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MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester City reported record revenues of 712.8 million pounds ($890 million) for last season in figures released on Wednesday. In its annual report for the 2022-23 season, City also announced record profits of 80.4 million pounds ($100 million) – an increase on the previous year’s total of 41.7 million pounds ($52 million). The club, which is backed by the ruling family of Abu Dhabi, won a trophy treble last season, including the Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup. “In short, last season saw Manchester City achieve the greatest football and commercial year of its storied history,” club chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said in a statement. “The season was the validation of a philosophy and sustained approach that has defined the Club since His Highness Sheikh Mansour became its custodian in 2008.” City has dominated English soccer since being bought by Sheikh Mansour and has won five of the last six Premier League titles under manager Pep Guardiola. Last season it finally conquered Europe by winning the Champions League. City’s financial power has enabled it to spend big on the world’s best players such as Erling Haaland, Kevin de Bruyne and Jack Grealish. City’s spending has also led to accusations of financial wrongdoing. In 2020 it successfully overturned a two-year ban by UEFA from European competitions when taking its case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The Premier League has accused City of about 80 alleged breaches of its financial rules and 30 more relating to its alleged failure to co-operate with an investigation. If found guilty, penalties could include a deduction of points or even expulsion from the Premier League. City’s latest revenues were up from 613 million pounds ($766 million) the previous year and 569.8 million pounds ($712 million) in 2020-21. “In the aftermath of the UEFA Champions League win in Turkey and the completion of ‘The Treble’ the question I was asked most often, was ‘How do you top that?’” Al Mubarak said. “The answer is by doubling down on the proven philosophies and practices that have brought us this success and to challenge ourselves to continue to constantly innovate in order to achieve new levels of performance both on and off the field.” Story continues ___ James Robson is at https://lnkd.in/dDRQnTxr ___ AP soccer: https://lnkd.in/drg2Ra4v ——————————————————————- Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | 1700047520 ca.sports.yahoo.com WORLD NEWS EGYPT NEWS ARAB MEDIA ca.sports.yahoo.com

ICYMI: LAFC’s connection with renowned Swiss powerhouse forms long-term strategy: Major League Soccer's Los Angeles FC (LAFC), put pen to paper on a strategic partnership between Swiss Super League powerhouse Grasshopper Club Zürich, making them major shareholders of Grasshopper Football Ltd. The two organisations will provide unique platforms for the development of young talent, through a further expansion of LAFC's network which has Austria’s FC Wacker Innsbruck and Germany's FC Bayern München. Having played their first professional season in 2018, LAFC are trailblazers across the MLS, in establishing themselves as a competitive club so early in their existence. Since 2019, The Black and Gold have accumulated a total of seven domestic titles, also including an appearance in the CONCACAF Champions League Final, in which they fell narrowly short to Mexican outfit, Leon. High-quality players including Georgio Chiellini, Carlos Vela and Gareth Bale all shared stints in the City of Angels. The partnership LAFC have entered proposes the idea that the American club are looking to sustain a European feel. Co-President Larry Freedman praised the Zurich-based club. “Grasshopper Club Zürich is an iconic brand in both Swiss and European football, with an incredible tradition of success and a foundation built on developing top-level talent,” he said via media release. “LAFC is honoured to work together on this long-term partnership with the GC Zürich community and all the supporters as we begin our collaboration.” The Grasshoppers are a staple within Switzerland. Founded in 1886, the reign as the longest serving Swiss club across Europe. Throughout their 138 year tenure, the Hoppers hold the most League and Cup Titles respectively, accumulating 51 titles. However, their most recent major trophy success came in the 2012-13 season. Since then, Their decline has been swift. For the first time in 68 years, the club succumbed to relegation in 2019. Although bouncing back out of the second tier two seasons later, the club have not been able to reach their past dominance. Financial hardship, the COVID-19 pandemic, and lack of ambition were the ingredients to the clubs spiral out of form on the pitch. The American acquisition will leave Hoppers fans hopeful. Given the financial freedom the American outfit possesses, the combination of clubs is a benefit to both parties. On one hand, The Grasshoppers are able to rejuvenate their youth system, in which it has bred players the likes of Stephen Lichsteiner, Roman Burki and Yan Sommer. Furthermore, players within their youth academy can gain senior football experience in the MLS, before competing against Switzerland and Europe’s finest. Given the ambition in which LAFC possesses, the partnership between both clubs can ultimately breed a new plethora of Swiss superstars - helping the Hoppers get back to… #Football #Soccer #FootballNews

