The Lowdown

Delighted today to share the 100th episode of “The Lowdown” with a special recording with the Academy Director of New York Red Bulls; Sean McCafferty. One of the world's leaders in youth development sharing insight regarding their work. In this conversation find out why their identity won't be a crutch as the game evolves, their methodology behind developing young players and Sean's own investment...

Bostonians hold their sports teams to a very high standard. To compete against some of America’s successful franchises could be seen as a terrible weight to burden however for New England Revolution they see it as a competitive advantage. Cathal Conlon is todays guest on “The Lowdown”. As MLS has continually grown to become a league of choice there have been changing expectations to contend with....

From appointing Mauricio Pochettino to signing Virgil Van Dijk and working alongside Ryan Reynolds it’s fair to say Les Reed has seen it all in football. Being one of few coaches to coach all underage England teams before managing Charlton in the Premier League he was well versed in understanding the organisational ebbs and flows of a top flight sports group prior to making the jump to the Sportin...

Growing up on a small island off the coast of mainland Colombia, Carlos Ortiz had a dream to travel and explore the world. Utilizing football as a tool to connect with and empower others Carlos realized that dream and more. Retaining that childhood sense of curiosity Carlos embarked on a journey that has yet to run it's course. Fortunately for us he took some time out to share some of the gold he...

Following eight years leading the "personal" side of professional and academy football, both male and female, at Brighton & Hove Albion, Sue Parris now works mainly with elite athletes, and their support networks, facilitating their emotional and mental health development. Recently she co authored a paper alongside Paul Mortimer called "The Boy in the Man’s Mask" which is the analysis of a col...

"Those who look for the road don't get lost" is an old Finnish proverb. Having worked in different regions including South Africa, USA, Qatar and Scandinavia Jyri Nieminen has used football as a vehicle to lean into different cultures, unpacking another layer of himself each time in the process. Jyri's holistic view of the world has informed his views of the game and the goalkeeping position withi...

Stuart Lancaster is the senior coach of Leinster Rugby. Here he lifts the lid behind the day to day in their high performance environment. With an insatiable appetite for growth and development learn here how Stuart balances growth with performance. Amid the background of a relentless elite sporting calendar Stuart reflects on his career to date with a special emphasis on the last seven seasons at...

“What is football?” Marcel Lucassen is the technical director of the UAE FA. Marcel is a firm advocate that better players need better coaches and it is within this lens Marcel views the game. In this episode we speak about coaching and how it has evolved through the lens of his experience in the game. Marcel's evolution as a coach has coincided with him taking top leadership positions at the like...

This Sunday, December 18th a date with destiny beckons for Didier Deschamps' French side and Lionel Scaloni's Argentine squad as they compete in the 22nd FIFA World Cup Final. Liam Tharme joins me to preview this titanic clash. Among what we discussed included; - Standout trends from this World Cup. - Responding to Jorge Valdano & Juanma Lillo criticisms of the modern game. - The reinvention o...

Andre Zanotta is the Chief Soccer Officer & Technical Director of FC Dallas. Having just come off the back of their best finish to a season since 2016 Andre joined me to speak about his own and the club's journey to date. Protecting the long term vision of a club amid the relentless grind of modern day football is no mean feat however it is something which Andre has become accustomed to in his...

"Vision as a doorway to performance" Okkulo use the eyes as the doorway to improve an athlete's economy of movement. Having the vision the turn the marginal gains of athletes into exceptional gains, CEO & Founder Mel O'Connor offers us insight into their work. Learn more as to how Okkulo was shaped in and outside of the lab over a 20 year period with innovation and a willingness to succeed at...

Michael Brown is the Head of Performance at FK Bodø/Glimt where he is embarking upon the start of his fourth season at the club. Here he lifts the lid on their fairytale, how one club in the Artic Circle has managed to defy the odds and consistently compete with some of Europe's best. Lifting the lid on what happens behind the scenes, we are offered a glimpse into how strongly knit together the cl...

