Unofficial Partner Podcast

 This is Inside Edge, which is our cricket business podcast. 

Regular co-host Mike Jakeman is away this week, but our guests are Beth Barrett-Wild and Jen Vile from the ECB.  

Beth is the Tournament Director at ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 & Director of Women's Professional Game at ECB, and Jen Vile is Marketing Director at (ECB)

So we are talking women's cricket, the T20 World Cup in England next year, and the hundred, the impact of the new money flooding into the hundred on women's cricket.  There's a lot there and we hope you enjoy it.  

Leaders in Sport connects the most influential people and the most powerful ideas in global sport to catalyse discussion, and drive the industry forward. The Summit, part of Leaders Week London (their flagship event), is taking place next week on Wednesday 1 and Thursday 2 October at the Allianz Stadium and this is a final call to secure your place.

This is your opportunity to be in the room with the who's who of our industry, it's the most significant gathering of the entire ecosystem of global sport - we're there every year and can testify to that.

We will be there, so please come and say hello to us in the Partners Village. 

Visit leadersinsport.com/UP for more information and use UP15 for a 15% discount on your Summit passes.

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 500 sports business conversations are available free of charge here. 

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

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

Three stories from a week in the sports business.

James Emmett comes fresh from the IMG-Redbird Summit.

David Cushnan on what and who lurks behind The Enhanced Games.

Richard on Jamie Redknapp and Richard Thompson's new football agency. 

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 500 sports business conversations are available free of charge here. 

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

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

Welcome to The Bundle, our regular series on the sports media and streaming marketplace with co-hosts Yannick Ramcke, General Manager of OTT at the streaming service OneFootball and Murray Barnett, founder of 26West Consulting and formerly of F1, World Rugby and ESPN International.

Leaders Summit: 2 Weeks To Go

Leaders in Sport connects the most influential people and the most powerful ideas in global sport to catalyse discussion, and drive the industry forward. For the past 15 years, Leaders has been the organiser of the most prestigious conferences in global sports business with annual editions North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

The Summit, part of Leaders Week London, is now just 2 weeks away, taking place at The Allianz Stadium in Twickenham on 1st and 2nd October. With forums, think tanks, multiple events, award ceremonies, masterclasses and new experiential get-togethers across the week, this is your opportunity to understand the global trends impacting the sport business landscape and how to commercialise them. http://leadersinsport.com/UP  Visit leadersinsport.com/UP for more information and use UP15 for a 15% discount on your Summit passes.

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 500 sports business conversations are available free of charge here. 

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

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

The perfect weekend warm up. 

Richard is joined by Dave Cushnan and James Emmett from Leaders in Sport. Each picks a story of the week and asks, what just happened?

Sponsored by:

Women’s sport at Leaders Week

Leaders in Sport connects the most influential people and the most powerful ideas in global sport to catalyse discussion, and drive the industry forward.

For over a decade, Leaders has created consistent spaces to support and accelerate the growth of women’s sport – while championing the people driving it forward. At Leaders Week London this year, now just 2 weeks away, the commercial growth opportunity for women's sport will be front and centre. From the headline stage to curated spaces – Leaders Week continues to offer the access, conversations and connections that move the industry forward.

If women’s sport is part of your growth strategy, this is where you’ll find the people who can help make it happen.

Visit leadersinsport.com/UP for more information and use UP15 for a 15% discount on your Summit passes.

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 500 sports business conversations are available free of charge here. 

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

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

SPORTEL Monaco takes place at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco October 20th to 22nd. It's been the world's leading sports content media rights and technology convention for more than 30 years. 

This episode asks, what will people be talking about as they network and do deals that will shape the sports business in 2026? 

Joining Richard are:

Imran Yusuf - Editor of Sport Business Media (attending his fifth Sportel)

Ken Kerschbaumer - Editorial Director for Sports Video Group US and SVG Europe (17-year Sportel veteran)

Nick Volante - Sportel commercial consultant (15 years with the event)

NOTE - Regular ticket price period ends on September 11th, so to take advantage of the lower price, go to the SPORTEL Monaco website via this link now . 

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 500 sports business conversations are available free of charge here. 

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

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

Richard is joined by David Cushnan and James Emmett of Leaders. 

Three stories from this week in the sports business.

What happened, why do we care and where's it going?

What does McLaren F1's valuation say about F1?

Who is David 'Dave' Hopkinson and what's the job of Premier League CEO today?

What's the role of the Ryder Cup in the LIV era?

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 500 sports business conversations are available free of charge here. 

