Terry Byrne
Encyclopedia
Terry Byrne is an English businessman, director of various companies connected to football that are active in the United Kingdom
and the United States
. Since 2010, he has been the vice-chairman of the revived New York Cosmos
, the newly resurrected soccer club hoping to gain entry into the Major League Soccer
during the next expansion window.
Byrne is best known for his business relationship and close friendship with footballer David Beckham
, spending years as the superstar's personal manager and business adviser.
to a mother who worked as a hairdresser and did aromatherapy
, Byrne was a dedicated Chelsea F.C.
fan growing up, with dreams of becoming a professional footballer. However, he only got as far as youth setup at lower-league outfits Leyton Orient F.C.
and Cambridge United F.C.
before getting cut.
Following a period of driving a cab in London for a living, Byrne decided to give sports massage a try after seeing a help wanted ad placed by Chelsea's team physiotherapist at one of the matches. Byrne ended up not getting hired, but went back to school, completing a one-year course at the London School of Sports Massage.
’s backroom medical staff as a part-time sports masseur, helping out the team physio on matchdays. At the time, the club's manager was Ian Porterfield. Within roughly six months of Byrne's hiring, in February 1993, Porterfield was on the way out to be replaced by first David Webb
and eventually in the summer of 1993 Glenn Hoddle
.
Arriving to the London club from AS Monaco where the practice of having multiple full-time masseurs on the staff was customary, Hoddle wanted to start implementing the same at Chelsea. Byrne seemed the obvious choice for such a role, however, looking to cut cost, club chairman Ken Bates
wouldn't pay two separate salaries for a kit manager and a sports masseur, so Byrne became both for a single annual salary of ₤12,000. Byrne thus became the first full-time masseur in English football. He worked the two roles simultaneously under Hoddle for two years, before deciding to devote to physiotherapy by enrolling in the English FA-sponsored two-year course for sports injuries, while still working the masseur job at Chelsea where he would eventually graduate to be the team's assistant physiotherapist.
In the summer of 1996 Hoddle got the job as the England national team manager that required him to leave Chelsea. He brought Byrne along, giving him a position on England's medical staff though Byrne also continued at Chelsea as the team's assistant physiotherapist under new manager Ruud Gullit
. Byrne thus simultaneously performed two jobs over the next three years. He worked as part of the England national football team
as one of the team masseurs, rejuvenating tired and injured players between matches. This is where his close friendhsip with young star on the rise David Beckham
began to develop.
Back at Chelsea, Ruud Gullit got sacked in February 1998, but Byrne continued at the club even under the next manager Gianluca Vialli
.
Byrne's relationship with Beckham particularly intensified during the 1998 FIFA World Cup
in France where the masseur became a close confidant to the 23-year-old, helping him cope with the pressures of his first major international tournament. Byrne became the listening post through the player's World Cup downs and ups such as his benching for the opening group match versus Tunisia or his free-kick goal versus Colombia. After Beckham's red card in the second round against Argentina, Byrne alone accompanied Beckham back to the changing room, offering a shoulder to cry on as well as providing continued support while the English public and the media crucified the player.
With Chelsea in 1999 Byrne's attempt to get the ball back into play during a match versus Coventry City
led to a brawl with Coventry manager Gordon Strachan
, and along with others he was later fined for misconduct.
In September 2000, early into the 2000-01 season, Vialli got the sack at Chelsea, while Byrne continued under new manager Claudio Ranieri
. At the end of the season in the summer of 2001 Byrne left Chelsea after nine years with the club, following an offer by Vialli to be a part of his extensive management team at Watford.
in 2001 brought in by Gianluca Vialli who became the new club manager on a three-year contract. The London-area club drew up an ambitious three-year plan of gaining promotion from the second-tier First Division
and returning to the Premiership where they previously played during the 1999-00 season. Several high-profile signings such as 30-year-old Ramon Vega
and 24-year-old Stephen Hughes joined in the summer of 2001 as the wage bills soared with even Vialli making close to £1 million a year. Byrne's exact duties as general manager in Vialli's management team were very loosely defined as he became involved in various aspects of the club's backroom business.
