Unofficial Partner Podcast

Andrew Craig is today’s guest, someone whose career in the sports business dates back to the mid-1980s, when he was one of the first recruits to ISL, the hugely influential sports marketing agency that played a central role in the commercial programmes around both FIFA and the IOC. Andrew was in charge during the formative years of the Olympic TOP programme before leaving to run CART, the American single seater motor racing series, taking it public in 1998. Since then, Craig has operated as much sought after consultant to Olympic bids and global motorsport properties.If you like the podcasts you’ll love the Unofficial Partner newsletter, that goes direct to the inbox of thousands of senior executives across the global sports business every Thursday.To join them, sign up via unofficialpartner.comUnofficial Partner is the leading podcast for the business of sport. A mix of entertaining and thought provoking conversations with a who's who of the global industry. To join our community of listeners, sign up to the weekly UP Newsletter and follow us on Twitter and TikTok at @UnofficialPartnerWe publish two podcasts each week, on Tuesday and Friday. These are deep conversations with smart people from inside and outside sport. Our entire back catalogue of 500 sports business conversations are available free of charge here. Each pod is available by searching for ‘Unofficial Partner’ on Apple, Spotify and every podcast app. If you’re interested in collaborating with Unofficial Partner to create one-off podcasts or series and live events, you can reach us via the website.

Paul Nolan was headhunted to The FA by then CEO Adam Crozier, a decision that kick started Nolan’s career as one of the most influential people in the field of sports recruitment, leading to the creation of Nolan and Partners, one of the first specialist sports industry recruitment consultancies.So, this is a conversation about jobs, how to get them, how to keep them and how much you should be paid for them. Nolan and his team have placed many of the people who occupy sport’s boardrooms around the world and he has spent two decades at the sharp end of several regular themes of this podcast, such as digital transformation, diversity and inclusion, performance incentives and the sports industry’s relationship with change.If you ever wonder what it takes to reach the C-Suite and stay there, this is well worth your time.If you like the podcasts you’ll love the Unofficial Partner newsletter, that goes direct to the inbox of thousands of senior executives across the global sports business every Thursday.To join them, sign up via unofficialpartner.comUnofficial Partner is the leading podcast for the business of sport. A mix of entertaining and thought provoking conversations with a who's who of the global industry. To join our community of listeners, sign up to the weekly UP Newsletter and follow us on Twitter and TikTok at @UnofficialPartnerWe publish two podcasts each week, on Tuesday and Friday. These are deep conversations with smart people from inside and outside sport. Our entire back catalogue of 500 sports business conversations are available free of charge here. Each pod is available by searching for ‘Unofficial Partner’ on Apple, Spotify and every podcast app. If you’re interested in collaborating with Unofficial Partner to create one-off podcasts or series and live events, you can reach us via the website.

This is the second instalment in a series of podcasts looking at how the sports business has evolved over the past half century in the company of Patrick Nally, one of a small handful of people who can lay a genuine claim to have created the industry as we know it today.This episode is devoted entirely to the business story of the Olympic Games, starting in the crisis torn era of the 1970s, a period in which the IOC faced an almost existential crisis, moving from the tragedy of Munich in ’72 through to the boycotts and global political battles of Montreal, Moscow and LA.Patrick takes us behind the scenes, in to the conversations with the real powerbrokers of that time, such as Horst Dassler and Juan Antonio Samaranch, and we track the beginnings of the TOP programme, sports most valuable marketing idea, that has helped transform the Olympics from bankruptcy to the financial monster it is today.If you like the podcasts you’ll love the accompanying newsletter, that goes direct to the inbox of thousands of senior executives across the global sports business every Thursday.To join them, sign up via unofficialpartner.comUnofficial Partner is the leading podcast for the business of sport. A mix of entertaining and thought provoking conversations with a who's who of the global industry. To join our community of listeners, sign up to the weekly UP Newsletter and follow us on Twitter and TikTok at @UnofficialPartnerWe publish two podcasts each week, on Tuesday and Friday. These are deep conversations with smart people from inside and outside sport. Our entire back catalogue of 500 sports business conversations are available free of charge here. Each pod is available by searching for ‘Unofficial Partner’ on Apple, Spotify and every podcast app. If you’re interested in collaborating with Unofficial Partner to create one-off podcasts or series and live events, you can reach us via the website.

