Inside Edge is our series on the business of cricket, presented with co-host Mike Jakeman. 

Our guest is Phil Weston, head of cricket at TGI Sport, the agency owned jointly by George Pyne's Bruin Sports Capital and Quadrant Private Equity. 

England star Harry Brook is one of an impressive roster of talent across both the male and female games, including Kieron Pollard, Rashid Khan, Jofra Archer and Sophie Devine. 

In 2024 TGI acquired Insignia to its international network that includes European-based tech-led media rights and virtual production agency ISG, New York-based virtual advertising solution provider Brand Brigade, UK-based Media Sales agency Sportseen, leading Australian sports agency TLA and talent management company SFX Sports Group. 

This episode of the Unofficial Partner podcast is brought to you by Sid Lee Sport.

Sid Lee Sport is the fame-making creative and sponsorship agency for brands in sport. Through exceptional creativity, deep sponsorship expertise, and flawless on-site delivery, they help brands, sponsors, and rightsholders unlock their full potential in sport - most recently picking up a Leaders Sports Award for their work with Lidl at UEFA EURO 2024.

Everything they do is driven by a culture of effectiveness - because in sport, performance matters. Not just on the pitch, but in the work too. So whether you want to build buzz, connect with audiences, or do something that actually cuts through, Sid Lee Sport knows how.

Visit sidleesport.com 

Sid Lee Sport - where brands become champions.

Unofficial Partner is the leading podcast for the business of sport. A mix of entertaining and thought provoking conversations with a who's who of the global industry.
To join our community of listeners, sign up to the weekly UP Newsletter and follow us on Twitter and TikTok at @UnofficialPartner

We publish two podcasts each week, on Tuesday and Friday.

These are deep conversations with smart people from inside and outside sport.

Our entire back catalogue of 400 sports business conversations are available free of charge here.

Each pod is available by searching for ‘Unofficial Partner’ on Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher and every podcast app.

If you’re interested in collaborating with Unofficial Partner to create one-off podcasts or series, you can reach us via the website.

Mark Oliver was the BBC's first head of strategy before creating Oliver and Ohlbaum in 1995, which remains one of the most influential media advisory boutiques in the market, with clients ranging from sports leagues and federations to media companies, tech platforms, venture capital firms and private equity groups.

In this episode, Mark identifies the rationale that sits behind some of sport's most high profile investment stories, from NBA Europe, R360 rugby and World Volleyball through to the opportunities, red flags and roadblocks that exist for investors in Olympic sport federations.  

This episode of the Unofficial Partner podcast is brought to you by Sid Lee Sport.

Sid Lee Sport is the fame-making creative and sponsorship agency for brands in sport.

Through exceptional creativity, deep sponsorship expertise, and flawless on-site delivery, they help brands, sponsors, and rightsholders unlock their full potential in sport - most recently picking up a Leaders Sports Award for their work with Lidl at UEFA EURO 2024.

Everything they do is driven by a culture of effectiveness - because in sport, performance matters. Not just on the pitch, but in the work too.

So whether you want to build buzz, connect with audiences, or do something that actually cuts through, Sid Lee Sport knows how.

Visit sidleesport.com 

Sid Lee Sport - where brands become champions.

Unofficial Partner is the leading podcast for the business of sport. A mix of entertaining and thought provoking conversations with a who's who of the global industry.
To join our community of listeners, sign up to the weekly UP Newsletter and follow us on Twitter and TikTok at @UnofficialPartner

We publish two podcasts each week, on Tuesday and Friday.

These are deep conversations with smart people from inside and outside sport.

Our entire back catalogue of 400 sports business conversations are available free of charge here.

Each pod is available by searching for ‘Unofficial Partner’ on Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher and every podcast app.

If you’re interested in collaborating with Unofficial Partner to create one-off podcasts or series, you can reach us via the website.

The story of Brentford is one of the most interesting and quoted case studies in European football over the last decade. The west London club been transformed on and off the pitch, from being saved from extinction by its own fans to a new era under the ownership of entrepreneur Matthew Benham. 
The club was promoted to the Premier League in 2021, marking a return to the top flight after 74 years. Since then, it has become the go-to case study for smart recruitment and data-driven approach to management decision making. 

So, what's gone right at Brentford? 
And why is hard for other clubs to copy its blueprint for not just surviving, but thriving in the most competitive football league in the world.

