On today's episode of the Sports Pundit Podcast, we're joined by Isabelle Van Coevorden, Managing Director of Global Markets at the Seattle Seahawks.

Isabelle walks us through her career path, from playing semi-professional soccer and interning at UEFA in Switzerland, to brand-growth roles with Major League Soccer, FC Barcelona, and the Bundesliga, before joining the Seahawks to help translate American football to international markets from both a fan and a B2B perspective.

She discusses how the Seahawks leveraged their Super Bowl win for an immediate global momentum boost, while stressing the importance of building year-round market presence beyond the NFL's Super Bowl-centric spike in attention.

The conversation covers long-term ROI on international investment, community-building through events and flag football, the difference between global and regional commercial partnerships (including Accenture and Condor Airlines), cross-sport collaborations with clubs like Bayern Munich and AFL/NRL teams, the Seahawks' ambassador program with players, and the wider "halo effect" of promoting Seattle as a global city.

Timestamps

01:00 - Isabelle's Career Journey

04:00 - Joining the Seahawks

05:00 - Leveraging Super Bowl Momentum

09:30 - Seahawks' Global Markets

15:00 - Activating Without a Game

17:30 - Measuring International ROI

23:30 - Global and Regional Sponsors

33:00 - Seattle World Cup Halo

About The Host

Andy Marston is the founder of Sports Pundit, a community and media platform for sports and technology executives. Through a weekly newsletter, podcast network, lively group chat, and regular social events, he shares industry analysis and connects leaders across the sector. Alongside Sports Pundit, Andy leads Corporate Venture at athlete-backed venture firm, The Players Fund, where he works with high-profile sports IP such as Como 1907 to design venture strategies and drive innovation initiatives.

On this episode of The Pitch, Andy and Drew welcome new co-host Dom, who arrives with a big opening pitch focused on an “honors system” for fans, built like a Hall of Fame for the people who actually create sports culture on the ground.

Dom points to examples like San Antonio Spurs fans in France staging 2-4 a.m. playoff watch parties complete with drums, and asks why the volunteers and organisers behind these communities rarely get any formal recognition at all.

That pitch opens into a wider conversation about visibility. Andy and Dom talk through what it would actually take to spotlight these grassroots communities and the tension that comes with it.

From there the discussion turns to loyalty and rewards, looking at how clubs and platforms already recognise their most devoted fans and the episode shifts to a practical question of “if not everyone can or wants to go to a stadium, what’s the next best thing?”

The trio debate the UK’s fan bar culture, then dig into “pub-plus” concepts like COSM and F1 Arcade as scalable alternatives to matchday attendance. They close by exploring whether cinemas could become a real venue for sport (both live broadcasts and archival footage) including formats built specifically for kids and for women’s sport.

Timestamps

• 1:00 - Fanzo’s Dom Collingwood Joins The Pitch

• 07:00 - Championing Volunteers And Giving Suitable Recognition

• 12:30 - Commercialising Fan Recognition and Finding Sponsorship Balance

• 14:30 – Creating Visible Communities for Fans

• 20:00 - Exploring Wider Opportunities around Loyalty And Data Rewards

• 26:19 - Why Don’t UK Fan Bars Exist for Top Teams?

• 32:00 - Appreciating the COSM And F1 Arcade Formats

• 38:00 - Should Sports Be more present in Cinemas?

About The Show

The Pitch is the conversational show from the Sports Pundit Podcast Network, hosted by Andy Marston, Drew Rauso and Dom Collingwood.

It’s a play on words, with each host bringing an idea, theme, or provocation that they pitch to the other. Together they react, debate, and explore what’s really happening across the sports industry, from shifting media models to the next wave of innovation.

Each episode mixes perspective with practicality, with occasional appearances from other Sports Pundit hosts from across the Network.

About The Hosts

Drew Rauso is a versatile media operator with a proven track record of building and scaling sports media ventures at the intersection of content, commerce, and creator strategy. He currently leads Brand, Strategy, and Operations at Playmaker HQ, a leading sports podcast network owned by Better Collective, home to shows featuring Shaquille O’Neal, Angel Reese, and Marshawn Lynch. Previously at The Players’ Tribune, Drew has been instrumental in shaping athlete-driven media, overseeing partnerships, production, and growth initiatives that connect fans and talent in meaningful ways.

