Coffee & Football

Patrik Arnesson is the Co-Founder and CEO of Forza Football, the Swedish football tech company behind the worlds' second biggest football app, Forza Football. On their main app they have over 5 million downloads and 3 million monthly active users, and cover over 420 leagues worldwide. They also have a newer app that serves as a tool for football clubs to monetize on their content, something which all clubs currently struggle with. Football Addicts’ mission is to democratize football and put football in the hands of the fans. Please joins us as we discuss Patrik’s journey, from a disgruntled 21-year old startup CEO servicing traditionally driven brands to creating one of the most innovative and sought-after football tech companies in the world. We touch on things such as how to democratize football, what a 93-year old Japanese sushi master can teach app developers and company founders, why company boards don’t make sense, implementing a bottom-up decision making process versus a typical hierarchical pyram

Born and raised in Milan, Italy, at age 15 Claudio Storelli moved to the US as an exchange student. By the age of 20 he graduated from Stanford University with honors and as an NCAA Soccer Division 1 runner-up. By 23, Claudio had graduated with honors from Columbia Law School, and joined McKinsey & Co. as a management consultant. In 2010, he joined Bloomberg LP, where he became the COO of a $1B Enterprise Technology division. To say that he is an ambitious overachiever is an understatement. Please join us as Claudio take us through his journey, from distinguished Ivy League schools to the hallways of some of New York’s most prestigious companies to running a soccer startup—that carries his name, how could it not?—in Brooklyn, NY. This is a conversation jam-packed with valuable insights, business learnings, and recommendations for those with an idea. We discuss his life and business philosophies, how he got the idea to start a business after playing games with bruised up Wall Streeters, the best cold

Jim Trecker is considered one of the most prominent communications and public relations professionals in US Soccer history. He has been involved as a journalist, administrator and communications maven at all levels of the game, working for the NY Cosmos during the Pelé era, the Washington Diplomats when Johan Cruyff played there, the US Soccer Federation in the 1990’s, the Japanese Federation, and the organizing committees of the 1994, 2002, 2010, and 2022 World Cups. Most recently he has been involved with the build out of the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Frisco, TX. Join us as we discuss his journey from Connecticut to the top echelons of world football.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Originally from Abilene, Texas, Bundrant is one of the most prominent football executives hailing from the US. After graduating from West Virginia University, VA, he initiated his career with DC United of the newly started MLS with an unpaid internship. That laid the foundation for an over 20 year career at the very top of global sports business. After stints at Sportfive, one of the most recognized sports rights agencies, GMR Marketing, a sports engagement and experiential agency with clients including VISA, FIFA, and the Miller Brewing company, to name a few, he was named the Head of Commercial Partnerships at Liverpool Football Club in 2008. After a successful five seasons in North West England, he ventured further south when being named the Commercial Director & Head of International Business Development at AS Monaco - a team then purchased by the Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev who was looking to take the entity to the very top of European football, by acquiring players such as Falcao, Jam

As the Head of Media, Marketing, and CRM at Arsenal Football club, Micheal Leavey has the overall responsibility for the club’s commercial growth ambitions. He has been with the club for over 8 years and until recently was the General Manager of the club’s media business.Leavey was formerly CEO of 10Duke Software, an advanced social media application platform working with leading global brands and broadcasters. Prior to this he was Managing Director at Mondus, a $300 million European B2B software procurement company. He has over 12 years online experience covering all aspects of social media, online brand development and effective monetization strategies.Please joins us as Michael takes us through his journey and dives into the inner workings of the commercial side of Arsenal Football Club. We discuss the team’s global marketing strategy, the key target markets, bringing an increasingly global fan base closer to the club, the challenges that all top club’s share, the important role CRM plays, exchanging