LAFC’s connection with renowned Swiss powerhouse forms long-term strategy: Major League Soccer's Los Angeles FC (LAFC), put pen to paper on a strategic partnership between Swiss Super League powerhouse Grasshopper Club Zürich, making them major shareholders of Grasshopper Football Ltd. The two organisations will provide unique platforms for the development of young talent, through a further expansion of LAFC's network which has Austria’s FC Wacker Innsbruck and Germany's FC Bayern München. Having played their first professional season in 2018, LAFC are trailblazers across the MLS, in establishing themselves as a competitive club so early in their existence. Since 2019, The Black and Gold have accumulated a total of seven domestic titles, also including an appearance in the CONCACAF Champions League Final, in which they fell narrowly short to Mexican outfit, Leon. High-quality players including Georgio Chiellini, Carlos Vela and Gareth Bale all shared stints in the City of Angels. The partnership LAFC have entered proposes the idea that the American club are looking to sustain a European feel. Co-President Larry Freedman praised the Zurich-based club. “Grasshopper Club Zürich is an iconic brand in both Swiss and European football, with an incredible tradition of success and a foundation built on developing top-level talent,” he said via media release. “LAFC is honoured to work together on this long-term partnership with the GC Zürich community and all the supporters as we begin our collaboration.” The Grasshoppers are a staple within Switzerland. Founded in 1886, the reign as the longest serving Swiss club across Europe. Throughout their 138 year tenure, the Hoppers hold the most League and Cup Titles respectively, accumulating 51 titles. However, their most recent major trophy success came in the 2012-13 season. Since then, Their decline has been swift. For the first time in 68 years, the club succumbed to relegation in 2019. Although bouncing back out of the second tier two seasons later, the club have not been able to reach their past dominance. Financial hardship, the COVID-19 pandemic, and lack of ambition were the ingredients to the clubs spiral out of form on the pitch. The American acquisition will leave Hoppers fans hopeful. Given the financial freedom the American outfit possesses, the combination of clubs is a benefit to both parties. On one hand, The Grasshoppers are able to rejuvenate their youth system, in which it has bred players the likes of Stephen Lichsteiner, Roman Burki and Yan Sommer. Furthermore, players within their youth academy can gain senior football experience in the MLS, before competing against Switzerland and Europe’s finest. Given the ambition in which LAFC possesses, the partnership between both clubs can ultimately breed a new plethora of Swiss superstars - helping the Hoppers get back to heights they… #Football #Soccer #FootballNews

MUST READ: LAFC’s connection with renowned Swiss powerhouse forms long-term strategy: Major League Soccer's Los Angeles FC (LAFC), put pen to paper on a strategic partnership between Swiss Super League powerhouse Grasshopper Club Zürich, making them major shareholders of Grasshopper Football Ltd. The two organisations will provide unique platforms for the development of young talent, through a further expansion of LAFC's network which has Austria’s FC Wacker Innsbruck and Germany's FC Bayern München. Having played their first professional season in 2018, LAFC are trailblazers across the MLS, in establishing themselves as a competitive club so early in their existence. Since 2019, The Black and Gold have accumulated a total of seven domestic titles, also including an appearance in the CONCACAF Champions League Final, in which they fell narrowly short to Mexican outfit, Leon. High-quality players including Georgio Chiellini, Carlos Vela and Gareth Bale all shared stints in the City of Angels. The partnership LAFC have entered proposes the idea that the American club are looking to sustain a European feel. Co-President Larry Freedman praised the Zurich-based club. “Grasshopper Club Zürich is an iconic brand in both Swiss and European football, with an incredible tradition of success and a foundation built on developing top-level talent,” he said via media release. “LAFC is honoured to work together on this long-term partnership with the GC Zürich community and all the supporters as we begin our collaboration.” The Grasshoppers are a staple within Switzerland. Founded in 1886, the reign as the longest serving Swiss club across Europe. Throughout their 138 year tenure, the Hoppers hold the most League and Cup Titles respectively, accumulating 51 titles. However, their most recent major trophy success came in the 2012-13 season. Since then, Their decline has been swift. For the first time in 68 years, the club succumbed to relegation in 2019. Although bouncing back out of the second tier two seasons later, the club have not been able to reach their past dominance. Financial hardship, the COVID-19 pandemic, and lack of ambition were the ingredients to the clubs spiral out of form on the pitch. The American acquisition will leave Hoppers fans hopeful. Given the financial freedom the American outfit possesses, the combination of clubs is a benefit to both parties. On one hand, The Grasshoppers are able to rejuvenate their youth system, in which it has bred players the likes of Stephen Lichsteiner, Roman Burki and Yan Sommer. Furthermore, players within their youth academy can gain senior football experience in the MLS, before competing against Switzerland and Europe’s finest. Given the ambition in which LAFC possesses, the partnership between both clubs can ultimately breed a new plethora of Swiss superstars - helping the Hoppers get back to… #Football #Soccer #FootballNews

