This is episode 7 of our series Re Thinking Sport in collaboration with Portas, the global strategy consultancy dedicated to sport and physical activity. 

The subject is multi club ownership in European football, and our guest is Paul Conway, head of Pacific Media Group, one of the pioneers of the genre. Pacific Media recently completed the takeover of Dutch club FC Den Bosch, which becomes the seventh club in the group, which also includes English club Barnsley, AS Nancy in France, KV Oostende from Belgium, Denmarks’s Esbjerg. 

So we ask, how does it work in practice, what’s the strategic advantage to each club and what’s the impact of on areas such as player transfers, performance data and the role of managers. 

Paul Conway gives us an hour of his time for what feels like a genuine inside look at how professional football works today, if you work in sport, it’s one you need to hear. The other voice you’ll hear is that of my co-host in this episode, Patrick Massey, partner at Portas Consulting who really helped to ask the right questions.  

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