On The Front Foot - Issue 18

ON THE FRONT FOOT JA N UA RY 2 0 22 I S S U E E I G H T E E N

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MORE BANG FOR THE BUCKS

Locked and loaded to sustain success with Jon Horst

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WORLD RUGBY AIMS TO CEMENT ITSELF AS ‘MOST PROGRESSIVE SPORT ON PLAYER WELFARE’

HOUSTON’S 2026 FIFA WORLD CUP BID WITH SUSTAINABLE LEGACY AT THE HEART

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CONTENTS Milwaukee Bucks: Interview with General Manager Jon Horst 4 Communicating with Humility and Credibility 12 World Rugby’s focus on player welfare 14 Threats to sports venues and athletes 18 Houston’s 2026 FIFA World Cup Bid 20 Creating a great fan experience 24 Melbourne & Olympic Parks Operations Management 26 Interview with Norwich City’s Brandon Williams 28 Charter keeps the international sports industry flying 32 Interview with Chelsea FC Academy’s Joe Haigh 34 The key to successful virtual learning initiatives 38 Top 2022 sports trends to watch 40 PSN Directory 46 OTFF ISSUE 18 ★ DECEMBER 2021 | 3

LOCKED AND LOADED TO SUSTAIN SUCCESS Jon Horst, General Manager of Milwaukee Bucks, shares an insight into his career in the NBA, the development of athlete welfare, the financial impact of winning, as well as building the foundations off-court to sustain success on-court.

Milwaukee Bucks. NBA Champions. The 2021 championship represented a landmark achievement for a city that hasn’t seen its NBA team win a title in half a century. One of the influential figures in the Bucks’ triumph has been Jon Horst, who made a name for himself previously by taking home the 2019 NBA Executive of the Year award and has now helped steer the Bucks to success.

Journey to NBA Champion When Jon Horst was hired as General Manager by 4 | OTFF ISSUE 18 ★ DECEMBER 2021

the Milwaukee Bucks, he became the youngest basketball executive for an NBA team. Horst recalled how he made his entrance into the NBA: “I’ve loved basketball my entire life. I played and participated in basketball from the time I was about four or five-yearsold, and I still play two or three times a week today.”

Horst touched on how the world of professional sport offers much more opportunity today compared to when he was first looking for a career in sport. At the time, the idea of joining the front office staff seemed less likely than

becoming a coach, which Horst considered first.

“When I played in college, I wanted to stay involved in basketball in some form for as long as I could, as a career. My mind was, I love the game of basketball, I love the business, I love creativity, I love strategies – I want to be involved in this game.”

To pursue his goals, Horst attended Rochester College due to its close proximity to the Detroit Pistons – who at the time were headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan – with the ambition of getting a chance to work for the franchise in some way. The decision paid off and Horst earned an internship with the Pistons in an administrative role in which he stayed in for just over two years, even after he graduated college.

At the Pistons, Horst worked under Vice President of Basketball Operations John Hammond during one of the franchises most successful runs in NBA ➡

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JON HORST

MILWAUKEE BUCKS history. That's when the Pistons had six consecutive seasons in which they played in the Eastern Conference Finals each year, reached two NBA Finals and won an NBA Championship.

“That run in the early 2000’s for the Pistons was incredible and I am so thankful I was able to learn from being a small part of that group at that time," explained Horst.

When Hammond became General Manager of the Milwaukee Bucks in 2008, Horst was fortunate enough to join Hammond in Milwaukee as Director of Basketball Operations.

“John [Hammond] gave me the opportunity. It just so happened that at that time the NBA really started to grow rapidly in terms of analytics, salary cap management, player health, relations, and education and I was able to learn, grow and evolve.”

“Throughout my time with John I worked in a lot of different roles and continued to learn and develop.”

When Hammond left to join the Orlando Magic in 2017, the position of General Manager became vacant and Horst was hired for the position.

Development of Athlete Welfare Injuries were a prevalent storyline for two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo in the 2021 NBA Playoffs. The commitment to the welfare of the players behind the scenes proved critical for the Bucks as 6 | OTFF ISSUE 18 ★ DECEMBER 2021

they went onto defeat the Phoenix Suns in the NBA Finals. Horst said the focus on player physical preparation, enrichment, training and wellness has evolved dramatically throughout his career in the NBA. “There is much more awareness, sensitivity, concern and education in the area of player wellness and health, including mental aspects on and off the court. The health of a person is holistic, from their nutrition, their mental health, their physical health, family and professional structure, their surrounding

environment and having resources at their fingertips.

“All those things go into the wellness and health of a person, and athletes are no different. Athletes may actually need a higher accelerated level because of the stresses and pressures they put on their bodies mentally and physically.

“I think that the world of sports has done an amazing job in trying to be the leaders, setting standards, implementing processes, and coming up with new ideas that can be carried over beyond the world of sports and into corporate structures.

“The health of a person is holistic and it’s from their nutrition, their mental health, their physical health, family and professional structure, their surrounding environment and the resources at their fingertips.”

“This has been an area that the NBA has invested in for a long time, and I think it has paid a lot of dividends.”

The programs for the NBA and the NBA’s G League are a league-wide effort to help educate and engage the players, but the teams invest in their own initiatives, as well.

“At Milwaukee, we care a lot about that holistic approach,” Horst affirmed. “Using the example of a person who has a knee injury, if your solution to help them get back to a high level of performance as soon as possible is just to focus on the injury, in my mind you probably miss.

“If you then look at what the right solution is: The right solution is [to ask]: How is your family dealing with this?; What are the things you were able to do

before that you can’t do now and how can we support that and fill that gap?; How are you doing mentally with not performing or playing a certain way as you did before the injury and how can we compensate for that and help you through that while you are injured?; What are the goals you need to set from a basketball oncourt standpoint as we need to help you develop that?

“Then if it’s a really extended time that you are going to be unable to play and perform, what are the things that you can use this time wisely to grow and develop as a person – is it a business, a passion or hobby?

“I think 20 to 30 years ago if you had a knee injury you would get the operation and you would rehab the knee. Today, I think the world of sport says if you have an injury, we need to control your entire life around that knee, so that when the knee gets healthy you can go back to who you were.”

Meeting Physical and Technical Demands As the focus on athlete welfare evolves, so do the methods that the Bucks have adopted over the past few seasons to meet the substantial increase in physical and technical demands of basketball.

“Nutrition is a big investment for us,” explained Horst. “We’ve always had good food services, in terms of the quality of food players eat, the nutritious value, making it accessible, and convenient for them – I think we’ve done a good job there.”

Nutrition plays a valuable integrated role in optimising performance of elite players during training and gameplay and maintaining the overall health of players throughout the season.

“Our goal is not to do a good job, it’s to be industry leading,” said Horst. “Not only does it [need to] taste good and nutritious, but the nutrition is specific to each player, their deficiencies, and the things we want to balance with them. It is a very detailed, specific, and customised approach.

“From an analytics perspective – we call it data research – TJ Barra (Director of Basketball Research and Innovation) is someone who has worked with Major League Baseball (MLB) previously and the New York Mets for a big part of his early career. When we made a shift in that space, we wanted to make sure that we were thinking outside the box and taking a different approach to data research, how we were going to apply it to basketball and find useful."

Horst explained how he wanted to explore methods being used outside the sport of basketball, and how baseball he believes is one of the best leagues ➡ OTFF ISSUE 18 ★ DECEMBER 2021 | 7

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in the world when it comes to data research.

“Getting one of the best in the business in that area in my opinion is another thing we have done in the last year which has paid some dividends to us and will continue to,” he said of TJ Barra.

Horst has also modernised the Bucks’ scouting methods over the past few seasons, introducing a ‘Global Scouting’ department, rather than having scouts who focus on a particular level of player.

“When I say that [global scouting], I mean that everyone scouts everybody.

The main reason we do that is because if you are not watching pros every day and you are only watching amateurs, then you very quickly lose context for what a pro is.

“Likewise, if you are only watching pros all day and you are never watching amateurs, you can quickly lose context as to what a player looks like when they are 17, 18, 19 [years-old] and their development through to 27, 28 or 29 [years-old].

“The same thing for international scouting. All of our scouts actually scout the world of basketball and get to see all different levels of players at different time frames in their development

stage. I think that has helped us be better in that area, as well.”

A Holistic Approach The Bucks’ commitment to its players, and staff, off the field contributed significantly to the franchise being crowned NBA champions.

“It is very foundational and philosophical in our organisation from the top down,” said Horst.

“The holistic approach accounts for the coaching, the performance, the research, the operations, the cap and strategy, our player enrichment philosophy, the nutrition, the security and communications. Each of those have their role.

“When you care about each area, not just check boxes, and you put great people in each area to star in their roles with each of those areas having an impact, the only answer is 100 percent.

“You can’t get to the top if one of those areas is a failure. If that accounts for 15 different pillars of success, and 14 of them are really good and one of them is really bad, you are going to fail.

“I think we work really smart, I think we’re humble and I know we work really hard. But in sports to win you have to be very lucky, you have to have great

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timing, you have to have great talent and you have to have great health. And so, if it’s that fluid and fragile, the things that you can control, you have to hit on 100 percent.

“It seems that in the world of professional sports it's so hard to win. Our approach is to get better every single day and put things in place in every area that matters.

“We don’t want to do something that is shortlived, because it is so fragile around us. We want to build something that’s solid, foundational, and collaborative that you can build, grow, and sustain.

“That’s what we have tried to do, and it’s worked for us. I don’t want to go as far to say that we are doing that better than anyone else because there are so many ways to win.

“There are many examples in our sport, and probably across the board, where people do things differently, they go all in on a short lived ‘we’re going to figure this out for one year, or two years’ and maybe that foundation doesn’t have to be as strong because you’re not trying to build it to sustain, but you’re trying to get to the top as quickly as you can and nail it – and teams have done that, that’s ok too.

“I don’t know if any team

"Winning a championship is incredibly hard in any sport and if you've done it, then it's probably a right way. But I promise you, they're not all the same way."

“We want to build something that’s solid, foundational and collaborative that you can build, grow and sustain.”

that has won a championship would say there’s a wrong way to win a championship.

Winning a championship is incredibly hard in any sport and if you’ve done it, then it’s probably a right way. But I promise you, they’re not all the same way.”

The Financial Impact of Winning The topic of luxury tax has been one of great debate, considering it is intrinsically tied to the Bucks’ decision to move on from Malcolm Brogdon nearly two summers ago. While viewing Brogdon as a luxury at the time, Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry made it known that he and the team’s ownership had no issue paying the luxury tax in the next couple of years.

NBA owners frequently

say that they are willing to pay the luxury tax for a team capable of contending for a championship, but never has that qualifier applied as directly as it does to the Milwaukee Bucks. By virtue of clinching the franchise’s first title since 1971, the newly crowned champions now have to pay the luxury tax for the 2020-21 season. Why? Because Jrue Holiday had a US$1 million championship incentive in his contract that triggered when the Bucks won it all.

“Because we won an NBA championship so efficiently, we weren’t a luxury tax team until the day we won it – pretty hard to get more efficient than that – and we’ve won a lot with efficient spending in previous years also,” said Horst.

Milwaukee actually began the season far above the luxury tax line. They made a series of aggressive offseason moves, including the addition of Holiday, that nearly pushed them up on the apron’s hard-cap line (a figure that is typically around US$6 million above the tax).

This was done in part to help convince eventual Finals MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo to resign with the Bucks ahead of his possible 2021 free agency.

He eventually did so, and that gave the Bucks a bit more freedom to shed salary.

“I think we’ve all said it, winning and winning at a high level is expensive,” Horst admitted. “However, it is incredibly rewarding, and I don’t think any of us would take it away for any reason.

We want to do it again as

many times as we can, but it is expensive and that’s the reality of it and part of that is the system we play and perform in.

“Those conversations [around luxury tax] are obviously not conversations that you have retroactively. No one is surprised that we are in the tax or will be in the tax going forward and it’s on us to continue to make the best decisions we can.

