Leaders in Sport

Together with Sports Business Journal, we're excited to partner with Major League Soccer and CONCACAF to launch The Business of Soccer conference. Over the coming years, the global #sportsindustry will descend upon North America for the 2025 Concacaf Nations League Finals, 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup, 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, 2026 FIFA World Cup, and the 2028 Summer Olympics. During an unmatched time of opportunity for the sport in North America, we're delighted to provide a platform for football's biggest stakeholders to come together and explore the business opportunities plus developments shaping the future of the beautiful game. Find out more about the inaugural edition of The Business of Soccer, set to take place on 19 - 20 March 2025: https://bit.ly/3ZAwi8J

📺 4.8 million people tuning into the final. 📈 The rise of a 16-year old prodigy: Luke Littler. 🎯 The most watched non-football event on Sky Sports. The 2023/24 World Darts Championship was record-breaking on so many levels for the Professional Darts Corporation, and the 2025 edition promises to go up another level. Ahead of the sport's showpiece event, CEO Matthew Porter joined David Cushnan and Henry Breckenridge on the Leaders Sport Business Podcast to preview the tournament, and to share what new fans can expect to see at Alexandra Palace this year. Available here or from your chosen #podcast platform: https://lnkd.in/etdmEFpV

Eager to progress in the sports industry? Thinking about how you could take your career to the next level? #TheLeadersClub, our membership offering for aspiring leaders in sport, can help you get to where you want to be in 2025 and beyond.   Here are three compelling ways that Leaders Club membership can advance your personal and professional growth in sport:   📈 Skills and Leadership Training: Accelerate your leadership journey with accredited workshops led by professional trainers.   🗣️ Experiences and Network: Expand your network with unique social experiences and curated networking events.  💡 Intel and Knowledge: Enhance your impact with unrivalled opportunities to learn from industry experts and access to members-only content.   The application deadline for the next cohort is Sunday 15 December. Don’t miss your opportunity to be in the community shaping the future of sports business: https://bit.ly/3Vwtp7G.

Flashback to February 2024 - An unforgettable Summit in Melbourne bringing the high-performance community together. The energy, the network, the insights. And guess what? We're gearing up to do it all over again.🦘   We're delighted to announce that the 2025 Sport Performance Summit is returning to The Glasshouse, Melbourne, on 5-6 February. You won’t want to miss this immersive two-day learning journey with over 100 Leaders Performance Institute members, world-class speakers, interactive sessions, and unparalleled connection opportunities. This is your chance to be part of it. Interested? Head this way: https://bit.ly/49CD1Dz.

The best communities are built by the people in them, and we’re very thankful to our members who have embraced the values of The Leaders Club to help us grow this year from 40 to 400 future leaders of the sports industry. We created The Leaders Club because there wasn’t enough being done to support the people that will be leading the industry in the years to come, and we’re proud to have created a home, to accelerate the personal and professional development of emerging sports industry leaders across London and New York. It can be daunting walking into a room, and feeling an uncomfortable pressure to network, but what is rare about The Leaders Club is that you know, if you walk up to a group of people, that you’ll always be welcomed into the conversation – that’s what makes it feel like a home. Thank you to all our members, but in particular thank you to all our Founding Members who have helped shape and create something we can all be very proud of. London Founding Members - Narni Bickley Tom Watson Saul Greenhalgh Monique Rocastle Maddy Meacher Pranita Ghate Kate Sloane James Swanson, MBA Armaan Ahluwalia Calum Ross Connor Wells Sinead McGeever Natalja R. New York City Founding Members - Doron Tamari Michael Scott Katie Lafemina, MBA Kat Marquez Brody Mankus Imani Clenance Chefik Simo Ross Moore Katie C. Stu Gower You can find out more about The Leaders Club here: www.leadersclub.com

Media rights revenues continue to be the lifeblood of top-level sport. But a fragmented landscape poses multiple challenges for rights owners, and perhaps the most pertinent question they face is how they could be adding more value to their packages. Is 'less' more? And is 'scarcity' the answer? John Skipper, former ESPN and DAZN chief and the architect of some of the biggest rights deals in US TV history, joined James Emmett and Matthew Drew on the Leaders Sport Business Podcast to run the rule over the landscape. Full episode of 'Model Making' produced in partnership with viagogo: https://bit.ly/3ZJ6NDz

Last week, over 80 Leaders Club members joined us for the final in-person workshop of the year. Members heard from those creating positive change in the industry, namely EY-Parthenon, Refresh Sports Consultancy and Productions and Striver, before exploring the skills modern leaders need to help the industry adapt and thrive with Management Futures. Take your next steps with #TheLeadersClub, our exclusive membership for tomorrow's sports business leaders. Cohort applications close this Sunday (15 December) – don’t miss out on the chance to join an unrivalled network of aspiring individuals: https://bit.ly/3Vwtp7G.

A peak live audience of 3.71 million watched the 2024 Professional Darts Corporation World Championship Final. The record figure represents the highest ever non-football peak audience on Sky Sports, as The 'Battle of the Lukes' captivated the globe back in January. But Matthew Porter and the PDC team aren't resting on their laurels going into the 2025 edition. Ahead of the sport's showpiece event next week, the PDC CEO joined David Cushnan and Henry Breckenridge on the Leaders Sport Business Podcast to chart how far the sport has come and how he plans to take it to the next level. Full episode: https://lnkd.in/eQqWCp6z

This week in our Leaders Club member spotlight, Emery Barnes, Madelyn Robinson, Max Whitman, Chrissie Hoolahan and Billy Nayden share their best advice to help you break into and develop in the #sportbiz industry. Whether it’s being the most prepared in the room, embracing curiosity or finding your passion, their tips are sure to help you standout as you make your way in sport. Applications for the next Leaders Club cohort close on Sunday 15 December – don’t miss your chance to develop career-critical relationships, knowledge, and skills through accredited private workshops, events and curated networking experiences. Find out more and apply today: https://bit.ly/40BOlNS.

What's your overall assessment of the global rights landscape? And is there a bifurcation going on? Two questions that Leaders Editorial Director James Emmett fittingly put across to someone who's leadership perspective spans across global media, entertainment, and sports, Mark Shapiro. Shapiro, Endeavor and TKO President & COO and one of the finest dealmakers in sport - spoke at #LeadersWeek London on how the media landscape is evolving and what it means for sports properties. Catch the full session here, along with plenty more conversations from our Headline Stage at Allianz Stadium: https://lnkd.in/eTkgAnHb