Jake Humphrey

This is an iconic deal in the landscape of English cricket and possibly world cricket. GMR Group and Hampshire County Cricket Club and its assets, currently owned by Rod Bransgrove, have agreed to an aquistion! Rod has been such a huge contributor to the game in the UK. I personally think this deal will be the catalyst to opening the gates to further Indian investment into English cricket (not new news) which points towards a bigger holistic future of players being centrally contracted by franchises (not countries). There will be mixed views on this deal and the the future of state of world cricket. https://lnkd.in/gFKvGPsN

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Interesting that the EPL is going to review whether to retain VAR for next season. It would certainly place them out of kilter with the trend towards increasing it across the football world. I could imagine tweaking the process and returning to the principle of overturning clear and obvious mistakes (ie if you cannot tell immediately you move on). In what has been a long season, it is fortunate that the controversial Newcastle goal against Arsenal (a 1-0 result) cost Arsenal only a point. With City two points clear, this decision did not decide the league but in other circumstances could have. Interestingly the Telegraph table indicated City had a balance of +3 VAR decision whereas Arsenal were -1. (Note Forrest are at +4 despite all their protestations.) This demonstrates bad decisions don't necessarily even out over a season. In a two point race was a net four VAR decision variance enough to decide the League? Pre-VAR of course we would not have kept track of referee mistakes, though I am sure Sir Alex Ferguson did! Food for thought. Declaring an interest - I am an Arsenal fan, with a soft spot for City as my daughter supports them. https://lnkd.in/eDNPR7UG

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Brace yourselves for a seismic shift in UK football fan engagement. Yesterday, the UK government revived plans for a new football regulator in England, by promising to reintroduce the Football Governance Bill. (Something introduced during the Sunak premiership yet unclear if it would be carried through with the new Labour government despite being in their manifesto) This bill will attempt to redefine the entire football experience for every fan and their relationship with their club. The question is are most clubs and leagues ready for the revolution? Quite simply, no. This landmark legislation aims to enhance the transparency, accountability, and sustainability of football clubs across the UK, ensuring that the beautiful game remains deeply rooted in its fan communities. One of the most significant aspects of this bill for me is its potential to unlock and transform in-venue fan engagement and monetisation, by giving lower league teams the ability to spend more on building their fan engagement strategies with a more even distribution of revenues received by the Premier League for instance. (The Premier League's revenue stood at £6.1billion in 2022/23). The bill will also mandate greater financial transparency by encouraging fan representation in decision-making processes and empowering supporters to have a stronger voice in the governance of their beloved clubs. In practical terms, clubs can leverage this increased fan involvement to develop more targeted and effective in-venue engagement strategies and activations and most importantly unlock further revenues. From improved stadium facilities, exclusive in-stadium and broadcast experiences to advanced digital services and real time engagement experiences - the opportunities are vast. Choosing the right solutions and strategies to do this are more essential than ever. Something i'm pleased to say Hypothesis Media are specialists in! 😎 As we look to the future, the Football Governance Bill represents a critical step towards building a more engaging and profitable football ecosystem (something that I hope follows suit for other sports leagues in time). As a long term champion of fan engagement for all clubs and teams at all levels. This signifies a huge step in getting all fans closer to the club whether they are a season ticket holder or a fan from the other side of the globe! It's now in the hands of the UK football clubs to start proactively working with specialist fan engagement consultancies who understand the right engagement tools and strategies to empower them for revolution that this bill will foster. https://lnkd.in/eJ44Nq29 #FanEngagement #UKFootball #SportsManagement #StadiumExperience #RevenueGrowth EFL (English Football League) The Famous Group

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Weather plays as significant a role in golf economics in equatorial and temperate climates as in Northern and Southern Hemispheres that have severe winters. There is no shut down period in SE Asia with courses open 365 days a year. Lightning activity in countries like Singapore and Malaysia, deprive courses of a large number of rounds year around. The monsoon and typhoon seasons across SE Asia have an impact on the golf course which no amount of drainage can moderate and also take a significant number of rounds off the books for golf courses. There are reports of summer heat, already high in the region, increasing in recent years and now having an impact on the tolerance of even the most hardy heat tolerant local golfer. Tracking the economic impact of weather is vital and with the Climate Change modifying weather patterns and seasons, it is key for the industry. Sporting Insights has been tracking rounds on a quarterly basis in Great Britain for 5 years. The release of this information is eagerly awaited and has proven vital for the industry to communicate and plan forward. The Sporting Insights Rounds Monitor is easy to implement and can have a major impact on the ability of golf clubs in an area, a region or nationwide to see how they are performing vis a vis their peers and how external factors such as the weather are impacting their clubs and the industry. Please contact me at [email protected] for more information on how we can assist.

