ECA Media Release

Representatives from 160 Member Clubs attended the European Club Association's (ECA) 15th General Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland.

New ECA Membership Cycle - 220 Member Clubs

ECA is pleased to announce that 20 new clubs have joined the organisation, which brings the total membership to 220 clubs (106 ordinary and 114 associated members) for the beginning of the new ECA Membership Cycle 2015-17. The new members are as follows:

KS Skenderbeu (ALB), Qarabag FK (AZE), NK Rijeka (CRO), Apollon Limassol FC (CYP), Esbjerg FB (DEN), FC Midtjylland (DEN), AS Saint-Etienne (FRA), Hannover 96 (GER), Asteras Tripolis FC (GRE), FK Zalgiris Vilnius (LTU), KF Shkëndija Tetovo (FYRM), BV Vitesse (NED),  Strømsgodset Toppfotball (NOR), Ruch Chorzów SA (POL), WKS Slask Wroclaw (POL), Astra Giurgiu (ROM), CS Pandurii Târgu Jiu (ROM), SP Tre Penne (SMR), AS Trencin (SVK), AIK Fotboll (SWE).

EXECUTIVE BOARD ELECTIONS

In light of the start of a new membership cycle, the 106 ECA Ordinary Members elected a new Executive Board. Eleven Board Members were elected to join the four existing ECA Board Members who represent ECA at the UEFA Professional Football Strategy Council (PFSC). The four PFSC members are Umberto Gandini (AC Milan), Ivan Gazidis (Arsenal FC), Josep Bartomeu (FC Barcelona) and Evgeni Giner (PFC CSKA Moskva). Following the elections, the new Executive Board met for the first time to appoint the Chairman and the three Vice-Chairmen. The composition of the new ECA Executive Board for the 2015-17 membership cycle is as follows:

Chairman: Karl-Heinz Rummenigge | FC Bayern München (GER)

1st Vice-Chairman: Umberto Gandini | AC Milan (ITA)
2nd Vice-Chairman: Pedro López Jiménez | Real Madrid CF (ESP)
3rd Vice-Chairman: Evgeni Giner | PFC CSKA Moskva (RUS)

Member: Edward Woodward | Manchester United FC (ENG)
Member: Ivan Gazidis | Arsenal FC (ENG)
Member: Josep Maria Bartomeu | FC Barcelona (ESP)
Member: Andrea Agnelli | Juventus (ITA)
Member: Jean-Michel Aulas | Olympique Lyonnais (FRA)
Member: Edwin van der Sar | AFC Ajax (NED)
Member: Michael Verschueren | RSC Anderlecht (BEL)
Member: Theodore Giannikos | Olympiacos FC (GRE)
Member: Dariusz Mioduski | Legia Warszawa SA (POL)
Member: Peter Lawwell | Celtic FC (SCO)
Member: Aki Riihilahti | HJK Helsinki (FIN)

Commenting on the elections, ECA Chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said:

     "I am delighted to be elected for another 2-year term and re-appointed as chairman. ECA's achievements since its inception in 2008 are remarkable and make all of us very proud. We are a well-respected association and are taken seriously at all levels. With the support of all member clubs, the newly elected Executive Board will face the upcoming challenges with a lot of commitment to ensure that the clubs' voice continues to be heard."

Further to the UEFA Congress' decision in March 2015 to allow stakeholder representation in the UEFA Executive Committee, the ECA Executive Board decided to appoint Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (FC Bayern München) and Andrea Agnelli (Juventus) to join the UEFA Executive Committee on behalf of ECA.

ECA Club Management Programme

Further to requests from ECA Member Clubs and as follow-up to the first ECA Club Management Guide published in 2015, ECA will soon offer an additional platform to clubs for the sharing of club management knowledge: the ECA Club Management Programme. The programme was designed for club administration staff to gain further industry-specific know-how on different areas of club management. It will run over a year and a half and be split into six two-day seminars, each dealing with a different topic of club management. The seminars are a mix of academic and professional tutorials, case studies from clubs as well as interactive group working sessions. The target group for this programme is the middle ranking management staff of ECA Member Clubs (or top management staff for clubs from smaller national associations) who wish to get a wider and more detailed knowledge of different club functions to eventually grow within the club structure.

European Week of Sport | 7-13 September 2015

The European Week of Sport is a new initiative of the European Union to promote sport and physical activity across Europe and raise awareness about the numerous benefits of both. This European-wide campaign will inspire Europeans to #BEACTIVE during the Week and encourage them to stay active all year long. Alongside a number of other leading sports organisations, ECA has agreed to offer its backing and full support to this initiative. ECA will highlight the European Week of Sport throughout the entire week through the use of its communication platforms and encourage its member clubs to spread the word to their millions of supporters. For more information, visit: www.ec.europa.eu/sport/week.