Professor Simon Chadwick is the a Professor of Sport & Geopolitical Economy at Skema Business School in Paris. Throughout his career he has studied the impact of geopolitics on the beautiful game. Increasingly over the past decade and as part of his studies he has spent a lot more time outside of Europe exploring regions where there is government involvement and football is used as "nation bui...

“Recruitment is the most bullet proof way to run a club”. What does this look like in a football club ? Furthermore who is responsible ? The Sporting Director role for a long time has held an element of mystique in footballing circles. Better known as the first lieutenant of the ownership, these professionals often go under the radar. Some are masters in player trading others in straight talent ar...

David Tenney is the High Performance Director for Austin FC and has spent almost two decades in elite performance roles in the MLS and NBA. David has worked for two MLS expansion franchises helping build high performance units alongside working in the NBA and completing a PhD on organizational leadership. In this episode we speak about building the preconditions to adapt at the speed of change, ho...

“If something means everything to you, then you go above and beyond”. Marc Pugh is one of very few footballers to have played and scored in all top five tiers of English football. From the National League to the Premier League with Bournemouth Marc reached the pinnacle of top flight football. Moving up through the divisions Marc soon discovered the consistent key differentiator was an investment i...

How do you envisage retirement? Setting off sail into the sunset? Winning the lottery? For professional athletes that idyllic image can feel far removed and it can be quite a messy process. And what if it's taken from you overnight? Gareth Farrelly's life was turned upside down by a serious illness at just 32. Afterwards the former Everton, Aston Villa, Bolton and Ireland international was set dow...

Recently I was delighted to be joined by The Athletic's Liam Tharme to breakdown the current Premier League campaign. From changes in the dugout to on the field, the narrowing quality gap and the ever evolving nature of the game there are no shortage of talking points. Listen to learn out why there has been a huge dropoff in the number of throughballs, which new manager has already conceded his ph...

“Creativity is to find the rule and break it”. Recently appointed as Kansas City's head of coaching, Gerard Jones has leveraged curiosity as a force multiplier in his career to date. Traversing continents in the search of knowledge and experiences to help shape the future player and coach. The mixture of an innate passion for the game alongside surrounding himself with the best ensured success was...

“You cannot see something right or wrong, there are observations of tactical patterns, it's about being more effective than the other side in the way you want to play.” Max Bergmann of Hallescher FC made headlines earlier this year becoming one of the youngest coaches ever to manage a coach in German football history at 24 years old. Here he discusses his (young) career to date detailing how he fo...

“If I don't take that opportunity, someone else will”. Andy Parslow is the first team set piece coach at Swansea City. At the time of recording he was just after completing his final season with AFC Wimbledon. Rising through the academy pathway Andy has made a career out of his passion, rising to the challenge in the stomping ground of the EFL. As the topic of set pieces continues to populate foot...

“The aim of Football Coach Evolution is not to change the world but to develop coaches based on more objective & reliable information”. Raymond Verheijen is the owner of Football Coach Evolution providing a best in class coaching education to coaches all over the world. Having served as an assistant in four World Cups & Euros alongside being mentored by the likes of Louis Van Gaal & Gu...

Owen Eastwood is a performance coach who has worked with organisations such as NATO, South African Cricket and England Rugby. He is probably best known for his role as performance coach within Gareth Southgate's England setup where he has spent the best part of seven years. He has carved out a reputation in elite sport for creating the optimal environment for teams to succeed. Here he brings us on...

“Don't always chase the dream, work hard and things will happen for you”. Willie McNab is the Head of Children's Football at Celtic Football Club. With 20+ years in the game he has accumulated experience coaching at all ends of the spectrum. It was so insightful to hear Willie reflect upon his wide ranging coaching pathway with plenty of anecdotes and lessons to boot. Priding himself on a football...

Nuno Cardoso is the CEO of Proplayer Group. For a long time he believed that differentiation and strategic collaboration can change the game of football. So much so that Proplayer Group have now bought a seat at the table acquiring Sport Clube Vianense in the Portuguese lower leagues. They have done so amid the backdrop of an unfavourable investment climate and an equally uncertain future. Rather...