The Sports Agents

You might have spotted the world’s best sumo wrestlers riding around on Lime bikes and posing for pictures on Abbey Road - that's because for the first time in 34 years, the thunderous spectacle of Grand Sumo is back in London.At the Royal Albert Hall, toilets and seats have been reinforced to take 200kg, spectators in the front row have been warned they could be crushed, and they’re getting through 70kg of rice per day!As other sports are determined to ‘go global’ in this age of commercialisation and constant reinvention, sumo has remained remarkably unchanged: a sport rooted in discipline, respect, and spiritual symbolism.From its uncompromising code of conduct to its deep connection with culture, we explore why sumo’s return is more than just an event — it’s a statement.That's with nine-time British Heavyweight Sumo Champion, Mandeep Singh Kundi, and Head of Programming at the Royal Albert Hall, Dave Gamble.Plus Gabby & Mark reflect on what *could be* the last October international break for a while, and how Man United can take advantage of Liverpool's second-choice goalkeeper at Anfield this Sunday.📩 Got a question? Send it here: https://forms.gle/9SBbW1SYWqXLKnRT7💭 Tell us your thoughts in our listener survey: https://forms.gle/YMUvajQktqBuimgh6 🖥️ Watch our full episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SportsAgentsPod 📱Follow us on socials:TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@thesportsagents Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thesportsagents/ X - https://x.com/sportsagentspod📥 Email: thesportsagents@global.com Executive Producer: Adonis PratsidesProducer: Sophie PenneyVideo Producer: Sam Trudgill Social Media Editor: Calum ScotlandTom Hughes is Editor for The News Agents podcast networkVicky Etchells is the Commissioning Editor for GlobalYou can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The Sports Agents".👕 The Sports Agents have merch! You can buy yours now: https://store.global.com/collections/the-sports-agents

In the 1980s English football was at an all time low. Attendances down, stadia crumbling, hooliganism all too prevalent, and then three horrific disasters - Bradford, Heysel and Hillsborough.Then almost out of nowhere Bobby Robson and his band of characters came within the width of the post of reaching the World Cup Final. England might have lost the semi-final against West Germany but they won the hearts of a nation who fell in love with football again. So how did Italia 90 change English football? Remember to follow or subscribe, and give us a 5 star review too!We'd love to hear from you! Email us: howitallplayedout@global.com Find us on socials: @playedoutpodExecutive Producer: Adonis Pratsides & Adem WatermanProducer: Sophie PenneyHead of Podcasts: Factual: Al RiddellDirector of Podcasts: Vicky Etchells

Gabby and Mark are joined by Andy Farrell, who led the British & Irish Lions to a series win this summer and guided Ireland to world number one. From his Wigan rugby league roots when he had his son and ex-England captain Owen Farrell at just 16, to managing at the top of rugby union and where he sees the future of the two codes. (8 mins)We react to Cape Verde making the World Cup, Thomas Tuchel's damning comments about the Wembley crowds and Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson's latest 800m challenger - Femke Bol. Plus, who knew an alcohol ban could be solved with cranes? (35 mins)📩 Got a question? Send it here: https://forms.gle/9SBbW1SYWqXLKnRT7💭 Tell us your thoughts in our listener survey: https://forms.gle/YMUvajQktqBuimgh6 🖥️ Watch our full episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SportsAgentsPod 📱Follow us on socials:TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@thesportsagents Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thesportsagents/ X - https://x.com/sportsagentspod📥 Email: thesportsagents@global.com Executive Producer: Adonis PratsidesProducer: Sophie PenneyVideo Producer: Sam Trudgill Social Media Editor: Calum ScotlandGuest Booker: Kirsty GiddingsTom Hughes is Editor for The News Agents podcast networkVicky Etchells is the Commissioning Editor for GlobalYou can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The Sports Agents".👕 The Sports Agents have merch! You can buy yours now: https://store.global.com/collections/the-sports-agents