“Luckily, we have always operated incredibly efficiently with what we spend. We’ve been one of the most efficient spending teams on a cost per win basis in the NBA in each of the last four seasons.

“None of our philosophies or strategies change in terms of trying to be efficient with what we spend and trying to win to get as much success➡

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as we can with the dollars we spend.

“It’s just because of the rules and because of our salaries the dollars become exponentially more each decision that we make. Each decision is going to be scrutinised harder and have even bigger financial implications. But I have a great business partner in Peter Feigin (president of the Bucks), who is one of the best in the world in generating revenue and generating interest in our team and league. Most importantly, we have Marc Lasry, Wes Edens, and Jamie Dinan (Bucks ownership group) who want to win more than anything in the world and then win again, and they are willing to resource it.

“It’s my job to continue to push the envelope and make smart decisions collectively with them and be as efficient as we possibly can and continue winning as much as we can.”

Building Foundations and Sustaining Success The Milwaukee Bucks are the reigning NBA Champions. That phrase doesn’t get old, and it won’t go away until the Bucks are no longer able to defend their title next season. But there are a number of threats to that defence, and it’s no sure thing that Milwaukee will claim the name ‘NBA champion’ for a second year running, but Horst and the Bucks worked tirelessly during the off-season in order to do everything they can to build upon their accomplishments and sustain the success of last season.

“The biggest challenges are that you are prepared the best you can, but you don’t actually know until you get into it.

“You have to do it with transparency

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“There are so many people in the world of sports that I am learning from and getting to know, whether that's from Premier League soccer or the National Hockey League, or the other folks in the NBA.” and honesty every step of the way because if you don’t it will always come back to you. Just communication and management are big, big challenges in our business, but it is also one of the things I thrive on and enjoy and want to continue to get better at and grow in.

“So much of our work in front offices and sports executive roles in my opinion goes unnoticed when it works but is the first thing that is noticed when it doesn’t.

That’s a really big challenge.

“Culture actually matters and philosophy and foundations matter in building something that you hope will work two years, three years, four years, five years down the road.

“There are a lot of things that go into it, to establish and plan for and organise and prepare for so that you can take advantage of those opportunities multiple times. Again, if you do it wrong it’s the first thing that’s noticed when it falls apart and crumbles. If you do it right, you don’t often get the credit for it. It’s not as easy to see if you do it right, unless you win a championship, or multiple championships.

“There are so many people in the world of sports that I am learning from and getting to know, whether that’s from [English] Premier League soccer or the National Hockey League (NHL), or the other folks in the NBA. There are different people across the board that do these really well but don’t often get noticed for it until they win at the highest level. And only

very few people get to win at the highest level.

“In our business that’s a real challenge as an executive, the fact there is a lot of pressure and not always a lot of credit.

It’s not that we seek credit in these positions, it’s just that there are a lot of folks here that are really good at that stuff and we can all learn a lot from that don’t get enough recognition until they win. It’s really hard to win and you don’t have ultimate control over that.”

Horst is confident that the championship contributes to making the franchise one of the most attractive propositions for any basketball player or basketball executive alike: “We are in Milwaukee: We have a state of the art arena, Fiserv Forum, and a state of the art practice facility, Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin Sports Science Center; The best coach in the NBA, Mike Budenholzer; The best president of the business side in the NBA, Peter Feigin: The best player in the NBA in my opinion

with Giannis; And we have just won an NBA championship. Those things will help recruit [players].”

Horst explained that in order to build a sustainable structure, the Bucks have continuously focused on recruiting from within in recent years.

“Yes, Giannis signing an extension is incredibly important and set the path forward for all of us to do this for a long time together and an amazing commitment from him to our city, the state and our organisation, and of course is an amazing commitment from our ownership to him.

"What I think is really important is that we’ve just won an NBA Championship and here’s how we are stacked up going forward: Giannis has signed his long-term extension for another five seasons; Khris Middleton has another three seasons; Jrue Holiday just signed a four-year extension; Brook Lopez has another two seasons; Donte DiVincenzo is a restricted free agent who we love and we hope he comes back; We have Pat Connaughton,

who is part of our top eight and who is on contract for two more years; Bobby Portis, who is part of our top eight, committed to us for another two seasons; Grayson Allen joined us this season and has an extension for two seasons after this one.

And our head coach, Mike Budenholzer, just extended with us.

“How do you sustain success? You have a core in place, and you keep it. So, this team that just won an NBA Championship is locked and loaded to go forward and sustain the success. Everyone is coming after us. They’re going to try and break down our ways and expose us.

“We didn’t rest on the fact that we had a core, we have gone and tried to get better. I don’t know if it’s going to work or not, we’re going to have to find out. But if it doesn’t work, we are in a position to be flexible and adjust. And that’s how you sustain success in my opinion, you have something that you build and believe in, then you recruit from within, and you retain it.” ◆ OTFF ISSUE 18 ★ DECEMBER 2021 | 11

DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

LET’S TALK DE&I – COMMUNICATING WITH HUMILITY AND CREDIBILITY Demonstrating a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) is a necessity for any business. In the high profile, headline-grabbing world of sport, perhaps even more so.

WORDS: Chris Harris, Director at Weber Shandwick

Scandals like those we’ve seen play out so publicly in cricket over the past few weeks only intensify the scrutiny that sport at all levels is under and make clear the need for DE&I to sit right at the heart of a sports organisation.

Talking a good game just isn’t enough. The moment DE&I is viewed simply as a communications issue, that organisation is getting it wrong.

Communications is important, but without fully understanding and addressing the challenges an organisation faces, words are at best hollow and often do more harm than good. There must be a genuine desire for change from the top down. This desire and commitment provides a solid base to develop a long-term DE&I strategy that will ultimately improve an organisation’s reputation – but more importantly, will transform it for the better.

It’s only at this point that an organisation can deploy a communications plan that tells their story with both credibility and humility.

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The cost of communicating without substance is high.

When organisations make DE&I announcements that don’t ring true or seem like a publicity stunt, they can quickly be exposed – either by the media that is well-versed in outing hypocrisy or “PR fluff”, or by disgruntled fans, players and employees who are happy to lift the lid on the realities that exist within an organisation.

Importantly, this doesn’t mean

Having a robust DE&I strategy in place first is so important. It provides an organisation with a concrete vision and intent and enables its leaders to clearly explain where progress has been made and where there’s still room for improvement. The responsibility then lies with those leaders to consistently hold themselves and their organisations to account – publicly. Doing so will demonstrate true commitment

“Having a robust DE&I strategy in place first is so important.

It provides an organisation with a concrete vision and intent and enables its leaders to clearly explain where progress has been made and where there's still room for improvement.” the business has to be “perfect” or even have all of the answers before it communicates publicly. In fact, this isn’t what people expect to hear. They’re looking for progress over perfection. This means communicating with authenticity, transparency, and acknowledging shortcomings, as well as mapping out clearly the road ahead.

and provide the reputational equity that allows organisations to change course when something isn’t working or goes wrong.

Successfully communicating about a strategy and reflecting on when and why things might have gone wrong in the past requires a careful tone. It must strike a balance between conviction and

Chris Harris discussing PR and communications in sports at The Premier Sports Network Conference in November 2021.

humility and reinforce that there’s always more work that can be done on a company’s DE&I journey.

This doesn’t mean that small gains shouldn’t be talked about, as they show consistent steps in the right direction. But it’s about showing rather than telling. Always explain the good things that have been achieved and don’t be hamstrung by believing every target must be hit before any sort of DE&I story can be told. Don’t be afraid to show how small steps ladder up to the bigger picture.

Regular communications then become vital in reinforcing the depth of an organisation’s DE&I promise.

Bombarding an audience with messages isn’t the right approach but ensuring key milestones and actions – and importantly their ongoing impact - are publicised back up an organisation’s ongoing commitment. That includes explaining when targets haven’t been met as well – offering an open and honest update on why

a goal has been missed, where it went wrong, and what will be done differently in the future.

A final point to consider is one that is often missed by businesses across all sectors but is particularly relevant to the sports industry.

Don’t just develop a DE&I strategy that runs through the heart of the organisation and communicate about it purely because it’s progressive and the right thing to do.

Internal buy-in and external support is critical for success, so leaders must talk with passion about how this commitment to DE&I will benefit the club, the organisation and the sport as well.

Tell the whole story The nuance that’s often missing from much of the conversation is the benefits of inclusivity for sports.

Building a more diverse, equitable culture will create an environment that attracts new, brilliant talent and play a key part in bringing through

the next generation of sports stars – taking the organisation or the sport itself to new heights. Those who can drive change will believe in it.

They will know it is right, but they’ll also understand that the changes they implement will lead to sporting or business excellence as well – a hugely powerful combination in a sporting environment.

A sports organisation that builds a reputation for doing the right thing will almost always receive support for driving its DE&I agenda. But once the strategy has been created, the real work starts. The impact of turning theory into action depends on clear and determined internal and external communications that will inspire both employees and fans to deliver on those commitments… and take the organisation to the next level. ◆ For more information, visit: www.webershandwick.co.uk OTFF ISSUE 18 ★ DECEMBER 2021 | 13

"We have made good progress, but we will never be complacent and are always looking for ways to advance."

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RUGBY UNION

WORLD RUGBY AIMS TO CEMENT ITSELF AS ‘MOST PROGRESSIVE SPORT ON PLAYER WELFARE’ Following the launch of World Rugby’s campaign to increase players’ understanding of brain health, Alan Gilpin shares an insight into the organisations commitment to fostering a safer game and supporting current, former and future players away from the pitch.

How important is it to manage playing schedules?

It seems rather obvious to say it, but good welfare and injury-prevention is not all about the match day. It is important to take a holistic approach, understanding the importance of the total load – training, playing and travel – for players. For example, there is a dedicated player welfare working group embedded within the ongoing discussions regarding the global calendar, which will ensure that any model implemented has welfare at heart. At our men’s and women’s Rugby World Cups we have increased the minimum number of rest days, while in partnership with International Rugby

Players we recently launched contact training load guidance that sets out the optimal level of contact that minimises injury risk, while optimising match preparation and therefore performance.

We are really encouraged by how unions and teams are embracing this philosophy, which should have long-term positive benefits for our top male and female players, but also deliver a best practice template for the community game.

We have recently seen Leinster and Ireland International James Ryan see an independent consultant as part of his return to play protocol. How have World Rugby’s return to play protocols ensured

players are returning to the game as safely as possible?

Our six-stage graduated return to play protocols for the elite game revolve around an individualised approach to rehabilitation from a concussion based on a player’s risk profile and concussion history. This is important as it is all about the player and their recovery profile, not a set period of time.

We are taking a conservative approach to this important area regardless of whether a player is symptom free and has successfully progressed through the six stages of the GRTP under medical supervision. Now, any player who is expected to return within 10 days, any player who has been ➡

OTFF ISSUE 18 ★ DECEMBER 2021 | 15

concussed within a threemonth period, any player who has sustained two or more concussions within 12 months and any player who has sustained five or more concussions in their career must undertake an independent concussion consultation. This is an additional layer of care for the player. The consultation will consider the player’s medical history.

But we will not stand still.

We continue to investigate how the latest science, technology and research can enhance our HIA and GRTP protocols. We are currently

undertaking a trial of the latest eye-tracking technology in Super Rugby to understand how it might support the HIA and GRTP, while instrumented mouthguard technology has developed at such a pace that it could be used in real time to detect significant head impacts and inform removal. This is possible owing to the accuracy and speed of the technology that has been developed by Prevent Biometrics, who are market leaders in this area. Like the RFU, we are also examining how Saliva biomarkers can assist in the detection of concussion. So, there is

16 | OTFF ISSUE 18 ★ DECEMBER 2021

certainly a lot of good work going on in this space.

Have the organisation looked into the role that technology can play to measure collisions?

Earlier this year we announced a partnership with Prevent Biometrics, the University of Otago, Otago Rugby Union and New Zealand Rugby to undertake the largest-ever study of head impacts in sport which will tell us what it looks like to play the game at every level from community to elite, adult to age grade, men and women.

