Octagon Restructures Global Football Team

Sports marketing specialists Octagon Worldwide is restructuring its global marketing football team to better deploy its capabilities worldwide on behalf of sponsors. Phil Carling, 11-year Octagon veteran, will head up the division from the company’s London office as Managing Director of Global Football leading a team of football experts based around the world. 

Considered one of the world’s leading experts on football marketing, Carling has held senior positions at clubs and federations and has worked with leading sponsors and brands.  He served as head of the Commercial Department at the FA from 1996-2000, and served for six years as Commercial Director of Arsenal FC.  

Joining the newly-expanded division will be Clay Smith who will serve as Senior Vice President of Global Football.  Clay most recently managed programmes for Octagon’s 2010 FIFA World Cup clients in South Africa and has some 16 years of experience activating sponsorships at the FIFA World Cup and across numerous worldwide football events and platforms.  Another member of Smith’s team, Aykan Azar, will also relocate from South Africa to London.  As Account Director, Azar played a key role in 2010 and 2006 FIFA World Cup sponsorship activations.
 
Speaking about the new division Octagon Worldwide President and CEO Rick Dudley said, “Over the last 20 years Octagon’s global football experts have provided strategic consulting and activation for more than 30 corporate sponsors at six FIFA World Cup tournaments and four European Championships and have negotiated more than US$200 million in corporate sponsorships in Europe alone. With the expertise and knowledge we developed in South Africa and with our recent investment into Brazil we are now well placed to provide a truly global, 360-degree service to meet client’s objectives.”