Focus Football is a bi-weekly podcast which explores the career journeys, the lived experiences of sports industry professionals and provides industry insights to those wishing to enter the world of sports and entertainment. The goal is to offer a clear pathway, and insight for those wishing to make the transition by hearing the stories of those that have come before them.
Episodes are hosted by Amr Koleilat and Faris Fayrouz.
Check out our website:
https://focusfootballpodcast.com/
Excited to share that Javier is our next guest on the Focus Football Podcast, Episode 15! 🎙️
Javier, a sponsorship manager at Barcelona F.C., has carved a unique path in sports sponsorship. From his time in China to pivotal roles at YouFirst and Cazoo, he's mastered the art of bridging brands and rights holders within sponsorships.
Tune in to hear Javier's journey and insights into the world of sports!
23 Jan 2024
Episode #14: Hugo Scheckter
This episode explores the relatively new but crucially important sub-field within modern football, “Player Care” through the career of one of the leading voices and practitioners within the field, Hugo Scheckter. Having spent over a decade with top-flight football clubs across North America and England, Hugo explains what player care is, the challenges faced by professional footballers away from the football pitch and why football clubs are now fully invested in this holistic oversight approach to player wellbeing. Hugo is the founder and managing director of the Player Care Group, a leading consultancy firm dedicated to player care, team operations and player wellbeing.
20 Nov 2023
Episode #13: Jack Sharp
From Part-Time Community Football Coach to Head of Football & Performance, he's seen it all. Jack spent over 10 years working for MK Dons F.C. He started off with the Sports and Education trust of the club, working there for 7 years climbing the ranks and ultimately shifting to the clubs footballing side. There he spent over 3 years in the roles of Football Development Manager, MK Dons Women General Manager and spending his last year as the Head of Football & Performance.
His time came up when he decided to start his own company within sports, the Sports Wide Group. For the past year, Jack has been helping rights holders, agencies, educational institutions by consulting them.
19 Oct 2023
Episode #12: Robert Gevertz
In this episode we dive into the world of sports, digital, and commercial with Robert, a true pioneer with over 15 years of experience. In this captivating conversation, we explore his journey through the industry, rubbing shoulders with giants like Sky Sports, talkSPORT, The City Football Group, the Sports Industry Group, and CSM.
Discover the story behind Robert's rise to prominence and his role as the driving force behind his own digital sports consultancy, First Five Yards. Tune in to learn how he transforms mere collaborations into thriving partnerships, helping clubs, agencies, and media companies realize their full commercial potential.
26 Sept 2023
In Focus: FIFA Men's World Cup 2022
In this special episode of Focus Football, we sit down with three remarkable industry professionals at different stages of their careers: Raquel Pasos, Louis Gasparini, and Michael Malek, all of whom played pivotal roles during the 2022 FIFA Men's World Cup in Qatar.
Each of our guests has a unique journey that led them to the World Cup, and in this episode, we delve into their backgrounds, their incredible experiences, and the profound significance of their contributions to the world's grandest sporting spectacle.
Raquel Pasos served as an integral member of the Adidas World Cup team, leading the DTC work stream and providing invaluable support to regional teams in executing the 2022 FIFA World Cup Global strategy in Latin America.
Louis Gasparini, on the other hand, assumed the role of Team Liaison Officer for the Senegalese National Team, acting as the vital link between the team and FIFA, ensuring a seamless collaboration.
Meanwhile, Michel Malek took on a multifaceted role, offering vital assistance to B2B clients with Hayya, resolving issues between support and client managers, managing FIFA client communications, overseeing the Hayya process, and offering invaluable support to various entities with Hayya-related queries.
Tune in as we uncover their remarkable journeys and insights from their World Cup experiences, gaining a deeper understanding of what it truly meant to be part of the world's most monumental sporting event.
6 Sept 2023
Episode #11: Juan Carlos de Madalengoitia Verme
Juan Carlos, a former La Liga intern who rose through the ranks to become the regional chief scout of the Americas for Chelsea FC. After 6 years at the English club, Juan Carlos is now leading the development of youth football at Club Sporting Cristal, his hometown club.
Juan Carlos has also been involved in founding a youth team Lima City Futbol Club and being on the board of a sports foundation, Foundation Creer, which believes sports can have a positive impact on society by increasing opportunities and quality of life in local communities.
In this episode, Juan Carlos shares his inspiring story of how he used football to break into the sports industry and make a positive impact on his community.
