
The World Football Summit Podcast
This podcast is for leaders who want to design the football (soccer) we want and need. On this show, we will bring you closer to the people and the organizations who are driving change in the sports business industry all over the world.
Latest episodes

Jan 25, 2024 • 25min
E76: Dynamics you can’t miss in 2024 in the football industry.
This week, we review some topics that are impacting the football industry and things to look out for in 2024, including:
The importance of “brand” in football and brand valuations using the example of Manchester United.
The impact of “load management” in driving revenues and FIFPro’s player safety report.
The importance of live experiences at stadiums going forward in the sports business model, and why the top teams in the world are investing in revamping their stadium.
And more!
World Football Summit: The football we want, and need.
This podcast is for leaders who want to shape the future of the football (or soccer) industry. On this show, we will bring you closer to the people and the organizations who are driving change in the sports business industry all over the world.
You can learn more about us on:
Our website
LinkedIn
X
Instagram
Facebook
Our weekly newsletter
Our official YouTube channel

Jan 18, 2024 • 42min
E75: How the Saudi Pro League is building a leading football hub
Are you one of those folks in the industry wondering what is behind Saudi Arabia’s push toward becoming a leading global football hub?
This week, we travel back to WFS Asia, which took place in December 2023 to find out, thanks to an amazing panel that included the participation of:
Carlo Nohra - Chief Operating Officer at the Roshn Saudi League
Mohammed Awlia - Ministry of Sports
Romeo Jozak - Saudi Arabian Future Falcons
Omar Al Hakim - Serie A
Andy Jackson - Footballco
And you will listen to them speak about:
The role that bringing superstar players must play on and off the pitch.
The impact that a robust football league has beyond sport, specifically in culture and socio-economic development.
The ambitions from each angle towards the 2034 World Cup (the Pro League, Youth Football, The public institutions).
And so much more!
World Football Summit: The football we want, and need.
This podcast is for leaders who want to shape the future of the football (or soccer) industry. On this show, we will bring you closer to the people and the organizations who are driving change in the sports business industry all over the world.
You can learn more about us on:
Our website
LinkedIn
X
Instagram
Facebook
Our weekly newsletter
Our official YouTube channel

Jan 11, 2024 • 39min
E74: The state of football in Bahrain and the MENA region w/ Ahmed Al Khalifa
This week, we welcome Ahmed Al Khalifa to the show. Ahmed is the General Secretary at Riffa FC, a football club from Bahrain and a former alumnus at Johan Cruyff Institute.
This was a wide-ranging conversation, where we discussed:
The day-to-day of running the club, including his role, the sports business model, opportunities or challenges.
We reviewed in depth the state of the football industry in the MENA region
His experience at Johan Cruyff Institute and how it helped him prepare for his role.
I think this conversation will surprise you, so I suggest you stick around...Enjoy!
World Football Summit: The football we want, and need.
This podcast is for leaders who want to shape the future of the football (or soccer) industry. On this show, we will bring you closer to the people and the organizations who are driving change in the sports business industry all over the world.
You can learn more about us on:
Our website
LinkedIn
X
Instagram
Facebook
Our weekly newsletter
Our official YouTube channel

Jan 4, 2024 • 41min
E73: How Serie A approaches its international strategy
One of the best things about WFS events is listening to the leaders and organizations pushing the industry forward. At WFS Asia we had the awesome opportunity to listen to how Serie A is approaching their international strategy, and we thought that this is a panel you would enjoy…a lot!
The panel included the participation of:
Alfonso de Stefano - Serie A MENA Managing Director
Michele Ciccarese - Serie A Marketing & Commercial Director
Clarence Seedorf - Football legend and Serie A Ambassador
And you will listen to them speak about:
Their 3 pillars to foster international growth: Tech, Culture, and Fan engagement.
The role of content and adapting the global approach to each local market.
How they are adapting to new trends and fan behaviors.
And so much more!
World Football Summit: The football we want, and need.
This podcast is for leaders who want to shape the future of the football (or soccer) industry. On this show, we will bring you closer to the people and the organizations who are driving change in the sports business industry all over the world.
You can learn more about us on:
Our website
LinkedIn
X
Instagram
Facebook
Our weekly newsletter
Our official YouTube channel