You have to work with the world you find, then create the world it should be. Crazy changes the world. Call me crazy. Call them crazy. But women’s football is already changing beneath the surface. #invest in #womenfootball - it’s the present. https://lnkd.in/e-MfS8zS #invest #football #soccer #womeninsport #gamechangers

JACK GAUGHAN: Phil Foden has needed to bide his time and negotiate a fastidiously laid out path to fulfil his potential… however the belief in Pep Guardiola has paid off and the Man Metropolis star is revelling in a brand new central function https://ift.tt/lYZ7XI0 Course of must be one of the crucial irritating nouns in English soccer’s vernacular but it surely finest describes Phil Foden. To reach at this level, Manchester Metropolis plotted the route. A few lifeless ends alongside the way in which however that’s the method in any case. The Foden struggling for minutes, forlornly sat on the bench, felt like a bygone period on Monday night time when he danced off to at least one nook of the Gtech, match ball in hand, revelling in a second senior hat-trick after turning a tough away recreation in Metropolis’s favour. His celebration for the objectives, firing a gun on the away finish, got here after Metropolis’s gamers coined him ‘sniper’ in coaching. A very long time, too, because the widespread clamour for a mortgage – or one thing extra everlasting – away from Pep Guardiola. Or when Foden regarded near breaking down when requested about his lack of possibilities, shouldering the burden of expectation with out tangible alternatives to take action. Again then, Metropolis sources appealed for perspective by pointing in direction of two Barcelona legends as reference factors, to go and take a look at Andres Iniesta and Xavi, what number of matches they appeared in throughout their early life. The numbers between Foden and people two have been truly fairly shut, which got here as a slight shock. They aren’t anymore. Brentford marked a 250th look for the lad they name the Stockport Iniesta. When Iniesta and Xavi turned 24, that they had 226 and 225 respectively beneath their belts. Foden’s twenty fourth birthday isn’t till the tip of Could. Phil Foden scored a hat-trick in Manchester Metropolis’s 3-1 win at Brentford on Monday night time Your browser doesn’t help iframes. There may very well be as many as 27 video games nonetheless to play in Metropolis’s season. Whereas not a precise science as a comparability, someplace touching 300 appearances earlier than the beginning of subsequent season is a large bounce from Barca’s heartbeat beneath Guardiola on the identical juncture of their careers. At 676, Alan Oakes holds Metropolis’s look document and, if we’re sincere, it could take one thing disastrous for Foden to not ultimately eclipse that.  One-club males are uncommon today but it’s onerous to envisage Foden not bucking that pattern. Even when everybody was after him on mortgage – Tottenham Hotspur amongst those that requested – he simply wasn’t .  He realized to place his belief within the supervisor and that has paid off, with simply the 14 main trophies in his cupboard already. The child Txiki Begiristain instructed Guardiola all about on his first day within the job, eight years in the past, is now earmarked as somebody who...

Are you a senior leader in a football club? Have you got a club plan? Have you published your plan for your stakeholders to see? Plymouth Argyle Football Club outline their ambitions for the club on and off the field and have become the latest club to make this public. 🚀 Club Mission ‘To be a sustainable top six Championship club within five years, with Premier League aspirations.’ 5️⃣ Argyle’s new five-year plan will build on five key pillars that the Club believes are key to achieving our target mission. 🤝 Fan, visitor, and partner experience with an intent to create an environment where our supporters, visitors and partners feel valued, engaged, and emotionally connected to the club. 💰 Financial Strength, with an intention to continue to operate sustainably and invest in key identified areas providing the club with long term financial strength and growth. 🏙️ Brand and sense of place with Argyle keen on creating a clear, authentic, and compelling identity that is deeply connected to its geographical, cultural, and historical roots. 👨👩👧👦 Our People are integral to everything we do and will be the ones who deliver this new strategy. That is why they form our fourth pillar, as Argyle looks to become recognised as the employer of choice in the region and beyond, by creating an environment that allows our people to excel both on and off the pitch. 🧑💻Efficiency and ways of working with decision-making being process-oriented and data-led, enabling us to outperform competitors on and off the pitch. https://lnkd.in/dGgK7Kwy

Interesting that the news cycle around Manchester City's latest Premier League title focuses, in equal part, on their achievements on the pitch and the charges they face in terms of their financial activity off it. 'Lance Armstrong' is trending hard as parallels are drawn between the two. City are undoubtedly the best team in England where football is concerned. The play a beautiful version of the game, under a visionary manager, with some of the best players in the world. However, Armstrong was undoubtedly the best cyclist in the world, dominating races like few had before him with a mindset that dominated opponents throughout his 7 tour wins. It was how Armstrong did it that eventually came back to bite him on his carefully chamoised posterior. According to the rules at the time he was cheating with the best drugs, the best systems and the best team around him. It's widely recognised everyone else was cheating too, the UCI decision not to award Tour De France titles to any of the 2nd placed riders pretty much confirmed it. He was just cheating better. Is that what we're starting to see in football? Is the shine of the title a little dulled by the 115 charges Manchester City face? Are they, like Lance, just the best at it? Maybe, as with the governing body in cycling, we should look at the permissive culture at UEFA? As this is LinkedIn, maybe it's worth asking these questions: If you had the type of questions hanging over your business that Manchester City currently have, would you sleep easy? How would you deal with it? At Take Your Marks Consulting these are the sort of questions we pose in our training.

