What The Footie Podcast: Recent Episodes
What The Footie
What the footie happens behind the scenes in football? From the boardroom to the backroom staff #WhatTheFootie investigates how the business of football works. Every fortnight (Mondays) host Paul Musa is joined by agents, directors, players, sports scientists, fans, friends of the pod and more to debate the big topics and answer your burning questions. So be prepared to question everything that you know about the beautiful game. Previous guests include Les Reed, Akin Solanke-Caulker, Dave Bassett, Steve Morrow, Laura Raffety & Eddie Bonsu.Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatthefootie/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/whatthefootie Email: Send your voice notes to whatthefootie@hotmail.com
This week’s What The Footie Podcast is with Matt Bonass, Partner at Bird & Bird, one of the leading legal advisers in sport, investment and complex ownership deals (who recently worked on the Snoop Dogg x Luka Modric x Swansea City deal)
Bird & Bird have just partnered with our Athlete Investor Summit, and ahead of the third edition and ahead of Matt's panel at the event, Paul and Matt discuss the growing rise of athlete and celebrity investment into sport, why football is increasingly being seen as an asset class, what’s driving the boom in club ownership interest, and how these deals are actually structured behind the scenes.
They also get into the wider trend of athletes and public figures moving from endorsement into equity, what clubs are really looking for from high-profile investors, and what the future of investment in football could look like.
What The Footie is the football and business podcast that goes behind the scenes.
Please remember to support the pod with a follow & a 5 star review.
This week’s What The Footie Podcast is with Keith Lasley, Chief Operating Officer at St Mirren FC.
In this exclusive, Paul & Keith dive into St Mirren’s journey in Scottish football, what it takes to run a modern club day-to-day, and how you build a sustainable model that still competes on the pitch. They explore leadership behind the scenes, balancing football tradition with operational innovation, and making long-term decisions in a results-driven environment — from club strategy and budgeting to recruitment alignment, culture, and community.
They also discuss the wider challenges facing the game right now — financial sustainability, governance and ownership structures, commercial growth, and how clubs can future-proof themselves while staying connected to their supporters.
What The Footie is the football and business podcast that goes behind the scenes.
Please remember to support the pod with a follow & a 5-star review.
This week’s What The Footie Podcast is with Luke Bornn, Co-Owner of Toulouse FC and Co-Founder of Zelus Analytics.
In this exclusive, Paul & Luke dive into Toulouse’s journey in Ligue 1, building a sustainable club model, balancing football tradition with innovation, and leading with a long-term vision. As well as Toulouse’s rise through smart recruitment and data-informed strategy, how Ligue 1 is evolving as a talent factory, lessons from running a modern European club, and the big-picture challenges facing football — from ownership models and financial sustainability to the future of analytics in the game.
What The Footie is the football and business podcast that goes behind the scenes.
Please remember to support the pod with a follow & a 5-star review.
This week’s What The Footie Podcast is with Adam Osper, Managing Partner in Financial Planning at Evelyn Partners who are the UK’s leading adviser to sports professionals on their financial affairs and investments.
Evelyn Partners have just partnered with our Athlete Investor Summit, and ahead of the second edition in this episode Paul and Adam discuss what athletes should be thinking about early in their careers when it comes to building wealth, balancing short-term earnings with long-term investment strategy, why athlete need trusted advisors, how to empower athletes to take control of their wealth and investments and so much more.
What The Footie is the football and business podcast that goes behind the scenes.
Please remember to support the pod with a follow & a 5 star review.
This week’s What The Footie Podcast is with Matt Rogan Co-Founder and former Executive Chairman at Two Circles. Two Circles is an international sports and entertainment marketing business that leverages data and knowing fans best, to help organisations grow audiences and revenues.
In this exclusive, Paul & Matt discuss leadership lessons, the commercial opportunities for football clubs, how Two Circles helped clubs to capitalise on these opportunities, how F1/NBA/NFL commercialise their sports, revenue models in football, why building new stadia has become so important, Matt being a Chelsea pitch owner, the 3PM Blackout, the Premier League going direct-to-consumer, the big topical football business questions on the horizon and so much more.
What The Footie is the football and business podcast that goes behind the scenes.
Please remember to support the pod with a follow & a 5 star review.
This week’s What The Footie Podcast is with Ben Sadler Chief Executive Officer at Walsall FC. Ben was previously CEO at Morecambe FC and General Manager at Harrogate Town AFC.
In this exclusive, Paul & Ben discuss Ben's learnings from previous roles, the process of building a financially sustainable football club, the importance of alignment, leadership lessons, understanding context, the independent regulator, driving commercial and sporting success, creating and designing strategies, the day-to-day role, working with owners and within a multi-club model and so much more.
What The Footie is the football and business podcast that goes behind the scenes.
Please remember to support the pod with a follow & a 5 star review.
This week’s What The Footie Podcast is with Polly Bancroft Chief Executive Officer at Grimsby Town FC. Polly was previously Head of Women's Football at both Brighton and Hove Albion and Manchester United
In this exclusive, Paul & Polly discuss her learnings from working at Brighton and Manchester Utd, the importance of alignment and role clarity, building MDTs, leadership lessons, understanding context, developing a clear game model, driving commercial revenue, creating and designing strategies, the day-to-day role, working with owners and so much more.
What The Footie is the football and business podcast that goes behind the scenes.
Please remember to support the pod with a follow & a 5 star review.
This week’s What The Footie Podcast is with Mariela Nisotaki, Head of Emerging Talent at Norwich City FC.
