Unofficial Partner Podcast

A special live episode of our sister publication, Expected Goals, hosted by Maggie Murphy and Matt Cutler.Sponsored by Evelyn Partners. Expected Goals Live - Investment in Women's FootballEvent Summary & AnalysisThis live podcast episode from Expected Goals captured a pivotal moment in women's football investment, featuring industry experts discussing the money flowing into the sector and entrepreneurs pitching their businesses.Chapter 1: The Investment Panel - Who's Writing the Cheques?Participants: Nikki Boyd (Sphera Partners), Richard Thomas (Octo Sport), Olivia Hall (Firebird Collective), Anne Rodriguez (Pitch Wise Holdings)The panel revealed the sophisticated criteria investors now apply to women's football opportunities. Geographic positioning emerged as crucial - not just population size, but competitive landscape and heritage matter. The emphasis on academy programs signals investors are thinking beyond immediate returns to long-term player trading revenue, even though million-pound transfers remain elusive.Chapter 2: Global Hotspots - Where the Smart Money is GoingThe US market drew mixed reactions - acknowledged as having momentum but potentially overvalued. Europe, particularly the UK, emerged as the consensus sweet spot, with Australia flagged as "massively undercooked" commercially.The debate over closed versus open leagues revealed philosophical differences, with some investors preferring the security of closed systems while others saw promotion/relegation as adding necessary competitive tension.Chapter 3: Beyond Clubs - The Ecosystem PlayInvestors are increasingly looking beyond traditional club ownership to leagues, media companies, and ancillary businesses. The recent investment in the Upshot League (US women's basketball) exemplifies this approach - backing established operators entering structured ecosystems rather than entirely new concepts.Chapter 4: Advice from the Money - What Entrepreneurs Need to KnowThe panel's counsel was brutally practical: come with more than PowerPoint presentations. They want to see contracts, data, and proof of concept before writing cheques. The emphasis on resilience reflects the reality that this remains a marathon investment thesis.Chapter 5: The Broader Sports Landscape - Opportunities and ThreatsDiscussion expanded beyond football to sports like netball, volleyball, and emerging Olympic sports. The fragmentation risk in US volleyball - with four leagues competing for the same market - serves as a cautionary tale about premature market splitting.Unofficial Partner is the leading podcast for the business of sport. A mix of entertaining and thought provoking conversations with a who's who of the global industry. To join our community of listeners, sign up to the weekly UP Newsletter and follow us on Twitter and TikTok at @UnofficialPartnerWe publish two podcasts each week, on Tuesday and Friday. These are deep conversations with smart people from inside and outside sport. Our entire back catalogue of 400 sports business conversations are available free of charge here. Each pod is available by searching for ‘Unofficial Partner’ on Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher and every podcast app. If you’re interested in collaborating with Unofficial Partner to create one-off podcasts or series, you can reach us via the website.

Guest: Paul Morgan, Rugby World Editor and Premiership Rugby Comms DirectorRunning List: The Business of Rugby Episode1. British Lions Commercial StrategyTicket pricing controversy: Struggling to sell out Dublin match at £163 per ticketMajor commercial partnerships: Qatar Airways (title sponsor), Patron Saint whisky, Rhino, Oxford Landing, Charles Tyrwhitt, Howden, Canterbury, FanaticsDigital strategy: World Rugby/Lions collaboration on RugbyPass App for Australia tourBroadcasting: S4C secures Welsh highlights rights, Sky holds exclusive live rights2. CVC hire Marc AllegraMarc Allera (former EE CEO) appointed chairman of newly created CVC SportsCoBackground: Sega → Three → EE → Jagex chairman (also CVC-owned)27% stake in Premiership Rugby (acquired 2019)Six Nations Rugby investmentHad to bail out Newcastle Falcons amid broader club financial crisis3. Rebel Franchise seriesMike Tindall-backed R360 targeting world's top 300 playersEstimated £300-400m needed to launchAims for 2026 launch with 12 franchises, no relegationSalaries roughly double traditional club payThe Pushback:Simon Massie-Taylor (Prem CEO): "Rugby needs roots, not pop-ups" - dismisses as "distraction"Andrew Georgiou (TNT Sports): Calls it "commercially unsustainable," compares to LIV Golf4. Gallagher Prem RebrandRebranding to "Gallagher Prem" focusing on physicality ("real grit", "raw speed", "big hits")10% growth in interest overall, 30% among 18-34 year-oldsPlans for US showpiece fixtures ahead of 2031 World CupClub World Cup launch in 2028 as "step forward in global expansion"5. Red Bull Buying Newcastle FalconsTaking on £39m club debtFirst rugby union purchase for Red BullPlans to use brand/marketing expertise to attract younger fansCommitment to keep team in Newcastle, eyeing Newcastle United synergies6. Women's World Cup - Rugby's Lionesses Moment?350,000 tickets already sold, targeting 400,000 stretch goalO2 partnership giving customers priority accessBBC partnership ensuring nationwide accessibilityGoal to increase women's participation from 25% to 33% by 2029Unofficial Partner is the leading podcast for the business of sport. A mix of entertaining and thought provoking conversations with a who's who of the global industry. To join our community of listeners, sign up to the weekly UP Newsletter and follow us on Twitter and TikTok at @UnofficialPartnerWe publish two podcasts each week, on Tuesday and Friday. These are deep conversations with smart people from inside and outside sport. Our entire back catalogue of 400 sports business conversations are available free of charge here. Each pod is available by searching for ‘Unofficial Partner’ on Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher and every podcast app. If you’re interested in collaborating with Unofficial Partner to create one-off podcasts or series, you can reach us via the website.

