Sector Focus
Sport The Business of Sport Fleur shows women are on the ball
If there is one industry that is still very much a man’s world, it is football. Never mind on the pitch – in the men’s game, there are just two women referees, Amy Fearn and Coventry’s Sian Massey-Ellis. And off the pitch, things are
much the same, certainly when it comes to the top jobs. The fact is that very few women
have broken through the glass ceiling and risen to the top in the men’s game. The few include: Karren Brady, the former Birmingham City chief executive who is now vice-chairman at West Ham; Carolyn Radford, who is chief executive at Mansfield Town; Kirsten Callaghan, who holds a similar position at Kilmarnock; and Pam Duxbury, newly-appointed chief executive of (now) non- league Hartlepool. Joining this small band is a
Midlander, Fleur Robinson, who is the commercial director of Championship club Burton Albion – and she thinks there are growing opportunities for women in football. Fleur is one of just eight women
elected to the 120-member Football Association. She grew up in a football loving family, and is the daughter of Burton Albion chairman Ben Robinson. As well as watching the ‘Brewers’ rise up the
Warriors offer top hospitality
Hospitality packages for top Worcester rugby team the Warriors have been selling well ahead of the 2017/18 season. The restructured packages have gone down well among existing customers, with companies taking advantage of a new pricing structure. Leyton Williams, Warriors
head of commercial sales, said: “Interest in the commercial packages at Sixways has never been higher. We are at 90 per cent capacity in the East Stand hospitality boxes, with the EBC XV Club also selling very well. We expect a number of hospitality areas to be sold out ahead of the new season.” Hospitality packages are available from £1,100.
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many new pathways to be created in business and football, bringing new ventures for all women who wish to take them. I am really keen to encourage more women to take up executive roles in the industry. “With the FA’s new commitment
to doubling the number of women and girls playing football by 2020, it is an exciting time for women’s football. It will be interesting to see where we go from here and how the sport will evolve.” While Burton Albion have enjoyed
Rising to the top: Fleur Robinson
football pyramid, she says she has seen many changes in the game over the years and her hope is to see a significant increase in opportunities for women in football. She said: “A lot has changed in
the last generation which has seen more opportunities for women in
business across all sectors. I think a key difference is that women are now in a different place than they were a few decades ago. “There are more equal opportunities and women are grasping those opportunities with both hands. I believe there are
amazing success on the field, Fleur and her team have transformed the commercial side of the football club during the last decade. Last season alone the club welcomed 124,000 spectators, 8,000 people enjoyed match day hospitality and around 30,000 people attended a conference or event. She said: “From an early age my
dad has always been my inspiration. It really is a privilege to be on this amazing journey together. “Last season, we rose to the challenge and received fantastic support from our community. Next season we will be looking to sustain our position while continuing to make the most of the opportunities that being a Championship club brings.”
Rugby legend gets on his bike
England rugby legend and keen cyclist Martin Johnson led around 150 Vélo Birmingham participants on a 29- mile Saturday morning cycle through Warwickshire countryside. The World Cup-winning captain and ride ambassador
for Vélo Birmingham joined cyclists from the 60-plus companies that have entered the Business 100 challenge on the training ride. The inaugural Vélo Birmingham is a 100-mile closed
road event taking place on 24 September. The 15,000- capacity event sold out inside four days last September. A small number of individual places are still available
through the event’s lead charity partners. Companies can also enter teams through the Business 100 challenge, which offers a VIP experience coupled with exclusive training events and networking opportunities – but places are limited. More than £1m is expected to be raised for charity
and Martin Johnson said: “The training ride was great. We’ve got some beautiful countryside here in the Midlands and it was great to be out and about. “Vélo Birmingham is going to be a great challenge,
but it’s definitely do-able. It’s something you can look back on and think ‘wow, I’ve done 100 miles’. “I got into cycling through a mate and I always enjoy getting out in the country.”
On your bike: Martin Johnson (centre) during a Velo training ride
Companies that took part in the Warwickshire
training ride included the Birmingham office of global accountancy practice Grant Thornton, clinicians from the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, award-winning cycle manufacturers Ribble and engineering experts Jacobs. Vélo Birmingham is the flagship event of the Birmingham Cycle Revolution – a Birmingham City Council initiative aiming to make cycling an everyday way to travel in Birmingham over the next 20 years.
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