Interview Nicole Allison, Executive Director WCWFC
Today, we had the great pleasure to interview Nicole Allison, who is a women football expert and the Executive Director at the WCWFC. The occasion to speak about her position in the club, how everything has started, her vision for her football club as well as the global women football.
We announced our takeover of the club in March 2021, on international women’s day last year, of me being the executive director and co-owner of the club, to drive not just Worcester city women forward but women and girls’ football in the whole of Worcestershire and county. I’ve been very fortunate to be given that opportunity and I take my duty to young girls and women extremely seriously, and that they should have equal opportunities to have a career in football, this is my passion, it’s what drives me. So, my role is everything off the pitch – to drive the club forward and to grow the club.
We’ve done a lot of work to build the club in a way that has a talent pathway, so we produce young talents and give them opportunities in the first team. It’s about developing a club, a sustainable club with the infrastructures that we already have in place. That’s what I know I’m good at – building a team of staff around us and building a group of players that believe in the vision as well and in the project because they are key.
What my business partner and I always wanted to create with the club is this feeling of a family, and that is exactly what we are building now. For the first team, from next season, we want to be very competitive. We want to start focusing on promotions through the tiers. But for this first season, it has been very much youth development, fan experience and brand building, in and around Worcester, and we have done a fantastic job.
I think it is important when you are a club, a brand, to think of women’s football differently and recognize that it has different needs, as it has different audiences. It is closer to a gender balance, which is extremely attractive to sponsors. It is then about how you can communicate about that from a marketing perspective.
I think digital has been crucial in the growth, and mostly around England now. Digital allows people to be their own content creators. Particularly when I look at Worcester, a huge amount of our growth has been through our social media channels because we know that our age group is generally younger. We connect with students, and so they are following us on Instagram and TikTok. We have Facebook - which tends to be probably an older audience now, and YouTube.
So digital is - of course - huge and I think what I encourage people to do in the women’s game is to be more open. In women’s football, you can be different, you can be innovative because it’s probably a bit less tribal in terms of the support. You have a bit of room for freedom to do different things from a content perspective. So, an approach certainly, would be getting the digital strategy right and thinking about the different channels: what is Facebook good for, what is Instagram good for? And the demographics, knowing your research, knowing your stats, knowing your audience is key across absolutely everything.
From a top-level professional side, it has really improved in England. Big papers like The Telegraph commit to employing journalists specifically for women’s football and the coverage has been fantastic. We do not get this at Worcester. We’ve had only one local journalist come and cover one of our matches. I get students to come and write match reports, and other content.
I think the national governing bodies need to start thinking about how we grow the game from lower levels as well. They have done a great job at developing the professional side of things and the coverage is increasing massively, which is great. But then we have got to think also about how we are going to get that trickle effect down to the lower grassroots as well. There is always a long way to go, but some research – which was done 7 to 10 years ago - found that and, if I remember well, only 4% of sports’ news were women’s. But we only see it at the top, at the elite level as opposed to the local level.
I think my main message would be to” go for it”. Don’t hold back in terms of seeing a job. If you want a job with a particular organization, connect with them. I first got my foot in the door of the football industry because I wrote emails to almost every sports business in London. Nowadays you can connect via LinkedIn, you can do so much more. I think as women, we must put ourselves out there more. So, the message is to keep being confident and go for it and sell yourself. Really understand what your value is and what you would bring to the table.
We need more diversity in the sports industry. Diversity brings diverse ideas and new ideas bring better businesses. It is not just the right thing to do to have diversity, more women in boardrooms, women in decision-making positions, it is also better for business as well. It will economically stronger. So be confident in that, and know what you want, know who you are, know how to sell yourself and go out there and do it!
The role as an executive in the Worcester club
We announced our takeover of the club in March 2021, on international women’s day last year, of me being the executive director and co-owner of the club, to drive not just Worcester city women forward but women and girls’ football in the whole of Worcestershire and county. I’ve been very fortunate to be given that opportunity and I take my duty to young girls and women extremely seriously, and that they should have equal opportunities to have a career in football, this is my passion, it’s what drives me. So, my role is everything off the pitch – to drive the club forward and to grow the club.
