Shebby Singh, former Malaysian defender and current football pundit on ESPN-Star, has accepted the position of Head - Football Development India/Asia at English Premier League club Blackburn Rovers.
Back in June, he praised Indian firm Venky's take-over of Blackburn as fundamentally different from other recent changes in EPL club ownership, thanks to their plans of launching an academy and a football club in India. “I see it as more of a commitment to developing football in India rather than just a commercial venture,” he said.
Singh also identified two areas that need to be addressed for the game to grow in India.
“One is youth development. Children have to be playing every day. There has to be some form of organised competition. I don't think under-12s should be playing 11-a-side. Play five-a-side, but with football rules, and not futsal rules.
"The other is to educate the coaches. You've got to have a lot more coaches, a lot more people taking the courses and getting licences. It cannot be an elitist group. The more coaches you have, the more the game can spread. And the coaches need to constantly update their education, keep taking refresher courses,”
he said.
Asked then whether he'd take a role with Blackburn Rovers, he answered: “If the right opportunity is there, I would certainly give it a thought. I would like to use my experience in football to manage or coach players in top flight.”
According to The People, he hopes to get Blackburn Rovers ahead in India through a concerted push. “Who knows, we might find some ‘slumdog footballers’ emerging as Venky’s are keen on starting with boys aged 10 to 14 who can demonstrate the right skills. We will unearth potentially outstanding talent for Blackburn.”
Singh is also, reportedly, a franchisee of FIELDTURF, a third generation artificial grass surface that is suitable for sports fields, golf and landscaping.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Tuesday, September 06, 2011
US survey findings: Companies that sponsor outperform those that don't
According to a new survey, companies that invest in sponsorship outperform those that don't and companies that spend at above average rates on sponsorship ('super sponsors') also outperform those that spend at below average rates.
The survey, led by Professor Jonathan A. Jensen of Columbia College Chicago and published by the International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship, analysed 50 major US corporations over a five-year period.
The researchers analysed key performance indicators such as stock price appreciation, total revenue, net income and earnings per share. To adjust for company size, annual compound growth rates (CAGR) and percentage changes for stock price were also factored.
During the five year period between 2005/09, the super sponsors outperformed other Standard & Poor (S&P) companies in three of the four key performance indicators. The super sponsors who had the highest net income growth over the five-year period were General Motors (107.9%), Anheuser-Busch (35.0%), Ford (26.0%), AT&T (19.7%) and Procter & Gamble (13.5%).
All but three of the super sponsors (Bank of America, Verizon and FedEx) posted higher net income growth than the average of the S&P 500 index (6.50%). The top super sponsors in terms of growth in earnings per share were General Motors (111.8%), McDonald's (16.8%), AT&T (10.9%) and Nike (10.2%).
All but two of the companies (Anheuser-Busch and Verizon) posted earnings per share growth rates that exceeded the S&P 500 index average of 6.97%. In terms of stock price appreciation, the super sponsors declined by an average of 0.64%, compared to a decrease of 7.94% for the S&P 500 index. The super sponsors who realised the highest percentage increase in stock price were McDonald's (96.2%), Visa (66.7%), Nike (45.7%) and Coca-Cola (37.2%).
In addition to achieving higher than market averages, the super sponsors also outperformed the companies on the list who invested in sponsorship at a below-average level, in revenue growth, net income growth and earnings per share growth.
As a group, the companies who invested an average of $33.7 million per year in sponsorship (versus an average of US$160 million per year by super sponsors) had an average revenue growth of 6.56%, average net income growth of 0.07% and average EPS growth of 3.03%. As a group, the 35 peer companies realised a mean stock price increase of 3.85%.
"We do not suggest a causal relationship between investment in sponsorship and business performance," Professor Jensen commented in a statement.
"Rather, it is our theory that these companies have consistently outperformed peer companies who spend less on sponsorship and due to the fact that they already enjoy the benefits of their brands being more established and valuable compared to their peers, which contributes to better company performance over time. Their consistent investment in sponsorship is reflective of their efforts to continue to nurture their brands, which, according to branding experts, are among some of the most valuable in the world."
The survey, led by Professor Jonathan A. Jensen of Columbia College Chicago and published by the International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship, analysed 50 major US corporations over a five-year period.
The researchers analysed key performance indicators such as stock price appreciation, total revenue, net income and earnings per share. To adjust for company size, annual compound growth rates (CAGR) and percentage changes for stock price were also factored.
