In this special live episode of the Behind The Badge podcast, Arnaldo Garcia, Director of Marketing of Coritiba, discussed how Brazilian football is on the verge of a commercial evolution.

Garcia was joined by co-hosts George Harborne and Fernando Noodt in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, at the recent SBC Rio Summit inside the Windsor Convention & Expo Centre, revealing discussions surrounding the reformation of the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A.

Football clubs in Brazil have long been discussing coming together to commercialise the league in order to attract further sponsorship and enhance media rights valuations, to make a league that is indicative of the countless of footballing talents it produces each year.

This also led to Garcia discussing how the ownership models for most of the clubs in Brazil are changing. Coritiba is one of these clubs, and Garcia outlines how private investment has enabled the club to fund different aspects of Coritiba and enhance its overall brand.

There was also the timely conversation surrounding sports betting in Brazil, as President Lula officially regulated the sector last January to open up a new revenue stream for Brazilian clubs to gain sponsorship deals with operators.

Garcia described that the gambling sector in Brazil will become a more “solid segment” but will prove to be one of the more “important industries” for football when it comes to sponsorship revenue and its maturity over time will only add to that.

There was also time for some general football chat, as Garcia revealed that the club is primarily focused on returning to Série A via promotion.

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The latest episode of the Behind The Badge podcast heads over to sunny California where Orange County Soccer Club has continued to defy odds in the US Soccer League Championship.

Dan Rutstein, President of Business Operations at Orange County SC, spoke to co-hosts George Harborne & Callum Williams on how the club has overcome a court battle against city rivals LA Galaxy and how it is aiming to become a talent factory for some of North America’s promising players.

Before that, Rutstein opened up on his ‘non-linear’ journey to Orange County SC, from a sports journalist, to a UK government diplomat, whilst still remaining an avid AFC Wimbledon fan.
He then revealed the ‘unique business model’ and the ‘boundless opportunities’ presented in the US soccer landscape that continues to grow in size and interest.

But what Rutstein may have not seen coming that would ultimately grow the soccer club even further was the court battle and subsequent win over LA Galaxy to retain the rights for its home stadium backed by an outpour of fan support, culminating in a victory over LA Galaxy II in a momentous and historic victory.

Rutstein also delved into how its fan ownership model is helping supporters grow more attached to the club, the scouting network it has established in being able to grow and sell players to the likes of Rangers FC and Feyenoord, and a recent kit deal with Hummel have all contributed to growing the club commercially.

There was even time towards the end to discuss the 2026 FIFA World Cup, hosted in the US, Canada and Mexico and what the tournament will mean for the sports growth in the US, with Rutstein describing every game as a Super Bowl fixture.

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In the latest episode of Behind The Badge, Mike Harris, Chairman of Welsh football club The New Saints FC, dropped by to talk to George Harborne and Joe Streeter about the club’s success since becoming Chairman of the club in 2003

Harris began his involvement in football ownership and came up with the unique branding idea of naming a football club after his business, Total Network Solutions FC. Despite the club name being changed once again in 2006 to the The New Saints FC after selling the club to BT, Harris remained as Chairman and guided the club to becoming the most successful Welsh team in history.

With national success came a daring venture into European football, with Harris being at the forefront for further Welsh football participation into UEFA competitions. This has led to some famous matches for the club, such as hosting Liverpool FC in a 2005 UEFA Champions League Qualifying match in which despite losing, raised the club’s profile further.

This is in no small part down to how Harris and TNS, along with Welsh football clubs, have grew the league commercially over the years and Harris gave insight into how it became where it is today, and what aspects it can improve on to grow further.

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Despite being relegated to the Segunda División from La Liga last season, RCD Espanyol have not shied away from continuing to push the envelope when it pertains to commercial opportunities and in some cases, embracing a opportunity many would see as a disadvantage.

Sergi Martinez Fernandez, Head of Sponsorship & International Development of RCD Espanyol, joined George Harborne and Callum Williams to outline some the key sponsorship and partnership activations the club has ventured into this season, as well as the club’s pursue for further internationalisation growth.

Martinez explained that being in the lower tier of Spanish football has almost been a blessing in disguise, selling out season tickets this season at the Stage Front Stadium, more than their cross-city rivals FC Barcelona. He also explained the benefits Stage Front has supplied to the club whilst being the title sponsor of the club’s stadium.

Martinez also spoke on the club’s internationalisation push in countries such as Mexico and Indonesia and how they differs from La Liga’s, as well as the special circumstances surrounding its partnership with Kelme.

