SportsPro Podcast

SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly speaks to Sarah Lewis, the long-serving former secretary general of the International Ski Federation (FIS) who is now running for the presidency of the organisation.  Lewis outlines what has shaped her candidacy and her attitudes to leadership since her shock dismissal from the FIS last October, and what has influenced her thoughts on the future of snow sports and the role of federations. Breaking down her Piste Map programme, she shares her ideas on future sources of revenue, governance guidelines, and a more inclusive community, as well as the responsibilities of sports bodies in everything from commercial growth to environmental sustainability. 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 brings in managing director Nick Meacham, deputy editor Sam Carp, New York Times global sports reporter Tariq Panja and The Athletic football news reporter Matt Slater to recap the rapid rise and fall of European soccer’s Super League.  They try to piece together a dramatic but ultimately catastrophic launch and communications plan; ask whether the project was doomed by the mixed motivations of the clubs involved, and the absence of PSG and Bayern Munich; and explore the actual value of the concept in theory and in practice.  And with fan groups, governments, broadcasters and sponsors briefly united in opposition, they look at what strengths lie in the existing soccer pyramid and what can come 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 senior contributor Matt Rogan returns to talk to Tracey Greaves, chief commercial officer and chief executive of Kinrara at the Goodwood Group. They discuss the unique challenges of leading the commercial fortunes of a wide array of businesses within the historic organisation, balancing tradition with innovation for an iconic brand and building a premium experience that delivers on customer expectations. They also look at launching new ventures in a post-pandemic world, while Tracey explains how the Kinrara consulting arm will extend the Goodwood success story.  The SportsPro Playbook is the place to go for agenda-free, pragmatic advice to understand how to navigate your organisation through change. Head to sportspromedia.com/playbook to catch up on our library of articles and podcasts, and learn more about how our new Playbook Labs programme can help you lead your organisation to success in 2021 and beyond.

In a session from the most recent event in the SportsPro Insider Series, Women's Tennis Association (WTA) president Micky Lawler and Danita Johnson, president of business operations at Major League Soccer's (MLS) DC United, tell CNN Sport's Amanda Davies about their experience as women leading sports organisations. They discuss the pathways that have taken them into their respective positions and the need to open up more opportunities, the importance of mentorship and allyship, managing frustrating commercial conversations, female representation in the bigger picture of inclusion, and much more. Meanwhile, SportsPro deputy editor Sam Carp takes editor at large Eoin Connolly through issue 113 of SportsPro magazine, with a deep focus on federations and sporting destinations. 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 talks to Louise Johnson, UK and EMEA chief executive at sports and entertainment marketing agency Fuse, about Covid-era challenges in sponsorship and the future shape of the sector.  They discuss brand plans and expectations as fans begin their return to live events, the balance between physical and digital activations in the years ahead, the launch of rights holder consultancy Fuse Ignite, where agencies can still add value and how they can stay agile enough to navigate the industry transformation to come. Music: Surf Inspector by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4447-surf-inspector License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ 

On the eve of the 2021 Masters at Augusta, SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly speaks to BBC Sport golf correspondent Iain Carter and industry veteran Giles Morgan about the prospect of an elite world tour in the game. On the agenda: the incentives for the PGA Tour and European Tour in greater collaboration, the opportunity in combining with women’s golf, the spectre of the Premier Golf League, what fans and players want, and what sponsors and broadcasters are telling us. Music: Surf Inspector by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4447-surf-inspector License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ 

SportsPro senior contributor Matt Rogan talks to John Deadman, director of sport and co-curricular activity at Dr Challoner’s School, about how sport is shaping young people and vice versa.   John explains what went into building a culture of success, and what success really means, at the UK’s leading state-funded sports school of the past year. They also discuss what comes next: the lasting value of sport in schools and academic organisations, why getting students involved matters as much as trophies, and what the world of business can expect from these incoming arrivals in the workplace. The SportsPro Playbook is the place to go for agenda-free, pragmatic advice to understand how to navigate your organisation through change. Head to sportspromedia.com/playbook to catch up on our library of articles and podcasts, and learn more about how our new Playbook Labs programme can help you lead your organisation to success in 2021 and beyond.

SportsPro editor-at-large Eoin Connolly talks to Al Guido, president of the San Francisco 49ers. They discuss the implications of the NFL’s massive new set of broadcast rights deals, how the 49ers have adapted to pandemic restrictions and what they have planned for the return of fans, the job of turning Levi’s Stadium into a mass vaccination site, the lessons learned through their minority stake in Leeds United, and much more. Meanwhile, from his perspective as chairman and chief executive of Elevate Sports Ventures, Al lays out some of the challenges he believes are facing the sports business over the next decade. 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 talks to Timo Lumme, the managing director of television and marketing services at the International Olympic Committee.    They discuss the adaptations made to pull the Games together for Tokyo 2020, the significance of a stable hosting schedule for the next decade, how the IOC’s TOP global sponsorship programme has been regenerated in recent years, digital expansion, athlete-led storytelling, original filmmaking and the other steps towards an Olympic media project that lives from “flame to flame”, and much more. Music: Surf Inspector by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4447-surf-inspector License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ 

Ahead of the new Formula One season, SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly sits down with the BlackBook Motorsport's executive director Peter Jones and staff writer Georgina Yeomans to preview the upcoming campaign. Then (34.01), Yeomans in on the line with Ellie Norman, Formula One's director of marketing and communications, to hear what the series is doing to engage with younger fans, where important future markets lie and how the success of Netflix's Drive to Survive is benefiting the sport. Music: Surf Inspector by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4447-surf-inspector License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/