Unofficial Partner Podcast

Every shirt tells a story. 

Joey D'Urso, an award-winning journalist from The Times and formerly of The Athletic, joins UP to discuss his new book: More Than A Shirt: How Football Shirts Explain Global Politics, Money and Power.

• How the Gazprom sponsorship on FC Schalke 04's shirts reflects Russia's geopolitical strategies leading up to the invasion of Ukraine.

• The criminal ties and money laundering schemes highlighted by clubs like Colombia's Envigado FC.

• The dark side of the global gambling industry and the rise and fall of cryptocurrency sponsorships, like Football Index, that adorned shirts of clubs such as Nottingham Forest.

• The use of football as a tool for authoritarian power, exemplified by Newcastle United's Saudi ownership.

• And the symbolism of the England women's goalkeeper shirt, connecting to the broader story of women's rights and the growing popularity of the women's game.

Get ready to see the world, and your favorite jerseys, in a whole new light.

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

Sid Lee Sport is a new breed of agency that combines world class creativity with deep sponsorship expertise, flawless operational delivery, and a culture of marketing effectiveness. They have a creative philosophy of producing famous campaigns and activations that build buzz and conversation in a category that too often looks and sounds the same. And they're pioneering a new standard of effectiveness in sports marketing, using econometrics and attribution models to go beyond traditional media ROI.

So if you're looking for an agency to take your brand to the top, get in touch with the team at 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.

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.

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

Sid Lee Sport is a new breed of agency that combines world class creativity with deep sponsorship expertise, flawless operational delivery, and a culture of marketing effectiveness. They have a creative philosophy of producing famous campaigns and activations that build buzz and conversation in a category that too often looks and sounds the same. And they're pioneering a new standard of effectiveness in sports marketing, using econometrics and attribution models to go beyond traditional media ROI.

So if you're looking for an agency to take your brand to the top, get in touch with the team at 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.

This is episode three of a four-part series created in collaboration with Redtorch called What's Sport Selling? 

It's a conversation with John Ridgeon, the chief executive of World Athletics. 

Previous episodes in the series:

UP443 Big Sugar, Big Pharma...Where's the Big Sport Lobby?

UP458 Fitness, Toxicity and the Importance of the ASICS Message

Jon Ridgeon bio
Athletic Career (1980s-1990s)

• Born: February 14, 1967, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk
• Key Achievement: Silver medal at the 1987 World Championships in Rome in 110m hurdles
• Olympic Participation: Represented Great Britain at 1988 Seoul Olympics and 1996 Atlanta Olympics
• Personal Best: 13.29 seconds in 110m hurdles (British record holder)
• Education: Magdalene College, Cambridge

Business Career (1998-2019)

• Fast Track Sports Marketing (1998-2012): Founding and managing partner of Fast Track. 
• Broadcasting: TV commentator for BBC and BSkyB 
• Achieve Events: Director where he helped build the mass participation events business until its acquisition in 2015
• European Sports Championships: Director of the 2018 multi-sport championship event

World Athletics Leadership (2019-Present)

• Appointment: Appointed CEO in December 2018
• Mandate: Working alongside President Sebastian Coe to modernize and grow athletics globally

This podcast is sponsored by Redtorch, a global research & creative agency passionately dedicated to making sport more relevant.
We help sports rights holders and brands punch above their weight.
Born in the Olympic movement, we thrive under pressure – small teams, high stakes, global eyes.
We’re trusted and retained by many of the world’s biggest sports because we offer everything you’d want from a specialist agency: unmatched flexibility, the best people and a constant stream of innovative ideas.
Visit redtorch.sport to learn how we consistently grow audiences, deliver high-impact creative and turn cultural signals into a winning advantage.

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 a live episode of Wedge Issues, our golf business series recorded at Callaway Clubhouse at The Open Championship this week at the Royal Portrush Golf Club. 

Niall Horan: One Direction star and co-founder of Modest Management Company is globally famous and deeply involved in the business of golf. 

Inci Mehmet: Former Ladies European Tour pro golfer, now a presenter of Sky Sports award winning golf coverage. 

Dan Rapaport: Golf journalist, broadcaster and content creator. Formerly Barstool Sports but now at Pro Shop with the Dan on Golf podcast.

Ben Sharpe: President and Managing Director for Europe at Callaway Golf, leading figure in the business of golf. 