Gabby and Mark answer all of your questions from building their 'dream athlete' and their favourite Match of The Day moment so far, to England winning a home Rugby World Cup and the Ryder Cup crowds.Plus, we look back at this week on The Sports Agents. Double Olympic champion and Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas joined us in the studio to talk about how recent pro-Palestinan protests might change the future of cycling. Former Bournemouth Chairman, Jeff Mostyn, discussed saving the club and whether Eddie Howe is England manager material. And after former England rugby captain Lewis Moody announced his motor neurone disease diagnosis Professor Dame Pamela Shaw explained whether or not there is a link between exercise and MND. 📩 Got a question? Send it here: https://forms.gle/9SBbW1SYWqXLKnRT7💭 Tell us your thoughts in our listener survey: https://forms.gle/YMUvajQktqBuimgh6 🖥️ Watch our full episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SportsAgentsPod 📱Follow us on socials:TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@thesportsagents Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thesportsagents/ X - https://x.com/sportsagentspod📥 Email: thesportsagents@global.com Executive Producer: Adonis PratsidesProducer: Sophie PenneyVideo Producer: Sam Trudgill Social Media Editor: Calum ScotlandTom Hughes is Editor for The News Agents podcast networkVicky Etchells is the Commissioning Editor for GlobalYou can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The Sports Agents".👕 The Sports Agents have merch! You can buy yours now: https://store.global.com/collections/the-sports-agents

Did Sir Jim Ratcliffe's clunky Amorim vs. Arteta comparison make sense? Is England manager Thomas Tuchel right to put team cohesion ahead of individual talent in a World Cup year and could you win a point against a pro tennis player? Double Olympic gold-medallist Geraint Thomas - who calls Ratcliffe a personal friend - is now looking to move into INEOS management. So what's it like behind the scenes there and is Sir Jim always so patient? Plus, Thomas' pride in the UK's 'cycling boom', being part of a golden era of British riders and if recent protests at La Vuelta could change the Tour de France forever? 📩 Got a question? Send it here: https://forms.gle/9SBbW1SYWqXLKnRT7💭 Tell us your thoughts in our listener survey: https://forms.gle/YMUvajQktqBuimgh6 🖥️ Watch our full episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SportsAgentsPod 📱Follow us on socials:TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@thesportsagents Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thesportsagents/ X - https://x.com/sportsagentspod📥 Email: thesportsagents@global.com Executive Producer: Adonis PratsidesProducer: Sophie PenneyVideo Producer: Sam Trudgill Social Media Editor: Calum ScotlandGuest Booker: Kirsty GiddingsTom Hughes is Editor for The News Agents podcast networkVicky Etchells is the Commissioning Editor for GlobalYou can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The Sports Agents".👕 The Sports Agents have merch! You can buy yours now: https://store.global.com/collections/the-sports-agents

"This race was an incredible exhibition of sprinting brilliance and power, but only because it came from a drugs bottle."In the scorching heat of Seoul during the 1988 Olympic Games, the world watched as two titans of track and field prepared to battle for gold in the men’s 100m final. Carl Lewis, the outspoken American, faced off against Ben Johnson, the quiet Canadian powerhouse and world record holder. What followed wasn’t just the fastest race ever run at the time - it was the most controversial in Olympic history.We revisit this episode of How It All Played Out, where hosts Mark Pougatch and Paul Hayward unpack the dramatic story behind the dirtiest race in history, which changed the face of athletics forever. Remember to follow or subscribe, and give us a 5 star review too!We'd love to hear from you! Email us: howitallplayedout@global.comGet in touch on socials @playedoutpodExecutive Producer: Adem Waterman & Adonis PratsidesProducer: Sophie Penney Head of Podcasts: Factual: Al RiddellDirector of Podcasts: Vicky Etchells

Russell Martin gone after 123 days, Ange Postecoglou on thin ice after 7 games - Right now at the top of Premier League clubs the pressure is on to be perfect straight away.So today Gabby & Mark are joined by former AFC Bournemouth chairman, Jeff Mostyn, who rescued the club from liquidation, helping Eddie Howe guide them from League Two to the Premier League to talk about the lost art of 'patience' in football.Is Eddie Howe England manager material? What does he make of the owner situation at Sheffield Wednesday? And what's it like running a business where you at the mercy of 11 guys running around on a pitch? And after the tragic news that former England rugby union captain Lewis Moody has been diagnosed with motor neurone disease, there's been a lot of talk around whether MND is linked to rugby or not? So we’ll be joined by Professor Dame Pamela Shaw, a world-leading researcher in MND, to find out more. 📩 Got a question? Send it here: https://forms.gle/9SBbW1SYWqXLKnRT7💭 Tell us your thoughts in our listener survey: https://forms.gle/YMUvajQktqBuimgh6 🖥️ Watch our full episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SportsAgentsPod 📱Follow us on socials:TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@thesportsagents Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thesportsagents/ X - https://x.com/sportsagentspod📥 Email: thesportsagents@global.com Executive Producer: Adonis PratsidesProducer: Sophie PenneyVideo Producer: Sam Trudgill Social Media Editor: Calum ScotlandTom Hughes is Editor for The News Agents podcast networkVicky Etchells is the Commissioning Editor for GlobalYou can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The Sports Agents".👕 The Sports Agents have merch! You can buy yours now: https://store.global.com/collections/the-sports-agents

