SportsPro Podcast

Kylian Mbappe stunned soccer last week by announcing that he was ending his 20-year partnership with Nike to become the face of Swiss sportswear brand On’s move into the sport.

This week, Steve McCaskill dials in from New York to join Sam Carp to unpack why the France and Real Madrid star made the switch, how the reported equity component could benefit both sides and what this deal says about the trajectory of On and Nike.

They...

What happens when a football league needs to broadcast its own live games?

In the latest episode of our New Economics of Fandom miniseries in partnership with Genius Sports, Chris Stone and Nick Meacham are joined by Cyprien Castanedo, head of media platform and innovation at LFP Media, to explore the launch and growth of Ligue 1+, the league's direct-to-consumer streaming platform.

After the LFP lost its domestic broadcast partnersh...

The US Open just wrapped up three weeks that delivered US$108 million in prize money, record viewership on ESPN and the tournament's first American male finalist since 2006. However, the conversation was also dominated by rising ticket prices and a backlash over the unescapable presence of influencers.

In this episode of the SportsPro Podcast, Sam Carp and Steve McCaskill take a look at the continued commercialisation of the tournam...

Sports organisations have spent years talking about data as the key to growth. But what if most are approaching it the wrong way?

In the latest episode of our New Economics of Fandom miniseries, Chris Stone and Nick Meacham are joined by UEFA Chief of Marketing and Digital, CMDO, Roman Putsch to explore how one of the world's leading sports properties approaches fan engagement, first-party data and commercial growth.

Putsch explains ...

In the space of a few short years, Just Eat went from a sports sponsorship newcomer into a major partner for Uefa’s club and international competitions.

The relationship spanned everything from the Champions League to the Women’s Euros, helping the newly-merged Just Eat spread its message across an entire continent and elevate it in a food delivery market increasingly dominated by global players.

But how did the partnersh...

Three promotions. A fanbase that's grown from 116,000 to 27.6 million in five years. Wrexham AFC director Sean Harvey sits down with SportsPro's CEO Nick Meacham to unpack what's actually driving the club now that the Hollywood novelty has worn off.

Harvey walks through how Wrexham has built out a full executive structure to support its growth, including a CEO handling day-to-day operations and the deliberate tension between staying...

In this special live edition of the SportsPro podcast, recorded at SportsPro Investment Summit in London, SportsPro editor Steve McCaskill is joined by Bex Smith, founder and CEO of Crux Football, and Michael Broughton, co-founder and partner at Sports Investment Partners, to look at the rise of disruptor properties.

They discuss disruptors as an investment asset and what separates a genuine opportunity from a money pit. What are th...

For decades, the sports industry has relied on broadcasters to fund growth, distribute content and monetise audiences. But what happens when that model starts to change?

In this episode, SportsPro CEO Nick Meacham sits down with Mark Locke, CEO of Genius Sports, to explore how leagues, teams and technology companies are adapting to a new era of fan monetisation.

Locke discusses Genius Sports' evolution from its betting roots into a g...

Sport’s best content doesn’t happen by accident.

Behind every viral clip, every campaign that cuts through, every piece of creative work that moves the needle commercially, there's a person, a team, and a strategy. But rarely does that person, team or strategy get the recognition or coverage they deserve.

SportsPro and Greenfly’s recently launched Short-Form Showcase is designed to fill that void by amplifying ...

F1 has gone from 13 commercial partners a decade ago to around 33 today, from a paddock that barred drivers from posting on social media to an always-on content operation, and from a linear US broadcast deal with ESPN to a streaming partnership with Apple.

Liam Parker, chief communications and corporate relations officer at F1, has a simple framing for all of it: none of it works unless the racing does.

In this episode of the SportsP...

SportsPro speaks to Paceteq chief executive Alexander Bodo to learn how decades of data analytics and AI experience in motorsport can be harnessed by soccer to drive performance, aid recruitment, and drive further efficiencies on and off the pitch.

Bodo explains why culture and technology has held back soccer in recent years, with a lack of unified data platforms and in-house skills among the barriers to adoption.

However, there are ...

Former England cricketer and national team selector Ed Smith talks to SportsPro about the changing nature of leadership.

He explains how leaders must balance data driven decision making with human judgement and the need for human centric AI strategies.

He also discusses the importance of building strong teams and the value of formal education in leadership.

Ed Smith is the co-founder and director of the Institute of Sports Humanities.

The Commonwealth Games have faced one of the most turbulent periods in their history. After Victoria pulled out as host in 2023, uncertainty loomed over the event’s future, its relevance, and whether the traditional model could survive.

Now, with Glasgow hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games on a significantly reduced budget and a condensed planning timeline, Commonwealth Sport is positioning the event as the...

Former New Zealand captain Bex Smith spent much of her football career playing in Europe and came away convinced that the structures underpinning the women's game were holding it back.

Now, as the founder and chief executive of the Crux Football multi-club group, the former Fifa executive is implementing an ownership model built on carving women's teams out of the men's structure to run them as standalone businesses.

In this episode ...

Brad Ross worked on four Fifa World Cups during more than a decade with Coca-Cola, but he likens the expanded 2026 edition to having 104 Super Bowls in five to six weeks. Now, as managing director of global marketing partnerships at Bank of America, he is overseeing the financial services giant’s first-ever sponsorship of soccer’s flagship international tournament.

In this episode of the SportsPro Podcast, Ross sits down...

Beth Barrett-Wild has fond memories of the 2017 ICC Women’s World Cup final, which England won on home soil. Nine years later, as the tournament director of the upcoming ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, she is leading the ECB’s efforts to ensure the event accelerates the long-term growth of women’s cricket in England and Wales.

In this episode of the SportsPro Podcast, Barrett-Wild sits down with Reporter Josh Sim ...

Kim Stone has spent most of her career in the NBA with the Miami Heat and Golden State Warriors, but when she got a call from Michele Kang offering the chance to become chief executive of the NWSL’s Washington Spirit, the opportunity was too good to pass up.

In this episode of the SportsPro Podcast, Stone sits down with Head of Editorial Sam Carp to discuss the strategy underpinning the Spirit’s ongoing revenue growth, h...

In this special episode recorded at SportsInnovation 2026, SportsPro's George Breare returns to the hosting seat for a conversation with Steffen Merkel, chief executive of German soccer's DFL.

Shortly after signing a contract extension until 2029, Merkel discusses what's driving the Bundesliga's record €6.33bn revenues and outlines the league's media rights strategy both at home and abroad. 

There’s also a deep dive into h...