During the five year period between 2005/09, the super sponsors outperformed other Standard & Poor (S&P) companies in three of the four key performance indicators. The super sponsors who had the highest net income growth over the five-year period were General Motors (107.9%), Anheuser-Busch (35.0%), Ford (26.0%), AT&T (19.7%) and Procter & Gamble (13.5%).
All but three of the super sponsors (Bank of America, Verizon and FedEx) posted higher net income growth than the average of the S&P 500 index (6.50%). The top super sponsors in terms of growth in earnings per share were General Motors (111.8%), McDonald's (16.8%), AT&T (10.9%) and Nike (10.2%).
All but two of the companies (Anheuser-Busch and Verizon) posted earnings per share growth rates that exceeded the S&P 500 index average of 6.97%. In terms of stock price appreciation, the super sponsors declined by an average of 0.64%, compared to a decrease of 7.94% for the S&P 500 index. The super sponsors who realised the highest percentage increase in stock price were McDonald's (96.2%), Visa (66.7%), Nike (45.7%) and Coca-Cola (37.2%).
In addition to achieving higher than market averages, the super sponsors also outperformed the companies on the list who invested in sponsorship at a below-average level, in revenue growth, net income growth and earnings per share growth.
As a group, the companies who invested an average of $33.7 million per year in sponsorship (versus an average of US$160 million per year by super sponsors) had an average revenue growth of 6.56%, average net income growth of 0.07% and average EPS growth of 3.03%. As a group, the 35 peer companies realised a mean stock price increase of 3.85%.
"We do not suggest a causal relationship between investment in sponsorship and business performance," Professor Jensen commented in a statement.
"Rather, it is our theory that these companies have consistently outperformed peer companies who spend less on sponsorship and due to the fact that they already enjoy the benefits of their brands being more established and valuable compared to their peers, which contributes to better company performance over time. Their consistent investment in sponsorship is reflective of their efforts to continue to nurture their brands, which, according to branding experts, are among some of the most valuable in the world."
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Top level discussions reported on possible expulsion of a K-League club
Sangmu Phoenix, the South Korean military football club playing in the country's professional K-League, could be expelled or relegated to a proposed new second division because of the ongoing match-fixing scandal plaguing the the Korea Football Association.
The team's coach was arrested this week for allegedly accepting money from the parents of a player to keep quiet about their son's role in the corruption scandal.
"We're considering leaving Sangmu off the K-League next season," an official from the military's athletics division told Yonhap news agency. "But we're not looking into forcing Sangmu to stop accepting professional athletes altogether."
The K-League denied it had yet made a decision to penalise the club, saying: "We're not yet at a point where we have to come up with (such punitive) measures."
See also: K-League's major restructure to meet the challenge of beating corruption
The team's coach was arrested this week for allegedly accepting money from the parents of a player to keep quiet about their son's role in the corruption scandal.
"We're considering leaving Sangmu off the K-League next season," an official from the military's athletics division told Yonhap news agency. "But we're not looking into forcing Sangmu to stop accepting professional athletes altogether."
The K-League denied it had yet made a decision to penalise the club, saying: "We're not yet at a point where we have to come up with (such punitive) measures."
See also: K-League's major restructure to meet the challenge of beating corruption
Taiwan beats Malaysia, appoints new coach and is offered FIFA development funds
Taiwan's national football team has been invited to play a friendly against Singapore on 18 July, following its impressive 3-2 defeat of Malaysia in a recent 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier.
Although Taiwan failed to advance to the second round due to insufficient aggregate goals, new coach Lee Tae Ho, a retired South Korean national footballer, said the enthusiasm shown by the more than 15,000 fans in the venue left him impressed.
He said his team will become more aggressive under his one-year leadership."I prefer the attacking style of football, which means when the opponents make one goal, we must try to make two," he said.
The world football body, FIFA, sent six delegates to Taiwan from 4-10 July to help the nation's Chinese Taipei Football Association review its operations and map out a two-year development program.
The plan includes establishing a panel responsible for developing football at the entry level, proposing an eight-year coach nurturing program, and organizing matches at different ages around the country, Lu Kun-shan, the football association's president, told CNA.
“Our understanding is that about $300,000 will be invested in the plan,” Lu said of a reported FIFA financial commitment. “Whether we can continue to secure the funding depends on our performance,” he said.
One of Lu's ultimate goals is to form professional football leagues in Taiwan by 2018, with 12 teams for men and six for women's football. He also hopes the men's team can break into the FIFA top 100 nations by 2019.
