1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:03,600 Speaker 1: Now England's Lionesses will take on Spain in Sunday's Women's 2 00:00:03,600 --> 00:00:07,840 Speaker 1: European Football Championship Final. It's been a dramatic tournament filled 3 00:00:07,840 --> 00:00:11,640 Speaker 1: with extra time, penalty shootouts and a smattering of red cards. 4 00:00:11,960 --> 00:00:15,040 Speaker 1: This edition of the euros has also broken records for 5 00:00:15,160 --> 00:00:19,160 Speaker 1: stadium attendance and viewing figures. So with a number of 6 00:00:19,200 --> 00:00:21,840 Speaker 1: eyeballs on the women's game at an all time high, 7 00:00:22,040 --> 00:00:25,000 Speaker 1: what does it mean for investors and how they can 8 00:00:25,280 --> 00:00:28,000 Speaker 1: keep up with this momentum. Joining us now for more 9 00:00:28,120 --> 00:00:32,600 Speaker 1: is Anny Aluko, who is former England footballer, commentator, investor 10 00:00:32,640 --> 00:00:36,320 Speaker 1: and advisor to Mercury thirteen, a multi club investment group 11 00:00:36,600 --> 00:00:41,800 Speaker 1: focused on the women's game, and alongside Bloomberg reporter Tiwa Adabaio, 12 00:00:41,880 --> 00:00:46,080 Speaker 1: who follows sports closely. Welcome to both of you, Annie, 13 00:00:46,120 --> 00:00:49,160 Speaker 1: can I start with you? Ten million people at least 14 00:00:49,200 --> 00:00:52,400 Speaker 1: on TV watch the England Italy came on Tuesday. Sunday 15 00:00:52,440 --> 00:00:55,280 Speaker 1: is going to be a huge match, England facing Spain 16 00:00:55,840 --> 00:00:58,800 Speaker 1: of course in the World Cup in twenty twenty three Spain. 17 00:00:58,880 --> 00:01:03,200 Speaker 1: One important is Sunday for England and for the women's game. 18 00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:08,440 Speaker 2: Oh, it's absolutely huge, It's I'm sure it's going to 19 00:01:08,560 --> 00:01:12,360 Speaker 2: break and precedented numbers again in terms of viewing figures. Obviously, 20 00:01:12,400 --> 00:01:14,360 Speaker 2: the attendance will be you know, it will be your 21 00:01:14,400 --> 00:01:14,880 Speaker 2: full house. 22 00:01:14,920 --> 00:01:15,880 Speaker 3: In terms of the final. 23 00:01:16,160 --> 00:01:18,640 Speaker 2: I'm very glad I've got my ticket as well. I'm 24 00:01:18,680 --> 00:01:22,360 Speaker 2: going to the bars or tomorrow. But again, yet again, 25 00:01:22,440 --> 00:01:25,319 Speaker 2: we see another major tournament pushing the women's game forward 26 00:01:26,440 --> 00:01:29,480 Speaker 2: in terms of you know, record breaking viewing figures and 27 00:01:29,520 --> 00:01:35,279 Speaker 2: attendance and brands really activating and investing around the sport. 28 00:01:35,480 --> 00:01:38,560 Speaker 2: So it's just it's brilliant to see. You know, I 29 00:01:38,600 --> 00:01:41,399 Speaker 2: always think about the next generation of young girls and 30 00:01:41,400 --> 00:01:44,320 Speaker 2: boys who are being inspired as well, what the impact 31 00:01:44,360 --> 00:01:47,960 Speaker 2: that has on shirt sales, you know, what impact that 32 00:01:48,000 --> 00:01:51,120 Speaker 2: has on and on just the sort of ecosystem of 33 00:01:51,120 --> 00:01:52,760 Speaker 2: women's football in general. 34 00:01:54,760 --> 00:01:58,520 Speaker 4: Hi, Annie, just talking about that sort of next generation. 35 00:01:58,680 --> 00:02:01,520 Speaker 4: As you're mentioning with that in mind, you're a you're 36 00:02:01,520 --> 00:02:04,640 Speaker 4: an advisor and investor to Marcuri thirteen. You mentioned a 37 00:02:04,640 --> 00:02:08,200 Speaker 4: strategic investor in women's football. What are you doing there 38 00:02:08,280 --> 00:02:10,720 Speaker 4: to take this game to the next level and really 39 00:02:10,760 --> 00:02:14,160 Speaker 4: capitalized on that momentum. 40 00:02:14,320 --> 00:02:17,200 Speaker 2: Yeah, I think it's really about making sure with Marcury 41 00:02:17,320 --> 00:02:24,080 Speaker 2: thirteen that we are creating clubs that really are forward 42 00:02:24,120 --> 00:02:30,200 Speaker 2: thinking in women's football and don't necessarily replicate the structures 43 00:02:30,200 --> 00:02:33,440 Speaker 2: and the infrastructure of men's football. And to give you 44 00:02:33,520 --> 00:02:36,239 Speaker 2: an example of that, you know, we are, for example, 45 00:02:36,320 --> 00:02:42,680 Speaker 2: creating viewing experiences for stakeholders that is very, very different 46 00:02:42,760 --> 00:02:47,799 Speaker 2: to you know, how football is viewed traditionally in sort 47 00:02:47,840 --> 00:02:53,040 Speaker 2: of pubs or bars. It's it's more of an elevated 48 00:02:53,080 --> 00:02:57,399 Speaker 2: experience around you know, luxury and dinners, and that attracts 49 00:02:57,440 --> 00:03:00,720 Speaker 2: certain brands. In terms of what we're doing for the players, 50 00:03:00,760 --> 00:03:03,280 Speaker 2: it's again it's you know, are we investing in the 51 00:03:03,320 --> 00:03:06,800 Speaker 2: future of the players in terms of their their careers. 