Business of Sport

Today, we are delighted to welcome David Buttress. David was the co-founder and CEO of Just Eat, launching the UK business in 2006 and taking it from startup to Europe’s largest technology stock market floatation in a decade in 2014. In the world of sport, David is the owner the of Welsh United Rugby Championship club, Dragons, as well as acting as Non Executive Director of the Welsh Rugby Union’s Professional Rugby Board.  It’s a crucial time for club rugby. The international game, underpinned by tournaments like the Rugby World Cup and 6 Nations, is hugely successful. The club game is far more precarious. Investment, structure, packaging, distribution, governance: these are all issues that need addressing and David delivers as honest and transparent a view on what needs to be done to ensure the sports long term future.  In today’s show, we discuss: What makes rugby special: ‘Rugby is one of the last gladiatorial sports’ - there is so much to love about the game that needs to be protected and utilised to safeguard the future of the sport The passion of the fans is unrivalled but are the tournaments and clubs structured correctly to maximise the value of audience? International vs. club rugby - why is it hard to translate the success of the international game to the domestic leagues? Having the opportunity to own a club that means so much to its community is a privilege and the drive to achieve success is enhanced when the ownership aligns strategy on the pitch with development off it. The problems rugby faces: The competition for eyeballs has never been greater and the sport needs to innovate and develop more appealing offerings and products to stay relevant. The governance of the game is laborious and too slow in its decision making. What needs to change at the top of the sport to ensure opportunities to create value are not missed? Are the right people managing rugby? Packaging and distribution - utilise media more effectively to drive engagement and create a celebritization of the players? Sport after all is increasingly creatively packaged media. Player welfare is an issue and the game needs to continue to work to provide a safer environment for its players. The finances of the game depend too much on the willingness of ownership groups to invest in the clubs they own. Can a more sustainable and reliable model be created? The future of the sport: What can be done across the clubs and the leagues to create a more engaging product at club level? CVC have spent a lot of money investing in the rugby ecosystem. What could they or another investor do to drive commercial and participatory development? Does more budget need to be allocated to off field development as well as creating more value on it, and if so what are the priorities for investment? Building a team behind the scenes capable of driving new revenue streams across content and partnerships is crucial but doesn’t exist in the majority of organisations.

Today, we are delighted to welcome British Olympic legend Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill. An Olympic gold and silver medallist, European champion and 3x world champion, Jess competed at the highest level in the heptathlon for over a decade. Under the pressure and expectation that came with being the face of London 2012, Jess’s gold medal at the Games will forever be one of the most iconic moments in British sporting history. For all the achievements on the track and in the public eye, there is so much more to her story. From starting a family while still competing, to founding her business, Jennis, developed off the back of her experiences as an athlete, Jess demonstrates how the role of the modern sportsperson is increasingly about far more than records, medals, and trophies.  In today’s show, we discuss: The focus of the athlete: From starting out in athletics camps to entering elite competition, how the origin story can shape the outcome. Coping with pressure: what does it take to retain absolute control over performance when the outside noise gets louder. An athlete's relationship with winning and managing the disappointments when the result doesn’t go your way. From winning a first major medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games to the disappointment of missing the Beijing Olympics through injury. London 2012 - from face of the games to winning gold, how did Jess deal with the pressure of public expectation while balancing the commercial duties that surrounded the build up to the Olympics. Motherhood & athletics: Marriage, children, performance: how do you fit all these together while ensuring you don’t let the ball drop? Is it possible or do sacrifices need to be made? It is not expected that female athletes have children while competing, so what happens when you have a baby and don’t want to retire?  What did Jess have to do to get back the elite level of performance she was so used to, and how did she have to adapt her regime to accommodate the changes she had gone through? The sports industry has a lot to learn when understanding the impact of pregnancy on the female body and challenges it presents when returning to elite competition. Why is this? Modern day role of the athlete: The value of the athlete has extended well beyond the field of play. How do professional sportspeople play an extended role in society today? How does Jennis seek to empower women at the elite end of sport and in the wider community? Why is it so important to build this education into the industry and beyond? The role of social media and exposure to brands is something that plays a significant part in the lives of the most successful athletes in today’s world. Is this something they just have to learn to deal with or do they need additional support to manage effectively? Seeking investment in companies around women’s health is a tough business, and educating the financial community on the opportunity to develop women’s healthtech is crucial.