See also: Taiwan announces major plans to become a football power in Asia
He said his team will become more aggressive under his one-year leadership."I prefer the attacking style of football, which means when the opponents make one goal, we must try to make two," he said.
The world football body, FIFA, sent six delegates to Taiwan from 4-10 July to help the nation's Chinese Taipei Football Association review its operations and map out a two-year development program.
The plan includes establishing a panel responsible for developing football at the entry level, proposing an eight-year coach nurturing program, and organizing matches at different ages around the country, Lu Kun-shan, the football association's president, told CNA.
“Our understanding is that about $300,000 will be invested in the plan,” Lu said of a reported FIFA financial commitment. “Whether we can continue to secure the funding depends on our performance,” he said.
One of Lu's ultimate goals is to form professional football leagues in Taiwan by 2018, with 12 teams for men and six for women's football. He also hopes the men's team can break into the FIFA top 100 nations by 2019.
See also: Taiwan announces major plans to become a football power in Asia
EPL's Reds hoping to spark Liverpool-mania amongst the young Chinese middle-class
England's Liverpool Echo imagined what sort of mania home town music heroes, The Beatles, could have generated in the China of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution to describe the fan interest that Liverpool Football Club enjoyed during its recent exhibition game against Sunray Cave FC in the southern Chinese city of Guangdong.
"The foyer of the team hotel, lined with marble and Liverpool fans in rows five deep, gave some indication of what it might have been like," it said..
"When a Liverpool player walked in there was a collective gasp and a volley of flashbulbs as bright as the lightning flitting through the skies above the Pearl River, which is as wide but rather more sluggish than the Mersey at Pier Head. And it was ‘only’ Ian Rush.
"When a member of Kenny Dalglish’s playing squad peered over the balcony, the screaming started in earnest. Then, the players were bundled into coaches to be paraded around a nearby shopping centre," and so on.
Surprisingly, though, the newspaper agreed that Liverpool's popularity in Asia was due to the club's success when satellite broadcasts, particularly to Malaysia and Singapore, "began in the years when Rush and Dalglish ruled the English game."
Then a rigidly Communist country, Red China didn't enjoy similar access to the Liverpool Reds and remains a "relatively virgin territory" for English Premier League clubs such as Liverpool and Manchester United.
Last year, the newspaper reported, some market research was done among the "new, young Chinese middle-class" as to how they rated the EPL’s ‘Big Four’.
The most popular adjectives used to describe Manchester United were “successful”, “aggressive” and “dominant”. Arsenal were “young” and “sexy”. Chelsea were “wealthy” but “superficial”. Liverpool were “honest”, “reliable” and had “history”.
See also: Man Utd "forced to flee" from "fanatical" Chinese and Notes on foreign penetration of Chinese football and China 'bragging rights' to England and Man United
"When a Liverpool player walked in there was a collective gasp and a volley of flashbulbs as bright as the lightning flitting through the skies above the Pearl River, which is as wide but rather more sluggish than the Mersey at Pier Head. And it was ‘only’ Ian Rush.
"When a member of Kenny Dalglish’s playing squad peered over the balcony, the screaming started in earnest. Then, the players were bundled into coaches to be paraded around a nearby shopping centre," and so on.
Surprisingly, though, the newspaper agreed that Liverpool's popularity in Asia was due to the club's success when satellite broadcasts, particularly to Malaysia and Singapore, "began in the years when Rush and Dalglish ruled the English game."
Last year, the newspaper reported, some market research was done among the "new, young Chinese middle-class" as to how they rated the EPL’s ‘Big Four’.
The most popular adjectives used to describe Manchester United were “successful”, “aggressive” and “dominant”. Arsenal were “young” and “sexy”. Chelsea were “wealthy” but “superficial”. Liverpool were “honest”, “reliable” and had “history”.
See also: Man Utd "forced to flee" from "fanatical" Chinese and Notes on foreign penetration of Chinese football and China 'bragging rights' to England and Man United
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Malaysia and Singapore to insert youth teams in each other's competitions
A four-year partnership agreement between the Football Association of Singapore and the Football Association of Malaysia will see an exchange of youth-based clubs in their respective domestic leagues and cup tournaments from 2012.
Singapore will be represented in the Malaysian Super League, Malaysia Cup and FA Cup by the Singapore Lions, a team comprised of U-23 national players, five players above the age of 23 and foreign players as permitted by the competitions.
In turn, a Malaysian team, the Malaysian Tigers, comprised mainly of U-23 national players, will join the S-League, League Cup and Singapore Cup.
