THE LOWDOWN

Hugo Scheckter is the founder of “The Player Care Group” who are the UK’s first consultancy group focused on Player Care, Team Operations and Player Wellbeing within sporting environments across the world. Yet what exactly is player care? Hugo joined me to reflect upon his career to date and discuss his journey which has included successful periods with Southampton and West Ham. As Hugo begins a new chapter, we sat down to discuss everything including;- Running a six figure budget as a student- Helping to build Indy Eleven from the ground up- How to reduce the risk of a new signing not settling?- Why player care is a good investment?- How does football compare to other sports?- What does it feel like to win at Old Trafford?Hugo's LinkedIn; https://www.linkedin.com/in/hugoscheckter/“The Player Care Group” Website; https://www.playercaregroup.co.uk/Timestamps;00:00 - 03:45 - What is player care?03:46 - 11:03 - Indy Eleven & College in the US11:04 - 14:39 - Southampton14:40 - 21:01 - How is player care perceived?21:02 - 23:05 - Onboarding process of a new signing23:06 - 30:04 - “The Player Care Group”30:05 - 33:53 - Staff burnout in football33:54 - 37:02 - Legacy37:03 - 40:09 - Elevator pitch

Eric Gottschalk is the President & CEO of United City Football Club, a Philippine football powerhouse. Last year Eric was part of the MMC Sportz Asia ownership group which acquired “Ceres Negros” a club on the brink of insolvency. Close to a year and a Philippine Championship later Eric sat down with me to discuss the ins and outs of owning and running a football club. We discussed topics such as; - What does the ownership process looks like from due diligence to acquisition? - A blueprint for building Philippine football- Why you cannot give assurances to fans?- Why some ownership groups fail?- Eric's advice for those wishing to enter the industryEric's LinkedIn; https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-gottschalk-0b774315/United City Football Club Website; https://www.unitedcityfootballclub.com/United City Football Club Instagram; https://www.instagram.com/unitedcityfootballclub/?hl=enTimestamps;00:00 - 04:31 - Philippine Football04:32 - 09:16 - Acquiring a club09:17 - 11:44 - Ownership concerns11:45 - 14:07 - Vision14:08 - 20:52 - Changing the club's name20:53 - 26:51 - The big picture26:52 - 29:56 - The day to day29:57 - 31:43 - Legacy31:44 - 34:23 - Elevator pitch

CONIFA, the Confederation of Independent Football Associations, is the football federation for all associations outside FIFA. It’s a global acting non-profit organization that supports representatives of international football teams from nations, de-facto nations, regions, minority peoples and sports isolated territories. CONIFA was founded on the 7th of June 2013, and organized his first World Football Cup in June 2014 in Ostersund, Sweden. Recently I had the pleasure to sit down with Jason Heaton, global ambassador of the organization to discuss all things CONIFA and his passion for football. In a wide ranging discussion we remarked upon the following; - Finding your purpose through football- Why the strength of an organization is it's people?- What does a Kernow FA board meeting look like?- Sticking to your principles amid geopolitical pressure- The workload of representing a population base of 675 millionCONIFA Website; http://www.conifa.org/en/CONIFA Instagram; https://www.instagram.com/conifaofficial/Jason's LinkedIn; https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-heaton-6a9083106/Timestamps;00:00 - 04:36 - What is CONIFA?04:37 - 14:00 - Passion for football14:01 - 18:04 - Common purpose18:05 - 23:16 - Kernow FA23:17 - 30:31 - Heart warming stories30:32 - 33:45 - Upcoming tournaments33:46 - 40:16 - CONIFA future40:17 - 44:31 - Closing thoughts

As a new MLS season approaches I sat down with Joe Lowery to preview the upcoming season. Alongside his knowledge of the MLS, Joe has a keen eye for the tactical side of the game. Throughout this episode it was interesting to learn of the strides which MLS teams have made in this area over the past few years. Furthermore we discussed the ins and outs heading into this new season and what neutrals should be looking out for including; - Where does the MLS rank in terms of tactical modernity?- How Joe Lowery FC would strategize for a playoff run?-What to expect from Gabriel Heinze at Atlanta United?- Why Bob Bradley should never change- Predictions for the upcoming season- Joe's advice for those aspiring tactical analysts & writersJoe's Twitter; https://twitter.com/joeclowery?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5EauthorTimestamps;00:00 - 03:54 - Tactics 03:55 - 12:21 - MLS v Modern day tactics12:22 - 17:44 - Atlanta United17:45 - 20:46 - Columbus Crew20:47 - 25:42 - Philadelphia Union & the Supporter's Shield25:43 - 27:04 - Rest of the East27:05 - 30:55 - Seattle Sounders30:56 - 33:53 - Portland Timbers33:54 - 36:08 - LAFC36:09 - 41:22 - LA Galaxy & Efrain Alvarez41:23 - 45:04 - USMNT & Gregg Berhalter45:05 - 49:55 - Season predictions

A lot of people think; “Wow you work in football!” but what does the reality actually look like? Recently I had the pleasure to sit down with Chris Rush as he reflected upon his 15 years working in professional football at clubs such as Middlesbrough, Manchester City and most recently Blackburn. The interview focuses on the realities working as support staff in the professional game and the circumstances surrounding his recent departure from Blackburn. We discussed topics such as; - Working as support staff in football- What did the weekly routine look like?- When does a passion become a profession?- Can universities do a better job at raising awareness among students?- Cultural reformPacey Performance Survey; https://www.strengthofscience.com/pacey-performance-academy-performance-staff-survey/Timestamps;00:00 - 03:17 - 15 years in football03:18 - 11:30 - Reasons for leaving professional football11:31 - 15:15 - Pacey Performance Survey15:16 - 17:35 - Is it just football?17:36 - 19:38 - What does a typical week look like?19:39 - 26:36 - Can universities do better?26:37 - 31:04 - Reforms31:05 - 35:30 - What's next for Chris?

