Council Chief Praises Man City Community Impact

Sir Howard Bernstein, Chief Executive of Manchester City Council, paid tribute to Manchester City Football Club’s impact on the community at the International Sport Business Congress, in association with BT, held on Thursday in Liverpool.

The event, which is being staged in both Liverpool and Manchester on consecutive days, is celebrating a region where sport has achieved global success and recognition and where the business of sport is one of the key drivers of the local economy.

Bernstein spoke glowingly about City’s impact in that space, but also focused his praise on their community influence, telling the audience that the club’s success and vision has driven the creation of “the most remarkable set of community sports facilities in the country”.

City have invested heavily in the regeneration of Manchester across a wide range of programmes and projects, including education, jobs training and more than 500 contracts awarded to local businesses.

That focus on sport’s social impact was echoed on a number of different panels and talks throughout the day on Thursday, including keynote addresses from psychologist, activist and former NBA player John Amaechi, who grew up in Stockport, and Robert Elstone, the CEO of Everton FC. 

Eniola Aluko, the England and Chelsea Ladies FC footballer, Sandra Jovchelovitch, a Professor at London School of Economics; Jene Elzie, NBA Vice-President of Marketing; and French rugby legend Serge Betsen were also on the speaker list at the event.

The two-day International Sport Business Congress has brought together some of the country’s top sporting minds discussing topics from the commerciality of sport to measuring the impact of sporting events. The Congress is being held at Liverpool’s BT Convention Centre and Arena and Manchester’s Etihad Stadium as part of the International Festival For Business.