The agreement also provides for an increase in friendly matches between the national teams of the two countries, as well as the birth of two new annual tournament which will see the winners of both leagues do battle over two legs. The League Champions Challenge will see the champions of the S.League and the Malaysia Super League compete in a home-and-away format while the Cup Winners Challenge will be a home-and-away match-up between the Singapore Cup and Malaysia Cup champions.
Referring to the stirring provincial clashes up to 17 years ago, when Singapore participated alongside Malaysian states, FAS president Zainudin Nordin reflected: "There is always a special romance between Singapore and Malaysian football. The key points of this partnership cannot be achieved overnight, but these are positive developments and it's a win-win situation for both parties."
Singapore will be represented in the Malaysian Super League, Malaysia Cup and FA Cup by the Singapore Lions, a team comprised of U-23 national players, five players above the age of 23 and foreign players as permitted by the competitions.
In turn, a Malaysian team, the Malaysian Tigers, comprised mainly of U-23 national players, will join the S-League, League Cup and Singapore Cup.
The agreement also provides for an increase in friendly matches between the national teams of the two countries, as well as the birth of two new annual tournament which will see the winners of both leagues do battle over two legs. The League Champions Challenge will see the champions of the S.League and the Malaysia Super League compete in a home-and-away format while the Cup Winners Challenge will be a home-and-away match-up between the Singapore Cup and Malaysia Cup champions.
Referring to the stirring provincial clashes up to 17 years ago, when Singapore participated alongside Malaysian states, FAS president Zainudin Nordin reflected: "There is always a special romance between Singapore and Malaysian football. The key points of this partnership cannot be achieved overnight, but these are positive developments and it's a win-win situation for both parties."
Indian state FA prepares to train 5,000 certified coaches in next three years
The Western India Football Association, in its centenary year, has embarked on a program of qualifying 5,000 AIFF (All India Football Federation) certified coaches in the next three years.
"There are currently 30 districts affiliated to WIFA, with more than 2000 clubs, 1500 school teams and around 500 college teams playing the sport," SportzPower reported. However, there are currently only 55 qualified AFC coaches in the state.
The program, a brainchild of WIFA CEO Henry Menezes and will be conducted by AIFF director of coaching Gabriel Joseph.. “The pilot project will first create a pool of instructors from the available AFC ‘A’ and ‘B’ license holders in the state. Thereon these successful instructors would be eligible to train coaches under them,” said Joseph.
"There are currently 30 districts affiliated to WIFA, with more than 2000 clubs, 1500 school teams and around 500 college teams playing the sport," SportzPower reported. However, there are currently only 55 qualified AFC coaches in the state.
The program, a brainchild of WIFA CEO Henry Menezes and will be conducted by AIFF director of coaching Gabriel Joseph.. “The pilot project will first create a pool of instructors from the available AFC ‘A’ and ‘B’ license holders in the state. Thereon these successful instructors would be eligible to train coaches under them,” said Joseph.
FIFA notes the election of new Indonesian FA (PSSI) President and Exco
The world football body, FIFA, has acknowledged the elections of a new Executive Committee of the Indonesia Football Association (PSSI) on 9 July 2011 and the election of Djohar Arifin Husin as the new PSSI president.
According to a statement published on the FIFA website, the "elective congress, observed by FIFA, AFC and AFF, was conducted in accordance with the PSSI statutes and the FIFA decisions.
"In addition, PSSI signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the break-away league (Ligua Première, LPI) bringing the LPI under the control of PSSI. As such, all LPI competition-related matters will be administered by PSSI until the end of the LPI season scheduled for February 2012.
"Under these circumstances, FIFA considers that the conditions set by the FIFA Executive Committee, namely the elections of a new board and the control of LPI by PSSI are met and that there is therefore no reason to suspend PSSI.
"FIFA and AFC will monitor the implementation of the MOU and assist the new leadership through their development programs."
According to a statement published on the FIFA website, the "elective congress, observed by FIFA, AFC and AFF, was conducted in accordance with the PSSI statutes and the FIFA decisions.
"In addition, PSSI signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the break-away league (Ligua Première, LPI) bringing the LPI under the control of PSSI. As such, all LPI competition-related matters will be administered by PSSI until the end of the LPI season scheduled for February 2012.
"Under these circumstances, FIFA considers that the conditions set by the FIFA Executive Committee, namely the elections of a new board and the control of LPI by PSSI are met and that there is therefore no reason to suspend PSSI.
"FIFA and AFC will monitor the implementation of the MOU and assist the new leadership through their development programs."
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