The vision for the coming years
We’ve done a lot of work to build the club in a way that has a talent pathway, so we produce young talents and give them opportunities in the first team. It’s about developing a club, a sustainable club with the infrastructures that we already have in place. That’s what I know I’m good at – building a team of staff around us and building a group of players that believe in the vision as well and in the project because they are key.
What my business partner and I always wanted to create with the club is this feeling of a family, and that is exactly what we are building now. For the first team, from next season, we want to be very competitive. We want to start focusing on promotions through the tiers. But for this first season, it has been very much youth development, fan experience and brand building, in and around Worcester, and we have done a fantastic job.
Her marketing approach
I think it is important when you are a club, a brand, to think of women’s football differently and recognize that it has different needs, as it has different audiences. It is closer to a gender balance, which is extremely attractive to sponsors. It is then about how you can communicate about that from a marketing perspective.
I think digital has been crucial in the growth, and mostly around England now. Digital allows people to be their own content creators. Particularly when I look at Worcester, a huge amount of our growth has been through our social media channels because we know that our age group is generally younger. We connect with students, and so they are following us on Instagram and TikTok. We have Facebook - which tends to be probably an older audience now, and YouTube.
So digital is - of course - huge and I think what I encourage people to do in the women’s game is to be more open. In women’s football, you can be different, you can be innovative because it’s probably a bit less tribal in terms of the support. You have a bit of room for freedom to do different things from a content perspective. So, an approach certainly, would be getting the digital strategy right and thinking about the different channels: what is Facebook good for, what is Instagram good for? And the demographics, knowing your research, knowing your stats, knowing your audience is key across absolutely everything.
Media coverage
From a top-level professional side, it has really improved in England. Big papers like The Telegraph commit to employing journalists specifically for women’s football and the coverage has been fantastic. We do not get this at Worcester. We’ve had only one local journalist come and cover one of our matches. I get students to come and write match reports, and other content.
I think the national governing bodies need to start thinking about how we grow the game from lower levels as well. They have done a great job at developing the professional side of things and the coverage is increasing massively, which is great. But then we have got to think also about how we are going to get that trickle effect down to the lower grassroots as well. There is always a long way to go, but some research – which was done 7 to 10 years ago - found that and, if I remember well, only 4% of sports’ news were women’s. But we only see it at the top, at the elite level as opposed to the local level.
A message for younger students willing to work in the sports industry
I think my main message would be to” go for it”. Don’t hold back in terms of seeing a job. If you want a job with a particular organization, connect with them. I first got my foot in the door of the football industry because I wrote emails to almost every sports business in London. Nowadays you can connect via LinkedIn, you can do so much more. I think as women, we must put ourselves out there more. So, the message is to keep being confident and go for it and sell yourself. Really understand what your value is and what you would bring to the table.
We need more diversity in the sports industry. Diversity brings diverse ideas and new ideas bring better businesses. It is not just the right thing to do to have diversity, more women in boardrooms, women in decision-making positions, it is also better for business as well. It will economically stronger. So be confident in that, and know what you want, know who you are, know how to sell yourself and go out there and do it!
Plus d'actus :
03 Apr 2023
ACE Education X ELEVATE : la bonne connexion !