Using the latest instrumented mouthguard technology, this ground-breaking project involving 700 players matches data and time coded video footage from training and playing environments to give a really detailed understanding of the frequency and nature of head impacts in rugby. But more than a research

project, it will enable us to identify ways to make the game safer, recognising that there are significant differences between the elite and community games. The study should be completed and published by the middle of next year.

What is World Rugby doing to make the game safer from grassroots to professional level?

In July, we launched a sixpoint plan to further cement rugby as the most progressive sport on player welfare. This is more than just a statement, it is at the heart of everything that we do as an organisation and reflects our commitment to our family – current, future and former players.

It sets out how we will advance former player care, how we will continue to be guided by evolving science, data and technology, how we will evolve the laws with injuryprevention at heart, how we

will take a dedicated approach to the women’s game, how we will drive prevention via education and how, through open engagement, we will listen to and act on the views of the rugby family as a whole.

Since the plan’s launch, we have announced welfaredriven law trials and community law variations, we have implemented independent concussion consultants, we have introduced contact training guidance aimed at protecting players and we have launched tackle technique education and brain health education.

We have made good progress, but we will never be complacent and are always looking for ways to advance.

How will World Rugby be educating and supporting players to increase their understanding of brain health?

This is a really important area for rugby and society as a

whole and our education is not simply aimed at former players. We care deeply about every member of our rugby family, and constantly strive to safeguard and support our players. We have consistently acted on evolving science and evidence to advance player welfare for all.

Good brain health is much wider than what happens on the field, and we have more control over it than you would think. It is about creating community, starting conversations and building an understanding of how we all can make lifestyle changes that can positively impact our long-term wellbeing. At the same time, we will not sit still in evolving our game to ensure its best protects those playing it.

By providing accessible video resources and highquality care and support through the establishment of brain health clinics around the world, we can better

educate members of our rugby family – whether they’re newcomers, established club players, professionals nearing the end of their career or retirees – on what can be a complex and daunting topic.

I hope that, like myself, players engage with our Brain Health Initiative to help them thrive and perform, both in rugby and everyday life outside.

Long-term cognitive health is extremely complex, and dementia isn’t necessarily a consequence of one factor. It is important for those involved in the game to understand that by prioritising good brain health, it is possible to reduce the risk of developing dementia and other degenerative brain conditions. Rugby players, past and present, can make moves such as maintaining good health and fitness, and tackling stress, anxiety and depression to help reduce certain risk factors, while the sport continues to prioritise reducing the risk of head impacts for players at all levels and stages of the game.

Are there any other sports which you look to in terms of developing initiatives to provide high-quality care and support?

As sports, we are always collaborating on important welfare topics and we are constantly learning from each other. It is the same with independent experts and International Rugby Players.

We embrace alternative thinking and always have an

open-mind when it comes to the welfare of our family. You can never do enough engaging and listening.

What is the long-term aim of the brain health campaign?

This is a cornerstone of the six-point plan. The education forms part of our wider commitment to brain health that will also include support for free brain health clinics where former players will be able to access expert consultation, advice and clinical assessment. This approach aims to identify the causes of symptoms that former players may have, while identifying new ways to improve brain health within the sport. The long-term goal will be to create role models for younger players starting out on their own rugby journey, while providing wider, valuable support to communities beyond the game.

How has World Rugby’s focus on player welfare developed in recent years?

Player welfare has always been our top priority, and I believe that we have been and continue to be leaders in this area. However, we are a physical collision sport, the contact is very visible and therefore there is naturally a focus on rugby.

We always strive to ensure that advancing welfare is embedded within all the decisions we make, whether that be the scheduling of Rugby World Cup, law trials, research commissioning or training an education. This year, we doubled our research and science investment commitment and will continue to take a targeted, evidencebased approach to injuryprevention across all levels of the game. The new plan helps everyone in the game better understand what we are doing and what it means for them. ◆

OTFF ISSUE 18 ★ DECEMBER 2021 | 17

VENUE SECURITY

THREATS TO SPORTS VENUES AND ATHLETES Sport venue managers need to be aware of risk assessment methodologies to detect threats identify vulnerabilities, and reduce consequences, as the UK terrorism threat level is raised to severe.

WORDS: SCOTT STEWART, VP OF INTELLIGENCE AT TORCHSTONE GLOBAL

On November 15, the United Kingdom’s Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC) raised the UK’s national terrorism threat level from “substantial” to “severe.”

The change reflects the JTAC’s assessment that the threat of a terrorist attack in the UK had changed from “likely” to “highly likely”.

The decision was made in the wake of two recent terrorist attacks in the UK. The first was the October 15, 2021 murder of Sir David Amess, a member of the British Parliament who was stabbed multiple times by a Syrian refugee while meeting with constituents in Leigh-on-Sea. The second incident was a failed suicide bombing attack against the Liverpool Women’s Hospital on November 14. In that case, the attacker took a taxi to the hospital, but his device detonated prematurely before he could enter the hospital. The would-be attacker was killed but the taxi driver was only lightly injured in the incident, and it appears the bomb was poorly constructed, causing more incendiary than explosive damage.

With the JTAC raising the threat level to severe and given the persistent threat of terrorism in the rest of Europe and the developed world, it is a good time to 18 | OTFF ISSUE 18 ★ DECEMBER 2021

examine the threat posed by terrorists to sporting venues.

Location, Location, Location Real estate agents say that there are three main elements that drive real estate prices: location, location, and location.

The same thing is true for terrorism threats – location makes a great deal of difference in assessing the terrorism threat. This is primarily due to three factors: the terrorist threat actors who are active in a geographic area; their access to weapons and explosives; and the capabilities of the security forces.

For example, due to the number of terrorist actors active in Pakistan, their easy access to weapons and explosives, and the limitations of the security forces, the threat level for a cricket match in Pakistan would be far higher than that of a match in Australia or Wales.

Terrorist groups, to include jihadist groups such as al Qaeda and the Islamic State, have worked to conduct attacks in the developed world. Examples include the 9/11 attacks and the November 2015 Paris attacks that began with an attack at the Stade de France during a match

between France and Germany. However, due to the successful efforts by security services to identify and disrupt larger terrorist organizations, at the present time, the primary threat of terrorism in the developed world stems from self-initiated, grassroots terrorists who are sympathetic to terrorist causes but who have little or no formal connection to professional terrorist groups. This applies to terrorists motivated by all types of ideologies to include neo-Naziism, anarchism, and jihadism. Examples of such attacks include the 2019 attack against a synagogue by a neo-Nazi in Halle Germany, and the 2019 attack against the Fishmonger’s Hall in London.

The Limits of Grassroots Operatives While grassroots terrorists can be a challenge for the authorities to identify due to their lack of connections to formal terrorist groups, their lack of association also means that they typically are bereft of terrorist tradecraft skills such as bomb building and attack planning.

Because of this, they are less capable than professional terrorist cadres. Due to this lack of capability, they tend to attack lightly defended “soft” targets rather than better defended venues.

In a sporting venue context, this means that attackers are unlikely to be able to

get inside a large stadium to conduct an attack. Instead, they are far more likely to attack the crowds near security checkpoints outside of the stadium, either before or after an event. Indeed, this is the type of attack that was launched against an Ariana Grande concert at the Manchester Arena in 2017 where the attacker detonated his suicide device in the midst of the crowd as they exited the event. Even in the 2015 Paris attacks that involved trained Islamic State terrorists dispatched from Syria, the attackers were not able to make it into the Stade de France, which was one of their intended targets. Instead, the bomber was forced to detonate his device outside of the venue, killing one bystander.

But bombs are not the only weapons that can be used to attack crowds outside sporting venues. Other weapons such as knives, vehicles and even firearms can also be used, and indeed we have seen all of them used in recent terrorist attacks in the developed world.

Athletes and sports team employees could find themselves exposed to an attack directed against crowds outside sporting venues and are therefore encouraged to minimize the time they spend outside the security perimeter prior to, or after, a sporting event.

WHO

TRIANGLE OF VULNERABILITY

WHERE

WHEN

Targeted Attacks But mass attacks against crowds are not the only threat posed by grassroots attackers. As seen by the recent attack against David Amess and the murder of MP Jo Cox in 2016, targeted attacks are also within their capabilities. Such an attack could occur near the target’s home, or as in the murders of Cox and Amess, near or during a scheduled public appearance.

This highlights the need to practice heightened situational awareness before and after public appearances. The fact that grassroots terrorists generally possess poor surveillance tradecraft means that they are normally easy to spot as they conduct surveillance before an attack – but only if one is looking for them.

The possibility of targeted attacks also demonstrates the need to “live gray” [link to PSN piece] on the Internet in order to limit the information a potential attacker can gather to plan an attack against an athlete, such as where the athlete lives or where the athlete will be at a particular time. It is important to avoid providing a potential attacker with information that allows them to connect the dots of the “triangle of vulnerability.”

Fortunately, the threat of terrorism to athletes and sporting venues is limited in the developed world. By taking a few simple measures such as practicing good situational awareness and practicing good cyber habits, athletes and sports team employees can help protect themselves from this threat. ◆ For more information, visit www.torchstoneglobal.com OTFF ISSUE 18 ★ DECEMBER 2021 | 19

HOUSTON 2026

THE ENERGY CAPITAL OF THE WORLD: HOUSTON’S 2026 FIFA WORLD CUP BID WITH SUSTAINABLE LEGACY AT THE HEART With the 2026 FIFA World Cup scheduled to be hosted across the United States, Canada and Mexico, the biggest challenge for organisers of the biggest sporting event in the world is to choose the 16 host cities out of the numerous ambitious bids competing across North America. Chris Canetti, President of the Houston 2026 World Cup Bid Committee, outlines what makes Texas’ largest city an ideal host, their environmental sustainability efforts, and the economic impact that the tournament will bring.

What makes Houston the ideal host city for the 2026 World Cup? There are a lot of things that go into it but in general we’ve got everything, and that’s our strength across the board. We are the fourth largest city in the United States, we are the largest city in Texas, and we have an array of world-class infrastructure – from two international airports to hotel and convention centres to the NRG stadium where the matches will be played, to world class practice facilities and training pitches. We have all the infrastructure in place to be able to host a major event like this.

We have got a track record for hosting sporting events like this. Houston has hosted more major sporting events than any other host candidate city since 2004, so we’ve been there and done that with Super bowls, NCAA college basketball Final Fours final fours and major All-Star games – even a tonne of soccer matches.

With our infrastructure, track record and history we really have all these great things going.

Houston is also most diverse city in North America, so when you are bringing an international event such as the World Cup, for the global game, to have an international city that is so diverse with 20 | OTFF ISSUE 18 ★ DECEMBER 2021

many different languages spoken and very rich in culture is important.

I should also say our accessibility and our location are an advantage to us as well. Houston is an extremely easy place to get to internationally. With our airport system, we are connected to every inhabited continent with direct flights and the most direct flights to south and central America, where a lot of international world cup fans will come in from. Once you’re here in Houston for the World Cup, we are centrally located in North America: You can get to New York in a couple of hours, you can get to LA in a couple of hours and of course there will be matches in Mexico, which you can get to in less than two hours in some cases, so our location is ideal for many reasons.

All these things add up to making Houston an ideal place to host a FIFA World Cup. With a huge focus on environmental sustainability within sporting events, how

are you looking to reduce your carbon footprint when hosting the World Cup? The Houston 2026 World Bid Cup Committee has been in existence since January 2019 and very early on in that process we decided to make our focus on legacy. Our legacy strategy is why all these things add up to making Houston an ideal city to host a FIFA World Cup based on how we are going to grow the game in our area and beyond, how we are going to focus on human rights issues, and how we are going to focus on sustainability issues.

We have sub-committees as part of our bid committee that are very focused on these three pillars, with a group of experts on the sustainability task force working on how we are going to reduce the carbon footprint throughout the competition. We have got a great track record of doing this through other events in our city but obviously as this continues to evolve and become a bigger deal.

With technological developments, we need to be at the forefront of that.