Three-time Wimbledon champion Boris Becker joins Gabby and Mark on The Sports Agents to talk about his time in prison. The former world number one was sentenced to over two years in jail after going bankrupt. So how did he go from tennis glory to prison? What was it like living with murderers and drug dealers? And how did he feel watching Wimbledon from a jail cell? Plus, we look back at the best bits from this week's shows about England winning the Rugby World Cup, Europe storming to Ryder Cup glory and the fight to become one of football's top managers. Boris Becker's memoir, “Inside: Winning, Losing & Starting Again” is out now . If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this podcast help is available at Samaritans (call 116 123 or visit www.samaritans.org), Prison Reform Trust (https://prisonreformtrust.org.uk) and other charities. 📩 Got a question? Send it here: https://forms.gle/9SBbW1SYWqXLKnRT7💭 Tell us your thoughts in our listener survey: https://forms.gle/YMUvajQktqBuimgh6 🖥️ Watch our full episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SportsAgentsPod 📱Follow us on socials:TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@thesportsagents Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thesportsagents/ X - https://x.com/sportsagentspod📥 Email: thesportsagents@global.com Executive Producer: Adonis PratsidesProducer: Sophie PenneyVideo Producer: Sam Trudgill Social Media Editor: Calum ScotlandGuest Booker: Kirsty GiddingsTom Hughes is Editor for The News Agents podcast networkVicky Etchells is the Commissioning Editor for GlobalYou can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The Sports Agents".👕 The Sports Agents have merch! You can buy yours now: https://store.global.com/collections/the-sports-agents

Premier League managers are more heavily scrutinised than ever. Those 20 jobs are among the most coveted in sport but with two sackings already this season, what’s the secret to keeping one?In an era where tactical identity and club politics collide, the role has never been more complex: Will you lose a dressing room if you break from your philosophy? Do managers even have time to actually coach anymore? And in a game that demands constant reinvention, what does it mean to be a good coach in football today? Gabby and Mark are joined today by former Rangers, QPR and Sunderland manager Michael Beale, who's worked under the likes of Jose Mourinho, Steven Gerrard and Jurgen Klopp. Plus, you won't believe Mark's story from the NFL... let's hope we never have an interview like that on The Sports Agents! 📩 Got a question? Send it here: https://forms.gle/9SBbW1SYWqXLKnRT7💭 Tell us your thoughts in our listener survey: https://forms.gle/YMUvajQktqBuimgh6 🖥️ Watch our full episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SportsAgentsPod 📱Follow us on socials:TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@thesportsagents Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thesportsagents/ X - https://x.com/sportsagentspod📥 Email: thesportsagents@global.com Executive Producer: Adonis PratsidesProducer: Sophie PenneyVideo Producer: Sam Trudgill Social Media Editor: Calum ScotlandTom Hughes is Editor for The News Agents podcast networkVicky Etchells is the Commissioning Editor for GlobalYou can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The Sports Agents".👕 The Sports Agents have merch! You can buy yours now: https://store.global.com/collections/the-sports-agents

Join us to uncover a mystery that's still yet to be solved. We're revisiting this episode of How It All Played Out, where Mark Pougatch and Paul Hayward travelled to the home of Head Groom Jim Fitzgerald on a stormy night in County Kildare in the Republic of Ireland to investigate one of the most shocking stories from the 1980s: the kidnapping of prize racehorse Shergar. This story involves the IRA, a ransom of £2 million and masked kidnappers with submachine guns, so travel back in time with us to explore a bizarre sporting story like no other.Remember to follow or subscribe and give us a 5 star review too!We'd love to hear from you! Email us: howitallplayedout@global.comGet in touch on socials @playedoutpodExecutive Producer: Adem Waterman and Adonis Pratsides Producer: Sophie Penney Head of Podcasts: Factual: Al RiddellDirector of Podcasts: Vicky Etchells