England’s recruit is ideal for cashing in
THE England team have become a highly valuable commodity by reaching the last four of the World Cup or even better . . . just as a top commercial expert joins the FA board.
Fortunately for the FA, who will want to maximise the massive feelgood factor that England’s performances in Russia have generated at home, their new, senior, independent non- executive director is Stacey Cartwright.
And she has all the requisite experience of bluechip fashion and department store brands to advise England’s commercial department about the best way forward.
Cartwright was financial director of Burberrys before becoming chief executive and then deputy chairman of Harvey Nichols. She left in March to pursue a new career of non-exec roles, including at the FA. She will experience a World Cup semifinal involving England firsthand as she is one of the board members being flown out for the game tomorrow at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium.
The FA have had trouble finding a replacement for team sponsor Vauxhall, hoping a good World Cup would bring extra interest. This will undoubtedly be the case. OBNOXIOUS 5 Live football commentator Alan Green must be kicking himself now England are in the last four of a brilliantly managed, trouble-free World Cup. When Russia were awarded the tournament in 2010 Green, in his wisdom, decided that he didn’t want to cover the World Cup there because of the atmosphere around the Chelsea versus Manchester United Champions League final in 2008. Green (inset) told his BBC employers of his decision before the Euro 2016 tournament, which he claimed justified his view due to the violence by Russian hooligans in Marseilles. CONTRAST the new-look England players’ interaction with the media yesterday with old-school Joe ‘I’m not talking about the darts’ Hart. Dele Alli was relaxed and confident enough in a friendly environment to talk freely about his pre-match superstitions that include an eight-minute ice bath and a prayer. Meanwhile, discarded goalkeeper Hart was playing Birmingham League cricket for Shrewsbury against Knowle & Dorridge on the afternoon of England’s quarterfinal against Sweden. And the edict went around that none of his cricket team-mates could talk about him to the media. THE Germans, who visited England’s media centre in Repino to see what they could learn, were said to be impressed with the different break-out areas for newspapers, radio and TV interviews. But there is no way they will copy the FA’s mediafriendly approach of putting up five players every conference day.