By Christmas, it was obvious Watford had no hope of promotion and coupled with the spring 2002 collapse of ITV Digital
, the DTT
broadcaster that held the league
's television rights, the entire Watford project turned into financial ruin overnight. After finishing the First Division season in 14th place, the club immediately axed Vialli's contract two years short of completion and went into crisis mode hoping to avoid administration
.
Following Vialli's dissmisal club chairman Graham Simpson promoted Byrne to be director of football - a newly created role responsible for player contracts, scouting and the academy. One of Byrne's first orders of business was hiring the next club manager, a job that went to Vialli's assistant Ray Lewington. Watford spent most of the 2002-03 First Division season trying to come up with the acceptable financial model, which would allow the club to survive now that TV money was no longer there as revenue source. The cash-strapped club managed to narrowly avoid administration by instituting cost-cutting measures such as forcing players and staff to accept a 12% wage deferral and raising funds via a share issue
.
On 31 October 2003, it was announced that Byrne was appointed to be David Beckham's personal manager effective December 2003.
's (company that owns the Los Angeles Galaxy
and at the time also owned four other MLS franchises) chief executive Tim Leiweke
in London to discuss Beckham's interest in starting a soccer academy
for boys and girls with branches in London and Los Angeles.
When Byrne formally came on board, Beckham was with Real Madrid, which meant the manager had to move to Spain
. Only months earlier Beckham split with his longtime representative agency SFX to join Simon Fuller
's 19 Entertainment
that already managed the career of his wife Victoria. For Byrne this meant working closely with Fuller in many aspects of his new job.
In 2006 Byrne launched 1966 Entertainment Limited, a joint venture with 19 Entertainment's Fuller, and in 2009 Byrne went on to acquire 100% of the company. 1966 Entertainment represents the England football team players' interests in their commercial partnership with the Football Association
.
Byrne negotiated Beckham's contract with Los Angeles Galaxy and remains a close friend.
In July 2007, Beckham made the long-anticipated mid-season switch to Los Angeles with Byrne playing a key role in making the transfer happen six months earlier. Various aspects of Byrne's subsequent involvement with the LA Galaxy have been controversial. Through his long-standing relationship with AEG's Tim Leiweke, Byrne became a consultant on the club payroll, which created an obvious conflict of interest by having a player's personal manager also hired to provide paid consulting services to that same player's club management. Additionally, Byrne's appointment was not revealed to the public or to the club's players. All of this allowed Beckham, Byrne, and 19 Entertainment to pretty much run the club from behind the scenes. Byrne carried out moves such as requesting the captain's armband to be given to Beckham immediately upon joining the team, which eventually created tension with club's captain up to that point, Landon Donovan
. Finally, Byrne even hired club personnel, going right over Galaxy's general manager Alexei Lalas as in the case of bringing in head coach Ruud Gullit
in November 2007.
In 2008, 1966 launched the Team England footballers charity which donates players' match fees to their charity partners. The idea arose from Byrne's discussions with the players' committee.
regarding a possible takeover by a consortium headed by Byrne. However, this did not materialise.
In 2009, Byrne became a founding partner of Aura Entertainment along with Steve Clarke
, David Piper and James Oxley. Aura Entertainment, along with David Gardiner and SEQ, created Arena 3000 (later renamed A:3K), of which Byrne is also a director.
A:3K's main activity is sports entertainment
. Specifically, the company puts on entertainment events in indoor arenas during the summer offseason featuring big-name footballers. The shows combine certain elements of football with performing arts and technology. Byrne put together A:3K Football, a skills challenge event with a futuristic gladiatior-type setting at the London's The O2
on 17 July 2010 featuring David Villa
, Cesc Fabregas
, Cristiano Ronaldo
, Didier Drogba
, Steven Gerrard
, and Wayne Rooney
. However, the event had to be postponed after Rooney and Gerrard, two of the most interesting names for the English crowd, withdrew, fearing a backlash from a highly paid event so soon after England's poor showing in the 2010 World Cup
. Byrne was hoping to re-schedule the show for June 2011.
, working with former Tottenham Hotspur vice-chairman Paul Kemsley
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Since 2010, he has been the vice-chairman of the revived New York Cosmos
New York Cosmos (2010)
The New York Cosmos are an American soccer club based in New York City. The team was formed in August 2010 by a consortium led by English businessman Paul Kemsley, and aspires to become a franchise of Major League Soccer, the top professional soccer league in the United States of America and Canada...
