More than a game – December 2014
EXCLUSIVE FEATURE London Racers bringing Ice Hockey back to North London. Also in this issue – Interview with GB international Ashley Jackson, Insight in the growing Football shirt business and a health and fitness interview with Coventry Blaze player Russell Cowley.
IN THIS ISSUE 3. SHIRT SALES IN FOOTBALL –The ever growing impact of shirt sales in Football plus a Q&A with Professor Simon Chadwick (Photo courtesy of Coventry University)
5.INTERVIEW WITH INTERNATIONAL HOCKEY STAR ASHLEY JACKSON – An interview with one time young world player of the year
7.LONDON RACERS – Back from the cold bringing Ice Hockey back to Ally Pally
11.HEALTH AND FITNESS – Ever wondered how
12.Book Review – This edition we review Professor Damien Hughes book ‘How to think like Sir Alex Ferguson’
a athlete stays in shape? Find out here with tips from Coventry Blaze’s very own Russell Cowley.
Image courtesy of freedigitalphoto’s.net
The shirt sale factor… Shirt sales is a big business for clubs and has been for a number of years. While TV rights and sponsorship deals will always take priority, shirt sales are still a valuable income for clubs. When David Beckham made his much publicised move from boyhood club Manchester United to Spanish giants Real Madrid; fans around the world flocked to purchase the Madrid shirt with Beckham’s name on the back. Madrid sold so many Beckham shirts they made the transfer fee back plus profit( reported £24 million).
Summer Madness This Summer has seen some big name signings move around Europe. After a horror show last season and missing out on any European Football let alone Champions league, Manchester United spent BIG. Di Maria who came off a fabulous world cup campaign with Argentina; was brought in for a whooping £65 million and not to mention the 1 year loan deal for Colombian poacher Falcao. Notice both these signings are South American, that’s a big market who will buy the latest Manchester United shirts with their icons name on the back. Naturally Manchester United fans around the world have been busy buying these shirts. Image courtesy of freedigitalphoto’s.net
Shirt sponsors are also a big business for both clubs and companies. Manchester United’s recent shirt deal with Chevrolet has raised the bar. Real Madrid were previously the biggest deal in shirt sales receiving £33 million per year from Adidas but United’s new deal is over double that worth £75 million per year. You may think this seems a strange deal being Manchester United have just had their worse season on the pitch for many years. Super Mario
Mario Ballotelli has moved to Liverpool from AC Milan. Ballotelli showed glimpses of quality at Manchester City but never really set the world alight. Brendan Rodgers, Liverpool manager obviously feels he can get a job out of him hence the signing. The same week the signing was confirmed, Liverpool sold 50,000 shirts with his name on the back. Clubs routinely go around the world in the Summer to show off their brand. Fans in Asia and America can see their stars up close and the clubs strengthen their position in these markets. Kagawa had a less than successful time at Manchester United but the Japanese star still sold millions of shirts. He was 9th on the list of the highest selling shirts in the league, not bad for a player that only made played 14 times in the Premier league last season.
Q & A with Professor Simon Chadwick I spoke with Professor Simon Chadwick who specialises in sport branding and asked him about topic of shirt sales in world Football. Shirt sales and shirt sponsors were always seen as a side income for clubs, but now are a key income stream in today’s game. For instance David Beckham and his astonishing shirt sales figures which is a reported 10 million throughout his 20 year career. In terms of players, how many individuals really make money from shirt sales? Simon – I think it depends upon the
player and the strength of the player’s agent. If a player is high profile, popular, successful and wellrepresented, there are opportunities to make big money. Otherwise, most players presumably strike relatively modest deals in order for clubs and companies associated with the shirt market to acquire the right to use their image in promotions. Adidas have signed a mammoth shirt deal with Manchester United for £750 million over a 10 year period. With Manchester United performing so badly last season, what do you think is the main thought process behind this on the brands side?
Simon – Manchester United is still
a global brand, and the name takes Chevrolet into markets like China and India. Keep in mind that Chevrolet took a strategic decision a couple of years ago to withdraw from European markets. Such sponsorship deals are about global marketing rather than local selling or awareness. After reports of Mario Ballotelli shirt sales being 50,000 on the first day, Liverpool's chief exec Ian Ayre claimed "was never about commercial opportunity, it was always about the football and always will be" at a global convention. The way it is heading do you think shirt sales has shifted up the pecking order of factors?
