Hoover considers invitation to host international SoccerEx convention

A London-based organization that puts on international soccer conventions across the globe has officially invited Hoover to be the host city for its first North American convention in nearly 20 years.

The organization, called SoccerEx, is proposing to bring 1,000 to 1,500 prominent figures in the U.S. and international soccer industry to Hoover for a two-day convention in September 2018.

It would include representatives from governments, soccer federations, major companies that sponsor and broadcast soccer events and tournaments, as well as athletic exhibitors from 41 nations in the North American, Central American and Caribbean region, according to SoccerEx representatives.

Facilities being considered include the new 155,000-square-foot Finley Center at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex, Renaissance Ross Bridge Golf Resort and Spa, and Hyatt Regency Birmingham — The Wynfrey Hotel, said Bunmi Jinadu, co-chairman of the local organizing committee for the SoccerEx America Forum.

A delegation representing SoccerEx has been in Hoover this week and on Thursday night made a formal presentation to the Hoover City Council.

To gain the convention, Hoover would have to put up $500,000 and provide 250 free hotel rooms, Jinadu said.

The Hoover City Council has not yet decided whether to bid on the convention, but two council members attended the SoccerEx global convention in Manchester, England, last month, and a majority of council members spoke positively about the convention tonight.

“This is one of the first opportunities the city of Hoover has had to touch a truly global market,” said Councilman John Lyda, who was one of the two council members to attend the SoccerEx global convention in England. “What I saw in Manchester was incredibly impressive.”

It’s a tremendous honor for Hoover to even be considered, Lyda said.

Jinadu said some people might wonder why an organization such as SoccerEx would choose a city such as Hoover instead of larger cities where these types of events are typically held.

But Hoover is a good fit because it will give soccer officials and business people in the soccer world an opportunity for a retreat from the hustle and bustle of bigger cities and allow a focus to be put on the grassroots of the soccer industry, which is the youth level, Jinadu said. “Enough of the flashing lights,” he said.

Hoover has a reputation for excellence in athletics at the high school level and can showcase its success to the world, he said. The city also will have a chance to use this convention as an economic development tool and gain new opportunities as a destination for sporting events, he said.

“This will be an epicenter of sporting excellence,” Jinadu said.

The contract being considered by the city of Hoover is a one-year deal, with the option to extend for three more years, Council President Gene Smith said. The city also would receive 30 percent of conference fees and sponsorships, which would allow it to recoup some or most of its financial investment, Smith said.

“At worst, we break even financially,” he said. “Even then, the economic exposure the city is going to receive is priceless. You can’t put a price on that.”

Councilman Derrick Murphy said this convention would offer a different dynamic for Hoover and give the city a chance to showcase its new sports complex next to Hoover Metropolitan Stadium and get some return on its investment there.

“This is an exciting time for the city of Hoover,” Murphy said.

Councilman Curt Posey said he was excited about this convention the first day he heard about it, but he asked why Sports Facilities Management, the firm the city hired to promote and manage the city’s new sports complex, didn’t jump on this idea when it first came up.

Smith said Sports Facilities Management initially felt there was not enough history behind this event, but perhaps the opportunity was so large that they couldn’t put their arms around it at a local level.

Smith said he decided the council needed to get directly involved. He paid for himself, Lyda and April Danielson, an attorney for the city, and their spouses to attend the SoccerEx global convention in Manchester so they could investigate the matter firsthand. He came away very impressed, he said.

Jinadu said SoccerEx definitely has a strong history. The organization put on its first two conventions at Wembley Stadium in London in 1996 and 1997, then went to Paris in 1998 and Los Angeles in 1999 before returning to Manchester, he said. The global convention also has been held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, South Africa, Brazil and the past four years back in Manchester.

In 2005, SoccerEx also began holding smaller continental (instead of global) conventions around the world but has not been back to the United States until now, Jinadu said.

The organization decided it was time to come back to the United States because of the growing popularity of soccer here and the business opportunities associated with that growth, he said. The Southeast, in particular, is an area where there is a lot of potential for growth of soccer as a sport, he said.

Both the U.S. Soccer Federation and Major League Soccer have written letters of support for SoccerEx’s desire to hold conventions in the United States.

“SoccerEx has a strong history of organizing and executing world-class programs,” Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber wrote in a letter. “The insights and networking opportunities it provides is necessary for anyone looking to excel in the industry. Having so many major players at one conference allows information to be shared, relationships to be formed and deals to be executed. A SoccerEx event in the U.S. is long overdue, and we lend our full support for one to occur in the future.”

Sunil Gulati, president of the U.S. Soccer Federation, said in a letter there is no doubt that SoccerEx has an outstanding track record in organizing global soccer industry events in a highly professional and efficient manner. The U.S. Soccer Federation looks forward to working with SoccerEx to make events in the United States a reality, Gulati wrote.

Each of the seven largest governing bodies in international soccer have been a part of SoccerEx conventions in the last two years, Jinadu said.

SoccerEx is asking the city of Hoover to make a decision about hosting the convention in the next 10 days. The organization wants to be able to market its host city in the U.S. when it puts on its Asian Forum in Qatar in December, Jinadu said.

The Hoover City Council meets again Monday, but the SoccerEx proposal is not on Monday’s agenda. Smith said he may call a special meeting to consider the SoccerEx proposal.