Post by SFC on Dec 5, 2004 5:52:33 GMT 10
Sydney take a corporate tip from Thorpe
By Michael Cowley
December 4, 2004
The man who handles the endorsements and sponsorships of one of Australia's highest-profile athletes, Ian Thorpe, has been appointed by Sydney FC to guide the new club into the corporate world, including tapping into the lucrative Asian market.
David Flaskas of Grand Slam International has been given the task of helping Sydney build for the A-League competition that kicks off in August 2005.
Sydney FC was drawn to Flaskas and his firm after they secured significant corporate sponsorships in Japan and China for Thorpe. They are now making similar progress in the US.
"As a club we're a month old and in that period we have made huge strides in starting to put the framework of an administration together," Sydney FC chairman Walter Bugno said yesterday.
"We've developed our strategy and positioning, we've got the makings of a team, the football department is coming together, we've got an assistant coach appointed, and he's building his staff, and we have quite a number of players that we've signed: some have been announced, some yet to be announced."
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AdvertisementThe head coach will be selected from a shortlist of overseas contenders. Bugno would not divulge names, but the likes of Iraq national team coach Bernd Stange, former Chelsea manager Gianluca Vialli and former England coach Glenn Hoddle have been linked to the club.
"We have made a commitment to finding a foreign coach ... we want to bring some new thinking. We want a new style of football to be played here," Bugno said. "Our hope is that we'll have that locked away within the next three months before we start getting the team together ... We won't compromise who we pick for the sake of rushing."
Representatives from the eight A-League foundation clubs completed a three-day workshop in Sydney yesterday.
"We want to run this league so that the clubs feel part of the operation, not the ASA being big brother all the time," the Australian Soccer Association's head of operations, Matt Carroll, said.
"We had healthy debate around the salary cap, player management, player contracts, the world club championship qualifying system, and by and large they got a lot out of it, and most importantly we got a lot out of it as well."
By Michael Cowley
December 4, 2004
The man who handles the endorsements and sponsorships of one of Australia's highest-profile athletes, Ian Thorpe, has been appointed by Sydney FC to guide the new club into the corporate world, including tapping into the lucrative Asian market.
David Flaskas of Grand Slam International has been given the task of helping Sydney build for the A-League competition that kicks off in August 2005.
Sydney FC was drawn to Flaskas and his firm after they secured significant corporate sponsorships in Japan and China for Thorpe. They are now making similar progress in the US.
"As a club we're a month old and in that period we have made huge strides in starting to put the framework of an administration together," Sydney FC chairman Walter Bugno said yesterday.
"We've developed our strategy and positioning, we've got the makings of a team, the football department is coming together, we've got an assistant coach appointed, and he's building his staff, and we have quite a number of players that we've signed: some have been announced, some yet to be announced."
Advertisement
AdvertisementThe head coach will be selected from a shortlist of overseas contenders. Bugno would not divulge names, but the likes of Iraq national team coach Bernd Stange, former Chelsea manager Gianluca Vialli and former England coach Glenn Hoddle have been linked to the club.
"We have made a commitment to finding a foreign coach ... we want to bring some new thinking. We want a new style of football to be played here," Bugno said. "Our hope is that we'll have that locked away within the next three months before we start getting the team together ... We won't compromise who we pick for the sake of rushing."
Representatives from the eight A-League foundation clubs completed a three-day workshop in Sydney yesterday.
"We want to run this league so that the clubs feel part of the operation, not the ASA being big brother all the time," the Australian Soccer Association's head of operations, Matt Carroll, said.
"We had healthy debate around the salary cap, player management, player contracts, the world club championship qualifying system, and by and large they got a lot out of it, and most importantly we got a lot out of it as well."