AMOS Sport Business School, une école du groupe ACE Education
La principale ambition d’ACE Education est d’assurer une formation de qualité, des expériences enrichissantes et un avenir serein à nos milliers d’étudiants. Notre promesse est de transformer leur passion pour le sport, l’hôtellerie, la mode ou le design, en un métier durable. C’est pourquoi, nous sommes heureux d’annoncer le nouveau contrat que nous venons de signer avec Elevate jusqu’en 2024, dans le cadre du plus grand évènement sportif qui aura lieu en France et auquel Elevate aura l’occasion de contribuer. Elevate est une agence internationale centrée sur l’humain, et spécialisée dans le recrutement, la formation et le management du staff événementiel. Elle met en relation les talents, les données et les marques afin d'optimiser l'impact des activations marketing. Ce partenariat prometteur permettra le recrutement des étudiants de nos écoles AMOS Sport Business School, CMH Centre de Management Hôtelier, ESDAC Ecole Supérieure de Design, sur les événements sportifs majeurs en 2023 et 2024, ainsi que sur d’autres secteurs allant de l’hospitalité à la mode. Toutes les écoles du groupe ACE Education ont pour vocation d’aider les jeunes à réussir leur entrée sur le marché du travail, et de leur permettre d’évoluer rapidement vers des postes de Top Management, dans leurs domaines de prédilection. « Ce partenariat majeur rapproche deux entités qui se développent en Europe et à l’international et marquent leur volonté commune de renforcer leur capacité à développer et soutenir l’employabilité et les expériences professionnelles des étudiants dans l’évènementiel sportif et haut de gamme. Elevate, agence de staffing événementiel présente en France, aux Etats-Unis, en Allemagne, en Autriche et en Grande Bretagne, propose des solutions innovantes en termes de recrutement à ses clients. ACE Education par ce partenariat plonge ses étudiants dans des expériences professionnelles immersives en lien direct avec leur formation. » Audrey Léger, Directrice des Partenariats ACE Education. « Le rapprochement entre ACE Éducation et Elevate est à nos yeux un partenariat qui a beaucoup de sens tant en France qu’à l’international. Elevate a pour ambition de contribuer à la formation professionnelle des jeunes et des étudiants et de leurs permettre d’acquérir une première expérience professionnelle sur le terrain dans le cadre d’évènements prestigieux. Ce partenariat a un double enjeu car au-delà d’être porteur d’opportunités professionnelles pour tous ces étudiants et de participer à l’éco système sportif, il nous permet également de mieux faire connaître le secteur de l’évènementiel dans sa globalité » Julie Reed, Directrice Générale Elevate France & DACH.À propos du Groupe ACE Education
ACE Education est un acteur majeur de l'enseignement supérieur en France, proposant des formations certifiées de Bac+3 à Bac+5 à plus de 7 000 étudiants dans les domaines du management du sport, de l’hôtellerie, du tourisme de luxe, des arts appliqués, du design et de la mode, au travers de ses six écoles : AMOS Sport Business School et ESBS, écoles de sport management, ESDAC, école de design, CMH, Centre de Management Hôtelier International de Luxe, EIDM, Ecole Internationale de Mode et Luxe, ENAAI, Ecole d’Arts Appliqués, BD et Illustration. Le groupe offre une variété de programmes sur ses 42 campus en France et à l’étranger. Il met l'accent sur les expériences internationales et sur la professionnalisation au cœur même de l’expérience étudiante.03 Apr 2023
ACE Education X ELEVATE : la bonne connexion !
AMOS Sport Business School, une école du groupe ACE Education
La principale ambition d’ACE Education est d’assurer une formation de qualité, des expériences enrichissantes et un avenir serein à nos milliers d’étudiants. Notre promesse est de transformer leur passion pour le sport, l’hôtellerie, la mode ou le design, en un métier durable. C’est pourquoi, nous sommes heureux d’annoncer le nouveau contrat que nous venons de signer avec Elevate jusqu’en 2024, dans le cadre du plus grand évènement sportif qui aura lieu en France et auquel Elevate aura l’occasion de contribuer. Elevate est une agence internationale centrée sur l’humain, et spécialisée dans le recrutement, la formation et le management du staff événementiel. Elle met en relation les talents, les données et les marques afin d'optimiser l'impact des activations marketing. Ce partenariat prometteur permettra le recrutement des étudiants de nos écoles AMOS Sport Business School, CMH Centre de Management Hôtelier, ESDAC Ecole Supérieure de Design, sur les événements sportifs majeurs en 2023 et 2024, ainsi que sur d’autres secteurs allant de l’hospitalité à la mode. Toutes les écoles du groupe ACE Education ont pour vocation d’aider les jeunes à réussir leur entrée sur le marché du travail, et de leur permettre d’évoluer rapidement vers des postes de Top Management, dans leurs domaines de prédilection. « Ce partenariat majeur rapproche deux entités qui se développent en Europe et à l’international et marquent leur volonté commune de renforcer