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E203 That Great Business Show with Conall Ó Móráin Emma Meehan, founder of Precision Sports Technology, is about to revolutionise sports physiotherapy globally. She's put in the hard yards to create an incredible bit of tech. We've seen it in action. REAL TIME feedback on how you are moving, all from an iPad. Uses? Physios, sports clubs, gyms, anybody with any mobility problems, anybody who moves (it'll help you move better). The market is worth half a trillion dollars (so that's $500 billion, BIG!). She has funded. She has built a ten person team. She'll be funding again soon, this time to crack the US. She'd love to chat to clever money in the massive US sports market - maybe starting with some of the soccer clubs, but she's happy to have the chats with the NFL, NBA, WBA....they'll all be using her tech in a year or two (it's available right now), so think first mover advantage (see what we did there?). Why didn't I think of that? That was our team's response when they saw what the business called Lifesize Plans Leinster was doing. It's a franchise from Australia, Lifesize Plans, that allows anyone building or extending a home or laying out an office, to see what it would look, in full size, before a brick is laid, or a wall is built or a door is hung. For just short of €700 for a two hour visit you can 'see' how your new abode is going to work. It gives you the chance to make changes before the expensive tradespeople hit the turf...saving you possible thousands of Euro. It's a lovely business run by husband and wife team John Foley and Emma O'Donoghue who want to hire TV's Dermot Bannon Architects, Hugh Wallace and Sara Cosgrove - all in a heartbeat. With thanks to The Maxol Group. International Federation of Sports Physical Therapy American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) - The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy Australian Physiotherapy Association Canadian Physiotherapy Association EFSMA EUROPEAN FED. OF SPORTS MEDICINE ASSOC. The South African Sports Medicine Association (SASMA) Asian Federation of Sports Medicine Roy Dooney Leo Cullen Jamie Heaslip Johnny Sexton Andrew Trimble Lorcan Healy Kathryn Meghen Eoin O'Morain Ultan Ó Conchubhair Niamh Ni Mhorain Robin Mandal Donal Groarke Annie Lamont Niall Quinn Peter Stringer Paul Galvin Aaron Rogan Sarah McGuinness Platinum Pilates & Physio Mark Ganly Marc ODwyer Stephen O'Dwyer https://lnkd.in/eE5sMmmA

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My column: For the 2024 battle for the Governor’s Cup, the heat on both coaches is high https://lnkd.in/e2KdHB25

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🚀 The Hidden Mind Podcast is here! In our debut episode, I’m joined by the inspiring Sean Jackson, an amputee footballer whose story is a testament to resilience and the human spirit. 🎙️ What we cover: ✅ The world of amputee football ✅ Overcoming adversity ✅ Mental health and embracing challenges Sean shares powerful insights, including why he sees his amputee leg as a superpower rather than a limitation. 💡 If you’re looking for inspiration, motivation, or just a fresh perspective on life, this episode is for you. 📺 Watch now and join the conversation. Let me know your thoughts below! ⬇️

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👏 Big thanks to Richard Gillis and Jonny Murch for hosting Celine Del Genes and me to discuss a critical (but often overlooked) topic in the sports industry: rising inactivity levels and the impact on the sports business. 📉 Did you know that 81% of young people globally aren’t moving enough to stay healthy? 🛑 This isn’t just a health crisis—it’s a wake-up call for all of us in sports. ⏳ While it might not feel like a bottom-line issue today, it’s shaping the future of our fans, consumers, participants, and employees. This next generation is interacting with sports and physical activity in completely new ways—if they’re engaging at all. 🤔 💡 It’s time for the sports industry to come together with an aligned voice to tackle this challenge. Let’s ensure we shape the future of sport, rather than leaving it to chance. 🌍⚽🏀 #WFSGI #CollaborationInSport #SportingGoods #RedTorch #UnofficialPartner #WhatsSportSelling #SportsPolicy #ISPO #PhysicalActivity

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Interesting article from Deloitte on the impact of elite sport in delivering local economic benefits and social growth in the UK in key areas of: 1. Global brand profile 2. Infrastructure investment 3. Regenerating communities 4. Education, jobs and skills 5. Health and Wellbeing

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Its never a quiet day in Broadcasting with changes coming in all directions. The trends appearing that aim to react to and alter the way in which we will be consuming Sports and the drive towards more control from the Federations and Sports bodies is picking up pace across the globe. One of the questions has be, can the rest of the Facilities industry and broadcasters / production companies match this, with the pace of change needed to achieve sustainable broadcast models and revenues in the new world of Sports rights? "The pace of change is certainly daunting, but it is not insurmountable. Success will depend on the ability to innovate quickly, collaborate across sectors, and remain agile enough to navigate the evolving media rights environment"... says CHATGPT Got a feeling there are a lot more challenges (and I hope opportunities) ahead of us all.

