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Mike Darcey
Chairman Arqiva, Chairman British Gymnastics, Director Sky NZ, Managing Director at Tide End Consulting
Mike Darcey is the Chairman of British Gymnastics, having joined the Board in March 2019. He succeeded Matt Neville as Chair and has been actively involved in addressing serious issues within the sport, particularly concerning athlete welfare and safeguarding practices.
Background and Experience
- Professional Background: Darcey has a robust executive background, notably with Arqiva, a communications infrastructure company. His experience spans various strategic roles, showcasing his leadership capabilities in complex organizations.13
- Education: He studied at the London School of Economics, which has contributed to his strategic thinking and governance skills.3
Role at British Gymnastics
As Chairman, Darcey has been vocal about the need for reform within British Gymnastics, especially in light of allegations regarding abusive practices in the sport. He has publicly apologized for the organization's past failures to address these issues and has advocated for an independent safeguarding body to ensure athlete protection across all sports in the UK.457
Key Initiatives
- Safeguarding Advocacy: Darcey has called for significant changes to enhance athlete welfare, emphasizing the importance of creating a safe environment for gymnasts.67
- Open Communication: He has issued open letters to members of British Gymnastics, expressing regret over past oversights and outlining steps for improvement.24
In summary, Mike Darcey is a significant figure in British Gymnastics, focusing on reforming athlete welfare and ensuring a safer sporting environment.
Highlights
𝗧𝗲𝗹𝗹𝘆𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝟭𝟵: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗴𝘂𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝗦𝗟 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁
Thursday saw the live draw for the new Champions League season, essential viewing for those trying to fathom the new format. The old group stage (8 groups of 4 teams) is replaced by a single league of 36 teams, creating many questions, some around how it all works, who plays who, and is it fair. The main question, however, is why make the change?
The answer is to look through the lens of the ongoing threat of a European Super League (ESL) and UEFA’s efforts to appease the biggest clubs. Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s explicit reference to the ESL in the intro video removed any doubt about the centrality of the ESL issue.
A feature of the new format is all teams have eight guaranteed fixtures, and two-thirds have a guaranteed ten (the top eight in the league qualify for the knock-out stages, and finishing 9-24 leads to a home and away play-off to round out the last 16). All good for gate revenue (five home matches guaranteed, up from three in the old format). More fixtures means more strain on players, but the big teams with large squads are best placed to cope.
The big teams will also be less vulnerable to an early exit if they have a couple of poor results. Two poor outings in a set of six group games can be terminal, but with eight or ten games guaranteed, there is time to recover and ensure progress to the knock-out stages. The new format also allows for the possibility of a fifth English team taking part. Two countries will have a fifth team, allocated to the two best performing nations.
Together, these factors mean a big team is more likely to be involved, and to stay involved. It’s well short of a closed shop, one of the promises and attractions (for some) of the ESL. But this was the most hated element for fans and even those keeping the ESL dream alive have conceded this point. But UEFA has tried to reduce jeopardy for the big teams.
Big teams will also enjoy the 20% increase in TV money per team, some of which reflects a better proposition for broadcasters. There are more weeks of action and more big team clashes in the early stages. Amazon’s first pick on Tuesdays, for example, of which it has 17, is more likely to feature an English team playing big name opposition. UEFA also says there will be fewer “dead rubbers” with nothing at stake. We will know more when we see the full schedule on Saturday and more as the season plays out, but I suspect simulations will have been carried out to evidence the point to bidders.
All bad news as regards growing disparity among the Premier League haves and have-nots, but it might work for big clubs and UEFA sounds confident in their riposte to the risk of the ESL returning. The fact they have felt the need to respond at all, and face down other objections, says the threat is still real. Time will tell if they have done enough.
Tellynomics 18: Is Venu dying before it gets to the start line?
We now know the price for the Venu sports offering, but after Fubo success in court this week, we are left wondering if the venture will ever launch.
Fubo has a credible antitrust argument although remedies might be available. But even if the venture is not blocked, the remedies might be unpalatable to some of the venture partners. Disney in particular might be tempted to use antitrust intervention as an excuse to walk away and pursue better options.
#Venu #Fubo #Disney
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Mesh is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Mesh beneficial.
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Mesh offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Mesh focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Mesh also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
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