Andy Marston is the founder of Sports Pundit, a community and media platform for sports and technology executives. Through a weekly newsletter, podcast network, lively group chat, and regular social events, he shares industry analysis and connects leaders across the sector. Alongside Sports Pundit, Andy leads Corporate Venture at athlete-backed venture firm, The Players Fund, where he works with high-profile sports IP such as Como 1907 and Juventus to design venture strategies and drive innovation initiatives.

Dom Collingwood is the founder of Fanzo, the world's most used sports bar finder, helping fans find the best bars and venues showing live sport near you. Alongside his business partner Leo MacLehose, he launched the company to revolutionise match viewing experiences and currently oversees operations across multiple global markets, including Australia, France, Great Britain, Ireland, Germany, Austria and the USA.

On today’s episode of the Sports Pundit Podcast, I’m joined by Jada Balster, CMO at Perk.

Jada is a B2B marketing leader with more than 20 years of experience across companies including Epicor, S&P Global, and Adobe. Today she leads marketing at Perk, the all-in-one travel and spend management platform formerly known as TravelPerk.

In this conversation, we explore how B2B marketing has evolved from a demand generation discipline into a brand-building function, and why Perk recently embarked on its biggest ever marketing investment through a company-wide rebrand.

We discuss the role sport can play in accelerating brand growth, including why Perk selected the Audi Revolut Formula One team as its first major sports partnership, and how the company plans to stand out as Formula One continues to get noisier for incoming brands.

Timestamps

02:00 - Jada’s Career Journey

04:00 - TravelPerk Becomes Perk

06:00 - Rebrand Rollout and Metrics

10:00 - Why Sport and F1 Fit

15:00 - Choosing the Audi Partnership

24:00 - Integration Beyond the Logo27:00 - Activating Across Channels

34:00 - What’s Next for Perk

About The Host

Andy Marston is the founder of Sports Pundit, a community and media platform for sports and technology executives. Through a weekly newsletter, podcast network, lively group chat, and regular social events, he shares industry analysis and connects leaders across the sector. Alongside Sports Pundit, Andy leads Corporate Venture at athlete-backed venture firm, The Players Fund, where he works with high-profile sports IP such as Como 1907 to design venture strategies and drive innovation initiatives.

On this episode of The Pitch, Andy and Drew dig into two ideas that both orbit the same macro challenge: how do sports venues generate more value on the days when the stands aren't full?

Andy kicks things off with Surrey County Cricket Club's move to turn the Oval into a midweek co-working destination, installing Wi-Fi and laptop-friendly desks to pull remote workers into four-day county fixtures. Drew draws the comparison to the San Diego Padres' Remote Work Wednesday experiment and the pair debate the real ROI of infrastructure investment versus a lighter-touch marketing play.

The conversation quickly expands beyond simple attendance tactics. Andy pitches the idea of segmenting co-working days by industry, turning the stadium into a genuine networking event, and ultimately folding the whole concept into corporate sponsorship packages that give brands a physical home inside the venue on non-match days.

Then Drew takes the mic with a pitch around legends football, asking what would happen if the one-off celebrity and former player games that clubs like Liverpool and Manchester United already run were structured into a proper secondary league, complete with tracked stats, betting markets, and miniature club contracts. Andy traces the idea back to Sky Sports' Masters Football series from the early 2000s and the pair explore how the Kings League and Baller League have already proved the appetite exists, and why a Premier League-backed version could be close to unstoppable.

Finally, the duo zoom out to look at why all of this matters now, connecting stadium monetisation directly to financial fair play regulations in European football, before grounding the conversation in practical examples from Southampton FC's in-stadium pub and arcade to the Bernabeu's surprisingly affordable Starbucks.

