Congratulations to Edvinas Eimontas – MESGO II graduate, who has been elected as new president of the Lithuanian Football Federation.

Edvinas Eimontas has been elected president of the Lithuanian Football Federation (LFF) on a four-year term. Leaving his role as the association’s general secretary, Eimontas succeeds Julius Kvedaras, president since 2012, who decided against seeking a new period of office.

All the MESGO community wishes him the best of success in his new position.

Original article from UEFA website:
http://www.uefa.com/memberassociations/news/newsid=2325656.html

Knowledge-sharing will continue between former MESGO participants thanks to the MESGO Alumni Association, which was officially founded and held its first general assembly in Barcelona on 19 June.

Before the formal general meeting, MESGO I and II graduates joined current MESGO III participants for a discussion with Damien Comolli, who hold senior positions such as former sports director for AS Monaco, AS Saint-Etienne, Arsenal FC, Tottenham Hotspur FC and Liverpool FC. In a relaxed atmosphere, Damien Comolli talked about his vast experience in leadership and the management and culture of football organisations. The discussion was led by David Frommer, MESGO II graduate and president of the MESGO Alumni Association.

Alumni event at INEFC with Damien Comolli

This event reflects the MESGO organisers’ support of interaction and exchanges that foster learning and enrich football governance. The discussion was followed by the inaugural general assembly of the MESGO Alumni Association, whose objectives were discussed and voted on. The association was created to produce a formal network of top professionals in sports governance. The board is made up of the following members:
– President: David Frommer, Head of International & Public Affairs at the European Club Association (ECA)
– Treasurer: David Rouger, Marketing, TV and Events Manager (and independent consultant) at European Aquatics (LEN) and Venue Operations and Broadcast Manager for UEFA
– Secretary: Pedro Velazquez, Director of Social Innovation & Empowerment at the International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS)

Alumni event at INEFC

The MESGO Alumni Association’s inaugural general meeting was followed by a bus tour of Barcelona and dinner by the beach.

Watch a video of the MESGO session in Barcelona and the MESGO alumni event also held in the Catalan capital in June 2015.

The first MESGO alumni event, gathering graduates from both the first and second intakes of the course, took place in Barcelona on 21 June.

In a relaxed atmosphere, the event started with a two-hour lecture by Professor Xavier Sala-i-Martin, professor of economics at Columbia University and former president of FC Barcelona. Professor Sala i Martin spoke about innovation and how countries should adapt their education system to encourage it. Many references were made to football and the way in which some great players and coaches had transformed the game by developing new systems or styles of play. The lecture was followed by a friendly sports tournament and ended with an enjoyable dinner on the beach.

The event was an opportunity for MESGO I and MESGO II graduates to meet and share their MESGO experience with each other.

The attendees also remembered Olafur Rafnsson, a graduate of MESGO I, who passed away very recently. Olafur was president of FIBA-Europe and of the Icelandic Olympic Committee. Glowing tributes were paid by representatives of the MESGO team and by fellow MESGO participants.