BIZ Who Is AEG & Tim Leiweke??? The David Beckham Connection

Timothy J. Leiweke, President & CEO, AEG the David Beckham connection. (MLS photo) David Beckham

by James Loving and Business Wire

The David Beckham, LA Kings, LA Galaxy, American Idol CONNECTION

Thursday March 29, 2007

DAVID BECKHAM, TIM LEIWEKE & AEG - WHO ARE THESE GUYS???

You can wheel and deal all you want but for the first quarter of 2007 has anyone made such a deal as signing David Beckham to the LA Galaxy of the MLS (Major League Soccer)? It was the deal that rocked and socked the business, entertainment, advertising and sports worlds all at one time. Can you think of any deal in your business lifetime that has had such an impact in so many business sectors? The answer is… probably not.

The point being is who is this guy who heads the company that masterminded such a major transaction?

His name is Timothy J. Leiweke, President & CEO, AEG. AEG? For those that don't know who is AEG? Well that was a question we asked ourselves without realizing that we previously published a story about AEG being involved with Harrah's in Singapore. It is known as a collection of companies considered to be one of the world’s leading presenters of sports and entertainment programming.

It slipped under the radar that this company is the owner of the LA Galaxy football club of the MLS. They were the first soccer/football team that we covered in 1996.

The LA Galaxy signing of David Beckham was through American Idol creator Simon Fuller. Get the connection?

In researching who is AEG little was known from the information on their website. But finally a more transparent picture was recently revealed in part because Leiweke was up to making another one of his infamous deals.

About AEG

AEG is one of the leading sports and entertainment presenters in the world. AEG, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Anschutz Company, owns or controls a collection of companies including facilities such as STAPLES Center, The Home Depot Center, Toyota Park, Toyota Sports Center, Anaheim Convention Center Arena, El Rey Theater, Colosseum at Caesars Palace, NOKIA Theater at Grand Prairie and the NOKIA Theater Times Square.

Their sports franchises include the Los Angeles Kings (NHL), Los Angeles Riptide (MLL), the Los Angeles Galaxy, Chicago Fire and Houston Dynamo (MLS), two hockey franchises operated in Europe, management of privately held shares of the Los Angeles Lakers (NBA) and Los Angeles Sparks (WNBA), the ING Bay to Breakers foot race and the Amgen Tour of California cycling road race;

Now in his ninth year with the organization, Leiweke has acquired or merged more than 40 divisions and companies whose alliances create a global live entertainment organization capable of developing, producing, promoting, marketing and managing sports and entertainment programming in both facilities owned and operated by AEG as well as other venues.

In addition AEG LIVE, the organization’s live-entertainment division, is a collection of companies dedicated to all aspects of live contemporary music performance, touring and a variety of programming and multi-media production.

AEG Facilities, developers and operators of such venues as STAPLES Center, The Home Depot Center, Kodak Theater and HealthSouth Training Center; AEG Sports; AEG Merchandising; AEG Marketing, a sponsorship, sales and consulting company; AEG Real Estate, Creative Services and Business Resources all operate under his direction.

Additionally, the company has begun fully developing London’s 28-acre Millennium Dome which includes a 23,000-seat arena, the O2 and over 650,000sf of leisure and entertainment use within the ‘Dome’ and additional arenas; The O2 World on a 45-acre site in the heart of Berlin; Citizen’s Business Bank Arena in Ontario, California; Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri; as well as Red Bull Park, a soccer stadium in Harrison, New Jersey; and L.A. Live, a $2.5 billion sports and entertainment district in downtown Los Angeles.

As President of STAPLES Center, twice recipient of Pollstar’s prestigious “Arena of the Year” award, Leiweke was responsible for the overall development of the downtown Los Angeles showplace for major events and performances.

Built under his direction in a record 18 months, STAPLES Center is the home of five professional sports franchises including the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Kings, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Avengers and Los Angeles Sparks; the most prestigious concerts and shows including Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band (who played the arena’s first ever public event on October 17, 1999), the Eagles, U2, Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, Madonna, Fleetwood Mac, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, Prices, Usher, Dixie Chicks, *N Sync and Don Henley.

For more information, visit AEG today at www.aegworldwide.com.

About Los Angeles Galaxy

One of thirteen Major League Soccer (MLS) clubs, the Los Angeles Galaxy were founded on June 15, 1994, and play all of the club’s home games at The Home Depot Center on the campus of California State University at Dominguez Hills in Carson, Calif.

The L.A. Galaxy are one of the premier teams in MLS, boasting five championships, including the MLS Cup (2002, 2005), U.S. Open Cup (2001, 2005) and CONCACAF Champions’ Cup (2000). For more information, visit the official website at www.lagalaxy.com.

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