USL AGM Update
TAMPA, FL – United Soccer Leagues strategic partner Beswicks Sports, a leading European sports management and law firm, is leading a diversified group of foreign organizations that will be visiting the USL Annual General Meeting at the 2009 USL Soccer Fest November 19-24.
“As the level of sophistication has grown for USL, so too has the quality of organizations outside of our borders that we are working with,” said USL CEO Alec Papadakis. “Forging partnerships with exceptional individuals and organizations abroad will further enhance the opportunities for USL, the clubs and the players. This is an important element to the business as the soccer world no longer consists of isolated regions. We are moving forward by breaking new ground and reaching new heights, and we are proud to have Beswicks by our side leading the way.”
For Beswicks, it will be the firm’s second consecutive trip to the United States for the USL AGM with executives Tim Bailey, Gary Mellor and Simon Woodings having attended last year. Joining Mellor and Woodings this year are Mark Cartwright, Darren Long and Clive Clarke. In addition to nearly the entire firm travelling to Tampa for the 2009 meeting, Beswicks has invited several clubs to join them such as Burnley.
“Sheffield Wednesday, Bolton Wanderers and Fulham all indicated an interest in the exciting changes in USL,” said Mellor, who said the three clubs are keen on attending. “We were overwhelmed last year by the interest from the clubs at all levels looking to expand their horizons and linking up with teams around the world. As a result, we are bringing more people. Personally, I had what seemed a hundred meetings last year and I felt we couldn’t do everybody justice. We want to make sure we have enough people there from our firm on hand to meet the demand for personal meetings in addition to the seminars and panels we will be involved with.”
Burnley, which is already working with the PDL and W-League Cary Clarets teams and has taken tours of the United States, playing games against the Portland Timbers and Ventura County Fusion in 2009, will be represented by Brendan Flood, the club’s operating director. Flood recently published a book, ‘Big Club, Small Town and Me,’ chronicling the story of Burnley FCs meteoric rise to the Premiership from an inside perspective, opening the door to the boardroom and telling the story of the most exhilarating, turbulent and breathtaking years of his life.
One individual among Beswicks’ invited guests has first-hand knowledge of USL as former Portland Timber player Sean McAuley is the current Academy Manager for Sheffield Wednesday. He played 16 games with the club in 2002.
The diverse group of attendees will also include Nuno Esteves, the manager of GD Estoril Praia in Portugal’s second flight as well as Portuguese agent Tony Araujo, who also represents a number of African players.
Heading north to the AGM will be a number of groups from Mexico and South America.
Mexican entrepreneurs Rodrigo Suarez and Eduardo Salamonovitz, affiliated with the Johan Cruyff Institute for Sport Studies, will be attending as representatives of a group of Mexican investors interested in launching a club with United Soccer Leagues.
Also expected are groups from Brazil and Argentina.
Statement Regarding USL First Division
United Soccer Leagues, founded in 1986, continues to be the only organization with Division II and III Men’s Outdoor Professional Leagues sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, providing over 20 years of professional league management experience to its member clubs at all levels of the game.
The new ownership of NuRock Soccer Holdings has made a significant investment in United Soccer Leagues through its acquisition of the business and the retaining of strategic business partners such as Nike, Inc. and Premier Partnerships, which is led by the highly-respected duo of Alan Rothenberg and Randy Bernstein.
While USL does not oppose the right of an entity to affiliate with USSF per the governing organization’s bylaws, it does oppose the current application before the Federation on the grounds that there is misrepresentation, interference with USL business operations and substantial debt amongst the membership of the parties applying for certification.
Although USL is currently working with USL-1 member teams on reforming the structure of league management, USL’s ownership structure and franchise system has been, and will continue to be, in compliance with all USSF and FIFA statutes since its membership as a professional league with the USSF began in 1993.
There is no FIFA regulation stipulating that member leagues be owned by their respective clubs, and in many cases around the world, leagues consist of individual clubs that play in league competitions managed by the respective Federation such as the English leagues (excluding the Premiership), Bundesliga (Germany), La Liga (Spain) and Mexican Primera Division. While some management systems are similar, the models of ownership structure vary greatly throughout FIFA based on each country’s business regulations as well as respective regional confederation and federation guidelines and principles. While there are universal principles woven throughout FIFA, league ownership models are among concepts such as promotion/relegation and the prohibition of two equal-tiered leagues that are not mandated and not necessarily applicable for every federation, such as is the case in the United States. Every league in every federation has its own nuances that make it unique.
The ownership structure of United Soccer Leagues has played a crucial role in maintaining a stable foundation while advancing the sport over decades of growth through both prosperous and difficult financial times. This structure has allowed USL to support and maintain the operation of member clubs such as Montreal and Vancouver during times when the then ownership of the clubs were unable to continue operating, which would have had detrimental affects on both the competition and on all respective markets across the league. With continued financial difficulties being experienced by clubs all around the world as well franchises and leagues in various United States sports entities, USL believes its model, with upcoming reforms to better serve its teams, is an important aspect to a successful future in the USL First Division.