leur capacité à développer et soutenir l’employabilité et les expériences professionnelles des étudiants dans l’évènementiel sportif et haut de gamme. Elevate, agence de staffing événementiel présente en France, aux Etats-Unis, en Allemagne, en Autriche et en Grande Bretagne, propose des solutions innovantes en termes de recrutement à ses clients. ACE Education par ce partenariat plonge ses étudiants dans des expériences professionnelles immersives en lien direct avec leur formation. » Audrey Léger, Directrice des Partenariats ACE Education. « Le rapprochement entre ACE Éducation et Elevate est à nos yeux un partenariat qui a beaucoup de sens tant en France qu’à l’international. Elevate a pour ambition de contribuer à la formation professionnelle des jeunes et des étudiants et de leurs permettre d’acquérir une première expérience professionnelle sur le terrain dans le cadre d’évènements prestigieux. Ce partenariat a un double enjeu car au-delà d’être porteur d’opportunités professionnelles pour tous ces étudiants et de participer à l’éco système sportif, il nous permet également de mieux faire connaître le secteur de l’évènementiel dans sa globalité » Julie Reed, Directrice Générale Elevate France & DACH.À propos du Groupe ACE Education
ACE Education est un acteur majeur de l'enseignement supérieur en France, proposant des formations certifiées de Bac+3 à Bac+5 à plus de 7 000 étudiants dans les domaines du management du sport, de l’hôtellerie, du tourisme de luxe, des arts appliqués, du design et de la mode, au travers de ses six écoles : AMOS Sport Business School et ESBS, écoles de sport management, ESDAC, école de design, CMH, Centre de Management Hôtelier International de Luxe, EIDM, Ecole Internationale de Mode et Luxe, ENAAI, Ecole d’Arts Appliqués, BD et Illustration. Le groupe offre une variété de programmes sur ses 42 campus en France et à l’étranger. Il met l'accent sur les expériences internationales et sur la professionnalisation au cœur même de l’expérience étudiante.09 Feb 2023
GSBM student interview Maxime, a strong passion for NFL
The Super Bowl is coming...
This 12th of February, 11:30pm, is the kick-off of one of the most anticipated sporting event of the year: the Super Bowl. This mega event which was viewed by over 200 million people last year will oppose the Chiefs to the Eagles, at the State Farm Stadium in Arizona. Many of our students are fan of American sports, and this is the case for Maxime Jos - a Global Sport Business Master - 1st year student, from the London campus.A strong Passion for NFL
« I discovered American Football when I was a teenager by watching movies such as Maxi Papa and Always America. There is a fighting spirit in this sport that I love. I started to play when I moved to Lille, where I played for 2 years as a line backer, it was a dream. The number of strategies that go into one game has always fascinated me. » Maxime Jos Currently, he does not have the opportunity to play... « I am focusing on martial arts, notably boxing, which I practice a few times a week, but hopefully in the years to come I will get back into it. » Maxime Jos « When I was at PACE University, New York City, I went to watch the homecoming game of my university. It was an interesting experience. As I had been playing this sport for the last 2 years, I understood the several aspects of the games. » Maxime Jos
Thankfully for Maxime, this opportunity presented itself again, in his new city, London. For the past 15 years, the NFL London, has made a lot of efforts to make the « American Games » popular beyond the United States.
In 2017, Roger Goodell, who was the league commissioner at the time, implemented the International Series. Since then, NFL teams have come to play in the UK on a yearly basis (apart from 2020 because of Covid 19).
« Since the UK attracts NFL teams to come and play on their territory, I had the chance to go to Wembley to see an NFL game a few months ago. There was a great atmosphere, a great spirit. » Maxime Jos
Working experience for an NFL agency
During the third year of the Bachelor programme, our students have the occasion to travel overseas and study for a semester in a partner university. Maxime took this option and fulfilled his dream by heading to the US. Maxime went to PACE University (New York City), and, thanks to the J1 Visa, he was able to work for companies on the American soil once his semester was over. An opportunity that he seized, to discover a new market and to develop his NFL passion and knowledge. « I did work for an NFL agency in New-Jersey. It was a great experience, I earned a lot about marketing, branding and prospecting. The job, at the time, was prospecting brands for the players. Players have their own interests, and they want to represent brands they feel comfortable with, so our job was to find these companies and negotiate for them. If I had the opportunity to do it again, I would seize the chance again, of course! » Maxime Jos
While pursuing his studies, Maxime keeps an eye on the NFL, and will, obviously, be focusing on the Superbowl on the 12th of February...
