FA given a lesson in using England icons
THE England Footballers Foundation have shown the FA the way to engage former stars with their Bobby Moore Fund cancer awareness campaign.
FA technical director Dan Ashworth talks regularly about involving top ex-internationals during England weeks. But it has taken the EFF to bring that about by using a stellar line-up — David Beckham, Michael Owen, Rio Ferdinand, John Terry, Steven Gerrard, Gary Neville, Frank Lampard and David James — alongside current stars.
While Team England’s agents 1966 Entertainment have retained close links with the golden generation, the FA don’t even have an ambassadors’ programme to keep contact.
‘Moore to Know’ links the former household names with current quartet Harry Kane, Joe Hart, Gary Cahill and Jordan Henderson to remind people to get tested for bowel cancer.
Wayne Rooney, who filmed his contribution at the last England get-together in November, is positioned in the campaign video as the current England captain. But he is also the link with the eight former internationals — a group he will most likely join by the start of next season.
THE last four England managers before Gareth Southgate — Sam Allardyce, Roy Hodgson, Fabio Capello and Sven Goran Eriksson — all pursued individual commercial deals. But Southgate has told advisors that, apart from fulfilling FA commercial requirements, he has no interest in acquiring personal sponsorships and would rather concentrate entirely on the national team. JUDGING by his explanation for quitting Match of the Day — revealed by Sports Agenda yesterday — 5 Live football commentator Alan Green couldn’t cope with not being chosen to call the big matches. Green (right) told media website Prolific North: ‘It’s just that I’d get a game and often be fifth or sixth in the running order. So it wasn’t really going anywhere.’
PREMIER LEAGUE executive chairman Richard Scudamore has been busy helping the FA get their governance reforms across the line. However there is scepticism among councillors that the canny Scudamore is only doing this to ensure the reform police don’t next turn their attention to his organisation. A PL spokesman said: ‘We have consistently supported the FA on this issue.’ SPORTS travel companies are noticing a trend of corporate customers not registering for World Cup trips to Russia but instead signing up for the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan, where the locals will be more friendly and England have a chance of winning. Nevertheless around 10,000 England fans are expected to make the trip to Russia. MILLWALL travelled to Rochdale by train for their 3-3 draw this week — not in first-class or reserved carriages like most other teams, but in standard coaches, where they mingled with other passengers.