Dec 28, 2023 • 48min
E72: A masterclass on club valuations, governance and entrepreneurship w/ Kasper Kronenberg (Off the Pitch)
We have a fun episode aligned for you to finish off the year, as we welcome Kasper Kronenberg, Editor in Chief and Co-Founder at Off the Pitch, one of the best football business intelligence services and databases in the world.
If you are into “club valuations” around the world (including Europe, the MLS, Saudi Arabia, Women’s Football…) and topics related to governance, this is an episode you do not want to miss!
But that’s not all! We also talk about the origins of the business, entrepreneurship, and lessons Kasper has learned throughout his career…this one has it all!
Next year will be a busy one with WFS events in London, Mexico, and Sevilla…check it out on our website!
Don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter, where every week we send updates, trends, and everything that goes on at our events. Find the link in the show notes.
Enjoy!
World Football Summit: The football we want, and need.
This podcast is for leaders who want to shape the future of the football (or soccer) industry. On this show, we will bring you closer to the people and the organizations who are driving change in the sports business industry all over the world.
You can learn more about us on:
Our website
LinkedIn
X
Instagram
Facebook
Our weekly newsletter
Our official YouTube channel

Dec 21, 2023 • 1h
E71: Working on the League Managers Association, female leadership in football, and the power of a good education at the FBA
This week, Natalie Bowles, Member Services Manager at the League Managers Association, and Kristian Dobrev, Deputy CEO at the Football Business Academy join us on the show to talk about developing a career in the sports industry, leadership, how to stay on top of current trends, the value of a good education…
If you are an “aspiring” sports business professional, this is a conversation for you.
This episode is brought to you by Juan Valdez, which is a 100% premium Colombian coffee brand.
You can order it online at es.juanvaldez.com and they actually have a special discount for World Football Summit Podcast listeners. Enter the code WFSpodcast at checkout, which is applicable to their whole-bean coffee. And…they deliver to all markets in Europe! So give it a try and let me know what you think.
World Football Summit: The football we want, and need.
This podcast is for leaders who want to shape the future of the football (or soccer) industry. On this show, we will bring you closer to the people and the organizations who are driving change in the sports business industry all over the world.
You can learn more about us on:
Our website
LinkedIn
X
Instagram
Facebook
Our weekly newsletter
Our official YouTube channel

Dec 14, 2023 • 53min
E70: "Content, Code & Capital" to drive the football industry forward w/ Unmish Parthasarathi
This week, we welcome Unmish Parthasarathi to the show. Unmish is the Founder of Picture Board Partners, which he launched after a brilliant career at brands like IMG, ESPN, FOX, and the International Cricket Council. I met Unmish because he is also a speaker at World Football Summit Asia and I realized he could be someone who brought a lot of value to you guys.
During the conversation, we discuss:
How Content and technology can combine to drive profitable growth in the football industry.
The current trends around sports content and how to engage a fan that is less intense and more fragmented.
Lessons he has learned from working with and at some amazing brands.
Leadership and career advice based on his experience so far.
I think this conversation is going to surprise you, so I suggest you stick around!
This episode is brought to you by Juan Valdez, which is a 100% premium Colombian coffee brand.
You can order it online at es.juanvaldez.com and they actually have a special discount for World Football Summit Podcast listeners. Enter the code WFSpodcast at checkout, which is applicable to their whole-bean coffee. And…they deliver to all markets in Europe! So give it a try and let me know what you think.
You can also buy tickets for WFS Asia, taking place on December 12-13th, on our website!
World Football Summit: The football we want, and need.
This podcast is for leaders who want to shape the future of the football (or soccer) industry. On this show, we will bring you closer to the people and the organizations who are driving change in the sports business industry all over the world.
You can learn more about us on:
Our website
LinkedIn
X
Instagram
Facebook
Our weekly newsletter
Our official YouTube channel