Houston is, as you know, the energy capital of the world, therefore most of the major energy ➡

OTFF ISSUE 18 ★ DECEMBER 2021 | 21

FOOTBALL companies have their headquarters here. Some of those sit on my board and they are all engaged with me on sustainability. These companies are going to be the ones that create a green plan going forward. They are all side by side with me working on our sustainability plans. We don’t have specific things down yet, but we have done some initiatives with various groups, and I have the infrastructure in place to act quickly to put together a great plan around sustainability, should we be successful with the bid.

Furthermore, we are not building any new venues as all the stadia and the training pitches already exist. We will be making minor modifications and improvements to them to get them up to the World Cup quality, but we are not talking about anything significant.

What is the soccer culture in Houston?

Houston is a great soccer community and that’s really based on the fact that we are an international city. While American football rules here in Texas and in the United States but we’ve got a great culture for international soccer here too.

There is a Major League Soccer club here called the Houston Dynamo that has a passionate fan base.

The PNC Stadium has hosted more international soccer games than any other new soccer stadium that has been built in North America.

Promoters continuously bring their matches to Houston because they know that they will be successful here with crowds and entertainment from other aspects. The NRG stadium, where the World Cup will be played, is a regular host to the Concacaf Gold Cup tournament that comes through every two years and other major international friendlies. We’ve had Manchester United vs Manchester City, Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich and tonnes of other major international football clubs coming through here and selling out stadiums to play their matches. So, there is a greater culture and appetite for the game here.

Of course, anywhere in this country there is an opportunity to grow the game and to make it bigger and that’s part of the motivation of having a World Cup in this country. The question is in our market, how do we take the opportunity to grow the game and expand its impact.

How much of an impact will the 2026 World Cup have on the growing popularity of soccer in the US? It is going to be incredible. The World Cup was here in 1994 and the growth of the game in that time 22 | OTFF ISSUE 18 ★ DECEMBER 2021

has been amazing. In 1996, Major League Soccer was launched and the influence that it has had on sport in this country has allowed it to gain traction. Every four years when a World Cup takes place in other countries, you can see the interest, excitement, popularity and following that the competition gets.

To have it in this country with the focus on the game for 35-40 days plus, its actually hard to measure how grand the impact is going to be throughout this country in taking the sport to the next level.

Can Houston entertain tourists and fans?

Absolutely. As mentioned, Houston has been the host to many major sporting events. The city has performed brilliantly time and time again, hosting thousands of people to drive a massive economic impact and creating lasting legacies in the community.

Houston has one of the biggest collections of hotel rooms in this country, it has tremendous restaurants and cuisines, as well plenty of arts and entertainment, from the arts district, the museum district, and even the Houston Zoo. We also have NASA here and Space Centre Houston which is a huge attraction for people. Annually in Houston there is the livestock and rodeo show, which is an annual full month event in March that generates around three million in attendance every single year – it is basically like hosting a sold-out Super Bowl every day for 21 days straight, so we really have the network of everything in place and capabilities.

This is what we showcased to FIFA a few weeks ago when they were in town for a site visit, and in a chance of good fortune, the day they were doing the visit Houston was hosting the MLB World Series – the [Houston]

Astros vs the [Atlanta] Braves – and we were able to take FIFA to the World Series so they could see first-hand our city at work when putting on a major event.

How will the local economy benefit from hosting the World Cup, in terms of global visibility and tourism?

First and foremost, the visibility for the city is a major driving motivator here for our mayor and other leaders. Whilst Houston is a global city it is a city that continues to be on the rise and wants as much exposure as possible globally and when you factor in that the average viewership for every single World Cup match is 190 million worldwide with the fact that we are going to potentially host five or six matches, right there alone you can see the type of exposure the city will gain. With all the social and digital media, it is a huge opportunity for Houston to capture a global audience and build its brand internationally.

From an economic standpoint, in 2017 when the NFL Super Bowl was here, it had an economic impact here in the region of US$347 million, and you must keep in mind that was one game on a Sunday afternoon with about a weeks’ worth of events leading up to it.

Again, with the World Cup we are going to potentially have five or six games at

“From day one the vision of our city's leadership and our local leadership has been to bring the World Cup here to have a great impact in our community and help make it a better place." our NRG stadium over the course of three plus weeks. It would be the equivalent of having six Super Bowls over the course of a month in our city, so perhaps the economic impact of hosting a World Cup here would be north of US$1 billion. It’s a really significant number we are talking about here.

What legacy would you like to leave behind for the city of Houston?

From day one the vision of our city’s leadership and our local leadership has been to bring the World Cup here to have a great impact in our community and help make it a better place. Therefore, we have been focused on creating that legacy and around those three pillars of growing the game, defending human rights and protecting the environment. We look at Houston as an innovative city.

As mentioned, we have NASA here, we

are home to the largest medical centre in the world, and we are the energy capital of the world so with that we have a lot of innovative minds. Our legacy is built around using innovation to drive forward success in those three pillars that I mentioned.

With all that in mind, we created an institution that we launched about a month and a half ago, the Soccer Innovation Institute. It is going to be a non-profit organisation that overseas our legacy strategy and all those things I have spoken about. We will hire a chief legacy officer to make sure that legacy is consistently present throughout our bid.

At the end of the day, we think our legacy is what we will be measured on, so it is a primary focus for us. We hope our legacy strategy is something that is a real point of differentiation from the other cities and helps put us at the top of the table. ◆ OTFF ISSUE 18 ★ DECEMBER 2021 | 23

WORKFORCE MANAGEMENT

HOW TO MANAGE THE TEAMS BEHIND THE TEAM FOR A GREAT FAN EXPERIENCE Parking. Ticketing. Security. Concessions. There are so many people that can make or break a gameday experience for your fans—all before the players even leave the locker room.

So how do you get the game plan right? How do you make sure you have enough people on the schedule? Especially these days when it feels like hiring and managing workers is an uphill battle.

THE EASIEST WAY TO MANAGE GAMEDAY COVERAGE There’s so much that can affect your employee schedule on any given day.

Changing vaccination mandates. Health and safety concerns. The labor shortage.

But the good news is there’s a way to make it much easier for your staff to manage.

The answer is workforce management— an integrated set of tools and processes that help you ensure the right people are in the right role, at the right time. This concept originally got its start in call centers, with the goal of helping managers identify the best number of hourly workers to keep up with call demand.

Using a workforce management approach allows you to increase efficiency both across your venue and at the individual employee level. It’s about finding balance with all your moving, 24 | OTFF ISSUE 18 ★ DECEMBER 2021

human variables and combining them in a way that produces the best result. Essentially, you’re aligning all the right factors in place for the most optimal outcome.

How are you set up to manage the labour shortage?

In today’s tight labor market, just hiring more workers isn’t enough. Once they’re in the door, you have to convince them to stay. How can you make scheduling a competitive advantage to attract and retain great workers?

The best way to make sure you have enough workers is to offer them the benefits they want. And flexible scheduling is at the top of their list right now.

Fortunately, the bulk of workforce management comes down to scheduling.

It helps you set up shifts to be fair to employees while maintaining the right staffing levels, all while keeping your workers informed and engaged.

For anyone who’s ever built a schedule from the ground up, you know how time-consuming it can be.

Workforce management can automate the scheduling process to take all variables into account (vacations, availability, demand) and produce an optimal schedule that employees can also weigh in on. Ideally, using workforce management will help keep things from falling into the cracks and make it easier to cover sick days or no-shows, so that you aren’t ever left without enough resources.

HANDLE LAST-MINUTE EMPLOYEE SCHEDULING CHANGES LIKE A PRO] Reduce operational headache with flexible scheduling Flexible scheduling has the amazing ability to improve employee engagement and make dealing with a constantly fluctuating season much less stressful.

The best part about flexible selfscheduling is that it’s a win-win for management and workers.

Instead of having your staff spend hours hammering out a schedule down to every detail, they’ll save time (and frustration) by only building a framework. Flexible scheduling lets employees choose the shifts they want on that framework.

Employees can request shifts, and they can swap shifts with each other. This means they have control over their worklife balance, you have fewer no-shows, and employees are more engaged because they know they have some ownership in their work schedule.

So how can you get started with selfscheduling?

First, choose the tools you will use. In the past, paper sign-up sheets were used,

but if someone wasn’t working the day the shifts were posted, they either had to come in on your day off or get stuck with shifts no one wanted. Apps like When I Work make it simple for you to notify employees the shifts are available.

Employees can view, claim, swap shifts, and talk to each other regarding the schedule from their mobile device.

Next, determine any rules or guidelines necessary to deal with unfilled shifts, employees who request back-to-back shifts, or even rewards that might incentivize unpopular shifts.

If you’re not ready to dive completely into self schedule, you can start small.

Offer a flexible schedule on Fridays, maybe, and see how that works.

And most importantly, pay attention to what’s happening near and far. Talk to your team. Ask them how it’s working. Look for any trouble spots, like employees gaming the system or shifts that no one wants.

The impacts of workforce management in the sports industry When all of the variables of your venue work together, not against each other, you’ll be able to create an efficient provision of labor that matches labor demand. This can be tricky to do manually, which is why workforce management often comes in the form of software or a suite of tools that combine data from multiple sources within your business.

Using a workforce management solution, you’ll be able to automatically integrate patterns from your employee schedule and time clock to match your budget and forecast. Finding the right solution can feel overwhelming, but don’t worry. When I Work has you covered with a fast, flexible solution. You can even be up and running in days, not weeks. Our

workforce management solutions are field proven to help you overcome your scheduling challenges: • 45% of workplaces use self-scheduling weekly • 61% of shifts are covered or confirmed in 24 hours • 85% weekly engagement by employees and employer When I Work is the elite sport industry’s Official Workforce Management Partner and the leading employee scheduling and time tracking system that supports the best-known sports teams in the USA. In partnership with Premier Sports Network, When I Work helps the teams behind the team, so you know the fans are enjoying a great experience watching their favorite players in action.

Teams and businesses that use When I Work see great results, including: • 20% decrease in labor costs • 8X time saved on scheduling • 3X reduction in employee no-shows Choose When I Work to: • Increase operational agility, even with changing restrictions • Plan staffing and pivot quickly on demand • Facilitate communication between different departments and team members • Give employees a reason to engage with the schedule and be more accountable • Manage COVID concerns and staff eligibility No matter what departments you need covered—security,

concessions, parking, COVID testing, ticketing, and more—When I Work is the system that has everything you need to schedule more efficiently, track employee time, and communicate with your team.

Plus, When I Work is perfect for both your team and your facility partners who manage concerts and events all year round.

Don’t wait until you’re scrambling to get the schedule made for the next home game. Join more than 200,000 shift-based workplaces running on When I Work.

Getting started is easy! Just drop us a line at partnersales@wheniwork.com and we’ll be happy to show you how When I Work can help your team save time, reduce no-shows, and increase employee engagement.

About When I Work When I Work is a market leader in hourly workforce management that provides businesses a fully integrated scheduling, time tracking, and team messaging solution. Trusted by over 200,000 workplaces worldwide, When I Work ensures reliable shift coverage, engaged employees, and faster decisions— giving everybody what they need to be successful at work. ◆ For more information, visit www.wheniwork.com

OTFF ISSUE 18 ★ DECEMBER 2021 | 25

VENUE OPERATIONS

Melbourne & Olympic Parks gains greater visibility across their operations using 24/7 Software The Melbourne & Olympic Parks operates to provide world-class sport, events, and entertainment facilities for the people of the State of Victoria and has implemented 24/7 Software’s operations management software to enhance their real-time communications, maximise experience, and reduce risk.

The Melbourne & Olympic Parks (M&OP) precinct includes four of Victoria’s most well-known venues (AAMI Park, John Cain Arena, Margaret Court Arena, and Rod Laver Arena) that welcomes over 2.6 million visitors annually and is the home of the Australian Open Grand Slam Tournament.

M&OP continues to grow and evolve.

The final stages of the AUS$972 million Melbourne Park Redevelopment are due for completion in 2021, further reinforcing Melbourne and Olympic Parks as Australia's premier sport, event, and entertainment precinct.

