Sports Intelligence Trading the dawning of a new age has arrived
They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Well, this particular canine has been trading racing and sport his whole adult life (and a little bit before if I’m honest), so, making my way to Basinghall Street, I couldn’t help but wonder what Centaur’s new Sports Intelligence Academy is all about.
Well, I wasn’t to be kept in the dark for long. The evening kicked off with an introduction from chairman Keith Sobey, a genial Geordie – not that there tend to be many other types – whose passion for Sunderland FC even influences his choice of ties. He informed me, and the other forty guests who had come along for the first of a host of free seminars, that the Centaur Academy has been launched to provide training and support services for traders and investors capitalising on sports intelligence.
The dramatic rise in the popularity of sports exchanges now allows the well-informed to make decent tax-free incomes on markets which are not affected by the economic climate. Sobey and his experienced team at Centaur promise to provide ongoing mentoring, analysis and intelligence to all those who sign up to the Academy. In short, they’ll show you how it is done and give you all the support you need.
Well, Centaur’s 10-year history to date is an impressive one. Sobey founded Centaur back in 2000 and knows his numbers thanks to a background in accounting at the Audit Commission, which he can now combine with a long-standing love of most sports. The sports investment funds in particular boast impressive results since December 2003 – from then until June 2009, they grew, on aggregate, by over 450 per cent compared to the FTSE which yielded zero net growth in the same period.
Sobey then passed over to Tony Woodhams, the Group Managing Director, whose background in the financial markets meant he was well placed to explain the merits of trading sport rather than the stock market.
Next up, experienced trader Paul Carlier gave us a brief insight into some of the trading techniques he’ll be passing on to all those who sign up for the one and two day courses that follow. Carlier, who worked for many of the world’s largest financial institutions between 1988-2001 as a foreign exchange trader, now applies the skills and disciplines he learnt then to the sports markets. He promises to demonstrate how all this will enable his pupils to maximize the opportunities, minimize the risks and more importantly, deliver consistent performance.
Finally, we were introduced to Steve Ward, the principal of the Academy. Over 15 years experience in education and training were evidently on display and you could see why he was a successful performance consultant for a diverse range of sports teams and private and public companies. Risk assessment and disciplined trading were his watchwords and, while that may sound boring, it is certainly the advice I would always drill into anyone looking to profit from the exchanges.
With the two-hour session drawing to a close over the obligatory nibbles and wine there was a chance to chat further to the instructors and representatives from the Academy and find out more about the courses and master classes on offer.
Whatever your level of experience, I would definitely recommend attending one of Centaur Academy’s courses in the City. They will be running regularly over the next few weeks and more details can be found at www.centauracademy.com or by calling 020 7877 5050. I can vouch that they really can teach the oldest of dogs some new tricks.
UPCOMING COURSES
Tuesday 24th Nov Eve Free Seminar
Wednesday 9th Dec Eve Free Seminar
Thursday 10th Dec 2 Day Course
Friday 11th Dec 2 Day Course
Saturday 12th Dec 1 Day Course
Friday 18th Dec 1 Day Racing Masterclass
Saturday 19th Dec 1 Day Football Masterclass