The FA’s Role in Developing Five-a-Side Football: Strategic Alliances with Stakeholders

Abstract: Five-a-side football has become the most popular form of football in England and the sport's national governing body, the Football Association (FA), has recognised that it must develop its role in this market. As part of its Football Development Strategy (2001), the FA has stated that it needs to develop partnerships with relevant public and private sector organisations. Against this background this paper has two aims. Firstly, the authors explore with selected stakeholders their views regarding the FA’s role in developing five-a-side football through strategic alliances. Secondly, by drawing on the literature and their fieldwork, the authors present a framework for examine strategic alliance options that can be applied by national governing bodies of other sports.

The results of the research study suggest that the FA should play a key role in developing the five-a-side football market and, through its network of County FAs, seek strategic alliances with stakeholders from the private, public and voluntary sectors. The framework presented by the authors assists the FA and other national governing bodies in the planning of strategic alliances.

Reference: Stevens, Andy and Watkins-Mathys, Lorraine (2006) The FA’s Role in Developing Five-a-Side Football: Strategic Alliances with Stakeholders. Managing Leisure. Volume 11, Number 3. July. pp186-202.

To be or not to be - temporary or permanent structures?

Abstract: Major sports events are increasingly a sophisticated multi-million dollar bsuienss which is evolving year by year. Andy Stevens, author of the SportBusiness Report Stadia and Arenas: Maximising Value from Venues, examines developments in key areas.

Temporary facilities have become a common sight at professional sports venues, most often in the form of spectator grandstands and hospitality tents. But recently, more creative and innovative applications have been developed, and the traditional image of uncovered stands with exposed wooden bleachers and limited amenities, or of hospitality tents that are unbearable hot and humid in summer but cold and damp in winter, should now be a thing of the past.

The current generation of temporary structures offer high specifications and have evolved into a range of facilities that enable event organisers to create an event village that can encompass ticketing, food and beverage, retail, hospitality, media, back office and even complete arenas.

The Swiss company Nüssli created eleven Südkurve Deutschland temporary fan parks, which accommodated 4,000 fans and hospitality for up to 1,000 covers, during the recent Germany 2006 FIFA World Cup. In Berlin, the focal point of the 40,000 m² Adidas World of Football was the 8,600-seat Adidas Arena, a temporary 1:3 replica of the Olympiastadion. Thomas van Schaik, Head of Global Football PR for Adidas, explains that the concept was designed to open up the World Cup experience to those who were not fortunate to have a match ticket: "If you watch the World Cup Final by yourself then something has gone wrong in your life! Football is an emotion you share." So whereas 432,000 fans watched the six fixtures at the Olympiastadion, the organisers were able to accommodate 500,000 fans to the World of Football by using temporary structures. According to Thomas van Schaik, this enabled Adidas to extend its brand to a wider audience: "We thought that this specific element is typical for football. You want to share the emotions. It's for people that do have a ticket, but also those who have not".

Reference: Stevens, Andy (2006) To be or not to be - temporary or permanent structures? Sport Business International. July/August. Issue 115. pp47-48.

Defending you turf

Abstract: Major sports events are increasingly a sophisticated multi-million dollar bsuienss which is evolving year by year. Andy Stevens, author of the SportBusiness Report Stadia and Arenas: Maximising Value from Venues, examines developments in key areas.

Many of the world's most popular team sports, including soccer, American football and rugby, have traditionally been played on natural turf pitches. But maintaining this type of surface has become more demanding as stadia increase in size and versatility.

Retractable roofs, such as the one being installed at the new Wembley Stadium, are an effective but expensive solution. These allow direct sun onto the pitch and, when the roof is retracted, can provide preferable conditions for spectators and reduce the effect of shadows that affected some of the television pictures from the recent Germany 2006 FIFA World Cup.

The $US355 million Cardinals Stadium, which opens in September 2006, has both a sliding roof and a sliding pitch. The playing surface is positioned on a tray that is itself over two acres in size, but can be slid out of the building in just 45 minutes. This means that the venue floor can be used for other events when the stadium is not hosting the home games of the NFL Arizona Cardinals.

A number of groundsmen have begun experimenting with mobile lighting units that provide light at pitch level. The technology has been in development since 1999 and is still being tested. The wheeled units are remote-controlled and so far the results at venues including the City of Manchester Stadium, the Stade Louis II, Monaco and Highbury have been favourable.

Air circulation is also essential for maintaining a healthy pitch and is key consideration as more bowl-shaped venues are built in preference to stadia with open corners or ends. Ground level tunnels can be beneficial and the new Wembley Stadium has ventilation shafts at the rear of the lower tier. These incorporate louvers that can be opened and closed to regulate air flow.

The playing surface at Arsenal FC's 38,000-seat Highbury stadium was highly regarded by players and opponents alike, and has benefited from low stands with gaps in all four corners of the venue. However, the club's new 67,000-seat Emirates Stadium, which opens in August 2006, is much larger and uses a bowl configuration. The club therefore decided to install a hybrid surface that combines the benefits of artificial turf pitches (ATPs) to reinforce natural grass. Hybrid pitches consist of some 20 million artificial fibres that knitted 200 mm into the base of the pitch. The exposed fibres are 25 mm proud of the surface so that the natural grass blades intertwine to provide extra stability, with manufacturers claiming that hybrid models can sustain up to four times more wear and tear than grass.

Reference: Stevens, Andy (2006) Defending you turf. Sport Business International. July/August. Issue 115. pp45-47.

Just the ticket - an electronic revolution

Abstract: Major sports events are increasingly a sophisticated multi-million dollar bsuienss which is evolving year by year. Andy Stevens, author of the SportBusiness Report Stadia and Arenas: Maximising Value from Venues, examines developments in key areas.

Matchday revenues represent a declining share of revenue for many professional sports teams revenues, mostly due to the evolving media rights and sponsorship markets. For example, the Italian Serie A football club Juventus generates just 10% of its €229.4m income from matchday activities. Nevertheless, income generated on event day continues to be one of the key revenue streams and, as was seen during the recent Germany 2006 FIFA World Cup, ticketing continues to be an emotive issue that affects spectators, event organisers, the media and sponsors.

Reference: Stevens, Andy (2006) Just the ticket - an electronic revolution. Sport Business International. July/August. Issue 115. pp44-45.