, he will then explain the key drivers behind the stadia rebuilding drive of the 1990s, before concluding with some observations on the place of the stadium in the future development of the football industry...more

The Market for Football Broadcasting Rights: Buying and Selling the Game - Alex Fynn
Wednesday 10th November 2004
Alex Fynn is a well-known consultant to the football industry who has also written extensively on the subject of the football business. His clients have included Arsenal, Celtic, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur football teams, as well as the Football League and the Football Association. Through his work he has been influential in the formation of both the Premier League and the European Champions League.

- How should they be sold?
- How should the value of TV rights be evaluated?
- How does the evaluation and selling process take place in practice? ...more

The Football Industry in 2004: How Football's New Commercialism Turned Sour - Dave Conn
Wednesday 3rd November
Seven years ago David Conn wrote the best-selling The Football Business: Fair Game in the 90s? appearing at the peak of the post-Euro96 euphoria which engulfed English football as the full extraordinary financial fruits of the second BSkyB television deal began to wash over the game. In The Football Business David Conn was almost alone among informed commentators in highlighting that, far from enhancing the long-term future of the English game, this sudden influx of wealth was being misspent and mismanaged. In particular he analysed how the breakaway by the First Division clubs in 1992 to form the Premier League had polarised income to favour only the biggest clubs, and how chairmen and shareholders were cashing in and making fortunes on the Stock Market against the rules and traditions of the governing body, the Football Association. The book also highlighted the clubs’ rush to capitalise on football’s new-found fashionability by increasing ticket prices at the expense of the `traditional’ lower income fans. While football was booming and ‘coming home’, it was alienating and disenfranchising its own grass roots and football’s special place in the cultural life of the country....more

The Battle for Manchester United: A Fight for the Soul of English Football? Oliver Houston
Wednesday 27th October 2004
Manchester United is portrayed by many as the exemplar of how a modern football company should be managed. Under Sir Alex Ferguson over the last decade the football club has enjoyed an unparalleled period of success on the field of play, notably winning the European Champions League in 1999. Off the field it has been virtually the only English football company to behave like a conventional business company, consistently increasing turnover and profit year on year and paying a dividend, whilst maintaining a player wage to turnover ratio of around 50% (whilst many competitors have had ratios of 80%+). It has also expanded stadium capacity whilst also developing one of the few global marketing brands in football, with United playing to sell-out crowds in the Far East every year. This commercial success has attracted the interest of corporate investors. John Magnier, the horse-racing magnate, and JP MacManus, best known for his currency trading operations, hold a 29% share in Manchester United Plc through their Cubic Expression vehicle. More recently the American investor Michael Glazer has taken a stake over 25% in the company and made unofficial overtures to take over the club. However, there continue to be 29,000 small shareholders holding United stock, the vast majority for emotional reasons.

In this seminar Oliver Houston, spokesman for the independent Manchester United supporter shareholder group Shareholders United, argues that whilst Manchester United has enjoyed a period of strong commercial success, the underlying character of the club, that of a social institution beloved by the people that support it, has remained constant...more

Is Football a Unique Industry? Compare and Contrast Football with Other Industries - Jamie MaGraw
Wednesday 20th October 2004
Jamie MaGraw joined the FA in 2000 to determine whether the FA could improve financial standards within the game. This resulted in the FA Financial Advisory Unit (FAU) being established in March 2000. To date the FAU, comprising a staff of 5, has visited over 300 Clubs. In August 2002 he became the Finance Director of the FA. He left the FA in September 2003 to establish a number of companies.In his lecture Jamie will provide an overview of the differences between the operation of the football industry in England with other industries...more

Addressing Financial Instability in European Soccer: the Case for Restricting the Relegation and Promotion Process - Professor Stefan Szymanski
Wednesday 14th October 2004
This paper summarises the discussions of a group of economists from countries representing 11 of the national associations of UEFA.who met at the University of Bologna at Rimini in March 2004. The paper concludes that there are two broad approaches to dealing with financial instability in European football. The first is to impose tighter financial regulation from above, as exemplified by the UEFA club licensing scheme. However, within the current system the authors doubts whether such mechanisms can be credible without the strong legal backing such as is provided in the French system. The alternative to tighter regulation is a restructuring of football competition in Europe in order to create a more sustainable basis for smaller clubs in particular. This would involve adopting greater restrictions on the mobility - relegation and promotion - of the clubs up and down the leagues....more

