From Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment to Real Madrid | The challenges of change management | Staffing out, staffing up, and building agency capability | The scope of 6-star experiences and a rethink on ticket prices

Episode 55 of the Leaders Sport Business Podcast features a conversation with Real Madrid Global Head of Partnerships David Hopkinson (starts at 9:40). The Canadian joined the Spanish footballing giants from Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment in the summer of 2018, having spent almost 25 years at his hometown sports organisation, latterly as Chief Commercial Officer.

Appointed to lead the Real Madrid commercial team into a new era, Tim Leiweke, under whom Hopkinson had worked at MLSE, had the following words to say upon Hopkinson's move to Europe: "Seldom in your life do you run across someone as bright, vibrant, energetic and entrepreneurial as [Hopkinson]. He has a personality that doesn’t just light up a room. He can set a room on fire.

“Real Madrid is as big a brand as there is in our industry. Normally you’d have a hard time finding someone who could make it better. They just did.”

On the conversational agenda:

- From Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment to Real Madrid - the good, the bad, the ugly, and the unexpected;

- The challenges of change management at one of Europe's traditional sporting giants;

- Selling partnerships with no Ronaldo and no silverware;

- Partner acquisition approaches: shotgun style vs rifle shot;

- Building agency capability into the Real Madrid commercial team;

- Partner access and working with player agents;

- The trend for 6-star in-stadium experiences and why the Bernabeu's €550 million renovation provides a huge opportunity.