Nacido y criado en Barcelona, Joan Laporta es uno de los ejecutivos y presidentes de club más influyentes y reconocidos de la historia del fútbol. Aficionado del Barça de toda la vida, Laporta empezó a estar vinculado profesionalmente al club cuando lideró “Elefant Blau”, un grupo del que también formaban parte Albert Vicens, Jordi Moix, Alfons Godall y Albert Perrín, todos ellos futuros directivos del club, que promovieron una moción de censura contra el entonces presidente de la entidad, Josep Luis Nuñez, que no prosperó.Antes de las elecciones de 2003, Laporta formó su propia candidatura juntando a un grupo de jóvenes y exitosos empresarios de la ciudad. Gracias a que introdujeron un toque de modernidad, tácticas innovadoras de management, nuevas tecnologías y sobre todo, gracias al apoyo de Johann Cruyff, la candidatura triunfó. La etapa de Laporta como presidente, 2003-2010, es sin lugar a dudas la etapa más exitosa de la historia del club. Durante su presidencia, el Barça ganó 12 títulos, incl

Grant Wahl is a Senior Writer at Sports Illustrated and a Correspondent on FOX Sports. He is by many considered the top American soccer journalist. He has interviewed and done numerous memorable and acclaimed pieces with some of the biggest names in world soccer, ranging from Jose Mourinho to David Beckham to Lionel Messi. Grant is also a New York Times best-selling author with The Beckham Experiment, a book launched in 2009 which chronicled David Beckham’s first few years as an MLS & LA Galaxy player. He recently announced the launch of his latest book, Masters of Modern Soccer, that will hit the shelves in Spring 2018 - it is currently available for pre-order on Amazon.com. Join us as we discuss his journey and go in-depth on his work at Sports Illustrated and FOX Sports, We touch on his first cover story, Who’s Your Daddy?, that put him on the map and landed him at Oprah, studying under John McPhee, the legendary Pulitzer Price winning writer, at Princeton University, interviewing superstars, his f

Martin Jacobson, known to many as “Coach Jake”, is the Coach of the Martin Luther King Jr., High School in Manhattan, the most successful team in New York City history and one of the top ranked programs in the country. The team consists of highly talented kids from underprivileged inner-city areas and immigrants mostly from West Africa, Caribbean, and South America.  Coach Jake took charge of MLK, or “Horror High” as some tabloids called it at the time, in 1994 and started to discover talent among students who had recently arrived to the country. He is as known for his off the field work as he is for winning titles, 16 NYC championships in the past 20 something years and counting, he is relentless in his pursuit to create a better life for “his kids” - goes above and beyond to help them and do what he can to make sure they have the most necessary needs, food on the table, a place to live, immigration status in order, and general support. There have been many stories and profile pieces on Coach Jake througho

Martin Jacobson, known to many as “Coach Jake”, is the Coach of the Martin Luther King Jr., High School in Manhattan, the most successful team in New York City history and one of the top ranked programs in the country. The team consists of highly talented kids from underprivileged inner-city areas and immigrants mostly from West Africa, Caribbean, and South America.  Coach Jake took charge of MLK, or “Horror High” as some tabloids called it at the time, in 1994 and started to discover talent among students who had recently arrived to the country. He is as known for his off the field work as he is for winning titles, 16 NYC championships in the past 20 something years and counting, he is relentless in his pursuit to create a better life for “his kids” - goes above and beyond to help them and do what he can to make sure they have the most necessary needs, food on the table, a place to live, immigration status in order, and general support. There have been many stories and profile pieces on Coach Jake througho

Known as the The Rocky Balboa of Criminal Defense Law, The Devil’s Advocate, and The War Machine, Joseph “Joe” Tacopina is a New York City based criminal defense lawyer and the Owner & President of Venezia Football Club in Italy.  Representing some of the most high-profile cases and clients including the NYPD, Alex Rodriguez, Jay-Z, Victoria Gotti, and Lillo Brancato, among many others, Tacopina has earned himself the reputation as one of the toughest, most fearless, and prominent attorneys in the country.  In 2011, he formed part of an American consortium of investors who purchased A.S. Roma, making it the first foreign owned team in Italian football, and becoming the Vice President and Vice-Chairman of the board of directors. In 2014 he became an owner and Chairman of Bologna F.C., a position he held for a brief period before purchasing Venezia F.C. in October 2015. At the time, the team was in the 4th division and only two seasons later, after gaining consecutive promotions, the team is now in Serie