, the newly resurrected soccer club hoping to gain entry into the Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
during the next expansion window.
Byrne is best known for his business relationship and close friendship with footballer David Beckham
David Beckham
David Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE is an English footballer who plays midfield for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer, having previously played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, and A.C...
, spending years as the superstar's personal manager and business adviser.
Early life
Born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to a mother who worked as a hairdresser and did aromatherapy
Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy is a form of alternative medicine that uses volatile plant materials, known as essential oils, and other aromatic compounds for the purpose of altering a person's mind, mood, cognitive function or health....
, Byrne was a dedicated Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
fan growing up, with dreams of becoming a professional footballer. However, he only got as far as youth setup at lower-league outfits Leyton Orient F.C.
Leyton Orient F.C.
Leyton Orient F.C. are an English professional football club in East London. They currently play in Football League One and are known to their fans as the O's.Leyton Orient have spent one season in the top flight of English football, in 1962–63...
and Cambridge United F.C.
Cambridge United F.C.
Cambridge United Football Club is a professional football club from Cambridge, England. They are currently playing the 2011-2012 season in the Conference National, the fifth tier of the English league system, where they have competed since 2005 following their relegation from the Football League...
before getting cut.
Following a period of driving a cab in London for a living, Byrne decided to give sports massage a try after seeing a help wanted ad placed by Chelsea's team physiotherapist at one of the matches. Byrne ended up not getting hired, but went back to school, completing a one-year course at the London School of Sports Massage.
Chelsea FC backroom medical staff
In the summer of 1992, Byrne got hired for a position on Chelsea F.C.Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
’s backroom medical staff as a part-time sports masseur, helping out the team physio on matchdays. At the time, the club's manager was Ian Porterfield. Within roughly six months of Byrne's hiring, in February 1993, Porterfield was on the way out to be replaced by first David Webb
David Webb (footballer)
David James Webb is an English former professional footballer who made 555 appearances in the Football League playing for Leyton Orient, Southampton, Chelsea, Queens Park Rangers, Leicester City, Derby County, A.F.C. Bournemouth and Torquay United. He became a manager, taking charge of A.F.C...
and eventually in the summer of 1993 Glenn Hoddle
Glenn Hoddle
Glenn Hoddle is an English former footballer and manager who played as an attacking midfielder for Tottenham Hotspur, AS Monaco, Chelsea and Swindon Town and at international level for England....
.
Arriving to the London club from AS Monaco where the practice of having multiple full-time masseurs on the staff was customary, Hoddle wanted to start implementing the same at Chelsea. Byrne seemed the obvious choice for such a role, however, looking to cut cost, club chairman Ken Bates
Ken Bates
Kenneth William Bates is a British businessman and football executive. The current chairman and now owner of Leeds United AFC, Bates was previously chairman and majority shareholder of Chelsea FC from 1982 until 2003....
wouldn't pay two separate salaries for a kit manager and a sports masseur, so Byrne became both for a single annual salary of ₤12,000. Byrne thus became the first full-time masseur in English football. He worked the two roles simultaneously under Hoddle for two years, before deciding to devote to physiotherapy by enrolling in the English FA-sponsored two-year course for sports injuries, while still working the masseur job at Chelsea where he would eventually graduate to be the team's assistant physiotherapist.
In the summer of 1996 Hoddle got the job as the England national team manager that required him to leave Chelsea. He brought Byrne along, giving him a position on England's medical staff though Byrne also continued at Chelsea as the team's assistant physiotherapist under new manager Ruud Gullit
Ruud Gullit
OON is a Dutch football manager and former football player, who played professionally in the 1980s and 1990s. He was the captain of the Netherlands national team that was victorious at Euro 88 and was also a member of the squad for the 1990 World Cup. He was named the European Footballer of the...
. Byrne thus simultaneously performed two jobs over the next three years. He worked as part of the England national football team
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
as one of the team masseurs, rejuvenating tired and injured players between matches. This is where his close friendhsip with young star on the rise David Beckham
David Beckham
David Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE is an English footballer who plays midfield for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer, having previously played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, and A.C...
began to develop.
