The application process for the 2023 WFS Awards are now open and, here, we list the full 10 categories, who should apply for them and how you can do so.
This article features as part of the latest edition of WFS Digest, our new insider’s guide to the latest and most relevant thoughts and practises from within the football industry. You can subscribe to WFS Digest HERE.
Since their inception in 2017, the WFS Awards ceremony has been a part of our annual flagship event, World Football Summit Europe. Football has faced in the last years some of its biggest challenges in history, which the industry has managed to overcome thanks to the talent, commitment and work of countless professionals out of the spotlight.
The WFS Awards acknowledge and reward the work done by these professionals and their organisations in the football and extended sports industry, who in their daily lives turn this game into a powerful economic engine: club managers, agencies, sponsors, companies, media, associations and NGOs. We believe it is more pertinent than ever to celebrate and showcase these efforts and best practices, so they can increase their multiplying effect in the global sports business.
The following are the confirmed categories for the 2023 WFS Awards (please click on the link to initiate the application process):
DIRECTED AT: The executive who has made a change for the benefit of the institution, has made the most efficient use of its resources and has achieved greater impact according to their capabilities.
JURY MEMBERS
- Chad Biagini – President, Nolan Partners
- Catie Griggs – President, Seattle Mariners
- Paraag Marathe – President, 49ers Enterprises & EVP of Football Operations; Vice Chairman of LUFC.
- Todd Kline – Chief Commercial Officer / Board Member, Tottenham Hotspurs FC
- Klaus Filbry – CEO, SV Werder Bremen
- Jean-Paul Petranca – Managing Director & Partner, Boston Consulting Group
- Lina Souloukou – CEO, AS Roma
Click HERE to apply for free
DIRECTED AT: Companies that excel in providing innovative products or services to the football and/or sports industry.
JURY MEMBERS:
- Franco Segarra – Valencia CF, Innovation Director
- Rohn Malhotra – Managing Director, SportsTechX
- Lalo Garcia Torres – CEO, HubIN, Celtalab, GS360
- Preeti Shetty – CEO, Upshot
Click HERE to apply for free
DIRECTED AT: Clubs, club foundations, institutions, NGOs or companies that promote social change through football.
JURY MEMBERS:
- Aitor Hernández – Executive Directo, Fútbol Más Spain.
- Rafael Muela Pastor – General Manager, Real Betis Balompié Foundation.
- German Arguelles – Foundation’s Director, Real Sporting de Gijón.
- Elena Montoro García – Project Manager, Fundación LaLiga.
- Isabella Echeverri Restrepo – Union & Players Relations Coordinator, FIFPRO.
- Abel Aguilar – Embajador, Fundación Selección Colombia.
- Jordi Massana – CEO, 343 Media
Click HERE to apply for free
DIRECTED AT: Stadiums and sport facilities.
JURY MEMBERS TO BE ANNOUNCED
Click HERE to apply for free
DIRECTED AT: The company or institution whose performance or initiative has contributed in an outstanding and relevant way to promote the development and growth of women’s football, on a professional level, achieving notoriety and a certain projection that inspires new generations to practice it and audiences to follow it.
JURY MEMBERS TO BE ANNOUNCED
Click HERE to apply for free
DIRECTED AT: Companies or institutions which have expanded their business internationally.
JURY MEMBERS:
- Edward Cummings – Sports Consultancy Legends
- Simon Howard – Deloitte
- Arvind Narayanan – Chief Strategy Officer, Blue Crow Sports
Click HERE to apply for free
DIRECTED AT: Football rights holders: clubs, federations, and leagues, that have recently gone through a digital transformation process with demonstrated new value generated. The process may either be completed or ongoing but must be able to present tangible results.
JURY MEMBERS:
- Nina Tsimpouli – Head of Sports, TikTok
- Mota El Bawab – CIO, N3XT Sports
- Patrick Coyle – Chief Operating Officer, Professional Footballers’ Association
Click HERE to apply for free
DIRECTED AT: The most promising and innovative startups which provide sports organisations with outstanding solutions to help them in their transitions and overall transformation: fan engagement, sport performance, grassroots/amateur development, governance and organisations management, security & facilities, and environmental impact.
JURY MEMBERS:
- Thomas Rypens – Direct to Consumer Director, Club Brugge
- David Labrune – International Media Rights Director, LFP Media
- Alejandro Ugarrio – Director of Atleti Lab, Atlético de Madrid.
- Koen Bosma – Partner, APEX Capital
Click HERE to apply for free
DIRECTED AT: An Award created to reaffirm the legacy of Marcus Rashford MBE’s child food poverty campaigning, set to be directed to athletes, companies or a property who have used their profile to drive positive societal change.
JURY MEMBERS:
- Jurgen Griesbeck – Co-Founder and CEO, Common Goal
- Muhammad Yunus – Nobel Laureate 2006, Chairman Yunus Sports Hub
- Noella Coursaris Musunka – Founder, Malaika
- Adam Fraser – Chief Executive, Laureus Sport for Good
Click HERE to apply for free
1o. Football Without Limits Award (Category Partner – Integrated Dreams)
DIRECTED AT: This WFS Award looks to applaud, cherish and gain inspiration from companies, clubs, federations that have provided support to the inclusion and visibility of disabled people in our society, specifically in sports, by means of any initiative, technology, marketing campaign, innovative solution.
JURY MEMBERS:
- Hala Ousta – Senior Diversity & Accessibility Manager, FIFA
- Olivier Jarosz – CEO Interim, CAFE Football
- Jess Markt – Dissability Sport & Inclusion Specialist, ICRC
- Sergey Lyzhin – Honorary Secretary General, Association of Paralympic Sports Organisations
- Catherine Carty – UNESCO Chair Manager, UNESCO Chair Munster Technological University
- Álex Sánchez – Athlete, Utebo FC
- Dr. Nasanbat Oyunbat – Chairman of Women in Sports Committee of Asian Paralympic Committee, Mongolia
- Hamchetu Maiga-Ba – Chair, Hamchetu Maiga-Ba Foundation
Click HERE to apply for free
11. Most Impactful Branding in Football (Category Partner – Summa Branding)
DIRECTED AT: The company, club, institution or individual who has displayed or executed an exceptional branding campaign within the football industry. Nominees will be evaluated based on the strength and effectiveness of their branding strategy, their ability to differentiate themselves from competitors and the impact their branding has had on the industry.
JURY MEMBERS TO BE ANNOUNCED
Click HERE to apply for free
HOW TO APPLY
First of all, fill out the Application Form for your WFS Awards category by clicking one of the links above. Please do so before the application deadline of July, 16th, 2023 at 23:59 CEST.
The form has pre-established questions for each category and you may include up to two hyperlinks to videos, photos, or other documents that enable the jury to acquire further knowledge about the development of your initiative.
Applications must be on initiatives completed before March 2023 and you can contact us at awards@worldfootballsummit.com for any further questions or queries.
Participants of the WFS Awards, when submitting their application, authorise the public, private or streaming exhibition of their applications, the use of their logo and image for the communications and advertisement purposes of the event, as well as its edition, distribution and sale, as part of the WFS Awards content.
This article features as part of the latest edition of WFS Digest, our new insider’s guide to the latest and most relevant thoughts and practises from within the football industry. You can subscribe to WFS Digest HERE.
