Because Football – Details, episodes & analysis

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Because Football

Andrew Baggaley

Sports

Frequency: 1 episode/9d. Total Eps: 105

The Because Football Podcast is all about uncovering the heart of football through individual journeys and community histories shaped by the beautiful game. We talk with leaders, decision makers, and creatives in the football /soccer industry to discuss their paths and insights they've learned along the way. The Because Football Podcast is hosted by Andrew Baggaley. Since January 2024, Andrew has travelled the world to explore soccer cultures and communities in 20 countries. Originally from Philadelphia, he has had a lifelong fascination with the game as a player, coach, and fan.

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Apple Podcasts

🇨🇦 Canada - soccer
10/02/2026
#72
🇨🇦 Canada - soccer
09/02/2026
#55

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https://www.linkedin.com/in/baggaleyandrew/
126 shares
https://www.linkedin.com/company/because-football-media/
81 shares
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremy-alumbaugh/
13 shares

https://www.instagram.com/becausefootball_
132 shares
https://www.instagram.com/transformsoccer_
28 shares
https://www.instagram.com/icarusfootball

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Score global : 53%

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How Pro Soccer Clubs can Boost Attendance and Revenue | Jim McCarthy

Episode 98

Wednesday, February 4, 2026 • Duration 56:18

What if the biggest thing holding your club back isn't the product on the pitch but the lack of a clear, open conversation with fans?

In Episode 98 of the Because Football Podcast, we chat with Jim McCarthy about everything he's learned regarding building and serving fans over a 25 year career that he has spent supporting over 2 million events for tens of millions of customers.

As founder of Impresario Strategic Growth Services and former CEO of Goldstar, he's now focused on one thing: helping professional soccer clubs fill stadiums and build sustainable audiences.

In this conversation, Jim breaks down why most clubs get pricing wrong, what "right-size stadiums" really means, and why the 2026 World Cup might have a marketing problem nobody's talking about.

We dig into the differences in approaching how to attract families vs young adults vs casual fans — and why "seats are raw materials" that need to be turned into products for specific people.

He also shares his informed guesses about FIFA's ticketing model for the World Cup and why there may be some light at the end of the tunnel for hopeful fans who feel priced out.

Whether you're running a USL club, building a supporter group, or just trying to understand the business side of the game you love - Jim drops tons of actionable knowledge in this one.

Connect with Jim here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcmccarthy/

https://impresariostrategic.com/

Connect with Because Football here:

⁠https://www.youtube.com/@BecauseFootball_⁠

⁠https://www.instagram.com/becausefootball_/⁠

⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/baggaleyandrew/⁠

⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/because-football-media/⁠

Need help with your content strategy and production? We can help.

To get in contact with us, email becausefootballmedia [at] ⁠gmail.com⁠

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Adding AI to Your Soccer Club's Content Strategy | Isabel Freedman

Episode 97

Wednesday, January 28, 2026 • Duration 33:11

In Episode 97 of the Because Football Podcast, we chat with Isabel Freedman, Emerging Technology Partnerships Lead at Wasabi Technologies. Isabel shares how she leads go-to-market strategy for emerging technologies spanning AI, sports, media and entertainment.

Wasabi Technologies is changing how professional sports organizations can leverage AI-power intelligent media storage to quickly locate every highlight and moment across their media archives. Isabel shares how the company has helped their partner Liverpool FC with this feature and even partnered with the club on media campaigns.

But although Wasabi is partnered with one of the world’s biggest football clubs, Isabel shares how clubs of all sizes can stay aware of how to use AI in their data storage and content creation workflows. In fact, by adopting an AI-first mindset, clubs can get a headstart on effectively tagging and archiving their data so that it’s easy to retrieve and apply for relevant stories and campaigns.

AI is here to stay so clubs need to bes tunderstand how to adopt and adapt. Club leaders professional and youth soccer clubs around the country will experience many takeaways from our discussion about how to transform their sports media workflows and enhance their content marketing.