Back at Chelsea, Ruud Gullit got sacked in February 1998, but Byrne continued at the club even under the next manager Gianluca Vialli
Gianluca Vialli
Gianluca Vialli is an Italian football manager and former player. Since retiring, he has gone into management and punditry and is a commentator for Sky Sport Italia....
.
Byrne's relationship with Beckham particularly intensified during the 1998 FIFA World Cup
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
in France where the masseur became a close confidant to the 23-year-old, helping him cope with the pressures of his first major international tournament. Byrne became the listening post through the player's World Cup downs and ups such as his benching for the opening group match versus Tunisia or his free-kick goal versus Colombia. After Beckham's red card in the second round against Argentina, Byrne alone accompanied Beckham back to the changing room, offering a shoulder to cry on as well as providing continued support while the English public and the media crucified the player.
With Chelsea in 1999 Byrne's attempt to get the ball back into play during a match versus Coventry City
Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...
led to a brawl with Coventry manager Gordon Strachan
Gordon Strachan
Gordon David Strachan OBE is a Scottish football manager and former player. He is currently without a club, having last managed Middlesbrough. Strachan played for Dundee, Aberdeen, Manchester United, Leeds United and Coventry City, as well as the Scotland national team. Prior to Middlesbrough,...
, and along with others he was later fined for misconduct.
In September 2000, early into the 2000-01 season, Vialli got the sack at Chelsea, while Byrne continued under new manager Claudio Ranieri
Claudio Ranieri
Claudio Ranieri, is an Italian football manager, currently in charge as head coach of Internazionale.He has also managed many other well-known clubs in Europe, including Cagliari, Napoli, Fiorentina, Valencia, Atlético Madrid, Chelsea, Parma, Juventus and Roma.-Early life:Ranieri attended St...
. At the end of the season in the summer of 2001 Byrne left Chelsea after nine years with the club, following an offer by Vialli to be a part of his extensive management team at Watford.
Watford FC general manager and director of football
Byrne joined Watford F.C.Watford F.C.
Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade...
in 2001 brought in by Gianluca Vialli who became the new club manager on a three-year contract. The London-area club drew up an ambitious three-year plan of gaining promotion from the second-tier First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
and returning to the Premiership where they previously played during the 1999-00 season. Several high-profile signings such as 30-year-old Ramon Vega
Ramon Vega
Ramon Vega is a former Swiss footballer of Spanish descent, who played as a central defender.During his 13-year professional career, he was best known for his spell in England at Tottenham Hotspur, but also had another stint in the United Kingdom, playing in Scotland for Glasgow Celtic.-Early...
and 24-year-old Stephen Hughes joined in the summer of 2001 as the wage bills soared with even Vialli making close to £1 million a year. Byrne's exact duties as general manager in Vialli's management team were very loosely defined as he became involved in various aspects of the club's backroom business.
By Christmas, it was obvious Watford had no hope of promotion and coupled with the spring 2002 collapse of ITV Digital
ITV Digital
ITV Digital was a British digital terrestrial television broadcaster, which launched a pay-TV service on the world's first digital terrestrial television network as ONdigital in 1998 and briefly re-branded as ITV Digital in July 2001, before the service ceased in May 2002. Its main shareholders...
, the DTT
Digital terrestrial television
Digital terrestrial television is the technological evolution of broadcast television and advance from analog television, which broadcasts land-based signals...
broadcaster that held the league
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
's television rights, the entire Watford project turned into financial ruin overnight. After finishing the First Division season in 14th place, the club immediately axed Vialli's contract two years short of completion and went into crisis mode hoping to avoid administration
Administration (British football)
Sports clubs in the United Kingdom, most often in football, sometimes choose to enter administration when they are unable to pay off outstanding debts. Under the Insolvency Act 1986 a business will face a winding up order bringing them to court and if it is shown that a business cannot pay debts as...
.
Following Vialli's dissmisal club chairman Graham Simpson promoted Byrne to be director of football - a newly created role responsible for player contracts, scouting and the academy. One of Byrne's first orders of business was hiring the next club manager, a job that went to Vialli's assistant Ray Lewington. Watford spent most of the 2002-03 First Division season trying to come up with the acceptable financial model, which would allow the club to survive now that TV money was no longer there as revenue source. The cash-strapped club managed to narrowly avoid administration by instituting cost-cutting measures such as forcing players and staff to accept a 12% wage deferral and raising funds via a share issue
Issued shares
Issued shares is a term of law and finance for the quantity of shares of a corporation, which have been sold or awarded and are subsequently held by the shareholders....
