
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

Aug 1, 2023 • 40min
UP330 The Buy Side - Allianz
The Buy Side is our regular conversation with brand side marketers about sport and sponsorship.This week's guest is Eike Doerte Burgel, Global Head of Olympic & Paralympic Programme at German based insurance giant, Allianz.Joining the podcast are regular Buy Side collaborators, Sally Hancock and Shaun Whatling.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.

Jul 18, 2023 • 1h 5min
UP329 The Big Idea: 2023 Cannes Lions for Sport Review
The Big Idea is our series on creativity in sports marketing with regular co-host Simon Moore, award winning Consulting Creative Director.Our guest is David Proudlock, Chief Strategy Officer at Crispin Porter Bogusky London.The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is home to the world's most prestigious advertising awards. The blurb says that Cannes celebrates 'creativity, effectiveness and innovation in the global advertising, marketing and communication industries'. An award in the sport category has become much sought after by sports marketing agencies and their clients.But what sort of work is getting rewarded with a gong, and what does that mean for the relationship between sport and the creative industry today.The full list of awarded work is available here. The creative referenced in this podcast includes:Grand PrixDREAMCASTER MICHELOB ULTRAPEDIDOSYA WORLD CUP DELIVERYGoldSHOUT, TELEFONICALEA KIMBERLY CLARK THE FORGOTTEN TEAM MEOSilverNike FC Presents the FootballverseAIRTEL 175 REPLAYEDTHE EXILED TEAM BRAHMA BEER ADIDAS X SPEEDPORTAL RICK & MORTYSECOND OPPORTUNITY LEAGUE CORONALAS DIABLILLAS MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALLBLACK COACHES TELEFÓNICAWe also mention this Orange Women's World Cup ad, which is not a Cannes winner but is getting a bit of traction recently.This week’s episode is brought to you by our friends at the Institute of Sports Humanities (ISH) and Loughborough UniversUnofficial 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.

Jul 14, 2023 • 36min
UP328 The Rugby Business: WTF is The RugbyDAO?
A few months ago Unofficial Partner was invited to join The RugbyDAO WhatsApp group. As of today, the group consists of 232 people from across the sport, made up of some famous ex players, administrators of governing bodies, club owners and coaches, grassroots activists and other interested parties from around the world.It felt like a good time to ask, what is RugbyDAO? Why does it exist, and what does it say about the state of the rugby business, that its founder Nick Riggall felt he needed to create it? 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.

Jul 7, 2023 • 1h 30min
UP327 Mervyn King, Ed Smith and Decision Making in a World of Radical Uncertainty
Today’s guest are Mervyn King and Ed Smith.Lord Mervyn King, Baron King of Lothbury, was formerly Governor of the Bank of England and is an Expert Lecturer at the Institute of Sports Humanities (ISH). Ed Smith is an author, journalist and former National Selector for England cricket. As a professional cricketer, he played for Kent, Middlesex & England and is the Founder of ISH.The conversation builds on the themes of Mervyn’s book, Radical Uncertainty: Decision Making for an Unknowable Future. The recording took place at Ed’s house in Kent.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.

Jul 7, 2023 • 51min
UP326 The Buy Side - Bohemians and Dublin Bus
What is a football club? Bohemian FC (Bohs) has a different answer to that question than most. The story of the Dublin team is an antidote to the usual diet of Super League ambitions, big money transfers and private equity buy outs that populate much of the football business conversation today. Bohemians compete in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland, and are the oldest League of Ireland club in continuous existence. This conversation demonstrates that other stories are possible. That a football club can stand for something and remain commercially successful, in fact build a new, fresh narrative that broadens the definition of what sponsors can achieve via a football partnership.Our guests are Daniel Lambert and Harry McCann.Daniel is Chief Operating Officer of Bohemian FC.Harry is in charge of consumer relations and PR at Dublin Bus, the largest public transport provider in Ireland.I'm joined by regular Buy Side co-host Shaun Whatling. 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.

Jul 4, 2023 • 1h 23min
UP325 The Billion Dollar Women's Football Brainstorm - Live @ DAZN
Unofficial Partner and DAZN Present…The Billion Dollar Women’s Football Brainstorm.An invited audience and VIP guests build the future of women’s football, live on stage at DAZN's London headquarters.What if...we create: The IPL of Women's Club Football.A closed league of the best players from around the world.Angel City, Barcelona, Arsenal and new teams that don't yet exist.Outside of FIFA and UEFA control.Limited 'NFL-type' season. Funded by enormous amounts of money, think Sovereign Wealth, Private Equity and gullible billionaires.A disruption to the status quo. What decisions would we make?What would be the real world implications of those decisions?And ultimately, would you put your money where your mouth is?Are you in or out?This was the question put to a room of guests from across sport.On stage contributors:Alison Lomax, Managing Director, YouTube UK and IrelandJo Tongue, CEO, Tongue Tied ManagementMarc Watson, Chief Commercial Officer, DAZNRowena Samarasinhe, Managing Director, GENSportMaggie Murphy, CEO, Lewes FCSarah Batters, Director of Marketing and Partnerships, Southampton FCBen Blanco, Global Sponsorship Lead, HeinekenKevin Smit, Sports Partnerships, TeamViewerCharlotte Thomson, Head of Women's Football, COPA90Laura Weston, Trustee, Women's Sport TrustDave Roberts, X-Cel Broadcast, former FIFA+Nic Coward, Partner, Portas Consulting, former Premier League, UK Athletics Alex Balfour, Founder, Generate DigitalSean Jefferson, Founder, SportValue, former Manchester UnitedMichael Broughton, Co-Founder, Sports Investment PartnersUnofficial 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.