Connect with Isabel Freedman here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/isabelfreedman/

https://wasabi.com/

Connect with Because Football here:

⁠https://www.youtube.com/@BecauseFootball_⁠

Purpose & Passion on a Wild Journey in Football | Jason Heaton, Chairman of Kernow FA & CONIFA Global Ambassador

Episode 89

Wednesday, December 3, 2025 • Duration 42:44

In episode 89 of the Because Football Podcast, we invite Jason Heaton, Chairman and Co-Founder of Kernow FA and Global Ambassador for CONIFA, for a conversation about the power of football to shape collective identity and spark joy.

As Global Business Director and General Secretary of CONIFA—the world’s second-biggest international football confederation— he helped bring opportunity and representation to millions worldwide by organizing the 2018 CONIFA World Cup in London, bringing together 16 international football teams from nations, de-facto nations, regions, minority peoples and sports isolated territories.

In this episode, we discuss the impact of Cornish football on global football history and culture, the exciting release of their new Meyba kit, and Kernow FA’s big plans for capitalizing on World Cup fever by hosting a match in Pachuca, Mexico, known as “the Cornwall of Mexico”.

Currently, Jason serves as President and co-founder of Kernow FA, Cornwall’s international football team. Now in their seventh year as CONIFA members, Kernow FA represents Cornish pride and inclusivity on the world stage—with men’s and women’s teams, and a ground-breaking inclusive team ranked number one globally,

On a personal level, we also chat about the opportunities that have presented themselves to Jason in the world of soccer, moments that seem less like conscious decisions and more like basic tenets of his reality. Purpose, passion, and footy-fueled wave of relationships sit at the heart of this conversation.

During our favorite “All-Time 5-a-Side” segment, we permit Jason two teams - a Cornish-only squad made up of local legends (including the all-time great nonleague goalscorer with 2000 goals) AND all-time greats like Maradona, Puskas, Gascoigne, and Roy Keane.

Connect with Jason Heaton here:

LinkedIn:

https://www.instagram.com/kernowfa/

Tales from Soccer's Paths Less Traveled | Steve Darby, National Team and Professional Manager

Episode 10

Wednesday, September 6, 2023 • Duration 57:01

Welcome to Episode 10 of the Because Football Podcast presented by Transform Soccer. Our guest is Steve Darby, an experienced coach who has held numerous roles at the international and club level in Australia and Asia. Steve began playing soccer in the streets of Liverpool, England and was born just a few blocks from Anfield Stadium, the home of Liverpool FC. He has held roles such as National Team Manager of Laos and the Vietnam women's team, and was assistant coach for Thailand under managers Peter Reid and Bryan Robson. He has coached professional teams in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Australia, Darby obtained his UEFA A Licence in 1979. He became an official FIFA Instructor for the Oceania region in 1981 and was the Technical Director of the Australian Soccer Federation (former name) of governing body Football Federation Australia between 1990 and 1995. His biography by Antony Sutton, "The Itinerant Coach", was published in October 2021 by Fair Play Publishing. This episode touches on what it takes to make it at the top level as a player and a coach. He also discusses how different countries can take advantage of their particular culture to inform their youth development style. He has found himself in all sorts of situations, and has had first hand access to all the glories and doldrums of the beautiful game. It's arguably the most entertaining episode we've had and we appreciate Coach Darby's impact on the game. You can learn more about Steve Darby below: Biography Available on Amazon LinkedIn

Find out more about our Transform Soccer programs here: Website Instagram LinkedIn

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Standing Up for What's Right | Chris Steel - UEFA A License Coach

