Sponsored by: Crisis Skylight


Industry accolade for national football centre


St. George’s Park scooped the ‘Best Business Serving Football – over £2m turnover’ accolade at the Football Business Awards in London. The East Staffordshire venue


was shortlisted alongside digital and technology corporations such as adi.tv, Reading Room, STATSports Group and StreamAMG as well as Arena Seating, catering company Levy UK, and Portview Fit-Out. At the ceremony at the Tobacco


Dock, the panel hailed the national football centre as a hub of excellence for football talent and innovation, a community facility, a centre for local businesses and a place from where the football industry can learn. FA Education’s impact was


celebrated with a focus on the 2,400 coaches to have passed either a UEFA Pro, UEFA A or UEFA B Licence since the opening five years ago in addition to the vast array of coaching, education,


Thanks to your support, Crisis continues to campaign for change and provides life-changing year-round services to help people escape homelessness for good.


Highlights from the year in the West Midlands


St George’s Park from the air


medical and referee courses completed. There was also praise for the


department’s digital presence and online community, now made up of 9,600 coaches who have access to support, advice and practical resources thanks to the facility. As well as its innovative


technologies and practice, St. George’s Park received high customer satisfaction scores, including 9.18 out of 10 for overall experience (based on average scores from May 2017 – July 2017).


Others winners included


Wolverhampton Wanderers, who were awarded ‘Best Club Marketing [non-Premier League]’. It’s not the first time the home


of England’s 28 national teams has attracted recognition from industry leaders. The site was highly commended in The Innovation 50 report, an in-depth index showcasing the 50 most innovative businesses across the West Midlands region.


• More sports news – page 57. England defender at patrons lunch


Former England defender Martin Keown provided a fascinating insight into the mind of a professional footballer at a Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce patrons lunch. Keown – who represented the likes of Arsenal,


Everton and Aston Villa during a distinguished career – was the special guest at Ronald McDonald House, a facility used by families with children under care at the nearby Birmingham Children’s Hospital. The event was hosted by Chamber patron Doug


L-R: Paul Faulkner, Doug Wright, Anne Ward (UK head of development, Ronald McDonald House), Martin Keown and Chamber vice president Saqib Bhatti


Wright, who is chairman of the board of directors at Ronald McDonald House. Keown spoke in detail about his playing career, including his stint at Aston Villa between 1986-89 and his successful spell with Arsenal’s ‘Invincibles’. He also offered an insight into his work as a media pundit and his role as a McDonald’s football ambassador.


SMEs not prepared for disruption


Less than ten per cent of SME business owners in the West Midlands have a plan to help their companies cope with disruption, according to a study by chartered accountants Haines Watts. While worries around business disruption are almost universal, only nine percent of business leaders have a plan in place to deal with the unexpected. One third of business owners


admit to not thinking about disruption – instead waiting to see


what happens and hoping to respond after the event. Darren Holdway, managing


partner at the Birmingham office of Haines Watts, the top 15 UK firm of chartered accounts, said that the results were worrying but understandable. He said: “Most business owners


are too busy with the day job of running their companies without worrying about answering the question – ‘What happens if?’ “Many think that business


disruption will either not happen or that they will simply deal with it if it does occur.” The biggest concern among


SMEs in the West Midlands relates to government-related disruption such as legislation and regulatory changes that will impact on the way they do business. Competition from larger


businesses entering the market (34 per cent) and changing customer expectations (38 per cent) also play a key role.


• Across the West Midlands we have worked with 2,334 homeless people & delivered 40 different subjects.


• Our members have obtained 966 qualifications; 38% of these were obtained in the Basic Skills courses where we deliver Maths, English, ESOL and IT.


This year in the West Midlands:


143 people found a job


121 people improved their mental health & wellbeing


110 people found a home


216 people were given a warm welcome at Christmas


1014 people took part in a learning activity


433 people gained a qualification


Uzma Shaheen Regional Fundraising Manager – West Midlands uzma.shaheen@crisis.org.uk


December 2017/January 2018 CHAMBERLINK 17


Business News


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