Show Notes
Three promotions. A fanbase that's grown from 116,000 to 27.6 million in five years. Wrexham AFC director Sean Harvey sits down with SportsPro's CEO Nick Meacham to unpack what's actually driving the club now that the Hollywood novelty has worn off.
Harvey walks through how Wrexham has built out a full executive structure to support its growth, including a CEO handling day-to-day operations and the deliberate tension between staying "different" and moving into football's mainstream.
He breaks down the commercial engine behind the club: record sponsorship revenue from brands like United Airlines, Meta Quest and HP, why the US market is now the primary growth audience, and how family companies tied to the ownership group handle sponsorship inquiries directly.
The conversation also covers the investment side - new capital from Apollo and private family offices, and what Harvey calls "the Wrexham effect" on other US buyers entering English football, plus his take on football's incoming independent regulator, visibility gains through AFL's streaming platform, and what the future of Ryan Reynolds and McElhenney's ownership actually looks like.
More from SportsPro Podcast
Formula One has confirmed a long-awaited return to Africa, with a ten-year deal to stage a race in Rwanda from the early 2030s.
Few people know the business of event hosting quite like Esther Britten. As UK Sport's deputy director and head of major events and external affairs, Britten has overseen more than 100 major international sporting events and plays a key role in deciding which ones the country should bid for.
Since its launch in 2010, On has grown from a Swiss running startup into one of the world's fastest-growing sportswear brands. The company generates more than CHF 3 billion in revenue, has nearly 100 stores worldwide and recently announced a move into football with France and Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappé.
Kylian Mbappe stunned soccer last week by announcing that he was ending his 20-year partnership with Nike to become the face of Swiss sportswear brand On’s move into the sport. This week, Steve McCaskill dials in from New York to join Sam Carp to unpack why the France and Real Madrid star made the switch, how the reported equity component could benefit both sides and what this deal says about the trajectory of On and Nike. They also consider whether On, a premium brand whose growth story has been built around product innovation, can recreate the success it has seen in running in a sport that has long been dominated by Nike and Adidas. Meanwhile, with the new NHL season fast approaching, the pair also take a look at the growing business of the North American ice hockey league and preview some of the key media developments that are likely to dominate the headlines during the 2026/27 campaign.
What happens when a football league needs to broadcast its own live games?