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🚀 IT’S LAUNCH DAY! 🚀 The Elite Team Leadership Programme is officially LIVE! After years of scaling some of the fastest-growing companies and interviewing leaders across elite sport, I've boiled down the learnings into one unique programme. Every leader I know wants to build a high-performing team. But most end up with one that’s overworked, misaligned, constantly firefighting and in survival mode: 👉 Endless meetings 👉 Missed deadlines 👉 Mediocre results 👉 People aren’t sure where to focus 👉 Silos creep in 👉 Micromanagement Sound familiar? You’re not alone—I've been there too. Great teams don’t just happen. So this programme is packed with practical tools and systems that I wish I had when I started leading teams 👇 ✅ Delegation Playbook ✅ Vision Alignment System ✅ Performance Metrics Dashboard ✅ Celebration Rituals ✅ Conflict Resolution Techniques ✅ Meeting Optimisation System ✅ Job Scorecards for Culture & Performance If you’re ready to turn your team into a high-performance machine, this programme is for you. In the famous words of Walt Disney, ✨ You can design the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality. ✨ Every successful team has a coach who takes them from good to great—Let's make you that leader. There are only 20 spots on the first cohort so if you want in... Apply through the link here 👉 https://lnkd.in/emCrzDna Know a leader who is building a team in a high-growth company? 👇 Please tag them in the comments below #EliteTeamTactics #Leadership #HighPerformance #TeamBuilding #Growth

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*The end of gambling sponsorship?* Well, if the new code just announced is to be adhered to and properly monitored, the answer is, YES (and good riddance). The code is reported as stating “to protect children and other vulnerable persons, gambling sponsorship must be specifically designed to limit its reach and promotion to those under the age of 18” So… NO sponsor logos on playing shirts; NO advertising around the ground; NO gambling related branding on club websites and social media. Because ALL of those are easily viewed by children. Let’s see what happens. Do they mean it, or is it just posturing..? https://lnkd.in/eXCqi27M

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In the pursuit of an exclusive model, they must confront a stark reality that history has repeatedly illuminated: arrogance, complacency, and a lust for control are the harbingers of long-term demise. At the heart of sporting success lie the principles of meritocracy and equality, pillars upon which the integrity of the sporting world is built. Yet, seemingly the allure of replicating the NFL model, with its aura of prestige in American sports, masks the inherent flaws when transplanted onto a global stage. The cautionary saga of U.S Soccer serves as a glaring testament to the dangers of isolation and exclusivity. By forsaking meritocracy and equality, U.S Soccer condemned itself to stagnation, consigning its fate to the periphery of the sporting realm. As deliberations unfold regarding the sport's trajectory, the FA Cup serves as a sobering reminder of the imperative to safeguard the values that have propelled it to unparalleled heights. To forsake these principles in would not only betray the very essence of the sport but also court the irreversible decline that history has so vehemently cautioned against.

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A recurring theme i'm hearing from sports teams and organisations is the huge emphasis they are now placing on engaging their global fanbase as a community, not only with the fans that can attend matches in person. Therefore being able to deliver a fan engagement strategy with tools that provide ALL fans with a plethora of experiences, whether in person or remotely, to feel closer to the players in and around the live games/matches wherever they are across the globe is absolutely key. This takes understanding of which engagement tools are best to build a scalable strategy upon and to excite fans enough to want to engage. Empowering teams, clubs and federations with not only the right fan facing experiences but also the right production tools to enable them as the content creators to offer more to broadcasters and brands allowing further amplification is crucial for premium interactive innovation - but crucially, for additional monetisation. Interestingly, the clubs I have experienced being most successful in this space are the ones that often do not have the biggest budgets but the ones that place all of their fans on an even kilter and thus creating a fan ecosystem of experiences that are wholly authentic and relevant. If global fans are given a range of experiences that they want to engage in on a regular basis that can evolve and grow with the club and team, then premium brands will want to sponsor and be involved. Start small, think big, deliver authentically and the fans (and sponsors) will follow 🏅 Hypothesis Media #FanEngagement #GlobalFans #SportsInnovation

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Why is this partnership significant 👇 Because it started with a commercial partnership, first, and due to the success of the partnership in its first season, progressed to Powerleague affiliating over 200 teams to Hampshire FA. We have worked closely with Chris D., Dean Griffiths ⚽️ 🏆 and the Powerleague team to establish a small-sided league at our King George V Football Complex (following the success at Stoneham Lane Football Complex) which took off with 10 teams back in February of this year - all teams of which have been retained. The growth of this league has also meant the small-sided providers are looking to expand the league at our site with additional slots. Commercial partnerships done right and with additional outcomes generated🏆. What started as a 1-season agreement has now transitioned into a 3-season deal 💪. [email protected] / https://lnkd.in/eYcTgggJ.