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

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

Today's guest Paul Caine is the President of On Location, the premium experiential hospitality division of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO). Under his leadership, OnLocation has become the global leader in sports and entertainment hospitality, managing premium experiences for over 150 rightsholders including the NFL, NCAA, UFC, IOC, FIFA, and PGA of America. Following TKO's recent $3.25 billion all share acquisition of IMG, PBR and On Location from Endeavor in February 2025, Caine is positioned at the forefront of the rapidly expanding premium sports hospitality market ahead of next year's FIFA World Cup in the US.

This podcast is sponsored by Leaders in Sport

Leaders in Sport connects the most influential people and the most powerful ideas in global sport to catalyse discussion, and drive the industry forward. A new membership offering from them is the Leaders Club, the community for tomorrow’s sport industry leaders. With 650+ members across chapters in London, Manchester, New York, Chicago and LA, Leaders Club was created with the mission to support the personal and professional growth of the next generation of leaders. This is done through members-only exclusive events, interactive networking experiences, and access to knowledge from experts inside and outside of sport. Leaders Club is for talented Managers and Heads of who are ambitious to progress towards C-Suite - if this is you, or perhaps someone in your team, find out more about membership at http://leadersclub.com

Also, remember that Leaders Week London is now a month away, visit leadersinsport.com/UP for more information and use UP15 for a 15% discount on your Summit passes

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 500 sports business conversations are available free of charge here. 

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

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

 Today we are talking Other People's Money, this is our regular series on sports finance with regular co-host Matt Rogan, who was of course one of the Co-Founders of Two Circles. 

Today's guest is a special one is Ed McBride, who is Managing Director of UK Investment Banking at Deutsche Bank, one of the City's most prolific and successful deal makers. 

So we talk about what sport looks like from the outside, and we run some of the regular themes around sport and finance. Things like private equity, debt financing, takeovers, mergers, acquisitions, all of that stuff, and we go to Ed for his view, and it's enlightening to say the least.

This is episode is sponsored by our friends at Leaders Week London.  

Leaders in Sport connects the most influential people and the most powerful ideas in global sport to catalyse discussion, and drive the industry forward.
With Leaders Week London, their flagship event, just over a month away, the 2025 agendas across all 3 stages at The Summit have just dropped.

There's the Headline Stage, Tech and Innovation Stage and back by popular demand, the Creative Stage.  Our pick for the Headline Stage is the NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

Visit leadersinsport.com/UP for more information and use UP15 for a 15% discount on your Summit passes.

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 500 sports business conversations are available free of charge here. 

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

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

As co-founder of Perform and DAZN, Simon Denyer has spent the last twenty years at the intersection of sport, media, and technology. Last week he brokered an innovative new relationship between La Liga and Disney+ via his new company PEAK Sports Media. 

This is a conversation about the big picture of sport's relationship with the major digital platforms, from YouTube and Netflix to Amazon and Apple. 

Unmissable.

Sponsored by Leaders in Sport

Leaders in Sport connects the most influential people and the most powerful ideas in global sport to catalyse discussion, and drive the industry forward. Through a series of global summits in North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, invitation-only memberships and long form content, Leaders in Sport provides professional executives, both on and off the field, with access to a community of peers to share best practice and trends that are shaping the future of sport. 

Their flagship event, Leaders Week London, returns from 29 September to 2 October, with The Summit taking place at the Allianz Stadium in Twickenham. 

They'll be hosting the most senior executives in sport from 54 countries, including over 100 brands. We'll be there, and you should join us. 

Visit leadersinsport.com/UP for more information and use UP15 for a 15% discount on your Summit passes.

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 500 sports business conversations are available free of charge here. 

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

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

 This is an episode of Inside Edge, our series on the cricket business with regular co-host Mike Jakeman. Today's guest is Peter Hutton, and nobody knows more about the relationship between television and cricket than Peter Hutton.

Strap yourselves in, this is a masterclass.

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

Sid Lee Sport believes that sponsorship activation has lost its edge. Same formats. Same ideas. Same old playbook. 

They call it Sponsorship Tumbleweed. Because too much work in the category just exists… its drifts by. Expensively! Not offending anyone, but not making anyone feel… anything. 

They’re here to shake that up. 

They’re a new kind of agency built for sport. That means combining world-class creativity with deep sponsorship know-how, flawless delivery, and real marketing effectiveness - not just good vibes and a lot of chat about fan culture. 

This is the agency that makes brands matter in sport. Culturally, commercially, and creatively. 

If you're tired of the tumbleweed, 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 500 sports business conversations are available free of charge here. 

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

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