Today's episode was recorded at Brentford Community Stadium and is a collaboration with Indeed, the club's official recruitment partner

Our guests are Jon Varney, David Ornstein and Matt Price.

Jon Varney is CEO of Brentford Football Club

David Ornstein is Football Correspondent at The Athletic

Matt Price is Senior Sales Director of Indeed

Unofficial Partner is the leading podcast for the business of sport. A mix of entertaining and thought provoking conversations with a who's who of the global industry.
To join our community of listeners, sign up to the weekly UP Newsletter and follow us on Twitter and TikTok at @UnofficialPartner

We publish two podcasts each week, on Tuesday and Friday.

These are deep conversations with smart people from inside and outside sport.

Our entire back catalogue of 400 sports business conversations are available free of charge here.

Each pod is available by searching for ‘Unofficial Partner’ on Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher and every podcast app.

If you’re interested in collaborating with Unofficial Partner to create one-off podcasts or series, you can reach us via the website.

This is a special episode of Other People's Money is our regular series on sports investment which was recorded recently in front of an invited audience at the London headquarters of EY, the Big Four accounting and professional services group. 

Joining Richard and regular OPM co-host Matt Rogan were John Fallon and Vikram Banerjee.

John Fallon was CEO of publishing giant Pearson during the white heat of digital transformation. His book Resurgent is an essential counter balance to the cliches that gather around the much discussed topic of disruption.

Vikram Banerjee is managing director of The Hundred, and previously led the strategy, insights and business operations functions at the England and Wales Cricket Board. A former professional cricketer, he has played a key role in setting the strategic direction for the sport, including the creation of the ECB’s strategy for cricket – Inspiring Generations – and the South Asian Action Plan, which was launched in 2018. 

The other voices you’ll hear include questions from our audience including Alan Noble and Sarah Hanks, our hosts at EY, plus Gessica Howarth of Sphera Partners.

Unofficial Partner is the leading podcast for the business of sport. A mix of entertaining and thought provoking conversations with a who's who of the global industry.
To join our community of listeners, sign up to the weekly UP Newsletter and follow us on Twitter and TikTok at @UnofficialPartner

We publish two podcasts each week, on Tuesday and Friday.

These are deep conversations with smart people from inside and outside sport.

Our entire back catalogue of 400 sports business conversations are available free of charge here.

Each pod is available by searching for ‘Unofficial Partner’ on Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher and every podcast app.

If you’re interested in collaborating with Unofficial Partner to create one-off podcasts or series, you can reach us via the website.

Nike, Drake and Beats have just released cricket themed campaigns.

WTF? Is cricket cool?

Richard asked Mike Jakeman and Simon Moore to list their best and worst cricket themed campaigns and the result is a conversation about cliches, tropes and cultural relevance.

The following ads are referenced in the podcast. 

Beats by Dre 2025

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/homeground-london_checkshubman-gillshining-bright-in-the-activity-7376572600484782080-MxP2?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios&rcm=ACoAAADNCmgB-26i_-T9u7OfQ8UB-pRP3VJ8mew

Nike Nocta and Drake

https://sportsverse.substack.com/p/cricket-nike-drake-sportswear-west-indies-nocta-antigua

KitKat

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l83ANUS3I8E

Pepsi - Change The Game - 2011

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4tpN_egJnM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRbKZ7rkk7A

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEnzSbQnFBg

Nike India, Bleed Blue - 2011

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eDoDQo_T1c

Nike Yards - 2011  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pD59CpKMQY0

Make Every Yard Count - 2014 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtxLmInvFcw

Hilton - No Boundaries 2023

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wif0tbWelrE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pv3OPxbTARU

Booking.com It starts with a booking 2022

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ozoQaqKkJ4

Cadbury’s Dairy Milk - Good Luck Girls 2023

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_OtC06ndUE&t=40s

Here’s the original from the nineties

https://youtu.be/e7JATezA1nY?si=vPubhZaP4vZ8-AyU

Emirates - Bollywood Cricket Welcome On-board Demo 2016

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JfuwuDqjag

Adidas - Made for Cricket - 2016

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1TXNXe15fA

Yorkshire Tea -  Everything Stops for Tea -2013

Unofficial Partner is the leading podcast for the business of sport. A mix of entertaining and thought provoking conversations with a who's who of the global industry.
To join our community of listeners, sign up to the weekly UP Newsletter and follow us on Twitter and TikTok at @UnofficialPartner

We publish two podcasts each week, on Tuesday and Friday.