« I’ll be in front of my TV, same as every year, watching it with a lot of frenzy! » Maxime Jos
Written by Guillaume Faure, Communication Officer AMOS London09 Feb 2023
GSBM student interview Maxime, a strong passion for NFL
The Super Bowl is coming...
This 12th of February, 11:30pm, is the kick-off of one of the most anticipated sporting event of the year: the Super Bowl. This mega event which was viewed by over 200 million people last year will oppose the Chiefs to the Eagles, at the State Farm Stadium in Arizona. Many of our students are fan of American sports, and this is the case for Maxime Jos - a Global Sport Business Master - 1st year student, from the London campus.A strong Passion for NFL
« I discovered American Football when I was a teenager by watching movies such as Maxi Papa and Always America. There is a fighting spirit in this sport that I love. I started to play when I moved to Lille, where I played for 2 years as a line backer, it was a dream. The number of strategies that go into one game has always fascinated me. » Maxime Jos Currently, he does not have the opportunity to play... « I am focusing on martial arts, notably boxing, which I practice a few times a week, but hopefully in the years to come I will get back into it. » Maxime Jos « When I was at PACE University, New York City, I went to watch the homecoming game of my university. It was an interesting experience. As I had been playing this sport for the last 2 years, I understood the several aspects of the games. » Maxime Jos
Thankfully for Maxime, this opportunity presented itself again, in his new city, London. For the past 15 years, the NFL London, has made a lot of efforts to make the « American Games » popular beyond the United States.
In 2017, Roger Goodell, who was the league commissioner at the time, implemented the International Series. Since then, NFL teams have come to play in the UK on a yearly basis (apart from 2020 because of Covid 19).
« Since the UK attracts NFL teams to come and play on their territory, I had the chance to go to Wembley to see an NFL game a few months ago. There was a great atmosphere, a great spirit. » Maxime Jos
Working experience for an NFL agency
During the third year of the Bachelor programme, our students have the occasion to travel overseas and study for a semester in a partner university. Maxime took this option and fulfilled his dream by heading to the US. Maxime went to PACE University (New York City), and, thanks to the J1 Visa, he was able to work for companies on the American soil once his semester was over. An opportunity that he seized, to discover a new market and to develop his NFL passion and knowledge. « I did work for an NFL agency in New-Jersey. It was a great experience, I earned a lot about marketing, branding and prospecting. The job, at the time, was prospecting brands for the players. Players have their own interests, and they want to represent brands they feel comfortable with, so our job was to find these companies and negotiate for them. If I had the opportunity to do it again, I would seize the chance again, of course! » Maxime Jos
While pursuing his studies, Maxime keeps an eye on the NFL, and will, obviously, be focusing on the Superbowl on the 12th of February...
« I’ll be in front of my TV, same as every year, watching it with a lot of frenzy! » Maxime Jos
Written by Guillaume Faure, Communication Officer AMOS London26 Jan 2023
GSBM alumni interview Nathalie, FIFA 2022 World Cup
The view of an insider on how things went in Doha
On the 18th of December 2022, at the Lusail Stadium, the 22nd Men Football World Cup ended on a dramatic final, which saw Lionel Messi and his teammates winning the most desired trophy. Never in history, the attribution and the preparation of a World Cup had provoked this many reactions from governments, organisations, newspapers, and people all around the world. It was, within this tense climate, a little over a month ago, that our alumni Nathalie Deutsch, Workforce Operations Manager at TMS, was getting ready to live the biggest experience of her young career. A month later, we are reaching back to her, to have the view of an insider on how things went in Doha - Capital of the Qatari Peninsula. For our former Global Sport Business Master student, the general mood around the World Cup changed when the competition started. « A lot of people have criticized the competition, wanted to boycott, and they had their reasons for it. As a member of the staff, we did not agree with everything that happened here, however, at our level, we made sure to deliver everything ethically, and in a way, it was successful ».
The competition was a success, as soon as Daniele Orsato (referee who officiated the first game of the tournament) blew the start of the first match, fans were once again enthusiastic. Focusing on the performances of their team, people were cheering all around the world and the polemics were put aside, leaving us with what a World Cup is meant to be: a moment in which the whole world comes together to share vivid emotions.