Huge thanks to the teams at Callaway and MSQ Sport and Entertainment for all their hard work putting this live show together. 

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.

Arvind Iyengar is chair of Sportz Interactive and CEO of the Sportz Solutions, the global parent company. As such he now oversees a company with 700+ employees working across 40 sports worldwide, with marquee clients including UEFA, The Olympics, NBA, F1, Google, BCCI, Dream11 and multiple IPL franchises. The company is in an aggressive expansion phase, particularly in Europe.

So Arvind is the perfect guest to talk AI, betting, fan engagement and how McKinsey teaches its alumni how to think, and what that means for sport business. 

A quick thank you to our friends at Spectacle Partners for the loan of their very nice new Soho office for the recording, and a particular shout out to Ellie Gray who came in specially to let us in and make us feel very welcome. That was very kind, thanks. 

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.

Inside Edge is Unofficial Partner's regular series on the business of cricket, co-hosted by Richard Gillis and Mike Jakeman.

Freddie Wilde represents the new generation of cricket analytics professionals who have emerged to play a central role in team strategy. His journey from journalist to CricViz to England's white-ball analyst, combined with his recent role in RCB's maiden IPL title triumph, positions him as one of cricket's most influential data minds.

Career Trajectory

• 2015-2017: One of CricViz's first employees, joined part-time then full-time
• 2017-2023: Head of Performance Analysis at CricViz (7 years)
• 2021-present: Lead analyst for Oval Invincibles (The Hundred)
• 2022-present: Team analyst for Royal Challengers Bangalore (IPL)
• 2023-present: England white-ball analyst, replacing Nathan Leamon

Major Achievements

• Co-authored "Cricket 2.0: Inside the T20 Revolution" with Tim Wigmore (2019)
  • Winner: Wisden Book of the Year 2020 and Telegraph Sports Book Awards 
• Data analyst in Royal Challengers Bangalore's maiden IPL title (2025)
• Worked with multiple T20 franchises globally including England and Oval Invincibles.

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

Sid Lee Sport is a new breed of agency that combines world class creativity with deep sponsorship expertise, flawless operational delivery and a culture of marketing effectiveness. 

They've got a creative philosophy of producing famous campaigns and activations that build buzz and conversation  in a category that too often looks and sounds the same. And they're pioneering a new standard of effectiveness in sports marketing using econometrics and attribution models to go beyond traditional media ROI. 

So if you're looking for an agency to take your brand to the top, get in touch with the team at 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.

A special live episode of our sister publication, Expected Goals, hosted by Maggie Murphy and Matt Cutler.

Sponsored by Evelyn Partners. 

Event Summary & Analysis

This live podcast episode from Expected Goals captured a pivotal moment in women's football investment, featuring industry experts discussing the money flowing into the sector and entrepreneurs pitching their businesses.

Chapter 1: The Investment Panel - Who's Writing the Cheques?

Participants: Nikki Boyd (Sphera Partners), Richard Thomas (Octo Sport), Olivia Hall (Firebird Collective), Anne Rodriguez (Pitch Wise Holdings)

The panel revealed the sophisticated criteria investors now apply to women's football opportunities. Geographic positioning emerged as crucial - not just population size, but competitive landscape and heritage matter. The emphasis on academy programs signals investors are thinking beyond immediate returns to long-term player trading revenue, even though million-pound transfers remain elusive.

Chapter 2: Global Hotspots - Where the Smart Money is Going

The US market drew mixed reactions - acknowledged as having momentum but potentially overvalued. Europe, particularly the UK, emerged as the consensus sweet spot, with Australia flagged as "massively undercooked" commercially.

The debate over closed versus open leagues revealed philosophical differences, with some investors preferring the security of closed systems while others saw promotion/relegation as adding necessary competitive tension.

Chapter 3: Beyond Clubs - The Ecosystem Play

Investors are increasingly looking beyond traditional club ownership to leagues, media companies, and ancillary businesses. The recent investment in the Upshot League (US women's basketball) exemplifies this approach - backing established operators entering structured ecosystems rather than entirely new concepts.

Chapter 4: Advice from the Money - What Entrepreneurs Need to Know

The panel's counsel was brutally practical: come with more than PowerPoint presentations. They want to see contracts, data, and proof of concept before writing cheques. The emphasis on resilience reflects the reality that this remains a marathon investment thesis.

