Latest news with #BusinessofSport
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'A new era of football' - the stories behind the Baller League players
Love it or hate it, you can't avoid the debut season of the Baller League UK. Social media has been full of action and talk about the six-a-side tournament - set up in Germany by entrepreneur Felix Starck alongside footballers Mats Hummels and Lukas Podolski - and which is now in its first season in the United Kingdom. The UK version of the competition is fronted by influencer KSI, the teams are managed by celebrities and the games are live streamed on Twitch. Rather than the players on the pitch, many of whom are free agents, semi-pros or former professionals, most of the attention is directed towards the multi-millionaire managers on the touchline. Angry Ginge, Maya Jama and Chunkz are the stars of Baller League. They attract the crowds. They sell the product. "Baller League - a new era of football" reads Starck's LinkedIn bio. Influencers are the draw for now, but his real goal is to futureproof football by making it more entertaining. The key is in the "hero storytelling", said Starck in an interview with Business of Sport. So what about the stories of the natural "heroes" playing on the Baller League pitch? A first look at Baller League - fast-paced & full of flair What is Baller League? Why are KSI, Lineker & Terry involved? Marvin Sordell is a name most football fans will recognise, He starred as a youngster for Watford, appeared for Bolton and Burnley in the Premier League, and featured in Stuart Pearce's Team GB squad at the London 2012 Olympics. But, after a 10-year career, Sordell retired from the professional game aged 28 back in 2019, citing the impact on his mental health. The pressure of the professional football industry was not worth the toll it was having on him. Instead of stepping away from football completely, Sordell runs a video production company focused on combining entertainment, art and sport, and a marketing agency which helps brands connect with the worlds of sport, music and entertainment. Already working in the intersection between sport and entertainment, the 34-year-old didn't hesitate to join Baller League when the opportunity arose - and now plays for Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Micah Richards' Deportrio FC side. "Football has been something I've loved since I was a kid," says Sordell. "I was willing to hold on to that love that I have for the game and I knew that wasn't going to stay from being a professional. It just wasn't working, it just wasn't right. "I was potentially doing some work with them (Baller League) through my marketing agency. We had quite a few conversations before it was even announced and then in one of the meetings they asked if I'd be interested in playing." Without any trepidation, he jumped at the chance to have fun on a football pitch again. Sordell had already been playing at different levels and in different formats of the game since he retired from professional football in 2019. From five-a-side games with mates to semi-pro matches with Kettering Town, he was more than ready to roll back the years in Baller League. Despite the cameras broadcasting the action for Sky Sports, Sordell feels none of the pressure he did as a pro. The big talking points after matches usually surround the antics of the celebrities rather than the actual gameplay, allowing many of the players to enjoy their football under the radar. Timelines are filled with videos of ex-England defender Richards dancing, John Terry clashing with former referee Mark Clattenburg on the touchline or Troy Deeney receiving a red card for an unnecessary foul. "From my perspective, I get to go on Monday, play football and catch up with loads of people I know from the world of football," adds Sordell. "I don't feel like there's the same level of pressure or scrutiny as players in the professional level get because people are there to be entertained. " A lot of people have reached out to me who are interested in getting involved. I'm interested to see how the affiliation between people watching and clubs develop in terms of growing fanbases. It has the potential to be something quite big." Sordell on how he overcame his darkest days Remy Mitchell always dreamed of becoming a professional footballer. From the age of nine to 18, he progressed through the ranks as a goalkeeper at Arsenal's academy, but was released without the offer of a contract. He joined Swansea shortly after but, without a senior appearance, Mitchell was again released last summer and has since played non-league football while studying for a degree in business and football management. The 21-year-old is currently a free agent, but in goal for YouTuber and Sidemen member Tobi "TBJZL" Brown's team VZN FC. "I'm quite a big fan of a lot of the managers there," says Mitchell. "I've always watched them and it's quite a cool experience to see them all in person. I've watched [TBJZL] since I was 10 and it's quite cool to be coached by him every week." It's a familiar tale for many players who choose to chase the dream of going pro. It's a precarious path with no guarantees. Only 0.012% of boys playing organised youth football in the UK will ever play a minute of Premier League football. Lasse Lehmann, director of Operations and Sports UK for Baller League, reached out to Mitchell directly to offer him a chance to play ahead of former players, such as his idol Ian Wright. "It's the biggest crowd I've ever played in front of, 6,000 people," adds Londoner Mitchell. "And then there's hundreds of thousands of people watching on YouTube, Sky Sports and Twitch. "I think if you think about it (the media attention) too much, you'll get a bit inside your head and get pretty nervous. I just try to enjoy it as much as I can." Baller League is essentially fulfilling its promise - entertaining football that doesn't take itself too seriously. Mitchell, says: "It does put you in a good spotlight and I've had a lot of good things out of it, like I'm sponsored by a glove brand. "The football is a lot of fun so I'm happy to keep doing that. I don't know how it will work next season. There are a lot of unanswered questions but nothing bad has come out of it." Listen to the latest Football Daily podcast Get football news sent straight to your phone
