Today, we’re going headfirst back into the world of the tier one football executive. Peter Moore is the former CEO of Liverpool, the man who oversaw the clubs return to the top of English and European football. Working alongside Jurgen Klopp from 2017-2020, this was one of the most effective ‘performance x business’ relationships in modern football. How do you win on the pitch and build value off it?

Peter does not wrap his achievements in the on-field success experienced during his tenure; as you’ve just heard, it is the rediscovered affection and identity that fans found with the club that demonstrates a job well done. That’s quite an extraordinary stance for a CEO to have. Commercial maximisation and fan sentiment are hard to balance, and while there is always conflict over ticket prices or pre-season tours, we get something here which seems to recognise the importance of the club/fan relationship and asset value maximisation.

An interesting time to be having this chat considering Liverpool’s recent struggles on the pitch and the Mo Salah situation, there is also plenty to go into around his role with Wrexham and the rise to prominence of football in the US. We’re delighted to welcome Peter to the Business of Sport.

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

06:10 Getting the Call to be Liverpool CEO

09:15 "I Probably Wasn't A Good Fit For The Role"

11:47 Not Involved in Football Transfers

18:17 Google x Liverpool

20:04 Liverpool is Immune to Winning & Losing

22:23 Magic of Jurgen Klopp

34:19 Funny Story: Did Liverpool Tap Up VVD?

37:19 The Power of Star Players

39:45 Mo Should’nt Have Said That

46:53 Socialist Roots in a Capitalist Football Club

52:44 Did Peter Get On With The Owners?

54:13 Wrexham: Peter's Involvement

On today’s show we discuss:

How a Modern Football Club Really Works:

• How a Scouse kid who grew up in a pub ended up running a $7B gaming company and then Liverpool FC.

• Breaking down the structure: Jurgen Klopp in football, Michael Edwards on the balance-sheet, Billy Hogan on commercial, and Peter on operations.

• Running matchdays, hosting rival owners, managing 800 staff, and being the global face of a club with hundreds of millions of fans.

• Why his leadership philosophy ultimately distilled into four C’s: Community, Civic, Commercial and Culture

Building the Liverpool Business Machine:

• How Liverpool rebuilt its commercial spine: CRM, global fan acquisition, digital content, funnel strategy, and personalisation.

• How global content like Inside Anfield reshaped the club’s relationship with 99% of fans who will never visit the stadium.

• Why the F&B and stadium expansion debate is about operational flow, not squeezing fans and how multi-generational matchday culture shapes decision-making.

Jurgen Klopp, Culture & the Power of a Manager:

• The first moment he met Klopp and why he instantly thought: “This man is a modern Shankly.”

• Why the culture around Klopp, not individual players, is what the fans ultimately defend… including during moments like the current Mo Salah dispute.

• The unique Scouse belief that “the badge is bigger than any player”, and how that gives Liverpool a cultural advantage.

Celebrity Ownership, Wrexham & the Power of Content:

• The story of how Rob McElhenney showed up at his house to recruit him for Wrexham.

• Why he advised them early on and helped legitimise the project, including getting Wrexham into FIFA.

• Breaking down what Reynolds and McElhenney get right and why content is the real multiplier modern clubs underestimate.

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

Stryde

Bringing sports investment opportunities to your door. Visit http://www.gostryde.com to become part of the movement!

Today we welcome a true sporting legend. Bryan Habana is a 100+ cap Springbok, a World Champion and joint highest tryscorer in Rugby World Cup history, a man who races cheetahs. As I’m sure you’ve noted this is our longest show yet. That is because it’s also one of the best. Rugby sits at the heart of it, but the personal stories bring a side to an elite athlete we rarely see. There are moments in this where we were shocked at what happened to Bryan and inspired by how he navigated the demands of his performance while experiencing immense personal turmoil. We sat down and kept the cameras rolling.

Please excuse Harry’s dishevelled look if you’re watching; he just about made it in time out of the pouring rain, having not originally been able to make it, so we give him a pass this time. And for a bit of fun, we have a discussion debating how many global sports icons rugby has had; people that could do what Bryan did and stand alongside Thierry Henry, Roger Federer and Tiger Woods in a Gillette advert. We’re not talking legendary rugby players, we’re talking global superstars. Comment who you think sits in that category below and we can move the debate of the best answers to our socials.

On today’s show we discuss:

The Making of a World Champion:

• The discipline and sacrifice required to compete at the top for 15 years.

• Why Bryan believes greatness is built, not born, and the mindset that allowed him to sustain elite standards.

• His philosophy on resilience, humility and redefining success beyond tries, trophies and fame.

Money, Trust & the Hidden Vulnerability of Athletes:

• The psychological crash that hits athletes after retirement and why so many feel lost without structure, identity or purpose.

• The shocking story of how Bryan’s trusted advisor mismanaged and spent years of his commercial earnings.

• The lessons he believes every young professional must learn about protecting their finances and their future.

The Springboks Blueprint for Success:

• Why South Africa has become the most consistently dominant rugby nation in the modern era.

• The culture, leadership structure, and alignment that underpin the team’s identity.

• Rassie Erasmus’s role in transforming the Springboks and why empowerment and clarity are central to their success.

The Future of Rugby:

• Why rugby cannot survive without global calendar alignment, better storytelling and more connection to young fans.

• How commercial realities, travel demands and private equity influence the sport’s next decade.

• Why Habana believes rugby must modernise fast or risk losing cultural relevance.

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

Bringing sports investment opportunities to your door. Visit http://www.gostryde.com to become part of the movement!

Hello and welcome to Business of Sport: The Breakdown, a brand new show where we will be reviewing the week’s biggest stories from sport business. Hosted by Charlie Stebbings & Charlie Methven, the former CEO of Sunderland and Charlton among multiple other roles in sport with organisations such as McLaren and The Jockey Club,The Breakdown will analyse the biggest commercial, financial, and strategic stories shaping global sports.

To prepare for the full launch in January, this week we are releasing the pilot, aimed at getting this show ready to deliver for you! We want your feedback, comments, suggestions and ideas to make this the place you can get your weekly fill of the business of sport.

So why are we doing this? Well as we continue to rattle on about on the interview show, the business of sport has never been of more importance or more relevance to fans, to executives, to investors, to athletes. And the current news needs a bit of digesting. We will be talking through various stories from the week, looking at takeovers, investments, governance decisions, athlete deals…you name it, we’ll talk about it.

First up:

- Does England’s collapse in Perth create a financial problem for cricket?

- Should Ronaldo be banned for the World Cup?

- Is Toto Wolff’s part sale of Mercedes a worry for F1?

- What are the ramifications of Anthony Joshua’s fight with Jake Paul?

This is Business of Sport: The Breakdown

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In Today's Show We Discuss:

00:00 Intro

04:05 The Cost Of England’s Ashes Collapse

17:04 AJ + Jake Paul: Business Before Belts

29:27 When Ronaldo’s Marketing Beats The Rulebook / The Ronaldo Effect

35:02 Wolff’s 15% Shake-Up: Win Or Warning