SportsPro Podcast

Eoin Connolly gets a look inside soccer’s transfer market with Financial Times sports business correspondent Sam Agini; Kieran Maguire, author of The Price of Football and co-host of the podcast of the same name; and Daniel Geey, partner in the sports group at Sheridans law firm and author of Done Deal. They explain what must happen and who needs to be involved for a player transfer to take place, reflect on how deals are valued and the financial instruments that pay for them, and consider how the market affects clubs’ behaviour and what reforms could improve the state of play. And more good news! The SportsPro Podcast has been nominated for a Sports Podcast Award. If you like what you hear, please vote for us in the Best Sports Business Podcast category here. Please note that you will have to register first.

Eoin Connolly talks to organisational psychologist John Amaechi, founder of APS Intelligence and author of bestselling book The Promises of Giants. They discuss how change happens at a personal and group level, how cultural expectations are set and how leaders can guide teams through uncertainty to progress. They also talk about the impact of societal change, the significance of role models and what a commitment to anti-racism really means. A former NBA player, John argues why the sports industry needs to be more honest about its influence and how it can do better with the potential at its disposal. And more good news! The SportsPro Podcast has been nominated for a Sports Podcast Award. If you like what you hear, please vote for us in the Best Sports Business Podcast category here. Please note that you will have to register first.

Amid a build-up dominated by the Novak Djokovic vaccine saga, Press Association tennis correspondent Eleanor Crooks joins Eoin Connolly to preview the Australian Open. They discuss how the men’s world number one’s Covid stance will affect his standing in the game, how the episode has been received by other players and fans, and the implications for the tennis authorities and other sports bodies in creating vaccination policy. They also cover broader themes in the business of tennis, from competition in the calendar to how the WTA will cover the fallout from the alleged 2021 disappearance of Chinese star Peng Shuai. And more good news! The SportsPro Podcast has been nominated for a Sports Podcast Award. If you like what you hear, please vote for us in the Best Sports Business Podcast category here. Please note that you will have to register first.

The latest episode of the Playbook Podcast sees host Matt Rogan seek to challenge the assumption that financial management in business is a formulaic skill. In a bid to prove that financial management is not just simply having the numbers in the right place on a spreadsheet, Rogan talks to two partners at EY in Anna Faelton and  Eva Garcia de la Fuente about their work at the global services firm, as well as some of the challenges outside of the sport-space and the applicable lesson in dealing with them  for those within it. As the conversation moves on Anna Faelton and Eva Garcia de la Fuente also lift the lid on how to approach translating a company's finances into a coherent strategy and then executing on that plan. And more good news! The SportsPro Podcast has been nominated for a Sports Podcast Award. If you like what you hear, please vote for us in the Best Sports Business Podcast category here. Please note that you will have to register first.

SportsPro digital editor Tom Bassam and senior staff writer Ed Dixon join Eoin Connolly as the podcast loosens up after the festive break with a preview of 2022. There are predictions around athlete activism, brand scrutiny and technological change ahead of big events like the Beijing 2022 Olympics and the Fifa World Cup in Qatar. Then come reflections on SportsPro’s ten influencers for 2022, whose challenges range from leading the conversation on human rights to managing cryptocurrency’s reputation, taking women’s soccer to the next level, bringing a media giant to life and finding new purpose for the Commonwealth Games movement.

In the final podcast of 2021, SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly has a reflective chat with editorial director Michael Long. Mike picks out some of the stories he thinks have defined the year gone by, from the Olympic movement’s challenges to private investment, the integration of technology and the rise and rise of women’s sport. He also lays out some of the ways in which the editorial project has adapted not just to the Covid crisis but a longer-term evolution in the sports industry and how media companies’ relationships with their audiences have changed as well.

SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly turns quizmaster for a festive reflection on some of 2021’s defining trends. Two teams – SportsPro digital editor Tom Bassam and senior staff writer Ed Dixon; SportsPro media and tech editor Steve McCaskill and Charlie Beall, VP of digital strategy and ventures at Seven League, the digital sports consultancy within IMG’s Media & Events division – battle to a dramatic and by no means contentious finish.   They cover soccer’s European Super League debacle and its fallout, NFTs and sport’s metaverse dreams, major events and geopolitics, media rights adjustments and the continued rise of the athlete voice.

SportsPro senior contributor Matt Rogan talks to Louise Johnson, chief executive at sports marketing agency Fuse, about business planning going into 2022. They discuss how Louise juggles daily and long-term planning in an organisation with 100 staff in the UK and another 250 around the world. Louise also explains how she balances the needs of clients – including PepsiCo, McDonald’s, Nissan, and Carlsberg – with those of internal teams and Fuse’s parent, Omnicom. And they look at how best to assess annual targets, growth and resources, and future changes and obligations, in a testing period for the industry.

As the Formula One title race nears an incredible finish, SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly is joined by the Black Book of Motorsport’s Peter Jones and Georgina Yeomans to review the 2021 season. They discuss how competitive racing and drivers like Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton have taken the championship’s profile to new heights. They also cover the influence of Netflix show Drive to Survive, the evolution of F1’s commercial platform, and what a more sustainable calendar might look like. Meanwhile, Georgina talks to Formula E chief executive Jamie Reigle ahead of a pivotal campaign in the all-electric series.

SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly is joined by Jean-Baptiste Alliot, co-founder of consulting agency LaSource, to make sense of 2021’s biggest tech trends and their lasting implications for the sports industry. Jean-Baptiste explains how remote workflows and experiences will absorb the return of in-person activities, why it is crucial to think more deeply about the applications of cryptocurrencies and NFTs, and what the metaverse really means for sport as the world prepares for the rise of Web3.    He also looks ahead to 2022 and the launch of Ignition, a new tech event and showcase platform from SportsPro.