ECA clubs set for another landmark General Assembly in Athens
All roads are leading to Athens ahead of the 31st ECA General Assembly. The event from October 8-10 in the Greek capital will be the biggest ever ECA General Assembly to date. This includes over 400 member club delegates plus more than 100 special guests including former players, confederation representatives, distinguished speakers and other members of the international football family will attend the General Assembly to make it one of the largest and most significant football conventions globally.
The first ever ECA Football Leaders Forum will kick off a busy day one in which both Simon Kuper, a leading authority on the Business of Sport from The Financial Times, and Anita Elberse, Professor at Harvard Business School take the stage. In between these two sessions the ECA Awards will celebrate the very best of European Club football.
The final morning session will see a very special edition of the CBS Champions League Today show. Kate Scott will be joined by football legends Thierry Henry, Micah Richards and Jamie Carragher live on stage for their own unique take on all things European club football. The afternoon will see individual ECA Subdivision meetings wrap up proceedings.
Following addresses including from the Greek Minister for Sports and Education, ECA Chairman’s and UEFA’s President, former England coach Gareth Southgate will lead the way as key-note speaker on October 10. His Q&A with Reshmin Chowdhury titled “Leading a nation, coaching a team” promises to offer some fascinating insights into his time as a national coach. Dan Reed, Chief Operating Officer of Reality Labs at Meta will conclude the speaking lineup.
In addition to a list of standout speakers, a host of membership reforms are expected to be adopted at the event.
In Dublin last month, the ECA Board approved a revision to organisational regulations as part of ECA’s Membership for All initiative, that will see the existing membership structure amended with the Partner/Network category being merged into the Associated Member category across respective Subdivisions.
This means that the former Network/Partner clubs will have the ability to elect members to the Board via the Subdivisions and have the same rights as those held by Associated Members.
Thursday’s plenary session will see elections to fill two vacant seats on the ECA Board, where new members will be able to vote for the first time for Board representation.
The General Assembly will also hear how ECA works through its position at the Heart of Football to partner with key stakeholders and play a key role in driving developments for the benefit of the game, such as the recent reforms to the UEFA Men’s Club Competitions.
ECA’s new Strategic Review will also be presented to the General Assembly, having been approved by the Board and undertaken in consultation with its clubs and Board members to develop the overall strategic direction of ECA and to better serve the organisation's needs as its membership base grows.