Business of Football Summit 2023 | Financial Times Live | 28 February 2023 | The Biltmore Mayfair, LXR Hotels & Resorts, 44 Grosvenor Square; Mayfair, London, England

Private capital continues to flood into European football, with American investors taking a large slice of the pie. While some of these investors may never have run a football club before, their understanding of the power of data and analytics in boosting fan engagement, their experience in negotiating media rights, and their fresh ideas on branding could be transformative for the European game. But with the finances of even the most famous clubs under pressure from ever-rising player salaries and pandemic-related revenue losses, do these new investors have a magic formula to boost returns and win trophies? How do you make money in the current football economy and why are valuations so high? How will clubs be impacted by the global economic slowdown and new UEFA financial fair play rules?

The Business of Football Summit returns for its fifth edition to discuss these issues and more, including the impact of the latest European Championships on the women’s game. Leading investors, club and league executives, regulators, broadcasters, tech innovators, advisors and other key influencers will share their insights in discussion with FT journalists, both in-person in London and virtually before a global audience.

2023 Speakers

Richard Masters
Chief Executive, Premier League

Javier Tebas
President, LaLiga

Gerry Cardinale
Founder, Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer, RedBird Capital Partners

Patrick Vieira
Manager, Crystal Palace FC

Rafaela Pimenta
Executive Vice President, The Football Forum; Chairman and Founder, One Sports Business Strategy

Lorenzo Casini
President, Serie A

Cindy Parlow Cone
President, US Soccer

Victor Montagliani
President, Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf)

Mark Affolter
Partner, Co-Head of US Direct Lending, Ares Management

Jonas Baer-Hoffmann
Secretary General, FIFPRO

Paul Barber
CEO, Brighton & Hove Albion FC

Marie-Christine Bouchier
Director of Women's Football, Professional Footballers' Association (PFA)

Sir Martin Broughton
former Chairman, Liverpool FC; Partner, Sports Investment Partners

Tom Burrows
EVP Rights, DAZN

Karen Carney
Chair, UK Government review on the future of domestic women's football

Alberto Colombo
Deputy General Secretary, European Leagues

Damien Comolli
President, Toulouse FC

Fahri Ecvet
Chief Operating Officer, Global Football, Boxing and Rugby, Wasserman

Ronan Evain
Executive Director, Football Supporters Europe (FSE)

Mike Forde
Executive Chairman, Sportsology

Ian Graham
Director of Research, Liverpool FC

David Ingham
Head of Media, Entertainment & Sport, Cognizant

Elis Wyn Jones
Managing Director, Head of European Sports Sector Coverage, Goldman Sachs

Adam Kelly
President, IMG Media

Charlie Marshall
CEO, European Club Association (ECA)

Dariusz Mioduski
President, Legia Warsaw

Ellie Norman
Chief Communications Officer, Manchester United

Kieron O'Connor
Blogger, Swiss Ramble

Rick Parry
Chair, EFL

Aki Riihilahti
CEO, HJK Helsinki

Louis Saha
former Manchester Utd and France footballer; Founder, AxisStars

Jenny Simpson
Chief Technology Officer, Football Australia

Barbara Slater
Director of Sport, BBC

Juliet Slot
Chief Commercial Officer, Arsenal FC

Domingos Soares de Oliveira
CEO, Benfica

Lina Souloukou
former CEO, Olympiacos; Executive Board Member, European Club Association (ECA)

Amanda Staveley
Founder and CEO, PCP Capital Partners, Director, Newcastle United

Michael Sutherland
Chief Transformation Officer, Real Madrid

Jon Varney
CEO, Brentford FC

Zoe Webber
Executive Director, Norwich City

Fausto Zanetton
CEO, Tifosy Capital & Advisory / Iconic Sports

Simon Kuper
Columnist, Financial Times

Josh Noble
Sports Editor, Financial Times

Arash Massoudi
Corporate Finance and Deals Editor, Financial Times

Samuel Agini
Sports Business Reporter, Financial Times

James Fontanella-Khan
US Corporate Finance and Deals Editor, Financial Times

Sara Germano
US Sports Business Correspondent, Financial Times

Murad Ahmed
Technology News Editor, Financial Times

John Burn-Murdoch
Chief Data Reporter, Financial Times

Henry Mance
Chief Features Writer, Financial Times

2023 Sponsors and Partners

SUPPORTING PARTNERS:
• fcbusiness
• Women in Football
• Bloomsbury Football Foundation

ASSOCIATE SPONSOR:
• Sportsology Group