
Unofficial Partner Podcast
Unofficial Partner is the leading podcast for the business of sport. Our guests are a who's who of the international sports industry talking about the big issues.
Latest episodes

May 20, 2025 • 1h 2min
UP479 Wedge Issues: The Most Interesting Golf Brand You've Never Heard Of
This is an episode of Wedge Issues where we focus on the business of golf, with regular co-host, Jasmine Sanders, The Jazzy Golfer. Today we've got Luke Davies and Jojo Regan, founders of Manors Golf, the challenger brand that's rewriting the sport's marketing rule book. 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.

May 16, 2025 • 1h
UP478 UP Live in Lausanne: How much entertainment can sport take?
A live recording of the Unofficial Podcast, on stage at the Olympic Museum for The SPOT conference.GuestsJo Redfern, FutrhoodDamjan Rudež, Former NBA player & Sunset Sports Media Festival Program DirectorMichael D'hulst, founder and CEO of SuperTriMatt Wilkinson, Creative Director of Entertainment at WhisperFeaturing Ana Jelusic Black, who in addition to being the organiser of the event, is herself a three time Olympian and World Cup alpine ski champion. 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.

May 13, 2025 • 1h 8min
UP477 The Bundle: 'The others are addicts, Apple just haven't been given the hard stuff yet'
The inside gossip from the sports media and streaming business, with co-hosts Yannick Ramcke, the general manager of OTT streaming service OneFootball.And Murray Barnett, founder of 26 West Consulting, formerly of Formula One, World Rugby and ESPN Disney. This episode is sponsored 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.

May 9, 2025 • 56min
UP476 The $170billion Question: Gareth Balch on Sports Most Valuable IP
Intellectual Property is the basis of the sports business. Two Circles have mapped the global market to create a Sports IP Revenue List. Founder and CEO Gareth Balch has analysed what it says about the business of sport. Some headlines:The big get bigger : in the last decade, the % value share of the Top 20 Sports IP Owners of total revenue has grown from 35% to 44%Market concentration:The Top 25 make 50% of the revenueTop 100 make 70% of revenue65% of the Top 20 grew revenue faster than the market last year 100% of the Top 20 Sports IP Owners grew revenue faster than the market in the last decadeSport remains a B2B business : 70% of the Top 20's revenues come from sponsorship and media vs 66% of the rest of the Top 500Unofficial 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.

May 6, 2025 • 1h 14min
UP475 Inside Edge: 'India already had a monopoly, now they've got hotels on Park Lane and Mayfair'
Inside Edge is where we overthink the business of cricket, with co-host Mike Jakeman.Today's guest is Lawrence Booth, Editor of the Wisden Almanack, the conscience of the game. Released last week, Booth pulled no punches in his editor's notes:"2024 was the year cricket gave up any claim to being properly administered, with checks, balances, and governance for the many, not the few. India already had the monopoly: now they had hotels on Park Lane and Mayfair."Is he right?Closer to home, how will The Hundred play out for the game in England?And Richard reports back from Lord's after attending the launch of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup, to be played across England in 2026.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.

May 2, 2025 • 35min
UP474 Wedge Issues: The Jazzy Golfer Joins UP
We met Jasmine Sanders aka The Jazzy Golfer when we held our roundtable event at European Tour HQ at Wentworth during the BMW PGA Championship in 2024. Now she's come on board as a co-host for Wedge Issues where we overthink the business of golf. Jasmine is one of the leading golf creators, host of CNN's Living Golf and founder of the Women's Golf Community, where she campaigns for greater inclusion for women and children in to the great game of golf. Listener questions can be submitted to Jasmine@UnofficialPartner.co.uk 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.

Apr 29, 2025 • 1h 15min
UP473 What was your Business Moment of the Year? UP goes inside the FEVO Sport Industry Awards judging room
There's a new award category at this year's FEVO Sport Industry Awards - Business Moment of the Year. And for the first time, the judging process is revealed, as we chair the conversation ahead of the big reveal on the night of May 15th at Battersea Evolution in London. Our illustrious judging panel is Richard Scudamore, Lucy Wray, Allan Noble and Nick Keller himself, the founder of the FEVO Sport Industry Awards.The award shortlist can be found here.Click here to buy a table for the awards. And include the code UP2025 to receive a free bottle of champagne for your table. 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.

Apr 25, 2025 • 48min
UP472 The Business of Swimming
Today we're talking about swimming and so we went to the London Aquatics Center in Stratford, located in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Obviously the venue for the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympic games, but also the Aquatics GB Swimming Championships, which were on while we were there.It was an opportunity to talk about the sport in detail from lots of different angles with Aquatics GB's Chief Executive Drew Barrand and Simon Rowe, whose role is Senior Vice President at Pentland Brands, which includes things like Mitre, Canterbury, but also Speedo, who are an official partner of Aquatics GB.You are hear because it's a swimming competition. You'll hear a load of noise in the background, but ignore that. The conversation was really good.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.

Apr 22, 2025 • 48min
UP471 UP Live at EBU: What the FIFA Club World Cup reveals about Free-to-Air in the YouTube era
Guests:Mark Oliver, Oliver and OhlbaumAmy Lee, TV2 Denmark, EBU MemberTomos Grace - YouTubeContext:A live podcast recorded at the European Broadcast Union's Annual Assembly in Bratislava. DAZN has paid $1billion for the rights to the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.FIFA has sold the rights to DAZN for $1billion. DAZN is sub-licensing the rights, with a brief to build as big an audience as possible.Many people in the room are the targets, as DAZN seeks to recoup some of their billion dollar outlay. Session Provocation:So, a good time to ask the panel and the EBU audience: if you were DAZN/FIFA, what would you do?How does FIFA view the role of Europe's premier publicly funded television platforms in building value for their new product?What is the role of YouTube in their thinking?What are the lessons of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup process?What is the value exchange between major sports properties and the EBU's membership?We use this framework to talk more generally about the themes of sport's relationship with free to air television in Europe in the platform era.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.

Apr 15, 2025 • 1h 6min
UP470 Other People's Money: How patient is patient capital when it comes to women's rugby?
Other People's Money is our regular series on sports investment, with Matt Rogan, co-founder of Two Circles.The Women’s Rugby World Cup kicks off in August, hosted in here in England. The tournament is a critical moment in the game's development. But what is the financial state of women’s professional club rugby in this country. We talk to Genevieve Shore, herself a former England World Cup winner in 1994, who is now the Executive Chair of Premiership Women’s Rugby (PWR), the league that is part owned by the RFU.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.