SportsPro Podcast

Sport’s best content doesn’t happen by accident.
Behind every viral clip, every campaign that cuts through, every piece of creative work that moves the needle commercially, there's a person, a team, and a strategy. But rarely does that person, team or strategy get the recognition or coverage they deserve.
SportsPro and Greenfly’s recently launched Short-Form Showcase is designed to fill that void by amplifying the talent and teams behind the best short-form content being produced across the global sports industry.
Unveiled in July, the Showcase recognises the human craft, creativity and collective effort that goes into creating content that stops the scroll and delivers commercial impact by celebrating the people who make it happen. This is not a ranking or an award – it’s a curated exhibition of best-in-class operators and a collection of their most memorable work.
On this episode, SportsPro’s Michael Long is joined by Greenfly’s Gabby Vidal Castillo and Melissa Lawton, SailGP’s chief content officer and one of the 39 specialists named in the Showcase, to discuss the value and important of exceptional content operators, how strategy and insight guide the creative process, and where social-first sports content is heading next.
To view the full Short-Form Showcase, visit Home - SportsPro x Greenfly - Short-Form Showcase

F1 has gone from 13 commercial partners a decade ago to around 33 today, from a paddock that barred drivers from posting on social media to an always-on content operation, and from a linear US broadcast deal with ESPN to a streaming partnership with Apple.
 
Liam Parker, chief communications and corporate relations officer at F1, has a simple framing for all of it: none of it works unless the racing does.
 
In this episode of the SportsPro Podcast, produced in collaboration with Mics Out from BlackBook Motorsport, Parker joins motorsport editor Cian Brittle to discuss what "redefining reach" means in the Apple era, how F1 decides when its global partner roster is full, and why he would swap the word Americanisation for modernisation.
 
Recorded ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix, the conversation also covers the collaborative fix to this season's new power unit regulations, fan activation work with Heineken and Lego, the markets F1 believes are underserved — India chief among them — and how the sport is contingency-planning the end of its season amid geopolitical uncertainty.

SportsPro speaks to Paceteq chief executive Alexander Bodo to learn how decades of data analytics and AI experience in motorsport can be harnessed by soccer to drive performance, aid recruitment, and drive further efficiencies on and off the pitch.

Bodo explains why culture and technology has held back soccer in recent years, with a lack of unified data platforms and in-house skills among the barriers to adoption.

However, there are signs that things are changing, with a generation of data-savvy coaches and players and game changing AI technologies ready to deliver a revolution in soccer analysis.

Former England cricketer and national team selector Ed Smith talks to SportsPro about the changing nature of leadership.

He explains how leaders must balance data driven decision making with human judgement and the need for human centric AI strategies.

He also discusses the importance of building strong teams and the value of formal education in leadership.

Ed Smith is the co-founder and director of the Institute of Sports Humanities.

The Commonwealth Games have faced one of the most turbulent periods in their history. After Victoria pulled out as host in 2023, uncertainty loomed over the event’s future, its relevance, and whether the traditional model could survive.
Now, with Glasgow hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games on a significantly reduced budget and a condensed planning timeline, Commonwealth Sport is positioning the event as the beginning of a new era, built around a leaner, more sustainable model designed to attract more host cities in the years ahead.
In this episode of the SportsPro Podcast, SportsPro reporter Josh Sim is joined by Commonwealth Sport chief executive Katie Sadleir.
She discusses the lessons learned from Victoria's withdrawal, Glasgow's rapid turnaround, the Games' evolving commercial and broadcast strategy, and why she feels the reset will secure the Commonwealth Games' future well beyond 2026.