TOP 100 SOCCER SITES
| |||
|
| |||
| |||
|
| |||
| Watmore launches four-year plan to sort FA finances • FA's chief executive to overhaul finances by 2014• New plans for National Football Centre to be unveiledIan Watmore, the Football Association chief executive, has unveiled a four-year plan to overhaul the governing body's finances and operations by the time of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. After a protracted period of financial uncertainty sparked by the collapse of Setanta, Watmore said the FA was ready to move forward in the new year with redrawn plans for the long-delayed National Football Centre at Burton, a new push on youth development and an overhaul of its commercial strategy.He also claimed, in an interview with the Guardian, to have made substantial progress on establishing a working relationship with the Premier League chief executive, Richard Scudamore, despite the very public spat between the two organisations' respective chairmen, Lord Triesman and Sir Dave Richards, over the 2018 World Cup bid.Watmore, who has faced a series of major challenges in his six months in the job including replacing Setanta's £150m TV contract and renegotiating a series of key sponsorship deals, said the next four years were a "critical period" for the FA's finances."The period between now and the 2014 World Cup in Brazil is critical," he said. "I think organising our sponsorship and TV deals together is the right way forward. Sponsors and TV companies prefer thinking World Cup to World Cup rather than Euros to Euros."Watmore said he was on the verge of renewing Tesco's deal to sponsor its skills programme to 2014, to add to recent renewals with Carlsberg and McDonalds and a new deal with Mars. However, talks over Nationwide's position as the leading England sponsor are dragging on and its exclusivity period has ended without an agreement.Watmore said his cost-cutting programme aimed at driving down the FA's expenditure by 10% was "basically done" and revealed that conclusive plans for the National Football Centre would finally be unveiled in the summer.Following a review led by the former Ipswich Town chairman David Sheepshanks, he said he was confident that private investment could be found to build the centre."Our hope and expectation is that by the start of next season we'll be able to say we're definitely doing this on this timetable, to this spec and to this business case," he said of the scheme, which will now act as a centre of excellence for coaching rather than players. "The concept we now all agree upon."Watmore said England's impressive World Cup qualifying campaign under Fabio Capello had made sponsorship negotiations easier, despite the recession and the continued financial burden placed on the FA's finances by Wembley until 2014.The chief executive plans to open negotiations over ITV's main contract to show live England and FA Cup matches, which runs to 2012, and wants to also bring that into line by offering the BBC and ITV a short-term two-year deal."That is also the point under current plans at which Wembley breaks even. The stadium will be servicing its own costs including interest and depreciation," he said of the ongoing burden of the £757m stadium, estimating that the FA would have to continue to contribute £20m a year in loan repayments and services rendered until then.Watmore, a former management consultant and senior civil servant who has maintained a low profile in his early months in the job, said the next four years would also be crucial in terms of devising new ways to exploit the FA's media rights."There is a period of change going on in terms of the way we as citizens react with everything in terms of new media," said Watmore, a former head of e-government. "That's a key period to play out because when we want to net the deals after that, it will be much clearer how the web and other types of platforms are playing and we'll be able to do the rest of the deals on that basis."The FA has been experimenting with streaming matches from the FA Cup on its website and has been encouraged by the results. It will continue to do so even when the £60m, four-year deal agreed with ESPN to replace Setanta begins next year.The FAOwen Gibsonguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Sir Alex Ferguson set to drop FA Cup flops for Carling Cup semi-final with Manchester City Sir Alex Ferguson could make up to seven changes for Carling Cup semi-final tie against Man City following FA Cup exit. telegraph.co.uk |
Togo attack: Angola minister defends African Nations Cup matches in Cabinda Togo team had crossed border from Democratic Republic of Congo into Angolan enclave of Cabinda when they came under fire. telegraph.co.uk |
Liverpool v Tottenham - live! Press F5 for the latest posts or trust that our auto-update button will do the job for you. Send your witty words the way of barry.glendenning@guardian.co.uk, look in on Aston Villa v Blackburn and check all of tonight's latest scores hereBarry will be here from 7.30pm.In the meantime read the Liverpool co-owner George Gillett's assessment of the season so far in which he describes the Merseyside club's misery as a mere blip and Rafa BenÃtez as one of the world's best five managers. The Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has been quashing rumours of an Anfield exit left right and centre. Read the latest here ...Oh and in Spurs news that isn't really news, Ledley King's injured again.Premier LeagueLiverpoolTottenham HotspurBarry Glendenningguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Cologne adds to Wolfsburg woes Wolfsburg's defensive problems continued on Sunday as the defending champion lost 3-2 at home to Cologne, extending its winless streak to seven games. cbc.ca |