THE FOOTBALL BUSINESS AWARDS ANNOUNCE THE 2016 FINALISTS

The Football Business Awards, in association with Smith & Williamson, has announced the 2016 finalists.

The 18 categories have seen ever rising quality and represent all aspects of the game from rising stars to established forces. Over 20 teams from across the divisions are shortlisted from Premier League Champions, Leicester FC, to FA Standard Chartered Community Club, Kew Park Rangers.

As always the awards recognise both the business units within football clubs responsible for commercial success and off pitch activity alongside those professional services and businesses dedicated to supporting clubs and the game itself.

Commenting on the judging process Adrian Bevington, Owner, Adrian Bevington Sport & PR said, “Judging the Football Business Awards was both inspiring and a challenge. Inspiring because there are so many great things projects and initiatives, but so difficult to pick the winners. It’s great to see behind the scenes of projects which are so fundamental to the long term success of the game.”

Simon Burton, Founder of the Football Business Awards, said: “We’re delighted to announce the finalists for this year’s Awards. We’ve been celebrating the business of football and the businesses that surround football for the last five years and this year’s line-up is a testimony to the calibre and importance of football business. We can’t wait to see who the winners are at Awards Ceremony.”

The finalists are:

BEST BUSINESS SERVING FOOTBALL – UP TO £2M TURNOVER

• ATB Games Ltd
• CharityStars
• FootballCV Academy
• Goodform
• Oaks Consultancy Ltd
• Seven League

BEST BUSINESS SERVING FOOTBALL – OVER £2M TURNOVER

• adi.tv
• Rippleffect
• SteamAMG
• UCFB

BEST CLUB MARKETING INITIATIVE – PREMIER LEAGUE

• Everton FC
• Leicester City FC
• Liverpool FC
• Manchester City FC
• Stoke City FC
• Tottenham Hotspur FC

BEST CLUB MARKETING INITIATIVE – NON-PREMIER LEAGUE

• Birmingham City FC
• Brentford FC
• Brighton & Hove Albion FC
• Derby Country FC
• Kew Park Rangers FC
• Wolverhampton Wanderers FC

BEST FOOTBALL CLUB HOSPITALITY

• Arsenal FC
• Liverpool FC
• Manchester City FC
• St Johnstone FC

BEST / MOST INNOVATIVE USE OF TECHNOLOGY (NON-CLUB SPECIFIC)

• Brandtix
• Kick It Out
• SAP
• SoccerTutor.com Ltd
• STATSports Technologies Ltd
• Verteda Limited

BEST / MOST INNOVATIVE USE OF TECHNOLOGY BY A CLUB

• Cardiff City FC – Tripleplay platform
• Chelsea FC – interactive 3D stadium seating planner
• Manchester United FC – Envoy Digital
• Middlesbrough FC – adi.tv & Eleven Sports Media
• West Ham United FC – Ricoh 360° degree video
• Wolvehampton Wanderers FC – Chameleon Web Services

BEST FOOTBALL COMMUNITY SCHEME – PREMIER LEAGUE

• Arsenal FC / The Arsenal Foundation
• Everton in the Community
• Manchester City FC / City in the Community Foundation
• Newcastle United Foundation
• Tottenham Hotspur FC

BEST FOOTBALL COMMUNITY SCHEME – NON-PREMIER LEAGUE

• Albion in the Community (Brighton & Hove Albion)
• Charlton Athletic Community Trust
• Fulham Football Club Foundation & London United
• Hamilton Academical FC
• Kew Park Rangers FC

BEST CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY SCHEME

• Everton in the Community
• Liverpool Football Club with Standard Chartered
• Sunderland AFC
• Manchester City – City Football Group

BEST MATCH DAY EXPERIENCE

• Cardiff City FC
• Everton FC
• Fulham FC
• Leicester City FC

BEST NON-MATCH DAY USE OF THE VENUE

• Arsenal FC – Emirates Stadium
• Chelsea FC – Stamford Bridge
• Everton FC – Goodison Park
• Leicester City FC – King Power Stadium
• The SPFL Trust – Various across the UK
• Wolverhampton Wanderers FC – Molineux Stadium

BEST PROFESSIONAL SERVICE BUSINESS SERVING FOOTBALL

• Airton Risk Management
• Charles Russell Speechlys LLP
• Coutts, UK Private Banking
• KSS
• Pinsent Masons LLP
• Smith & Williamson
• SRi

AGENCY OF THE YEAR

• Mailman
• Mischief
• Rippleffect
• Seven League
• SportQuake
• The Integrity Club

BEST FAN ENGAGEMENT BY CLUB

• Brighton & Hove Albion FC
• Chelsea FC
• Everton FC
• Fulham FC
• Manchester City FC
• Queens Park Rangers FC

SPONSORSHIP DEAL / PARTNERSHIP OF THE YEAR

• Eleven Sports Media / Middlesbrough FC
• Barclays / HSE Cake
• NIVEA MEN / Liverpool FC
• Prostate Cancer UK / League Managers Association
• Acacia Mining / Sunderland FC
• Vitality / Liverpool FC

BEST BRAND ACTIVATION INVOLVING FOOTBALL

• BT Sport / UEFA Champions League
• Marathonbet / Non-League Challenge (NLC)
• MBNA / LFC
• Virgin Media / Squawka
• Vauxhall / LFC

This year, the Football Business Awards ceremony will take place at Emirates Stadium, home of Arsenal F.C. on 3 November.

The 2015 Awards saw the likes of Aston Villa, West Ham United, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Arsenal, Crystal Palace and Bright and Hove Albion football clubs be recognised across a number of categories, with Huw Jenkins of Swansea City winning FC Business Football CEO of the Year and Sir Trevor Brooking receiving the illustrious Global Football Ambassador award.

For a full list of judges, categories and for further details, visit www.FootballBusinessAwards.com