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This latest episode of Behind The Badge saw Roby Martinez, Board Director & Head of Marketing of Racing Club, discuss the commercial journey and opportunities Argentina football’s “First Great” has achieved.

Speaking to SBC’s George Harborne and Fernando Noodt Molins, Martinez revealed his start in the sport industry, which was born out of his love for the sport by ‘delivering parties’ at the age of 17, as well as creating a football tournament in 2002 that brought the worlds of sport and entertainment together.

He explained the importance of the ‘Socios’ ownership model to not only providing the best commercial and sponsorship opportunities for Racing Club, but also keeping the heart of the fans at the forefront in Avellaneda.

One sponsorship agreement of significance was Racing’s back-of-shirt deal with betting operator Betsson, which was a “huge branding and sponsor” opportunity for not just the club but for the betting operator, as it continues its rapid expansion across the LatAm market.

Other topics of discussion involved Martinez revealing the reception from the Betsson deal, and his enjoyment in an ambassador role for Racing as the club continues on its internationalisation journey.

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In the latest episode of Behind the Badge podcast, George Harborne, Director at SBC Sponsorship and Fernando Noodt, Business Journalist at SBC Noticias, sit down with Colo Colo’s CCO & CMO, Samuel Perez, to discuss sponsorship through Chile, how it impacts the club and Perez’s entry into sport sponsorship. 

Conducted at the recent SBC Summit Latinoamerica, the trio all talk about Colo Colo’s Coolbet partnership, the biggest deal in Chilean football history, regulatory crackdowns in sponsorship and how gambling sponsorship supports the footballing pyramid. 

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In the latest episode of the Behind the Badge podcast, the team picked up their baseball bat and glove, headed across the pond to the state of Missouri and aimed for a home run as they looked at the commercial progress of the Kansas City Royals.

Joining Joe Streeter, Editor at CasinoBeats, as well as the ever present, George Harborne, Director at SBC Sponsorshiop, is David Adams, Head of Partnerships at Kansas City Royals, provides an inside perspective into the franchise’s approach to sports sports sponsorship whilst also commenting on wider engagement between US baseball and the country’s betting sector.

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In this latest episode of the Behind The Badge podcast, the team looked into the commercial progression of one of Spain’s most notable football clubs, Real Betis.

Pablo Arquero Fernàndez, Head of Sponsorship at Real Betis, joined hosts George Harborne - SBC Sponsorship Director - and Callum Williams - Business Journalist for Insider Sport - on the team's latest push into the Latin America market.

Aiming to increase its fanbase and commercial opportunities within the region, Arquero Fernàndez spoke how the club’s and La Liga’s growth plans in Latin America have been accelerating in pushing both brands across the continent. This also led into a conversation on Betis’ more international plans on building youth academies to broaden not just the club’s growth strategy off the pitch, but on the pitch, as Betis continues to seek the best youth talent across the world.

There was also time for Arquero Fernàndez to discuss some of the more innovative partnerships with Web3 companies, as well as plans for the future.

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In this second episode of the Behind The Badge podcast, the team take a trip to the Maple Leaf country of Canada to take a deeper look into the growth of rugby in the country and North America as a whole.

Joining SBC Sponsorship Director George Harborne and Insider Sport Business Journalist Callum Williams, is Alex Borthwick, Director of Digital Strategy of the Toronto Arrows.

Borthwick entered new territory with North American rugby, as he addressed the challenges of being in charge of helping to grow a relatively niche sport in a country dominated by the likes of ice hockey and basketball.

It was this ‘startup mentality’ that led to the Arrows organising a deal with betting operator Coolbet, but not without its hardships Borthwick revealed. The discussion also took an in-depth look at the opportunities and challenges of rugby participation in Canada from a grassroots level to help the future of the sport.

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The inaugural episode of the Behind The Badge podcast sees the team enter The Premier League with Burnley Football Club, following on from the club's wildly successful one-year stint in the Championship, and discuss how Burnley adapted commercially to the global eyes that the biggest football league in the world brings.

Joining SBC Sponsorship Director George Harborne, and Insider Sport Editor Joe Streeter, is Burnley FC's Head of Commercial, Marcus Mellor, as the trio discuss the commercial differences between England's first and second tiers, chat about the sponsorship around the stadium, which evolved when the club was in the Championship, the growth of its commercial engine and the impact of minority owners, former Houston Texans and Arizona Cardinals star JJ Watt and his partner, former USWNT soccer player Kealia Watt.

Mellor also expands more on Burnley's relationship with TikTok, how it's enhancing the Club's women's team, and the exciting ambitions for the Clarets on the women's side of the game.

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