Soccerex convention proves Revie’s legacy will live on

Against the tragic backdrop of founder Duncan Revie’s untimely passing, the Soccerex Global Convention 2016 successfully hit both delegate and exhibitor targets and received widespread praise from the football industry.

With a target of surpassing last year’s total of 2805 delegates, Soccerex this year held at Manchester from September 26 to 28 welcomed 2932 senior industry delegates, including 451 football club representatives from around the world.

Leading speakers included new FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura, AFC Bournemouth Chairman Jeff Mostyn, Soccer United Marketing President Kathy Carter and former England Manager Steve McLaren, alongside big delegations from institutional partners La Liga and the Premeir League.

Some of the event highlights included the hosting of the inaugural Diversity Awards, where Samoura was joined on stage by legends and FIFA Diversity jury members, Clarence Seedorf and Thomas Hitzlsperger, to present the award to Indian NGO, Slum Soccer.

The Soccerex Global Convention also featured, for the first time, the Love Football Zone, an area dedicated to showcasing all that is good about the beautiful game. The zone featured talks from FA Director of Participation Kelly Simmons, former Brazil and Arsenal Captain Gilberto Silva, Street Football legend Séan Garnier and a Premier League Communities take over that was hosted by Graeme Le Saux and BBC Breakfast’s Sally Nugent.

Commenting on the convention, Soccerex Chairman Tony Martin said:

“I am incredibly proud of what the team achieved in Manchester this year and the success is made all the more poignant by the tragic news we received about Duncan when got home. Duncan was a huge personality and a great friend, whose drive and passion helped to establish what Soccerex is today.  His passing leaves a void in so many lives but Duncan would have wanted the show to go on. He would have been so proud of this year’s Convention and the effort the team put in to make it a success. Along with Rita and all those in the Soccerex family, I am committed to ensuring that we continue with the great ambition Duncan had for Soccerex to bring the whole world of football together for the good of the game”.

The next stop is Qatar, for the Soccerex Asian Forum 2016 to be held on December 5 and 6 in Doha, with the support of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy.