This is the first episode in a series of four podcasts made in collaboration with Redtorch, the research and creative agency that’s been at the heart of Olympic sport for over 20 years, working for many of the key international federations. We’ve used Redtorch research insights several times on the podcast because they ask really good questions that seek to break the walls between the elite performance side of the industry and the participation, retail and sporting goods sectors.

The idea for this podcast came from a conversation with Jonny Murch, Redtorch CEO, about a peculiar problem, which has a several different applications. It’s about why the sports industry seems to find it so hard to get its message out to policy decision makers. This was a point reinforced in our recent conversation with Tracey Crouch, the former UK Sports Minister. She said, there is no social problem for which sport can’t provide an answer. So why then doesn’t government or other powerful groups listen? Why is sport not more central to decision making process when it comes to questions such as the health of the nation, the cost of the NHS or the obesity time bomb?

Where is sport’s voice at the top table of decision makers? Why isn’t there a more powerful and coordinated lobbying group for the sports industry, in the way there is for other industry groups, such as pharmaceuticals, Big Food, oil or automobile?

Myself and Jonny Murch are joined in this first episode by two people from a different part of the sports industry.

Celine Del Genes is Global Chief Customer Officer at Decathlon, the giant sports goods retailer.

Emma Zwiebler is a lawyer and a former Team GB professional international badminton player who is CEO of the World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry,

Visit www.redtorch.sport to learn more or call Redtorch CEO Jonny Murch on +44 7989 514 912 for a friendly chat with one of the industry’s most respected marketers.

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