Manchester United's famous red shirt is a prime piece of sporting real estate.So why is TeamViewer ending its deal early?What do you buy when you buy the United shirt?And what does it say about the relationship between football and the commercial sector?Welcome to Sports News Upload, with Richard Gillis and Matt Cutler.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.

How to get ahead in the sports business is our series on talent, leadership and professional development. Today we get the perspective of two young people at the start of their careers in sport, and discuss the challenges they faced to get a toe in the door, what mistakes they made that could be of use to others in a similar position, and what surprised them about the industry they now call home.Katharine Curran is Senior Metaverse Manager at City Football Group and Nikhil Waugh is Tournament Director of IMG's UK Tennis properties.Both are alumni of the Institute of Sports Humanities (ISH). ISH’s Leadership in Sport Masters is currently open for applications – if you want to be part of the next cohort or to find out more, visit sportshumanities.orgThis podcast is sponsored by Leaders Week London on 16th to 19th October, with the two day Leaders Summit held at Twickenham Stadium on Wednesday 18th and Thursday 19th.There's going to be three stages to visit: the Headline Stage, the brand new Creative Stage and the Tech and Innovation Stage.You'll have the chance to hear from the likes of Disney, FIFA, Coca-Cola, Universal Music Group, Manchester United and so many more.Use UP15 for a 15% discount on your Summit passes - visit leadersinsport.com/UP for more information.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 Commonwealth Games is in crisis, without a host city for 2026 and possibly beyond. The last Olympic Games bidding process received just two hosting bids, with Paris and Los Angeles awarded 2024 and 2028 respectively. Beyond that 2032 has one current bidder. Five potential host cities for the 2022 Winter Olympics withdrew after voter referendums and public polling indicated a lack of local support. So where are we in sport's relationship with its hosts?Have sports events become just too big? Too expensive, too inflexible, out of synch with the climate crisis, lacking a clear return on investment for the cities and countries that host them, and leaving a questionable legacy in their wake. These questions don't apply to authoritarian regimes such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar and China, which gets to a difficult question for major sports rights holders: what are they for? We've lined up three major event experts to discuss these issues:Esther Britten is UK Sport's Deputy Director and is the Head of Major Events at the , responsible for the UK's major sporting event hosting strategy, strategically programming and investing on behalf of the UK government to ensure the UK continues to host the the most significant and impactful major international sporting events. Ed Warner was formerly chair of UK Athletics and holds the same role for the GB Wheelchair Rugby.Angus Buchanan is co-founder of The Sports Consultancy and TSC Legal.This episode is brought to you by our good friends at Leaders.  Leaders Week London returns this October - so mark your diaries.This year it will be from 16 to 19 October, just 6 weeks away.For those who don't know, Leaders Week London is so much more than just your average conference - it's a 4-day festival of industry insight, connection building and relationship nurturing. And its fun!  The Summit part of Leaders Week, will be held at Twickenham Stadium on 18th and 19th October.And the good news is UP listeners get a special discount.  Use UP15 for a 15% discount on your Summit passes - visit leadersinsport.com/UP for more information.We will see you there!  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.

Major General Bill Wright CBE, is the senior British Army officer in charge of Career and Talent Management across the entire British Army, responsible for running and transforming the Army’s Career Management organisation covering c.110k personnel from the rank of private soldier up to 3* General.Previously, Bill was Chief Executive/Commander of The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.He joins Richard and Ed Smith to talk about talent, leadership and decision making, with a focus on what links the job of creating and nurturing high performance teams in both sport and the military.Ed Smith is a regular guest on the podcast and founder of the Institute of Sports Humanities (ISH) and is an author, journalist and former National Selector for England cricket. As a professional cricketer, he played for Kent, Middlesex & England.  ISH’s Leadership in Sport Masters is currently open for applications – if you want to be part of the next cohort or to find out more, visit sportshumanities.orgUnofficial 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.

Occasionally a story breaks that reveals the direction of travel for the rest of sports business.One such story is Disney-owned ESPN's move in to the US gambling market, courtesy of a $2billion, ten year deal with betting operator Penn Entertainment, which sold back its ownership stake in Barstool, with which it was previously building a sports and gambling offer.“We are confident that the combination of our unparalleled audience along with Penn’s operational expertise and state-of-the-art technology provides us with a tremendous opportunity to serve the ever-growing number of consumers interested in betting,” said Jimmy Pitaro, the Disney executive who oversees ESPN.But as today's conversation reveals, it ain't as simple as that.There are many questions facing Disney's new sports betting convergence play. How promiscuous are sports punters? Why will they move to ESPN's sports book and away from existing and well entrenched platforms such as Fan Duel and DraftKings, when they have patently not done so for Barstool?What is the role of fantasy games in the sports ecosystem, and how important is player data in the way today's sports fan engages with media outlets of all types?It's this type of detail we're able to access, in the company of one of the most interesting thinkers working in this space, Sam Sadi, CEO of LiveScore Group. This is a conversation about the economic model of professional sport. The traditional broadcast funded sports media bundle is under strain. Estimates of future media rights revenues are static or declining in many markets and across many sports.So different business models are being trialled. Retailers such as Fanatics and Amazon are now looking like broadcasters.Sports teams and leagues are acting like media platforms. And what of the gambling industry?What role will they play in the new converged sports economy?Our conversation today is a fascinating insight in to the opportunities and limitations of sports media to generate a return for its commercial partners, both now and over the next decade.Luckily, these themes will play a central role in our next public event.On September 28th we're hosting the Unofficial Partner Convergence Brainstorm, in partnership with LiveScore Group. The event takes place at the very top of the ArcellorMittal Orbit Tower at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London. It's an iconic venue for an important conversation that will impact every stakeholder across the sports world. As a listener to Unofficial Partner, you can get one of the few remaininUnofficial 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.

