Moneyball - The Business of Sport

Just over a week before Anthony de Ceglie stepped down as CEO of the Perth Bears, he joined Scott Keenan on Moneyball for an in-depth conversation about building the NRL’s newest club from scratch. What was originally a discussion about launching a professional sports franchise in AFL-mad Perth now offers a fascinating snapshot of de Ceglie’s priorities and mindset immediately before his departure. Anthony talks about building the Bears on a “very short runway”, competing with the PNG Chiefs for attention and talent, dealing with criticism and why his personal mantra was to “ignore the noise”. And when Scott asks what he would do differently if he had his time again, Anthony’s answer is striking in hindsight: governance. They also discuss the commercial strategy behind the Perth Bears — memberships, sponsorship, mining and resources, New Balance, merchandise, fan data, North Sydney heritage and the challenge of creating a club Western Australians feel belongs to them. Recorded before Anthony de Ceglie stepped down as Perth Bears CEO. Moneyball – The Business of Sport goes behind the deals, decisions, culture and commercial forces shaping the sports we love. Hosted by Scott Keenan. Instagram / YouTube: @askmoneyball_show Email: [email protected] 00:00 Why this interview matters now 01:44 Building the Perth Bears from scratch 04:33 Competing for attention in Western Australia 10:26 Perth, North Sydney and building belonging 15:04 Perth Bears v PNG Chiefs 17:40 Handling criticism and “the noise” 20:11 Sponsorship, mining and resources 22:07 New Balance and the Bears as a lifestyle brand 26:02 New jerseys and merchandise strategy 28:37 Measuring success before kick-off 30:05 What Anthony would do differently 33:29 The final challenges before Round 1 34:42 What happens next for the Perth Bears

Fox Sports is disappearing, Kayo is becoming the main sports brand, and DAZN is trying to build a much bigger business around the sports fans who watch it. Scott Keenan is joined by sports industry advisor Murray Barnett from 26West Sports to unpack why the economics of sports broadcasting are changing — and why subscriptions and advertising alone may no longer be enough to justify the enormous cost of premium sports rights. They discuss DAZN’s strategy for Foxtel and Kayo, fan data, the Sports Audience Graph, Club Kayo and the creator economy, the changing relationship between broadcasters and rights holders, and why Australia could become a test market for DAZN’s global sports strategy. If you watch cricket, rugby league, NRL, AFL, , NRLW, AFLW, NBA, NBL, NFL, Supercars or Formula 1 this episode will be of interest to you. Murray runs 26West Sports and also appears on Unbundled, part of the Unofficial Partner podcast feed. Moneyball – The Business of Sport is hosted by Scott Keenan and looks at the deals, decisions and commercial forces shaping the sport we watch.

The Newcastle Knights are back in the NRL Grand Final for the first time in 25 years — but this isn’t a Grand Final preview. It’s a conversation about belonging and why the relationship between Newcastle and its rugby league team feels different. Moneyball host Scott Keenan is joined by 1997 premiership winner Steve Crowe, Triple M Newcastle Breakfast co-host Tanya Wilks, and The Knighted creator Lincoln Ison. Crowey takes us inside Newcastle’s famous 1997 Grand Final week, including the emotional team meeting the night before the win over Manly and the extraordinary scenes as thousands of supporters sent the team to Sydney. Tanya explains what she is hearing from Newcastle as the city turns red and blue again, while Lincoln talks about experiencing this run as a modern fan and content creator, including the livestream moment that left him in tears. They also discuss Kalyn Ponga, Justin Holbrook, the fans who kept turning up through the wooden-spoon years, merchandise and membership, and a bigger sports-business question: Can a professional sporting club manufacture genuine belonging — or does Newcastle have something that simply can’t be copied? Guests Steve Crowe — Newcastle Knights 1997 premiership player, former club administrator and Newcastle business leader. Tanya Wilks — co-host of Triple M Newcastle Breakfast and a fixture of Newcastle radio for more than 25 years. Radio Today Lincoln Ison — rugby league content creator and host of The Knighted, covering the Newcastle Knights through previews, reviews and fan-led content. Apple Podcasts Moneyball – The Business of Sport pulls back the curtain on the deals, decisions, people and commercial forces shaping sport. Hosted by Scott Keenan, sports-business commentator and communications strategist. YouTube: @moneyball_show Instagram: @moneyball_show Contact: [email protected]

Has the NRL got its Grand Final entertainment strategy completely wrong? The NRL is heading into its biggest game of the year without a headline entertainment act after talks with Tones and I fell apart. Peter V’landys has questioned whether spending around $1 million on 11 minutes of entertainment represents value — but is that looking at the whole thing the wrong way? Moneyball host Scott Keenan is joined by comedian and sports broadcaster Andrew “Barney” Barnett to unpack the business of Grand Final entertainment: why it matters to broadcasters, how it can attract casual audiences, the sponsorship opportunity the NRL could be missing, and what the AFL does differently with its biggest event. They also revisit some memorable Grand Final entertainment — from Tina Turner and The Kid LAROI to Billy Idol and Meat Loaf — and ask whether a sport that wants to be Australia’s biggest should be trying to make its biggest event even bigger. Andrew is the co-host of Not Another Rugby League Podcast with Steve Philp and is appearing at the Sydney Fringe Festival with Barney’s Sports vs Entertainment Comedy Showdown, at The Factory Theatre in Marrickville on October 1, 2 and 3. Tickets are available at fringecomedy.com.au.) Moneyball – The Business of Sport goes behind the deals, decisions and commercial forces shaping sport in Australia and around the world. Watch on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.

NFL Melbourne worked. More than 100,000 people packed the MCG for the NFL's first regular-season game in Australia — but the bigger question is what happens next. Can the NFL turn one enormous event into a genuine Australian market? And if it does, could its sheer commercial scale eventually become a threat to the AFL, NRL and other Australian sports? Scott Keenan is joined by AJ Maestas, founder of sports strategy and analytics firm Navigate and host of the Navigating Sports Business podcast, to unpack the business behind the NFL's push into Australia. They discuss why the NFL chose Melbourne and the MCG, where Australia fits into the league's international expansion strategy, the enormous potential value of global media rights, how casual fans become long-term customers, flag football, and the very different approaches taken by the Rams and 49ers in Melbourne. They also turn the question around: if one NFL team can operate at a scale comparable with an entire Australian sporting league, what happens if the NFL starts competing more aggressively for Australian fans, sponsors, media dollars and sporting spend? AJ Maestas is the founder of Navigate, a data-driven sports and entertainment consulting firm working with leading brands, leagues, teams, universities and entertainment organisations. He is also the host of Navigating Sports Business, featuring conversations with leading decision-makers from across the sports industry. Moneyball – The Business of Sport pulls back the curtain on the deals, decisions and strategies shaping sport. Hosted by Scott Keenan, an Australian sports business commentator, Moneyball covers media rights, expansion, investment, ownership, sponsorship, broadcasting, marketing and fan growth. Contact: [email protected] Instagram: @askmoneyball_show If you want to know what's really going on in sport, you've gotta follow the money.