SportsPro Podcast

As the COP 26 Summit draws to a close, SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly speaks to commercial director Paul Guest, freshly returned from the Sport@COP event in Glasgow. They discuss whether sports bodies can move beyond pledges to lasting action on climate change, prioritising a sustainability agenda and the industry’s storytelling power and networked influence as a buyer. They also talk about holistic responses to the threat of extreme weather and Paul draws on some brand lessons from the Laureus Sport for Good Index, which launched this week.

To coincide with the launch of the Laureus Sport for Good Index, SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly is joined by Laureus managing director Ned Wills and Baroness Grey-Thompson, the decorated Paralympian who is now a crossbench member of the UK’s House of Lords and a leading voice in using sport for positive social change. They discuss the purpose of the Index project and its benchmarking potential, as well as the wider value of sports organisations as agents of tangible progress. They also take on the practicalities of working with partners and public authorities in making a meaningful, lasting difference.

For SportsPro’s Women’s Sport Week, editor at large Eoin Connolly is joined by The Space Between co-founder Lisa Parfitt and Sue Anstiss, a trustee at the Women's Sport Trust and author of Game On: The Unstoppable Rise of Women’s Sport. They consider recent research about the visibility and fanbase of women’s sport, and what that could mean for the models powering events like The Hundred, the Women’s Super League and the Uefa Women’s Champions League.   Then editorial director Michael Long discusses storytelling in women’s sport with Jessica Robertson, chief content officer at Togethxr, a media and commerce company co-founded by Alex Morgan, Chloe Kim, Simone Manuel and Sue Bird.

As COP26 arrives, SportsPro senior contributor Matt Rogan talks to SOAS’s Dr Tom Tanner centre director and programme director at the Centre for Development, Environment and Policy about how sports bodies can respond to the climate emergency.  Dr Tanner helps to define some of the central challenges facing sport and how concepts like ‘resilience’ will give structure to the fightback. He also discusses which sports are making progress and which need to take their response more seriously, how major events and sports seasons could change, and the tangible steps organisations can make that have a real, sustainable impact. 

SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly checks in on the US sports industry with Sportico sports business reporter Eben Novy-Williams and seasoned soccer journalist Grant Wahl. Eben explains how supply chain issues are preparing to wreak havoc for sports teams, examines the latest controversy in the NFL and provides an update on the Kyrie Irving Covid vaccination row.  Then Grant looks at the fallout from the historic abuse scandal in the NWSL, assesses the mood of the sport in North America in 2026, and considers what Ted Lasso might mean for the Premier League’s US media rights prospects.

For a special edition of the SportsPro Podcast's Big Interview series we bring you one of the highlights from our new weekly StreamTime Podcast featuring Phil Lynch, Manchester United’s media chief executive.  In a wide-ranging conversation with SportsPro managing director Nick Meacham, Lynch talks about his work overseeing content and distribution for one of the biggest soccer clubs in the world. Lynch details his journey from the sunny beaches of California to the cloudier skies of Manchester to lead the transformation of United's media and digital businesses. This conversation covers how the Premier League giants work with their players, the impact of ‘the Ronaldo effect’ on social and United’s strategy to build their audience at scale whilst pushing fans towards their own platforms. The newly-launched weekly StreamTime Podcast is released every Wednesday, with profiling the people, businesses and technologies driving the sports streaming revolution.  The podcast is set to become the go-to place for sports leaders and broadcast professionals seeking ideas, insights, and inspiration in these times of rapid transformation. Find StreamTime on your favourite podcast platform and make sure to follow or subscribe so you don't miss out on the latest episode.

SportsPro senior contributor Matt Rogan talks to Beth Barrett-Wild, head of The Hundred women’s competition and female engagement at the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB), about engineering a female sports event to deliver an instant impact.  They talk about the decisions that helped shape the women’s edition of this summer’s much-discussed short-format competition, how they built a platform that leading female cricketers could share with the men and how the ECB hopes to deliver more young fans to the women’s game in years ahead. They also look at where the lessons of the Hundred’s first season can be applied in other sports, while Beth reflects on her career to date and considers the qualities that can inform more inclusive leadership.

As the 2021 edition of SportsPro 50 Most Marketable Properties list goes live, editor at large Eoin Connolly talks to Adam Mitchell, chief executive of data partner and provider SponsorPulse.  They dive into some of the most significant case studies in the list, discovering what the data has to say about the Fifa World Cup and Olympic Games to WWE and League of Legends. They also tease out some of the longer-term trends that are emerging, from the rising forces of women’s sport to the globalising appeal of cricket, while Adam explains the methodology and what those working in the sports industry can learn from the project’s findings.  Music: Surf Inspector by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4447-surf-inspector License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ 

SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly is joined by Press Association chief sports reporter Jamie Gardner and Professor Simon Chadwick, global professor of sport at Emlyon Business School, to unpack the takeover of Premier League soccer team Newcastle United by the Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia. They assess the response in Newcastle and across the English game, and consider some of the questions that have faced the Premier League since the deal went through, from the human rights record of the Saudi state to the reaction of other clubs. They also look into some of the motivations of the PIF and its partners in pursuing the deal, considering how Newcastle came to be identified as a target and how the acquisition fits into a wider sports investment strategy, and ask what comes next. Music: Surf Inspector by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4447-surf-inspector License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ 

SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly heads to London’s West End to talk to Brett Gosper, head of Europe and the UK at the National Football League (NFL).  As the NFL stages two International Series games at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Gosper explains how the league is rebounding from a Covid-enforced break in the British capital, how it is taking on markets like Mexico and Germany, and the implications of a rule change allowing individual teams to market themselves overseas.  He also reflects on his opening months in the job after arriving from World Rugby, what lessons he is applying from leading a governing body and his previous experience in agencies, and how sports like rugby, soccer and American football can collaborate on player safety and the risk of long-term brain injuries.