What The Footie: Carol Shanahan on Port Vale FC, Creating First-Team Pathways & Leadership

On Football and Business Podcast, What The Footie Carol Shanahan Owner & Chair at Port Vale Football Club breaks down the business of football.

This week’s What The Footie Podcast is with Carol Shanahan, Owner & Chair at Port Vale Football Club.

In this exclusive, Paul & Carol discuss the challenges of navigating up the pyramid, building a sustainable football club, creating and designing strategies, the day-to-day role, the loan system, being League 1 steady and Championship ready, hiring a Sporting Director, creating first-team pathways for academy players, the new EFL TV deal/TV revenues, the distribution of wealth in England, competing against different ownership models, being a people-orientated leader, culture and so much more.

In Today’s Episode You Will Learn:

1) The realities and challenges of running an EFL club...

2) Decision-making processes and driving innovation across all departments within a football club...

3) In depth insight into wider football business topics that are on the horizon (i.e. TV rights, the distribution of wealth in football & more).

What The Footie is the football and business podcast that goes behind the scenes. From the backroom staff to the board of directors, click here to listen to the biggest agents, directors and deal-makers in the game.

What The Footie Podcast: 2023 Mid-Year Review

On Football and Business Podcast, What The Footie we covered the big themes, trends & topics. See you in September for more.

Many thanks to the listeners, guests, everyone who shared, followed and wrote a review about the What The Footie Podcast so far this year (the show wouldn't be what it is without you ❤️).

To kick start the year, in February, we had our first-ever live show event at Leyton Orient FC with speakers from Fanatics, Brighton & Hove Albion FC, Zone7, Arsenal FC, Fulham FC and more. Click here to find out about future events.

On and off the pitch the game has evolved and so far this year some key themes/topics were covered:

💻Technology, data & innovation

⚽️The golden triangle of the Sporting Director x CEO x Head Coach

🌍Player recruitment & creating pathways

🇺🇸Professional investors & new ownership groups

🔮The future of women’s football

📺 The 3pm blackout, media rights & streaming

♻️Sustainability

⬆️ The growth of the NWSL

📍The loan system

📝Strategic planning within a football club environment

📲 Engaging and marketing to Gen Z

⌗ The evolution & future of performance analysis

👾 How FM transcended football x gaming

💼 The day-to-day realities for Premier League & EFL CEOs

🏦 Financial sustainability

Some Listener Favourites Were:

What The Footie is the football and business podcast that goes behind the scenes. From the backroom staff to the board of directors, click here to listen to the biggest agents, directors and deal-makers in the game.

What The Footie: Tatjana Haenni on the Growth of the NWSL & Women's Football

On Football and Business Podcast, What The Footie, Tatjana Haenni Chief Sporting Director at the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) breaks down the business of football.

This week’s What The Footie Podcast is with Tatjana Haenni, the NWSL's Chief Sporting Director.

In this exclusive, Paul & Tatjana discuss the NWSL's ambition to be the world's number one women's football league, creating and designing strategies, what it takes to be a new NWSL franchise, the social movement in the USA which has contributed to athlete investors investing in teams (Serena Williams & Patrick Mahomes), creating player pathways, the growth of the league, the challenges, Tatjana's 30-year experience of driving the growth of women's football forward, what's needed next and so much more.

In Today’s Episode You Will Learn:

1) Why the NWSL is one of the fastest growing sports leagues in the world...

2) How to develop a talent pathway and drive best practices/strategies within women's football...

3) In depth insight into wider football business topics that are on the horizon (i.e. expansion teams in the NWSL, new women's football competitions, athlete investment into the NWSL & more).

What The Footie is the football and business podcast that goes behind the scenes. From the backroom staff to the board of directors, click here to listen to the biggest agents, directors and deal-makers in the game.