Noel Mooney is the CEO of the Welsh FA. So, what does it take to run an international football organisation? It’s a question I’ve wanted to ask from day one, and today we get to. It has been a great few years for Welsh football. Multiple tournament appearances including an iconic 2016 Euro semi final, superstar players like Gareth Bale, a team which at the moment looks like one of the most together units in the international game, and now a big World Cup play off coming up at the end of the month. Noel Mooney is the man behind the scenes in charge of leading both the international team and overseeing domestic football in Wales. It’s no small job. How do you get the professional end firing while making sure grassroots and participation is building for future success? A fresh take with a truly fantastic leader. We’re delighted to welcome Noel to the Business of Sport.

In Today's Show We Discuss:

Building Modern Welsh Football

• How qualifying for Qatar 2022 unlocked £40–50m in grassroots investment

• Why the FAW deliberately runs a “non-qualification” budget model

• Turning World Cup prize money into long-term infrastructure

• Why Wales doesn’t own a national stadium and why that might be an advantage

• Centralised TV rights, sponsorship strategy and government funding

Growing the Welsh League & Attracting Investors

• Why investing £4m into the domestic league is a calculated risk

• The Wrexham effect and why Wales is “ripe for investment”

• Whether the league could eventually sit outside the FAW structure

Politics, Performance & Global Tournaments

• Managing Qatar 2022 and the One Love armband controversy

• Expanding World Cups to 48 teams and what that means for smaller nations

• Why Craig Bellamy is “world class” and destined for the very top

A huge thank you to our amazing partners on the show:

Gemini Sports

We empower the most confident sports organisations on Earth https://geminisports.ai/

Slate

The complete content creation platform for social teams https://slateteams.com/

Some huge football topics in the last few weeks and an amazing response to both the Spurs and Leicester situations which unfortunately for both do not look like they’re improving. However it’s the turn of Eileen Gu to stand tall this week, and after more gleeful messages than I can relay, an inevitable review of the rumoured boycotting of Pakistan players by Indian owned Hundred franchises. Add to that a look at the impact of referees losing confidence in VAR and we have ourselves a Breakdown.

Matt Richards is a double Olympic Champion and silver medallist in the pool, winning a historic back to back relay title and falling agonisingly short of individual gold in the 200m freestyle (2 hundredths of a second to be precise). And that won’t be the end of it; LA28 is firmly in his sights.

At the age of 23, he has achieved more than most will in their whole career. You would think as an Olympic gold medallist, the world opens up to, and in some ways it does. But as he describes, these are athletes surviving on tiny salaries, reliant on sponsorship and external funding, all competing for the same dollars. So Matt decided to do something about it. He’s now not only an elite swimmer, but also a business owner looking to empower more athletes with the control over their revenue generating opportunities. I have put a link below to check out the platform. A special guy with a huge amount still to come. We loved this and I hope you do too. We’re delighted to welcome Matt to the Business of Sport.

Olympic Gold & The Reality Behind It:

• Winning gold in Tokyo at 18 and why it did not feel how he expected.

• The brutal 0.02 second Olympic silver in Paris and how he reset overnight.

• What actually changes after you become Olympic champion and how fast the buzz fades.

The Money Behind Olympic Sport:

• £28,000 lottery funding and what swimmers really earn.

• Why most Team GB athletes make nothing outside sponsorship.

• The three month Olympic window to monetize success without harming performance.

Building a Business While Chasing Gold:

• Launching Sponsor while competing at the highest level.

• Why athletes must see themselves as marketing assets.

• Balancing brand building, training, and the risk of distraction.

Pressure, Process & The LA 2028 Target:

• Calling himself Olympic champion at eight years old.

• The Olympic Village chaos, illness, and racing through adversity.

• Turning silver into fuel as he targets individual gold in LA.

A huge thank you to our amazing partners on the show:

Gemini Sports

We empower the most confident sports organisations on Earth https://geminisports.ai/

Slate

The complete content creation platform for social teams https://slateteams.com/

Seat Unique

Discover your next premium experience https://wgl.io/s10it7

AND check out Sponza, Matt’s business to revolutionise sponsorship for athletes & brands https://sponza.co.uk/