Interview with Valencia Academy Director; Sean Bai covering all topics on youth development including;- Integrating ideas from other industries into football- Sean's advice to growing academies- Behind the scenes into the organizational change at Valencia- Building a culture during Covid- Their process in identifying and developing a youth player- Academies as an immune system to FFP & European Super LeagueTimestamps;00:00 - 07:59 - Sean's role at Valencia08:00 - 15:32 - Individual first Player second15:33 - 23:07 - What does the support network around a player look like?23:08 - 35:25 - Building a culture during Covid35:26 - 42:34 - Recruitment42:35 - 47:52 - Pathway to Pro47:53 - 55:07 - FFP & European Super League55:08 - 57:18 - Sean's version of success

Interview with UEFA A Candidate and Recruitment & Performance Analysis Consultant at MRKT Insights; Chris Summersell on all things Tottenham Hotspur including;- Growing up with Spurs - The Pochettino years- Should we cut Mourinho some slack?- What tactical tweaks he would make- Who Spurs should be targeting in this summer's transfer window?- What constitutes success at Spurs?Chris' Twitter; https://twitter.com/ChrisSummersellTimestamps;00:00 - 07:47 - Ginola, Gascoigne & White Hart Lane07:48 - 12:56 - Mourinho12:57 - 19:13 - Pochettino19:14 - 25:56 - Demands of the modern day coach25:57 - 30:41 - Spurs 20/2130:42 - 41:28 - Proposed changes & Transfer window41:29 - 48:04 - With or without Mourinho?48:05 - 53:40 - What is success for Spurs?

Interview with Ben Lyttleton, author of 'Twelve Yards: The Art & Psychology of the Perfect Penalty' & ‘Edge: What Business Can Learn from Football’ covering all topics including; - Football as a tool for education & self-improvement- How to measure success?- The next frontier of talent development- Tuchel, Deschamps & developing the individual- How Lionel Messi can improve at penalties?- Resilience going forwardBen's LinkedIn; https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-lyttleton-053a981/Ben's Twitter; https://twitter.com/benlyt?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5EauthorTwelveyards substack; https://twelveyards.substack.com/Football School; https://www.footballschool.co/Timestamps;00:00 - 08:25 - Football as a tool08:26 - 10:10 - Next frontier of talent development10:11 - 20:48 - Cohesion, measuring success & Tuchel20:49 - 26:50 - Deschamps & developing the individual26:51 - 38:18 - Red Bull, Liverpool & defining talent38:19 - 46:31 - Penalties46:32 - 51:10 - Football School51:11 - 57:15 - Resilience

Interview with Andrei Angelescu of UEFA & the Romanian Football Federation on all things fan engagement and TV rights in football including;- The commercialisation of today's fan- 2021 trends- Premier League TV Rights- La Liga's international growth strategy- European Super League- Challenges in staging the 2020 Euro'sAndrei's LinkedIn; https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreiangelescu/Mihai Neşu Foundation; https://www.mihainesufoundation.com/ro/“Rendez-vous” Newsletter; https://mailchi.mp/fffce7b7c5d8/discover-the-digital-trends-of-10066329Timestamps;00:00 - 07:54 - Fan Engagement07:55 - 10:07 - 2021 Trends10:08 - 18:29 - TV Rights18:30 - 20:40 - La Liga20:41 - 25:20 - European Super League25:21 - 32:46 - Mihai Neşu Foundation32:47 - 34:27 - Euro 202034:28 - 39:52 - Romanian Football Federation & “Rendez-Vous”

Interview with Jasmine Baba on all things German Football including;- Finding a niche within the industry- Women in football- Joachim Low & German football's equivalent of musical chairs- Covid's effect on tactics- Julian Nagelsmann's next move- Gladbach & Arsene Wenger?!- Which German grounds Jasmine is most looking forward to visitingJasmine's Twitter; https://twitter.com/_jasminebaba?lang=enTimestamps;00:00 - 07:00 - Influences & Finding a niche07:01 - 11:29 - Women in Football11:30 - 15:03 - German Football15:04 - 18:34 - Tactical Trends18:35 - 22:02 - Bayern Munich & Flick22:03 - 27:17 - RB Leipzig & Nagelsmann27:18 - 34:15 - Borussia Dortmund & Rose34:16 - 37:35 - Gladbach & Wenger?!37:36 - 39:36 - German national team39:37 - 41:32 - Best of the rest41:33 - 45:30 - German football weekends