Bex Smith on the Crux of women's football's ownership problem

Former New Zealand captain Bex Smith spent much of her football career playing in Europe and came away convinced that the structures underpinning the women's game were holding it back. Now, as the founder and chief executive of the Crux Football multi-club group, the former Fifa executive is implementing an ownership model built on carving women's teams out of the men's structure to run them as standalone businesses. In this episode of the SportsPro Podcast, Smith joins Head of Editorial Sam Carp to discuss the launch of Crux, the criteria shaping acquisitions of clubs like Montpellier and FC Rosengård,and where she sees the biggest opportunities for revenue growth. Recorded at SportsPro London in April, the conversation also explores the growing role of MCOs in women’s football, how Fifa and Uefa could incentivise more investment in the game and Crux’s ambition to scale to five teams. 

Prem Rugby CEO Simon Massie-Taylor talks SportsPro through plans to make league more financially sustainable, grow the audience and take advantage of sport’s rise as an asset class.

Brad Ross worked on four Fifa World Cups during more than a decade with Coca-Cola, but he likens the expanded 2026 edition to having 104 Super Bowls in five to six weeks. Now, as managing director of global marketing partnerships at Bank of America, he is overseeing the financial services giant’s first-ever sponsorship of soccer’s flagship international tournament. In this episode of the SportsPro Podcast, Ross sits down with Head of Editorial Sam Carp to discuss the strategy underpinning Bank of America’s World Cup debut and what opportunities and challenges the expansion of the tournament creates for sponsors. Recorded at SportsPro London, the conversation also explores how the bank will activate the partnership across its 100 US markets, what it takes to cut through in a noisy tournament environment, and how it is tracking ROI. There’s also time for Ross to reveal what it’s really like to work on a World Cup and share his key piece of advice for sponsors.

Beth Barrett-Wild has fond memories of the 2017 ICC Women’s World Cup final, which England won on home soil. Nine years later, as the tournament director of the upcoming ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, she is leading the ECB’s efforts to ensure the event accelerates the long-term growth of women’s cricket in England and Wales.In this episode of the SportsPro Podcast, Barrett-Wild sits down with Reporter Josh Sim to discuss the tournament’s revenue goals, the preparation work that's gone into the event and how the T20 Women’s World Cup can leave a lasting legacy.Recorded at SportsPro London, the conversation also coversthe tournament’s broadcast and digital content strategies, and the audience insights emerging from the competition’s ticket sales.

The rapid commercial evolution of Formula 1 has been clear to see in recent years, but what makes the property so attractive to brands? At last month's BlackBook Motorsport Forum, representatives from LVMH, Lego, Revolut and Heineken appeared on stage to answer exactly that question. Moderated by the founder and CEO of Right Formula, Robin Fenwick, listen out for some best practice advice on how to bridge motorsport with fashion and culture, and also the big differences and opportunities between sponsoring a team and a series.Mics Out is your inside track to the business of motorsport - part of the SportsPro podcast network. If you’re enjoying the show, explore more episodes here: https://open.spotify.com/show/3rOlbQh95rVJ16ZtqGkVsG?si=d9847e664e1e4900

Kim Stone has spent most of her career in the NBA with the Miami Heat and Golden State Warriors, but when she got a call from Michele Kang offering the chance to become chief executive of the NWSL’s Washington Spirit, the opportunity was too good to pass up. In this episode of the SportsPro Podcast, Stone sits down with Head of Editorial Sam Carp to discuss the strategy underpinning the Spirit’s ongoing revenue growth, how the club thinks about profitability and where the franchise is investing for the future. Recorded at SportsPro New York, the conversation also covers Trinity Rodman’s record contract extension with the Spirit and how the organisation quantifies the commercial impact of one of women’s soccer’s most marketable talents. There was also time to discuss NWSL franchise valuations, the league's new High Impact Player rule and plenty more.  

In this special episode recorded at SportsInnovation 2026, SportsPro's George Breare returns to the hosting seat for a conversation with Steffen Merkel, chief executive of German soccer's DFL. Shortly after signing a contract extension until 2029, Merkel discusses what's driving the Bundesliga's record €6.33bn revenues and outlines the league's media rights strategy both at home and abroad.  There’s also a deep dive into how the DFL is approaching AI and emerging technologies, the impact of Harry Kane and other international stars, and why maintaining authenticity remains a key priority for the Bundesliga as the game evolves.We'd love to hear what you think. 📩 Got questions for future episodes?Email us at: [email protected]🎧 Don’t forget to check out SportsPro’s other podcasts: StreamTime Sports, Mics Out, and New Era.OUR SOCIALS:Newsletter: https://www.sportspro.com/account/registration/Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4vDHloCVsAdKJusUtVRnCd?si=TX8jJO6dR7qyzALZfQv2bQInstagram: https://instagram.com/sportspro.mediaLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sportspro-media/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sportspromediaStreamTime Sports:  @SportsProNick  #SportsPro #Podcast #Bundesliga #DFL

With more than 2 billion daily users and 40 billion hours of sports content watched annually, YouTube has become a major destination for sports highlights, creator watchalongs and, increasingly, live sport.In this episode, we revisit an interview from the SportsPro Media Summit in Madrid, where SportsPro head of editorial Sam Carp sits down with Jonny Keogh, YouTube's head of UK sports, to discuss how leagues, teams and rights holders are using the platform to expand their reach and monetise audiences.Keogh outlines what a "good" YouTube strategy looks like today, how competitions like the Women's Super League have used the platform to build audiences and attract sponsors, and whether some properties should even use it as their primary distribution channel. 📩 Got questions for future episodes?Email us at: [email protected]🎧 Don’t forget to check out SportsPro’s other podcasts: StreamTime Sports, Mics Out, and New Era.OUR SOCIALS:Newsletter: https://www.sportspro.com/account/registration/YouTube: http://youtube.com/@wearesportsproInstagram: https://instagram.com/sportspro.mediaLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sportspro-mediaTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sportspromedia

Recorded live during our recent Global SportsTech Report 2026 launch event held at Meta’s London HQ, this special episode hosted by SportsPro's Steve McCaskill brings together experts from Sportradar, the DP World Tour and Meta to explore how sports technology is moving from hype to measurable impact. Where is AI genuinely creating value? How are rights holders using data to drive fan engagement? Is immersive tech finally reaching its tipping point? And what does the next phase of transformation look like? From computer vision and predictive modelling to second-screen battles, generative AI and the rise of agentic systems, this conversation explores what’s working today and what still needs to prove itself.Access the full report: https://www.sportspro.com/projects/global-sportstech-report/

10 years ago, FIFA was on its knees following a corruption scandal that rocked the sport. Enter Gianni Infantino, who was elected president of soccer's governing body with a remit of restoring faith in the organisation. To mark the anniversary of Infantino's appointment, the SportsPro editorial team unpack the highs and lows of his presidency - from record revenues and tournament expansion to growing tensions over player welfare and the Swiss administrator's increasingly close ties to Donald Trump.  With this summer's World Cup in the US fast approaching, we ask whether Infantino has achieved what he set out to do and look ahead to what the next chapter of his tenure has in store.📩 Got questions for future episodes?Email us at: [email protected]🎧 Don’t forget to check out SportsPro’s other podcasts: StreamTime Sports, Mics Out, and New Era.OUR SOCIALS:Newsletter: https://www.sportspro.com/account/registration/YouTube: http://youtube.com/@wearesportsproInstagram: https://instagram.com/sportspro.mediaLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sportspro-mediaTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sportspromedia