Sports Pundit Podcast Network

On today’s episode, I’m joined by Dani Gonçalves, Co-Founder and CEO of Fantasy WSL. Dani’s journey is a unique blend of creativity and technology. She started her career as a musician, moved to London to pursue her dream, and soon found herself immersed in the world of social media and digital marketing, even before it became the major industry it is today. After honing her skills with brands like Lush Cosmetics, Dani transitioned into the world of tech, working for a fintech startup, which is where she met her co-founder, Jimmy. Their shared passion for fantasy sports and a desire to make women’s sports more accessible, having watched the Lionesses win the Euros, led to the creation of Fantasy WSL. In this conversation, Dani shares her fascinating background, the pivotal moment that inspired Fantasy WSL, and how she’s helping to bring the women’s game to new audiences - and in the process building one of the most engaged platforms and communities around women's football. Timestamps  3:00 - Dani’s Journey 7:00 - Applying lessons from Lush Cosmetics 10:00 - The Fantasy WSL Audience 14:00 - Women’s Football Rivalry 17:00 - Breaking Through 19:00 - Leveraging Media Relationships to Build Community 23:00 - What if the League Launch an Official App 27:00 - Differentiating the Product 31:00 - Getting Engagement from Players 35:00 - Leveraging First Party Data 37:00 - Future Plans…  Additional Links Create your own Fantasy WSL team Pipe dream or masterplan: will WSL fantasy football make it big? The Guardian Connect with Dani - Here Connect with Andy - Here

On today’s episode, I’m joined by Corey Breton, Head of Venues at Cosm. From starting out in ticket sales with major sports organizations like the NBA’s Phoenix Suns and Minnesota Timberwolves, before transitioning into a broader operational role, first with LAFC in the MLS, and later as Chief Revenue Officer for Global Attractions at Legends, Corey made the move last year to join Cosm, bringing together his unique skillset at a company which is at the forefront of immersive entertainment experiences.   In this conversation, Corey shares with us his journey, what drew him to Cosm, and how the company is poised to expand the concept of fan engagement beyond the traditional stadium through its groundbreaking “Shared Reality” venues.  Timestamps 3:00 - Corey’s Journey  5:00 - What is Cosm?  13:00 - The Viral Man Utd v Fulham Clip 16:00 - Tailoring the Fan Experience  21:00 - Shared Reality vs Virtual Reality  24:00 - Signing a Deal with the NFL 28:00 - Is this a New Media Right?  31:00 - Complimenting In-stadia Attendance  36:00 - Raising $250m from the likes of Marc Lasry and David Blitzer 39:00 - Cosm's Investment ‘Moat”  41:00 - Incremental Revenue Opportunities  Additional Links Cosm Raises Over $250 Million In Funding To Expand Experiential Entertainment Venues GloballyNFL to Air Sunday Night Football in ‘Shared Reality’ Cosm Domes

On today’s episode, I’m joined by Jack Withinshaw, Chief Commercial Officer at Alauda Aeronautics and CCO and Co-Founder of Airspeeder.  Jack’s started out his career with giant advertising agencies like MediaCom and Val Morgan before transitioning to work with various startups across in industries like logistics, recruitment, and retail.   He joined Alauda Aeronautics in 2019 where he co-founded Airspeeder, alongside Aluda’s founder, Matt Pearson. During this conversation, we discuss what drove him to, together with Matt, to start a racing series, as well as his aspirations more broadly for the adoption of eVOTL vehicles and why he believes now is the time to finally deliver on the promise of flying cars.  Timestamps 3:00 - Jack's Journey to Joining Alauda 5:00 - The Promise of Flying Cars 7:00 - Founding and Developing Airspeeder 10:00 - Recruiting Pilots 13:00 - Digital Racetracks 16:00 - Airspeeder's Revenue Model 19:00 - Why Automotive Brands are Getting Involved 24:00 - Navigating Media Rights and Opportunities 29:00 - The Role of Esports 31:00 - The Impact of eVOTL as a Mobility Revolution 34:00 - Cities of the Future 39:00 - Approaching Investment 42:00 - Going Behind the Scenes on YouTube Additional Links Alauda Aeronautics - Taking Flight Series Airspeeder EXA Championship 2023 - Full Race Highlights Evolving the eVTOL market one race at a time Connect with Jack - ⁠Here⁠ Connect with Andy - ⁠Here⁠