Before 24/7 Software Katrina Haby is Director of Event Resourcing, and Ben Goodwin is Manager of Strategic Insights & Delivery, for M&OP Before using 24/7 software, M&OP was experiencing growth in the size and scale of events, along with the redevelopment of the precinct (including the opening of new venues) that led to the need for an improved job and management system solution. M&OP recognised the need to move away from their existing system that lacked useability and did not provide a mechanism to capture important live event and incident information.

They needed software that was less labour-intensive but also matched all of their strategic objectives. These requirements led to M&OP implementing 24/7 Software’s solution, consisting of 26 | OTFF ISSUE 18 ★ DECEMBER 2021

the incident Management System, Lost & Found, and Task Manager.

Now After deployment of 24/7 Software’s platform, M&OP has an industry-focused solution. 24/7 Software provides control centre management of incidents, jobs, and tasks with the customisation and useability M&OP requires to maximise their performance and deliver exceptional service during world-class events, including sports, international concerts, and the Australian Open.

Statistics ● 9,000 jobs and incidents recorded in the first month of use ● 71% increase in incidents and jobs recorded using 24/7 Software ● 400 staff using 24/7 Software during events Year-over-Year Growth for the Precinct In 2017, M&OP was operating more events across the precinct than ever before.

“The size, complexity, and scale of events, along with the redevelopment of the precinct, was growing each year,” shared Haby.

M&OP is Australia’s heart of sports and entertainment. While they do boast this statement on their website, the fact is, it’s true. The precinct welcomes around 600 events and attracts more than 2.5 million people annually. It’s also home to an array of the most iconic and world-class experiences.

The precinct is notably acclaimed for hosting the city's most celebrated national and international sports and entertainment events.

M&OP hosts the Australian Open Grand Slam, rugby union, football, rugby league, netball, basketball, cycling, and gymnastics; while also staging the highest calibre of artists and shows, such as Elton John, Lady Gaga, P!NK, Beyoncé, The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, and Disney on Ice. “Our former tools did not offer the level of sophistication, communication options, or flexibility that was required to operate the precinct at this activity level and with all our operational needs” – Katrina Haby, Director of Event Resourcing – Melbourne & Olympic Parks.

Users were disengaged with the former system, and with a focus on enhancing safety processes, real-time communication, and customer service, a new solution was required.

"There was a lack of useability, such as search functions and customisation

to tailor what information we needed to capture at events. This was leading to event and incident information not being captured promptly," explained Haby.

Haby shared that it was important to find a solution that understood the complex and varied nature of the precinct.

"The fact that other solutions were not designed for our needs meant that many systems needed to be customised or a number of different types of solutions were required to be integrated to achieve a seamless end-to-end incident management."

The Need for a Less Labour-Intensive Solution In the past, incident management and reporting were labour-intensive for M&OP, with communications, reporting, and data capture occurring through the use of many different systems and tools.

"The previous tool that had been used for incident management and reporting could not provide clear priorities and situational awareness to both control room operators and teams on the ground," said Haby.

Human intervention was needed to ensure jobs (such as requests for cleaning and building services) were recorded, actioned, and completed. Improved and automated reporting was also a priority.

"We needed a system that provided a solution for job and incident allocation, updates, and completion that could be automated to ensure jobs and incidents were resolved as quickly as possible.

The ability to capture images and timestamped information was also important to us." - Katrina Haby, Director of Event Resourcing | Melbourne & Olympic Parks A Seamless Deployment to Proactive Operations "The support, advice, technical knowledge, and real-life examples of how to apply different functions across the 24/7 Software solution has been invaluable," shared Goodwin.

"We had felt supported across the journey and felt that the platform was excellent when we first started. But now, we're operating at a different level of performance with the continued evolution of the platform. It is very exciting as it opens up a lot of customisation that we would like to do related to the way the system operates for us," continued Goodwin.

M&OP heavily uses 24/7 Software's Incident Management System the most, followed by 24/7 Software's Lost & Found and 24/7 Software's Task Manager Australia and New Zealand.

Goodwin was quick to prove these statements with data on how 24/7 Software helped M&OP achieve its strategic objectives and more.

M&OP went from only 50 unique users to 270 after the first three months of deployment and currently have approximately 400 users working with the 24/7 Software solution.

"In our first three months of deployment, we saw a 37% increase in jobs and incidents logged and managed in 24/7 Software," shared Goodwin.

An increase of safety reporting was seen across the precinct after the first three months of deployment, including a 68% increase of hazard (i.e., the potential for something to arise, such as a trip hazard) reporting and resolution.

According to Goodwin, "During the first month of deployment, we logged over 9,000 jobs and incidents – the most we've ever done."

When asked what business processes does, 24/7 Software enhance in total for M&OP, Goodwin articulated a powerful conclusion.

"We ensure a consistent and timely approach to job and incident management – ensuring teams have the information they need to deliver exceptional operations and service. We prioritise proactive operations, with a focus on safety, and we have 24/7 Software's help to ensure we stay that way." - Ben Goodwin, Manager of Strategic Insights & Delivery at Melbourne & Olympic Parks. ◆ For more information, visit www.247software.com OTFF ISSUE 18 ★ DECEMBER 2021 | 27

MELBOURNE & OLYMPIC PARKS

"We needed a system that provided a solution for job and incident allocation, updates, and completion that could be automated to ensure jobs and incidents were resolved as quickly as possible."

BRANDON WILLIAMS

BRANDON WILLIAMS:

“I WANT TO DO EVERYTHING I CAN AND ACHIEVE ALL MY GOALS AND DREAMS” Norwich City full-back Brandon Williams speaks on gaining experience on a season-long loan from Manchester United.

28 | OTFF ISSUE 18 ★ DECEMBER 2021

How has your journey been to get to where you are now?

I think a lot of people are under the impression that you just come and train and then you just play the games without any problems but for me personally and specially my family, we know what we have gone through to get to where we are now.

When I was seven, I wasn’t really into football, but my friend needed an extra player for a football match, and he was my best friend. I wasn’t really into football, but he came and asked my dad if I could go and sit on the bench so that they could play this Sunday league game. Anyway, I did, and someone got injured, so I had to come on and play. I ended up doing well scoring three or four goals and I just thought I liked it from there. I then just kept on going to these games, just playing and then we went to this tournament in Blackpool that same year that had all the northern teams like Everton, Liverpool, City, United.

Obviously with my family being from Manchester and supporting United I went to Manchester United. From the ages of seven to nine you’re in a foundation so you’re not really signed to a club, and then I got signed at nine [years-old] and from there it was just step by step having fun playing football as a young kid for Man United. Then around 15/ 16 [years-old] you start thinking, some players are

starting to get dropped now, some players that you have been with since you were seven. So, it starts to get a bit serious and then when I was 15, I had two bad injuries. I broke both my feet. I broke one and then I came back for 6 months and then I broke the other one the same week I came back.

At this moment I’m going through growth, and I moved away from home when I was 14 as well, so that was difficult, and then going through this growth and then not being at the top of the group no more because when I was a kid, I was near the top on the top group then at 14, 15, 16 yearsold I started to slow down a bit because of my growth.

In the back of your mind is [the thought of] getting a scholarship at 16 as well. At the time I was worried about that I had school to do and all these things and yeah I recovered from that and managed to get a scholarship and then went into the 18’s and went year to year strength to strength.

I’ve always believed in myself that I could do anything to be honest. When I set my mind to something I know I can do it. I made my debut when I just turned 19 and then from there that’s history and I’m just looking forward now and I’m trying to get more memories.

You mention that you had two big injuries in the early stages of your career. How was your support system at the time and how did u manage to overcome that?

There is so much staff in so many different areas at the club and there is literally a person for anything, and you can just go to them and speak to them, and they can get you through it. That time was probably the toughest I’ve had off the pitch in terms of football. It was down to the people I had around me to be honest, my friends, my family, and the people at united which got me through it and like I’ve said before they have a really good team that will help youngsters. They don’t just teach you how to play football, they also teach you how to ➡

OTFF ISSUE 18 ★ DECEMBER 2021 | 29

BRANDON WILLIAMS

be a good person off the pitch and how to become a man, so I think it’s really key that you have these influences in your life.

What has the transition to play for Norwich City on loan been like?

It’s very different because I’ve never done it in my career before.

I’ve always been at united since I was seven so coming here has been a bit different and out of my comfort zone but I’m involved in the group now and I’m getting to know everybody on a personal level as well. Its good to also make new

against Billy [Gilmour] a few times, but I really get along with everyone.

I’m getting to know people and seeing their lives off the pitch as well. It’s been really easy because everyone is so welcoming as well, so it was very easy.

How do you think this loan will allow you to develop as a player?

I think getting the experience through playing matches on a weekly basis and getting them weekly games in. This is why I came here, because I just want to play football and I’m just grateful for

“I want to do everything I can and achieve all my goals and dreams. The Premier League, the Champions League, playing for England at a major tournament.” friends and to learn a different style of football, which can help me in my career down the line.

I moved here [Norwich] by myself, and my family comes to every game, they love a drive. Obviously, they have work and stuff, so I only get to see them when we got games so that part is difficult but its part of it and I knew what I was getting myself into, but I’m just happy to be here and happy to be playing football.

When I first came, I only really knew Max Aarons, I’ve played 30 | OTFF ISSUE 18 ★ DECEMBER 2021

the manager allowing me to join the squad and allowing me to gain experience playing the matches.

What are some key things that you want to take from this season and bring back to Manchester United?

I think my head. Where my mental state is and just to build that whatever situation, we get ourselves into. I think fitness as well through playing on a weekly basis sometimes there will be mid-week games as well, which is important to have that fitness because when

you play for a team like Manchester United, you’re more than likely going to have a game on the weekend and then a game during the week that you have to play in, so fitness is key for me.

Also, just working on stuff like staying after training and working on my positioning stuff and stuff that I know that needs to improve as well, which I will also have time to do and also good when you don’t have games during the week. We have a lot of time on the training pitch to work on yourself so I think that will be important for me.

What are some of your main aims for the future?

I want to do everything I can and achieve all my goals and dreams.

The [English] Premier League, the Champions League, playing for England at a major tournament: All these things that I have watched as a kid and we’ve joked about with my friends and my parents saying that I’m going to do this one day and score in the premier league one day and laugh about it, and then to actually do it is incredible.

The goals are whatever I can do to myself is whatever I get out, so I just need to put the work in, put my head down and keep on working and ill be able to be successful and I just want to have a long career. I want to be playing until I can’t run anymore so that’s important to me. ◆

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AIRCRAFT CHARTER

CHARTER KEEPS THE INTERNATIONAL SPORTS INDUSTRY FLYING Elite athletes – golfers, footballers, rugby, tennis players and cricketers, are used to the fact that private charter (six to 60 seat jets) is their optimum form of air travel, enabling them to keep fully in control of itineraries.

Covid-19 hit the airline industry hard with regular airlines still a long way off resuming full pre-pandemic schedules.

The first sector to recover was charter.

WORDS: RICHARD SMITH, DIRECTOR OF CHARTER, ACC AVIATION

Without it many international sporting events simply would not have happened, as teams of 40 players or more, plus support staff and equipment, relied on aircraft charters to keep their sporting schedules running. Charter was also crucial during the Tokyo Olympics, with participating athletes required to stay in bubbles to avoid unnecessary contact with others.

These past 18 months, working across five continents, we have embraced a wider, supporting role as Covid travel advisors, regularly dispensing advice to our clients on the rapidly changing requirements, providing close liaison on trip support, adhering to country restrictions as borders opened (and closed at short notice), and ensuring all relevant paperwork was presented or prearranged. We dispatched accompanying flight riders to liaise with airline/bizjet operators and airports on the spot, enabling team operations managers to stay focused on players and support staff.

After 18 months of disruption, charter is soaring as the go to solution. It’s being 32 | OTFF ISSUE 18 ★ DECEMBER 2021

used more widely too – by both men’s and women’s teams, equally, who have turned to charter over scheduled services. We have facilitated several long-haul flights bringing international football players back from their international duties at World Cup Qualifier games, ensuring they make it back to their domestic club matches in the fastest time possible.

