football — Sports Content Strategy podcast — MrRichardClarke ｜ Sports Digital Consultant and Journalist

All tagged football

Vijhay Vick: Content strategy for teams who win the league every year

Aug 27

Aug 27 Vijhay Vick: Content strategy for teams who win the league every year

How do you create a story about a team that has won the league seven seasons in a row (and an eighth is expected to follow soon)? Johor Darul Ta'zim (or JDT) were re-formed in 2013 under the guidance of the Crown Prince of Johor. They won their first title a year later and the AFC Cup 12 months after that. But their tone on social media has brought them as much attention as their success. Vijhay Vick, the Head of Content, is leading their strategy. In this podcast, he discusses his approach to JDT's unique position.

Karan Tejwani: How Red Bull created a football group

Mar 15

Mar 15 Karan Tejwani: How Red Bull created a football group

The Red Bull energy drink company took over teams in Salzburg, New York, Brazil, Ghana and, most controversially, Leipzig between 2005 and 2010. These acquisitions have been dismissed as a marketing exercise and labelled with one of the most damning words in the supporters’ lexicon - plastic.

Last year, Karan Tejwani published Wings of Change: How the World’s Biggest Energy Drink Manufacturer Made a Mark in Football. In this podcast, we discuss the business the meaning and the lessons behind Red Bull’s football story.

Ken Lambert: Vissel Kobe communications, stars and digital

Feb 20

Feb 20 Ken Lambert: Vissel Kobe communications, stars and digital

On Sports Content Strategy, I like to investigate those clubs, leagues and organisations which back their ambitious intentions with a clear, determined strategy. The J.League was formed as recently as 1992 but has developed into a tournament of world renown and, as discussed in episode 37, is looking to dominate its continent.

Ken Lambert works in the PR and digital department at Vissel Kobe. In this episode we discuss communication strategy, the differences between Europe and Japan, why the club are among the leaders on social media in the J.League, dealing with high-profile foreign players, Covid-19 and competing in the AFC Champions League.

Thomas Lintz: The story of Transfermarkt

Jul 29

Jul 29 Thomas Lintz: The story of Transfermarkt

Transfermarkt is a phenomenon. Like IMDB in film and Boxrec in boxing, it is a community-sourced facts-and-stats site that has become the authority it is area.

It has 1.5 million football matches and 760,000 player profiles in its database. But the difference is the 80,000 coaches, 41,000 referees, 75,000 clubs and 12,000 agents.

Its valuations of players dominate the industry. Just visit LinkedIN and you’ll find representatives pitching their players based on their “TM price”.

In this podcast, managing director Thomas Lintz reveals the origin story of Transfermarkt. How it went from a passion project for self-confessed data nerds, through community growth and mainstream investment to become the data geek’s football site.

Kieran Maguire: How to buy a football club

Jun 25

Jun 25 Kieran Maguire: How to buy a football club

Soon or later every industry will be hit by the recession that is already starting to impact the world in the wake of Covid-19. But, of course, football is not every industry, it has always been entirely unique. The beautiful game attracts a constant stream of good, bad and ugly owners, who often exit broke and dejected a few years later.

The potential collapse of various industries that underpin football and the demise of current owners’ personal wealth may mean many clubs change hands in the next couple of years.

But how do you buy a club, what should you look for and who would take on this traditionally tough job?

Kieran Maguire is a lecturer in football finance at the University of Liverpool. He also co-hosts a podcast called The Price of Football, and has written a book of the same name.

He is perfectly-positioned to sort the tyre-kickers and crooks from altruists and fans-made-good who will look to leap into club ownership in the next few years.

Simon McMenemy: How to manage 'the biggest football country in the world'

Jun 11

Jun 11 Simon McMenemy: How to manage 'the biggest football country in the world'

Simon McMenemy has managed two national football teams and won a league title but you have probably never heard of him. When he moved from his role as assistant manager at Worthing FC to take over in the Philippines (no you did not read that incorrectly) he was the youngest national head coach in the world. Then when Simon was handed the reigns at the Indonesian side, he had the second most important job in a country of 270m people. Only the president has a higher status in the most populous nation where football in the No1 sport.

