Leanne Bats [#53]: Taking Lessons from FC Barcelona and the All Blacks to a Regional Sports Trust

On today’s episode I’m joined by Leanne Bats, Head of Digital and Innovation at Sport Waikato, a not for profit Regional Sports Trust in New Zealand with the vision of 'Everyone out there and active'.

You might be thinking it’s fairly unique for a regional sports trust to have someone leading innovation, and you’d be right. This isn’t a typical role, it’s one that has been created specifically for Leanne - a former Football Fern, who has gone on to work with some of the biggest sporting IP on the planet in the form of the FC Barcelona and the All Blacks.

In this conversation, we discuss how she’s implementing innovation to increase participation in Waikato, a region in the upper North Island of New Zealand. We also discuss what she has learnt from her time with NZ rugby, her philosophy towards innovation, as well as who inspires her.

Timestamps

3:00 - Leanne’s Journey from the Football Ferns to the All Blacks

9:00 - Participation as a Form of Fan Engagement

15:00 - Engaging Younger Generations - and Meeting them Where They Are

21:00 - Implementing Innovation

29:00 - Innovators Who Inspire Leanne

37:00 - Future Plans and a Big Announcement

Additional Links

Connect with Leanne on LinkedIn - Here

Connect with Andy on LinkedIn - Here