Today's guests are Laura Randall, Creative Director, and Jack Kenney-Herbert, Director of Sponsorship at Sid Lee Sport, the agency declaring war on what they call "sponsorship tumbleweed." That's their term for the boring, forgettable activations plaguing sports marketing - endless skills challenges, carpool karaokes, and grey sofa interviews that cost millions but deliver little for the client. They've created a list of seven ideas they'll never pitch again.Join us as they dissect why sports marketing has become so predictably dull and what to do about it.Unofficial Partner is the leading podcast for the business of sport. A mix of entertaining and thought provoking conversations with a who's who of the global industry. To join our community of listeners, sign up to the weekly UP Newsletter and follow us on Twitter and TikTok at @UnofficialPartnerWe publish two podcasts each week, on Tuesday and Friday. These are deep conversations with smart people from inside and outside sport. Our entire back catalogue of 400 sports business conversations are available free of charge here. Each pod is available by searching for ‘Unofficial Partner’ on Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher and every podcast app. If you’re interested in collaborating with Unofficial Partner to create one-off podcasts or series, you can reach us via the website.

B2B is big business for sports rights holders. But why are business-to-business brands paying billions in sport sponsorship rights? From the IOC to Formula One, categories such as consulting, accountancy, logistics, financial services and tech are growing rapidly.  In the IOC's programme, Deloitte and Allianz replaced Dow and GE as TOP Olympic sponsors.  IBM's technology partnerships with Toronto sports teams, VMware's McLaren Formula One partnership, and Dell China's Chinese Olympics rowing team sponsorship.  In F1, major B2B partners include DHL (logistics), Globant (digital services), American Express (financial services), and TAG Heuer (luxury/precision timing)Teams feature extensive B2B partnerships including Cognizant, Microsoft, Siemens, Aramco, and numerous technology and consulting firmsWhat are they buying, and how is sport targeting them? Leigh Curyer, CEO and founder of NexGen Energy, explains why his company's partnership with Aston Martin Formula 1 team prioritizes technology transfer and investor access over brand visibility. "Branding would be the last criteria for why we have that partnership."Joining Leigh is Nick Djounov, Head of Valuation at Gemba London. Together, they expose how B2B brands are finding arbitrage opportunities while B2C companies pay premium prices for billboard space.Unofficial Partner is the leading podcast for the business of sport. A mix of entertaining and thought provoking conversations with a who's who of the global industry. To join our community of listeners, sign up to the weekly UP Newsletter and follow us on Twitter and TikTok at @UnofficialPartnerWe publish two podcasts each week, on Tuesday and Friday. These are deep conversations with smart people from inside and outside sport. Our entire back catalogue of 400 sports business conversations are available free of charge here. Each pod is available by searching for ‘Unofficial Partner’ on Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher and every podcast app. If you’re interested in collaborating with Unofficial Partner to create one-off podcasts or series, you can reach us via the website.