Timestamps

• 01:30 - The Surrey Oval Co-Working Idea
• 04:00 - Baseball Comparison and the ROI Question
• 07:00 - Networking, Industry Days, and Segmenting the Crowd
• 10:00 - Sponsor Suites as Co-Working Infrastructure
• 15:30 - The Legends League Pitch
• 18:30 - Kings League, Club Partnerships, and Defensive Moats
• 21:00 - Stadium Revenue and the Financial Fair Play Macro
• 24:00 - Spurs, Southampton, the Bernabeu, and What's Actually Replicable

About The ShowThe Pitch is the conversational show from the Sports Pundit Podcast Network, hosted by Andy Marston and Drew Rauso. It's a play on words, with each host bringing an idea, theme, or provocation that they pitch to the other. Together they react, debate, and explore what's really happening across the sports industry, from shifting media models to the next wave of innovation.

Each episode mixes perspective with practicality, with occasional appearances from other Sports Pundit hosts from across the Network.

About The Hosts
Drew Rauso is a versatile media operator with a proven track record of building and scaling sports media ventures at the intersection of content, commerce, and creator strategy. He currently leads Brand, Strategy, and Operations at Playmaker HQ, a leading sports podcast network owned by Better Collective, home to shows featuring Shaquille O'Neal, Angel Reese, and Marshawn Lynch. Previously at The Players' Tribune, Drew has been instrumental in shaping athlete-driven media, overseeing partnerships, production, and growth initiatives that connect fans and talent in meaningful ways.

Andy Marston is the founder of Sports Pundit, a community and media platform for sports and technology executives. Through a weekly newsletter, podcast network, lively group chat, and regular social events, he shares industry analysis and connects leaders across the sector. Alongside Sports Pundit, Andy leads Corporate Venture at athlete-backed venture firm, The Players Fund, where he works with high-profile sports IP such as Como 1907 and Juventus to design venture strategies and drive innovation initiatives.

On today’s episode, I’m joined by Charlie Kurian, Director of Innovation and Strategy at the San Antonio Spurs.

Charlie has had a non-traditional path into professional sport, with experience spanning Big Tech, startups and venture capital. Prior to joining the Spurs, he served as Investor and Chief of Staff at Soma Capital, a $412M venture fund that was an early investor in companies including Deel, Rippling and Ramp.

In this conversation, we explore how lessons from these areas, particularly venture, can be applied inside a sports organisation. We also discuss the Spurs’ AI adoption journey, their leadership guide with OpenAI, surprising internal use cases, and the launch of Spurs AI Studio, whose first activation delivered an AI-generated tunnel walk experience for Michelob Ultra.

Finally, we explore how AI is changing partner expectations and where the next wave of opportunity may emerge for sports organisations.

Timestamps

• 02:00 - Charlie’s Non-Linear Career Path

• 06:00 - Spurs Strategy & Innovation Role

• 10:00 - Translating Trends into Value

• 15:00 - OpenAI Partnership & Adoption Playbook

• 21:00 - Surprising Internal AI Use Cases

• 24:00 - Spurs AI Studio Revenue Creation

• 30:00 - Licensing and Partner Expectations Shift

• 33:30 - Build vs Buy and Startup Collaboration

About The Host

Andy Marston is the founder of Sports Pundit, a community and media platform for sports and technology executives. Through a weekly newsletter, podcast network, lively group chat, and regular social events, he shares industry analysis and connects leaders across the sector. Alongside Sports Pundit, Andy leads Corporate Venture at athlete-backed venture firm, The Players Fund, where he works with high-profile sports IP such as Como 1907 to design venture strategies and drive innovation initiatives.

On today’s episode of the Sports Pundit Podcast, host Vansa Chatikavanij is joined by Brett M. Johnson, Founder & CEO of Benevolent Capital, Chairman of Rhode Island FC and Centerville Bank Stadium, and a shareholder and director at Ipswich Town.

Brett reflects on the development of the $140M Centerville Bank Stadium project in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, and explains how the wider Tidewater Landing vision combines sport, real estate, hospitality, and community infrastructure into a long-term economic engine.

The conversation explores partnership-driven leadership, the “Who Not How” mindset, and why Brett believes the sports industry is still in the early innings of value creation.

Finally, he also breaks down why aligned incentives between clubs and venue ownership matter, how sports assets can create commercial flywheels beyond matchday revenue, and the future of United Soccer League (USL).