Collective Selling of Broadcasting Rights: Regulation by the European Commission and National Competition Authorities - Professor Christine Oughton
Wednesday 6th October 2004
This paper reviews the evidence and outcomes of recent competition authority cases on the collective selling of broadcasting rights by football leagues. In particular we focus on the recent EC case against the Premier League. Our analysis shows that the collective selling of broadcasting rights by the Premier League (PL) does not represent a restriction of competition on the market in the normal sense and therefore does not breach Article 81. Moreover, we find that collective selling agreements improve the production and distribution of football matches and benefits consumers (football supporters). However, we believe that these benefits would be enhanced by greater solidarity (which has been eroded in recent years) and better corporate governance of football clubs...more

The Football Industry in 2004: How Football’s New Commercialism Turned Sour - Dave Conn
Monday 5th July 2004
It is now seven years since David Conn’s best-selling The Football Business: Fair Game in the 90s? was first published. The book appeared at the peak of the post-Euro96 euphoria which engulfed English football as the full extraordinary financial fruits of the second BSkyB television deal began to wash over the game. In The Football Business David Conn was almost alone among informed commentators in highlighting that, far from enhancing the long-term future of the English game, this sudden influx of wealth was actually destabilising its financial health. In particular he analysed how the breakaway by the First Division clubs in 1992 to form the Premier League had polarised income to favour only the biggest clubs, and how chairmen and shareholders were cashing in and making fortunes on the Stock Market against the rules and traditions of the governing body, the Football Association. The book also highlighted the clubs’ rush to capitalise on football’s new found fashionability by increasing ticket prices at the expense of the `traditional’ lower income fans. While football was booming and ‘coming home’, it was alienating and disenfranchising its own grass roots and football’s special place in the cultural life of the country...more

Commitment in the Football Shirt Sponsorship Dyad- Simon Chadwick
Monday 22nd March 2004
Having signed a shirt sponsorship contract, football clubs and sponsors routinely pronounce their commitment to one another. Notions of commitment found in the academic literature indicate that it is characterised by relationship longevity, durability, and loyalty. But evidence from football shirt sponsorships appears to counter such notions, as many deals are often short-term. The presentation therefore sets out to examine the nature of commitment in the football shirt sponsorship dyad, and to identify the implications of this for sponsorship management...more

Goldfish, Racehorses and the Ownership of English Football? - Simon Banks
Monday 15th March 2004
Simon Banks is journalist, author and broadcaster who specialises in the political economy of football. His critically acclaimed book Going Down: Football in Crisis (click here to purchasing details) examined the roots of football’s current financial crisis and concluded that radical reform of the sport’s structure and governing bodies was required in order to safeguard the game’s future.

With Leeds United on the verge of bankruptcy, Manchester United being used as a bargaining chip in a dispute over a racehorse, a string of clubs in administration and the Football Association slashing costs as it struggles to fund the building of Wembley Stadium, few would disagree that there is something seriously wrong with English football. In this lecture Banks argues that many recent critiques of the game, among them reports by the All Party Football Group and the Independent Football Commission, fail to address the fundamental issue that is the main barrier to reform; the ownership of professional football clubs...more

The Role of Players’ Agents in Football: An Industry Scandal? - Tom Bower
Monday 1st March 2004
In this lecture Tom Bower, focusing on the particular problem of the role of the players’ agents in the facilitation of player transfers, will explain why it does matter; and that financial malpractice does have real and severe consequences for the long-term health and prosperity of the game...more

Institute for Contemporary Art
Football: For Love or Money - The Institute for Contemporary Art
Thursday 15th January 2004
A debate jointly organised by the Institute for Contemporary Art and the Economist and chaired by Matthew Bishop, Business Editor of the Economist. It brought together David Lacey from the Guardian Newspaper (Sports Reporter of the Year), Mark Oliver, Managing Director of Oliver and Ohlbaum, Delia Smith, Director, Norwich City Football Club, and Glen Kirton, Chairman of Navigator Sports. The topic of discussion was whether the money in the game has been a power for good, or whether the gap netween the Premier League and the Football League needs re-addressing...more

Why the Premier League is Bad for Football - Alex Fynn
Thursday 20^th November 2003
Alex Fynn is a well-known consultant to the football industry who has also written extensively on the subject of the football business. His clients have included Arsenal, Celtic and Tottenham Hotspur football teams, as well as the Football League and the Football Association. Through his work he has been influential in the formation of both the Premier League and the European Champions League. Previously Alex was a director of the well-known advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi, latterly as vice-chairman.

