The Business Behind Sport Podcast

🎙️✨ After winning the Sports Education award as part of the International Sports Convention (ISC) International Sports Awards, Jonny Gray and Jonathan Brown share some of their favorite moments, key learnings and insights our guests have discussed during previous conversations on this episode of The Business Behind Sport.

This episode is a must-listen! Relive the unforgettable stories that made our show what it is today.

FIFA recently confirmed Saudi Arabia will host the World Cup in 2034. 

In this exclusive interview, Jonny Gray speaks to Polly Handford, General Counsel of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) to discuss the local reactions in the Kingdom to the news, as well as what hosting the World Cup means for Vision 2030 and what the organization of the tournament will look like. 

This month, our Ankura experts discuss the creation of The Hundred Cricket competition, and the England and Wales Cricket Board's (or ECB’s) plans to invite private investment into the tournament. 

Join Alecia Futerman, Jonathan Brown, and Torie Hamilton Wilson as they explore the potential implications for the sport and its stakeholders. Listen now to find out more about the history of the sport, as well as the investment process and strategy. 

Should sports arbitrations and tribunals continue to be held in private?

In this episode, we speak with one of the most high-profile sports barristers in England, Nick De Marco to discuss:

⚽ The arguments for and against private arbitrations in sports 
🏆 How do sports differentiate compared to other industries in terms of handling the privacy aspects of arbitrations or tribunals
🏓 How do you balance the perceived “right to know” of fans, the public, and concerned stakeholders with the privacy of the involved parties?
🏀 And much more…

At the Paris Olympics last week, Saudi Arabia submitted plans to build 11 stadiums - including one set 350 meters above ground level - as part of the country's bid to host the 2034 World Cup.

Listen to this episode of #TheBusinessBehindSport recorded live from London International Disputes Week where Jonny Gray speaks with Helen Waddell, Partner at Pinsent Masons, Richard Liddell KC at 4 New Square Chambers, and Jason Baston from Miller Insurance Services LLP to discuss the interactions between ambition, scale, governance, ESG, media, and commercial pressure in delivering ever-expanding global events like the FIFA World Cup and Olympic Games. 

This month on The Business Behind Sport, Jonny Gray speaks to James Stebbing, a Senior Sports Executive who has held General Counsel and Legal roles at Six Nations Rugby, British & Irish Lions, and England Rugby. 

Throughout his career, he has been at the heart of some of the most pivotal moments in Rugby’s recent history, including the impact and response to the Covid crisis and planning for the Nations Cup, a new cross-hemisphere competition launching in 2026, involving 12 of the world’s top international teams.

They discuss:
• The current state of the game
• The financial sustainability of the sport
• Opportunities for commercial growth
• The rise of Women’s Rugby

Following the previous The Business Behind Sport episode, we continue our conversation on the club acquisition process, but this month we explore the investment and legal considerations.

Jonny Gray is joined by Tom Sheldon, Director at Ovation Corporate Finance, and Ben Hanglin, Partner at Onside Law to look at the deal structure, the legal contemplations throughout the process, and how to deal with any issues that may occur post-acquisition.

Subscribe to 'The Business Behind Sport' Newsletter

This month on The Business Behind Sport, Jonny Gray is joined by forensics expert Charli Curran from Ankura and Kat Craig, a multi-award-winning human rights lawyer and the founder and CEO of Athlead, a sports and social impact consultancy.

They discuss trauma-informed governance in sport, focussing on the evolution of safeguarding over the last 10 years. They also address where the gaps in safeguarding in sport are, the importance of the correct stakeholders managing safeguarding and trauma issues, priorities to achieve better governance, and what change looks like for survivors and victims of abuse in sport.

Subscribe to 'The Business Behind Sport' newsletter. 

Thinking of buying a Football Club? In this special edition of #TheBusinessBehindSport podcast we are joined by Analytics FC to discuss the steps investors should consider when buying a football club.

With institutional investors and individuals showing more interest in purchasing football clubs, Ankura regulatory and financial risk expert Jonathan Brown and Jeremy Steele, Managing Director of Analytics FC , share their insights into the club acquisition process with Jonny Gray, Senior Managing Director and co-host of The Business Behind Sport and Alex Stewart, Head of Content and host of the Analytics FC podcast.  Collectively they discuss the commercial considerations, financial and sporting due diligence planning, as well as the governance and regulatory issues that prospective investors should consider before, during and after acquiring a football club in Europe.

Subscribe to 'The Business Behind Sport' Newsletter

In this episode, Jonathan Brown, Senior Managing Director in Ankura's Sport Advisory team speaks with Richard Bush, Partner in Bird & Bird’s Media, Entertainment & Sports Group, and Charli Curran, Senior Director in Ankura’s Risk, Forensics and Compliance team to discuss investigating abuse in sport and the practical and legal considerations that need to be taken into account.

Subscribe to 'The Business Behind Sport' Newsletter