How Man City Quietly Built a Commercial Empire While Dominating World Football — with Rob Gevertz

Man City’s dominance on the field is no secret — but their rise off the pitch is one of the most underrated stories in world football.

In this episode, Rob Gevertz walks us through his journey from sports media into one of the most commercially advanced clubs in the world. He shares how he broke into the industry, his childhood obsession with soccer brands, and what he learned during his time at Sky Sports and talkSPORT.

We then shift to the early 2010s — a time when digital was still considered an afterthought. Rob breaks down what Man City’s commercial operations looked like when he joined, how he ended up landing the job after a forgotten interview, and the key revenue streams that powered the club’s global rise.

From there, we explore how those revenue models evolved over the last decade, why brand and content alignment became so crucial, and a standout Champions League partnership that pushed creative boundaries. That leads into a broader discussion around media rights — and whether the Premier League might one day bypass broadcasters entirely.

Rob then unpacks the structure behind City Football Group and how commercial strategy works across its global portfolio. We zoom out even further to look at innovators in the space, from LIV Golf to the Kelce brothers, and how athlete-led media is starting to reshape the narrative in Europe.

To close, Rob introduces his current venture, First Five Yards, and walks us through a commercial case study on Birmingham City — a club with real potential under American ownership and the Tom Brady effect. We wrap with quickfire questions on personal branding, Ronaldo’s new movie studio, and where the business of sport is heading next.

🎙️ More Insider's Lounge Content: https://linktr.ee/theinsiderslounge

Chapters:
00:00 Intro  
02:08 Breaking Into The Sports Industry  
05:58 Childhood Obsession With Soccer Brands  
07:31 Overview Of Time At Sky Sports and TalkSport  
09:51 Digital Was an Afterthought — What’s the Modern-Day Equivalent?  
12:00 Inside Man City’s Commercial Operations  
17:23 The Job Interview That Almost Didn’t Happen — and Changed Everything  
18:30 Breaking Down Man City’s Commercial Revenue Model  
23:14 How Commercial Revenue Streams Have Shifted In The Last Decade  
27:04 Why Club Content and Brand Fit Matters More Than Ever  
28:28 A Champions League Partnership That Broke the Mold  
31:59 Will the Premier League Become Its Own Broadcaster?  
36:25 Understanding the Commercial Side of City Football Group  
38:38 Who’s Innovating In This Space Now? LIV Golf, Baller League, Kelce Brothers, Pat McAfee  
42:57 Changing the European Perspective On Athlete Media and Personal Brands  
46:27 Inside Man City’s Influence on the Soccer Doc Boom  
51:25 What is First Five Yards?  
53:17 Case Study: Birmingham City’s Media & Commercial Potential  
54:59 Understanding the Name - First Five Yards  
55:52 Ronaldo’s Movie Studio & How Tom Brady Can Maximize His Image for Birmingham City Success  
59:19 Quick Fire Questions  
1:02:40 Outro