In this exclusive, Paul & Mariela discuss the evolution of scouting, the importance of emerging talent within squad planning, finding value in different markets, setting a clear game model at a football club, how the game model influences scouting and recruitment, building a Premier League-ready squad, the challenges and learning of the role, using live scouting/data/video scouting to profile players, having a robust process to sign-off on players, working within a multi-disciplinary team and with a sporting director and so much more.
What The Footie is the football and business podcast that goes behind the scenes.
Please remember to support the pod with a follow & a 5 star review.
This week’s What The Footie Podcast is with Nancy Hensley, Founding Member at Mercury 13 (a multi-club ownership group focused on acquiring controlling stakes in professional women's football) and former Chief Marketing and Product Officer at Stats Perform.
In this exclusive, Paul & Nancy discuss Mercury 13's ambition and strategies, the benefits and challenges of multi-club ownership models, the growth and future of women's football, how data can transform women's football and the lack of data in it, and so much more.
What The Footie is the football and business podcast that goes behind the scenes.
Please remember to support the pod with a follow & a 5 star review.
Today's episode is sponsored by Prorizon.
This week’s What The Footie Podcast is with Claire Stewart Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer at Prorizon Tech.
In this exclusive, Paul and Claire discuss why Prorizon is important for the future of football, the state of football (increased fixtures and tournament expansion), the effects that it has on players, the challenges of running a startup and selling tech solutions to the biggest teams in the world, player welfare, the challenges that football players face, the data revolution in football and so much more.
What The Footie is the football and business podcast that goes behind the scenes.
Please remember to support the pod with a follow & a 5 star review.
This week’s What The Footie Podcast is with Felix Torralba Chief Revenue Officer at RCD Mallorca.
In this exclusive, Paul & Felix discuss life in La Liga, the role of a Chief Revenue Officer, doing global partnership deals, building a financially sustainable football club, creating and designing strategies, the day-to-day role, redeveloping the stadium, capitalising on Mallorca's rich tourism history to grow the fanbase, American investors in football, their partnership and links with the NBA's Phoenix Suns, La Liga's CVC deal and why the clubs in La Liga needed it, the distribution of wealth in Spain in comparison to other leagues like the Premier League, FFP and financial sustainability rules, taking the RCD Mallorca to America and Asia, the importance of storytelling for a football club and so much more.
What The Footie is the football and business podcast that goes behind the scenes.
Please remember to support the pod with a follow & a 5 star review.
This week’s What The Footie Podcast is with Tim Williams CEO at Oxford United Football Club. Former Group Financial Controller at Manchester United, Chief Financial Officer at Inter Milan and Managing Director at Tifosy.
In this exclusive, Paul & Tim discuss the challenges of navigating up the pyramid, the Premier League's role in the pyramid, building a financially sustainable football club, creating and designing strategies, the day-to-day role, developing a new stadium, being a Top 30 club in England, setting a culture in a football club, developing loan players, the 3pm blackout/broadcasting, the distribution of wealth in England, new ownership models, FFP and financial sustainability rules, valuing a football club and so much more.
What The Footie is the football and business podcast that goes behind the scenes.
Please remember to support the pod with a follow & a 5 star review.
This week’s What The Footie Podcast is with Carol Shanahan, Owner & Chair at Port Vale Football Club.
In this exclusive, Paul & Carol discuss the challenges of navigating up the pyramid, building a sustainable football club, creating and designing strategies, the day-to-day role, the loan system, being League 1 steady and Championship ready, hiring a Sporting Director, creating first-team pathways for academy players, the new EFL TV deal/TV revenues, the distribution of wealth in England, competing against different ownership models, being a people-orientated leader, culture and so much more.
What The Footie is the football and business podcast that goes behind the scenes.
Please remember to support the pod with a follow & a 5 star review.
This week’s What The Footie Podcast is with Tatjana Haenni, the NWSL's Chief Sporting Director.
In this exclusive, Paul & Tatjana discuss the NWSL's ambition to be the world's number one women's football league, creating and designing strategies, what it takes to be a new NWSL franchise, the social movement in the USA which has contributed to athlete investors investing in teams (Serena Williams & Patrick Mahomes), creating player pathways, the growth of the league, the challenges, Tatjana's 30-year experience of driving the growth of women's football forward, what's needed next and so much more.
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What The Footie is the football and business podcast that goes behind the scenes.
Please remember to support the pod with a follow & a 5 star review.
Today's episode is sponsored by Prorizon.
This week’s What The Footie Podcast is with Debbie Cook, CEO @ Grimsby Town FC.
In this exclusive, Paul & Debbie discuss the challenges of navigating up the pyramid, building a sustainable football club, creating and designing strategies, the day-to-day role of a CEO, making data-driven decisions and taking emotion out of decision-making, new partnership with the Twenty First Group, Gareth Jennings' new role as Strategic Advisor to the Board, the relationship between of the Head of Recruitment/Board/Head Coach, the new EFL TV deal, beating Luton Town and Southampton in the FA Cup and so much more.
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What The Footie is the football and business podcast that goes behind the scenes.
Please remember to support the pod with a follow & a 5 star review.
Today's episode is sponsored by Prorizon.
This week’s What The Footie Podcast is with David Stevenson, former Head of Academy Recruitment & Analysis at Rangers FC and Head of Scouting & Performance Analysis at the Scottish Football Federation. David is currently a Lecturer in Sports Management at the University of Stirling.
In this exclusive, Paul & David discuss the evolution of performance analysis, getting by-in from players and coaches, how analysis differs in an academy environment vs a 1st team environment, how performance analysis fits interacts with other high performance departments, how to effectively communicate with players, technology, scanning in football, tactical innovation and so much more.
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What The Footie is the football and business podcast that goes behind the scenes.
Please remember to support the pod with a follow & a 5 star review.
Today's episode is sponsored by Prorizon.
