Ryan Sparks, Bradford City CEO: ‘We’re a Big Club But We Haven’t had Enough Big Success’ (Ep72)

Today we’re delighted to welcome Bradford City CEO Ryan Sparks to the show. Promotions don’t come much more dramatic than Bradford City’s 96th minute winner on the final day of the season to seal promotion to league one. We know how important it is to move through the leagues for both the business and performance side of clubs.

Bradford is a team with immense support, Premier League history, a 25,000 seater stadium…but it’s been a chaotic 25 years since leaving the premier league. Administration, relegations, England's 4th tier, cup finals; moments of real lows with a sprinkling of hope. That’s football to most.

We primarily think of the extreme pressure and scrutiny in football falling on the players, but executives shoulder a huge portion of that too. Once the youngest CEO in the EFL at 29, it hasn’t always been smooth sailing for Ryan. But with the first major steps achieved, this is the man in charge of restoring a great club’s successes with the platform now to build from.

On today’s show we discuss:

How Promotion was Achieved:

• The story (from the boardroom) and that crazy final day which saw Bradford promoted with almost the last kick of the season.
• How does the performance and business sides of the club differ when it comes to handling the pressures of results.
• What needs to be in place to achieve promotion, and how well are the club set up to perform in League One?
• How do the finances of Bradford compare to other teams in League Two and does success correlate with financial capabilities?
• Recovering from previous relegations and the impact past failures had on being able to bounce back.

Business of Bradford:

• How to create a stable £8-9m business in League Two.
• What areas of the business and most influential in generating revenue for the club and how does it compare to other teams in the division?
• Being careful not to fall into the major problem in football finances today; sustainability defined as ‘sustainable losses’.
• What is the economic impact of promotion?
• Does having a 25,000 seater stadium significantly increase the earning potential of Bradford, or is there a downside?

EFL Opportunities and Challenges:

• How have Wrexham and Birmingham (among others) impacted the financial demands on clubs in lower league football?
• How the new media deal actually did not favour Bradford…why did they still vote for it?
• ‘The English Pyramid’ is the greatest footballing institution in football; how do you protect its financial capabilities while continuing to celebrate Premier League success?
• Can a football club really protect itself from overspending?

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