BBC News
19-03-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Sweeney wants more non-sport events at Twickenham
Rugby Football Union chief executive Bill Sweeney says it would be "very difficult" to remain at Twickenham and "justify" significant investment for improvement unless it can increase the number of non-sporting events at Allianz on the Business of Sport podcast,, external he pointed out other venues - such as Wembley and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium - are able to bring in extra revenue by hosting many more non-sporting events such as said: "Part of the renovation of the stadium from 2027 means we are in a discussion with Richmond Council about the ability to stage more non-rugby events. For us, it's three and we're only allowed one on a Friday."We've had the Rolling Stones. We could have had Beyonce but she wanted three nights and we are only allowed two nights consecutively, and we've got a restriction on capacity of 55,000. "We're having a conversation now [with the council] and saying that if we are going to invest £600m into the Allianz - and that's going to bring X amount of revenue, we have got the study to show how much economic value it contributes to the borough - you are going to have to work with us in terms of an increase in the number of events we can stage in order to monetise the stadium."There are plenty of places that would like to have us there. Birmingham and Milton Keynes would love to have us there."Asked if the RFU could move if the council were not willing to increase the number of non-sporting events from three, he added: "It would be a tough call for us. It would be very difficult."I don't know how we would justify the investment in the stadium if we can't get the increase in the event licences."BBC Sport has approached Richmond Council and the RFU for February 2024 it was reported the RFU had considered selling Twickenham and buying a 50% share in Wembley, according to a document seen by the Twickenham Stadium Masterplan Programme (TSMP) revealed the RFU board discussed the proposal but no formal approach was made to the Football Association (FA).Instead, it chose to focus on redeveloping Twickenham, which has been England's home ground since was renamed as Allianz Stadium last year as part of a new sponsorship agreement.
The Independent
19-03-2025
- Business
- The Independent
England may ditch Twickenham for Milton Keynes over concert row, says RFU chief
Twickenham 's status as the home of England rugby is under threat after licensing restrictions forfeited the opportunity to host a series of lucrative Beyonce concerts. RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney has hinted at ditching the Allianz Stadium in south west London in favour of Milton Keynes or Birmingham if they are not permitted to host more major non-rugby events at the iconic London venue. The governing body has pressed Richmond borough council to up the number of non-rugby events per year, currently sitting at three with a restricted capacity of 55,000, to 15 events for audiences of up to 82,000. However, should Richmond not bow to these requests, Sweeney has insisted that relocation from Twickenham could very much be on the table. 'There are plenty of places that would like to have us. Birmingham, Milton Keynes would love to have us there,' Sweeney said on the Business of Sport podcast. 'Part of the renovation from 2027 means we are in discussions with Richmond borough council to stage more non-rugby events. For us it is three [events] and we are only allowed one on a Friday. 'We have had The Rolling Stones. We could have had Beyoncé but she wanted three nights and we are only allowed two nights consecutively. 'We are saying: 'If we are going to invest £600m into the Allianz — and we have a study which shows how much economic value it contributes to the borough — you are going to have to work with us in terms of an increase in the number of events we can stage in order to monetise the stadium.'' Twickenham is only seven months into a 13-year £130m naming rights deal with Allianz, but plans for a £600m redevelopment would reportedly not be viable if the ground doesn't diversify its event programme. The RFU is eager to take Twickenham in the direction of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which capitalised on the home of rugby's unavailability to snap up Beyonce, housing her Cowboy Carter Tour for six nights in the summer. Spurs' state-of-the-art ground, which also regularly host to the NFL, is licensed for 30 non-football events every year - 10 times that of Twickenham. However, if the RFU is to seek pastures new, they will have to do it outside of London due to insufficient funds. Sweeney's power in English rugby may not last long enough for him to explore a change in scenery, though, as he faces a vote of no confidence next Thursday. The chief executive has been the subject of a grassroots revolt after executive pay at the RFU was exposed, which saw performance-related bonuses take Sweeney's income to over £1m. The pay controversy has led to those in the grassroots game to feel disenfranchised and express grievances over the grassroots leadership. Sweeney says he is committed to governance reform but may be ousted from the hierarchy next week, which has already seen chairman Tom Ilube resign.
