Blog

Q&A: Alistair Heath, Professional Football Coach

01 Aug, 2025

After using his Football Studies course at the University of Derby as an opportunity to gain practical experience during his teenage years, Alistair Heath cut his teeth in non-league football, coaching at Northern Premier League side Bromsgrove Rovers before becoming reserve team manager at Matlock Town. This led to him ultimately securing an academy role at West Bromwich Albion, before going on to join Leicester City's set-up and working...

Q&A: Rich Wilkinson, Support After Sport Co-founder

04 Jul, 2025

In recent years, the provision of aftercare for deselected football academy players has received increased attention, with clubs like Crystal Palace introducing schemes designed to keep ex-academy players in the game and offer help in building careers outside football. However, emotional support for these young players is still lacking, and Rich Wilkinson, founder of the not-for-profit organisation Support After Sport, is committed to...

Q&A: Nicole Allison, Worcester City Women Owner and Sports Consultant

18 May, 2025

As founder and owner of Worcester City Women, experienced sports consultant and football business professional Nicole Allison has been pioneering a new approach to structuring women's football off the pitch. Having previously worked at organisations such as the English Football League, guided Tottenham Hotspur Women's transition to full-time status as General Manager, and set up her company NA Sport in 2019 to offer consultancy, education...

Q&A: Raj Randhawa, National Refereeing EDI Delivery Manager, the FA

04 Apr, 2025

For many years, match officiating in British football has suffered from a severe lack of diversity, with no Black, Asian or Mixed Heritage officials taking charge of a Premier League match as referee between 2008 (when Uriah Rennie retired) and 2023 (when Sam Allison began refereeing in the top flight). Over the last two years, the Football Association's new Refereeing Strategy has focused on addressing this issue, with Raj Randhawa heading...

Q&A: Alexandra Gomez Bruinewoud, FIFPRO Legal Director

01 Apr, 2025

Born and raised in Uruguay, a country so football-obsessed that "half of the daily news broadcast is dedicated to football!" Alexandra Gomez Bruinewoud has been passionate about the game virtually her whole life. After studying law in Montevideo and then Rotterdam, she realised she could inject this love of sports into her legal career by representing players, working on contracts between agents and football players, and campaigning for...

Career Q&A: Thomas Grønnemark, Throw-in Coach

28 Jan, 2025

Despite being a promising youth footballer who played against future stars like Thomas Gravesen and Martin Jørgensen, Danish athlete Thomas Grønnemark realised early on that he was unlikely to reach the top as a professional footballer. He therefore decided to transition into other sports, representing the Danish national athletics and bobsleigh teams in the 1990s and 2000s. Having developed a keen interest in the art of throwing over the...

Q&A: Dan Bardell, Freelance Broadcaster and Presenter

26 Apr, 2024

A lifelong Aston Villa supporter who first got involved in football media producing fan content about his local club, Dan Bardell has spent the last few years cementing himself as a familiar face in the landscape of UK football broadcasting. For several years, he presented The Athletic Football Podcast, before going on to work on a freelance basis for TV and radio broadcasters such as Sky Sports News and Talksport. As part of our series of...

Q&A: Liam Henshaw, Data Analyst & Scout

12 Mar, 2024

After developing a strong interest in analysis while studying Sports Coaching at Leeds Beckett University, data analyst and scout Liam Henshaw spent several years building up his skills and developing a portfolio while working as a football trader and supervisor in the gambling industry. Freelance employment at different professional clubs and agencies ultimately led him to his current cole as a Data Analyst and Scout in the recruitment team...

Q&A: Jonathan Hill, Football Analyst

12 Jan, 2024

In the last decade, the role of analysis in football has grown exponentially. Clubs are placing more focus on detailed video and live assessment of performances than ever before, and as a result a variety of opportunities have opened up for sports professionals with a passion for this side of the game. Clubs are switched on to the benefits of scouring far and wide for excellent tacticians and thinkers, and a number of analysts are finding...

Nige Tassell Q&A: Author and Freelance Football Writer

08 Nov, 2023

Having cut his teeth as a music journalist, Nige Tassell began writing for sports publications such as FourFourTwo and When Saturday Comes in 2013, publishing his first book on football, The Bottom Corner, in 2016. A deep dive into the world of non-league football that coincided with the rise of Leicester's non-league poster boy Jamie Vardy and high-profile cup runs from clubs like Lincoln City, it was described by legendary commentator Barry...

Geir Jordet: Sports Psychologist and Scanning Expert

15 Aug, 2023

"There are so many ways you can create a career in football," says Geir Jordet, PhD, discussing his unique pathway within the industry. A Professor at the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, Jordet has gained widespread recognition for his work researching, teaching, and consulting on psychology and elite performance in football. For over 20 years, he has worked with leading clubs, organisations, coaches, and individual players, targeting the...

Bartek Sylwestrzak: Ball Striking Specialist Q&A

15 Jun, 2023

In recent years, the role of specialist coaching in football has grown significantly. In order to achieve marginal gains on the pitch, various clubs have increased their focus on set piece coaching , or training in breathing exercises and sleep. However, there's one crucial area of specialist coaching that remains hugely under-explored: ball striking. Bartek Sylwestrzak has dedicated his career to studying this field. Over the course of...

Blog Categories