No one can get in the way of what people feel about you --- There was a time when football (not soccer) was boring as hell. It was when the catenaccio was at its prime in the 50s & the 60s. It was football with anti-football – a brutal defensive show on display ruling out defeat as far as possible. The 1-0 score was the most written result in the news because almost all clubs in Italy played with that particular mindset, including the ‘Gli Azzurri’ national team. But then came a man who was hell-bent on destroying the ruthless catenaccio – for good. Rinus Michel. He's the brain of the beauty. But he needed someone to translate the idea into the pitch. And he found that in a youngster named Johann Cruijff. It was the era of ‘Total Football’. Beautiful football. Years later, Johan brought the philosophy to Barcelona. The philosophy that enabled Barcelona under Pep Guardiola to play ‘tiki-taka’ (with Lionel Messi in it) became possible. (So, everyone who thinks Barcelona has the most beautiful style of play, think again). And now Pep has brought that idea to the British. But as we know it, that idea is created from circumstances. One just needs to see it more thoroughly than others to come up with the solution. It depends on the resources you have as a biz owner. You surely don’t want to force your team to play in the way Ajax Amsterdam played in its heyday if you don’t have the necessary resources for your business at the moment. Once in a while, one may come up with a different idea of how to play the game. So came forth a great Jürgen Klopp of Liverpool with the philosophy of ‘gegenpressing’ – that no playmaker in the world can react to a 5-second counterattack after the opponent immediately is pressing as a unit & forcing his team to lose the ball. Because of both, the EPL has become the best football league in the world. The quality of the games gets better because they inspire another teams. And the quality makes the viewers come to the stadiums. And those crowds create a great atmosphere. And a great atmosphere gives a strong impression for the sponsorships. Aka businesses. With the media & TV coverage amplifying this. So, the right way of doing it – since a brilliant breakthrough doesn’t come often. (“Fool’s gold”, remember?) is … By escaping competition through authenticity. Basically, when you’re competing with people (many gurus say, “monitor your competitors”), it’s because you’re competing with them. You’re trying to do the same thing. But as you know, every human is different. The point: if you’re fundamentally building & marketing something that is an extension of who you are, no one can compete with you on that. You want one of your team members to have something like that. So, it's more than just writing an email copy for example. Just zoom out to see the big picture. It’s the part of the game every one of us is playing. #directmarketing #emailmarketer #emailmarketingfundamentals #storymarketing

Class 1997 from their beginnings There are, obviously, a lot of questions which are arising during the formation of a professional football player. First of all is the spotting of young (baby) talent, when to start, how to take care, how to ‘’nurture’’ them, how to put them through all the challenges of their development (starting from physical changes, keeping them interested in the game and enjoying it) , how to incorporate them into the system of desired playing , and much, much more. About all that, there are hundreds of pages written, thousands of days of discussion, and millions of hours of hard work implemented. Being the parent of three boys (now very mature young athletes) and following their development from the age of 6, observing their different developments, where they were gaining from sports at its best, I wanted to contribute this personal view for those people who are working endlessly, identifying young talents. Going through my archives of their football path, I came across the booklet – programme from ‘’Torneo del Futuro’’ held in Amsterdam on the 17 and 18 of May 2008. I am talking about the class born in 1997 and a tournament which was played on the pitch of size 75m x 65m, 9 vs 9 players, age group then U11. 12 Teams participated at that tournament: Ajax, RSC Anderlecht, Bayern Munchen, Bayern 04 Leverkusen, FC Inter, AS Monaco, local team SV RAP, Schalke 04, Shakhtar Donetsk, Sparta Rotterdam, Tottenham Hotspur and Villa Real. Having the names and photos of participants, and remembering a few of them, for me it was interesting to see who went through, who made a significant career playing around Europe or even further afield. What is also interesting, at such an early stage all the players were class of ‘97, comparing for example tournaments with older categories where you can have younger players playing with the older boys (as more talented or physically dominant among their own peers).  Before I start to list the players, I would add that logically most of these players would have already a few years of training and playing in their club of formation. That would just explain actually how good the spotting –scouting was of most of these teams. That should also explain the strategy of all these mentioned teams, and stages of the formation of the youth players. (to check the current status of the players I have used listings on Transfermarkt) See my next post for the continuation...