10 Jul 2023
Season 1 Recap
The first season of the Focus Football Podcast has come to an end, and what a journey it has been! Join us for a special recap episode where we dive into guest insights, highlight key takeaways, share our personal experiences, and express our heartfelt gratitude to both our incredible guests and loyal listeners. We'll take a brief look back at the highlights and memorable moments from our inaugural season. And of course, we can't forget to mention our exciting plans for the upcoming second season!
6 Apr 2023
Episode #10: Arianna Criscione
Arianna Criscione is a former professional football player that played across varied European football leagues and proudly represented the Italian national team as well as making appearances in the UEFA Champions League.
Alongside her professional football career, she understood the power of investing in herself and the future and received a master’s degree in football business from the Football Business Academy. Equally, she was among the first cohort of students to receive the FIFA Diploma in Club Management, as well as completing the Crossover to Business Program from Harvard Business School.
Arianna is now the Director of Women’s Football at N3XT Sports and uses her experience and creativity to help football stakeholders to build sustainable and accelerated blueprints that raise the women’s game.
21 Mar 2023
Episode #9: Fraser Read
Currently the Head of Marketing at Blackburn Rovers, Fraser recounts his earliest experiences within the football industry with AFC Bournemouth all the way through to becoming a member of the senior leadership team at Blackburn Rovers. It's an insightful conversation which takes us through his time at both the Championship and Premier League level as well as the mindset that's seen him climb the ranks at such an impressively young age.
6 Mar 2023
Episode #8: Kristian Dobrev
Nike, Soccerex, ATEVO and now The Football Business Academy. Kristian’s journey has not only taken him all over the industry but also all over the world. Tune in as we listen to Kristian’s journey, his biggest takeaways, and how he and The FBA are looking to shape the future of the football industry.
13 Feb 2023
Episode #7: Sam Grimley
Sam is an experienced commercial leader, who started his career working in the digital marketing team of a multi-national bank. He subsequently went onto work for one of the UK’s first tech unicorns, followed by spells leading sponsorship and rights holder sales for two separate companies. He now finds himself as the commercial leader for a sponsorship valuation business which works with some of the biggest football clubs in the world.
30 Jan 2023
Episode #6: Benjamin Balkin
Growing up in AS Monaco’s famed academy, Benjamin’s playing career came to an abrupt end at young age. Nevertheless, taking solace from life’s other opportunities, he found the ability to take the experience from his playing days and match that with his entrepreneurial drive. He’s co-founded the company, Eyeball, who are revolutionizing the football scouting ecosystem.
12 Jan 2023
Episode #5: Dan Wood
Freestyle football is Dan’s domain and making it global was his mission. With his entrepreneurial spirit and infectious enthusiasm, Dan founded the World Free Style Football Association and has been organizing tournaments all over the world since the initial launch in Malaysia many years ago. Rebook, Adidas, the global E-Sports federation and FIFA street are just a few of the names that Dan has worked for. In this episode he shares with us all his insights and experiences from all of them.
29 Dec 2022
Episode #4: Zarah Shah
Zarah’s passion for football is inexpressible, and from a young age always wanted to be involved in any capacity. From working in cricket with her family, to moving to Dubai, pursuing a masters at the Football Business academy and now working at the biggest group in Football today, Zarah’s journey into football has been one filled with different challenges and experiences.
9 Dec 2022
Episode #3: Christoforos Matheou
Living his boyhood dream, Christoforos is the head of operations and ticketing at Apollon Limassol, the current Cypriot first division champions. A life long fan of the club, Chris recounts his journey from the terraces to the boardroom and how a chance meeting changed his career path.
21 Nov 2022
Episode #2: Ioannis Konstantopoulos
Ioannis has been actively involved across various levels of football for a number of years. Be it coaching or the commercial side, he was determined to break into the industry. He then found his calling in sustainability and decided to bring the best of both worlds together. Join us as we discuss his background, what a sports sustainability consultant is, and the ways in which his company, the Sports Footprint, are partnering with sports organizations to tackle environmental issues.
2 Nov 2022
Episode #1: Amar Singh
Evening Standard, Squawka, Budweiser, West Ham United and now MKTG. Amar walks us through his career, experiences and how he got to where he is, all while discussing content at both club level and brand level.
31 Oct 2022
Welcome to Focus Football
Welcome to Focus Football, your hosts, Faris & Amr, explain the purpose, their motivations and drivers for this podcast and what to expect going forward.
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