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Former England boss Terry Venables’s latest selection – a team of Israel high-tech companies
January 27, 2015 10:00
Former Football Association chairman Lord Triesman and Terry Venables, the former England manager, have chosen 20 Israeli companies specialising in sports technology to participate in a business delegation to the UK.
Lord Triesman and Mr Venables sat on a six-strong judging panel that met last week and chose the top 20 start-ups out of 80 applicants to participate in the Future Sport conference in March.
The selected companies – which have developed a range of technology, from allowing companies to promote engagement with fans to analysing the performance of players - will have the chance to present their ideas to top sporting figures and corporate groups, on a three-day trip to London and Manchester.
Daniel Saunders, chief of staff of the economic and trade department at the Israeli embassy in London, chaired the judging panel and will lead the delegation.
He said: “The aim of Future Sport 2015 is to combine the technological prowess of Israeli innovations with the acclaimed might of the British sporting industry.
“Each company’s pitch was scrutinised and the technology was analysed for its originality and potential for the UK market. After hours of discussion and debate, the panel selected the 20 innovative and diverse companies.
“Delegates will be taken to the head offices of some of the major British sports organisations, such as major clubs, stadiums and broadcasters. Across the country, the delegates will meet leading industry players and have the opportunity to demonstrate how their technologies can complement the great British sporting establishments.”
Nathan Tsror, the economic attaché at the embassy, added: “This will be Israel’s first event of its kind in the sporting arena and we are excited to see how Future Sport will generate opportunities akin to those achieved through previous Future Israel activities.”
BT Sport has already confirmed that it will be using mobile technology developed by Israeli company LiveU.
The latest figures from Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics — covering the first 10 months of 2014 — show bilateral trade at a record £3.16 billion, with exports from Israel to the UK up 14 per cent on the same period last year. Business leaders have previously attributed the figures to successful bilateral business delegations.
The winners will travel to the UK on March 24.
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