This week’s What The Footie Podcast is with Liam Scully, CEO @ Lincoln City FC.
In this exclusive, Paul & Liam discuss the challenges of navigating up the pyramid, building a sustainable football club, creating and designing strategies, the day-to-day role of a CEO and what they get up to in the off-season, leveraging the loan system (Brooke Norton-Cuffy), multi-sport ownership, the importance of Landon Donovan’s role as Strategic Advisor to the Board, the golden triangle of the Sporting Director/CEO/Head Coach, the 3pm blackout/new EFL TV deal, what FA Cup replays mean for clubs in the EFL and so much more.
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What The Footie is the football and business podcast that goes behind the scenes.
Please remember to support the pod with a follow & a 5 star review.
Today's episode is sponsored by Prorizon.
This week’s What The Footie Podcast is our audience Q&A with Paul Barber, CEO & Deputy Chairman at Brighton & Hove Albion FC. If you missed Part 1 - the Live Podcast (Episode 65) you can listen to it here.
In February at Leyton Orient FC we had our Podcast Meetup which featured a live episode where both Paul's discussed Brighton’s ambition for the season and beyond, how they approach player recruitment, and so much more.
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What The Footie is the football and business podcast that goes behind the scenes.
Please remember to support the pod with a follow & a 5 star review.
Today's episode is sponsored by Prorizon
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This week’s What The Footie Podcast is with Subomi Odanye and Matthew Quadri, Co-Founders @ Divrse Media.
In this exclusive, Paul & the guys discuss why they started Divrse Media, how they secured Alex Iwobi as their first client, the future of athlete branding, how clubs and brands can market to Gen Z, their recent work with Crystal Palace FC, big ideas we'd like to see in the game in light of recent marketing trends, their recent Gen Z x Football report and so much more.
What The Footie is the football and business podcast that goes behind the scenes.
Please remember to support the pod with a follow & a 5 star review.
Today's episode is sponsored by Prorizon.
This week’s What The Footie Podcast is with Miles Jacobson, Studio Director @ Sports Interactive (the makers of Football Manager).
In this exclusive, Paul & Miles discuss the journey that the business has gone on since Miles first joined in 1994, how FM created one of the best scouting networks in the world, how Miles and the team embedded themselves within football and created partnerships with clubs, how the game has transcended football and gaming and so much more.
What The Footie is the football and business podcast that goes behind the scenes.
Please remember to support the pod with a follow & a 5 star review.
Today's episode is sponsored by Prorizon.
This week’s What The Footie Podcast is with Paul Barber, CEO & Deputy Chairman at Brighton & Hove Albion FC.
Last month at Leyton Orient FC we had our Podcast Meetup which featured a live episode where both Paul's discussed Brighton’s ambition for the season and beyond, how they approach player recruitment, and so much more.
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What The Footie is the football and business podcast that goes behind the scenes.
Please remember to support the pod with a follow & a 5 star review.
Today's episode is sponsored by Prorizon.
This week’s What The Footie Podcast is with Tom Gorringe, CEO @ Bristol Rovers FC.
In this exclusive, Paul & Tom discuss the financial challenges of navigating up the pyramid, creative approaches to player recruitment, leveraging the loan system (Elliot Anderson & Jarell Quansah), working with Joey Barton, the importance of boards/senior execs having open dialogue with fans, the growing interest from US investors in EFL clubs, the 3pm blackout/new EFL TV deal, an independent regulator and so much more.
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What The Footie is the football and business podcast that goes behind the scenes.
Please remember to support the pod with a follow & a 5 star review.
Today's episode is sponsored by Prorizon.
This week’s What The Footie Podcast is with John Brenann, Ex-Head of Sport @ Snapchat, Founder & CEO of AC Momento (the football auction house for authenticated match-worn jerseys), and Investor in Angel City FC.
In this exclusive, Paul & John discuss why he founded AC Momento, what it’s like working with AC Milan, Atletico Madrid, Lionel Messi and Vinicius Jr and THAT conversation him and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian had about women’s football and Angel City FC.
As well as the challenges of running a startup, raising money from Serena Williams VC fund, the growth of American investment into football, a Premier League all-star game, live football vs highlights, the 3pm blackout and so much more.
What The Footie is the football and business podcast that goes behind the scenes.
Please remember to support the pod by hitting 5 stars and following on your chosen platform (Apple, Spotify, Google, Amazon & etc.)
This week’s What The Footie Podcast is with Joe Foster, Founder of Reebok and Author of Shoemaker.
In this exclusive, Paul & Joe discuss Reebok's growth story, the future of sports marketing, how sport influences streetwear, Reebok making a return into football, sport as an entertainment business, building a winning high-performance culture and where he thinks Authentic Brands Group can take Reebok over the next decade.
Please remember to support the pod by hitting 5 stars and following on your chosen platform (Apple, Spotify, Google, Amazon & etc.)
This week’s What The Footie Podcast is with Amanda Goodwin, Talent Technical Coach at The FA.
In this exclusive, Paul & AJ discuss talent identification, player development, creating pathways, the future of women's football and the legacy post-the success of the Euros. As well as AJ's time at Blackburn Rovers, over the course of a decade, where she played a pivotal role in Georgia, Keira and Ella's football development and education.
Please remember to support the pod by hitting 5 stars and following on your chosen platform (Apple, Spotify, Google, Amazon & etc.)
This week’s What The Footie Podcast is with Akin Solanke-Caulker, CEO at The Athletic Network.
In this exclusive, Paul & Akin discuss his recent work with Erling Haaland, the marketability of footballers, our love for US sports culture and how football is crossing over with other sports and industries, as well as the growth of and the commercial opportunities for the women's game and the future of sports agency.
