The 2023 FMA Decentralized World Gathering kicks off in L.A.

To mark the 20th anniversary of the FIFA Master Alumni Association, the FMA is hosting several regional gatherings over the coming weeks. The first decentralized event of the series took place in Los Angeles, California, on 14-15 July.

Approximately a dozen FIFA Master alumni and a similar number of sports industry guests attended the evening cocktail reception at the westdrift Manhattan Beach, a boutique hotel often frequented by sports teams due to its proximity to SoFi Stadium.

Alumni from far and near made the effort to be at the event including several who flew cross country and one who made an 8-hour drive.

Midway through the gathering, several presentations were delivered.

CIES contributor and a veteran World Cup operator Ricardo “Baka” Trade and Thiago Jannuzzi, COO of CONMEBOL Copa America 2024 provided insights on the organization of the 2024 edition of the Copa America scheduled to take place in the United States.

Luis Rodriguez, Head of Global Partnership Sales at FIFA then spoke about the commercial power of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America.

Lastly, a presentation on the FMA, its history, activities and achievements were delivered to the attendees by 7th edition alumnus Biplav “Bip” Gautam. There was also a brief discussion on strengthening and unlocking the potential of the 50+ strong alumni base that exists in North America.

The next day, alumni and their guests were treated with complimentary tickets to the finals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup at the recently built and ultra-modern SoFi Stadium where the Mexico men’s National Team defeated Panama 1-0 to lift the trophy.

The Los Angeles event was coordinated by Jonathan Cantwell (FMA'03) and C11 Marketing, Nigel Davies (FMA'17) and Bip Gautam.

The FMA Committee would like to congratulate and thank the organizers, as well as those who attended the event, as they help our community to create a blueprint for stronger regional networks across our global community.

See more about the other chapters of the Decentralized World Gathering here.

Alumni & Guest feedback:

“This was really good opportunity to reboot the North America alumni group and start harnessing the power of our network” – John Siner (FMA'02)

“The [alumni gathering] weekend was fun and really re-energized my passion for what we get to do in the sports world” – Lauren Decker (FMA'03)

“This [event] was great and we should pen in a similar event for 2024 immediately” – Court Jeske (FMA'04)

“With the 2026 FIFA World Cup coming up, everyone is trying to get into the soccer ecosystem, the FIFA Master alumni are in a privileged position as they are already inside the tent” – Luis Rodriguez (FIFA)

“I really enjoyed the event. There is a lot [other sports management academic programs] can learn from FMA” – Neel Shah (India on Track Sports Management)

List of alumni who attended the LA Chapter of the 2023 FMA Decentralized World Gathering

John Siner - FMA'02

Jonathan Cantwell - FMA'03

Cadu Ferreira - FMA'03

Lauren Decker - FMA'03

Court Jeske - FMA'04

Bip Gautam - FMA'07

Raju PN - FMA'07

Mahesh Subramanian - FMA'07

Rob Swain - FMA'12

Omar Dreidi - FMA'16

David Camara - FMA'16