7 hours ago
From Pitch to Pit
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When Rob Edwards took over a struggling Welsh football club during COVID-19, many would have questioned the timing - let alone the location. Six hours away, with no prior experience in football management, Edwards was flying blind. Yet five years on, Haverfordwest County AFC has not only qualified for European competition twice but also built one of the strongest youth programmes in the country.
Now, the founder of London based Morley Sports Management, a sports consultancy and investment group that develops and supports professional sports clubs and events, is turning his attention across the Atlantic to breathe new life into Ohio Valley Wrestling, a cult US promotion once home to the likes of John Cena and Brock Lesnar. His mission? To rewrite the rules of modern sports ownership through community values, clear vision, and relentless momentum.
"Taking over a football club during a global pandemic. I live six hours away. I couldn't get there, and I'd never had any experience of running a football club…. but I knew instinctively it had potential," Edwards recalls. "I knew I was never going to relocate, so from day one I had to invest in people. If people don't buy into the values, they don't stick around very long. But if they do, you can build something with a clear vision."
Building that team has been central to Edwards' approach. "We've built the best off-field team I could have hoped for – people who are passionate and dedicated and who've completely bought into our dream. It's the same now with OVW in Kentucky. It's a long way away again, a lot of passionate people, but it lacked clear direction. The job is to empower people, put them in the right places, and give them credit for what they achieve."
Edwards' entrepreneurial journey is marked by pragmatism and steadiness in the face of challenges. When setbacks come, he keeps a steady head. "You need to stay calm and logical. Not everything goes your way – and when it doesn't, the worst thing you can do is get flustered. I tend not to get too up or too down. I've always kept that middle ground. If you walked past me after a major success or a big loss, you probably wouldn't notice a difference. That's always been my demeanour."
Financial backing came largely from Edwards' prior career in finance. "There's been minimal outside investment. Most came off the back of my previous business and my career in finance. The barrier to entry for Welsh football isn't huge, it's very accessible – financially and structurally. It gave us the opportunity to step in and try to build something different from the ground up."
The same entrepreneurial mindset is driving Edwards' latest venture with OVW. "Because of our experience with Haverfordwest County AFC in Wales, we saw a similar opportunity with OVW in Kentucky. It's an under-appreciated asset in the industry in modern times, but there's massive potential."
His advice to aspiring founders? "Have self-confidence and be open-minded. When I took over the football club, I had no background in it, but I trusted my instincts. I used experience, common sense, and values that mattered to me. That's been the foundation. We're trying to build businesses founded on community and social impact. With those fundamentals in place, commercial success will come. You've got to believe in what you stand for. If you stay true to your values inside and outside of business, you can build something meaningful."
For Edwards, motivation comes from the thrill of constant innovation. "I need stimulation. I've never been able to sit still. I wake up when the sun comes up and my brain kicks in – I'm raring to go. I'm impulsive. If I get an idea in my head, I'm all in. What keeps me going is being disruptive, pushing things forward, coming up with new ideas and concepts. With both the football club and OVW, we're constantly evolving – and on top of that we've got consultancy work and partnerships with sporting brands. That forward momentum is what wakes me up in the morning. There's always a new problem to solve."
Ultimately, Edwards believes success hinges on leadership and trust. "Be confident in your ability – if you're leading a business and people don't buy into you, it won't work. People buy in to people. Investment in people is 100% at the heart of our model. We're not always on the ground, so we need to trust the teams to run with the vision. But we also lead from the front – if you want people to dive into the trenches, you need to be the one starting the charge. I'm quite demanding, but only because I hold myself to that same standard."
Rob Edwards is a rare breed of entrepreneur – one who builds across continents and cultures, grounded in community values and driven by relentless momentum. Whether in Wales or Kentucky, his unconventional playbook is quietly reshaping what modern sports ownership can look like.