Check out Part 1 with Akin back in Episode 25.
Please remember to support the pod by hitting 5 stars and following on your chosen platform (Apple, Spotify, Google, Amazon & etc.)
This week’s What The Footie Podcast is with Paul Barber, CEO at Brighton & Hove Albion FC.
In this exclusive, both Paul’s discuss Brighton’s shrewd recruitment and scouting over the years (Cucurella, Lamptey, Bissouma), how they define the role of the sporting director (David Weir stepping-up into Dan Ashworth’s role), working with Graham Potter and Hope Powell and their ambition for the upcoming Premier League season.
As well as big picture topics such as competing with new ownership models/groups (private equity and state money), does the Premier League need cost controls (salary/transfer caps), the broadcasting deals and whether it’s time for the Premier League to go direct-to-consumer (Premflix)?
Please remember to support the pod by hitting 5 stars and following on your chosen platform (Apple, Spotify, Google, Amazon & etc.)
This week’s What The Footie Podcast is with Fabien Allègre, Chief Brand Officer at PSG. Since 2008, Fabien has played a pivotal role in PSG's groundbreaking collaborations with brands like Nike Jordan, BAPE, Dior & Levi's.
In this exclusive, Paul and Fabien discuss how and why the Jordan collaboration came about, how PSG continue to lead the way in the new era of fashion and entertainment intersecting with football, how PSG's star studded players over the years from David Beckham to Kylian Mbappe fit into their vision for taking the PSG brand global and so much more.
Please remember to support the pod by hitting 5 stars and subscribing on your chosen platform (Apple, Spotify, Google, Amazon & etc.)
This week’s What The Footie Podcast is all about the the price of watching football.
Looking at the new deal between the MLS and Apple, rising season ticket prices, costly travel for away games and having to subscribe to more than one platform to watch all the games on TV? Is there a better way to maximise fan welfare?
What The Footie is the football and business podcast that goes behind the scenes.
This week’s What The Footie Podcast is with Tony Asghar, Sporting Director at Dundee United.
In this exclusive, Paul and Tony discuss the importance of leveraging the loan system, creating clear pathways into the first-team for academy players, dealing with the challenges of transfer and loan regulations, working with owners/investors, dealing with fan and media pressure, why more football clubs need to think about R&D, why transparency and dialogue with the fans is the key to success and so much more.
What The Footie is the football and business podcast that goes behind the scenes.
Remember to subscribe to the podcast and hit 5 stars on your podcast platform.
This week’s What The Footie Podcast is with Tal Brown, CEO and Co-Founder at Zone7, the data-driven AI startup that helps clubs like Liverpool and Rangers FC to forecast and reduce injury-risk.
In this exclusive, Paul and Tal discuss why Zone7 is important for the future of football, the state of football (increased fixtures and tournament expansion), the challenges of running a startup and selling tech solutions to the biggest teams in the world, raising Series A financing and why we are only at the beginning of the data x AI revolution within football.
What The Footie is the football and business podcast that goes behind the scenes.
This week’s What The Footie Podcast is with Jacob Martin, Member at WAGMI United the new owners of Crawley Town Football Club
In this exclusive, Paul and Alex discuss why WAGMI United bought Crawley Town Football Club, their plans for the club, growing the fanbase globally, building the football operations, the football x crypto boom, NFTs, working with Preston Johnson, Eben Smith, the ownership team and so much more.
What The Footie is the football and business podcast that goes behind the scenes.
This week’s What The Footie Podcast is with Alex Culvin, Head of Player Relations @ FIFPRO, the worldwide representative organisation for professional footballers.
In this exclusive, Paul and Alex discuss the challenges that Alex faced in her own playing career, the big issues that players face in the modern game, the difficulties with the international match calendar, athlete activism, how players can push for more and challenge federations and fight off the media narrative around what footballers can and cannot do and so much more.
What The Footie is the football and business podcast that goes behind the scenes.
This week’s What The Footie Podcast is all about buying a Premier League Club and valuations.
With the news that Chelsea is for sale for £3bn, I delve into where the growth opportunities lie and where the American bidders see untapped potential. Forbes recently valued Chelsea at $3.2bn, making them the 25th most valuable sports team and way behind several US franchises.
I delve into why US franchises are so valuable and why their owners have an appetite for English football.
For further insight into this topic and the sub-topics mentioned check out previous episodes with with Anna Mitchell, Simon Gubisch, Laurie Pinto, Daniel Beckley , Steve Madincea and Kieran Maguire.
What The Footie is the football and business podcast that goes behind the scenes.
This week’s What The Footie Podcast is with Dr Dan Parnell, CEO @ Association of Sporting Directors and Senior Lecturer at the University of Liverpool where has worked with some of the best Sporting Directors in the game such as Michael Edwards, Stuart Webber, Dan Ashworth, Kevin Thelwell and more.
In this exclusive, Paul and Dan discuss the the challenges that Sporting Directors face, why it is important for them to be on the board, the fan/media scrutiny, how you measure success, Kevin's new role at Everton FC, how Liverpool FC have built one of the best models in the game and so much more.
What The Footie is the football and business podcast that goes behind the scenes.
This week’s What The Footie Podcast is with Dale Vince, Chairman at Forest Green Rovers, the World’s greenest club and the League 1 leaders.
In this exclusive, Paul and Dale discuss the challenges of running an EFL club, why sustainability and financial sustainability are important aspects of the modern game, ownership tests, regulation in football, the 3pm Blackout, working with the UN and so much more.
What The Footie is the football and business podcast that goes behind the scenes.
This week’s What The Footie Podcast is all about the 3pm Blackout, the rule that means matches in England are prohibited from being shown between 14:45 and 17:15 on Saturdays.
