The Business Behind Sport Podcast

200mph speeds. Public roads. An entire island at stake. In this episode, Paul Phillips, Head of Motorsport at the Isle of Man Government, joins Jonny Gray to explore how the Isle of Man TT has evolved from an event in decline into a globally recognised sporting platform. Operating at the intersection of sport, government and community, Paul shares what it takes to balance commercial growth, stakeh...

From PA to a golf super-agent. In this episode of #TheBusinessBehindSport, Vicky Cuming, Head of Golf Clients (EMEA) at WME Sports, reveals how she became one of the sport’s first female 'super-agents' — carving out her place in a male-dominated industry. With 30+ years at the centre of golf, Vicky lifts the lid on shaping high-stakes careers covering the role of agent vs manager, millio...

From banned to Commonwealth champion. In this episode, Stacey Copeland, the first British woman to win a Commonwealth boxing title, joins Jonny Gray to share her extraordinary journey from exclusion to elite performance, forged against a backdrop of systemic bias and discrimination. Raised in sports that were never designed to include her, Stacey went on to play elite football across three countri...

800 million fans worldwide. 24 million social media followers. Volleyball is a top three global sport entering a new phase of commercial opportunity. In this episode, Ugo Valensi, CEO of Volleyball World, joins Jonny Gray to discuss how the sport is unlocking commercial opportunity through a 67/33 joint venture model, centralised rights, and a fan-first digital strategy. The conversation covers: T...

Valued at ~$103 billion today and projected to reach ~$185 billion by 2035, sports sponsorship has become a strategic growth lever — shaping how organizations position themselves, engage global audiences, and drive commercial value. In this episode, Giles Morgan, Founder of ‘The Sponsorship Doctor’ and former Global Head of Sponsorship and Partnerships at HSBC and Howden, joins Jonny Gray to unpac...

In this episode, Jonny Gray is joined by David James, Global Managing Partner – Sport at Elevate Talent, to delve into the evolving dynamics of the sports industry and its impact on executive talent search. They explore how the convergence of sports and entertainment - and shifting commercial priorities - has led sport organizations to tap into unconventional talent pools, the qualities top senior...

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. 

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 Ana...

In this episode, Jonny Gray talks to Simon Hallett, majority owner and Chairman of Plymouth Argyle Football Club who, at the time of recording, had been recently promoted into The Championship League.  Simon openly discusses everything around owning an English Football League Club and how he and his team managed to take Plymouth Argyle from being a loss-making League 2 (4th Tier) team to one of th...

Our guest on this episode is Lloyd Thomas, General Counsel at Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club. In this conversation, Lloyd shares his career journey working in-house at football clubs, as well as some of the hot topics and challenges in football including; increases in sponsorships and the reputational risks associated with them, the upcoming initiative to bring in an independent regulato...