Today, we are delighted to welcome Ivan Gazidis to the show. One of the most respected executives in sport, Ivan began his career in football as one of the founding members of MLS in America, laying the foundations for the now hugely successful league. He became Chief Executive of Arsenal in 2009, spending 10 years at the helm of the Premier League club before taking the same position at AC Milan, delivering a much coveted Serie A title in 2022. 

In today’s episode, we discuss:

Football in America:

• Founding the MLS - creating the foundations for success and integrating ‘soccer’ into the US sporting environment. 
• The importance of infrastructure, from community to football-specific stadia, in creating value and long term success.
• How did Inter Miami sign Messi? MLS as a group of teams searching for collective value and the requirement to work together to facilitate a move like this.
• ‘For Major League Soccer, really the question is not how do I get baseball fans to be soccer fans, the question really is how do we get a bigger piece of the soccer pie’.
• How the value of an MLS franchise has gone from $5m to $1bn.

From League to Club Management:

• How the opportunity to take over at Arsenal came about and adapting from running a league to running a Premier League club.
• Installing a commercial structure to build the best partnerships and experiences for partners who help drive the financial success of a club.
• How do you manage a transfer process and what things are considered when making bids or accepting/rejecting offers for players?
• The genius of Arsene Wenger; a unique and incorruptible romantic view of football. 
• ‘Football is like playing with rocket fuel’. How did Ivan execute the responsibilities of his job while ensuring the emotions of the fans were always considered.
• The most special Serie A: The story behind Milan’s historic title win, returning one of Europe’s biggest clubs to its peak.

Leadership in Football:

• Football is unique as a business; it is often not clear who is really in charge. How do you operate effectively as a CEO in this environment?
• Why creating an open and inclusive environment for people to thrive is essential in football and what needs to be done to make this more commonplace?
• It’s a team game: sustainable success is about everyone and never down to one component in a single department.
• ‘When you're in the center of a club, you are living that football club with your whole life.’ Don’t underestimate how much CEOs care!

Today, we are delighted to welcome Steve Pagliuca. Steve is a co-owner and Managing General Partner of the World Champion Boston Celtics and serves on the NBA Board of Governors. In 2022, he became co-owner and co-chairman of the Serie A football club, Atalanta. Away from sport, Steve has helped to build Bain Capital into one of the world’s leading investment companies.

In today’s episode, we discuss:

Football club ownership:

• Why was Steve interested in buying Atalanta in Italy and how has he found life as a football club owner?
• The importance of qualifying for European competitions and the financial opportunities it creates.
• Steve’s love for the passion and fandom that drives Italian football and the unique community environment it creates.
• What does the process look like when buying a player and Steve’s role in recruiting star striker Rasmus Hojlund. 
• How has Steve applied his experience in business to the world of football and how does he work with the club to set budgets, buy players, and drive new revenue initiatives?

Boston Celtics & the NBA:

• How Steve became part of the ownership group that bought the team for $350m that now has a market value of over $4bn.
• The pressure of bringing success back to the joint most winning team in NBA history, and the importance of that championship win in 2008.
• The opportunities created by the NBA’s 50:50 partnership with the players, and the possibilities of the model being replicated in football.
• Taking the NBA on the road and the drive for international expansion.

The process of buying clubs and franchises:

• How do you buy a club? What has been Steve’s experience of identifying and negotiating deals to acquire assets and the finances required to do so.
• The Chelsea sale: Steve’s role in the bidding process and the huge numbers behind the sale of a top Premier League club.
• Steve’s views on the challenge presented by competing with clubs owned by sovereignties.
• The importance of making sure that not only is there enough financial backing to buy a club, but also the reserves to run it so the long-term goals can be achieved.

This week we welcome Steve Bruce to Business of Sport. Steve played over 700 games for some of England’s biggest teams, most notably captaining Manchester United in the 90’s, winning multiple league titles and FA cups. After retirement, Steve made the move into management, taking charge of over 1000 games with the likes of Newcastle, Aston Villa, Birmingham and Wigan.

In todays episode, we discuss:

Life as a player:

• How Steve found his way from early beginnings at Gillingham to the heights of Manchester United.

• How did contracts differ from what we see in the market today, and what did the finances look like?

• Sir Alex Ferguson: what made the former Manchester United manager so special and what was it like to play under him?

• How to captain the likes of Eric Cantona and Ryan Giggs, and what did the team do to support them?

• Steve’s leadership style and the importance of managing the individual in a team environment. 

The move into management:

• How did Steve leverage the experiences as a player to become a successful Premier League Manager?

• After four jobs in two years, Steve talks through the importance of finding stability and consistency at Birmingham.

• The difference between playing with big personalities and managing them, and how to get the best out of the ‘maverick’ player.

• Managing up and down and the relationship with the owner: from falling out with Simon Jordan to being coveted by Dave Whelan.

• The hiring and firing process: what actually happens in the crazy employment cycle of a football manager?

 A life in football:

• How did Steve balance a young family with the demands of professional football?

• From supporting Newcastle to managing them through a difficult time in the club’s history. How did that impact Steve and his family?

• The responsibility associated with ensuring players reach their full potential, and the biggest reasons some don’t manage to.

• What is next? 40+ years and not stopping yet, what is in store in the future? 