Gianni Infantino, FIFA President, discusses the reality of being a woman in football. The podcast sheds light on the challenges faced by women in the professional game, including discrimination and sexism. It explores the significance of women's football in raising issues and creating change, the lack of representation in the industry, and the potential of quotas for increasing gender diversity. The podcast also discusses the influence of ESG investment and emphasizes the importance of taking action and joining the conversation on women in football.

Manchester United and Adidas are two of the sports worlds most iconic and valuable brands.So the new £900million, 10 year deal, signed recently, has a significance that goes beyond the two organisations and offers a glimpse as to how the sports economy might evolve over the next decade.What are the ripple effects of this deal, on other football clubs and other sports?Did Man Utd benefit from Adidas' recent acrimonious split with controversial hiphop star Kanye West and the costly ending of the Yeezy brand collaboration?How does this deal impact on the overall value of Man Utd?And what's the significance of the timing of the announcement, as the Glazer family consider rival offers to buy Manchester United for a fee rumoured to be in the region of £5billion.To dissect what all this means are guests Leo Thompson and Michael Broughton.Leo Thompson is Co-President of Rights Management at Two Circles and formerly of Manchester United.Michael Broughton is Co-Founder of Sports Investment Partners and part of the consortium which bid to buy Chelsea Football Club last year. For more on the Adidas Man Utd deal and its ramifications, read this week's Unofficial Partner newsletter, under the heading of Yeezy Does 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.

The Pirates vs The Premier League is a new, standalone podcast documentary series, in to the illicit world of illegal sports streaming. It's the first project to emerge from Unofficial Partner Productions, led by Matt Cutler, former SportBusiness Editor and Two Circles communications director, who has joined UP to lead on this new venture, with a brief to create interesting stuff for business and broader sports audiences. In this conversation, Matt joins Richard to talk pirates, criminals, football fans and Amazon Firesticks. This week’s episode is brought to you by our friends at the Institute of Sports Humanities (ISH) and Loughborough University London.ISH and Loughborough University recently launched the new Leadership in Sport Master’s course, running from Autumn 2023.Uniquely, the course has been designed for executives working in the sports industry as well as athletes seeking specialised education to support their professional development. The masters course fits alongside busy jobs and busy lives. It’s ideal for people seeking to develop their impact and effectiveness in leading and managing. individuals, teams, and organisations. The mission of ISH – which is led by the former England Cricket Selector, professional cricketer and. author, Ed Smith – is to nurture and inspire sport’s current and future leaders around the world.  Students on the MA Leadership in Sport programme will join an amazing ecosystem of sports experts – Loughborough University has been ranked the #1 university for sports-related subjects for the past 7 years. So the world’s top sports university is working in tandem with a unique sports network at ISH. The new intake starts in October 2023 and applications are currently open. Find out more at. www.sportshumanities.org 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.

What's the role of a National Governing Body for sport in 2023? Is the NGB business model relevant or sustainable? These are questions running through this episode of The Squeezed Middle, our series created in collaboration with PTI Digital, the technology and strategy consultancy.Our focus is on the hugely popular sport of cycling, which at an elite level has been one of the great British success stories over the past two decades, creating a cast of superstar athletes and a haul of Olympic gold medals. But what was the impact of that success? And what does it tells us about how sport is run and the relationship between the two sides of the NGB's job, which is high performance and mass participation.Jon Dutton was appointed CEO of British Cycling in April this year, having held the same role at the 2022 Rugby League World Cup. Previous to that Dutton held senior roles across sport including the 2014 Tour de France Grand Depart, PGA European Tour and UEFA, and is a Board member of the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships held in Glasgow this month.Joining the conversation is Ben Wells, CEO of PTI Digital. The first episode of The Squeezed Middle was published last month and is available across Apple, Spotify and all podcast apps.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 Buy Side is our regular series on creativity in sports marketing, with regular co-host Simon Moore, award winning Creative Director.Joining us for this look at creative work around the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup are Jane Purdon, former Premier League, Sunderland FC and author of The Homecoming: The Lionesses and Beyond, Sarah Batters, of P&G and more recently Southampton FC and Charlotte Thomson, head of women's football at Copa90.The Work:Les Bleues - OrangeWatch Women’s Sports - Johnnie WalkerWhat The Football - NikePlay Until They Can't Look Away - AdidasGoal of the Century - HyundaiVar Tid Nu (Our Time Now) - Adidas SwedenUnofficial 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.