Known as the The Rocky Balboa of Criminal Defense Law, The Devil’s Advocate, and The War Machine, Joseph “Joe” Tacopina is a New York City based criminal defense lawyer and the Owner & President of Venezia Football Club in Italy.  Representing some of the most high-profile cases and clients including the NYPD, Alex Rodriguez, Jay-Z, Victoria Gotti, and Lillo Brancato, among many others, Tacopina has earned himself the reputation as one of the toughest, most fearless, and prominent attorneys in the country.  In 2011, he formed part of an American consortium of investors who purchased A.S. Roma, making it the first foreign owned team in Italian football, and becoming the Vice President and Vice-Chairman of the board of directors. In 2014 he became an owner and Chairman of Bologna F.C., a position he held for a brief period before purchasing Venezia F.C. in October 2015. At the time, the team was in the 4th division and only two seasons later, after gaining consecutive promotions, the team is now in Serie

As the Managing Director of the Americas, which includes South, Central, and North America, Arno Trabesinger has the overall responsibility for the club’s growth ambitions across commercial partnerships, sponsorships, marketing, the foundation, and the academies in the region. The ultimate goal is to make Barça the most recognizable brand and most global sports team in the world. Originally from a small town in Austria, Arno started his career with Weirather-Wenzel & Partner S.L, WWP, one of the most prominent marketing & sponsorship agencies in Europe with clients including Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Formula 1, Red Bull, Emirates, and Moto GP, to name a few. Arno remained with the company for 17 years, rapidly rose through the ranks, opened their Barcelona office, and became the Managing Director, before being lured by F.C. Barcelona’s current President, Josep Bartomeu, to join the club as the top leader of the Americas and opening the NYC office. Join us as we delve into his career, and dive

Christian Fuchs is a former Austrian National Team Captain who plays as a left back for Leicester City in the English Premier League.  He started his professional career with SV Mattersburg in the Austrian Bundesliga, after playing the 2008 Euro Tournament with Austria, he joined the German club VfL Bochum in the Bundesliga, from there he moved onto Mainz 05 for a season, and Schalke 04 for five seasons, before landing at Leicester City in 2015.  Join us as we discuss his journey and go in-depth on his life and career, from small-town beginnings in Austria to becoming the most unlikely of Premier League champs - Leicester City winning the Premier League is considered the biggest upset in sports history. In this second part of our conversation, we delve further into Christian’s personal perspectives, touching on things such as Leicester’s incredibly successful Champions League campaign making it all the way to the Quarter-Finals before narrowly losing to Atletico Madrid, the charismatic team Chairman & O

Christian Fuchs is a former Austrian National Team Captain who plays as a left back for Leicester City in the English Premier League. He started his professional career with SV Mattersburg in the Austrian Bundesliga, after playing the 2008 Euro Tournament with Austria, he joined the German club VfL Bochum in the Bundesliga, from there he moved onto Mainz 05 for a season, and Schalke 04 for five seasons, before landing at Leicester City in 2015. Join us as we discuss his journey and go in-depth on his life and career, from his small-town beginnings in Austria to becoming the most unlikely of Premier League champs - Leicester City winning the Premier League, with odds of 5000-1, is considered the biggest upset in sports history. We delve into his playing career from the early days when he wasn’t considered good enough for his youth team, to playing 7 years in the Bundesliga, eventually ending up in the Premier League and becoming one of its main profiles, both on and off the pitch. His family lives in NYC,

Pia Sundhage is a world-renowned coach and former professional player. Most recently she was the National Team coach for Sweden from 2012 to July 2017 who she lead to an Olympic silver medal in 2016.  Prior to that she was the US National Team coach from 2007 to 2012, winning consecutive Olympic gold medals in 2008 and 2012, and as a result, earning the FIFA World Coach of the Year Award in 2013.  In this second half of our conversation, we delve further into her personal perspectives, discussing things such as inequalities between the women’s and the men’s game, her thoughts relating to fame, feminism, money, the possibility of one day coaching a men’s team, declining invitations from the White House, twice…all that and much more! Accomplishments: Playing • 146 Caps & 71 goals with Sweden National Team • 4 times Damallsvenskan champ, top Swedish league • 4 Swedish Cup titles • Euro 1984 gold • World Cup bronze, 1991 • 6th place in the voting for FIFA Women’s Player of the Cen