In addition to national and league football teams, rugby charter flights have also increased, fulfilling requirements from the United Rugby Championship (formerly Pro 14), European Champions, Challenge Cups and Super League.

We have provided increasing numbers of charter flights to national Rugby Union teams for their European competition

matches, where aircraft like the 90-seat Embraer 190, readily available, with good operators, is ideally sized, modern and reliable. The competitively priced 70-seat ATR72 turboprop has also proven to be a popular option for short-haul rugby flights.

Outside the regular professional teams that entrust ACC Aviation with their domestic and international travel, we recently arranged an all-business class Boeing 737 to fly a world-renowned boxer, accompanied by his management team, friends and family, to and from a fight night in Atlanta. The aircraft was parked and staged at a private terminal in San Antonio, TX, where media and press gathered to receive the passengers on arrival and departure.

We work with specialist travel management companies (TMCs) to provide fan travel solutions, anywhere in the world. In one such instance we flew 250 fans from Mexico City to Moscow, when the original flight provider become unavailable hours before their original scheduled departure.

We were able to source a lastminute replacement aircraft

and deliver them to the ground four hours ahead of match start. With the Qatar World Cup in 2022 we are in advanced talks with many teams and travel providers seeking creative and well-priced charter solutions. Some teams and fans may prefer to stay in Dubai or Abu Dhabi and just fly in for matches, another degree of flexibility our USA, UK and UAE offices are able to advise on. Whatever your travel requirements may be our teams are ready to provide you with independent expert advice.

Charter scores in many ways, here’s why: ● Covid bubbles – flying solely as a team reduces exposure to infection from unknown passengers. ● Time saving. A typical European domestic rugby/football flight can be completed inside an hour. For longer trips into Europe, time savings offered by direct charter between host and visiting teams’ local airports can cut the entire journey in half removing typical check in time, time spent waiting for bags, time spent on transfer. ● Use of private, FBO terminals, away from the main hubs with security

clearance and other formalities carried out away from the glare of iPhones. Some airports have invested in processes allowing team coaches to go straight to the aircraft for boarding. ● The ease of putting everyone and everything on one aircraft delivers ultimate flexibility. ● Custom inflight meals can be prepared to suit players’ dietary requirements. ● Managers can give preparation talks in the privacy of their own cabin and physio applied inflight - pre- and post-match. ● Private charter keeps players rested.

The stress-free travel experience makes a huge difference to performance on the ground - as many tennis and golf pros who have used charter for decades will testify.

Having facilitated charter for 20-plus years and flown thousands of sporting flight hours, we are pleased to provide the full spectrum of best quality charter aircraft that are available, through our highly experienced professional teams, and international office network. ◆ Jamie Harris, ACC Aviation President, Americas contributed to this commentary.

UK regional carrier Eastern Airways has worked with ACC Aviation for many years, fulfilling rugby team charter flights to France, Italy and the Republic of Ireland. Close dialogue and understanding between airline and provider is hugely important, says Eastern’s Managing Director Adam Wheatley, so we can liaise on operational detail; catering (dietary needs) and keep passenger details updated. Flexibility is important with squad selections often not in place until close to departure times. Many of the flights we operate depart the day before a match and return immediately after the game has finished. With many fixtures taking place in the evenings, we must be ready to fly home late at night and often from smaller airports with restricted opening times. Our charter availability is geared towards sports teams’ needs, with the flexibility to accommodate peaks in requirements generated by the concentration of fixtures across weekends. Fixture allocations can result in some weekends seeing higher demand than others. We are seeing more midweek rounds of matches, especially in the European competitions so we’ll proactively identify demand peaks, maximizing our availability to meet them. It’s great to have a partner in ACC mirroring our commitment and ‘can do’ attitude.

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JOE HAIGH

"I WANT TO BE SCORING, ASSISTING AND PLAYING REGULAR UNDER-23S FOOTBALL AND THEN HOPEFULLY TRY AND PUSH FOR A FIRST-TEAM CALL UP”

18-year-old Joe Haigh spoke to us about his time representing England, the importance of education and how you need to relish the opportunities that you are given.

34 | OTFF ISSUE 18 ★ DECEMBER 2021

The young Chelsea prospect got picked up by the Blues at just 9-years-old, and he has been a mainstay in the youth teams since, whilst progressing through the academy.

Haigh mentioned, “My first team was a local Sunday grassroots team, I joined at under-8s and then I was picked up by Chelsea when I was under 10’s. I then went through the whole academy to where I am now, the under-23s. When I was playing for my local team, a scout came to watch but it wasn’t to watch me, it was for someone else, but I played well. The scout approached my dad and offered me a trial.

When I found out, I couldn’t believe it. I was over the moon, it’s every kids dream, and I couldn’t wait to get down there.”

Having a winner’s mentality is key for any young player, and Haigh noted who he looks to for inspiration when it comes to having this mindset, “I would say I look up to Steven Gerrard with the leadership style, when things are not going well, I just try and bring the team up and have a winner’s mentality. Since I was young, Lionel Messi has been my favourite player, the way he dribbles, that’s how I want to be. The goals he scores, the assists he gets are amazing, he destroys defences. I try not to compare myself too much to players but from a Chelsea point of view I would say an in-between of Mason Mount and Christian Pulisic. The way they dribble past players, creating goals and assists.

Then outside of Chelsea I would say Iniesta. He is a team player; he links the play and tries to get on the ball as much as possible.”

Youth team interaction with the first-team players can be vital for progression, but unfortunately due to Covid-19 this has been limited.

Haigh added, “Before Covid there was a lot of interaction which was good, but they have restricted it a lot. Before we used to see the firstteam players walking around the academy and they used to watch some of our games, which was obviously a huge boost to see firstteam players and even the managers to watch our games. This came ➡

“I would say I look up to Steven Gerrard with the leadership style, when things are not going well, I just try and bring the team up and have a winner’s mentality."

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JOE HAIGH

"I do Business, French, and German. It’s important to have a balanced lifestyle, I make sure I am never just sitting at home doing nothing."

with a bit of pressure, but you must embrace it. Obviously, there can be a lot of pressure in football, but you have to cut it out and relish it and I tried to show them how good I am.”

In the first two weeks after coming back for pre-season, Haigh picked up a slight muscular injury, he mentioned, “I am with the physio’s day to day really, they give you certain exercises and machines for your injury, and then different gym work that you need to do, it’s very individualised and specific towards your needs. Honestly, being injured is the worst thing in the world, when everyone else is playing and you are just stuck inside, it’s terrible. You must be really strong, when you see your

36 | OTFF ISSUE 18 ★ DECEMBER 2021

mates playing and you aren’t, but you have to come back stronger, and when you are back you have to show what you’re made of.”

Having the latest equipment and world class individuals to help aid your injury is vital and Haigh spoke about just how good these areas are within Chelsea Football Club, “The facilities and equipment that we have is a big advantage and the staff are great as well. They put extra time in, and they give you as many options on how to

get back to full fitness in the fastest way. The physios and the movement coaches are the best around, they are very educated and know how to support you.”

Being a footballer, you have a lot of spare time. Especially for Haigh after picking up an injury, so he told us what he does to keep himself busy, “I watch and play different sports a lot. I also still study. I do Business, French, and German. It’s important to have a balanced lifestyle as a footballer, I make sure I am never just sitting at home doing nothing, I always want to be doing something. The studying comes from Chelsea and a bit from my parents, but the teachers are all from the club.

I like cricket and golf, I pretty

much play anything I can.”

Studying is not something young footballers are particularly interested in, but Haigh is aware of the importance of a further education, “Football is of course the focus, but it isn’t really a long career, so you have to have something as a backup. I know that I have to keep studying for as long as possible just to broaden my knowledge, so for after football or even during football I have that knowledge to go into other sectors if I wanted to. You never know with injuries what is going to happen, so I want to

“Seeing all the lads in the first-team, it pushes us all on because you couldn’t really see too much of a pathway into the first-team before, but it really motivates me now." keep my studying going.”

Setting goals and ambitions can be a good way of assessing your performance on the pitch. Haigh mentioned about his goals as an individual and as a team, “I try to focus on one season as it comes, so this season I want to be scoring, assisting, and playing regular under-23’s football and then hopefully try

and push for a first team call up. At the end of the season, it is the under-19’s euros for England. Hopefully I can get a call up for that, I played for England at under 15, 16 then attended the last U19’s camp, and want to continue that.”

There has been an increase in young players at Chelsea being given opportunities for the first-team, and this has

been particularly motivating for Haigh, “Seeing all the lads in the first-team, it pushes us all on because you couldn’t really see too much of a pathway into the first-team before, but it really motivates me now and I hope to be part of it. I want to show what I can do and get my chance so it makes me think if they can do it then why can’t I.” ◆

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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

The key to successful virtual learning initiatives comes down to this Like so much these days, corporate learning is undergoing a big transformation. In fact, more and more organisations are grappling with how to implement an impactful learning strategy for a dispersed workforce.

Learning professionals have been clamouring to develop new ways to communicate and engage employees and implementing initiatives to develop talent or change a corporate culture can be challenging to do well remotely.

“How do you demonstrate leadership’s support and commitment to a new initiative when employees are remote?

How do you compete for their attention when they are surrounded by potential distractions—both work and home?” asks Jeff Becker, Director of Corporate Learning Solutions at American Management Association (AMA). “These are some of the common issues our clients are having when they partner with us for change initiatives.”

To engage employees in talent development opportunities, organisations must effectively define, align, and execute their learning development plans using techniques that are effective both for adult learners and for virtual delivery.

Defining the business issue at hand “Often, we find clients want to jump right into the execution of a virtual learning initiative,” says Becker. “But the first stage, where you define your program and its objectives, is where you should spend the bulk of your time.” The define stage is where you identify a clear vision for your program, and a compelling reason to move forward. It’s often in this stage that mistakes are made.

To get at that deeper problem, ask yourself: ● What specifically are we trying to improve or change? ● Why is this important to the company?

To the team? To the individual?

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● Are we in alignment on what needs to change? ● Have we clearly communicated this with everyone involved? ● How will we know this training helped our people? What will success look like?

These questions will often reveal the deeper issue at stake.

“We often find that assumptions in this stage, for example, that building up a particular competency will address an underlying business concern, can be wrong or inadequate as a solution,” says KC Blonski, Vice President, Corporate Learning Solutions at AMA. “We’ve found it’s best to start with the ‘why’ and make sure we’re partnering to develop the best solution for our clients. Sometimes there’s a mix of competencies needed, and sometimes those competencies need to be tailored and very clearly defined within an organisation’s own culture and vision. This is why our corporate solutions always begin with an assessment between current capabilities and desired future state before we lay out a strategy and implementation plan.”

Once you’re clear on the underlying issue, you must make the connection between the issue(s) and the planned learning experience crystal clear to learners.

The stage where learning initiatives often fail Alignment includes two critical steps: 1. Obtain a commitment from top leaders in your organisation 2. Establish the value for learners Adult learners are quite savvy. They know that they can spend a long time and a lot of effort learning new skills only to discover they weren’t very important to leadership. In fact, employees

have become adept at sifting through organisational communications to glean which information they really need to know to be successful. This is why it’s extremely important to have buy-in and participation from your organisation’s leaders in a meaningful way.

In a recent poll by AMA of 400 HR and learning professionals, more than 60% said that leaders demonstrating commitment was the area they really struggled with and needed to improve.

Demonstrating leadership commitment can be tricky in a virtual environment where employees don’t have as much interaction or exposure to high-level leaders. So, what does leadership commitment look like in a virtual environment?

“They need to do more than simply kicking off the first session,” says Becker. “That’s a good start, but leaders are capable of contributing in a more meaningful fashion. When it is valuable and not inhibiting open communication, leaders should participate in the training events.” It shows their commitment to the initiative and their commitment to selfdevelopment, including their own. Leaders need to go the extra mile and participate in follow-up conversations with both participants and their managers. Most important, leaders need to ask questions and listen to the feedback, as it will often point out what should happen next. This conveys real commitment and will further increase the potential for success.

