The Raymond Wood Podcast

Former NRL star Matt Gillett and property expert Paul Merritt share how they’re helping athletes prepare for life after sport through their venture, Merritt Sports. They discuss the financial and personal challenges athletes face when the spotlight fades, why early planning is crucial, and how building wealth through property can change lives. With real success stories, practical advice, and...

Matt Gillett joins Ray Wood to share his journey from barefoot footy on Bribie Island to representing Queensland and Australia at the highest level. He opens up about his NRL debut with the Broncos, the mentors who shaped him, the shock of early retirement, and how he's now helping the next generation of athletes plan for life beyond sport. A powerful chat on resilience, transition, and giving bac...

After squandering his opportunity at international rugby, Lachlan Stuart has spent much of his adult life setting himself new challenges. This next one’s a MASSIVE one — Lachie is setting out to do 58 marathons in 58 days across 50 US States and the 8 States and Territory of Australia. He’s raising money for mental awareness, and you can pitch in by either sponsoring or even joining him for one of...

Boxing is one of the most physical sports imaginable, but it's also a mental game. For Connor Wallace, injury took him from an unbeaten streak to having to start again. This is a great chat with one of the world's greatest boxers about dealing with injury and finding your burning hunger to get back in the ring after a setback. Tickets to Connors Fight - https://www.ticketmaster.com.au/tasman-fight...

Australia's first FREE football Academy is opening in Brisbane! In this episode, Raymond Wood talks us through the details about what you need to do to be part of this incredible opportunity. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How do a few British expats mad about watching sport decide to start a Brisbane outpost of the Barmy Army? We chat with George Gallantree, one of the founders of the ‘Brisbane Barmies’, about turning his lifelong passion for sport into a charity fundraising machine. We talk about George’s lifelong love of football and his bizarre encounters with some big clubs in his younger years — despite knowin...

We speak to one of our newest recruits about his first few months on the Pro Player Pathway. What pushed him to sign up, what did his match analysis with a Tranmere Rovers coach uncover, and what changes has he already seen in his game? We talk diet, GPS trackers, and what the pathway is for Nathan to come along on European trials next year. Also, a tip for parents to help their kids with their sc...

We talk to Liverpool great John Barnes about his young life in Jamaica, and how his love of many sports contributed to making him the player that would one day represent England. We talk about his views on the importance of a long ‘apprenticeship’ before moving to a bigger club, and his experience learning ‘the Liverpool Way’. Also, are we coaching our senior players too much — or should we just l...

What’s your dream for professional football? Lachlan joined our program at the end of ‘23, and he’s got great vision for his footballing future- both on and off the pitch. We speak to Lachie about his time on the program so far and how he’s getting ready for European trials in January. Listen in for a great chat with a young player with a promising future in the beautiful game.  See omnystudio.com...

This ep we’re chatting to Kai Henning, one of the players from our program who has made it to the UK and is currently at Stephen Gerrard’s Academy in Liverpool. He tells us about his experience on the Pro Player Pathway Program, his UK tours and trials, and what it’s actually like to live, study, and play at a top academy in the UK- including what it’s like to play in the National Youth League! We...

12 months on our Professional Pathway Program, a move to Brisbane, and signing as an U17s player for Logan Lightning: it’s been a pretty wild year for 15 year old Maya Allsop. But 2025 is going to be even bigger, as she takes on her European trials. We talk about her improvement on the Program over the last 12 months, how she went from 30% to 85% in her scanning scores, and why she feels that wear...

So much in this ep for players and parents- and a GIVEAWAY! We are very lucky in Australia to have an academy coach of the calibre of Luiz Ruiz. In this jam-packed chat we talk about how the South American game differs from the European and Australian, and how Luis’ childhood challenges of poverty gave him a burning hunger for the game. We talk about why he sees Aussie kids going head to head with...

How does someone who admits she started out with ‘no talent, no skills, and no coaches’ grow up to play with the Matildas and Liverpool? Find out in this EPIC podcast chat with one of Australia’s football stars, as we discuss Emily Gielnik's obsession with repetition, why she still trains with the men’s side, and how it felt to be on the sidelines with injury during the Women’s World Cup. Plus, a...