Tom Beahon, co-founder of Castore, discusses the journey of building a billion-dollar British sportswear brand. Topics include starting the business, partnerships, opportunities in secondary teams, measuring success, and the rise of Castore in the sports industry.

Manoj Badale, Co-owner of Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League, shares insights on investing in sport, salary caps, level playing fields, and closed leagues. The podcast also explores luck, skill, and the importance of in-person interactions in the workplace. Additionally, the discussion covers investment opportunities in soccer, the significance of TV rights, the connection between consumers and owners in the sports industry, challenges in judgments, and reflections on winning in cricket.

Today, we are delighted to welcome Maheta Molango to the show. As Chief Executive of the PFA, Maheta has one of the biggest jobs in football, leading the union that represents 55,000 current and former professional players in the UK.  A former professional footballer for the likes of Atletico Madrid and Brighton, Maheta has been involved in all aspects of the game. Before taking up his current role, Maheta trained as a lawyer while finishing his professional career, working both in and out of the industry while also spending a number of years as CEO of the Spanish club Real Mallorca.  Taking us through one of the most unique and impressive professional journeys in the sport, this is an incredibly open and honest conversation with one of the most influential people in football. In today’s show, we discuss: From player to executive: A self-professed journeyman on the pitch, how did the experience set Maheta up for a career after football? How the opportunities for education for players are now more available, but the time to do studies away from sport has become harder to find. The importance of setting yourself up for life after football and grounding your future opportunities in proper education. How do footballers currently do this? The challenge of moving into an industry away from sport and building a network for legal firm Baker Mckenzie in the industry when there was no existing traction. Appreciating the transition is not always smooth and you have to strike while the iron is hot. You are in the public eye when playing, but when retired you become another ex-professional alongside many others. The role of the PFA: What does the organisation do? Who does it support? How do they look to help players and their families? The challenge of having a huge number of people to support with a limited pool of resources. What can be done and needs to be done to improve this and therefore improve the support network for players? How is the organisation funded, and what control does it have in the wider footballing ecosystem to influence policy, strategy, and decision-making? The PFA Business School - how the organisation set up a number of opportunities for members to attain an education and apply that to their life beyond football. Football’s biggest challenges: What are the things that concern Maheta the most in football today, and what vulnerabilities do the PFA have to provide support for? Overcoming the huge challenge of fixture congestion and the impact that has on players' health and wellness. Maheta’s belief that the overcrowding of the football calendar risks reducing the quality of the product and damaging the reputation of some of the biggest competitions. Trying to disband the often unfair belief that footballers are not smart enough or aware of their role in society. Today’s players are highly in tune with their surroundings and often do a huge amount of work away from the pitch that goes unrecognised.  What is Maheta most proud of when looking at the developments made within the community under his tenure so far?

Today, we are delighted to welcome Tom Cleverley. Tom is a former England, Manchester United, Everton and Watford midfielder. Tom played over 300 league games, winning the Premier League in Sir Alex Ferguson’s final season with Manchester United in 2013. Having retired in the summer, Tom has taken his first steps into management, taking charge of Watford’s U18 team.  In today’s show, we discuss: Life as a young footballer: Growing up in the Manchester United academy and managing the pressures that come with elite performance and expectation at a young age. Tom’s experience being away from home living in ‘digs’ with other families while he trained with the youth team. The key attributes beyond outstanding talent that play a significant role in determining which young players make it to the first team. Being in and around world class players and management, and how that lifts the levels of everyone at a club. Motivations vs money: how to ensure you keep your focus and don’t get distracted by the outside noise that comes with being a professional. Balancing performance, relationships, and expectations: What it was like to earn the opportunity to play for Manchester United and win the Premier League with Sir Alex. How Sir Alex shaped the teams he managed and had the ability to continually achieve unprecedented results and drive standards. The learnings that you pick up when developing as a player stay with you and shape the way you approach dressing rooms and in Tom’s case, management. What goes into getting transfers done? The process a player and their representatives go through to get a move and that factors at play in influencing decisions. How honest conversations with Van Gaal and Koeman ensured Tom knew when the right time to move had come. Playing for England: what does it mean to players who get called up and how does the team gel when together? Beyond the pitch: The importance of having a great agent: how an influential team and stable support network is crucial to your off-field development. Managing your finances and preparing for a future beyond the game. Preparing for management and utilising the experiences learnt as a player to develop emerging talent. Tom’s love for the game and how important it is to be in a place where you feel confident in your ability to deliver results.

