Ed Warner: How to run a modern sport

Ed Warner has something to say.

After a decade as chair of UK Athletics (including the 2017 World Championship in London) and a few years in his current role with GB Wheelchair rugby, he is well-placed to comment on the stresses and strains of running a modern sport. Warner wrote a book, Sports Inc, on the subject a few years ago and has just started a blog of the same name.

In this podcast, we discuss many of the key issues required to steer a sporting ship towards success: leadership styles, funding models, changing content strategies, marketing, elite sport v participation, bringing in private equity funding and his open application for the role of ECB chair.

TOPICS

Ed Warner

Why write the Sports Inc blog?

What qualities do you need to run a sport as a leader and what qualities do you need in your executive team?

"These jobs are advertised as 25 days a year but it needs three days a week!" "You have to be in love with the sport"

In UK sport, is there a hangover from the amateur/blazer days?

The success of lottery funding in the UK

Changing the funding model for sport

Equipping Olympic athletes for life on the back of their '15 minutes of fame'

Using content to create an ongoing story that brings value and revenue

The power of a focussed plan that targets the "right eyeballs"

Why triathlon is crossing over successfully

Allowing greater conflict in the sporting narratives. Or at least not being scared of it

"Sport is theatre where you don't know how the story ends"

Writing an open application for the role of ECB chair

The Hundred - Ed likes it, I hate it

The link between elite sport and participation. Ed's concerns for the future of rugby and cricket

The private equity question - can an organisation properly innovate without them? But are their goals inherently different to sport?

