This week saw FIFA, football’s global governing body, appoint Simon Thomas as its new chief commercial officer.
Thomas previously served as chief executive of TEAM Marketing and has also held roles with Nike and the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. Before joining TEAM, he served as the global executive vice-president of sport and sales at Fox International Channels.
Thomas replaces Philippe Le Floc’h as head of FIFA’s commercial division. Le Floc’h has returned to Malaysia for personal reasons.
Marko Hurme has been appointed as managing director of Tampere Deck Arena, which is currently under construction in the Finnish city.
Hurme (pictured) has extensive experience in the restaurant, hotel and casino sectors and joins the Tampere Deck Arena from betting company Veikkaus. He will take up his new role at the beginning of November.
Tampere Deck Arena broke ground this week and is scheduled for completion in 2021.
The English Football Association (FA) has announced the formation of a Euro 2021 board, which will support UEFA in the delivery of the women’s national team football tournament.
The FA’s chief operating officer, Mark Burrows, will chair the board. Mark Bullingham, chief executive of the FA; Baroness Sue Campbell, director of women’s football at the FA; Joanna Manning-Cooper, group director of corporate affairs at Sky; Alex Scott, former England international; and Kelly Simmons, the FA’s women’s professional game director, will also serve as board members. Chris Bryant, head of tournament delivery for the FA, will be the board’s executive lead.
The board will deliver the FA’s obligations, with overall accountability and budgetary control for the tournament. The FA finalised the stadia for Euro 2021 last month, with Leigh Sports Village replacing Nottingham’s City Ground as a host venue.
The New York Jets NFL American football team has announced Hymie Elhai as its new president and Brian Friedman as its executive vice-president and chief operating officer.
Elhai previously served as senior vice-president and general counsel, while Friedman was the Jets’ senior vice-president and chief financial officer. Elhai succeeds Neil Glat, who is transitioning to a new role as senior advisor.
Elhai will report to Jets chairman and chief executive Christopher Johnson and oversee all team business operations. He will also work with head coach Adam Gase and general manager Joe Douglas.
Friedman will now take on more operational responsibilities, including revenue generating and business growth opportunities for the team and MetLife Stadium. He will also continue to oversee finances for the team.
Dame Louise Martin has been re-elected as Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) president.
Martin will serve a second four-year term having been re-elected by acclamation by delegates at the Kigali Convention Centre in Rwanda. When taking up the role in 2015, Martin became the first female to hold the position in the history of the Commonwealth Sports Movement.
MSL, which delivers customer experiences for the sports, leisure and hospitality industries, has appointed Pat Howard as its chief executive.
Howard has over 20 years of experience across property, retail and the sports industries and co-founded Rx Management, which manages 17 pharmacies. MSL helps customers deliver an intentional experience every time someone walks into a stadium, restaurant or venue.
Do you have news of an appointment that we should know about? Get in touch by emailing news.editor@thestadiumbusiness.com and we’ll include it in our next round-up.
Image: Tampere Deck Arena
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