Fan experience
Over the past 4 months, I had the chance to write a couple of articles on her adventures, which taught us a lot about the organisation of such an event, notably the fact that changes are made up to the very last minute, and the result is never guaranteed. However, the hard work and dedication of the teams paid off as the fan experience received great feedback. « I had the opportunity to see a few games, especially the semi-finals and the final, and I have to say, apart from a few things that you will always have in this kind of competition (queueing to get into the stadium, customer service that could be improved...), the services were great. Overall, it was super easy to get around and there was a great atmosphere ». Regarding the games she attended, one obviously stuck to her: the final! « 80% of the stadium was filled with Argentinian fans, they were good fun! Every time Messi touched the ball, the whole stadium was like… wow! It was special moment ».
Collaboration between multiple stakeholders
Organising a Global Sporting Event is about finding a way to successfully collaborate with multiple stakeholders. And we have known from previous interviews and the international press that it is not an easy process. Multiple newspapers relayed the difficult relations between FIFA and the Qatari Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy during the build-up of the competition. However, according to Nathalie, once the competition started, the momentum took over and everyone found a way to work together. « When the operations come live, the collaboration between stakeholders gets better. We have meetings, and every time there is a problem, a representative of each entity is present to discuss it and find a solution. Everyone came together and worked closely to get things done. The approaches are sometimes different from a stakeholder to another, but the end goal is the same, having a wonderful competition. I think that the World Cup brought the best out of Qatar, and that is what everyone saw, whether they were there or in front of their television ».
The World Cup Legacy
According to the Qatari’s ambassador in Russia, the total cost of the world cup is around $200bn, which is according to Sky Sports, « many times higher than any budget spent on similar events in history ». Qatar has built 8 stadia, over 100 hotels to host the teams and the fans, as well as a brand-new underground for the crowd to navigate easily. With all these news infrastructures, the question that is yet to be answered is the one about the legacy. For Nathalie, everything was planned. « In terms of transport, the metro is something that was needed, whether international competitions are happening or not, it will still be of great use for the locals and tourists ». « Regarding the stadia, from what we know, they will have a capacity reduction and will be used for local or international events » (as mentioned in the previous articles, Qatar will host the upcoming international Asian Games as well as the Asian Football Cup AFC). The Education City stadium will become part of the wider Qatar Foundation facilities for university students.
« The stadium made up of ship containers (Stadium 974) will be dismantled and repurposed. Obviously, Qatar is not going to be as busy as some other countries, which have an all year long sporting calendars, but they will still use the vast majority of the infrastructures that were built for the World Cup ».
« All in all, Qatar proved that they were able to create and manage a mega event, and it will probably bring many opportunities for this country in the years to come ».
Post World Cup Duty
In the mind of most spectators, once the final is over everything ends and their lives go back to normal, and the only things remaining are memories. But for the managers on the field, it is another story. The work there isn’t quite finished, it is even the beginning of a new adventure. The first two weeks after the competition consisted of sending her staff home, and since the new year Nathalie has been focusing on a legacy job. « I am currently busy compiling information and data from the competition, then writing action reports, preparing handovers for whoever wants to know about the event, because there are other events coming up, and even if my team will not be there, someone will need to use what we built to deliver the future events ».
Nathalie will be staying in Qatar until the end of March, ensuring that all reporting is done, before heading back to London where she will have some well-deserved holidays! After that she will be looking for a new job, whether in Workforce or any other part of the sporting event industry!
There is no doubt that the future of this promising young lady will be bright as well as for the companies who will have the chance to have her on their team. And we will, of course, keep following her in her next adventures!
Written by Guillaume Faure, Communication Officer AMOS London26 Jan 2023
GSBM alumni interview Nathalie, FIFA 2022 World Cup
The view of an insider on how things went in Doha
On the 18th of December 2022, at the Lusail Stadium, the 22nd Men Football World Cup ended on a dramatic final, which saw Lionel Messi and his teammates winning the most desired trophy. Never in history, the attribution and the preparation of a World Cup had provoked this many reactions from governments, organisations, newspapers, and people all around the world. It was, within this tense climate, a little over a month ago, that our alumni Nathalie Deutsch, Workforce Operations Manager at TMS, was getting ready to live the biggest experience of her young career. A month later, we are reaching back to her, to have the view of an insider on how things went in Doha - Capital of the Qatari Peninsula. For our former Global Sport Business Master student, the general mood around the World Cup changed when the competition started. « A lot of people have criticized the competition, wanted to boycott, and they had their reasons for it. As a member of the staff, we did not agree with everything that happened here, however, at our level, we made sure to deliver everything ethically, and in a way, it was successful ».
