07 Nov 2013
Zurich, Switzerland (November 04, 2013) - In line with its role as a global sport leader, Aspire Academy sponsored the 15th International Football Arena (IFA), which was held in Zurich last week under the title ‘The Future of Football’. The prestigious conference was attended by a select audience of some 200 football business executives, including the presidents of FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, Juventus, Manchester United and Manchester City.
Commenting on the Academy’s sponsorship of the event, Ivan Bravo, the Director General of the Aspire Academy said, “The world of football is developing rapidly, and it is very encouraging to have the International Football Arena as a forum where decisionmakers from clubs, federations, sponsors and media meet to share the vision of a better future for football, which is something we fully support at Aspire.”
In an opening panel convened to discuss the future of players and coaches, Mr Bravo added, “We are proud at Aspire Academy not to only develop the skills of players and trainers, but to also educate them and increase their self-confidence so that they grow to respect football and, in time, go on to become the sports leaders of tomorrow.”
The first day of the conference also included panels concerned with national leagues, stadia, and the role played by technology, media and marketing in the football industry.
The second day featured a panel which tackled the question, ‘Is there a future for mega sports events?’ where Ian Burrows, Chief Editor of F1 magazine, spoke about the experience of Formula 1 motor racing.
Sepp Blatter, President of FIFA, spoke at the opening of the conference, and called on the attendees to preserve the soul and essence of football as the game of the people, regardless of technical changes concerned with rules and regulations.
For the past 15 years the IFA conference has been one of the most important events on the footballing calendar, serving as a meeting place for policymakers to exchange expertise and opinions concerning the beautiful game.