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Sponsorship deal at the top of Apiafi's agenda
05/09/2007 |
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Britain's jockeys concluded their long search for an advocate in the corridors of power yesterday when Josh Apiafi, a 32-year-old former amateur jockey, was appointed as the next chief executive of the Jockeys' Assocation. Apiafi, who is currently director of field marketing for the Betfair betting exchange, will take up his new role on November 1, nearly six months after the sudden departure of his predecessor, John Blake.
Apiafi said yesterday that he hopes his appointment will herald a new era for Britain's jockeys, allowing them to exploit their commercial potential to maximum effect, both for their own benefit, and that of the sport as a whole. He will be a key figure in attempts to conclude a sponsorship deal for all of the country's riders, which could potentially be with a betting organisation, following a decision by the authorities last month to drop a blanket ban on sponsorship of jockeys by bookmakers.
The timing of Apiafi's arrival is also likely to provide an immediate test of his mettle in the face of negative publicity. Three jockeys - Kieren Fallon, Fergal Lynch and Darren Williams - are due to stand trial at the Old Bailey from September 24 on charges of conspiracy to defraud, and the trial is not expected to conclude until mid-November at the earliest.
Other issues that he may need to address include simmering resentment among some jockeys on that they are now banned from riding at more than nine meetings each week.
In the longer term, meanwhile, some big-name riders are also thought to be frustrated by their pay structure, which is agreed between the owners and trainers on one side and the JA on the other. This means top names like Tony McCoy and Frankie Dettori receive the same fee per ride as a journeyman or an apprentice, rather than the premium rate that they believe their talent should command.
As a former jockey himself, albeit as an amateur and in point-to-points, Apiafi should appreciate the stresses and demands of the job. He rode a winner for multiple champion trainer Martin Pipe in May 1995, and is a good friend of both David Pipe, who took over from his father in April last year, and McCoy, the champion jockey over jumps.
"This is a job that I've had my eye on for a long time," Apiafi said yesterday, "but it's not one that comes up very often. When it came up this time, AP [McCoy] and a few others said they would really like me to have a go, and it's great when people of that sort of stature have confidence in you.
"The commercial side is the one that they really want me to come in on. I don't want to run a trade union, but I'm really keen to create something like the Professional Cricketers' Association, which is now a multi-million pound body. I think that jockeys have huge potential commercially, and my number one target is to bring more substance and resources to the commercial side."
Jockeys will now look to Apiafi to provide the commercial drive and expertise that, presumably, Blake was thought to lack. The detailed reasons for his predecessor's sudden removal still remain a mystery, though, with both sides bound by a confidentiality agreement.
"You often hear people say that it's the jockeys and horses that are the stars," Apiafi says, "and that we need to make more of them. But if they are going to be crusaders bringing the sport to the masses, they need to be set up and remunerated in the right sort of way.
"And at the end of the day, their job is to ride horses, not just to promote the sport, and trying to define where that line is will be one of my main goals. It will help them to move forward, and help the sport to move forward too."
(Source: Guardian.co.uk)
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