Tel-Aviv workshop sets new standards

Collective action
In the development of professionalism in these areas, the workshop in Tel-Aviv at the beginning of February sets a critical milestone. The idea was for 27 associations to identify a number of key issues and undertake collective action in response. Associations that share common tasks will regroup into small working communities over the next six to nine months, setting up new projects within their associations and at the same time developing best practices with other associations in the domain concerned.

Communities set up
As a result of the workshop, eight communities were established to develop best practices in the field of in-house versus outsourced delivery of rights for sponsors, sponsor partnership strategies, sponsorship rights packaging and more. Each community is composed of so-called drivers, who are the most proactive people in the community, and members. Each community established in Tel-Aviv is composed of between five and ten representatives of different national associations.

Two revolutionary tools
Getting people to work collectively when they are thousands of kilometres apart is quite a challenge. Fortunately, the 21st century has provided us with tools which make distance learning or collaborative work at a distance child's play. KISS has customised two of these tools. Firstly, a tailor-made online e-learning platform makes it possible for anyone in any national association to review all seminars and workshops interactively, and to access many video sequences shot in these workshops. Secondly, a virtual meeting platform allows the members of working communities to sit in front of their computers at home and work together exactly as if they were gathered physically in a meeting room.

Blended learning
The technology may be state of the art, but that is not enough. Human beings need to get together physically to establish working methods and bonds. In this respect, Tel-Aviv is a typical example of how networking between associations should be shaped. Associations came to the workshop with specific case studies demonstrating where they are now, and what they want to achieve in the future. Experts from the football family (from the associations themselves, as well as outside football specialists and UEFA experts) were given the task of establishing links between the various associations' challenges, and showing how solutions developed for one could be helpful in another. The experts' analysis helped form a number of working communities around specific tasks and projects.

Social and cultural challenge
Getting people to work together is also a social and cultural challenge. The success encountered in Tel-Aviv resulted, in great part, from the way the Israel Football Association put all the pieces together - including an excellent venue, various visits around the country and social events - to make the workshop a very special occasion and help those involved create unforgettable bonds.