.
On 31 October 2003, it was announced that Byrne was appointed to be David Beckham's personal manager effective December 2003.
David Beckham's personal manager
Byrne stayed with Watford for two and a half years before becoming David Beckham’s personal manager and an executive of Beckham's company Footwork Productions Limited. In actuality, Byrne had been involved with certain aspects of Beckham's business dealings long before he formally became the player's personal manager in December 2003. For example, in 2002, on Beckham's behalf, Byrne met with Anschutz Entertainment GroupAnschutz Entertainment Group
The Anschutz Entertainment Group is a sporting and music entertainment presenter and a subsidiary of The Anschutz Corporation. It is the world's largest owner of sports teams and sports events, the owner of the world’s most profitable sports and entertainment venues, and under AEG Live the world's...
's (company that owns the Los Angeles Galaxy
Los Angeles Galaxy
The Los Angeles Galaxy are an American professional soccer team, based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California, which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, and the league's second...
and at the time also owned four other MLS franchises) chief executive Tim Leiweke
Tim Leiweke
Timothy Leiweke is President of Anschutz Entertainment Group , which owns the Los Angeles Kings, the Los Angeles Galaxy. part of the Los Angeles Lakers, as well as multiple sporting and entertainment venues around the world-References:...
in London to discuss Beckham's interest in starting a soccer academy
David Beckham Academy
The David Beckham Academy is a football school founded by England international David Beckham in 2005. , it operates in two locations: in London, United Kingdom, and in Los Angeles, California, United States, though the London location closed in early 2010 .Further Academy sites are planned at...
for boys and girls with branches in London and Los Angeles.
When Byrne formally came on board, Beckham was with Real Madrid, which meant the manager had to move to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. Only months earlier Beckham split with his longtime representative agency SFX to join Simon Fuller
Simon Fuller
Simon Fuller is a British artist manager, television producer and creator of the Idol franchise, first seen as Pop Idol in the UK. Fuller is also the co-creator and executive producer of the Fox TV reality show So You Think You Can Dance and other U.S...
's 19 Entertainment
19 Entertainment
19 Entertainment, based in Los Angeles, United States, is a creator and producer of entertainment properties based around the areas of Music and Television / Film, including American Idol in the United States, Pop Idol in the United Kingdom as well as versions of the Idol series in more than...
that already managed the career of his wife Victoria. For Byrne this meant working closely with Fuller in many aspects of his new job.
In 2006 Byrne launched 1966 Entertainment Limited, a joint venture with 19 Entertainment's Fuller, and in 2009 Byrne went on to acquire 100% of the company. 1966 Entertainment represents the England football team players' interests in their commercial partnership with the Football Association
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
.
Byrne negotiated Beckham's contract with Los Angeles Galaxy and remains a close friend.
In July 2007, Beckham made the long-anticipated mid-season switch to Los Angeles with Byrne playing a key role in making the transfer happen six months earlier. Various aspects of Byrne's subsequent involvement with the LA Galaxy have been controversial. Through his long-standing relationship with AEG's Tim Leiweke, Byrne became a consultant on the club payroll, which created an obvious conflict of interest by having a player's personal manager also hired to provide paid consulting services to that same player's club management. Additionally, Byrne's appointment was not revealed to the public or to the club's players. All of this allowed Beckham, Byrne, and 19 Entertainment to pretty much run the club from behind the scenes. Byrne carried out moves such as requesting the captain's armband to be given to Beckham immediately upon joining the team, which eventually created tension with club's captain up to that point, Landon Donovan
Landon Donovan
Landon Timothy Donovan is an American soccer player for the Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer in the United States. He usually plays as a withdrawn forward, and can also be used as an attacking midfielder on either wing....
. Finally, Byrne even hired club personnel, going right over Galaxy's general manager Alexei Lalas as in the case of bringing in head coach Ruud Gullit
Ruud Gullit
OON is a Dutch football manager and former football player, who played professionally in the 1980s and 1990s. He was the captain of the Netherlands national team that was victorious at Euro 88 and was also a member of the squad for the 1990 World Cup. He was named the European Footballer of the...
in November 2007.