These are deep conversations with smart people from inside and outside sport.

Our entire back catalogue of 400 sports business conversations are available free of charge here.

Each pod is available by searching for ‘Unofficial Partner’ on Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher and every podcast app.

If you’re interested in collaborating with Unofficial Partner to create one-off podcasts or series, you can reach us via the website.

We took The Bundle to Monaco and recorded a live podcast on stage at Sportel, the famous sports media and technology marketplace.

Joining Richard and regular co-host Murray Barnett were Glen Killane (EBU Sport), Peter Bellamy (Deltatre) and Louisa Clark (Queensberry Promotions).

EPISODE SUMMARY

Broadcasting live from Sportel Monaco's opening session, this special episode captures the sports media industry at a pivotal moment. With Apple's Formula 1 deal breaking over the weekend, Relevent's UEFA strategy dominating conversations, and the French football crisis providing a cautionary tale, our panel explores what delegates will be discussing throughout the week. The central question: in a market that's worked the same way for 30 years, where are rights holders placing their chips now?

Key Theme: Out of chaos comes creativity. The industry faces forced evolution, and this is the "Monte Carlo casino moment" - how conservative or aggressive will rights holders be?

Unofficial Partner is the leading podcast for the business of sport. A mix of entertaining and thought provoking conversations with a who's who of the global industry.
To join our community of listeners, sign up to the weekly UP Newsletter and follow us on Twitter and TikTok at @UnofficialPartner

We publish two podcasts each week, on Tuesday and Friday.

These are deep conversations with smart people from inside and outside sport.

Our entire back catalogue of 400 sports business conversations are available free of charge here.

Each pod is available by searching for ‘Unofficial Partner’ on Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher and every podcast app.

If you’re interested in collaborating with Unofficial Partner to create one-off podcasts or series, you can reach us via the website.

Joining Richard and Matt Rogan is António Caçorino, founder & CEO of APEX, the sports fund manager known for its roster of over 70 athletes across 15 sports and 30+ leagues. Famous names attached to the fund include Formula 1 drivers Lando Norris (McLaren), Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) and Valtteri Bottas, footballers Raphaël Varane (Manchester United/France), Christian Eriksen and Mason Mount (Manchester United), Jan Vertonghen, Daley Blind, Luuk de Jong and John Stones (Manchester City).

The Portuguese investment company has deployed capital in elite sports ventures such as TMRW SPORTS, the company behind TGL golf, technology companies Playsight and ScorePlay.

Other investments include Baller League, €23 million ($24.1 million) in series A funding into the creator meets football startup. 

Unofficial Partner is the leading podcast for the business of sport. A mix of entertaining and thought provoking conversations with a who's who of the global industry.
To join our community of listeners, sign up to the weekly UP Newsletter and follow us on Twitter and TikTok at @UnofficialPartner

We publish two podcasts each week, on Tuesday and Friday.

These are deep conversations with smart people from inside and outside sport.

Our entire back catalogue of 400 sports business conversations are available free of charge here.

Each pod is available by searching for ‘Unofficial Partner’ on Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher and every podcast app.

If you’re interested in collaborating with Unofficial Partner to create one-off podcasts or series, you can reach us via the website.

Rugby League's Private Equity Play: Super League Seeks Investment

The Rugby Football League is in talks with private equity firms, including Lion Cap Global and Oakwell Sports Advisory, about selling a stake in Super League. This comes 30 years after Super League's formation with Sky backing, yet the sport remains in a similar position—geographically concentrated in Northern England with passionate but limited fan base. The move raises questions about IMG's role, as they're only three years into a 12-year "re-imagining" partnership. The episode questioned why the sport needs PE investment if IMG's transformation was succeeding, and how multiple stakeholders (PE, IMG, diverse club owners) would navigate competing visions for the sport's future. Breaking news during the recording revealed York Knights and Toulouse as the two new teams joining the expanded Super League, notably excluding London despite assumptions about PE interest in southern expansion.

The Bill Murray Effect: Stars Trump Sports in Modern Broadcasting

Bill Murray will front a new Paramount Plus/BBC documentary series touring Irish golf courses, described by the BBC as a "genre-bending road trip" where "golf is just the excuse." This exemplifies the shift toward personality-driven sports content, where the star matters more than the sport itself. The discussion extended to Ari Emmanuel launching interview series on X, and the broader trend of influencers acquiring rights (like French influencer Zach Nanny getting French U21 football rights). Traditional broadcasters are caught between old methods and chasing new audiences through celebrity-led formats, often appearing to lack confidence in the sports themselves as sufficient draw.