In this lecture Alex casts a critical eye over the re-structuring of the football industry in Britain and Europe in the last ten years, and then presents some provocative future strategic scenarios for the industry. Critically he will argue that: The Premier League has ultimately proved a negative development for the English game and requires re-structuring in the interests of both it’s own and the Football League’s members. There is an urgent need for a real `European League’ to replace the current Champions League format...more

The Strategic Challenges Facing the Football League and the Premier League: Some Reflections on an Industry in Turbulent Times - Keith Harris
Monday 7th July 2003

The Football Industry in 2003: How Football’s New Commercialism Turned Sour - Dave Conn
Monday 16th June 2003
It is now six years since David Conn’s best-selling The Football Business: Fair Game in the 90s? was first published. The book appeared at the peak of the post-Euro96 eurphoria which engulfed English football as the full extraordinary financial fruits of the second BSkyB television deal began to wash over the game. In The Football Business Dave Conn was almost alone among informed commentators in highlighting that, far from enhancing the long-term future of the English game, this sudden influx of wealth was actually de-stabilising it’s financial health. In particular he analysed how the rush to capitalise on football’s new found fashionability by targeting `new’ higher income fans at the expense of the `traditional’ lower income fan base ran the risk of destroying the special place of football in the cultural life of the country – the very wellspring of its financial power - as traditional fans were priced out of grounds never to return...more

The Joint Selling of Media Rights and the European Commission’s Statement of Objections - Jonathan Michie and Christine Oughton
Wednesday 17th June 2003
Jonathan Michie and Christine Oughton provide evidence regarding the European Commission’s Statement of Objections to the joint selling of media rights by the Premier League.  Their analysis shows that the collective selling of broadcasting rights by the Premier League does not represent a restriction of competition on the market in the normal sense and therefore does not breach Article 81.  In particular they show that the collective selling agreement improves the production and distribution of football matches and benefits consumers (football supporters).  They believe that these benefits would be enhanced by greater solidarity (which has been eroded in recent years) and better corporate governance of football clubs. To realise these benefits they argue that the Commission should permit collective selling but seek changes in the rules of the Premier League to: (i) increase solidarity via more redistribution; and (ii) improve corporate governance to protect shareholders and consumers (football supporters)....more

Broadcasting, attendance and the inefficiency of cartels - Stephan Szymanski
Monday 19th May 2003
The English Premier League is a cartel of soccer teams that collectively sells the rights to broadcast its matches. Despite considerable demand for their product from broadcasters, the clubs agree to sell only a small fraction of the broadcast rights (60 out of 380 matches played each season). The clubs have explained this reluctance by claiming that increased broadcasting would reduce attendance at matches and therefore reduce cartel income. However, this paper produces detailed econometric evidence to show that broadcasting has a negligible effect on attendance and that additional broadcast fees would be likely to exceed any plausible opportunity cost....more

A 'Fit and Proper' Test for Football? Protecting and Regulating Clubs - Matt Holt Monday 12th May 2003
Following the collapse of ITV digital and the growing number of clubs in administration and financial danger, the regulation of the domestic game by the football authorities has come increasingly to the fore. Financial divides between leagues, a weakened regulatory framework, and the large personal gains to be made from football, have all focussed attention on the ability of the game’s authorities to govern effectively. Matthew will look specifically at the recommendation made by the Football Task Force, that the Football Association introduce a ‘fit and proper person’ requirement for those owning a substantial shareholding in football clubs in England....more

Impact of European Competition Law on Joint Selling of Football Rights - Peter Crowther
Monday 28th April 2003
Individual EU countries presently take quite different approaches towards the sale of broadcasting rights for football, with the result that the amount of football shown on TV varies from country to country. Against this background, the European Commission has in recent years taken an increasing interest in how national and international football rights are sold. Peter will address this trend and consider some of the recent European Commission cases. More speculatively, he will also review the current Commission investigation into the sale of Premier League rights....more

New Elite Models in International Football - Professor Pierre LanFranchi
Monday 7th April 2003
Professor Lanfranchi is based at the International Centre for Sports History and Culture at the School of Historical and International Studies at De Monfort University in Leicester. The Centre is dedicated to the study of sports history.

In his lecture Professor Lanfranchi will assess one of the major shifts in organisational dynamics over the last fifteen years in the football industry; the industry has emerged from an amateur cultural inheritance and sporting ethic to one where traditional commercial imperatives now dominate eg. where amateur, unpaid referees once regulated contests between professional footballers professionalisation now applies to all sectors of the game....more

The Labour Market for Football Players - Trevor Watkins
Monday 31st March 2003
Trevor Watkins, Sports Lawyer for Clarke-Willmott, examines why the last decade has seen such significant change in the business of football. Critically, Trevor analyses why long regarded as commodities to be bought and sold players have seen their power and influence grow as the Bosman ruling confirmed that labour law applied to football as much as to other business. Now, with the introduction of a new transfer system, the threat of further challenge from European Union (EU) intervention, and crippling debts affecting most professional clubs, Trevor considers the practical and legal framework under which the market for players operates within the European Community, and assesses the prospects for future radical change in the regulation of players' employment contract status....more

