The Soccer Business Podcast
Welcome to the boardroom of North American soccer. The Soccer Business podcast offers unparalleled access to the industry's most influential figures. Host Simon Evans connects you with the key players - from MLS Commissioner Don Garber to legendary figures like Rio Ferdinand - to uncover the real stories behind the business of soccer. Each episode is packed with expert analysis and actionable insights for club owners, investors, and executives dedicated to driving the growth of the game.
Episodes
The Bundesliga signed a 17-year partnership with Relevent Sports to boost their performance in the U.S. market and the broader Americas market. What is the strategy for the German league as they seek to enhance their business performance and profile in the Americas? Robin Austermann, head of Europe and Latam for the Bundesliga joins Simon Evans on The Soccer Business Podcast to break down that deal and the overall strategy for stan...
Alan Rothenberg was the President of US Soccer and took charge of the hosting of the 1994 World Cup in the United States. He then helped set up Major League Soccer and has been an influential figure in taking the game from the backwaters of the 1980's to the modern era.
Alan's new book, 'The Big Bounce - The Surge that Shaped the Future of U.S Soccer' is the inside story on the hosting of the 1994 World Cup and he joins host Simon ...
This episode reviews the key decisions from the MLS Board of Governors meeting: MLS content will move from Season Pass into the Apple TV subscription bundle, and the league will shift to a new summer-to-spring calendar starting in 2027 with a transitional mini "sprint" season.
Host Simon Evans and guest Alex Silverman of the Sports Business Journal discuss the rationale behind the Apple deal changes, potential audience and revenue ...
Simon Evans interviews Court Jeske, a veteran soccer executive whose career spans MLS, USL and founding Nashville SC. They discuss his role leading the OKC Pro Soccer project, plans for a downtown, expandable 10,000–12,000-seat stadium, and the broader mixed-use development.
The episode covers community engagement, private partners (including Russell Westbrook and tribal stakeholders), commercial strategy, timelines for launch, and...
Host Simon Evans is joined by Alex Silverman of the Sports Business Journal and Jonathan Tannenwald of the Philadelphia Inquirer to go over this week's main news items impacting the North American soccer industry.
LALIGA's Miami plans cancelled Apple TV and the MLS Playoffs - the F1 Factor? 2031 Women’s World Cup - the new Four Nations bid Brian McBride becomes GM of USL club Brooklyn FC NBA star Jimmy Butler invests in the NWSL'...
Megan Oglesby of Carolina Core joins the podcast to discuss how she and her team created a new club from scratch in High Point, North Carolina.
Megan goes through each stage of the journey from the initial idea, due diligence, early steps, stadium work, creating player pathways and delivering a state-of-the-art training facility that has been earmarked by FIFA as a potential World Cup base for a team.
She also explains why she chos...
In this episode we welcome a true architect of American soccer - Sunil Gulati.
Sunil is widely regarded as one of the most influential figure in the sport’s growth in the United States, having been involved in the administration of the game since the 1980’s and serving as president of the U.S. Soccer Federation from 2006 to 2018.
With over 30 years of experience at every level of the game, ...
Michael Yormark of Roc Nation Sports International, who heads up the companies agency work in the soccer industry, talks to Simon Evans of The Soccer Business about the history of Jay Z's company, their move into soccer and their new plans to enter the domestic American soccer business.
Chapters
00:00 Michael Yormach's Journey in Sports Management 03:53 Transitioning from NHL to European Soccer 08:41 Roc Nation's Unique Approach to...
Brett Johnson isn't just another American investor in English football - he is also building soccer in the USA with his USL club Rhode Island FC and their brand new stadium.
Having cut his teeth in Phoenix, a friendship with former Ipswich player Frank Yallop led to his move into English football where he has tasted two promotions and a relegation.
Find out Brett's views on Ipswich, the USL and the future of American club soccer.
C...
USL Deputy CEO and Chief Real Estate Officer Justin Papadakis reveals how the league is in talks with over 70 cities in the USA about building new soccer stadiums and bringing new clubs to communities across the country.
Takeaways
There's real momentum in the USL. The USL's approach to stadium development is unique. City partnerships are crucial for stadium financing. Stadiums are seen as community assets by cities. The fan experie...
La Liga's attempt top play the first ever European league regular season game in the USA was given a boost this week when the Spanish federation backed their plan.
But many hurdles remain before this plan can become reality with Real Madrid and others opposed and UEFA, CONCACAF, US Soccer and FIFA having to approve.
We look in detail at Javier Tebas' plans and the motivation for it with ESPN's Spain Correspondent Sam Marsden.
Rio Ferdinand, the former Manchester United and England defender turned pundit and broadcaster recently left his role with TNT Sport in the UK to focus fully on his own content production and the rest of his business portfolio.
Rio talks to Simon Evans about his new plans for his video content business, his role as an agent, the future for American soccer, the nature of the soccer business from a player's perspective and his advice...
Simon and Alex Silverman of the Sports Business Journal were in Austin this week for the MLS Board of Governor's meeting and other business events around the All Star Game and they break-down the main takeaways in this pod.
Find out about how MLS's relationship with Apple is 'evolving' - the calendar realignment progress, the looming CBA talks, competition format changes and much more in this in-depth episode.
Xavier Sanchez, the Commercial Director of Liga MX club Monterrey, joins the podcast to discuss his club's strategy in the U.S. market.
Discover how Monterrey has thousands of fans in the USA including some who have little connection to Mexico but have developed a deep passion for the Rayados. Learn how the club connects with these fans throughout the season.
Xavier also gives his thoughts in Leagues Cup, Concacaf Champions Cup and...
This week's guest is Olek Loewenstein is President of Global Sports at TelevisaUnivision, the world's leading Spanish-language media company.
In our conversation, Olek talks about how his company approach soccer coverage and content for the Hispanic market; the changing habits of the viewer; the modern fan's loyalties and where non-Hispanic brands can get it wrong.
Plus some early insights into how the Club World Cup performed amon...
In our first Soccer Business 'News Focus' episode Jonathan Tannenwald, soccer correspondent with the Philadelphia Inquirer, joins Simon to discuss the opening week of the Club World Cup from a business point of view.
We look at attendances, ticket-prices, marketing and the cultural impact of the tournament.
Multi Club Ownership (MCO) is in the news because of the situation involving Crystal Palace and Lyon who are both owned by American John Textor. UEFA is currently evaluating how to proceed given that both clubs qualified for the Europa League for next season and regulations forbid two teams with the same owner from playing in the same competition.
Brian Anderson of Sheppard Mullin in ...
Leading expert on streaming Dan Rayburn brings his sharp analysis to dissect the MLS deal with Apple - is it working and will it last the full 10 years? In this wide-ranging, deep dive we also look at soccer on ESPN+, Paramount+ and ask whether the fans of the game are being well served and what the future may be for soccer streaming in the USA?
MLS is 30 years old - how did it go from an idea after the 1994 World Cup to become the 30-team league it is today?
Norm O'Reilly, co-author of a new book 'The Rise of Major League Soccer - Building a Global Giant' joins Simon to examine the growth of the league through difficult early years to the recent boom in valuations and the arrival of Lionel Messi.
Where does MLS go from here? Can it really become a top three league in the ...
Canadian Soccer Business, which handles the commercial rights for the Canadian men and women's teams, along with the Canadian Premier League and runs the One Soccer broadcast platform have appointed James Johnson, the CEO of Football Australia, as their new chief executive.
Fresh of the announcement of his appointment, James talked to Simon Evans and The Soccer Business Podcast about his vision for the future of Canada's main socce...
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