Intersections: A podcast by The Connect cover art

Intersections: A podcast by The Connect

Intersections: A podcast by The Connect

By: The Connect
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Intersections podcast dives into the overlapping layers of brand partnerships, and the overall sports and entertainment business world. The Connect is Rayde Luis Baez. Rayde Luis Baez, is a Dominican born, passionate partnership builder based in Europe with strong relations with the top brands and properties across the world. Find out more at: https://theconnect.co/The Connect
Episodes
  • Football Investment: Five Years Later | Jordan Gardner on MCOs, Infrastructure, Capital & Ownership

    Football Investment: Five Years Later | Jordan Gardner on MCOs, Infrastructure, Capital & Ownership
    Jun 10 2026

    Football Investment: Five Years Later | Jordan Gardner on MCOs, Infrastructure, Capital & Sports Ownership


    Five years ago, as part of the United States of Soccer series, I sat down with Jordan Gardner to explore football through an American investor’s lens.

    At the time, multi-club ownership was accelerating, institutional capital was pouring into the game, and many believed professionalization would transform football.

    Five years, multiple market cycles, and countless ownership experiments later, we revisit those themes with a much clearer view of what has worked, what hasn’t, and what comes next.

    How can clubs in the English Premier League and Championship—with sold-out stadiums, global audiences, massive media rights revenues, and worldwide commercial reach—still lose money?

    In this special episode, Jordan and I discuss football investment, multi-club ownership, infrastructure, financial sustainability, and the future of sports ownership.

    From private equity and private credit to the impact of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, we examine the opportunities, risks, and contradictions shaping modern sport.


    Topics Covered

    ⚽ What held true—and what proved wrong—about football investment

    ⚽ The realities of Multi-Club Ownership (MCO)

    ⚽ Fan backlash, regulation, and governance challenges

    ⚽ Debt, private credit, and financial sustainability

    ⚽ Why infrastructure may be a better investment than clubs

    ⚽ MLS, NWSL, Liga MX, and the 2026 FIFA World Cup

    ⚽ The growing influence of Middle Eastern capital

    ⚽ Where Jordan would invest if starting today


    About Jordan Gardner

    Jordan Gardner is an investor, operator, and football executive who has owned and operated clubs across Europe. He currently serves as Chairman and Operating Partner of Kelty Hearts FC and advises investment groups evaluating opportunities in global football.

    About the United States of Soccer Series

    United States of Soccer explored the business of football through the perspective of American investors, executives, owners, and operators. This special episode revisits one of the series’ most popular conversations five years later.

    About The Connect

    The Connect is a strategic advisory and business development platform helping organizations, investors, brands, and rights holders create value through partnerships, market expansion, and commercial growth across sports, entertainment, tourism, and media.

    About SPORTHINK

    SPORTHINK is an international sports business advisory firm focused on strategy, commercialization, investment advisory, and venue development for clubs, leagues, federations, investors, and governments.

    About Rayde Luis Báez

    Rayde Luis Báez is an international sports business executive, investor, and advisor with more than 20 years of experience across sports, entertainment, media, and commercial partnerships. He is the Global Revenue Director of Dubai Basketball and founder of The Connect.


    Share your thoughts in the comments.


    #FootballInvestment #FootballBusiness #SportsBusiness #MultiClubOwnership #SportsOwnership #Football #Soccer #FIFA #WorldCup
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    45 mins
  • The United States of Soccer (Series): Charlie Stillitano, Executive Chairman at Relevent Sports

    The United States of Soccer (Series): Charlie Stillitano, Executive Chairman at Relevent Sports
    Aug 9 2021
    On this series of “Intersections: a podcast by The Connect”, we wanted to go a bit deeper on the analysis of football or soccer as a business from the United States perspective, and setup a series of conversations with executives and personalities that we admire, that through their vast experience as player, investor, team owner, agent, business developer, and promoter, we would extract a wealth of knowledge about the next decade of football business, and how North America is positioned as the next frontier for growth. For Episode 5, the final of this current series, we have someone that is regarded by the industry as a whole as one of the top soccer business executives in the world, Charlie Stillitano, Executive Chairman at Relevent Sports. Of deep Italian and soccer heritage, Charlie is a lawyer and former All-American soccer player at Princeton, and has played a vital role in the development of soccer in the United States in the last 30 years, from his appointment as venue director for Giants Stadium at the 1994 World Cup, going through the formation of Major League Soccer in 1996, when he became became the general manager of the New York/New Jersey MetroStars. His deep connections into the global soccer world led him to create in 2003 the promoter ChampionsWorld, before moving on to Creative Arts Agency (organizers of the World Football Challenge) in 2007. The latter acquired by Miami Dolphins owner Stephen M. Ross' agency, Relevent Sports in 2012, from which Charlie leads a multinational team of professionals that developed and run the International Champions Cup, and the joint-venture with Spanish LaLiga to develop LaLiga's brand and business in North America. Watch more: https://linktr.ee/TheConnect www.TheConnect.co
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    48 mins
  • The United States of Soccer (Series): Justin Papadakis, COO & Chief Real Estate Officer at USL

    The United States of Soccer (Series): Justin Papadakis, COO & Chief Real Estate Officer at USL
    Aug 2 2021
    On this series of “Intersections: a podcast by The Connect”, we wanted to go a bit deeper on the analysis of football or soccer as a business from the United States perspective, and setup a series of conversations with executives and personalities that we admire, that through their vast experience as player, investor, team owner, agent, business developer, and promoter, we would extract a wealth of knowledge about the next decade of football business, and how North America is positioned as the next frontier for growth. On Episode 4 we welcome Justin Papadakis, who is the current COO & Chief Real Estate Officer of United Soccer League (USL), the largest, fastest growing professional soccer organization in the United States. In his current role, Justin oversees numerous departments that are critical to the league’s success, including expansion, digital media, emerging technology, finance, human resources, and stadium development where the USL currently has a slate of more than 15 soccer stadium developments, for a total sum of more than $500 Million of stadia development investment value, part of more than $2 Billion worth of city-centre entertainment district developments, that place a USL soccer franchise at the center of it all. Watch more: https://linktr.ee/TheConnect www.TheConnect.co
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    41 mins
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