Is it finally time to remove it? How do we protect the pyramid and attendances whilst finding ways to engage the modern day fan? Is the rule outdated, given the savvy and new ways for clubs to generate revenue beyond just matchday revenue?
What The Footie is the football and business podcast that goes behind the scenes.
This week’s What The Footie Podcast is with David Webb. David has spent the last 20 years working in scouting, elite talent identification and football operations for clubs like Crystal Palace, Östersunds FK, Spurs, AFC Bournemouth, Huddersfield Town and Southampton FC.
In this exclusive, Paul and David discuss why and how South London continues to produce exciting English talent, why Spurs signed Son, how recruitment and talent ID differs from club-to-club, the importance of alignment with the board and manager, football operations in the UK vs Germany, managing media and fan pressure and so much more.
What The Footie is the football and business podcast that goes behind the scenes.
46 episodes (+3 bonus episodes) and 44 world-class guests which include leading directors, agents, coaches and more. Ever wondered why Paul started the podcast in the first place? Sit back and listen to What The Footie host, Paul Musa, speak about the origin of the podcast, his passion for football and answer the famous 'What The Footie' question.
Remember to leave a review and hit 5 stars on Apple Podcast please!
What The Footie is the football and business podcast that goes behind the scenes.
This week’s What The Footie Pod is with Daniel Beckley, A&R @ Universal Music. With Wolves being the first UK football club to launch a record label, in this exclusive, Paul and Daniel discuss the business case behind what Wolves are doing and why more clubs should follow suit. As well as the crossover between football and music, our favourite football songs, the rise in footballers producing music, FIFA soundtracks and so much more.
What The Footie is the football and business podcast that goes behind the scenes.
This week’s What The Footie Pod is with Mike Rigg, former Technical Director @ Burnley. Mike has also been in high-profile roles at Man City, Fulham, QPR, The FA & Blackburn. In this exclusive, Paul and Mike discuss what it’s like being a TD at a Premier League club and the biggest challenges they face. As well as working with different types of ownership models, convincing Sergio Agüero to sign for Man City, the challenges of player recruitment, what it takes to build and fix a football club and so much more.
What The Footie is the football and business podcast that goes behind the scenes.
This week’s What The Footie Pod is with Royce Balogun, older brother to Arsenal wondered Folarin Balogun. In this exclusive, Paul and Royce discuss Folarin’s rise from the u23s to making his Arsenal debut. As well as the importance of player care, the weight of pressure that young ballers carry, the team behind his brother, how brands should approach working with players, the best young players Royce has seen in youth football and so much more.
Please remember to leave a rating/review on Apple Podcast and make sure you are subscribed on your chosen platform so that you get the podcast every fortnight (Mondays)!
What The Footie is the football and business podcast that goes behind the scenes.
This week’s What The Footie Pod is with Christian Hurley, Strategy Director @ UMM. In this exclusive, Paul and Christian discuss the YouTube space and the trend around content creators like Chunkz & Harry Pinero linking up with ballers like Jack Grealish & Mason Mount.
As well as Football’s Gen Z problem… are they really losing interest in the current format of football? Do we need FIFA’s new proposals of kick-ins & 30-min halves? Should broadcasters be worried about Gen Z losing interest? Can clubs really go direct and compete with fan channels like AFTV?
Please remember to leave a rating/review on Apple Podcast and make sure you are subscribed on your chosen platform so that you get the podcast every fortnight (Mondays)!
What The Footie is the football and business podcast that goes behind the scenes.
This week’s What The Footie Pod is with Tony Sharkey, agent and CEO @ Football Transfer Forum. In this exclusive, Paul and Tony discuss everything transfers and player contracts related from release clauses to preferred agents.
From the talent in the Championship to the pressure of doing deadline day deals. Sit back and enjoy us ramble on about our love for Brentford’s recruitment model, how getting released at 19 inspired Tony to become an agent and the effects of club finances on deals.
What The Footie is the football and business podcast that goes behind the scenes.
This week’s What The Footie pod is with Toby Wakefield, brand director for Jesse Lingard & athlete branding expert.
In this exclusive, Paul & Toby discuss the secret behind Jesse’s stellar form at West Ham, what makes the JLingz brand so unique, the media pressure that athletes endure, the unfiltered nature of US sports/athletes compared to the UK, a Jesse Lingard NFT collection, what’s next for Jesse and so much more.
This is the final episode before Paul returns in late July/August from his mini-sabbatical with more content so please do use this time to catchup on our blockbuster episodes, this year, with the likes of Chris Kirkland, Les Reed & Neil Banfield.
This week’s What The Footie pod is with sports lawyer, author and podcaster Daniel Geey (Done Deal).
In this exclusive, Paul & Daniel discuss the future of football governance after the European Super League (ESL) fallout, why 50+1 won’t work, is it time for an independent football regulator, salary caps as a form of cost control, the fan-led review & so much more!
Make sure you’re subscribed to the podcast and follow us on the socials @whatthefootie to submit questions!
This week’s What The Footie Pod is with Neil Banfield. Neil spent 21 years coaching at Arsenal alongside Arsene Wenger, coaching the reserves, Elite Group & first team. Working with players like Cesc Fabregas, Ashley Cole, Robin Van Persie, Santi Cazorla, Serge Gnabry & more. He is now currently First-Team coach at QPR.
In this exclusive, we discuss the best youngster he ever saw at Arsenal, his relationship with Arsene Wenger, life behind the scenes at Arsenal, why the Championship is so undervalued, the art of coaching, why the u23s model needs revisiting, the evolution of coaching staff in football, preparing for matchdays and so much more.