 Other People's Money is our series on sport and finance, with regular co-host Matt Rogan. Today's guest is Danny Menken, who many people in the industry will remember as the managing director of Eurosport Television.He was also chief exec of Infosrada Sports Group and held senior executive positions within Eleven Sports.More recently though, Danny co-founded Ve2.Ventures, a sports focused venture studio, There's also talk about a European sports investment fund. If the finance conversation is interesting to you, then there's a whole load of previous episodes of Other People's Money in the Unofficial Partner archive. This episode of Unofficial Partner is brought to you by Sid Lee Sport. Sid Lee Sport is a new breed of agency that combines world class creativity with deep sponsorship expertise, flawless operational delivery and a culture of marketing effectiveness. We've got to know the team over the last few months. They're an impressive bunch who believe that sports marketing can and should be done better. They've got a creative philosophy of producing famous campaigns and activations that build buzz and conversation  in a category that too often looks and sounds the same. And they're pioneering a new standard of effectiveness in sports marketing using econometrics and attribution models to go beyond traditional media ROI. So if you're looking for an agency to take your brand to the top, get in touch with the team at Sid Lee Sport, where brands become champions.Unofficial Partner is the leading podcast for the business of sport. A mix of entertaining and thought provoking conversations with a who's who of the global industry. To join our community of listeners, sign up to the weekly UP Newsletter and follow us on Twitter and TikTok at @UnofficialPartnerWe publish two podcasts each week, on Tuesday and Friday. These are deep conversations with smart people from inside and outside sport. Our entire back catalogue of 400 sports business conversations are available free of charge here. Each pod is available by searching for ‘Unofficial Partner’ on Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher and every podcast app. If you’re interested in collaborating with Unofficial Partner to create one-off podcasts or series, you can reach us via the website.

The story of Cricinfo is the history of sport's relationship with the internet and digital culture.It remains central to the experience of millions of cricket fans. But what does it tell us about how the internet changed what we define as sporting fandom?   Alex Balfour co-founded the site and sold it to ESPN in the noughties and he is a global expert on sports relationship with the internet and digital channels.He was head of digital for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, his company Generate Digital advises clients on the value of digital assets, and his CV is includes The Guardian Newspaper's first websites, the UK's first general election website, the first UK government online consultation, and the first International 2020 cricket tournamentHe co-founded Cricinfo and sold it to ESPN. It remains the world's leading cricket publisher and India's favourite sports website. Unofficial Partner is the leading podcast for the business of sport. A mix of entertaining and thought provoking conversations with a who's who of the global industry. To join our community of listeners, sign up to the weekly UP Newsletter and follow us on Twitter and TikTok at @UnofficialPartnerWe publish two podcasts each week, on Tuesday and Friday. These are deep conversations with smart people from inside and outside sport. Our entire back catalogue of 400 sports business conversations are available free of charge here. Each pod is available by searching for ‘Unofficial Partner’ on Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher and every podcast app. If you’re interested in collaborating with Unofficial Partner to create one-off podcasts or series, you can reach us via the website.

Is there a market for a women-only golf talent agency? Suzann Pettersen is about to find out. Pettersen is one of the most recognized players in the women's game, a two-time Major winner, 15 time LPGA Tour winner and Solheim Cup winning captain. Now she's launched VOXA, a talent management group in conjunction with 54.It's asking questions about what the market wants from women players today. The balance between performance and the creator market, and attempting to reproduce a team ethos among a famously solo profession. "I remember some of the tournaments that I won, you come back to the hotel room. It's you and the trophy. It's quite lonely. The trophy stares at you and it doesn't give you any response."This episode of the Unofficial Partner podcast is brought to you by Sid Lee Sport.Sid Lee Sport is a new breed of agency that combines world class creativity with deep sponsorship expertise, flawless operational delivery, and a culture of marketing effectiveness. We’ve really enjoyed getting to know their team over the last couple of months. They’re an impressive bunch, who believe that sports marketing can and should be done better.They have a creative philosophy of producing famous campaigns and activations that build buzz and conversation in a category that too often looks and sounds the same.And they're pioneering a new standard of effectiveness in sports marketing, using econometrics and attribution models to go beyond traditional media ROI.So if you're looking for an agency to take your brand to the top, get in touch with the team at Sid Lee Sport, where brands become champions.Unofficial Partner is the leading podcast for the business of sport. A mix of entertaining and thought provoking conversations with a who's who of the global industry. To join our community of listeners, sign up to the weekly UP Newsletter and follow us on Twitter and TikTok at @UnofficialPartnerWe publish two podcasts each week, on Tuesday and Friday. These are deep conversations with smart people from inside and outside sport. Our entire back catalogue of 400 sports business conversations are available free of charge here. Each pod is available by searching for ‘Unofficial Partner’ on Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher and every podcast app. If you’re interested in collaborating with Unofficial Partner to create one-off podcasts or series, you can reach us via the website.