The competition was a success, as soon as Daniele Orsato (referee who officiated the first game of the tournament) blew the start of the first match, fans were once again enthusiastic. Focusing on the performances of their team, people were cheering all around the world and the polemics were put aside, leaving us with what a World Cup is meant to be: a moment in which the whole world comes together to share vivid emotions.
Fan experience
Over the past 4 months, I had the chance to write a couple of articles on her adventures, which taught us a lot about the organisation of such an event, notably the fact that changes are made up to the very last minute, and the result is never guaranteed. However, the hard work and dedication of the teams paid off as the fan experience received great feedback. « I had the opportunity to see a few games, especially the semi-finals and the final, and I have to say, apart from a few things that you will always have in this kind of competition (queueing to get into the stadium, customer service that could be improved...), the services were great. Overall, it was super easy to get around and there was a great atmosphere ». Regarding the games she attended, one obviously stuck to her: the final! « 80% of the stadium was filled with Argentinian fans, they were good fun! Every time Messi touched the ball, the whole stadium was like… wow! It was special moment ».
Collaboration between multiple stakeholders
Organising a Global Sporting Event is about finding a way to successfully collaborate with multiple stakeholders. And we have known from previous interviews and the international press that it is not an easy process. Multiple newspapers relayed the difficult relations between FIFA and the Qatari Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy during the build-up of the competition. However, according to Nathalie, once the competition started, the momentum took over and everyone found a way to work together. « When the operations come live, the collaboration between stakeholders gets better. We have meetings, and every time there is a problem, a representative of each entity is present to discuss it and find a solution. Everyone came together and worked closely to get things done. The approaches are sometimes different from a stakeholder to another, but the end goal is the same, having a wonderful competition. I think that the World Cup brought the best out of Qatar, and that is what everyone saw, whether they were there or in front of their television ».
The World Cup Legacy
According to the Qatari’s ambassador in Russia, the total cost of the world cup is around $200bn, which is according to Sky Sports, « many times higher than any budget spent on similar events in history ». Qatar has built 8 stadia, over 100 hotels to host the teams and the fans, as well as a brand-new underground for the crowd to navigate easily. With all these news infrastructures, the question that is yet to be answered is the one about the legacy. For Nathalie, everything was planned. « In terms of transport, the metro is something that was needed, whether international competitions are happening or not, it will still be of great use for the locals and tourists ». « Regarding the stadia, from what we know, they will have a capacity reduction and will be used for local or international events » (as mentioned in the previous articles, Qatar will host the upcoming international Asian Games as well as the Asian Football Cup AFC). The Education City stadium will become part of the wider Qatar Foundation facilities for university students.
« The stadium made up of ship containers (Stadium 974) will be dismantled and repurposed. Obviously, Qatar is not going to be as busy as some other countries, which have an all year long sporting calendars, but they will still use the vast majority of the infrastructures that were built for the World Cup ».
« All in all, Qatar proved that they were able to create and manage a mega event, and it will probably bring many opportunities for this country in the years to come ».
Post World Cup Duty
In the mind of most spectators, once the final is over everything ends and their lives go back to normal, and the only things remaining are memories. But for the managers on the field, it is another story. The work there isn’t quite finished, it is even the beginning of a new adventure. The first two weeks after the competition consisted of sending her staff home, and since the new year Nathalie has been focusing on a legacy job. « I am currently busy compiling information and data from the competition, then writing action reports, preparing handovers for whoever wants to know about the event, because there are other events coming up, and even if my team will not be there, someone will need to use what we built to deliver the future events ».
Nathalie will be staying in Qatar until the end of March, ensuring that all reporting is done, before heading back to London where she will have some well-deserved holidays! After that she will be looking for a new job, whether in Workforce or any other part of the sporting event industry!
There is no doubt that the future of this promising young lady will be bright as well as for the companies who will have the chance to have her on their team. And we will, of course, keep following her in her next adventures!
Written by Guillaume Faure, Communication Officer AMOS London