This week we welcome Michael Doughty to the show. Michael was a professional footballer for over a decade, playing in the Premier League for QPR followed by a successful Football League career, most notably at Swindon, until his retirement in 2020. He has since set up sustainability focused sporting goods company Hylo Athletics, with the mission to ‘protect the future of running and sport’.

In today’s episode with Michael, we discuss:

Coming through the academy system:

• What is it like to begin a ‘career’ at the age of eight and deal with the constant pressures associated with a performance driven system?
• How did Michael deal with the disappointment of being released by Chelsea and the subsequent transition to QPR?
• What are the sacrifices required to be successful in this environment and what are the longer-term impacts?
• Can more be done to protect individuals who fall out of the academy system and help them secure opportunities elsewhere in football and beyond?

The challenge of finding a sense of belonging in football:

• ‘Footballers are somewhat different but very simple human beings in a great way’. How did Michael manage external perception with his reality?
• Having taken the unusual path of private education and professional football, how did Michael find an identity in two contrasting environments?
• The highs and lows of the loan system; when are opportunities presented and when do they need to be manufactured?
• How did Michael’s relationship with his father Nigel shape his ambitions to become a professional player?

A career at the top of the game:

• What was it like for Michael to achieve his ultimate goal and make his first Premier League appearance at such a young age?
• How to handle disappointment when Michael was told by QPR manager Harry Redknapp that he wasn’t in his plans for the 1st team.
• How did Michael accept the transition from being a Premier League player to playing in League One and Two?
• What are the true economics of football contracts and how difficult is it to manage money as a young player?

Making the transition from football to business:

• How did Michael make the decision to give up his football career and pursue Hylo Athletics full-time?
• What is Hylo and how does it differ from other sports brands in the market?
• The importance of having a clear goal and mission for the team to get behind when tackling sustainability.
• Why is it important for athletes and people of influence to use their platform for good?

This week we welcome Pat Cummins, captain of the Australia Test and One-Day team. Pat is about to lead newly crowned World Test Champions Australia into a hotly anticipated Ashes series against England, his first as captain. 

In today’s episode with Pat, we discuss: 

1. The responsibilities of a captain:

• How Pat became Australia captain and the key principles he sought to imprint on the team.

• The importance of building a culture that is inclusive and fair while ensuring the highest standards are maintained.

• Pat’s philosophy on leadership and how it differs from previous regimes.

• What does Pat do to balance his relationship with the players and management to ensure the responsibilities never come into conflict?

1. Managing the personal and the professional:

• ‘We play over 100 days of the year for Australia’. How does Pat balance family life with professional commitments?

• How to manage the highs and lows of professional sport and the importance of forming strong relationships in a team environment.

• The importance of routine and consistency when not on the pitch; find the habits that work and repeat them.

• How does Pat deal with pressure? How does he handle the increased scrutiny that comes with being captain?

1. The emergence of franchise cricket:

• The rise of T20 cricket and the demand that places on the schedules of players.

• The financial opportunities franchise leagues like the IPL offer and how that has changed the sport.

• ‘We want our best players playing for Australia as much as we can’. How does international cricket compete against franchise leagues?

• What is Pat’s decision-making process when choosing which tournaments to play?

1. Interests outside of cricket and exploring the investment world:

• How important is it for Pat to have passions away from cricket?

• Pat’s experience as an angel investor and the transferable skills of professional athletes.

• Founders want increased brand awareness and content. Pat’s desire to change the expectations placed on athlete investors.

• The opportunity to build more media value and sustainability around longer-form cricket to accompany the success of the short-form game.

Jamie Reuben is the Co-Owner of Newcastle United FC and Owner of Arena Racing Company. Since their takeover at the end of 2021, Newcastle’s journey has been incredible, surviving relegation before pushing on and achieving an extraordinary Champions League qualification this season.

In today’s episode with Jamie, we discuss:

His plans to build a club challenging at the top level:

• How Jamie became part of the consortium to buy Newcastle United and the process they went through to complete the takeover.
• What are Jamie’s thoughts on the value of Premier League football clubs and how the reported £300m deal compares in the current market?
• Newcastle’s dedication to abide by Financial Fair Play while trying to attract top talent and improve the playing squad.
• Jamie’s views on the role of football club owners and different ways to engage and connect with their fans

The importance of hiring the right people:

• The story behind Eddie Howe’s appointment as manager and how he won over the board. 
• Why having clear and defined roles across operations and performance created the best environment for success and development. 
• Newcastle’s desire to sign the best players who fit the culture of the club and who put ‘team’ at the heart of everything. 
• The role data is playing in uncovering talent and the edge he believes this gives when building a squad capable of competing for the league.

The commercial opportunities that make the Premier League so formidable:

• Why media rights are so important to the total revenue generated by Premier League clubs and how that allows them to spend more on the team.
• ‘It’s a big aspiration of ours to build our brand globally and attract more fans from around the world’. How does Jamie plan to achieve this?
• Is there room to improve the equally distributed international media rights package and which regions can be targeted to achieve this?
• Does a commercial opportunity ever come into conflict with the fans? 
• How the commitment to distribute finances from top to bottom creates a more competitive product.

The value of a sporting portfolio:

• Jamie’s passion for horseracing and how their ownership of Arena Racing Company fits into the wider sporting portfolio.
• How does the business of racing compare to the business of football, and do the key financial drivers differ?
• Can more be done to improve the media and content around racing as we have seen in Formula 1 and football?
• Jamie’s ambition to add more assets to their sporting portfolio.