David Fowler: New sports business models for the 'other 90%'

May 17

May 17 David Fowler: New sports business models for the 'other 90%'

How does sport rebuild itself in the wake of Covid-19? Much of the focus has been on the top 10 per cent, the big teams and leagues that dominate the agenda. However, surely it is those in the lower reaches who should have the most concern. David Fowler is the Director of Marketing at MyCujoo, a live football streaming platform focussing primarily on small and middle-tier federations, leagues and clubs all over the world to produce and distribute live and on-demand content.

As a former Head of Strategy and Intelligence at FIFA, David has strong views on the way those outside football's upper echelons might realign their operations and business models. This wide-ranging discussion is not about the big teams, they can look after themselves. It is about how smaller organisations might face up to the greatest ever threat to their existence.

Adrian Bevington: Crisis communications, football and the coronavirus

Mar 31

Mar 31 Adrian Bevington: Crisis communications, football and the coronavirus

Like every industry, sport is trying to cope with the impact of the coronavirus and understand how it will reemerge once the current crisis has passed. In uncertain times, clear and effective communication is always crucial.

Adrian Bevington has managed this function at a number of high-profile football organisations, most notably the English FA. He has also held key strategic roles.

Bevington is well-placed to articulate the core tenets of effective communications at this time but also articulate the opportunity to reframe a better, more socially-responsible football industry once society returns to some semblance of normality.

Mads Davidsen: How to create sustainable success at a football club

Jan 25

Jan 25 Mads Davidsen: How to create sustainable success at a football club

Mads Davidsen is an experienced football consultant and title-winning Technical Director.

He is working with clubs to maximize their 20% - the proportion of an organization’s potential not pre-determined by economics or luck.

The football industry is famously fickle and short-term, with owners often throwing around desperate money in order to gain success.

Davidsen argues this must change.

Dec 13
Dec 13 Jon Lansdown: How to rebrand a football club

Successfully rebranding their image is among the hardest tasks a sports organisation will ever seek to accomplish Fans, especially in football, are tribal, resistant change and lack a clear vision of what they want. But they will tell you, often straight in your face, what they don’t want. Bristol City seemed to have made a success of change in March 2019. So I travelled down to Ashton Gate to speak to chairman Jon Lansdown about the reinvention of the Robins.

Oscar Ugaz: Can football clubs integrate esports (and vice versa)?

Nov 3

Nov 3 Oscar Ugaz: Can football clubs integrate esports (and vice versa)?

Stijn Francis: (How not to become) The Bankrupt Footballer

Oct 27

Oct 27 Stijn Francis: (How not to become) The Bankrupt Footballer

Stijn Francis runs one of the biggest football agencies in Belgium with a client list including international stars such as Toby Alderweireld and Dries Martens.

Player representation is known as a difficult, precarious and unscrupulous industry. Regulation has been difficult to enforce and, as a result, many have been bitten when dipping their toes into these shark-infested waters.

That includes the players themselves, who often struggle to secure their financial future despite earning vast sums during a relatively short career.

This prompted Francis to write a book called The Bankrupt Footballer, a guide to financial management that outlines the potential pitfalls and how to avoid them.

In this podcast, we discuss his fiscal philosophy and how he helps his client stay solvent and satisfied.

Nick Callow: How to run a sports news agency

Aug 11

Aug 11 Nick Callow: How to run a sports news agency

Nick Callow is the Managing Director of HaytersTV, one of the most famous sports news agencies in the UK and breeding ground for a host of high-profile journalists.

A generation ago, they supplied ‘stringers’ and researchers, going to far-flung grounds on wet Wednesday nights to do whatever the newspapers required.

But that was when the FA Cup final was the only game on live television each season, readers poured over the reports of famous writers and the internet had not been invented.

Now Hayters trade in video more than words and are stepping out from the shadows to develop their own brands.

This is an exploration of how the UK sports media has changed since the start of the internet generation, how Hayters have adapted and where they are moving in the future.

Mark Bradley: How to create a ‘Fan Experience' strategy

Jul 15

Jul 15 Mark Bradley: How to create a ‘Fan Experience' strategy

The phrases ‘fan engagement’ and ‘fan experience’ were rarely used in sports before the turn of the millennium. Certainly, in the UK, a winning team was considered the key to supporter satisfaction.

That has changed in recent years and the Fan Experience Company have been at the vanguard of this movement. Director Mark Bradley has wide experience in challenging environments across England and Europe. His vision is not just Family Stands and face-painting, he argues that a coherent fan engagement strategy will reap a commercial return, especially for those clubs operating outside the upper echelons of the Champions League.