Soccerex, the global leader for the business of football, came to Jordan in May 2014 to hold the second edition of the Soccerex Asian Forum. It was the first to take place in the Middle East.
The conference provided a meeting platform for businesses from the West and East, allowing for an exchange of ideas and knowledge. Jordan, due to its location, represents the perfect place to hold what will be the gateway to the Asian market for the rest of the global football industry.
Nowadays, football is by far one of the most prestigious sports. Football fans across the globe are becoming more united especially if there is an upcoming major event like the World Cup. People cheer over who’s World Cup bet is going to win and to that end, football brotherhood prospers.
This has been an inspiration among companies who cater in sports products. As a result of the camaraderie the sport has created among many people, a leading company in the business of Football has taken the initiative to unite football fans in Jordan.
Jordan is also becoming a key player in the Asian football scene, and will be hosting the FIFA Women’s U-17 World Cup in 2016, one of many major events taking place on the continent over the next few years including the AFC Asian Cup in Australia in 2015, the FIFA U-17 World Cup in India and FIFA U-20 World Cup in South Korea, both in 2017. This, along with the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo and the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar, will lay emphasis on Asia’s requirements in terms of development, across a variety of key sectors including infrastructures, commercial activities, coaching and player development, social improvement and women’s football.
This development is underlined by the work done by FIFA Vice-President for Asia, HRH Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein of Jordan, who is also founder of the AFDP (Asia Football Development Programme), a not-for-profit Youth Commission that aims to grow the game across the continent in a fair and transparent way.
The Asian Forum will dedicate a significant part of its conference programme to cover all these development issues, with the help and participation of a host of iconic legends of the game such as Ossie Ardiles and Bryan Robson and industry thought-leaders such as Kushal Das, General Secretary of the All-India Football Federation.
MARRIOTT HOTEL PRESS CONFERENCE
On Wednesday, March 5th, Soccerex held a press conference at the Marriott Hotel in Amman, Jordan, to announce the latest confirmed speakers and VIPs for the event. Speaking alongside Prince Ali, Soccerex CEO Duncan Revie announced that Moya Dodd, AFC Vice President and FIFA Executive Committee Member, will be speaking on both the future of football in Asia and the development of women’s football, accompanied by Singapore FA General Secretary and AFC Executive Committee Member Winston Lee.
Joining these two leading football administrators in the line-up is Argentine football legend and World Cup-winner Osvaldo Ardiles, who will share his experience in playing and coaching in Asia and winning the World Cup, as part of a host of football legends that includes Bryan Robson and John Barnes as part of a special panel discussion at the event.
The press conference also saw in attendance the CEO of the I-League, Sunando Dhar, who discussed the All-India Football Federation’s involvement in the Soccerex Asian Forum, as well as the confirmation of the Marriott Hotel Jordan Valley as the official event hotel for the Forum and the announcement of Soccerex’s new global partnership with leading international law firm Pinsent Masons.
“I’m delighted to be here in Amman, a hidden gem in this historically beautiful country of Jordan,” said Soccerex CEO Duncan Revie, “to announce the latest developments with the Soccerex Asian Forum. My thanks goes to his HRH, and to all those participating in this unique event, in this unique setting. We will truly be bringing the world of football, not just Asia, to this wonderful country.”
“The Asian Forum,” added HRH Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein, “is a platform for all the major Asian leagues, clubs and other stakeholders to get together and discuss the development of football across the continent; to share best practices in coaching development, stadia development, women’s football and most importantly for me, social development. Soccerex is the best platform for this.”
ABOUT THE EVENT
The Soccerex Asian Forum took place on 13-14 May at the King Hussein Bin Talal Convention Centre, by the Dead Sea in Jordan. The two-day event, featuring a conference and exhibition, brought together over 1000 senior decision makers from the football industry across Asia and the rest of the world, providing a platform for networking and knowledge sharing, with the aim of developing football throughout the continent.
For further details about the Soccerex Asian Forum please go to www.soccerex.com/asia or contact Soccerex on +44 208 987 5522