Timestamps

• 05:00 - Building Benevolent Capital
• 12:00 - Leaning Into “Who Not How”
• 15:00 - The Rise & Rise of Ipswich Town
• 21:00 - Stadium Economics Explained
• 32:00 - Fans and Community Flywheel
• 36:00 - USL’s Role in the Multi-Club Ownership Future

About The Hosts

Vansa Chatikavanij is Co-Founder & Managing Partner at Present Ventures, an investment firm focused on emerging sports, media, and technology. She previously led strategy at Omise (“Stripe of Asia”) and co-founded OmiseGO Network, reaching a $1B+ market cap. Earlier in her career, she worked at the World Bank across 13 markets and has advised organisations including the World Economic Forum, GSIC powered by Microsoft, and Real Madrid NEXT Asia.

About Sports Pundit

Sports Pundit is a community-driven platform for executives working in sport, built around content, events, and conversation. Through its weekly newsletter, social channels, WhatsApp groups, and podcast network, it connects industry leaders across the globe.

At the heart of the platform is the Sports Pundit Podcast Network, a multi-show lineup created for sports executives, by sports executives. The network features six domain-specific podcasts spanning innovation, marketing, finance, performance, and media, alongside a conversational companion show, The Pitch. Together, they deliver insider perspectives that live up to Sports Pundit’s mission to be “The Voice of the Sports Industry.”

Produced by OH SIX

The Sports Pundit Podcast is proudly produced by OH SIX, a content marketing agency specialising in producing digital and social-first content that connects. Trusted by Premier League clubs, F1 teams, and top brands, OH SIX deliver premium content end-to-end, from ideation, working with talent during production and platform specific content to reach audiences on screen.

On this episode of The Pitch, Andy and Drew reimagine the team social media playbook, exploring what would happen if clubs blew up their internal social departments and handed the keys to a rotating cast of fans or creators.

The conversation then shifts into the rapidly evolving world of AI content creation, from AI-generated podcast host avatars that can scale ad reads, to AI twins of athletes that could transform how clubs produce commercial content.

The duo unpack the surprising upside for players, the sponsor inventory opportunities hiding inside club archives, and the creative potential of remastering iconic footage or even simulating matchups between historic teams.

Finally, Andy pitches an idea born from his own cricket experience: a grassroots sponsorship fund that would let national brands extend their partnerships down to the amateur club level, giving volunteer-run clubs a ready-made commercial model and giving sponsors unmatched local affinity.

Timestamps

• 1:00 - Creator Takeover Social Strategy

• 4:00 - Inside a Team Social Department

• 8:00 - Algorithm Volume and Club Creator Labs

• 14:00 - AI Tools, Editing, and Podcast Host Avatars

• 18:00 - AI Twins for Players and Commercial Shoots

• 24:00 - Unlocking Archive Footage as Sponsor Inventory

• 28:00 - Remastering History and Dream Team Matchups

• 31:00 - Grassroots Sponsorship Fund Pitch

• 36:00 - Exploring Feasibility in the UK vs USA

Additional Links:

• AI Assist: How Juventus Scores Incredible Content Output ⚽️
  

About The Show

The Pitch is the conversational show from the Sports Pundit Podcast Network, hosted by Andy Marston and Drew Rauso.

It’s a play on words, with each host bringing an idea, theme, or provocation that they pitch to the other. Together they react, debate, and explore what’s really happening across the sports industry, from shifting media models to the next wave of innovation.

Each episode mixes perspective with practicality, with occasional appearances from other Sports Pundit hosts from across the Network.

About The Hosts

Drew Rauso is a versatile media operator with a proven track record of building and scaling sports media ventures at the intersection of content, commerce, and creator strategy. He currently leads Brand, Strategy, and Operations at Playmaker HQ, a leading sports podcast network owned by Better Collective, home to shows featuring Shaquille O’Neal, Angel Reese, and Marshawn Lynch. Previously at The Players’ Tribune, Drew has been instrumental in shaping athlete-driven media, overseeing partnerships, production, and growth initiatives that connect fans and talent in meaningful ways.

Andy Marston is the founder of Sports Pundit, a community and media platform for sports and technology executives. Through a weekly newsletter, podcast network, lively group chat, and regular social events, he shares industry analysis and connects leaders across the sector. Alongside Sports Pundit, Andy leads Corporate Venture at athlete-backed venture firm, The Players Fund, where he works with high-profile sports IP such as Como 1907 and Juventus to design venture strategies and drive innovation initiatives.