For Part 2 of my exclusive What The Footie pod with Les Reed, we speak about the ins and outs of Virgil Van Dijk's transfer, the process of trusting young players like Luke Shaw and negotiating with Daniel Levy and super-agent Mino Raiola.
We also speak about England, the U21s performance in the Euros, Jude Bellingham's development, Jamal Musiala picking Germany, Gareth Southgate, project 2024, the biggest mistake that owners make in football & so much more.
If you have loved this 2-part episode please do rate and review the poddy on Apple Podcast and subscribe for more blockbuster content.
What The Footie is the football and business podcast that goes behind the scenes.
This week’s What The Footie Pod is an exclusive 2-part episode with Les Reed. Les spent just under a decade at Southampton as Vice-Chairman helping to guide them from League 1 to a sustainable Premier League club & recently spent time as technical director at The FA .
In this episode, Part 1, Paul and Les speak about creating a vision/philosophy with the owners, Pochettino’s interview, the process of scouting players like Mané, who was in the famous blackbox & the pressure of replacing the likes of Ronald Koeman, Luke Shaw, Virgil Van Dijk and so much more.
Make sure you subscribe so you know when Part 2 drops!
What The Footie is the football and business podcast that goes behind the scenes.
This week’s pod is with Steve Madincea the Co-Founder of Fantastec the tech company that helps clubs & players to engage with fans through disruptive technologies. In this episode, Paul & Steve speak about how technology/innovation is shaping the future of football both on and off the pitch. We speak about NFTs/digital collectibles, how fans engage with their club post-pandemic, why brands love the champions league, the lessons the Prem can learn from the NBA, Steve’s first football experience with Lord Sugar & so much more.
Remember to leave a rating and review on Apple Podcast and download Fantastec Swap in your app store.
What The Footie is the football and business podcast that goes behind the scenes.
This week's What The Footie Pod is with Reading FC's Head of Academy Psychology & Ops Ben Marks. In this exclusive episode, we discuss player care, Championship superstar Michael Olise, players being released from academies, how clubs support them with a 'Plan B', the transition from academy football to 1st Team and more. Please remember to rate and review us on Apple Podcast.
This week's What The Footie Pod is with football finance expert and the Price of Football Co-Host Kieran Maguire. In this episode, we discuss the financials of Premier League clubs like Arsenal and Liverpool, the looming European Super League, the ramifications of relegation and so much more!
Steve Morrow spent 20 years at Arsenal as a player & scout. In this exclusive episode, he gives insight into his role in scouting players like Serge Gnabry, Donyell Malen, Bukakyo Saka, Emile-Smith Rowe & even Mikel Arteta! We also discussed the growth of the MLS/US talent, Arsenal’s early multi-club/feeder club model, the art and science of scouting, the life lessons he learned from George Graham & Arsene Wenger and so much more.
Chris Kirkland spent over 19 years playing top-flight football for teams such as Liverpool and Wigan. In this exclusive episode, he gives insight into the breakdown of his relationship with Roberto Martinez and Rafa Benitez, his battle with mental health, life after retiring, his thoughts on the modern game, the ruthlessness of football towards GKs, why Steve Bruce is one of the best managers in the game and so much more.
BEHIND THE SCENES with football financier/deal-maker Laurie Pinto. Laurie advises prospective owners when they look to buy Premier League clubs. In recent months we have seen Burnley and Newcastle enter takeover talks. In this podcast, Laurie and I analysed various owners from FSG to Mike Ashley and from the Kroenke's to Roman Abramovich. Why Laurie predicts that 1/3 Prem teams will have new owners by next season? We debated profit maximisation (making money) vs win maximisation (winning games) and the direction of the future of football (we are both two disgruntled Arsenal fans). THIS IS THE SEASON FINALE. REMEMBER TO HIT 5 STARS ON APPLE AND LEAVE A REVIEW!
BEHIND THE SCENES with Solihull Moors' Women's Chairman, Alex Alexandrou. Women's football is booming in England, so I sat down with Alex to understand more about the business behind it. From how to create an academy pathway to hiring and backing a manager. We also had an interesting debate on the role that the Premier League should play in supporting and funding the Women's game. PLEASE REMEMBER TO LEAVE 5 STARS AND REVIEW US ON APPLE!
BEHIND THE SCENES WITH LAURA RAFFERTY - BRISTOL CITY DEFENDER & NORTHERN IRELAND INTERNATIONAL! We discussed her journey from Southampton when the girls' academy was closed down to now playing in the Women’s Super League. Her state of mind after tearing her ACL, her entrepreneurial endeavors alongside football, the best player in the #WSL, the importance of player care, the growth of the women’s game and much more. PLEASE LEAVE A 5 STAR RATING & REVIEW! Instagram: @whatthefootieTwitter: @whatthefootieEmail: whatthefootie@hotmail.com
Directors of Football/Sporting Directors are the glue behind the scenes. Much of the modern success of teams like Liverpool & Dortmund is attributed to people like Michael Edwards & Michael Zorc. But in general, these people are seen as something of an enigma. Who better to lift the lid than Stewart King, Partner @ Nolan Partners. Stewart is an advisor to the biggest clubs in the Prem, other major European leagues and the MLS. He is trusted by their owners to appoint the best Directors of Football/Sporting Directors in the game. Be prepared to gain rich insight and be sure to tell a friend to tell a friend!
How does the Bundesliga compare to the Premier League? I spoke with the Head of International Marketing @ FC Schalke 04 - the club that birthed Ozil, Neuer, Goretkza, Matip, Sane, Gundogan, Goretzka & Draxler to understand. We debated various issues: whether it is time to scrap 50+1? How does Schalke compete on/off the pitch with Bayern/Dortmund? Why are more Prem teams buying Bundesliga talent?
