Almost Pro Podcast

Talent may exist everywhere, but opportunity does not. We’ve all heard the saying: “If you’re good enough, you’ll get noticed.” But noticed by who? In this AP Bites episode, we’re asking whether talented young athletes are falling through the cracks before they ever get the opportunity to show what they could become. At 12 or 13, are we identifying the athletes with the greatest future potential,...

What happens when football fans don’t just support their club, but actually own it? ⚽ At St Mirren FC in Paisley, Scotland , that’s exactly what happened. In this special episode, we’re joined by Paul Gilligan from SMiSA (St Mirren Independent Supporters Association) to hear the story behind one of Scotland’s oldest professional football clubs and the journey that saw its supporters become the cl...

We love the idea of the sporting superstar. One athlete. One incredible moment. One name on the scoreboard. But how much of that success actually belongs to the people standing behind them? In this episode of Almost Pro Bites, we explore the hidden team behind athlete success , from the parents driving to early-morning training and coaches staying late, to the physios, psychologists, teammates, pa...

MORE THAN SOCCER: IDENTITY BEYOND THE PITCH What happens when the sport that has shaped so much of who you are is no longer the only thing defining you? In this episode of Almost Pro, we sit down with Leeann Passaro , Executive Director of The Hidden Opponent , to talk soccer, mental health, leadership, and discovering who you are beyond the game. Leeann grew up competing in one of America’s stron...

Smartwatches. GPS vests. Recovery rings. Heart-rate monitors. AI-powered coaching. We have access to more data about our bodies than ever before — but where do we draw the line? In this episode of Almost Pro Bites , we’re looking at the growing role of wearable technology in sport and asking whether all this data is actually making athletes better. Wearables can help monitor fatigue, track recover...

Professional basketball. Retirement. The unexpected. What comes next? Chris Eversley achieved the dream that so many athletes spend their lives chasing. After becoming the first Division I athlete from his high school, he built a professional basketball career overseas before retiring on his own terms. Then, life threw him something he never saw coming. A routine game of basketball resulted in a d...

We've all seen them. The lucky socks. The pre-game playlist. The water bottles that have to be lined up just right. The teammate who refuses to mention a winning streak because they don't want to "jinx it." But do sporting superstitions actually improve performance? In this episode of Almost Pro Bites , we dive into the psychology behind superstition in sport. We explore why so m...

Last week on Almost Pro Bites, we asked a big question: Is Unsportsmanlike Behaviour Sport's Biggest Opponent? We explored whether winning has started to come at the expense of sportsmanship, discussing declining respect for officials, poor sideline behaviour, and whether we're losing sight of the values that make community sport special. The response was overwhelming. We heard from coache...

Has winning started to come at the expense of sportsmanship? From referee abuse and sideline behaviour to taunting, social media and athlete burnout, it feels like something has shifted in sport. Across the world, sporting organisations are reporting shortages of referees and officials. Parents and coaches are becoming increasingly vocal from the sidelines. And leagues are introducing tougher pena...

Modern Sport: Competition or Entertainment? Attention is the new currency. Modern sport isn't just competing against other sports anymore - it's competing for our time. Against Netflix. YouTube. TikTok. Gaming. Every notification on our phones. So has something fundamental changed? In this episode of Almost Pro Bites , we explore whether modern sport is shifting from competition towards en...

After a standout collegiate baseball career at Dartmouth, Joe Sclafani was drafted by the Houston Astros and spent six seasons climbing through professional baseball - reaching Triple-A, earning an invitation to Major League Spring Training, and representing Team USA on the international stage. Today, Joe is the Director of Player Development for the Toronto Blue Jays, helping athletes maximize th...

Technology has changed sport forever. Goals are reviewed. Offside lines are measured down to the millimeter. Athletes train using more data than ever before. Sport is arguably more accurate than it's ever been. But is that automatically better? In this episode of AP Bites, Laura and Frances explore one of the biggest debates in modern sport: has technology improved sport, or is it changing wha...