From Small to Large - How to Successfully Run a Football Club in Today's Economic Environment - Mr David Buchler
Thursday 27th March 2003
This seminar consists of an in-depth synopsis of the points of running football clubs at the smallest end of the spectrum, i.e. Barnet Football Club, to the largest end of the spectrum, i.e. Tottenham Hotspur. What are the pitfalls, how to avoid them and what are the issues to concentrate on to ensure success....more

Consultant FIFA and UEFA at the start of the 21st century - Havard Davies
Monday 17th March 2003
Havard Davies, formerly of UEFA and now an independent consultant, drawing on his long experience in the football industry, reviews the major developments in the evolution of UEFA and FIFA over the last decade, before assessing what the key strategic initiatives are likely to be from both regulatory organisations over the next five years....more

Manchester and its Football Fans: Globalisation, Exclusion and Commodification - Adam Brown
Monday 10th March 2003
This lecture is based on new research conducted in Manchester on Manchester City and Manchester United by the Manchester Institute for Popular Culture, Manchester Metropolitan University, and funded by the Economic and Social Research Council. The lecture will consider the location of football fans in and around Manchester and popular conceptions of them, including an analysis of the location of season ticket holders of both clubs. The lecture will then consider the processes of globalisation and commodification of football in Manchester, in terms of both the fan base and the new commercial priorities of United and City. A comparison will be made between the reaction of fans at City and at United to these processes in terms of their campaigning activities as well as their own identification and the lecture will conclude by considering the responses of the clubs to critiques of their 'globalisation'....more

The Old Firm's Contribution to Scottish Football - Brian Sturgess
Monday 3rd March 2003
Brian Sturgess, Managing Director, Soccer Investor Ltd, discusses the findings of a Report produced by himself and Dr. Jonathan Mounsey for some of the members of the Scottish Premier League concerning the Old Firm’s (Celtic and Rangers football clubs) contribution to Scottish football. The Report concludes that Scottish football could survive and even prosper without Celtic and Rangers -- an outcome which is no longer a possibility because they cannot leave for England and the other 10 have withdrawn their threat to resign from the SPL....more

Football in the Community - Roger Reade
11th February 2003
This seminar will explain the background to the Football in the Community scheme and provide examples of ways in which Supporters' Trusts can work effectively with the scheme to promote the football club in the local area. York City Supporters' Trust's support for a local school project and the Gas Trust's initiative to develop a wide ranging community plan aimed at building links within the local community, which should bring together local business, community groups, the Trust and the club are examples of co-operation that could be replicated elsewhere....more

How Football Fans Can Own their Club: The Progressive Transfer of Shares and Directorships to Supporters' Trusts - Alan Steele
Thursday 28th November 2002
A seminar on how a Supporters' Trust can successfully achieve a substantial stake in its football club and open up the possibility of eventual outright control will be given by Alan Steel, Chair of CCUIST, the Carlise United Supporters' Trust. CCUIST was launched in May 2001 in the teeth of almost hysterical opposition from the then owners of the club - 'Kill CCUIST not the Club' was the title of a page on the official club website. Now, some 18 months later, CCUIST has more than 1,000 members (and rising), and £100,000 in the Bank with a further £30,000 pledged and coming through in regular monthly donations. CCUIST has achieved a change of ownership at the Club, have been offered 49% of the shares (20% immediately) and a controlling interest when the current owner moves on. CCUIST is currently conducting the election for its first director on the Board of Carlisle United....more

Fresh Players, New Tactics: Lessons from the Northampton Town Supporters Trust - Andy Walsh
January 2002 (click here for report in )
This seminar investigated the longer-term challenges facing established trusts. The in-depth study of Northampton Town - one of the first trusts to be formed - provides evidence on how effective the trust has been in achieving its primary objectives: raising enough money to save the club from bankruptcy and providing effective involvement and representation of supporters in the running of the club. The study also investigates how a trust may grow and increase its influence over time, and was launched at a seminar on 20th March 2001....more

Setting up a Football Community Mutual - Kevin Jaquiss
11th November 2001
A recent project involved developing a model structure and constitution for a 'mutual' football club with proper community and supporter involvement. This is being conducted in association with Cobbetts, the leading law firm in the area of mutuals and cooperatives....more

For many seminars handouts and presentation notes are available, so contact s.hamil@bbk.ac.uk for details.