Ryan Smith, Owner of Utah Jazz & Real Salt Lake, discusses transitioning from tech to sports ownership, building a sustainable organization, creating a culture of passion, team building on and off the court, the business of the NBA, transforming media strategy, short-form content and personalized experiences for fans, streaming revenues for champion players, investing in Utah, and owning and managing a sports team.

This week, we are delighted to welcome Frank Smith. Frank first worked within Matchroom as a 14-year-old on work experience, and started full time in September 2008 after he left school. Having worked across many of the sports that Matchroom promote, Frank joined the Boxing department full-time in 2011 and worked his way through the ranks to assume the post of CEO in April 2018. Frank was appointed to the main board of the group’s parent company, Matchroom Sport, in December 2018. In today’s episode, we discuss: From internship to CEO: How chasing down Eddie Hearn’s car led to a job at Matchroom. As CEO of the boxing department, what are Frank’s key roles in the business and how does it complement Eddie’s work? The value of working in a family run business with a culture that encourages you to push yourself, try new things, and not worry about failing. How to be taken seriously as a young CEO in an industry that places huge demands on  leaders. Lessons from working with Barry and Eddie Hearn. Putting on the big fights: Why it is so important for boxing to put on the biggest fights and give the fans the match-ups they want. The challenges associated with agreeing deals and pre-fight negotiations: purse splits, media rights, location. How Anthony Joshua doesn’t let the details stop him from agreeing to fight and why more boxers need to worry less about the small print and more about the overall value. The rise of Saudi Arabia has presented new opportunities to take boxing to different audiences and drive more revenue for all involved. How governments are using boxing fights to promote their countries on a global stage. What happens when a fighter fails a drug test, and how does that impact the wider business?  The future of boxing: The rise of influencer boxing and the new opportunities it provides the sport. Does Frank view it as a corruption of the professional end or opportunity to build new audience and brands? Influencer vs. influencer is better than professional vs. influencer, but the pay packets are now often too large to turn down. How Matchroom had the opportunity to build an influencer division but chose to focus on professional boxing. The rise of women’s boxing: new audience, grassroots development, commercial growth. What next? How does the company keep innovating and ensure they are representing the best talent and putting on the best shows.  

A plant-based athlete and investor, Chris Smalling is dedicated to creating a more sustainable future for the planet. Chris currently plays for Serie A giants AS Roma, moving to Italy in 2020 from Manchester United, having played over 200 games for the club, and winning 31 caps for England in the process. Chris set up ForGood in 2020 to play a key role in accelerating the ecosystem that actively invests and champions the next generation of responsible businesses, with the ambition to drive a movement of doing things for good. Chris is also a Patron of Football Beyond Borders, a UK-based nonprofit that uses the power of football to change the lives of young people, and has recently co-founded athlete-led venture vehicle, The Players Fund. In today’s episode, we discuss: His pathway to football: How finishing school and a prospective place at university gave Chris a decision to make when it came to turning professional. How can the industry provide more opportunities for academy players to finish their education and still play top level football? What did having options do for Chris’ mindset when it came to handling pressure and potential failure in football? How does Chris use his experience in dressing rooms and high-performance environments to benefit his business ventures? The key influences in Chris’ career: From agents to family to financial advisors; the key team who support players and the importance of getting the right people around you. What it was like to have Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger trying to sign Chris and what influenced his decision to join Manchester United. Playing with your idols and the nerves of walking into a dressing room with Ferdinand, Vidic, Giggs, and Scholes. The challenges with balancing family and intensive travel commitments, and the speed at which your life can be uprooted to another city or country. How being welcomed to Roma and a love of the city and people made the transition so enjoyable. Business and Sport: What does Chris do away from the pitch and what are the motivations behind his business ambitions? Are business opportunities available to all athletes or do you have to go out and find them?  The Players Fund: a joint venture between Chris and a number of other sports stars, what is the purpose of creating a vehicle driven by athletes? Whose responsibility is it to provide an environment where footballers in particular feel prepared and able to get into business and trust the environment? A life after football: what to do when your identity is wrapped up in your profession and how to put a plan in place for the ‘next step’.  

Ivan Gazidis, former CEO of Arsenal & AC Milan, discusses founding MLS, importance of infrastructure, signing Messi, managing a Premier League club, commercial partnerships, managing a club in crisis, and managing pressure as an executive.