BEHIND THE SCENES: Commercial Director & Board Member @ Bristol Rovers, Tom Gorringe. The pandemic and Project Big Picture has accelerated the importance of clubs becoming financially sustainable. Stoke did it in Prem and Brighton and Burnley have been doing it. Tom and the directors at Rovers are not waiting on the Premier League to save the day, with a bailout, they have taken active steps and communicated a long-term sustainable strategy with their fans. A huge part of this strategy involves improving the infrastructure around to club to lead to youth and player development in a way that has worked wonders for clubs like Brentford and Southampton.Key Timestamps: 04:21: Life at Portsmouth - being the first Prem club to go into administration. 08:13: Life at Cardiff - the switch from blue to red & Vincent Tan walking into a pub in Cardiff. 14:11 Life at Brighton - best run club in the country. 17:19 Building Rovers - youth development and scouting, the effects of the pandemic, Project Big Picture, the salary cap and more.
BEHIND THE SCENES: Fulham FC Sports Scientist, Lewis MacMillan. Fit, healthy & robust players form the foundation for success at a football club. In 2018/19 Premier League teams paid £221m to injured players and this season we have seen a 42% increase in muscular injuries. For this exclusive, Paul sat down with Fulham's 1st team Sports Scientist Lewis MacMillan to discuss a plethora of issues. From why we have seen a spike in injuries across the league to the value that young managers, like Scott Parker, see in sports science. From the return of the 5 sub-rule to ensuring that key bagsman Mitrovic is getting the right amount of sleep. If you enjoyed this episode why not check out Episode 14 with the Club Doctor @ Watford FC.
For this bonus episode, Paul collaborated with fellow podcaster and Founder @ Fan Insights Kevin Rye. Kevin has spent the last 15 years working within the Fan Engagement space and is the architect behind the Fan Engagement Index. Listen to find out what happened when this football business podcast met up with a fan engagement podcast!
Back on 16th November. This season we are going deeper into how clubs are dealing with the pandemic. Exclusive behind the scenes content with directors, advisors and staff at some of the biggest clubs in European football! 9 unmissable episodes out every Monday morning!
Following on from my exclusive episode with Akin Solanke-Caulker, CEO @ The Athletic Network. I sat down with him and his protégé, Mustafa, to find out the blueprint to becoming a sports agent. This content is for any aspiring Jerry Maguires and Spencer Strasmores. I hope you learn something valuable. Remember to leave a review on Apple!
EXCLUSIVE: For the season finale, Paul sat down with Akin Solanke-Caulker, CEO @ The Athletic Network, to speak about his transition from reality TV to being the best-dressed sports agent in the world. From game-changing brand deals with Pirelli to working with ballers like Jack Butland, Tyrone Mings, Luke Shaw & Bakayoko. REMEMBER TO DOWNLOAD, SUBSCRIBE, RATE & REVIEW & TELL A FRIEND TO TELL A FRIEND!
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: For this episode, I spoke with former Spurs midfielder Riana Soobadoo about her career so far. From training with David Beckham to signing for Spurs. We also spoke about the future of the women's game and the future of grassroots football.
Whether you support Arsenal or West Ham, every fan and listener wants their club to move in the right direction. Whether that is competing for the title, getting into Europe or becoming a stable Prem club. This vision requires a strategy. For this episode, I sat down with Investor & Ex-Man Utd Commercial Analyst Kelwyn Looi to discuss the strategy behind football clubs. REMEMBER TO LEAVE A 5 STAR REVIEW!
From Jadon Sancho playing cage football in South London to the refugee camp in Ghana where Alphonso Davies lived, football is the bedrock of communities. For this episode, I sat down with Goal Click Co-Founder Matthew Barrett to speak about communities x football. We spoke about: athletes like Sterling/Rashford using their platform, the politics behind football, how Prem clubs can support communities more, how UEFA/FIFA can support the grassroots game globally and the work Goal Click is doing to show the Western media the real Qatar ahead of the 2022 World Cup.
EXCLUSIVE: For this episode, I sat down with Anna Mitchell Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) at Portsmouth FC. We spoke about the commercial strategy of the club, their vision of getting back to the Prem, the controversial EFL salary cap, the importance of dialogue between the board and fans and how boardroom decisions affect football clubs.As fans, we rarely hear from directors. This episode was transparent and insightful so DOWNLOAD, SUBSCRIBE, RATE AND REVIEW AND TELL A FRIEND TO TELL A FRIEND!
With the new season just days away, Paul sat down with friends of the pod to review all 20 clubs and give their expectations and predictions for the coming season.From Chelsea mounting a title challenge to Bielsa's Leeds spicing up the league. From Top 4 predictions to relegation strugglers. This episode is action-packed!MAKE SURE YOU DOWNLOAD, SUBSCRIBE, RATE & REVIEW AND TELL A FRIEND TO TELL A FRIEND!
For Part 2, Paul and Dave spoke about the modern game - directors of football, super agents, player power, playing out from the back, Sean Dyche at Burnley, British managers getting the Big 6 jobs, facing Sir Alex & George Graham & much more!
Dave Bassett is an LMA Hall of Famer who has managed over 1000 games for teams such as Wimbledon, Sheffield United, Nottingham Forest and Leicester City.In Part 1, Paul and Dave spoke about his man-management style, getting the best out of the crazy gang, dealing with the pressure of management, taking Wimbledon and Sheffield United all the way to Division 1, managing Chris Wilder and much more.Remember to download, subscribe, rate and review and tell a friend to tell a friend.
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: For this episode, Paul and friend of the pod Royce sat down with leading football agent Eddie Bonsu.Eddie works @ Elite Project Group - the agency that works with the likes of Sancho, Saka & Cantwell.In this exclusive, we spoke about inflated transfer fees, super-agents, the transfer market during COVID and much more!Sit back and enjoy one of our BIGGEST episodes yet!
