Former England football captain David Beckham has announced his move into esports as co-owner of London-based start-up Guild Esports. Read more
Former England football captain David Beckham has announced his move into esports as co-owner of London-based start-up Guild Esports. Read more
Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has officially reopened the recently renovated Manahan Stadium in Surakarta, Central Java. Read more
In a landmark step for the further development of FIFA eSports, FIFA and the Danish Football Association (DBU) have announced that Denmark will host the FIFA eNations Cup 2020. Read more
FIFA has been forced to change the venue for three matches during the Club World Cup 2019, because the opening of Education City Stadium in Qatar has been postponed. Read more
The Football Association of Wales (FAW) has officially opened its £5 million Colliers Park National Football Development Centre near Wrexham. Read more
FIFA has run a pilot programme aimed at strengthening existing stadium safety and security management practices across Africa. Read more
Athletic Club has introduced the ‘Rail Seat’ system at its famous San Mamés stadium in Bilbao, Spain to improve the fan experience and increase safety. Read more
Budweiser, an official sponsor of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, has hit the back of the net by launching a unique football pitch created from its recycled plastic cups in Sochi, Russia. Read more
The 2022 FIFA World Cup has officially entered tournament delivery mode after Qatar and FIFA announced the launch of a new joint venture to organise the event. Read more
Plans have been drawn up to develop a world class women’s football centre in Northwich, Cheshire in the UK. Read more
A Polytan synthetic turf pitch has become the first in the world to be certified to the latest FIFA standards. Read more
Hebei China Fortune Football Club (CFFC) has announced plans for a new professional training centre after nearly two years of research and planning. Read more
An innovative new roof is in the process of being installed at Khalifa International Stadium in Qatar. Read more
Arizona’s only professional soccer franchise, the newly-renamed Phoenix Rising Football Club, has announced plans for a new soccer stadium. Read more
Northern Ireland’s National Football Stadium at Windsor Park has been officially opened by Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA. Read more
The Taipei Summer Universiade (SU) is scheduled for 19-30 August 2017, during which 12,000 youth athletics from 150 countries will be in Taipei. In response to the 2017 Taipei SU soccer match, the Taipei OC has released an open tender for FIFA Two Star Turf.
The Local Organising Committee (LOC) of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Jordan 2016 has unveiled the tournament’s official emblem. Since Jordan will be hosting the event in 2016, the logo was meticulously designed to reflect the Kingdom’s most iconic symbols.
The reveal took place during the Soccerex Asian Forum 2015’s two-day activities at the lowest point on earth, the Dead Sea. The U-17 Women’s World Cup’s official emblem was launched by HRH Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein, President of the Jordan Football Association (JFA), President of the West Asian Football Federation (WAFF) and Vice President of FIFA.
The official emblem resembles the overall shape of the unique FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Trophy, serving as a canvas to showcase the visual aspects of Jordanian culture and art. A number of traditional items can be identified, like the distinctive pattern of the Jordanian scarf, the Hatta, and a Pan Arabic colour scheme, while a star taken from the national flag shines bright from the top of the emblem. Jordan’s national flower, the Black Iris, sits above the base of the emblem, symbolising the evolving character of FIFA’s youth tournament. Altogether, the visual keys form an iconic brand mark for the tournament and appeal to a wider, international audience.
Salah Sabra, LOC Chairman, commented:
We are excited to have launched the tournament’s official emblem, declaring Jordan as the host country of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in 2016. We are very proud to be accommodating such a globally acclaimed sports event that is highly anticipated by organisers, fans and audiences alike. Moreover, we are confident that the enthusiasm and support demonstrated by the Jordanian people, who are well-known for their hospitality and passion for football, will positively contribute towards the overall success of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup and will reaffirm Jordan’s ability to host renowned international sport events.
In turn, LOC CEO, Samar Nassar, stated:
The official emblem of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup embodies Jordan’s rich culture and represents the Kingdom’s unique spirit, history, heritage and authenticity of its people. By hosting the tournament, we are creating an ongoing legacy for women’s football and Jordanian football as a whole. Despite its formation 10 years ago, our national women football team’s great potential and ambition have spurred it towards achieving multiple local and regional accomplishments and successes. We are confident that hosting the FU-17 WWC will serve as motivation for our Jordanian female players and will help us uncover many hidden athletic talents.
The FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Jordan 2016 logo was unveiled during the Soccerex Asian Forum.
2013 was the year of the volunteer in large sports competitions. Following the example set by the Olympics, other sports are organising volunteers to provide a connection to the fans.
Head of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Local Organising Committee’s (LOC) Volunteer Programme, Rodrigo Hermida gave figures for the Volunteer Programme at the Confederation Cup. On matchdays, there was an 80 per cent attendance rate from volunteers. From the total of 5,652 volunteers, 2,429 (43 per cent) were women. 256 hailed from outside Brazil – with Colombia leading the way with 35 representatives. Spectator Services employed most volunteers, with 1,732 people spread across the six FIFA Confederations Cup Brazil 2013 Host Cities. Hermida said:
These people have been doing such a sensational job that they even managed to get one of the national teams (Tahiti) dancing frevo (a traditional Pernambuco dance).
They’re living proof of the legacy that a competition such as the FIFA Confederations Cup can leave the country. We carry out training sessions, competency work and we put faith in people. We need them to spread the word about everything they’re going through, so that others realise just how good it is to have this experience.
A number of UK events quoted the example of the London 2012 Games Makers as inspiration. Silverstone Circuit Silverstone recruited 105 volunteers as Race Makers to lend their support at two of the biggest motor sport events on the UK sporting calendar. Richard Phillips, Managing Director, Silverstone Circuits Ltd, commented:
The Games Makers had a huge impact on the London Olympic Games last year; this has inspired Silverstone to call on a number of volunteers for its two biggest events on the motor sport calendar – the FORMULA 1 SANTANDER BRITISH GRAND PRIX and the Hertz MotoGP British Grand Prix. We received over 1,000 applications which were narrowed down to a select group of 105. The Silverstone Race Makers will help us to ensure the smooth running of these fantastic events and add to the atmosphere at both British Grands Prix. It is a great opportunity for motor racing fans all over the country to get involved in their favourite motor sport events and the Race Makers can’t wait to get started.
2,600 people applied for the 800 positions of Cricketeer for the ICC Champions Trophy in the UK in the summer. Cricketeers helped supervise children’s cricket on the pitches at half time, supported medical staff and managed accreditation, among other tasks. Some came from having been at the 2012 Olympics, some from local clubs. Steve Elworthy, MD for Global Events and Marketing at the ECB, said that the scheme would be rolled out to other international events – Women’s U17, World Cup 17 and the Test match playoff final in 2019 are on the horizon – and possibly to the domestic scene.
Also in the UK, the Rugby League World Cup created the RWC team13 for volunteers to help with that tournament’s very successful staging. And adding to the feeling that 2013 was a breakthrough year for volunteering.