The Soccer Business Podcast
Welcome to the boardroom of North American soccer. The Soccer Business podcast offers unparalleled access to the industry's most influential figures. Host Simon Evans connects you with the key players - from MLS Commissioner Don Garber to legendary figures like Rio Ferdinand - to uncover the real stories behind the business of soccer. Each episode is packed with expert analysis and actionable insights for club owners, investors, and executives dedicated to driving the growth of the game.
Episodes
Brett Johnson isn't just another American investor in English football - he is also building soccer in the USA with his USL club Rhode Island FC and their brand new stadium.
Having cut his teeth in Phoenix, a friendship with former Ipswich player Frank Yallop led to his move into English football where he has tasted two promotions and a relegation.
Find out Brett's views on Ipswich, the USL and the future of American club soccer.
C...
USL Deputy CEO and Chief Real Estate Officer Justin Papadakis reveals how the league is in talks with over 70 cities in the USA about building new soccer stadiums and bringing new clubs to communities across the country.
Takeaways
There's real momentum in the USL. The USL's approach to stadium development is unique. City partnerships are crucial for stadium financing. Stadiums are seen as community assets by cities. The fan experie...
La Liga's attempt top play the first ever European league regular season game in the USA was given a boost this week when the Spanish federation backed their plan.
But many hurdles remain before this plan can become reality with Real Madrid and others opposed and UEFA, CONCACAF, US Soccer and FIFA having to approve.
We look in detail at Javier Tebas' plans and the motivation for it with ESPN's Spain Correspondent Sam Marsden.
Rio Ferdinand, the former Manchester United and England defender turned pundit and broadcaster recently left his role with TNT Sport in the UK to focus fully on his own content production and the rest of his business portfolio.
Rio talks to Simon Evans about his new plans for his video content business, his role as an agent, the future for American soccer, the nature of the soccer business from a player's perspective and his advice...
Simon and Alex Silverman of the Sports Business Journal were in Austin this week for the MLS Board of Governor's meeting and other business events around the All Star Game and they break-down the main takeaways in this pod.
Find out about how MLS's relationship with Apple is 'evolving' - the calendar realignment progress, the looming CBA talks, competition format changes and much more in this in-depth episode.
Xavier Sanchez, the Commercial Director of Liga MX club Monterrey, joins the podcast to discuss his club's strategy in the U.S. market.
Discover how Monterrey has thousands of fans in the USA including some who have little connection to Mexico but have developed a deep passion for the Rayados. Learn how the club connects with these fans throughout the season.
Xavier also gives his thoughts in Leagues Cup, Concacaf Champions Cup and...
This week's guest is Olek Loewenstein is President of Global Sports at TelevisaUnivision, the world's leading Spanish-language media company.
In our conversation, Olek talks about how his company approach soccer coverage and content for the Hispanic market; the changing habits of the viewer; the modern fan's loyalties and where non-Hispanic brands can get it wrong.
Plus some early insights into how the Club World Cup performed amon...
In our first Soccer Business 'News Focus' episode Jonathan Tannenwald, soccer correspondent with the Philadelphia Inquirer, joins Simon to discuss the opening week of the Club World Cup from a business point of view.
We look at attendances, ticket-prices, marketing and the cultural impact of the tournament.
Multi Club Ownership (MCO) is in the news because of the situation involving Crystal Palace and Lyon who are both owned by American John Textor. UEFA is currently evaluating how to proceed given that both clubs qualified for the Europa League for next season and regulations forbid two teams with the same owner from playing in the same competition.
Brian Anderson of Sheppard Mullin in ...
Leading expert on streaming Dan Rayburn brings his sharp analysis to dissect the MLS deal with Apple - is it working and will it last the full 10 years? In this wide-ranging, deep dive we also look at soccer on ESPN+, Paramount+ and ask whether the fans of the game are being well served and what the future may be for soccer streaming in the USA?
MLS is 30 years old - how did it go from an idea after the 1994 World Cup to become the 30-team league it is today?
Norm O'Reilly, co-author of a new book 'The Rise of Major League Soccer - Building a Global Giant' joins Simon to examine the growth of the league through difficult early years to the recent boom in valuations and the arrival of Lionel Messi.
Where does MLS go from here? Can it really become a top three league in the ...
Canadian Soccer Business, which handles the commercial rights for the Canadian men and women's teams, along with the Canadian Premier League and runs the One Soccer broadcast platform have appointed James Johnson, the CEO of Football Australia, as their new chief executive.
Fresh of the announcement of his appointment, James talked to Simon Evans and The Soccer Business Podcast about his vision for the future of Canada's main socce...
Dave Checketts is a sports business titan. He has served in C-suite roles or been an owner of the Utah Jazz, New York Knicks, New York Rangers, New York Liberty, Madison Square Garden (MSG), Legends Hospitality and the St. Louis Blues. Checketts founded MLS's Real Salt Lake.
He has extensive experience in private equity sports investment and is a director of Premier League club Burnley. He recently launched a $1.2 billion fund with...
Jordan Gardner, an expert on US investment in English and European soccer - who has hands on experience in such deals and in clubs bought by Americans, dives into the main issues and trends around the continuing growth of US ownership of clubs.
Soccer specific stadiums are sprouting up all across the country and leading stadium design expert Chris DeVolder is our guest as we explore the past, present and future of the American soccer venue.
USL President Paul McDonough talks about the league's ambitious plans for a new top-tier league and to introduce promotion and relegation for the first time in the US club soccer system.
Paul reveals interest from foreign investments and discusses the challenges and choices facing the league as it seeks to expand.
Breaking news on The Soccer Business Podcast - Cleveland is launching a new professional women's and men's teams and Gina Prodan Kelly CMO of Cleveland Soccer Group outlines all the plans on the show.
In yet more news - the women's team will play in a brand new new division two women's league - WPSL Pro. Gina explains the journey to finally bring Cleveland the pro soccer teams that the city has been craving.
Former Liverpool and EA Sports CEO Peter Moore is the founder/owner of Santa Barbara Sky in California, which will join the USL Championship next season.
Peter reflects on his journey in the game and explains his plans for creating the new club and the philosophy behind it. Dive into the lessons he learnt from his time working with the Fenway Sports Group at Anfield, his involvement in the Wrexham story and the hugely successful ...
In the first episode of our series THE PITCH, Simon Evans and Paul Woodhouse of The Soccer Business are joined by two guests with extensive experience of working in the area of brands and soccer: Shawn Francis, an executive creative director who has worked on soccer projects with the likes of Nike and EA Sports and Brian Quarles, Chief Creative Officer at rEvolution who has led a number of major soccer campaigns.
Discover what the...
Alexi Lalas joins Simon Evans to discuss a range of issues surrounding American soccer as we approach one year out from the World Cup. MLS, USL, Pro/Rel, 'Pay to Play' and much, much more is examined in this in-depth interview.
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