Impart knowledge and skills through an effective learning process As part of the define stage, you should have established the specific skills, knowledge, and behaviours that your organisation wants to emphasise to improve performance and change

behaviour. You likely also defined the content you will use to achieve those learning objectives.

But before you jump into executing that content, you need to ensure it is delivered in a way that employees can quickly learn and retain it. This is best done by ensuring it engages and stimulates employees by providing activities for them to perform.

“As many learning professionals know, if all the participants are getting a lecture, they might retain about 5% of it,” says Becker. “If you supplement that with reading, you will increase to about 10%.

Audio and visual presentations might get you to 20% of retention if they aren’t distracted. But that’s not enough. You

work internally or, more importantly, your customers. Giving your employees a way to provide feedback helps them feel that they are a part of the change to improve.

You will also often learn about other related areas of need as new skills are applied in real work scenarios. Behaviours will change only after practice is allowed to happen over time with supportive feedback.

Measuring outcomes in a virtual environment In the define stage, we emphasised that knowing the business problem your initiative is designed to address is crucial.

Maybe you were trying to reduce turnover or ensure managers could effectively

“Adult learners are quite savvy. They know that they can spend a long time and a lot of effort learning new skills only to discover they weren’t very important to leadership" want to stimulate their minds visually and engage them.”

Demonstration will bring retention rates up to 30%. “If I allow discussion during the demonstration, retention can go up to 50%,” says Becker. “At AMA, we see how important discussion is to help participants retain knowledge, and that makes sense.

In addition, the organisation must also consider what process or barriers your learners are going to face when trying to practice and implement changes.

A good way to effectively remove barriers is to ask learners for feedback.

Your employees are the individuals best equipped to identify whether a change or new process will impact the flow of

mentor their team members. Did you solve the original issue at the heart of your learning development plan? Can you prove it using the data you collected?

Just as it’s difficult for leaders to demonstrate commitment virtually, it can be difficult to measure success when employees are remote. Some measures, such as turnover, are obvious. Less clear, however, is employee engagement or whether an adequate amount of coaching is going on.

Employee feedback, especially when solicited informally and over time, can be extremely insightful.

“The biggest piece of feedback that we hear around a virtual implementation is questions around why,” says Becker. “And

it doesn’t mean we haven’t determined why. Often we haven’t adequately communicated why.” This can be addressed through reinforcement from managers and leaders.

“We’re finding that virtual initiatives require more reinforcement than inperson learning,” says Blonski. “This is in part because employees don’t see their managers and leaders as frequently, and the initiative can feel out of context.

Incorporating the why into informal conversations between managers and employees can help a lot to reinforce messaging and is something we often incorporate into the learning plans we develop for clients.”

The most important step: assessing your organisation’s need COVID accelerated many trends that were already occurring, such as a more dispersed workforce. The effects of those changes will reverberate long after the pandemic recedes into memory. How will your organisation fare when the dust settles? Will your current initiatives inspire a more engaged, productive workforce, or will they fall flat? The best way to ensure your solution will work is to assess where you are now, define the objectives and goals, and then develop the strategy to get there.

In the end, the real measure of success for corporate learning initiatives is in meaningful behavioural change, which can only happen through proper evaluation and design: Ask about AMA’s assessment process and implementation matrix to support your learning strategy. ◆ For more information, visit www.mce.eu or email info@mce.eu OTFF ISSUE 18 ★ DECEMBER 2021 | 39

TRENDS 2022

TOP 2022 SPORTS TRENDS TO WATCH SHIFT TO MOBILEFIRST ENGAGEMENT As a collective, we are a creating and consuming an enormous amount of content, from the moment we wake up to the moment we go to bed. With more and more people gaining access to the Internet and new devices emerging, the amount of content we create and consume will accelerate further in 2022.

Sports has traditionally been centred on the ‘big screen’ experience.

High-end gaming consoles serve as not only a platform to play games on, but also to watch our favourite TV shows and more.

Even many vertical gaming platforms have been PCbased with a larger monitor.

With the present advances in processing power and battery life of mobile devices, accelerated by 40 | OTFF ISSUE 18 ★ DECEMBER 2021

cord-cutting and the rise of mobilefirst culture, the mobile device is taking centre stage in sports and gaming. Nifty Games recently released NFL Clash as a mobile game globally and to reach sports fans marketers are focusing their efforts on anything to increase accessibility, bringing fans closer to the action and into the discussion.

Throughout the pandemic and into 2021, sports organisations have been investing heavily into mobile applications (‘Apps’) to give fans what they need, when and how they need it in the fastest possible way, particularly during a time where fans haven’t been able to attend live events.

Fans are craving more.

They are actively looking for ways to interreact digitally with their favourite teams and by enhancing that vital connection, a bespoke app can turn the most casual supporter into the loyalist of fans who live and breathe the club. The kind that also drives revenues.

THE RETURN OF LIVE EVENTS TO HIGH GDP NATIONS While the pandemic challenges the live sports and esports ecosystems for more than 18 months, vaccinations, proven Covid-19 protocols, and fan desires to get back to in-person events could bring fans, ticket revenue and sponsorship revenue back in 2022. This trend may not extend into the second and third world, but the bulk of sport’s revenue has largely come from first-world markets where ticket prices, merchandise, food and beverage, and media rights values can be maximised.

INCREASING LUXURY BRAND AND NON-ENDEMIC INTEGRATION To cater to this common passion among 18 to 34-year-olds – a generation deeply emersed in traditional media – old-line luxury, travel, fintech and other brands are racing into sports and esports to build engagement, brand preference and their own global brand reach. The potential for these brands in both traditional and esports is vast, yet surprisingly untapped.

INCREASED CELEBRITY INVESTMENT AND INVOLVEMENT IN ESPORTS

Crypto.com signed a US$175 million deal with the UFC quickly after signing a US$100 million deal with Formula 1. More recently, the Singapore-based exchange platform has agreed a US$700 million deal, over 20 years, to rebrand the 20,000-seat Lose Angeles Staples Centre, home of the Lakers.

On the luxury brand side, Louis Vuitton entered a creative partnership with the National Basketball Association (NBA) back in 2020 which has seen the brand produce a bespoke Trophy Travel Case, doubledoor wardrobe trunk stamped with dual iconography, and a debut capsule collection comprising of limited-edition clothing, leather goods, accessories, and shoes, each at the intersection of French craftsmanship and American Sports.

What once may have been dismissed as a fringe hobby – watching others play video games – is now a mainstream source of entertainment and is growing rapidly. As a result, the esports industry has the potential to garner even more attention from celebrities, athletes, and high-networth individuals than it already has thus far as its rapid growth, the vast amounts of money and exposure at stake, has attracted a great amount of interest from investors who want to get in on the action.

Even before this year, several big names were already investing into esports and Sports Entertainment companies and teams, including celebrities, athletes, and team owners from traditional sports.

Among them, Michael Jordan, Will Smith,

Drake, Mike Tyson, Shaquille O’Neal, Jennifer Lopez, Fernando Alonso, Christian Fuchs.

As gaming pushes even further into mainstream media consumption, this is a trend that can be expected to continue. Sponsorship revenue could be the biggest moneymaker in esports in the coming year, potentially accounting for more than 30 per cent of its total revenue, meaning the benefits of being involved in the esports market are becoming substantial and more like traditional sports.

OTFF ISSUE 18 ★ DECEMBER 2021 | 41

DATA COULD FUEL NEW FORMS OF REVENUE

EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR ATHLETES

Just as data drove the explosive growth in digital advertising, data could unlock massive new revenue streams in sports and esports. Technological developments within the sports data industry, and more widely, are creating opportunities for exploitation, generating more data that can be exploited and pose additional challenges to overcome. The global sports technology market was valued at US$17.9 billion in 2021 and is expected to reach US$40,.2 billion by 2026. Some of the new technological developments seen over recent years include increasingly sophisticated sports data analytics, smart stadiums, wearable devices and the use of drones.

From third-party betting and fantasy platforms like FanDual and Draft Kings to first-party data such as the PFL’s ‘SmartCage Technology’ in MMA, data could help fans to evaluate player performance as well as earn revenue from their fandom, increasing engagement and participation.

Today’s younger fan understands metadata and loves data interaction on their digital devices. If sports and gaming move to an ARPU (the amount of revenue generated by a user across a specific period of time) and lifetime value model, data will be the driver of stickiness.

Organisations that leverage data will simply do better at keeping and engaging fans. The smartest gaming and sports brands will share the new monetisation pool with their biggest fans.

Many professional athletes across North America obtained a university education and career thanks to educational institutions creating opportunities through athletic teams that award scholarships or financial support. However, in Europe this has not always been the case.

Statistics showing that one in two former professional athletes do not feel in control of their life two years post retirement, 70 per cent of professional athletes being unable to choose when they stop playing sport, and 54 per cent of former professional athletes reporting financial difficulties five years post retirement. These figures and shared experiences have drawn increased attention to the realisation for elite-level athletes that their sporting career can be cut short through injury at any time, coupled with the length of a career as an athlete as opposed to other injuries has led to an increased focused on exploring dual career opportunities.

42 | OTFF ISSUE 18 ★ DECEMBER 2021

FOCUS ON EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE This comes down to the ability of leadership to acquire, develop, and retain top talent organically through creating a cultural environment of high-performance.

An environment that’s not just seen from the inside, but from the outside looking in. According to insurance firm, Wilson Towers Watson, the pandemic has placed some major roadblocks in front of any organisations ability to focus on employee experience with 56 per cent of employees working fully remotely or in a hybrid model, up from just 9 per cent three years ago. Nearly half of organisations have cut people or hours, while 44 per cent of companies have restructured in some way – 36 per cent being major transformations. This has been visible evident in the number of senior executives and sports professionals who have sought a move – not to mention major changes in leadership from some of the biggest sports clubs and governing bodies.

POLITICAL FOOTBALLS The Winter Olympics in Beijing and the football World Cup in Qatar will be reminders of how sport can bring the world together – but also how big sporting events often end up being political footballs. Expect protests directed at both host countries, though boycotts by national teams seem unlikely at this moment in time.

THE RISE IN NFT’S Gone are the days when a sports buff walks into a store, buys a pack of Topps trading cards and stumbles upon a one-of-a-kind baseball collectible.

Today’s card collectors have shifted their attention – and disposable income – to sports non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, that offer proof of unique ownership of a video, photo, audio snippet or other digital capture of an important moment in sports history.

The popularity of sports NFTs has exploded in recent years, and people who sell the digital memorabilia say 2021 is just the tipoff.

The value of the broader NFT market is forecast to grow to US$75 billion by 2025, from about US$14 billion today, with much of the growth driven by the boom in sports NFT products, investment bank Jefferies said in a recent research note. One of the biggest sports NFT marketplaces, Dapper Labs, saw its annual sales nearly double to US$700 million last year from US$361 million in 2019.

Dapper Labs has also cooperated with the National Basketball League to establish a well-known sport related NFT applications, named NBA Top Shot. This provides the marketplace for

the fans to purchase and sell highlight video clips of top-class basketball games. These reels are coupled with NBA-licensed digital items. These licenses mean the owner may not have the right to reproduce of get profit from the clips but can own a license to use, copy and display these highlight clips. The platform has successfully satisfied the fan’s demand of buying and collecting athletes’ valuable belongings. NBA Top Shot has received around US$500 million in sales, as of September 2021.

Another notable NFT project aimed at collectible features is Sorare, the innovative marriage of sport, gaming, and blockchain. Sorare is a global fantasy football game where users can acquire the role of managers to buy and sell footballers in their team. Sorare has cooperated with more than 100 world renowned football clubs such as Liverpool FC, Real Madrid CF and Bayern Munich, as well as players from the MLS Players Associations to bring these players to its platform through a licensing agreement. In Sorare, the participants can not only buy and sell the digital player cards but also build a team and get the reward based on real performances through a fantasy league.