VVD, Andy Robertson & Kieran Tierney are three of the Prem's most exciting players and the major thing they all have in common is that they played in the SPL.For this episode I sat down with Rangers fan and sports media guru Adam Lovatt to discuss the following:The standard of the SPL, the future of Scottish football, does the SPL get unfair criticism? Bournemouth vs Rangers - who is bigger? Is the Old Firm the biggest derby in the world? Can Rangers stop 10-in-a-row? Is Celtic's dominance any different to PSG, Bayern and Juve's? Improving the commercialisation, branding and distribution of the SPL.
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: From debates in Facebook fan forums to Instagram admins living rent-free in the heads of managers, social media is a massive part of the game. For this episode, I went behind the scenes with Charlotte Males to find out more about how social media and football are crossing over and about the two properties that she promotes on social for the FA - the FA Cup and the Women's Super League. We discussed: Social media x fan engagement, players as influencers, storytelling, Zuckerberg/Dorsey regulating football trolls, Europe vs winning FA Cup, The FA Cup final, West Ham winning a trophy, club owners tweeting & the Women’s Super League.
Born in Kingston, Jamaica. Made in Mississauga, Canada. For this exclusive, I went behind the scenes with former Norwich striker Simeon Jackson to discuss his rise from Non-League to Premier League. From flipping burgers in McDonald's to scoring goals in the big time. Simeon's journey is remarkable and inspiring. In this episode, we discussed: dealing with rejection, playing against Rio and John Terry, playing in the Bundesliga, scoring promotion clinching goals, working under Champions League winner Paul Lambert, his 5-a-side team and much more!
With the huge fixture congestion that we see in today’s game I went behind the scenes with a Premier League Club Doctor to discuss the following:Should there be unlimited subs? Player wellbeing, managing burnout, club vs country, the road to recovery after injuries, scrapping the League Cup and a typical matchday in a covid world.
Football has returned and on-the-field, due to postponed leagues, cups and international tournaments, players face a grueling 12 months of fixtures. From what is now going to be Euro 2021 to the newly revamped FIFA World Club Cup. I went behind the scenes with Rowena Samarasinhe who has spent the last 15 years working on major events, like Euro 2008 and the Olympics, to discuss the following:Who are the winners and losers in the increasing commercialisation of football? UEFA vs FIFA, should Euro 2021 have been held in England? The rise of multi-city football tournaments post-covid, a Premier League game abroad? Taking football events to new markets, when can fans return to stadiums? What lessons can football learn from other sports? Should the global football event calendar be harmonised?
Football and fashion are crossing over more than ever before, so much that a club that no one has ever heard of could release a cool and sleek kit that can sell out within minutes.I went behind the scenes with former New Balance and Umbro kit designer Matthew McDermott to discuss the following:Are football clubs becoming fashion brands like the Yankees? PSG x Jordan, THAT Nigeria World Cup kit, retro kits, merchandising as a revenue stream for clubs, high-end brands like Balenciaga getting into football and football merch as streetwear.
What The Footie returns on July 6th with Season 2, featuring world-class guests from behind the scenes in football. Tell a friend to tell a friend!
Subscribe to the What The Footie monthly newsletter to get this bonus episode and other exciting football content to get you through lockdown (whatthefootie.com/subscribe). In this episode, I spoke with a few friends of the pod and contacts within the game to get their take on a few awards... such as Moaner of the Season & Player of the Season.
For the season finale, I was joined by Rich, my friend, and former UEFA Champions League sponsorship manager at Playstation. We spoke about the coronavirus pandemic and the commercialisation of football. Remember to download, subscribe, rate and review!
Today's episode comes from a debate that Royce and I had, around a Match of The Day Facebook post, on rule changes within football. I hope you guys love it not like it, I hope you love it!
Jay-Z's agency, Roc Nation Sports, recently opened their London office and have a football roster that includes De Bruyne & Lukaku. I was keen to find out from Mark Agyakwa what life behind the scenes at Roc is like.
Last week's Champions League results unearthed a viral debate around the decline in the quality of the Premier League. I could not think of anyone better than Mark Agyakwa, a member of the Roc Nation Sports family and a former data analyst of Europe's Top 5 Leagues, to debate and discuss this with. We spoke about whether such a decline exists & the main factors behind it. I hope you love this one!
I had a hectic week and took my own winter break, so this episode is me giving my take on this week's football business news! Normal service resumes next Monday! Tell a friend to tell a friend!
Today's episode is from a chat I had with Royce, back in November, about the importance of football players having a good agent and support system. This episode contains some insightful nuggets about life behind the scenes with agents, so as always tell a friend to tell a friend!
Being a huge Gooner I thought it would be great to dissect the first month of Mikel Arteta's tenure as Arsenal manager and look into the future.
This month the Premier League is having its first-ever winter break. Conveniently the FA has decided to schedule FA Cup replays in the middle of it and Klopp is having none of it! In this episode, we debated the importance of a winter break and whether managers should still respect the traditions of the English game.
We are seeing academy graduates getting more opportunities in the Premier League, so I sat down with West Ham & Tottenham graduates and Dagenham & Redbridge duo, Manny Onariase and Alex McQueen to find out what life behind the scenes at a top football academy is like.
Hi, I'm Paul and I love the business side of football. Every fortnight (Mondays from 1st Feb 2021) I am here with agents, players, coaches, club execs and contacts within the game to get to the bottom of 'what the footie' happens behind the scenes in football. Sit back and enjoy us ramble on. Let’s go!Follow us on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/whatthefootie/