Episode 9

Thursday, August 31, 2023 • Duration 01:07:27

Welcome to Episode 9 of the Because Football Podcast presented by Transform Soccer. Our guest is Chris Steel, a former professional player, coach, and club director with 22 years of experience on 4 different continents. He holds UEFA A & UEFA Elite Youth A Licences. Chris began playing soccer as a boy in Glasgow, Scotland on red ash pitches and very quickly developed one sole aim for life: to become a professional footballer. That was always plan A and his passion took him to play in Australia, Hong Kong, and even a brief stint in an NCAA program in the United States. Currently, he provides Technical Director and Director of Coaching consulting for grassroots and professional clubs through Football ConneXions, a company he founded in 2018. Football ConneXions is a football consultancy aimed at progressing clubs and coaches to their next level through Strategic Planning, Player and Coach Development and Programme Implementation. Along the way, Coach Chris took his coaching badges and, influenced by his father who was also a coach, quickly grew to love developing players and helping them be the best people they could be. He coached for various youth and women's teams, ran Coerver coaching in India, and even worked as a scout and opposition analyst for professional teams in Australia. Throughout his coaching journey, he has followed his Plan A of football to countries such as Malaysia, Canada, Scotland, Australia, India, and the United States. This episode touches on the wilder side of playing professionally in Asia and exposes some of the darker side of football - coach and player misconduct, the instability and constant change of professional soccer, and the focused drive required to "make it" and be successful. Sometimes that involves taking a stand to voice concerns over mistreatment and abuse of young players, as Chris did in a recent role, and in reward for bringing the issues to light, he was fired from his role. We talked about the importance of taking a stand, regardless of the outcome, in order to do what's right and hopefully change the culture within youth clubs, teams, and even national federations. And, in between all of it, we hear Coach Chris' choice of best food in the world. I gotta be honest, he surprised me with his pick! You can learn more about Chris Steel below:

Passion and Progress in Indian Football | Ryan Roy Shah

Episode 6

Wednesday, August 9, 2023 • Duration 56:44

Welcome to Episode 6 of the Because Football Podcast presented by Transform Soccer. Our guest is Ryan Roy Shah. Coach Ryan has a UEFA B license and Masters in Sports Science and High Performance with 6+ years of coaching and management experience at schools, universities, clubs and academies. He is currently heading Pune Pioneers Football Club in Pune, India as Club Director. In this episode we discuss Ryan's journey from playing at youth and professional level and then transitioning into coaching. He explains why he chose to go through the UEFA coaching pathway, although it is cheaper and easier to qualify through the AFC and AIFF coach education system. For those without much information about Indian football, he offers a great description of how the game of football (dwarfed in support by cricket) has grown in the past decades, as well as its recent successes and challenges. In this discussion, he shares about his youth club, Pune Pioneers FC, and their values. Finally, he offers insight into a fascinating football subculture unique to India - the Kerala 7s, an annual 7v7 tournament organized by local business leaders - totally unofficial and unsanctioned- but with a more fervent following than the Indian Super League itself! You can learn more about Ryan Roy Shah below: www.instagram.com/coachryanroyofficial https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachryanroy/ https://punepioneers.com/ Find out more about our Transform Soccer programs here: https://transformsoccertraining.com/a... https://www.instagram.com/transformso... facebook.com/transformsoccer https://www.linkedin.com/in/baggaleya...

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Why Values are KEY as a Youth Soccer Club | John Adair

Episode 7

Wednesday, August 9, 2023 • Duration 46:34

Welcome to Episode 7 of the Because Football Podcast presented by Transform Soccer. Our guest is John Adair. Coach John wears many hats as the Technical Director at Buckingham United Soccer Club in the Philadelphia USA area, as well as Head Boys Soccer Coach at CB West High School. In 2023, he attained his USSF B License and was formerly the Regional Director at Coerver Coaching. He also has experience in the college game as an Assistant Coach at Georgian Court University, an NCAA Division 2 program. In this episode, we discuss how Coach John had absolutely NO natural gift for soccer and how that pushed him to work harder and fall in love with the game. From a young age, he enjoyed working with kids and teaching, which led him to his first coaching role as a 14 year old coach of a local recreational team. He talks about how youth soccer players can improve by watching their own games and how his club utilizes video analysis to highlight not only weaknesses, but strengths in a player's game. I love how coach John shares his belief in doubling down on your strengths rather than only identifying weaknesses! This is a great episode for soccer parents and players who are looking for the right club for them. Coach John shares the values of his club, Buckingham United, and how they are building a strong technical, tactical, and personal foundation for players. As he shares, sometimes they get it right, sometimes not, but they have a clear identity and have attracted families who share their values. You can learn more about Coach John and Buckingham United Soccer Club below: www.instagram.com/johnadairsocccer https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetjohnadair/ http://www.cbaasports.org/ Find out more about our Transform Soccer programs here: https://transformsoccertraining.com/a... https://www.instagram.com/transformso... facebook.com/transformsoccer https://www.linkedin.com/in/baggaleya...

