I want to take a moment to mark the passing of Matt Cutler, who was known and loved by so many across the sports industry and beyond. Matt was a journalist and editor at SportBusiness, a communications leader for Two Circles and many others across sport, and the founder of an entertainment podcast business. He was a brilliant writer, a curious soul, and an incorrigible gossip. He was warm and light; funny and generous; a talented colleague and loyal friend. Matt was diagnosed with cancer in 2024 and the positivity and sense of humour with which he has faced cruelty upon cruelty since then has been inspirational. He died this week surrounded by his family and he will be missed and remembered by many.

Welcome to Worth Knowing, the definitive sports industry newsletter from Leaders, James Emmett and David Cushnan here. You can get in touch with us at james.emmett@leadersinsport.com and david.cushnan@leadersinsport.com.

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1) How did you mark Gianni Infantino's 10th anniversary?

As followers of his always-on Instagram channel will be more than aware, the Fifa President has been in post for 10 years. The series of highly-produced montages marketing the moment and the bespoke 'Infantin10' banner rather sum up his approach to the job: a relentless continent-hopping schedule; a statesman at every opportunity; a one-man marketing strategy; a change-maker, for better or worse; but most of all doing it all with a camera crew, editor and SEO expert in tow.

 

2) How media trained should your organisation's leader be?

IOC President Kirsty Coventry's press conference moment, where she turned on her comms team - clipped up, captured and shared widely on social media - has spawned hundreds of takes, like this and this, from the PR and comms trade over the past few days. Unlike Gianni Infantino, who has not given a press conference for years, Coventry fronted up at least four times during the Milan-Cortina Games, fielding any and all questions from international media for around 45 minutes a time. Should she have found a better way of hiding her frustration? Probably. Would a spot of additional media training be helpful? Probably. Do we want international sports leaders to show emotion, venture an opinions and offer something beyond a strictly technocratic approach? Certainly.

 

3) Who had the best advice of the week?

It's Rufus Hack, outgoing CEO at Sony Sports, who announced his departure this week with a sprinkle of sage advice on what he's learnt along the way about how to lead large organisations.

 

4) Is there a silver bullet for sports participation?

No, but there might be a spellbook. There’s certainly magic in the model underpinning Parkrun, which recently welcomed its 12 millionth registrant. Elizabeth Duggan, CEO of the community-focused, volunteer-led amateur running organisation, joined us on the podcast this week to explain how the participation sensation works. I’ve tried to distil – Harry Potter-style – into a six-step spell for boosting participation below:

5) What’s my creator strategy?

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: you’ll need to have a view on this. Approaches to working with influencers are being formalised across the sports industry. From the Cricket World Cup to the Australian Open, from NBC’s Winter Olympics coverage to WME’s bet on tennis.

 

6) Can Craig Tiley cook up the same storm in a new kitchen?

Craig Tiley has confirmed he’s leaving Tennis Australia to become the new CEO at the USTA. We’ve produced plenty on the success he’s achieved at the Australian Open in recent weeks, including a detailed recipe for the secret sauce that has powered the Grand Slam’s propulsion to one of the best fan experiences in world sport. Will the recipe work outside of his Melbourne kitchen?

4 other things Worth Knowing you need to know this week

 

1) The Premier League is launching Premier League Plus, a direct-to-consumer service in Singapore.

 

2) Frank Warren is considering legal action against Saudi-owned Sela and TKO, the owners of the new Zuffa Boxing promotion.

 

3) Mercury13 Founder Victoire Cogevina Reynal has stepped down from the company.

 

4) Events and hospitality group Levy has completed the acquisition of the iLUKA Collective

Flag: Former NFL International lead Alistair Kirkwood is back in the game as the founder of 5FL, a professional flag football league intended for launch in the UK in late 2027.

 

Bag: Cristiano Ronaldo has acquired 25% of Saudi-owned Spanish football club Almeria.

 

Box: Boxing promoter Ben Shalom is part of a group that has launched a new football agency.

 

Socks: Agassi Sports Entertainment, Andre Agassi’s new promotional vehicle, is working with Team Marketing and MKTG to commercialise and publicise a new World Series of Pickleball property.

 

Firm: Former AT&T sponsorship lead Mark Wright has launched a new advisory firm, MWE.

 

Perm: Kantar Media has rebranded to Fifty5Blue.

Hiring:

 

•  Salesforce looking for a London-based Senior Lead Sports Marketing.

 

• Uefa needs a Senior Marketing Strategy and Insights Manager with at least eight years of experience.

 

• UK government entity DCMS is looking for a Sport & Gambling Director, which sounds like a lot more fun than it will actually be.

 

• The Arizona Diamondbacks are on the hunt for a new CMO.

 

• Global Media Partnerships Lead is the latest role being recruited for at Relevent Football Partners.

 

• Lausanne-based Volleyball World needs a Legal Counsel.

 

• The LA Chargers are advertising for a Director of Social and Digital Content.

 

• Golf body the R&A needs a new Deputy Director/Head of Philanthropy.

 

• Baller League is looking for a London-based Commercial Director.

 

• Manchester United’s foundation is recruiting for a new CEO.

 

Hired:

 

•  Former World Athletics CEO Olivier Gers has a new role at Extraordinary AI as Practice Lead, Sports & Private Equity

 

•  Rebecca Matthews is the new Sports & Talent Marketing Lead at Whoop.

 

•  Scott Grayston has joined M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment as PR Director for Middle East.

 

•  Tony Pilch new Chief Football Officer at Twenty First Group.

 

•  Alfred Smith is the new VP of Technology Services at Major League Baseball.

 

•  Belinda Moore will leave the WRU for a new role at the ECB as Growth Director for The Hundred.

 

•  Lon Rosen is the new President of Business Operations at the LA Lakers; he moves over from the Dodgers, and replaces Tim Harris who announced he's stepping down last week.

 

•  Hamish Harris is the new Broadcast & Media Technology Director at Formula E; he joins from Gravity Media.

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