Tom Harrison is a former professional cricketer who now runs the game in the UK. As CEO of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), Harrison overseas every element, from the amateur club game, through to the first class county system and on to the England men’s and women’s teams across test, one day and Twenty20 formats.Harrison’s sport business career started with the launch of PlayCricket.com and continued at IMG, where he managed the agency’s media business in India and where he was responsible for global media rights sales for many international cricket boards and the Indian Premier League. He spent five years living in Asia, working for ESPN Star Sports. He moved over to the ECB’S top job in 2015.It’s been quite a journey and we talk about what he’s learnt along the way and how that frames his view of the job he’s held since January 2015.Expect an honest and thoughtful response to questions on a wide range of topics including: The Hundred, the future of women’s cricket, the role of private equity, football’s Super League problem, the power of superstar players and the changes to come in the sports media rights landscape.If you like the podcasts, you’ll love the weekly Unofficial Partner newsletter that goes to thousands of sports business executives every Thursday. To subscribe for free, head to unofficialpartner.com.Unofficial Partner is the leading podcast for the business of sport. A mix of entertaining and thought provoking conversations with a who's who of the global industry. To join our community of listeners, sign up to the weekly UP Newsletter and follow us on Twitter and TikTok at @UnofficialPartnerWe publish two podcasts each week, on Tuesday and Friday. These are deep conversations with smart people from inside and outside sport. Our entire back catalogue of 500 sports business conversations are available free of charge here. Each pod is available by searching for ‘Unofficial Partner’ on Apple, Spotify and every podcast app. If you’re interested in collaborating with Unofficial Partner to create one-off podcasts or series and live events, you can reach us via the website.

Today we talk to Gundeep Anand, who is the force of nature behind The Last Stand, the UK street football tournament created to unite communities and break down cultural and religious barriers through sport.It’s a great story and Gundeep’s a brilliant communicator, offering a perspective on sport, politics and media you very rarely hear in the sports business conversation.  I really recommend listening in and then watching Gundeep’s film on The Last Stand on BBC Sport’s website.If you like the podcasts you’ll love the accompanying newsletter, that goes direct to the inbox of thousands of senior executives across the global sports business every Thursday.   To join them, sign up via unofficialpartner.comUnofficial Partner is the leading podcast for the business of sport. A mix of entertaining and thought provoking conversations with a who's who of the global industry. To join our community of listeners, sign up to the weekly UP Newsletter and follow us on Twitter and TikTok at @UnofficialPartnerWe publish two podcasts each week, on Tuesday and Friday. These are deep conversations with smart people from inside and outside sport. Our entire back catalogue of 500 sports business conversations are available free of charge here. Each pod is available by searching for ‘Unofficial Partner’ on Apple, Spotify and every podcast app. If you’re interested in collaborating with Unofficial Partner to create one-off podcasts or series and live events, you can reach us via the website.

This is the second episode in our series created with Portas, the global strategy consultancy dedicated to sport and physical activity.The conversation today focuses on the specific opportunities and challenges faced by sport rights holders in women’s football and motorsport.Our guests are two of the most influential leaders in women’s sport.Kelly Simmons MBE is The FA’s Director of the women’s professional game, a brief that includes oversight of the Women’s Super League.And Catherine Bond Muir, the CEO of the W-Series, the world’s first all-female single-seater motor racing championshipJoining Kelly and Catherine is Patrick Massey, a partner at Portas Consulting and an advisor to leading major national and international sports organisations, leading the company’s work in football and sport investment in Europe and at a global level in horseracing.Episode 1 of Re-Thinking Sport can be found here. If you like the podcasts you’ll love the accompanying newsletter, that goes direct to the inbox of thousands of senior executives across the global sports business every Thursday.To join them, sign up via unofficialpartner.comUnofficial Partner is the leading podcast for the business of sport. A mix of entertaining and thought provoking conversations with a who's who of the global industry. To join our community of listeners, sign up to the weekly UP Newsletter and follow us on Twitter and TikTok at @UnofficialPartnerWe publish two podcasts each week, on Tuesday and Friday. These are deep conversations with smart people from inside and outside sport. Our entire back catalogue of 500 sports business conversations are available free of charge here. Each pod is available by searching for ‘Unofficial Partner’ on Apple, Spotify and every podcast app. If you’re interested in collaborating with Unofficial Partner to create one-off podcasts or series and live events, you can reach us via the website.

There’s never been a week like it in the football business. So we’re talking about the launch, the short life and the excruciating collapse of The Super League with guests Sujit Jasani, managing director of Vero Communications and sponsorship expert Tim Crow, adviser to a growing roster of very unhappy football club sponsors.If you like the podcasts, you’ll love the Unofficial Partner newsletter, which goes to the inbox of thousands of people across the global sports business every Thursday. Sign up via unofficial partner.comUnofficial Partner is the leading podcast for the business of sport. A mix of entertaining and thought provoking conversations with a who's who of the global industry. To join our community of listeners, sign up to the weekly UP Newsletter and follow us on Twitter and TikTok at @UnofficialPartnerWe publish two podcasts each week, on Tuesday and Friday. These are deep conversations with smart people from inside and outside sport. Our entire back catalogue of 500 sports business conversations are available free of charge here. Each pod is available by searching for ‘Unofficial Partner’ on Apple, Spotify and every podcast app. If you’re interested in collaborating with Unofficial Partner to create one-off podcasts or series and live events, you can reach us via the website.

