SOCCEREX THE GLOBAL LEADER FOR THE BUSINESS OF FOOTBALL

"India is a new market in football, a market of more than one billion people. That's not bad!"

Speaking at last year's Soccerex convention, Joseph S. Blatter commented on some of the key areas where he feels football can grow on unprecedented levels.

To reflect the importance of emerging markets such as India, China and other key territories, Soccerex has assembled a panel of experts to discuss where they feel football can next make a significant impact. This high-level debate panel entitled 'Developing the game from inside and out - the importance of emerging markets' will include senior representatives from Liverpool FC, Western India FA, Lynx Group International and Strategic Sports Investment.

Ian Ayre (Commercial Director, Liverpool FC) will outline what he thinks his club, and football in general, can do to push the commercial and sporting aspects of football in economic superpowers such as India and China. While working for Total Sports Asia, Ian Ayre was responsible for the creation of new offices in China, Thailand, Japan, UAE and India. He will divulge his knowledge on local cultures and the Asian business complexities that clubs face in these markets.

Vishwajeet Kadam (Vice President, Western India FA) is at the forefront of football's development in India's burgeoning market. As well as working for the Western India FA, he is the President of Pune District FA and CEO of a well-established educational institute called Bharati Vidyapeeth University. He is currently working closely with an English Premier League side in a joint bid to commission a Football Development Centre at his university. For the last Six years, Mr. Kadam has also organised one of the most successful football tournaments in India, the Abhijit Kadam Foundation Memorial Cup, regularly attracting crowds in excess of 60,000.

Steve Bellis (Director of Commerce, Lynx Group International) brings his unrivalled expertise in the Chinese and Indian markets. Lynx Group International work closely with football clubs such as Everton FC, Bolton Wanderers FC and Nottingham Forest FC to enhance their brand profile in emerging markets. Before joining the Lynx Group Steve Bellis headed up the marketing department at Stockport County. Under his tutelage Stockport County toured China twice, commanding capacity crowds and attracting significant television coverage across the world. Steve has also recently enjoyed success in China with a football reality TV show entitled 'Soccer Prince', attracting an audience of 130 million. The show contains a strong grass roots element and genuinely assists football's development and popularity in China. Completing this panel of industry leaders is the former England international Steve McMahon (Director, Strategic Sports Investment). As part of the Profitable Group, Strategic Sports Investment have worked with clubs such as Manchester United to further their commercial capabilities and create new and sustainable revenue streams across Asia.

With such abundance of local and international knowledge, this panel offers a unique insight into football's expansion into new markets. So far 200 Football Clubs, Leagues and Federations from over 45 nations have confirmed their attendance, further establishing Soccerex as the meeting place for the global football community.