The Fan Engagement Pod

This episode has something for everyone at every level of sport, an absolutely fascinating chat with CEO of Ebbsfleet United FC, Damian Irvine. He started out in sport with an existential challenge as Chairman of Cronulla Sharks in Australian Rugby League, and is now CEO of Ebbsfleet United FC in the National League South, via turnaround jobs at Notts County and Wycombe Wanderers. He’s got a great...

This is a special episode, a chat with the former Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee Chair, Damian Collins MP, who represents Folkestone and Hythe in the UK Parliament. It focuses on the current funding crisis in English football following the cancellation of the return of fans to stadia, and the demands of the campaign for government to be involved in finding - and funding - the solution....

Episode Seventeen of the Fan Engagement Pod is in two parts, and is a conversation with Mario Leo, CEO of Result Sports, a Platform for Digital Media in Sports. He’s also a UEFA Grow Mentor, and a director of Digital Sports Africa and a University lecturer.    He’s one of the leading experts in digital sports communication, but he’s undoubtedly a leading expert in communications full-sto...

Episode Seventeen of the Fan Engagement Pod is in two parts, and is a conversation with Mario Leo, CEO of Result Sports, a Platform for Digital Media in Sports. He’s also a UEFA Grow Mentor, and a director of Digital Sports Africa and a University lecturer.    He’s one of the leading experts in digital sports communication, but he’s undoubtedly a leading expert in communications full-sto...

This one’s a bit special, and is with Gavin Megaw, Managing Director, Corporate and Brand at Hanover Communications in London, and former Director of Marketing & Communications with the EFL under Lord Mawhinney. He started out at the Conservative Party, where he held a number of senior media roles, including heading up the Party’s rapid rebuttal operation. He now advises organisations and blue...

Anthony Emmerson is Supporter Growth and Services Manager at Stoke City FC. He's a great example of someone using their insight as a fan themselves in a professional context. Anthony takes his role incredibly seriously, and is very respectful of the important voice that fans have at Stoke specifically and at clubs everywhere. He was previously at Middlesbrough, where he started in a Community Enga...

When we spoke, during lockdown, Dan was Marketing and Commercial Director, but is now Chief Operating Officer, and the important part that his vision has played which has seen Bohs recovery from their near-death in 2011, to being a widely respected institution in the Phippsborough area of the City itself, Ireland, and for people in football generally. The real secret has been the dedication and pa...

Alan Russell is Chief Executive of SD Scotland - which has looked after supporters' trusts in Scotland since 2001, and also runs the Scottish Football Supporters Network, the voice of Scottish football fans in the game, and sits on the Scottish Football Association's Congress representing fans. We discuss how Fan Engagement works nationally, the difference between their relationship with the SFA &...

This episode features Liam Scully, Chief Executive at Lincoln City FC. Liam arrived just as the club re-entered the EFL after a prolonged spell in the National League, and I'd advise revisiting Episode Four’s interview with Lincoln City Chair, Clive Nates , to remind yourself of the rebuilding job that Clive, his colleagues and subsequently, Liam Scully, had to do, and how impressive it is at all...

This is a really insightful chat with Ryan Sparks, Director of Communications & Commercial at Bradford City AFC. Ryan's background is in Rugby League, having worked for both Featherstone Rovers and city neighbours Bradford Bulls previously. As a result, Ryan learned his trade in a much tougher environment where techniques of persuasion of fans are more important to get right. He talks about th...

This episode is a conversation with William Gaillard, until 2015 the Director of Communications & Public Affairs at UEFA. He is now a Senior Adviser at Burson Cohn & Wolfe, and also advises SD Europe and FARE (Football Against Racism in Europe). This was a great chat that really got stuck into the big strategic issues around Fan Engagement, and why he believes that it has to be part of the...

This episode is a chat with Bas Schnater. Until recently Bas worked for AZ Alkmaar in his native Netherlands, and is well regarded in the field. He's outspoken about the need to place the fan at the centre of a club. I think what Bas does is often about trying to persuade CEOs and leaders using their own language - finance, and other finite resources - that Fan Engagement also yields a monetary re...

This episode features Oliver Ash, co-owner of Maidstone United FC. He also co-owns Brive Rugby Union club in France, and lives just outside Paris. I first met Oliver a few years ago, and I’ve always liked the way he makes Fan Engagement such a natural part of what he does. He takes the view that it’s good for business to be in tune with your most important group of stakeholders - and in the case o...

Kristine Green is a Supporter Liaison Officer at Grimsby Town FC, much more long the lines of their intended role as a conduit between fans and club, though specialising in dialogue between fans and police. Alongside her very practical experience, as part of her Public Relations degree she has also studied policing and how language and statements from the police ahead of 'high risk' matches help o...

Kat Law (Tottenham Hotspur Supporters Trust), Dan Crawford (Fulham Supporters Trust), Jay McKenna (ex-Chair, Spirit of Shankly) talk about what Fan Engagement is like when you're face-to-face with the board and owners of a club. Each one of these three know what it's like to maintain dialogue with their clubs over a number of years. In the case of Kat and Dan, both the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters...

Kat Law (Tottenham Hotspur Supporters Trust), Dan Crawford (Fulham Supporters Trust), Jay McKenna (ex-Chair, Spirit of Shankly) talk about what Fan Engagement is like when you're face-to-face with the board and owners of a club. Each one of these three know what it's like to maintain dialogue with their clubs over a number of years. In the case of Kat and Dan, both the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters...

Our guest in Episode Five, is Tom Gorringe, Commercial Director of Bristol Rovers. He was previously at Portsmouth (two administrations, two relegations!), Cardiff City and his hometown club, Brighton and Hove Albion. We have a yomp through his career so far, including whether there's a theme to what he does, and get some generally very good advice on how to make Fan Engagement work. If you want a...

Our guest in Episode Four, is Clive Nates. Lincoln City Chair Clive Nates joined the board in February 2016 and was elected Chairman in June 2018. Through Sportvest Capital LLP, a vehicle Clive formed with Sean Melnick and Aschley Mendelowitz to specifically invest in Lincoln City Holdings, they effectively hold the largest interest in the club. Although Clive has lived in South Africa all his lif...

Our guests in Episode Three, are Professor Cliff Stott from Keele University, and former Chief Superintendent Owen West, also a research associate at Keele. Both contribute to the Enable project, of which Cliff is Director. The project is constructing an evidence-based approach to the policing of football crowds funded by the English Football League (EFL). Full bios below. We have split this episo...

Our guests in Episode Three, are Professor Cliff Stott from Keele University, and former Chief Superintendent Owen West, also a research associate at Keele. Both contribute to the Enable project, of which Cliff is Director. The project is constructing an evidence-based approach to the policing of football crowds funded by the English Football League (EFL). Full bios below. We have split this episo...

Our guest in Episode Two is Scott McLeod, Head of Engagement and Communications at Everton FC (full bio below). We discuss how as a club they make sure Fan Engagement is at the centre of everything they do from the board to matchday, and why he admires Roma's English social media channel. Key Insights from Episode Two Ensure you've got buy-in from the board and leadership team when it comes to you...

Our guest in Episode One is Dan McGeachie, who most recently lead the marketing for one of City Football Group’s new businesses within Manchester City FC (read Dan McGeachie’s full Bio below). These podcasts will bring you insights straight from the experts, and we’ll be publishing them on the second Tuesday of each month. We talk about Lad Bible and not getting caught up chasing trends,...