Today sees the launch of ‘Closing the Visibilty Gap’ an important piece of new research in to the commercial future of women’s sport in the UK.It’s been carried out by the Women’s Sport Trust in partnership with the Two Circles agency which suggests that revenue generated by women's sport in the UK is set to grow from £350m in 2020 to £1bn by 2030 and makes the point that this growth is predicated on the growing visibilty of female athletes and teams.Joining us on the podcast to discuss these findings are Tammy Parlour, Chief Executive and Co-Founder of the Women’s Sport Trust and fellow trust board members Zarah Al Kudzy, head of commercial partnership development at Formula One and my regular series co-host and sports PR expert Laura Weston.Together we ask, what has to go right for the billion pound target to be met.The full study can be found on the Women’s Sport Trust website and includes bespoke toolkits for all major stakeholders in sport – rights-owners, athletes, brands and media – to improve and optimise their promotion and investment in women’s sport.And if you like the Unofficial Partner podcasts, you’ll really like our weekly newsletter, which is read by thousands of people across the global sports business, and is where we talk about the topics and themes that arise from our podcast conversations.We can send it direct to your inbox every Thursday, all you have to do is sign up via unofficialpartner.com, where you’ll also find our back catalogue of podcasts.Unofficial Partner is the leading podcast for the business of sport. A mix of entertaining and thought provoking conversations with a who's who of the global industry. To join our community of listeners, sign up to the weekly UP Newsletter and follow us on Twitter and TikTok at @UnofficialPartnerWe publish two podcasts each week, on Tuesday and Friday. These are deep conversations with smart people from inside and outside sport. Our entire back catalogue of 500 sports business conversations are available free of charge here. Each pod is available by searching for ‘Unofficial Partner’ on Apple, Spotify and every podcast app. If you’re interested in collaborating with Unofficial Partner to create one-off podcasts or series and live events, you can reach us via the website.

The conversation today uses the upcoming UEFA Euro 2021 soccer tournament as the way into a debate about the value and best use of social media content. Our guests are Daniel Kirschner, co-founder of Greenfly, the content collaboration and distribution platform, Manu Leroy, director of marketing and communications for the Royal Belgian Football Association and JB Alliot, startup mentor and advisor to the UEFA Innovation Hub.If you liked the podcast, you'll really like the weekly Unofficial Partner newsletter. Sign up at UnofficialPartner.com.Unofficial Partner is the leading podcast for the business of sport. A mix of entertaining and thought provoking conversations with a who's who of the global industry. To join our community of listeners, sign up to the weekly UP Newsletter and follow us on Twitter and TikTok at @UnofficialPartnerWe publish two podcasts each week, on Tuesday and Friday. These are deep conversations with smart people from inside and outside sport. Our entire back catalogue of 500 sports business conversations are available free of charge here. Each pod is available by searching for ‘Unofficial Partner’ on Apple, Spotify and every podcast app. If you’re interested in collaborating with Unofficial Partner to create one-off podcasts or series and live events, you can reach us via the website.

This is the next in our series where we talk to women about the sports business, with regular co-host Laura Weston, the global pr consultant who’s a Trustee & PR lead Women’s Sport Trust and Trustee of the Liverpool FC Foundation.Our guest today is Ebru Koksal, the former investment banker who has been chief executive of leading Turkish football club Galatasaray for more than 15 years.Ebru became the first woman to be elected to the Executive Board of the European Club Association (ECA) in 2010 and the first and only female General Secretary of the Turkish Football Federation.In addition to her day job, Ebru Koksal is chair of Women in Football, where she is passionate about creating opportunities for women to step up to leadership positions in football.She is a graduate of Brown University, with a dual degree in Economics and International Relations, a graduate of Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program and a Chartered Financial Analyst.So, this is a conversation that covers a lot of ground from football finance, boardroom diversity and a surprising history of the Galatasaray club.And if you like the Unofficial Partner podcasts, you’ll really like our weekly newsletter, which is read by thousands of people across the global sports business, and is where we talk about the topics and themes that arise from our podcast conversations.We can send it direct to your inbox every Thursday, all you have to do is sign up via unofficialpartner.com, where you’ll also find our back catalogue of podcasts.Unofficial Partner is the leading podcast for the business of sport. A mix of entertaining and thought provoking conversations with a who's who of the global industry. To join our community of listeners, sign up to the weekly UP Newsletter and follow us on Twitter and TikTok at @UnofficialPartnerWe publish two podcasts each week, on Tuesday and Friday. These are deep conversations with smart people from inside and outside sport. Our entire back catalogue of 500 sports business conversations are available free of charge here. Each pod is available by searching for ‘Unofficial Partner’ on Apple, Spotify and every podcast app. If you’re interested in collaborating with Unofficial Partner to create one-off podcasts or series and live events, you can reach us via the website.