Restarting and reshaping the academy

Ben Ryan is one of the most distinctive performance leaders in elite sport.

Now Performance Director at Brentford Football Club, Ben is helping shape one of the Premier League’s most progressive, data-driven environments, where alignment, culture and marginal gains matter as much as talent.

In this conversation with Georgie Ainslie, Ben explains how Brentford’s performance model works in practice: from decision-making rooted in data, to creating psychological safety in a ruthless industry, to managing player availability, recovery and long-term development in a congested football calendar. He shares how Brentford balance innovation with consistency, and why being “boringly sensible” can be a competitive advantage.

Ben’s thinking, however, is forged well beyond football. He reflects on his extraordinary journey in rugby, including his time as head coach of Fiji Sevens, where he led the team to their first ever Olympic gold medal. That experience, built on cultural understanding, autonomy and belief, continues to shape his approach to leadership today.

This is a wide-ranging discussion about performance under pressure, learning from failure, and building environments where people can do the best work of their careers, whatever the sport.

This episode of Performance People is brought to you by J.P. Morgan Private Bank.

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The Performance People podcast, in partnership with J.P. Morgan Private Bank, talks to high-performers in the world of sport and beyond, to bring defining moments, hard-earned insights and expert advice to everyday performance. New episodes every Tuesday.

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The views and opinions expressed on Performance People are those of the guests and hosts, and do not necessarily represent the views of ainslie + ainslie, J.P. Morgan Private Bank, or any affiliated organisations.

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