SportsPro Podcast

SportsPro senior contributor Matt Rogan chats with Paul Brown, the founder and chief executive of plant-based nutrition brand BOL Foods, about deciding on a purpose for a business and maintaining quality through growth.    They discuss Paul’s journey from the professional snowboard circuit to sustainable meals, how his focus on core principles inspired him cut the company in half, the qualities he looks for in an investor, the things others see when they buy into your ideas, and why what you put into a project is as important as what you get out of it.        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.

As the Six Nations continues, SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly welcomes pirate-podcaster and veteran sports industry consultant Giles Morgan, and Blackstar Capital portfolio manager James Paul to talk all things rugby union. With the sport attracting private equity investment, it could be set for arguably its biggest shakeup since turning professional more than 25 years ago. Here, the three discuss rugby's future direction, what private equity means for the sport, as well as where its biggest challenges and opportunities lie. 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 Casper Stylsvig, the chief revenue officer at celebrated Italian soccer club AC Milan.   They discuss how the Serie A pace-setters have adapted commercially to the Covid-19 crisis, and maintained contact with fans with the San Siro closed, while Stylsvig also outlines a digital transformation project that will be at the centre of future relationships with supporters and partners worldwide.    They also cover the Rossoneri’s new in-house content production facility and explore the role of players and on-field performance in the modern sponsorship space. Music: Surf Inspector by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4447-surf-inspector License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ 

After SportsPro revealed its 2021 class of 20 sports tech ideas to invest in, editor at large Eoin Connolly and editorial director Michael Long go through the picks and assess why these early stage companies are ones to watch. Then (17.09), Eoin speaks to Daniel Kirschner, president and chief executive at Greenfly, to learn about the software solutions company's work in the world of video consumption and how it is helping sports brands with content creation and distribution. Music: Surf Inspector by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4447-surf-inspector License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ 

In the first of a new series of practical conversations with leaders inside and outside sport, SportsPro senior contributor Matt Rogan talks about how to build a strong base for your communication with Natalie Benjamin, partner at performance management consultancy Lane4. They discuss the importance of honesty and clarity in leadership communication, understanding what to share and how, and recreating some of the subtler aspects of internal and external exchanges in Covid-compromised times.  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.

With just days to go until the National Football League's (NFL) championship game, SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly welcomes Sportico's sports business reporter Eben Novy-Williams for a Super Bowl special. As well as previewing the event, the pair reflect on the NFL's season and where the league is heading as it looks to move on from its Covid-affected campaign. Then (34.36), deputy editor Sam Carp is on the line with Fan Controlled Football's co-founder and chief executive, Sohrob Farudi, to find out more about the concept and why he thinks the league will succeed in the packed US marketplace.  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 Miles Jacobson, studio director of Sports Interactive, the company behind the iconic Football Manager video game series. They talk about how the developer has responded to Covid-19 inside and outside the game (7.45), the continued evolution of Sports Interactive’s data modelling and its relationship with professional clubs (25.03), and nurturing a digital community (36.24) that has grown with the title from its scrappy origins to its multi-million selling place in the gaming pantheon. This podcast also contains discussions of the work Sports Interactive has done to promote access to mental health charities for its players during the pandemic, such as making in-game advertisements available for free. Among the organisations it has collaborated with are CALM – Campaign Against Living Miserably, Samaritans, Mind, and Mental Health UK. Links to their websites are included here for the benefit of anyone whose mental wellbeing has been affected by recent events. Music: Surf Inspector by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4447-surf-inspector License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ 

Talk of Europe's top soccer clubs breaking away and forming their own super league has existed for decades, but is the sport closer than ever to a continental 'super league'?   In this episode, SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly and digital editor Tom Bassam delve into the commercial arguments around soccer's future and what it all means for the sport if the big clubs get their way.  Phil Carling, managing director of football at Octagon Worldwide, and Charlie Marshall, chief executive of the European Club Association (ECA), are also on hand to give their perspective. 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 launch of his new Playbook Podcast series, SportsPro senior contributor Matt Rogan talks to editor at large Eoin Connolly about how sports businesses can deliver on their plans in changing times.   In another wide-ranging conversation, they discuss building a sense of collective ownership to give team members a shared purpose and strategic buy-in, managing performance relentlessly but with an emphasis on core priorities (32.02), and how empathetic leadership can help those at the top stave off isolation and mental strain (55.01).   Music: Surf Inspector by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4447-surf-inspector License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ 

In this episode, SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly is joined by Jene Elzie, chief growth officer at Athletes First Partners, and Len Elmore, senior lecturer in the sports management programme at Columbia University. With Joe Biden sworn in as US president, the three delve into the tumultuous Trump tenure and how it changed the relationship between sport and politics, particularly in the context of athlete activism and brand engagement, and ways it will evolve now there is a new man in the Oval Office.  Music: Surf Inspector by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4447-surf-inspector License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/