Pia Sundhage is a world-renowned coach and former professional player. Most recently she was the National Team coach for Sweden from 2012 to July 2017 who she lead to an Olympic silver medal in 2016.  Prior to that she was the US National Team coach from 2007 to 2012, winning consecutive Olympic gold medals in 2008 and 2012, and as a result, earning the FIFA World Coach of the Year Award in 2013.  Join us as we discuss her journey and go in-depth on her life and career, from a small-town beginning in Marbäck, Sweden, to becoming one of the most accomplished coaches in the world. A pioneer in the women’s game, she made her National Team debut at 15-years old and has remained at the elite level ever since. When she was a young girl, the only girl in town playing soccer, her coach changed her name to “Pelle”, a boy’s name, so she would be allowed to play on a "real" team. We discuss leadership, coaching styles in different cultures, her reaction when she was approached to coach the best team in the world at the

Kyle Martino is a retired professional player with a career that was cut short at 28 years old due to multiple serious injuries. He represented the Columbus Crew and LA Galaxy in the MLS, as well as the US National Team. After being forced into early retirement, and realizing he wasn’t going to achieve his dream of playing in the World Cup, he decided to get as far away from soccer as possible, which led him to an unexpected position at a Wall Street firm, right in the lead up to the 2008 financial crisis. He realized banking wasn’t for him and eventually found his way back to the game, via ESPN and Fox Sports to his current position at NBC’s Premier League coverage. Today he is considered one of the most prominent analysts in the country. Join us as we discuss his journey and go in-depth on the studio job, the behind the scenes and amount of preparation that goes into it, and what it’s like to be the only American on the show. We delve into his playing career from the early days at University of Virginia

Dennis Crowley is the Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Foursquare, a location based tech company that is used by more than 50 million people monthly across 100 countries. Previously, he founded Dodgeball, one of the first location-based mobile social services (acquired by Google in 2005). In 2015 he founded Kingston Stockade Football Club, a soccer team out of Hudson Valley, NY, that plays in the 4th tier of US Soccer. Joins us as we discuss his journey from a small-town beginning in Medway, Massachusetts, to becoming one of the tech industry’s star entrepreneurs. And today also, the owner of a semi-professional sports team. Dennis touches on his passion for building things, the state of smaller teams & leagues in US Soccer, and the ongoing promotion/relegation debate. He also shares multiple insights on how to create successful startups, turning “ideas over beers” into realities, managing teams, and a step-by-step tutorial for anyone wanting to start a soccer team. All that and much more! Foll

David Downs is one of the most prominent executives in US Soccer history with a career spanning over three decades. Today his involvement with the game is mainly spent coaching youth teams just north of NYC in Westchester County.   Most recently he served as the Commissioner of the NASL (North American Soccer League) through its first and second seasons in 2011 and 2012. Prior to the NASL he spent more than 30 years in the broadcast industry as an executive with both ABC Sports and Univision Communications. During his time at both networks, Downs successfully led negotiations with the very top leadership at FIFA to acquire the U.S. television rights to every World Cup from 1994 through the 2014 tournament.  In 2009 he was named the Executive Director of the USA bid Committee to host either the 2018 or 2022 World Cups - a bidding process where the US in the end lost out to Russia and Qatar.   We discuss his journey from the early days working as an Olympic Researcher at ABC traveling around the world pre-i

Ibrahim Ba is a retired professional player with a career spanning over 17 years. Teams included Le Havre, Bordeaux, AC Milan, Perugia, Olympique Marseille, Bolton Wanderers, Cayku Rizespor in Turkey, and Djurgården in Sweden. Currently he is working on completing the final stages of the elite level coaching license. We discuss his upbringing in Senegal and the poor suburbs of Paris, becoming a professional at Le Havre, the legendary AC Milan team coached by Fabio Capello, receiving recruitment calls from Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, and Arsenal, being cut from the French National Team a few weeks before the 1998 World Cup they ended up winning, playing with Zidane, Sam Allardyce’s management style, racism, and much more! Accomplishments Serie A Champion with AC Milan 1998-99 Italian Cup winner with AC Milan 2002-03 Swedish Champion with Djurgårdens IF 2005 Swedish Cup Winner with Djurgårdens IF 2005 8 Caps France National Team  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.