The UAE Pro League concluded the second edition of the UAE League Development Forum, which was held on Monday and Tuesday, May 1st and 2nd, at Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental- Abu Dhabi
The two-day forum was attended by an elite group of specialists from FIFA, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), Asian Football Confederation (AFC), as well as international lecturers in various disciplines and representatives of professional clubs and the media.
The closing day saw the presence of the UAE Pro League chairman, His Excellency Abdulla Naser Al Jneibi, UAE Pro League's board members, experts from the AFC and the UEFA, and representatives of professional clubs.
The second day's sessions opened with a presentation on integrity in football, which was delivered by the arbitrator at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), Benoît Pasquier.
During the second session on the second and final day of the forum, Elliot Arthur, a sustainability and climate communications expert, gave a comprehensive presentation on sustainability in football, the relationship of sustainability to efforts of addressing climate change, the importance of preserving the future of the game and linking it to the effects of climate change.
He added that it is easy to reach football fans around the world through the clubs and leagues and send them messages about combating climate change and preserving the environment.
In addition, Elliot touched upon a model of the most successful clubs around the world, which is the English Premier League's title holders Manchester City, saying that the club's management took the lead globally with regard to paying attention to the environment, supporting sustainability efforts, and linking it to football.
He also tackled the UAE endeavors in general in this regard, praising it as the first country to have an integrated city that takes into account the standards of preserving the environment and sustainability, which is Masdar City.
The session concluded with a presentation by David Cook, the former Chief Commercial Officer for Nottingham Forest and current CEO and Chairman of Scottish Championship club Dunfermline Athletic, during which, he talked about the need to develop new commercial and marketing mechanisms at all clubs.
He also highlighted the efforts of clubs around the world to increase their revenues, in addition to the importance of developing ways to attract more UAE fans to the stadiums, and taking advantage of the clubs’ brands, to increase their income from sales and others.
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