In 2008, 1966 launched the Team England footballers charity which donates players' match fees to their charity partners. The idea arose from Byrne's discussions with the players' committee.
Business ventures
After ending his role as Beckham's personal manager, Byrne confirmed in January 2009 that he was in talks with Leyton Orient chairman Barry HearnBarry Hearn
Barry Hearn is an English sporting events promoter, and the founder and chairman of promotions company Matchroom Sport. He is currently the chairman of Leyton Orient F.C., and the Professional Darts Corporation and was also until July 2010 chairman of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker...
regarding a possible takeover by a consortium headed by Byrne. However, this did not materialise.
In 2009, Byrne became a founding partner of Aura Entertainment along with Steve Clarke
Steve Clarke
Stephen "Steve" Clarke is a Scottish association football player and coach, currently the assistant manager at Liverpool. He played for St. Mirren, Chelsea and Scotland, winning three major trophies with Chelsea towards the end of his career...
, David Piper and James Oxley. Aura Entertainment, along with David Gardiner and SEQ, created Arena 3000 (later renamed A:3K), of which Byrne is also a director.
A:3K's main activity is sports entertainment
Sports entertainment
Sports entertainment is a type of spectacle which presents an ostensibly competitive event using a high level of theatrical flourish and extravagant presentation, with the purpose of entertaining an audience...
. Specifically, the company puts on entertainment events in indoor arenas during the summer offseason featuring big-name footballers. The shows combine certain elements of football with performing arts and technology. Byrne put together A:3K Football, a skills challenge event with a futuristic gladiatior-type setting at the London's The O2
The O2 (London)
The O2, visually typeset in branding as The O2, is a large entertainment district on the Greenwich peninsula in South East London, England, including an indoor arena, a music club, a Cineworld cinema, an exhibition space, piazzas, bars and restaurants...
on 17 July 2010 featuring David Villa
David Villa
David Villa Sánchez , nicknamed , is a Spanish footballer who currently plays as a striker for FC Barcelona and the Spanish national football team. He can also operate as a winger....
, Cesc Fabregas
Cesc Fàbregas
Francesc "Cesc" Fàbregas i Soler is a Spanish footballer who plays as a central midfielder for La Liga club FC Barcelona.Fàbregas started his career as a trainee with Barcelona but was signed by Premier League side Arsenal in September 2003 at the age of 16...
, Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, OIH, , commonly known as Cristiano Ronaldo, is a Portuguese footballer who plays as a winger or striker for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and is the captain of the Portuguese national team...
, Didier Drogba
Didier Drogba
Didier Yves Drogba Tébily is an Ivorian footballer who plays in the centre forward position. He currently plays for Chelsea in the Premier League, where he is deputy vice-captain, and is the captain and all-time top scorer of the Côte d'Ivoire national football team...
, Steven Gerrard
Steven Gerrard
Steven George Gerrard MBE is an English footballer who plays for and captains Premier League club Liverpool. He also has 89 caps for the England national team. He has played much of his career in a centre midfielder role, but he has also been used as a second striker and right winger...
, and Wayne Rooney
Wayne Rooney
Wayne Mark Rooney is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Manchester United and the England national team...
. However, the event had to be postponed after Rooney and Gerrard, two of the most interesting names for the English crowd, withdrew, fearing a backlash from a highly paid event so soon after England's poor showing in the 2010 World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
. Byrne was hoping to re-schedule the show for June 2011.
Reviving the New York Cosmos
Byrne is Director of Football of the revived New York CosmosNew York Cosmos (2010)
The New York Cosmos are an American soccer club based in New York City. The team was formed in August 2010 by a consortium led by English businessman Paul Kemsley, and aspires to become a franchise of Major League Soccer, the top professional soccer league in the United States of America and Canada...
, working with former Tottenham Hotspur vice-chairman Paul Kemsley
Paul Kemsley
Paul Zeital Kemsley , is an English businessman. He is best known as a property developer, and to sports fans as a former Vice-Chairman of Premier League football club Tottenham Hotspur, and as Chairman of the revived New York Cosmos.-Biography:He was educated at Atholl School in Rayners Lane,...
.