Another major player: Chiliz (Socios.com), the leading provider of blockchain-driven Fan Engagement solutions for the sports and entertainment industry are the creators

of Fan Tokens and the Socios.com fan engagement app, providing access to voting rights, VIP rewards, AR-enabled features, games, and competitions for over 100 major global leading sports organisations with whom it has partnered. Chiliz partners include FC Barcelona, Juventus, Paris SaintGermain, Inter Milan, Manchester City, Arsenal, the Argentina and Portugal national football teams. In addition to football, their roster also includes the UFA and big names from F1, NBA, NHL, esports and cricket.

At the end of October, Serie A giants AC Milan became their first partner to launch a live ‘in game’ NFT. In the 25th minute of their clash with Roma on October 31, centre forward Zlatan Ibrahimović claimed his third goal of the campaign with a free kick outside the area. As the striker’s teammates flocked to congratulate him, the moment was captured by a photographer and subsequently transformed into 100 limited edition NFTs. Sales of sports NFTs are poised to continue to grow exponentially into 2022, largely driven by individual athletes launching their own collectibles, separate from what teams or leagues are doing. For example, NBA stars Zion Williamson and LeBron James have offered NFTs that sold for more than US$100 million each.

Williamson’s NFT is a video clip of him blocking an opposing player’s shot, sending the ball into the stands at the Smoothie King Centre in New Orleans. James’ NFT is a video clip of him reverse-windmilling a dunk at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles.

OTFF ISSUE 18 ★ DECEMBER 2021 | 43

PATHWAY TO NET ZERO According to an IPCC definition, net zero carbon emissions is achieved when ‘anthropogenic (man-made) greenhouse gas emissions are balanced globally by anthropogenic removals over a specific period’. It can also be termed ‘carbon neutral’.

This can be done, mainly, through two means: reducing the amount of emissions your organisation produces compared to a predetermined baseline, or through the acquisition of carbon offsets that balance out the emissions caused by your organisation through an investment in projects that sequester or prevent the same amount of emissions – for example, renewable energy projects.

However, the term net zero is not without controversy.

Renowned climate activist Greta Thunberg famously derided the term, claiming that nations and corporations should be aiming for ‘real zero’ and to forget about ‘planting trees’.

Indeed, Thunberg’s comments build on several critiques of the net zero system: that the time horizons referenced by most organisations (2030 or event 2050) are too distant and betray the real sense of urgency; that cashrich organisations can throw money at offsets without making any meaningful carbon reductions; even that the world ‘net’ is unhelpful.

But as long as athletes and spectators travel to compete in and attend sporting events, venues are built

44 | OTFF ISSUE 18 ★ DECEMBER 2021

and upgraded, and merchandise is produced and sold alongside food and beverage offerings, the sports sector will always have a carbon footprint. While net zero may have its flaws it’s the direction that the world, and sport, is currently working towards.

Sports leaders must ‘create a new standard’ on sustainability when adding extra events to the calendar and continue to reduce their own carbon footprint wherever possible – whether that be using technological innovation when building new facilities or reducing the impact on travel emissions.

There are many great examples of how this has been put into practice, notably Sky and Tottenham Hotspurs partnership for the first major net zero carbon football game in September, Formula One’s zero waste and sustainable fuel introduction, the European Tour’s ‘no more bottle’s’ approach, and the establishment of sports such as Extreme E. However, there are also a number of counter intuitive proposals, such as FIFA’s plans for a major international tournament every summer, which do not appear of face value to be in the spirit of reducing sport’s carbon footprint. Moving into 2022, sports organisations across the globe can be expected to develop a heavier focus on their responsibility to the environment as a means to not be shown up by competitors and strive for the goals they have set for the end of the decade.

MPWR SPORTS APP REVOLUTIONISING PLAYER CARE, EDUCATION AND SUPPORT MPWR Sports is a revolutionary AI driven player care, safeguarding, education and support platform serving elite, professional, college and school athletes. They empower players with tools to establish character and resilience, which in turn deliver world class results.

The MPWR App offers individuals a 24/7 digital companion with interactive content, support, solutions and care to develop mental resilience. This unique triage system and technology enhances and bridges the gap between the great in-person work carried out at the club and when the player is at risk either at home, on international duty, on loan or on holiday. The MPWR app never sleeps and becomes a natural extension of the club.

There are support apps for staff, families, and host families as part of MPWR’s human first approach to resilience.

MPWR protects and reduces risk for their partners biggest assets and allows athletes and students to perform at their best

mpwrtech.com

in and out of the sporting arena. As an early stage business MPWR has already developed some significant partnerships and is developing further partnerships with domestic and international sports organisations across all sporting codes.

MPWR co-founders Mark and Nicola McCalliog have extensive experience in the world of sport and education. They know all too well that despite being some of the most valuable assets in the world, modern athletes and students are also some of the most vulnerable. Pressure from all aspects of their lives can impact on performance and life in general.

They are on a mission to change this culture and to make sure mental resilience support is available to all and seen as a strength to build character and to succeed in sport and life.

PSN Directory APP DEVELOPMENT

DIGIRUU 86-90 Paul Street, London, EC2A 4NE, UK www.digiruu.com Contact: Aman Birdi, Founder E: aman@digiruu.com T: +44 (0)79 5539 6217

EXPENSE MANAGEMENT

Rydoo Hendrik Consciencestraat 40-42, 2800 Mechelen, Belgium www.rydoo.com Contact: Jan Dejosse, VP of Marketing E: jan.dejosse@rydoo.com T: +32 (0)15 29 19 29

ATHLETE ENGAGEMENT

Teamworks 122 E Parrish Street, Durham, NC 27701, USA www.teamworks.com Contact: Paul Dudley, VP and GM for Enterprise & International Sales E: pdudley@teamworks.com T: +1 (215) 260 5230

FITNESS HYDRATION

WOW HYDRATE 5 Prospect Business Park, Langston Road, Loughton, IG10 3TR, UK www.wowhyrdate.com Contact: Jon Hayman, Managing Director E: jon@wowhydrate.com T: +44 (0)20 8508 9510

DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE

Global Sports Initiatives Tampa, Florida, USA Contact: Kevin Meredith, CEO E: kevin@globalsportsinitiatives. com T: +1 (305) 209 2362 DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

Kick It Out 20 Market Road, London, N7 9PW www.kickitout.org E: info@kickitout.org T: +44(0)20 3967 8989 EXECUTIVE EDUCATION

UCFB Education Ltd. Wembley Stadium, Wembley, HA9 0WS, UK www.ucfb.com E: info@ucfb.com T: +44 (0)33 3060 1456

46 | OTFF ISSUE 18 ★ DECEMBER 2021

FOREIGN EXCHANGE

Argentex 25 Argyll Street, Soho, London, W1F 7TU, UK www.argentex.com Contact: Jon Goss, Head of Sport E: jon.goss@argentex.com T: +44 (0)20 3772 0318 GAMBLING & ESPORTS MARKETING

Because We Can Media www.becausewecanmedia.com Contact: John Donovan, Founder & CEO E: john@becausewecanmedia.com T: +44 (0)77 8741 4423 GLOBAL RELOCATION SERVICES

Sterling Lexicon Hallmark House, Rowdell Road, Northolt, UB5 6AG, UK www.sterlinglexicon.com Contact: Ruth Lyons, Business Development Manager E: ruth.lyons@sterlinglexicon.com T: +44 (0)77 6931 2434

MENTAL HEALTH

Thrive: Mental Health 15 Warwick Road, Stratford-UponAvon, Warwickshire, CV37 6YW www.thrive.uk.com E: help@thrive.uk.com T: +44 (0)33 3800 2080 MENTAL HEALTH CHARITY

Beder www.beder.org.uk Contact: Razzak Mirjan, Founder E: razzak@beder.org.uk T: +44(0)79 2919 1993 MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE

24/7 Software Group 6909 SW 18th Street, Suite 301, Boca Raton, FL 33433 www.247software.com Contact: Gerald Hwasta, Chairman & CEO E: ghwasta@247software.com T: +1 (561) 421 1500 PR & COMMUNICATIONS

Weber Shandwick 2 Waterhouse Square, 140 Holborn, London, EC1N 2AE www.webershandwick.co.uk Contact: Chris Harris, Director E: charris@webershandwick.com T: +44(0)20 3353 8740 PRECISION MEDICAL DEVICES

Electro Medical Systems (E.M.S) Chemin de la Vuarpillière 31, 1260 Nyon, Switzerland www.ems-dolorcast.com Contact: Christian Seeberger, Sales Manager Europe GDT/ Pain Therapy E: cseeberger@ems-ch.de T: +49 894 271 1610

PRIVATE AIRCRAFT CHARTER

ACC Aviation 18 Priory Drive, Castlefield Road, Reigate, RH2 0AP, UK www.accaviation.com Contact: Mitch Broadstock, Senior Business Development Manager E: mitch.broadstock@accaviation. com T: +44 (0)17 3723 2230 PRIVATE TUITION

Minerva Tutors 79 Eccleston Square, Pimlico, London, SW1V 1PP www.minervatutors.co.uk Contact: Clare Sender, Head of Marketing & Admissions E: clare@minervavirtual.com T: +44 (0)20 3637 6477

SAFEGUARDING

MPWR Sports www.mpwrtech.com Contact: Mark McCalliog, CoFounder E: mark.mccalliog@mpwrsports. com Contact: Nicola McCalliog, CoFounder E: nicola.mccalliog@mpwrsports. com SCOUTING & TRAINING

Ellevate Football 75 Park Lane, Basement Office, Fountain House, W1K 7HG, UK www.ellevate-football.co.uk Contact: Akshay Lugani, CEO E: akshay@e11evate.co.uk T: +44 (0)77 4107 0002 SECURITY & RISK MITIGATION

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

American Management Association (AMA) 1601 Broadway Suite, 7 New York, NY, 10019 United States www.amanet.org / www.mce.eu E: info@mce.eu T: +1 (0)21 2586 8100 / +32 (0)2 543 2100 REAL ESTATE

Knight Frank 55 Baker Street, London, W1U 8AN, UK www.knightfrank.com Contact: Alex McLean, Head of Sports Desk E: alexander.mclean@knightfrank. com T: +44 (0)20 4502 3143 Contact: Kate Doyle, Graduate and Early Careers Manager E: kate.doyle@knightfrank.com T: +44 (0)20 3811 1762

TorchStone Global 295 Madison Avenue, 12th Floor, New York, NY 10017 www.torchstoneglobal.com

TRAVEL MANAGEMENT

Corporate Travel Management Senator House, 85 Queen Victoria St, London EC4V 4AB, UK www.travelctm.com Contact: Shelley Matthews, VP Sales & Partnerships EMEA E: shelley.matthews@travelctm.com T: +44 (0)77 9176 8019 WORKFORCE MANAGEMENT

When I Work 420 North 5th Street, Suite 500 Minneapolis, MN 55401, USA www.wheniwork.com Contact: Isaac Philibert, Partner Success Manager E: Isaac.philibert@wheniwork.com T: +1 (612) 504 4689 WEALTH MANAGEMENT

FLM Wealth Management Basildon House, 7-11 Moorgate, London, EC2R 6AF, UK www.flmltd.com Contact: Ben Smith, Senior Advisor & Chartered Financial Planner E: ben.smith@sjpp.co.uk T: +44 (0)20 7710 3422

Contact: Christopher Sanchez, VP E: csanchez@torchstoneglobal.com T: +1 (540) 424 8755 TRAINING PROVIDER

Learning Pool Clockwise Offices, Riverhouse, 48-60 High Street, Belfast, Northern Ireland, BT1 2BE www.learningpool.com Contact: Rob Carter, Head of Marketing E: rob.carter@learningpool.com T: +44 (0)11 5822 0475

We’re always looking for innovative partners who align with our values in the global sports industry.

To get in touch, please email enquiries@ premiersportsnetwork.com or call +44 (0)20 3983 8562 OTFF ISSUE 18 ★ DECEMBER 2021 | 47

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