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How Youth Soccer Players Can Improve | Coach Will Kemp

Episode 5

Thursday, August 3, 2023 • Duration 42:44

Episode 5 brings great insight into how coaches can develop themselves, THE EASIEST WAY FOR PLAYERS TO IMPROVE ON THEIR OWN, and fun stories of soccer adventures in the UK. It's a great one for coaches, players, and parents to enjoy and learn from. Our guest, youth soccer coach Will Kemp, is a native of South Jersey (USA) and has been involved in the beautiful game for over 25 years. In his roles as director of Kemp Soccer Development and Cohansey Soccer Club, Coach Will has trained players of all ages and levels of play, including teams that have competed in England. He has also worked alongside and learned from numerous pro level coaches across the world. In this episode, Coach Will and Coach Andrew touch on a few interesting topics. We hear about Coach Will's earliest experiences as a coach and how Arsenal's playing style impacted his perspective on the game. He shares his view on how to develop players' technique and shares a great TOP SECRET TIP about the #1 BEST WAY players can improve their skills on their own. Finally, he shares some of his favorite experiences that the game has given him, including a recent trip to the UK with his Kemp Soccer Development teams. There, his teams competed against high level professional academy sides like Manchester United, Wrexham, and Bolton Wanderers. The trip, organized by EPL Sports Tours, included professional Premier League matches, stadium tours, and sightseeing. He talks about the benefits that the tour gave to his players, both off the field and on it! Similar to Coach Andrew and Transform Soccer, Coach Will's coaching philosophy is centered on fostering an environment that develops each player's soccer I.Q. while supporting them in finding their passion in life. He believes that players must trust themselves and have confidence at all times both on and off the field. Players must compete with themselves daily to become a better individual. You can follow Coach Will and his programs here: https://youtube.com/@UCLPIZz--lAvkSuuJDCbYhcA https://www.kempsoccer.com/https://www.instagram.com/kempsoccerdevelopment/ Find out more about our Transform Soccer programs here: https://transformsoccertraining.com/about-transform-soccer/https://www.instagram.com/transformsoccer_/ facebook.com/transformsoccer https://www.linkedin.com/in/baggaleyandrew/

What I’ve Learned About North American Soccer in the Last 6 Months | Andrew Baggaley, Because Football Media Host

Episode 88

Wednesday, November 26, 2025 • Duration 28:31

For Episode 88of the Because Football Podcast, we're trying a solo format. Rather than interviewing an amazing guest from the world of soccer, our host Andrew Baggaley will be sharing updates on our ”Road Trip to the World Cup Series” that has taken us to 8 of the 16 host cities thus far.

He’ll also discuss what opportunities he sees for clubs and brands to take advantage of World Cup fever, some of the most poignant stories we’ve shared on the series, as well as insights gained into soccer media and event planning.

Connect with Because Football here:

⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@BecauseFootball_⁠⁠

⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/becausefootball_/⁠⁠

⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/baggaleyandrew/⁠⁠

⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/because-football-media/⁠⁠

Have you ever considered creating your own podcast? We can help!

To get in contact with us, email becausefootballmedia [at] ⁠gmail.com⁠

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What truly is fan engagement in professional football? Transparency, Dialogue, and Governance | Kevin Rye, Think Fan Engagement

Episode 87

Wednesday, November 19, 2025 • Duration 36:23

In Episode 87 of the Because Football Podcast, we chat with Kevin Rye, Founder of Think Fan Engagement. Kevin tells us how his early experiences as a fan of AFC Wimbledon made him aware of the importance of the formal relationship between clubs and their fans. This goes beyond matchday experiences and performance on the field, but creating structures, regulations, and formalized relationships between clubs and their supporters clubs.

After a decade managing a network of over 200 football clubs & member organisations in England & Europe with Supporters Direct, Kevin founded Think Fan Engagement to work with clubs & other rights holders, brands and other organisations who seek to understand fans and the relationships they have with their clubs, while strongly advocating a culture of listening.

This is a critical conversation that address some of the most pressing issues in modern football.

Connect with Kevin and Think Fan Engagement here:

https://fanengagement.net/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/eleni-hitchcock/

⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/thinkfanengagement/

Connect with Because Football here:

⁠https://www.youtube.com/@BecauseFootball_⁠

⁠https://www.instagram.com/becausefootball_/⁠