How to build back better after Covid-19

Learning from Barry Hearn

LINKS

Ed Warner Twitter | Blog | LinkedIN

• August 2023
  • Aug 6, 2023 David Tossell: How one-day cricket changed the game Aug 6, 2023
• May 2022
  • May 26, 2022 Ricardo Fort: Sports Sponsorship 101 May 26, 2022
  • May 9, 2022 Alex Phillips - The most influential football administrator you' ve never heard of May 9, 2022
• April 2022
  • Apr 24, 2022 Claire Nelson: Scottish netball and creating the ultimate female spectator sport Apr 24, 2022
• March 2022
  • Mar 5, 2022 Tom Dunmore: Launching Major League Cricket Mar 5, 2022
• February 2022
  • Feb 11, 2022 Brian Jacks: Olympian, Superstar and maybe... UFC coach Feb 11, 2022
• December 2021
  • Dec 17, 2021 Grant Russell: Find a unique story, stick to the story, live the story Dec 17, 2021
• November 2021
  • Nov 18, 2021 Ed Warner: How to run a modern sport Nov 18, 2021
• October 2021
  • Oct 7, 2021 George Crabb: How to create the perfect sports app Oct 7, 2021
• August 2021
  • Aug 27, 2021 Vijhay Vick: Content strategy for teams who win the league every year Aug 27, 2021
  • Aug 10, 2021 Alison Kervin: Sports Writing, the Mail and the female pioneer Aug 10, 2021
• July 2021
  • Jul 23, 2021 Dan Weston: Poker, data analysis and decision-making in cricket Jul 23, 2021
  • Jul 2, 2021 Sarim Akhtar: Life as a sports meme Jul 2, 2021
• June 2021
  • Jun 12, 2021 David Kilpatrick: What's the future of the New York Cosmos Jun 12, 2021
• May 2021
  • May 28, 2021 Rob Moody: Why YouTube’s best cricket channel makes no money and has no future May 28, 2021
  • May 20, 2021 Johan Junker: Content Strategy, the cookie apocalypse and other dist May 20, 2021
• April 2021
  • Apr 22, 2021 Fiona Green: CRM in sport Apr 22, 2021
  • Apr 11, 2021 Ben Wells: Sport, digital and the re-emergence after Covid-19 Apr 11, 2021
• March 2021
  • Mar 15, 2021 Karan Tejwani: How Red Bull created a football group Mar 15, 2021
• February 2021
  • Feb 20, 2021 Ken Lambert: Vissel Kobe communications, stars and digital Feb 20, 2021
• January 2021
  • Jan 27, 2021 Roddy McDougall: Is there life left in British speedway? Jan 27, 2021
• December 2020
  • Dec 31, 2020 Mario Leo: Sportsbiz, digital, the need of New Year resolution Dec 31, 2020
  • Dec 23, 2020 Rich Luker: How to foresee the future of sports fans Dec 23, 2020
• November 2020
  • Nov 19, 2020 Grant Wahl: Covering soccer in the USA Nov 19, 2020
  • Nov 6, 2020 Andrew Ryan: Running FIBA Media Nov 6, 2020
• October 2020
  • Oct 13, 2020 Barrie Tomlinson: The Content Strategy of Roy of the Rovers Oct 13, 2020
• September 2020
  • Sep 29, 2020 Chris Millard: The Barmy Army Story Sep 29, 2020
  • Sep 9, 2020 Chester King: The role of the British Esports Association Sep 9, 2020
• August 2020
  • Aug 29, 2020 Achint Gupta: Kolkata Knight Riders, IPL and content strategy Aug 29, 2020
• July 2020
  • Jul 29, 2020 Thomas Lintz: The story of Transfermarkt Jul 29, 2020
  • Jul 15, 2020 Tom Middleditch: Eleven Sports, OTT, Watch Together, Piracy, New Territories Jul 15, 2020
• June 2020
  • Jun 25, 2020 Kieran Maguire: How to buy a football club Jun 25, 2020
  • Jun 11, 2020 Simon McMenemy: How to manage 'the biggest football country in the world' Jun 11, 2020
  • Jun 5, 2020 Andrew McNeill: How to run an esports franchise Jun 5, 2020
• May 2020
  • May 24, 2020 Jesse Cole: How to REALLY put your fans first May 24, 2020
  • May 17, 2020 David Fowler: New sports business models for the 'other 90%' May 17, 2020
  • May 6, 2020 Adrian Warner: Redundancy and re-evaluation in sports media after COVID-19 May 6, 2020
• March 2020
  • Mar 31, 2020 Adrian Bevington: Crisis communications, football and the coronavirus Mar 31, 2020
  • Mar 24, 2020 Michael Calvin: How to write a sports book Mar 24, 2020
• February 2020
  • Feb 26, 2020 Panagiotis Aroniadis: How to start the first club OTT channel in Europe Feb 26, 2020
  • Feb 23, 2020 Luke Sutton: Mental health, elite athletes and finding a 'new balance' Feb 23, 2020
  • Feb 17, 2020 Nicola Palios: How to create a community football club Feb 17, 2020
  • Feb 6, 2020 Steve Bunce: The 'sweet science' of storytelling Feb 6, 2020
• January 2020
  • Jan 25, 2020 Mads Davidsen: How to create sustainable success at a football club Jan 25, 2020
  • Jan 1, 2020 Mario Leo: Football Digital Media predictions 2020 Jan 1, 2020
• December 2019
  • Dec 13, 2019 Jon Lansdown: How to rebrand a football club Dec 13, 2019