Welcome to The Bundle, our regular series on the sports media and streaming marketplace with co-hosts Yannick Ramcke, General Manager of OTT at the streaming service OneFootball and Murray Barnett, founder of 26West Consulting and formerly of F1, World Rugby and ESPN International.What are the stories the sports media industry is talking about and what do they mean?Unofficial Partner is the leading podcast for the business of sport. A mix of entertaining and thought provoking conversations with a who's who of the global industry. To join our community of listeners, sign up to the weekly UP Newsletter and follow us on Twitter and TikTok at @UnofficialPartnerWe publish two podcasts each week, on Tuesday and Friday. These are deep conversations with smart people from inside and outside sport. Our entire back catalogue of 400 sports business conversations are available free of charge here. Each pod is available by searching for ‘Unofficial Partner’ on Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher and every podcast app. If you’re interested in collaborating with Unofficial Partner to create one-off podcasts or series, you can reach us via the website.

Norway's greatest export Jan Age Fjortoft and his son and former player Marcus Fjortoft, together host The Fussball Channel on YouTube, covering German football in English. This gives them the ideal platform to compare the myths and realities surrounding Bundesliga and the Premier League, globalism and competitive balance, fan culture and the realities of the famous 50+1 Rule in German football.  This episode of Unofficial Partner is brought to you by Sid Lee Sport. Sid Lee Sport is a new breed of agency that combines world class creativity with deep sponsorship expertise, flawless operational delivery.And a culture of marketing effectiveness. We've got to know the team over the last few months. They're an impressive bunch who believe that sports marketing can and should be done better. They've got a creative philosophy of producing famous campaigns and activations that build buzz and conversation  in a category that too often looks and sounds the same. And they're pioneering a new standard of effectiveness in sports marketing using econometrics and attribution models to go beyond traditional media, ROI. So if you're looking for an agency to take your brand to the top, get in touch with the team at Sid Lee Sport where brands become champions.Unofficial Partner is the leading podcast for the business of sport. A mix of entertaining and thought provoking conversations with a who's who of the global industry. To join our community of listeners, sign up to the weekly UP Newsletter and follow us on Twitter and TikTok at @UnofficialPartnerWe publish two podcasts each week, on Tuesday and Friday. These are deep conversations with smart people from inside and outside sport. Our entire back catalogue of 400 sports business conversations are available free of charge here. Each pod is available by searching for ‘Unofficial Partner’ on Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher and every podcast app. If you’re interested in collaborating with Unofficial Partner to create one-off podcasts or series, you can reach us via the website.

 We are jumping into the maze that is artificial intelligence for the first in a series of conversations with decision makers from across the sports business.Our guest today is Sam Sadi, chief executive of Live Score, the scores and betting app.There are more questions than answers, but it's exciting and it's scary and it's what everyone is talking about. So it's perfect Unofficial Partner material.This episode of the Unofficial Partner podcast is brought to you by Sid Lee Sport.Sid Lee Sport is a new breed of agency that combines world class creativity with deep sponsorship expertise, flawless operational delivery, and a culture of marketing effectiveness. We’ve really enjoyed getting to know their team over the last couple of months. They’re an impressive bunch, who believe that sports marketing can and should be done better.They have a creative philosophy of producing famous campaigns and activations that build buzz and conversation in a category that too often looks and sounds the same.And they're pioneering a new standard of effectiveness in sports marketing, using econometrics and attribution models to go beyond traditional media ROI.So if you're looking for an agency to take your brand to the top, get in touch with the team at Sid Lee Sport, where brands become champions.Unofficial Partner is the leading podcast for the business of sport. A mix of entertaining and thought provoking conversations with a who's who of the global industry. To join our community of listeners, sign up to the weekly UP Newsletter and follow us on Twitter and TikTok at @UnofficialPartnerWe publish two podcasts each week, on Tuesday and Friday. These are deep conversations with smart people from inside and outside sport. Our entire back catalogue of 400 sports business conversations are available free of charge here. Each pod is available by searching for ‘Unofficial Partner’ on Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher and every podcast app. If you’re interested in collaborating with Unofficial Partner to create one-off podcasts or series, you can reach us via the website.