SportsPro Podcast

To coincide with the launch of the Laureus Sport for Good Index, SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly is joined by Laureus managing director Ned Wills and Baroness Grey-Thompson, the decorated Paralympian who is now a crossbench member of the UK’s House of Lords and a leading voice in using sport for positive social change. They discuss the purpose of the Index project and its benchmarking potential, as well as the wider value of sports organisations as agents of tangible progress. They also take on the practicalities of working with partners and public authorities in making a meaningful, lasting difference.

As COP26 arrives, SportsPro senior contributor Matt Rogan talks to SOAS’s Dr Tom Tanner centre director and programme director at the Centre for Development, Environment and Policy about how sports bodies can respond to the climate emergency.  Dr Tanner helps to define some of the central challenges facing sport and how concepts like ‘resilience’ will give structure to the fightback. He also discusses which sports are making progress and which need to take their response more seriously, how major events and sports seasons could change, and the tangible steps organisations can make that have a real, sustainable impact. 

SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly checks in on the US sports industry with Sportico sports business reporter Eben Novy-Williams and seasoned soccer journalist Grant Wahl. Eben explains how supply chain issues are preparing to wreak havoc for sports teams, examines the latest controversy in the NFL and provides an update on the Kyrie Irving Covid vaccination row.  Then Grant looks at the fallout from the historic abuse scandal in the NWSL, assesses the mood of the sport in North America in 2026, and considers what Ted Lasso might mean for the Premier League’s US media rights prospects.

SportsPro senior contributor Matt Rogan talks to Beth Barrett-Wild, head of The Hundred women’s competition and female engagement at the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB), about engineering a female sports event to deliver an instant impact.  They talk about the decisions that helped shape the women’s edition of this summer’s much-discussed short-format competition, how they built a platform that leading female cricketers could share with the men and how the ECB hopes to deliver more young fans to the women’s game in years ahead. They also look at where the lessons of the Hundred’s first season can be applied in other sports, while Beth reflects on her career to date and considers the qualities that can inform more inclusive leadership.

SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly is joined by Press Association chief sports reporter Jamie Gardner and Professor Simon Chadwick, global professor of sport at Emlyon Business School, to unpack the takeover of Premier League soccer team Newcastle United by the Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia. They assess the response in Newcastle and across the English game, and consider some of the questions that have faced the Premier League since the deal went through, from the human rights record of the Saudi state to the reaction of other clubs. They also look into some of the motivations of the PIF and its partners in pursuing the deal, considering how Newcastle came to be identified as a target and how the acquisition fits into a wider sports investment strategy, and ask what comes next. Music: Surf Inspector by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4447-surf-inspector License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ 

SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly heads to London’s West End to talk to Brett Gosper, head of Europe and the UK at the National Football League (NFL).  As the NFL stages two International Series games at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Gosper explains how the league is rebounding from a Covid-enforced break in the British capital, how it is taking on markets like Mexico and Germany, and the implications of a rule change allowing individual teams to market themselves overseas.  He also reflects on his opening months in the job after arriving from World Rugby, what lessons he is applying from leading a governing body and his previous experience in agencies, and how sports like rugby, soccer and American football can collaborate on player safety and the risk of long-term brain injuries. 

As in-person conferences resume in pockets of the sports industry, SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly checks in with staff writer Rory Jones, on the ground this week at Sportel in Monaco. Rory shares his impressions from the influential sports media and tech event, sizing up the priorities of delegates and understanding how the experience has been adapted with Covid protocols. He also talks through the key themes that have been animating the sports media community this year, and looks ahead to new developments in how Sportel is delivered. Then former Liverpool FC chief executive Peter Moore, now the senior vice president and general manager of sports and live entertainment at 3D engine giant Unity Technologies, gives an insight into sport’s future in the metaverse – the shared virtual spaces that will evolve from the internet. He explains how Unity’s Metacast will create unique platforms for sport, and how best to understand the changes that are coming next.  Click here for a brief glimpse of the Metacast technology in action.

SportsPro senior contributor Matt Rogan talks to Nick Meacham, managing director at SportsPro. In this episode Matt learns about SportsPro’s journey over the last two years, navigating international expansion, transitioning further into the digital space and managing through the pandemic - all while creating confidence in the parent company.  SportsPro operates across many of the spaces that impact our world: OTT, private equity and talent - things that resonate with all of us. With that in mind, this is an advertorial-free, candid wander exploring what is really going on in our sector at the moment and what impact that is having on SportsPro.

SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly is joined by two guests from the award-winning Ear To The Ground agency, chief executive Richard Adelsberg and chief innovation officer Owen Laverty. As EA Sports prepares to release the latest edition of its all-conquering FIFA videogame series, they discuss how that title and others like it have created communal spaces for fans, and what brands need to understand if they are going to add value. They also talk about the role of music and influencers, the importance of embracing play and participation, and the trends that are now shaping digital communities.

SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly speaks to Christian and Damien Devaux, the co-founders of World Chase Tag, about the realities of launching a new sport in the 21st century. The brothers reflect on WCT’s brief journey from the back garden to a burgeoning global series, refining the rules and creating a global network of athletes, enthusiasts and promotional partners. They also explain how they have been working out their commercial strategy, from digital content to relationships with broadcasters like ESPN and Channel 4, the governance and business models they are looking to, and what they are learning about how to get fans invested in a sport.