TNT's Ashes Coverage Controversy: Expertise vs. Entertainment

TNT's announcement of their Ashes broadcasting team sparked backlash among cricket fans, with rugby commentator Alistair Ekin and cycling commentator Rob Hatch as lead voices, plus football/boxing reporter Becky Ives presenting. The debate centered on whether generalist broadcasters can match specialist expertise, with examples like Andrew Cotter and Jim Rosenthal as counterpoints. The deeper question: are broadcasters too focused on capturing "promiscuous outer layer" fans while neglecting devoted audiences? With matches at 3am UK time and Sky declining to bid, the episode questioned TNT's strategy and whether cricket fans might cobble together YouTube/TikTok alternatives rather than subscribe—potentially undermining the traditional broadcast model entirely.

Unofficial Partner is the leading podcast for the business of sport. A mix of entertaining and thought provoking conversations with a who's who of the global industry.
To join our community of listeners, sign up to the weekly UP Newsletter and follow us on Twitter and TikTok at @UnofficialPartner

We publish two podcasts each week, on Tuesday and Friday.

These are deep conversations with smart people from inside and outside sport.

Our entire back catalogue of 400 sports business conversations are available free of charge here.

Each pod is available by searching for ‘Unofficial Partner’ on Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher and every podcast app.

If you’re interested in collaborating with Unofficial Partner to create one-off podcasts or series, you can reach us via the website.

We went to the London offices of Sid Lee Sport to host Cause and Effect: Why sponsorship needs an effectiveness revolution. 

A live recording featuring industry professionals from across the sport sponsorship marketplace, who came together in front of an invited VIP audience to ask some big questions as sport's role as a marketing platform for brands.

Taking part were:

Hosting the event was Charlotte Thomson, founder of The One10 Collective and formerly head of women's football at Copa90.

Joining Charlotte on stage were Charlie Dundas (GSIQ), Rebecca Martin (Barclays/ESA), and Rory Natkiel (Sid Lee Sport) as founding board members of the Sponsorship Effectiveness Forum, a not-for-profit, cross-industry platform dedicated to raising the standard of sponsorship effectiveness. 

"By building benchmarks, sharing case studies, and challenging old assumptions, our mission is to help sponsorship achieve its true potential and claim its rightful place at the heart of brand building. This is just the start. Over the months ahead we’ll be publishing research, hosting events, and creating the tools the industry needs to move beyond exposure metrics and prove the real impact of sponsorship."

Unofficial Partner is the leading podcast for the business of sport. A mix of entertaining and thought provoking conversations with a who's who of the global industry.
To join our community of listeners, sign up to the weekly UP Newsletter and follow us on Twitter and TikTok at @UnofficialPartner

We publish two podcasts each week, on Tuesday and Friday.

These are deep conversations with smart people from inside and outside sport.

Our entire back catalogue of 400 sports business conversations are available free of charge here.

Each pod is available by searching for ‘Unofficial Partner’ on Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher and every podcast app.

If you’re interested in collaborating with Unofficial Partner to create one-off podcasts or series, you can reach us via the website.

Today's conversation was recorded at the Two Circles European Summit which took place a few weeks ago at the Institute of Engineering and Technology overlooking the Thames, next to the Savoy. 
Gareth Balch, founder and CEO of Two Circles is our guest, and as ever with Gareth, nothing was off limits, and its useful to periodically check in on what he's seeing right across the European and North American sports markets, where they encourage their clients to think about their relationship with the key trends, sharing nuggets of useful information that lurk just below the day to day headlines.
We explore the state of sports business, what fan engagement means in 2025 and the evolving relationship between sports IP, audiences, and revenue.

Unofficial Partner is the leading podcast for the business of sport. A mix of entertaining and thought provoking conversations with a who's who of the global industry.
To join our community of listeners, sign up to the weekly UP Newsletter and follow us on Twitter and TikTok at @UnofficialPartner

We publish two podcasts each week, on Tuesday and Friday.

These are deep conversations with smart people from inside and outside sport.

Our entire back catalogue of 400 sports business conversations are available free of charge here.

Each pod is available by searching for ‘Unofficial Partner’ on Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher and every podcast app.

If you’re interested in collaborating with Unofficial Partner to create one-off podcasts or series, you can reach us via the website.