🥇 Olympic Gold & What Comes Next A lemon farm in Chile probably isn't where you'd expect an Olympic Gold Medal story to go. But for Rosie Popa, that chapter may have been just as important as standing on top of the podium in Tokyo. From missing the Rio Olympics to winning Gold, studying at Berkeley and Oxford, and navigating life beyond elite sport, Rosie shares a refreshingly honest...

This week at the French Open, players battled temperatures in the low 30s°C, with several openly discussing the impact of the heat. One player even left the court in a wheelchair after suffering severe cramps following a five-set match. As temperatures continue to rise around the world, we're asking a simple but increasingly important question: Do sport heat policies need to change? In this ep...

What happens when your body suddenly stops doing the thing it's always done? Andy Bass was drafted into professional baseball and living the dream he'd worked toward his entire life. Then, in his very first professional outing, he developed the yips. What followed wasn't a physical injury or technical problem. It was a loss of trust in his own body. In this episode, Andy shares his jou...

Confidence is essential in elite sport. But at what point does confidence become ego, entitlement, or superiority? In this episode of AP Bites, we explore whether elite sport accidentally rewards arrogance — and why swagger, dominance and confidence can sometimes become confused with leadership. From athlete culture and entertainment… to self-belief, humility and the next generation watching it al...

What happens when ambition outgrows the environment around you? In this episode of Almost Pro, we sit down with Malhar Atre — a national level swimmer from India whose journey through swimming, cycling, water polo and sport management has taken him from elite competition to the organisational side of sport. Growing up in India, Malhar experienced both the passion and challenges of pursuing high pe...

Can an athlete’s beliefs actually cost them their career in sport? In this episode of AP Bites, we explore one of the biggest conversations in modern sport: how athletes are now being judged not just on performance, but also on what they say, post, support, and sometimes even what they stay silent about. From contracts and sponsorships to social media pressure and athlete identity, this conversati...

This week on Almost Pro, we’re joined by Laura’s brother, Jake Spellacy. Jake’s journey through rugby has taken a few turns. He grew up playing rugby league, moved into rugby union through school, and like a lot of athletes, had his sights set on where the game could take him. But things didn’t go to plan. A serious spear tackle left him without feeling in his legs for hours, followed by ongoing s...

Are you actually improving… or just showing up? A lot of athletes default to one answer: “I just need to work harder.” But what if that’s not the problem? In this AP Bites episode, we unpack a question almost every athlete and parent faces: Is your training environment actually helping you grow? Because you can be busy. You can be consistent. And still not be getting better. We get into: • the dif...

Ceara Larson didn’t just play college softball. At the same time, she was building a path in science. In this episode, we unpack what it looks like to balance both, and what happens when those two worlds don’t unfold the way you expected. From navigating college softball through COVID, injury, and uncertainty, to working in sports science with the Toronto Blue Jays, Ceara shares what it actually t...

Why is everyone talking about load management in sport? From athletes being rested to minutes being managed, it’s one of the biggest conversations across sport right now. But while it might protect performance and extend careers, it’s also raising questions for fans, teams, and athletes at every level. In this episode of AP Bites, we unpack what load management actually is, why it’s become so comm...

What happens when your sports dream changes? In this episode of Almost Pro, Ashley Ljesevic shares her experience of chasing Division 1 college basketball — and what it feels like when that path doesn’t unfold the way you thought it would. This is a conversation about the space that follows. When the structure is gone. When the identity shifts. When you’re left asking — what now? From basketball t...

Welcome to the very first episode of AP BITES . Short conversations on the BIGGEST questions in sport. Today we’re tackling a question that sits right at the heart of junior sport: Do we overvalue winning? Because what we say matters… but what we celebrate matters more. Join us for a short conversation on an issue shaping youth sport participation around the globe. We’d love to hear your thoughts...

As part of Podcasthon 2026 — a global movement where podcasters dedicate one episode to a charity they believe in — we’re proud to spotlight an organisation creating meaningful impact in Australian sport. In this episode of Almost Pro , we sit down with Rachel Condos-Fields , Founder and CEO of The WattleNest , a purpose-driven organisation bridging the gap between talent and opportunity. Because...