Produced by OH SIX

The Sports Pundit Podcast is proudly produced by OH SIX, a content marketing agency specialising in producing digital and social-first content that connects. Trusted by Premier League clubs, F1 teams, and top brands, OH SIX deliver premium content end-to-end, from ideation, working with talent during production and platform specific content to reach audiences on screen.

On today's episode of the Sports Pundit Podcast, I'm joined by Mark Shannon, Head of Digital Product at the DP World Tour.

Mark is a product leader specialising in digital transformation and fan engagement innovation, with experience spanning sports, automotive, retail, and government.

Throughout his career, he's built and launched revenue driving digital products that deliver exceptional user experiences.

Most recently, he's been helping transform how fans engage with the DP world Tour through mobile's first strategies, modern technology and data-driven product development.

Mark combines deep technical expertise for strategic vision, and in this episode we go somewhere to exploring that.

We talk about the shift from project led to product led organisations, how AI is reshaping the sports fan experience and how Mark is personally experimenting with Frontier Technologies to stay ahead of the curve.

Timestamps

2:00 - Mark’s Career Path

05:00 - From Car Rental to the Sports Industry

08:00 - Project to Product Mindset Shift

11:00 - Data and Fan Insights

16:00 - Implications of AI

21:00 - How Mark is Approaching AI

36:00 - Future of DP World Tour

Additional Links:

Subscribe to Mark's Newsletter, The Sports Stack.

Jump's $23M Series A: Why Sports' Ticketing Monopoly Is Finally Under Attack

About The Host

Andy Marston⁠ is the founder of Sports Pundit, a community and media platform for sports and technology executives. Through a weekly newsletter, podcast network, lively group chat, and regular social events, he shares industry analysis and connects leaders across the sector.

Alongside Sports Pundit, Andy leads Corporate Venture at athlete-backed venture firm, The Players Fund, where he works with high-profile sports IP such as Como 1907 to design venture strategies and drive innovation initiatives.

About Sports Pundit

Sports Pundit is a community-driven platform for executives working in sport, built around content, events, and conversation. Through its ⁠weekly newsletter⁠, social channels, WhatsApp groups, and podcast network, it connects industry leaders across the globe.

At the heart of the platform is the ⁠Sports Pundit Podcast Network⁠, a multi-show lineup created for sports executives, by sports executives. The network features six domain-specific podcasts spanning innovation, marketing, finance, performance, and media, alongside a conversational companion show, The Pitch. Together, they deliver insider perspectives that live up to Sports Pundit’s mission to be “The Voice of the Sports Industry.”

Produced by OH SIX

The Sports Pundit Podcast is proudly produced by ⁠OH SIX⁠, a content marketing agency specialising in producing digital and social-first content that connects. Trusted by Premier League clubs, F1 teams, and top brands, OH SIX deliver premium content end-to-end, from ideation, working with talent during production and platform specific content to reach audiences on screen.

On today’s episode of the Sports Pundit Media Podcast, Jo and Michael are joined by Chris Sice,  Chief Content Officer at ICONS Series. 

ICONS Series is a disruptive experiential sports and entertainment brand that brings together the biggest, boldest cross-section of world class athletes and fans.

This conversation, which took place off the back of their most recent event in Bangkok, explores the series’ disruptive approach to golf, both on the course and in the ways that they approach media. 

Timestamps

2:00 - ICONS Series Origin Story

12:30 - Broadcast and YouTube Hybrid

17:00 - Players as Media Channels

23:00 - Live Vs Edited Storytelling

30:00 - Audience Data And Surprises

34:00 - Building Cultural Resonance

37:00 - Monetising Cultural Currency

About The Hosts

Jo Redfern is a digital and youth media specialist who has spent the last five years at the forefront of platforms such as YouTube, Roblox, and TikTok. With a background in traditional broadcast and kids media, Jo is known for turning generational media behaviours into commercial opportunities. Through her consultancy firm, Futrhood, she helps IP owners and rights holders scale engagement and monetisation by leveraging content, platforms, community, and emerging tech.