We talk to Jackson Booth, who joined our program a few months ago and whose game is going strength to strength as he works his way towards European trials. He talks us through his match analysis meeting with Danny Clarke that showed the issue with his scanning skills, and how wearing our GPS tracker has revealed the TRUTH rather than his opinion about how a game went. This ep is for someone who wa...

When I started Euro Football Star, all I knew was that I wanted to help young people get better at football, and give them chances to play in Europe. But I didn’t really understand the greater purpose of it yet. Today’s guest, Cathy Dimarchos, helped me see that there was a much bigger picture at work —and that our job at Euro Football Star is not just about giving players their pathway to profess...

When it comes to coaching for pace and performance, our latest podcast guest has done it all, with a standout career helping athletes succeed across American college football, basketball, football, AFL and more. We talk with Stuart Briggs of Acceleration Australia about the importance of pace— that crucial 0-20 metre acceleration— and working on a quality running form that is smooth and injury fre...

What a treat we have in store for you with this one. What happens when the floodlights shut off on your football career, and no-one’s screaming your name anymore? Or what happens when your life takes off in a direction you didn’t plan for? Join us for this inspiring Q&A from Wembley Stadium with former Real Madrid player Sergio Carrallo and reality TV star Caroline Stanbury about football less...

Sometimes you just want to hear from someone who’s done it, and the parent that’s stood there beside them. We talked to Liam, a young player on our pro player pathway and his dad Colin about how the program has allowed him to identify weaknesses in his game, his diet, and his mindset as he worked towards his successful academy trials. Even better, this player was based in the OZ and is now living...

In this episode, we delve into the core principles underpinning professional success in football with our special guest, Danny Clarke. With over a decade of experience in the game, Danny shares his invaluable insights gained from working across various countries and cultures. We explore the six key pillars essential for thriving in the professional football landscape. From the significance of nutr...

The remarkable journey of Sunaina Jaswal. From her roots in India to making waves in the Australian sports industry, Sunaina shares her inspiring story of advocating for gender equity and diversity in sports. She is a champion for women's inclusion, and offers her perspective on the challenges and triumphs of transforming sports culture. 🌟 Join us as Sunaina discusses her current role at Surf Lif...

How young is too young to get an agent? What does an agent do, and how important is it that they are across the intricacies of contract law? We talk about the versatile jobs of an agent from helping with brand management, social media, mental health, financial planning, and planning your life after sport.  All this and more in a cracking episode with sports agent Jamieson Doyle-Taylor, founder of...

What happened for Aussie kids in the 2000s who had the drive to go pro, but who had no access to professional player pathways, no scouts, and no route to European academies? Well, if you were like today’s guest, Chris Chatholos, you picked up the phone, pretended to be an agent, and booked your own trials. And it very nearly worked…   For people like Chris, professional player pathways are the opp...

Joe Foster joins us to answer questions from around the world about how Reebok started, and the hurdles and lessons along the way. From his grandfather inventing the track spike in to starting the Reebok business in the 1950s with 250 pounds, this is a story of how a man started a company…and ran with it. Joe Foster will be coming to Australia in June to appear alongside actor Vince Vaughn at the...

Today’s guest has seen all sides of football. First as a professional player, then the boss of the English FA, Mark Palios is now the owner of his own football team, the Tranmere Rovers. In a career that saw him stabilise the FA and save the Wembley Stadium build from crippling debt, this man is a testament to how wide-ranging a career in football can be if you just keep learning. From looking abr...

We’re joined on the podcast by Bonnie Hancock- IronWoman and holder of the world record for paddling around Australia on a ‘tippy’ eight kilogram carbon fibre ski. She shares the perils and terrors of the journey as she encountered sharks and crocs in the north, hypothermia in the south, and the fear and shock of falling out 3-5 times a day in the most dangerous waters in the world. Bonnie did all...