Simon - I think for the last 10 years
or more it has been an issue. I think that signing the best player for the job will always be the main factor guiding decisions. However, if a player can help sell shirts, that is an added bonus for a club. Professor Simon Chadwick is the editor of ‘Sport, Business and Management: An International journal’. Image courtesy of freedigitalphoto’s.net
WE CAUGHT UP WITH ASHLEY JACKSON AFTER ONE OF HIS GAME Image courtesy of freedigitalphoto’s.net
Ashley Jackson is a very well known name in the Hockey world. He was the winner of the FIHC young player of the year in 2009 and has competed at 3 Olympic Games including London 2012. He has also been nominated for this years player of the year. I caught up with Ashley after his team East Grinstead beat Hampstead and Westminster 6—3. Q—Are you happy with the last game? Ashley—Happy with the result not so much with the performance. We will enjoy the result for today and tomorrow we will get back to work on getting better. Q—What has been the best ground you have ever played at? Ashley—There have been a few for different reasons. One I have very fond memories of is one in Amsterdam where we won the European Cup. It is a very old stadium and it was full to the rafters for our final against the Germans, as it was against the Germans a lot of the Dutch were supporting us. The atmosphere that was created was fantastic. In terms of size it was probably out in India, there a lot of big stadiums out there as it is their national sport so they have a big following. We was also lucky enough to play the World cup at the Hauge stadium in Ado Den Haag which they turned into a Hockey pitch which was pretty cool playing the Dutch in the semi finals.
WE CAUGHT UP WITH ASHLEY JACKSON AFTER ONE OF HIS GAME
Q—If you wasn't a Hockey player, what sport would you want to play? Ashley— I would love to be a Ice Hockey player . I played a lot when I was growing up and unfortunately don’t get to play so much now! Q—What was it like to win young player of the year in 2009? Ashley—It was a long time ago and times have changed now but at the time it was fantastic. I was off the back of our most successful year as a team. You don’t often get one without the other, unless you are winning as a team and winning medals as a team you are not going to be recognised as one of the worlds top players. The medals with the team are top priority and everything that comes along is nice. Image courtesy of freedigitalphoto’s.net Image of Ashley courtesy of East Grinstead Hockey Club
London Racers – Bringing Ice Hockey back to Ally Pally In 2005 the Haringey London Racers were forced to suspend operations as their home rink was closed down. Former player David Richards worked tirelessly to bring the Racers back to their home at Alexandra Palace.
Photos courtesy of Jamie Wood
Ice Hockey in the capital has had a tough time in the last decade. Haringey London Racers folded in 2005 due to health and safety problems at their rink at Lee Valley; and were forced to pull out of the top tier of British Hockey. Two years previous London Knights also folded due to financial problems. Dave Richards has a long association with the London Racers which goes back to the 1950s when his father played for them as well as playing for them himself in 2000. He decided with his wife that the best tribute to his late father was to work on bringing the racers back.
“We have been blessed with some great volunteers”
“I grew up playing for the junior set up”
“When my father passed away I felt the best way to remember him was by bringing back the Racers with grass roots in mind” Dave has a big passion for the clubs in all its forms: firstly Haringey Racers then Haringey London Racers and grew up around the club. “My father played for the club in the 1950s and I played for them in 2000 to 2004 on both fixed contracts and 2 way contracts. I grew up playing in the junior set up so the palace always felt like home” Naturally bringing back a sports club on this scale is no easy feat and it took a lot of help from volunteers. “The challenges were great fun and me and my wife worked tirelessly to get the rink on side which was the biggest challenge as there had been some disasters with ice Hockey at the palace in the past”
David found the hardest part was off the ice rather than on it. Several players jumped at the chance to return to Racers after the split. Alastair Band was one of the Racers who started with the Haringey London Racers in the junior set up. “When I got the call from Dave about the Racers it was a no brainer. I have always been a massive fan of the Racers and played for the greyhounds (they also played at Alexandra Palace)” When the Racers disbanded all players had to find other clubs. Lee Valley Lions who are based in east London were busy recruiting, even Dave Richards played there. Lee Valley’s current manager Gary Dodds is the all time points scorer for the Racers after a 10 year stay. “I came here 15 years ago and played for 10 years and stayed until it folded in 2003. It was unfortunate as some players never played again. Around 4 or 5 came back to the Racers but the others have since retired or joined other clubs” “It didn’t come as a surprise as we know the rink at Lee Valley was going to get closed down. The ice was uneven meaning the pitch wasn’t flat which made it impossible for Ice Hockey”
Dave Richards does want the Racers to compete for trophies however sees youth as the key. “Of course we want trophies but to gain that we need solid foundations. We need to work on the junior set up as well as get the community involved more”
“Of course we want to win trophies” “We have coaches in the junior set up now and already getting playing time on the ice” Haringey London Racers are now back in North London after playing at Lee Valley for the last few years of their existence. “North London is a very vibrant and open minded area, and this is why I think we have done well with attendances ( 792 witnessed the Racers beat Cardiff in April ). After seeing the smiles from fans with seeing Racers back in action it shows what it is all about”
Health and Fitness Russell Cowley has competed at the highest level of British Ice Hockey for over 10 years. Staying in shape is a huge part of the game, today he tells us his methods and gives tips Q - Ice Hockey is a very physical game; it must be a challenge to balance your agility and fitness work with weight training. What would one of your typical training sessions involve? Russell - A typical ice training session is
focused at getting some good skating drills early in the week and then getting more technical towards then later part of the week ready for games we are playing on the weekend. During the week, we also go to the gym which is where we work on core and agility as a focal point along with strength training to maintain power. Q - Injuries are part of the game, how lucky or unlucky have you been with them in your career and how do you deal with them best?