On today’s episode, I’m joined by Alexander Jobst, CEO at Fortuna Dusseldorf, a football club based in the North of Germany and competing in the second tier, Bundesliga 2. Fortuna’s home, the Merkur Spiel Arena, hosted a number of matches during this summer’s European championships, including England’s 5-3 penalty win over Switzerland in the quarter finals, which was witnessed live by almost 47,000 fans. One of the greatest challenges facing Alex in his role at CEO, is achieving similar attendance figures throughout the club season - which led to the innovative launch of 'Fortuna for All.' Almost three years into the role, Alexander has leant heavily on his past experiences working with the likes of Siemens, Real Madrid, FIFA, and FC Schalke on areas around commercialisation and internationalisation. We discuss what he has learnt over his career and how this has lead him to such a unique solution now that he is at the helm at Fortuna... Timestamps 2:00 - Journey to becoming CEO 5:00 - Fortuna Düsseldorf's Long-Term Vision 8:00 - Fortuna for All: Concept and Implementation 10:00 - Business Model and Revenue Impact 13:00 - Fan Loyalty and Community Building 15:00 - Digital Transformation and Future Plans 20:00 - Commercial Partnerships and Sustainability 29:00 - Applying the Model Elsewhere 36:00 - Conclusion and Final Thoughts Additional Links 'Fortuna For All': Fortuna Düsseldorf confirm four free fixtures for 2024/25 season How the Application Process Works Connect with Alexander on LinkedIn - ⁠Here Connected with Andy on LinkedIn - ⁠Here

On today’s episode, I’m joined by Flora Bell, Business Director at LALIGA Studios. Having worked in the marketing and advertising industry for the likes of M&C Saatchi and LOLA MullenLowe across huge brands such as Magnum, Kraft-Heinz, Dove, Mattel, and PG Tips, just over a year ago she was brought in to help set up LALIGA Studios.Based in Madrid, LALIGA Studios is a new sports-related content production company which combines the forces of Banijay, a global content powerhouse with LALIGA, one of the most followed football leagues in the world. As well as serving all of LALIGA’s content production needs, as an independent studio, they have also since taken on work with leading brands like EA Sports and Logitech and have an ambition to expand to other sports and across other markets.Timestamps 2:00 - From Sunderland to Madrid 6:00 - Conceptualising LALIGA Studios10:00 - Partnering with Banijay14:00 - Netflix’s LALIGA: All Access and The Rise and Rise of Sports Docu-Series19:00 - Expanding the Client Base Beyond Spanish Football 23:00 - Operating with the LALIGA Name28:00 - Expanding into New Markets 31:00 - Telling Individual’s Stories 37:00 - Creating Media That Cuts Through 39:00 - Measuring Success42:00 - Aspirations for LALIGA Studios Additional LinksLALIGA partners with Banijay Iberia to launch production armLaLiga Studios Expands Management Team, Announces Doc Project ‘The Power of Our Fútbol’LaLiga launches FAST channel with behind-the-scenes contentMike Tollin’s MTP and LaLiga Studios to Develop Slate of Soccer-Centric ProjectsConnect with Flora on LinkedIn - HereConnected with Andy on LinkedIn - Here

On today’s episode, I’m joined by Fara Gorsi, Americas Development Manager for the International Cricket Council. Before taking on the role with the ICC of developing cricket in the Americas, Gorsi was the UK's first registered female cricket agent, looking after Pakistan quick bowler Mohammed Amir, among others. Now based out in Colorado Springs, Gorsi looks after 16 associate nations in the Americas region, including both the U.S. and Canada, as well as countries like Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina. Though in the Americas, West Indies, who co-hosted the recent T20 World Cup with the U.S., fall under central ICC control as they are classified as one of 12 full nations. This means they sit outside Gorsi’s remit, though they still provide a lot of inspiration to the rest of the region. With this tournament having just finished, I spoke to Fara about the ICC's ambitions in the Americas following the event as well as in the build up to cricket’s Olympic debut at LA28.Timestamps2:00 - Fara’s Journey5:00 - How Cricket has Evolved in the Americas 7:00 - Learning from the West Indies9:00 - Impact of the U.S. Beating Pakistan 11:00 - Legacy of the T20 Cricket World Cup 18:00 - The Role of Major League Cricket 21:00 - Could Cricket Become a College Sport? 24:00 - Impact of LA2826:00 - Infrastructure and Addressing Participation Barriers31:00 - Collaborating with Major League Sports 37:00 - Schools Program 39:00 - Future PlansAdditional LinksConnect with Fara on LinkedIn - ⁠here⁠Connect with Andy on LinkedIn - ⁠here

On today's episode, I'm joined by Ben Ladkin, Managing Director of MLB Europe.Although now representing a major American sports league, Ben's journey in sport began at Arsenal, where he spent 11 years, eventually leading the media group and building their digital and social media presence during the dot com era.Now at Major League Baseball (MLB), he operates across three key pillars: content, events, and participation. While the content pillar aligns closely with his past experience, he has embraced the new challenges of organising major events like the London Series (which took place earlier this month) as well as fostering baseball participation in Europe.This has required tapping into popular U.S. sports already capturing mind-share in Europe, finding alignment with popular global sports such as cricket, and tapping into culture and the wider export of Americana.Timestamps 2:00 - Ben’s Journey 6:00 - How London Differs from other MLB International Markets 8:00 - Tapping into Cricket Fandom12:00 - Incorporating Education into Content14:00 - Strategy and Ambitions Across the Wider European Market17:00 - Tapping in to Merchandise and Music24:00 - Who Gets to Play in the London Series? 25:00 - Special Edition Merch28:00 - Ballpark Food and Exporting Americana31:00 - Future Plans and 365 Engagement Strategies   Additional LinksCan Cricket SUPERSTAR Harry Brook learn how to hit a baseball in just 1 day?! Jos Buttler swaps cricket for baseball to advertise the World Tour in LondonRob McElhenney brought baseball to a Wrexham matchOfficial MLB MLB London Series x Titi CollectionConnect with Ben on LinkedIn - Here Connect with Andy on LinkedIn - Here