Chapter 5: The Broader Sports Landscape - Opportunities and Threats

Discussion expanded beyond football to sports like netball, volleyball, and emerging Olympic sports. The fragmentation risk in US volleyball - with four leagues competing for the same market - serves as a cautionary tale about premature market splitting.

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.

Guest: Paul Morgan, Rugby World Editor and Premiership Rugby Comms Director

Running List: The Business of Rugby Episode

1. British Lions Commercial Strategy

• Ticket pricing controversy: Struggling to sell out Dublin match at £163 per ticket
• Major commercial partnerships: Qatar Airways (title sponsor), Patron Saint whisky, Rhino, Oxford Landing, Charles Tyrwhitt, Howden, Canterbury, Fanatics
• Digital strategy: World Rugby/Lions collaboration on RugbyPass App for Australia tour
• Broadcasting: S4C secures Welsh highlights rights, Sky holds exclusive live rights

2. CVC hire Marc Allegra

• Marc Allera (former EE CEO) appointed chairman of newly created CVC SportsCo
• Background: Sega → Three → EE → Jagex chairman (also CVC-owned)
• 27% stake in Premiership Rugby (acquired 2019)
• Six Nations Rugby investment
• Had to bail out Newcastle Falcons amid broader club financial crisis

3. Rebel Franchise series

• Mike Tindall-backed R360 targeting world's top 300 players
• Estimated £300-400m needed to launch
• Aims for 2026 launch with 12 franchises, no relegation
• Salaries roughly double traditional club pay

The Pushback:

• Simon Massie-Taylor (Prem CEO): "Rugby needs roots, not pop-ups" - dismisses as "distraction"
• Andrew Georgiou (TNT Sports): Calls it "commercially unsustainable," compares to LIV Golf

4. Gallagher Prem Rebrand

• Rebranding to "Gallagher Prem" focusing on physicality ("real grit", "raw speed", "big hits")
• 10% growth in interest overall, 30% among 18-34 year-olds
• Plans for US showpiece fixtures ahead of 2031 World Cup
• Club World Cup launch in 2028 as "step forward in global expansion"

5. Red Bull Buying Newcastle Falcons

• Taking on £39m club debt
• First rugby union purchase for Red Bull
• Plans to use brand/marketing expertise to attract younger fans
• Commitment to keep team in Newcastle, eyeing Newcastle United synergies

6. Women's World Cup - Rugby's Lionesses Moment?

• 350,000 tickets already sold, targeting 400,000 stretch goal
• O2 partnership giving customers priority access
• BBC partnership ensuring nationwide accessibility
• Goal to increase women's participation from 25% to 33% by 2029

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 guests are Laura Randall, Creative Director, and Jack Kenney-Herbert, Director of Sponsorship at Sid Lee Sport, the agency declaring war on what they call "sponsorship tumbleweed." That's their term for the boring, forgettable activations plaguing sports marketing - endless skills challenges, carpool karaokes, and grey sofa interviews that cost millions but deliver little for the client. They've created a list of seven ideas they'll never pitch again.

Join us as they dissect why sports marketing has become so predictably dull and what to do about it.

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.

B2B is big business for sports rights holders. 

But why are business-to-business brands paying billions in sport sponsorship rights? From the IOC to Formula One, categories such as consulting, accountancy, logistics, financial services and tech are growing rapidly.  

• In the IOC's programme, Deloitte and Allianz replaced Dow and GE as TOP Olympic sponsors.  
• IBM's technology partnerships with Toronto sports teams, VMware's McLaren Formula One partnership, and Dell China's Chinese Olympics rowing team sponsorship.  
  In F1, major B2B partners include DHL (logistics), Globant (digital services), American Express (financial services), and TAG Heuer (luxury/precision timing)
• Teams feature extensive B2B partnerships including Cognizant, Microsoft, Siemens, Aramco, and numerous technology and consulting firms

What are they buying, and how is sport targeting them? 

Leigh Curyer, CEO and founder of NexGen Energy, explains why his company's partnership with Aston Martin Formula 1 team prioritizes technology transfer and investor access over brand visibility. 

"Branding would be the last criteria for why we have that partnership."

Joining Leigh is Nick Djounov, Head of Valuation at Gemba London. 

Together, they expose how B2B brands are finding arbitrage opportunities while B2C companies pay premium prices for billboard space.

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.