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Did you know…Seventy-seven percent of consumers are motivated to purchase from companies committed to making the world a better place, while 73 percent of investors state that efforts to improve the environment and society contribute to their investment decisions.   Goalball UK combines elite level Paralympic sport, featuring a desire to succeed on the global stage, with a truly inclusive option for those who are often excluded from physical activity and being in a team at school or within local community sports and recreational activities. Whilst we strive to succeed as a nation on the world stage, for many of our players and athletes their ‘medals’ are won each day as they increasingly live independent, confident lives.  Only 11% of people with a Visual Impairment (VI) participate in 30 minutes of physical activity weekly, compared with 39% of the general population. This situation perpetuates issues around physical and mental health, social isolation in the VI community. For the last decade, Goalball UK has worked at the heart of this community, the largest disability cohort, providing transformational opportunities to experience the challenge and joy of sport.  We are the recognised governing body for the sport in the UK. However, our work goes much further than the remit of many sports bodies.  We enable introversion to be replaced by a desire and ability to engage with their community and beyond - a powerful antidote at the best of times. However, in a post pandemic world many activities for the disabled have been erased. Goalball enables our players to live independent lives. For example, diary management and travelling on public transport to training and international competitions, whether alone or in a group, boosts confidence. Whilst other skills such as ‘sweeping’ rather than ‘pinpoint’ techniques developed to find the ball also translate to and enhance the ability to locate domestic items at home. The net effect is that many previously protective families relax and embrace this newly acquired freedom.  The format of the sport also enables community cohesion with sighted people able to be part of playing and training. Siblings, family, and friends can provide practical and emotional support simply by wearing eye shades, allowing them to truly appreciate the unique challenges faced by the players.  We have a decade of anecdotal evidence of the profound impact goalball has on the lives of our players and their families, and now we have the systematic research to prove this. According to independent analysis conducted by York St John University in 2020, we deliver a truly impressive Social Return on Investment of £4.31 for each £1 invested.   We combine elite level Paralympic sport, featuring a desire to succeed on the global stage, with a truly inclusive option for those who are often excluded from physical activity and being in a team at school or within local community sports and recreational activities.  #PleaseShare #Inclusion  

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The volunteer football governance campaign group I co-chaired between 2020-2024 "The People's FA". At the heart of our proposals was the total control The Premier League have over the The Football Association governance. On all professional matters within the FA, its the PL that control the shots, within the main board, the Professional Game Board (PGB) and it's committees, including the FA Challenge Cup committee. The FA does not have the independence. During the #Fanledreview we were one of three campaign groups referenced in the final report alongside Fair Game UK and Gary Neville - beautiful game group. We submitted significant research that at the heart of English Football governance is the direct control the PL have within the FA and this core problem needs to be unravelled. But it goes further and remember its the The Premier League which also directly fund the Football Supporters'​ Association, League Managers Association, the Professional Footballers'​ Association, Kick It Out. In addition to the impasse with the EFL (English Football League) on financial distribution of broadcast and media rights. Also the The Premier League are the only league in Europe to govern the most significant investments in football facilities/grassroots, ie the Football Foundation. Again this is all about control of the different organisations who should be independent. The decision on FA Cup replays is another clear reason why the PL powers and remit needs to be curtailed and where a modern and independent The Football Association should be put in place. A core submission to the fan led review was for the FA to come under the freedom of information act and a public body. https://lnkd.in/esVHN8mb With the "Independent Regulator" coming to fruition, would it have the remit to change the above decision?. No. The Independent regulator "Fan Led Review", main remit is the sustainability and financial sustainability of lower league clubs. It has currently missed the opportunity. It needs an Independent regulator with teeth. Grimsby Town Football Club statement: https://lnkd.in/es6Jy32h Jason Stockwood https://lnkd.in/e9mu__3P Tranmere Rovers FC https://lnkd.in/eqxX-RVe. Darragh MacAnthony Peterborough United Football Club https://lnkd.in/eNZ5euub Exeter City Supporters' Trust In 2015 my club Cambridge United Football Club drew at home Manchester United, the replay was at old trafford. That income was significant, let alone the memories of fans. Niall Couper Kieran Maguire Adam Leventhal Dan Roan https://lnkd.in/euVAJD8B

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