The Rave

Mike Lane has to wear more appropriate attire these days. More often than not, he was found at the cricket decked out in brown and beige, often a tight-fitting number in honour of Mark Richardson’s infamous one-piece racing suit, with a beer in one hand and binoculars in the other. As co-founder of the Beige Brigade, Lane was a bit of a rogue.

Now, however, he has more serious matters on his mind. As operations manager for the Local Organising Committee of next month’s Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi, he and a staff of 25 have the important job of making sure things such as security, traffic management, transport, broadcasting, stadium renovations and media are up to Fifa standards when the tournament kicks off on December 9.

The Club World Cup will be headed by European heavyweights Barcelona, along with South American champions Estudiantes and, of course, O-League winners Auckland City.

It wasn’t just his experience with the Beige Brigade that qualified Lane for the job, although it has turned into a highly successful brand. It started in 1998 after a friend asked him where he got his retro 1980s New Zealand cricket shirt from, so he and co-founder Paul Ford employed “little old ladies” to sew more.

More here…