• November 2019
  • Nov 20, 2019 Matthew Porter: How we learned to 'love the darts' Nov 20, 2019
  • Nov 3, 2019 Oscar Ugaz: Can football clubs integrate esports (and vice versa)? Nov 3, 2019
• October 2019
  • Oct 27, 2019 Stijn Francis: (How not to become) The Bankrupt Footballer Oct 27, 2019
• September 2019
  • Sep 24, 2019 Tim Hinchey: Medals, membership and fast-lane change Sep 24, 2019
  • Sep 20, 2019 Alex Fynn: Can Spurs take the final step? Sep 20, 2019
• August 2019
  • Aug 11, 2019 Nick Callow: How to run a sports news agency Aug 11, 2019
• July 2019
  • Jul 15, 2019 Mark Bradley: How to create a ‘Fan Experience' strategy Jul 15, 2019
• June 2019
  • Jun 20, 2019 Bas Schnater: Starting a CRM ecosystem at a 'smaller' sports club Jun 20, 2019
• May 2019
  • May 30, 2019 Prof Simon Chadwick: How to wield soft power via sport May 30, 2019
  • May 17, 2019 Jacqui Oatley: How women in football are raising their voice May 17, 2019
• April 2019
  • Apr 26, 2019 Egor Kretsan: Zenit St Petersburg - bold, brash and speaking 15 languages Apr 26, 2019
  • Apr 16, 2019 Kei Koyama: The J.League breaks ou Apr 16, 2019
  • Apr 4, 2019 Ben Warren: Can digital media save County Championship cricket? Apr 4, 2019
• March 2019
  • Mar 22, 2019 Julian Valentin: Rockies, social media and ballpark figures Mar 22, 2019
• February 2019
  • Feb 26, 2019 Alex Fynn: The 'Spiritual Godfather of the Premier League'* outlines his European vision Feb 26, 2019
  • Feb 20, 2019 Jordan Gardner: Growing US soccer players on a foreign field Feb 20, 2019
  • Feb 3, 2019 Daniel Weston: Founder, European Cricket League Feb 3, 2019
• December 2018
  • Dec 27, 2018 Mario Leo: Sports Social Media Trends for 2019 Dec 27, 2018
  • Dec 19, 2018 Pearse Connolly/Ted Matthews: Meaning > Branding for Norway's national football team Dec 19, 2018
• November 2018
  • Nov 12, 2018 Richard Glover: Tennis South Africa's return of service Nov 12, 2018
• October 2018
  • Oct 16, 2018 UFF: The future of football fan channels Oct 16, 2018
  • Oct 8, 2018 Alan Smith: Penalty Box to Xbox via Press Box Oct 8, 2018
• September 2018
  • Sep 19, 2018 John Dykes: Taking the Premier League to Asia Sep 19, 2018
  • Sep 13, 2018 Misha Sher : The Art of Branded Sports Entertainment Sep 13, 2018
• July 2018
  • Jul 30, 2018 Barry Hearn: Darts, DAZN and Digital Jul 30, 2018
  • Jul 22, 2018 Neil Smythe: Turning Hashtag United into a 'real' non-League team Jul 22, 2018
  • Jul 2, 2018 John Cross: 'Scufflers', social media and Gareth Southgate Jul 2, 2018
• June 2018
  • Jun 24, 2018 Mark Pougatch: How to present the World Cup Jun 24, 2018
  • Jun 13, 2018 David Murray 2: Who won the race for the Premier League TV title? Jun 13, 2018
  • Jun 5, 2018 Josh Chetwynd: Major League Baseball makes its UK pitch Jun 5, 2018
• May 2018
  • May 24, 2018 David Murray: Finding the cracks in the sports rights market May 24, 2018
  • May 5, 2018 Paul Beirne: A new leaf for Canadian Soccer May 5, 2018
• April 2018
  • Apr 23, 2018 Henry Winter: Social media and sports journalism Apr 23, 2018
  • Apr 14, 2018 Rudy Gestede: Entrepreneur, YouTuber, Striker Apr 14, 2018
• March 2018
  • Mar 24, 2018 Jason Chilton: The Fan-Controlled Football League may change sport forever Mar 24, 2018
  • Mar 9, 2018 Ed Latimore: Self-help author, heavyweight boxer Mar 9, 2018
• February 2018
  • Feb 26, 2018 Colin Kelly: Launching LA-LAFC Feb 26, 2018
  • Feb 20, 2018 Kevin Doyle: How to be an ex-footballe Feb 20, 2018
  • Feb 9, 2018 David Higgins: How to make a World Heavyweight title fight Feb 9, 2018
  • Feb 6, 2018 Luca Massaro: How to become an award-winning Sports Digital Agency Feb 6, 2018
  • Feb 1, 2018 Nigel Walker: How Guerilla Cricket is thinking outside the commentary box Feb 1, 2018
• January 2018
  • Jan 23, 2018 Ehsen Shah: Marketing the modern footballer Jan 23, 2018
  • Jan 18, 2018 Giuliano Giorgetti: Re-inventing Inter Milan Jan 18, 2018
• December 2017
  • Dec 29, 2017 Mario Leo: Football club social media, what we learnt in 2017 Dec 29, 2017
  • Dec 29, 2017 David Alexander: Lessons in handling crisis communications in sport - 2017 Dec 29, 2017
  • Dec 8, 2017 Tony Jeffries: From reluctant child boxer on a Sunderland council estate to LA gym owner (via an Olympic medal) Dec 8, 2017
• November 2017
  • Nov 19, 2017 Marcelo Balboa: Backstreets to Pro Nov 19, 2017
  • Nov 18, 2017 Chatri Sitoydtong - building Asia's first multi-million dollar sports franchise Nov 18, 2017