Jun 30, 2023 • 50min
UP324 Web3 WTF - Alex Amsel on What We Learnt
Alex Amsel is better known as SillyTuna, the award winning game developer, investor, and blockchain expert. He was one of the stars of the Unofficial Partner Web3 Brainstorm Live event at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium last September, which was the absolute peak of NFT mania. Now the hype around web3, blockchain and NFTs has dissipated, so we've asked Alex to give us an update on where we are, what we learnt and where it's going next.After 15+ years running a game studio Alex Amsel moved into the blockchain field in 2012, selling NFT startup Ownage in 2018 before most even knew the term. In 2021 his Covid Alien CryptoPunk NFT sold for $11.75million at Sotheby's. He's currently co-founder of Soulcast, a customisable NFT platform, and is an early stage investor and advisor in numerous AI, NFT, DAO, DEFI and infrastructure projects including Ethereum, Stable Diffusion and Axie Infinity. He is also a partner at Outlier Ventures.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.

Jun 27, 2023 • 55min
UP323 The Squeezed Middle
How is sport impacted by the cost of living crisis?The answer depends on where you are in the marketplace.The small global elite of sports rights holders are doing just fine. Billions of dollars in media revenue chases must-see content, from the NFL in the US, Premier League in England, the IPL in India through to the major quadrennial extravaganzas such as Olympics and World Cups. Likewise, there are clubs and institutions in the lower reaches of the sporting pyramid for whom not much has changed and who cut their cloth according to the local demand for traditional revenue generators such as sponsorship, match day tickets and merchandise.It's the middle of the market where much of the pain is being felt. The situation was described in a recent essay by Ben Wells:'Economic crises tend to cause money to move in one of two ways: to quality or to price. Those in the middle, who are not able to compete on either front, are squeezed.In the last 12 months, not one major Olympic NGB was able to sign a primary sponsor, with the biggest deal of the year – British Cycling’s tier-two sponsorship with Shell – bringing significant amounts of criticism. In parallel Müller ended its long-running main sponsorship of UK Athletics after seven years. UK Athletics is currently teetering on the brink of bankruptcy.This isn’t a situation unique to athletics. Headlines in rugby, cricket and the second and third tiers of football report of similar tales of woe – the result of unsustainable commercial models.And all rights-holders in the Squeezed Middle need to be taking note. Economists predict the Cost-of-Living Crisis will last possibly until 2028, and those unsustainable models – trying to grow revenues in a business built around live events, which are limited by number and venue capacity and whose cost-bases are rising with rampant inflation – are the norm."Today's podcast is the first in a series created in collaboration with PTI Digital, the strategy and technology consultancy. Our guests are Ben Wells and Charlie Simpson.Ben is CEO of PTI Digital and previously held senior commercial roles at Chelsea FC, Reading FC and Bath Rugby.Charlie Simpson is a former rugby player turned chartered accountant who moved from EY to Scottish Rugby and leads on commercial strategy for the governing body.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.

Jun 23, 2023 • 1h 1min
UP322 Vice, Buzzfeed and the TikTok-ifaction of Everything
Likes, Followers, Shares, Video Views: these are the currency of digital publishing. But as Matt Locke argues in today's conversation, change is coming.The importance of the Like as a metric of audience engagement is quickly diminishing. As the dominant social platforms are converging to become video-led TikTok clones, engagement metrics have shifted from clicks to viewing. From TikTok to Netflix, the most important numbers now are not the big ones, but the long ones - it's all about how long something keeps your attention, not if it inspires you to click a button.What does this mean for many of the biggest sports teams, athletes, leagues and governing bodies, which have sought to redefine themselves as entertainment companies. Social media follower numbers have become the basis of a football club's valuation, separating the so-called Super League clubs from the rest.And what are the lessons from the recent demise of Vice and BuzzFeed, two of the most influential digital entertainment businesses of the last decade or more? Matt Locke co-founded the strategy and content company Storythings in 2011 and is executive producer on projects for clients including BBC, PBS, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Wellcome Trust. Before that Matt was Head of Innovation at BBC and Head of Multiplatform at Channel 4. Here are some details on his work on the history of attention metrics, How To Measure Ghosts and the Storythings newsletter, Attention Matters, referenced in the podcast.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.

Jun 19, 2023 • 57min
UP321 The Bundle #23
This is an episode of The Bundle, our regular deep dive in to the sports broadcast and streaming market with regular guests Yannick Ramcke, head of OTT for OneFootball, Murray Barnett, director of the D2C consultancy and formerly of F1, World Rugby and ESPN. And we welcome Carlo De Marchis for his first appearance. Carlo spent 35 years building Deltatre until recently, where he's developed an independent consulting portfolio, which includes an excellent newsletter, A Guy With A Scarf. Conversation covers the following stories:Gianni Infantino's attack on the European broadcasters for rights to FIFA Women's World CupAre we over reading Netflix's ambitions due to it's plans to live stream a celebrity golf tournament? What does Messi's arrival in Miami mean for MLS media value and the long term Apple streaming deal Why did Bundesliga vote against p/e?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 UHYG3TQGCV982zrtQBDGUnofficial 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.