Dec 7, 2023 • 1h 22min
E69: The markets with highest potential in the football industry
If you are a follower of the podcast or simply interested in the football industry, I am pretty sure you have asked yourself about which are the markets with the greatest potential for football…right?
On today’s show, we are going to try and answer that question thanks to our friends from LTT Sports. We have just launched in collaboration with them a detailed report that looks into a group of markets to assess where most of the growth will come from. And just a little spoiler, it seems it would not be from Europe!
Today is the first of a series of conversations we will have over the next couple of months about this topic and on today’s show, Konstantin Kornakov & Fathi Abou El Gadaiel (former speaker at WFS Africa) join me to discuss the main findings of the report, trends and we discuss 3 specific markets. I was tempted to tell you which ones they were, but I think it’s best you listen to the episode!
Download the report on our WEBSITE.
This episode is brought to you by Juan Valdez, which is a 100% premium Colombian coffee brand.
You can order it online at es.juanvaldez.com and they actually have a special discount for World Football Summit Podcast listeners. Enter the code WFSpodcast at checkout, which is applicable to their whole-bean coffee. And…they deliver to all markets in Europe! So give it a try and let me know what you think.
You can also buy tickets for WFS Asia, taking place on December 12-13th, on our website!
World Football Summit: The football we want, and need.
This podcast is for leaders who want to shape the future of the football (or soccer) industry. On this show, we will bring you closer to the people and the organizations who are driving change in the sports business industry all over the world.
You can learn more about us on:
Our website
LinkedIn
X
Instagram
Facebook
Our weekly newsletter
Our official YouTube channel

Nov 30, 2023 • 43min
E68: Building a Purpose-Driven Women's Football Team w/ Ashlee Fontes-Comber
This week, we welcome another amazing female leader in football to the show as I get to sit down with Ashlee-Fontes Comber, Owner & CEO of the Tallahassee Reckoning.
Ashlee and I had a fantastic conversation about what it has been like to build the football team, what makes it unique, their business model, and more.
She also shares some great advice for female leaders in football and her views on the current state of Women’s Football.
This is a great conversation for those of you out there interested in the women's game!
This episode is brought to you by Juan Valdez, which is a 100% premium Colombian coffee brand.
You can order it online at es.juanvaldez.com and they actually have a special discount for World Football Summit Podcast listeners. Enter the code WFSpodcast at checkout, which is applicable to their whole-bean coffee. And…they deliver to all markets in Europe! So give it a try and let me know what you think.
You can also buy tickets for WFS Asia, taking place on December 12-13th, on our website!
World Football Summit: The football we want, and need.
This podcast is for leaders who want to shape the future of the football (or soccer) industry. On this show, we will bring you closer to the people and the organizations who are driving change in the sports business industry all over the world.
You can learn more about us on:
Our website
LinkedIn
X
Instagram
Facebook
Our weekly newsletter
Our official YouTube channel

Nov 23, 2023 • 1h 2min
E67: Female Leadership in Football, Entrepreneurship, Web3 and Data Management for Social Impact with Preeti Shetty
This week, we welcome Preeti Shetty, another amazing female leader in football, for an awesome conversation about her different roles:
- CEO of Upshot.
- Director at Brentford FC.
- She is involved with Ready, a platform aimed at educating women in the industry with new technologies.
- Entrepreneur after launching "Valeur" with another remarkable female leader in football: Arianna Criscione.
Preeti and I talked about her different roles, entrepreneurship, what went wrong in web3, leadership advice for female leaders, and the importance of using data to create a positive social impact...
This episode has it all! It is brought to you by Juan Valdez, which is a 100% premium Colombian coffee brand.
You can order it online at es.juanvaldez.com and they actually have a special discount for World Football Summit Podcast listeners. Enter the code WFSpodcast at checkout, which is applicable to their whole-bean coffee. And…they deliver to all markets in Europe! So give it a try and let me know what you think.
You can also buy tickets for WFS Asia, taking place on December 12-13th, on our website!
World Football Summit: The football we want, and need.
This podcast is for leaders who want to shape the future of the football (or soccer) industry. On this show, we will bring you closer to the people and the organizations who are driving change in the sports business industry all over the world.
You can learn more about us on:
Our website
LinkedIn
X
Instagram
Facebook
Our weekly newsletter
Our official YouTube channel