Q - Can you give us an idea of what your diet is like? also what foods are your guilty pleasure? R - I do far less cardio in the summer months
as I try to put muscle on ready for the season. As I am doing less cardio in these months I eat less carbohydrates. Of course protein is something that is in my diet year round. During the season, I certainly have to eat more carbohydrates leading up to games to make sure I have sufficient energy. Its important for me to also get all the minerals and vitamins from food and various supplements supplied by my team. My guilty pleasures are sweets!! I don’t eat them all the time but sometimes after a weekend Haribo’s come out(laughs)
R - I have had my fair share of injuries. I have
dislocated both of my shoulders in the past and broken a few bones!! My worst injury is when I ruptured my MCL of the knee, which required surgery, and missed 15 weeks of the season. Its tough when you’re out for so long but of course these things happen in contact sports. You need to have good support around you with friends and family when you are injured for a period, they help to keep you positive.
(Image courtesy of Scott Wiggins who is a photographer for the Coventry Blaze)
Q - What advice would you give amateur sports players about keeping in shape and avoiding injury? R - I would certainly advise speaking to a
professional about your particular sport and the key areas to focus on as an athlete. As I have said, different sports require much different types of training. One thing I highly recommend is to cool down and warm up correctly. Both are very important for avoiding injuries. Always give yourself enough time to commit to the cool downs and warm ups.
Book Review “ How to think like Sir Alex Ferguson – The business of winning and managing success”. Author Professor Damien Hughes
Sir Alex Ferguson doesn’t need too much of an introduction. He turned Manchester United into an underperforming club into a trophy winning machine in his 26 year career with the club. Now with current chairman’s sacking managers as quick as they appoint them, it really shows how special Sir Alex’s career was. Professor Damian Hughes does a great job of using theories and linking them to how Ferguson managed Manchester United over the years. The book has everything from physiology behind the famous ‘Fergie time’ to how he would deal with global stars; yes Mr Beckham does get mentioned once or twice. The book looks at different ways Ferguson has managed his team as well as the challenges he has faced such as the ‘noisy neighbours’ Manchester City being bought out by multi Billionaires and the ‘invincible’ Arsenal team who were challenging Manchester United during the 90s. The book also has some really good exercises for readers about how to manage their own expectations in life and how we can all learn from the great manager himself. Readers are also treated to a laugh or two, notably the well documented time Sir Alex left a gala dinner to stop a house party at Lee Sharpe’s house.
Not to give too much away but these quotes stand out in the book: Quote from Gary Neville about a speech Sir Alex would deliver 3 or 4 times a season – “ Look around the dressing room, Look at each other and be proud to be part of this together” Speaking to a young Robbie Brady after he had let Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of him in the queue in the canteen – “I want you to believe you are better than him ( Ronaldo). I want you to believe you can take his place in this team. I don’t want you to be subservient to him” After United failed to win the title in 1992 – “We have to recover; we have to be fast about it. In the history of Manchester United this is another day and we will recover” Hughes passion for the topic is evident throughout the book and the amount of research taken out must have been staggering. Very informative, inspiring and at times funny this book is a great read for both Football fans and inspiring leaders. The book is available from Amazon UK for £6.99.
More than a game was created by Charlie Rowe and can be contacted on charlierowe1988@hotmail.com