On Today’s Episode, I’m joined by Joe Gray, the co-founder of MyoMaster as well as a rugby coach for London Scottish. Having retired from professional rugby in 2022, Gray is the only player in history to have won every trophy available to players in the top two tiers of English rugby, including both European trophies. Throughout his illustrious career, he has represented England and played for top clubs such as Harlequins, Northampton Saints, and Saracens. In 2018, he founded the sports recovery business MyoMaster with his wife Lottie. Earlier this year, they made a memorable appearance on the British reality TV show Dragon’s Den, securing an investment from former Manchester United and England footballer Gary Neville and renowned British businesswoman Sara Davies. Leveraging his extensive experience as a top-level athlete, Gray developed MyoMaster's initial product, a massage gun, and has continued to innovate, aiming to democratise access to high-quality sports recovery products. Timestamps2:00 - Joe’s Journey 5:00 - Sending CVs to Professional Rugby Clubs9:00 - Founding MyoMaster13:00 - Wider Interest in Entrepreneurship 14:30 - What is MyoMaster? 17:00 - How Can Sports Teams Support Athlete Founders? 19:00 - The Role of Athlete Partnerships 22:00 - Appearing on Dragon’s Den 30:00 - The Value of Video Content35:00 - Future Ambitions for MyoMasterAdditional LinksWellness Wonders: Meet the CEO of sports recovery specialist MyoMasterMyoMaster, revolutionising recovery to transform performanceJoe Gray's start-up scores big following prime-time appearance on national TVConnect with Joe on LinkedIn - Here Connect with Andy on LinkedIn - Here

On today’s episode, I’m joined by Kahlen Macauley, Head of International Sports Media and Partnerships at Snapchat. Having worked across the sports media landscape at the likes of TalkSport, ESPN and Pulselive, Kahlen then joined the International Olympic Committee in 2016, leading their digital partnerships team with a main focus on aiming to engage with younger audiences beyond broadcasts. It was here, among the other social platforms, that Kahlen started interacting and working with Snapchat, who he then joined in 2019 to lead their sports partnerships for EMEA - identifying the opportunity that the company had as an under appreciated platform for sports rightsholders who were all wishing to engage with that younger generation. Bringing his 360 view of the sports media and marketing landscape, Kahlen has sought to help position the platform to better fit the marketing strategies of sports teams, leagues, and brands.Timestamps: 2:00 - Kahlen’s Journey to working at Snapchat5:30 - Lessons Across Different Areas of Sports Media9:00 - Working with Snapchat while at the IOC10:30 - Addressing Misconceptions Around Snapchat 13:00 - Snapchat’s Product Suite 15:00 - How does Snapchat Enhance the Fan Experience? 18:00 - How Athlete’s Engage Differently on Snapchat 24:00 - Blurring the Lines Between Sport and Fashion28:00 - Importance of Sport to Snapchat Strategy 35:00 - What does a Snapchat Partnership Look Like? 42:00 - Future Plans for Snapchat in SportAdditional LinksThe Snapchat Game On LensGen-Z love 'blokette' fashion sparking boom in young sports fansResearch: Gen Z falling back in love with sportSnapchat Statistics: Revenue and Usage Trends in 2024Connect with Kahlen on LinkedIn - hereConnect with Andy on LinkedIn - here

On today’s episode, I’m joined by Cherry Beagles, the founder of The 400 Club, an all-female members club redefining what it means to be a sports fan and increasing culturally relevant brand deals in women’s sport.Having studied law at the University of Manchester and gained experience at the likes of NBC Universal and Dentsu, Cherry founded The 400 Club as a side hustle to address an audience that was being underrepresented in traditional sports marketing - and an audience she herself fell in to. Since launching, she has brought on successful female founders, international athletes, and Olympians, as well as hosted events with the likes of Nike, and done brand campaigns with rightsholders such as Arsenal - all within her first year of starting the club - suggesting that Cherry is very much on to something big. We discuss her perspective on women’s sport, why this is not to be confused with a female-fan strategy, and the importance of engaging not just the biggest female brands, but those that hold the most cultural relevance.Time Stamps2:00 - What is The 400 Club and who are the members4:00 - Recruiting New Members8:00 - The Athlete x Brand Flywheel 13:00 - Creating a Female-Fan Strategy17:00 - Culturally Relevant Brand Partnerships and Collaborations20:00 - That Taylor Swift Jacket28:00 - What Athletes can Learn from Social-First Brands32:00 - Creating a Campaign with Arsenal FC35:00 - Giving Rugby a 400 Club Twist44:00 - Future of the 400 ClubAdditional LinksThe 400 Club x Nike for The FA Cup FinalFollow The 400 Club on InstagramConnect with Cherry on LinkedIn - HereConnect with Andy on LinkedIn - Here