Football crazy - PwC's 'director of football'

Italian Fabian Capello might be leading England’s efforts on the field but over at PwC it’s head of sport Julie Clark who will be helping manage England’s bid for the 2018 World Cup - and the ref has only just blown the whistle for kick-off.

Her 14-strong line-up is keen to see England win, even though it contains two Scots and a German.

What’s happened?

Briefly, England 2018 will use PwC as its primary business adviser for the World Cup tender.

With Ernst & Young backing the 2010 Ryder Cup and Deloitte the 2012 Olympics, Julie Clark has sown up PwC’s role in attempting to bring the world’s second biggest sporting event to the UK.

Clark started her career with the East of England Tourist Board where she was responsible for stimulating investment in tourism through the provision of financial assistance, and for advising public and private sector clients on development and marketing issues.

As an avid supporter of Ipswich Town, some might question her football expertise but, fortunately for Clark, her passion for the game does not end there. Her career includes involvement in the Arsenal move from Highbury to the Emirates Stadium. Other parts of PwC’s football portfolio are impressive too. The firm has managed due diligence reviews for investors in clubs such as Liverpool, Aston Villa and West Ham and has assisted a number of debt funders to understand the risks and options for the oh-so-many football clubs carrying way too much debt.

The World Cup bid is a big win for the firm, though it will be played at home and away. It will be an opportunity to leverage the firm’s expertise in providing economic impact assessment, guidance on tax and guarantees, and advice on the budget to help the bid team.

What happens next?

The next few years will hold challenges for Clark. Not only will she have to demonstrate her sporting prowess, but PwC will also have to prove themselves to the industry. Being associated with such big names can fling individuals into the limelight so only the future will reveal how well Clark keeps her cool amid what are sure to be a lot of dangerous tackles. This will be more pertinent as no project of this size comes without risks, although there will be different pressures to those affecting the massive infrastructure projects involved in the Olympics.

The success of the campaign will be forever linked with PwC as an institution. Being involved with the national obsession in such a high-profile campaign could risk major embarrassment if things don’t go well.

But this is a game of two halves. This is just about winning the bid. The really tricky bit is way off in the distance. But, with a potential economic benefit of £3.2bn, Clark will want to make sure the team is on the pitch for the second half.