Michael Cohen has spent the last decade building at the intersection of sport, media, and the creator economy. As former CEO of Whistle, he scaled the company into a $100M multi-platform media business, driving organic growth and strategic M&A before leading its exit to Eleven Sports and later DAZN. Today, through his new venture Disruptive Play, Michael partners with companies and creators to shape the next wave of sports and media IP, challenging the status quo and architecting business models for the next era of sport.

About Sports Pundit

Sports Pundit is a community-driven platform for executives working in sport, built around content, events, and conversation. Through its weekly newsletter, social channels, WhatsApp groups, and podcast network, it connects industry leaders across the globe.

At the heart of the platform is the Sports Pundit Podcast Network, a multi-show lineup created for sports executives, by sports executives. The network features six domain-specific podcasts spanning innovation, marketing, finance, performance, and media, alongside a conversational companion show, The Pitch. Together, they deliver insider perspectives that live up to Sports Pundit’s mission to be “The Voice of the Sports Industry.”

Produced by OH SIX

The Sports Pundit Podcast is proudly produced by OH SIX, a content marketing agency specialising in producing digital and social-first content that connects. Trusted by Premier League clubs, F1 teams, and top brands, OH SIX deliver premium content end-to-end, from ideation, working with talent during production and platform specific content to reach audiences on screen.

On today’s episode of the Sports Pundit Podcast, we’re joined by Maria Norrman, President of EF Pro Cycling and Global Chief of Staff at EF Education First.

Maria sits at the intersection of performance, people, and strategy - helping run one of the most distinctive and commercially innovative teams in professional cycling. 

As EF opens its first-ever title partnership and looks to build the world’s best cycling team across both the men’s and women’s peloton, she’s the person translating ambition into reality behind the scenes.

In this conversation, we get into what it really takes to operate a WorldTour team, the business model of cycling, and how culture, not just budget, can become a competitive advantage.

Timestamps

• 02:00 - Maria's Journey and Unique Double Role
• 07:30 - The Unique Economics of Professional Cycling
• 11:00 - Why Winning Isn’t Enough
• 18:00 - Building the World’s Favourite Cycling Team
• 28:00 - The Cost of Running a WorldTour Team
• 39:00 - The Most Underrated Cost in Cycling
• 45:00 - New Inventory and Revenue Streams

About The Hosts

⁠Vansa Chatikavanij⁠ is Co-Founder & Managing Partner at Present Ventures, an investment firm focused on emerging sports, media, and technology. She previously led strategy at Omise (“Stripe of Asia”) and co-founded OmiseGO Network, reaching a $1B+ market cap. Earlier in her career, she worked at the World Bank across 13 markets and has advised organisations including the World Economic Forum, GSIC powered by Microsoft, and Real Madrid NEXT Asia.

Andy Marston⁠ is the founder of Sports Pundit, a community and media platform for sports and technology executives. Through a weekly newsletter, podcast network, lively group chat, and regular social events, he shares industry analysis and connects leaders across the sector. Alongside Sports Pundit, Andy leads Corporate Venture at athlete-backed venture firm, The Players Fund, where he works with high-profile sports IP such as Como 1907 to design venture strategies and drive innovation initiatives.

About Sports Pundit

Sports Pundit is a community-driven platform for executives working in sport, built around content, events, and conversation. Through its ⁠weekly newsletter⁠, social channels, WhatsApp groups, and podcast network, it connects industry leaders across the globe.

At the heart of the platform is the ⁠Sports Pundit Podcast Network⁠, a multi-show lineup created for sports executives, by sports executives. The network features six domain-specific podcasts spanning innovation, marketing, finance, performance, and media, alongside a conversational companion show, The Pitch. Together, they deliver insider perspectives that live up to Sports Pundit’s mission to be “The Voice of the Sports Industry.”

Produced by OH SIX

The Sports Pundit Podcast is proudly produced by ⁠OH SIX⁠, a content marketing agency specialising in producing digital and social-first content that connects. Trusted by Premier League clubs, F1 teams, and top brands, OH SIX deliver premium content end-to-end, from ideation, working with talent during production and platform specific content to reach audiences on screen.