52 00:03:07,800 --> 00:03:12,520 Speaker 2: So just creating a complete different future landscape for women's football. 53 00:03:12,560 --> 00:03:16,240 Speaker 2: That means that it's a property that is an investable property, 54 00:03:16,320 --> 00:03:20,440 Speaker 2: but investable in a way that it's distinct and it 55 00:03:20,480 --> 00:03:24,520 Speaker 2: can stand alone. So I'm really excited to always be 56 00:03:24,560 --> 00:03:27,519 Speaker 2: part of sort of the future shaping of a new 57 00:03:27,600 --> 00:03:30,880 Speaker 2: future and a reimagined way of women's football. 58 00:03:31,800 --> 00:03:34,080 Speaker 4: So it sounds like you're doing something with the women's 59 00:03:34,120 --> 00:03:37,840 Speaker 4: game that really hasn't been replicated on the men's side. 60 00:03:38,360 --> 00:03:40,600 Speaker 4: Given that, is it hard to take your investors with 61 00:03:40,680 --> 00:03:43,800 Speaker 4: you sometimes because they don't necessarily have an example to 62 00:03:43,880 --> 00:03:44,200 Speaker 4: look to. 63 00:03:45,840 --> 00:03:47,840 Speaker 2: Well, yeah, I think there's definitely a sense that we 64 00:03:47,920 --> 00:03:51,760 Speaker 2: have to sell the vision. I think there's still there 65 00:03:51,800 --> 00:03:55,760 Speaker 2: is still some reticence to invest in women's football because 66 00:03:56,240 --> 00:03:59,560 Speaker 2: you know, it's still not the astronomical figures. You know, 67 00:03:59,600 --> 00:04:03,200 Speaker 2: we're still we're still building the database in terms of 68 00:04:03,240 --> 00:04:07,560 Speaker 2: what potential return on investment looks like, what exits look like. 69 00:04:08,560 --> 00:04:12,280 Speaker 2: But certainly I think we have the second mover advantage 70 00:04:12,520 --> 00:04:15,440 Speaker 2: in women's football, where we've been able to see hundreds 71 00:04:15,440 --> 00:04:19,440 Speaker 2: of years of what the men's football has done, where 72 00:04:19,560 --> 00:04:22,960 Speaker 2: things have gone wrong, where there hasn't been financial sustainability, 73 00:04:24,400 --> 00:04:28,000 Speaker 2: you know, where there's been bad investments, and we're able 74 00:04:28,040 --> 00:04:30,479 Speaker 2: to say, okay, well let's not do that, let's do 75 00:04:30,520 --> 00:04:33,160 Speaker 2: something different. And I think there's a lot of investors 76 00:04:33,160 --> 00:04:36,599 Speaker 2: that like that and are excited about that second mover 77 00:04:36,680 --> 00:04:40,400 Speaker 2: advantage and the fact that we've got, you know, the 78 00:04:40,480 --> 00:04:45,320 Speaker 2: capability of doing things differently and attracting commercial investment that's 79 00:04:45,440 --> 00:04:49,240 Speaker 2: very different to what we've originally seen. So there's definitely 80 00:04:49,279 --> 00:04:52,719 Speaker 2: some reservation, but I think we're in a really exciting 81 00:04:52,800 --> 00:04:54,960 Speaker 2: time where there's a lot of investors want to get 82 00:04:54,960 --> 00:04:57,240 Speaker 2: on board and want to sort of jump on that 83 00:04:57,400 --> 00:04:58,960 Speaker 2: gravy train of women's football. 84 00:05:00,440 --> 00:05:03,760 Speaker 1: I mean the streaming and TV deals that have been 85 00:05:04,000 --> 00:05:07,480 Speaker 1: very hard to win, haven't they. In terms of the 86 00:05:07,520 --> 00:05:11,200 Speaker 1: infrastructure surrounding women's football. I mean, do you think that's 87 00:05:11,240 --> 00:05:16,479 Speaker 1: beginning to change? Because to my mind, it's both been 88 00:05:17,040 --> 00:05:22,239 Speaker 1: incredible the speed at which the interest in women's football 89 00:05:22,279 --> 00:05:25,440 Speaker 1: has increased, you know, having come from such a low bit, 90 00:05:25,480 --> 00:05:28,320 Speaker 1: there was such resistance for such a long time, and 91 00:05:28,360 --> 00:05:31,279 Speaker 1: then in recent years this huge speeding up. But what 92 00:05:31,400 --> 00:05:34,760 Speaker 1: about investing actually in those bigger stadiums, in the streaming 93 00:05:34,839 --> 00:05:35,680 Speaker 1: deals and so on. 94 00:05:36,920 --> 00:05:40,440 Speaker 2: Yeah, I think in terms of broadcasting and streaming, I 95 00:05:40,440 --> 00:05:44,919 Speaker 2: think in general it's a difficult market in general, but 96 00:05:45,040 --> 00:05:49,000 Speaker 2: I think with when it comes to women's football, there's 97 00:05:49,040 --> 00:05:53,520 Speaker 2: still it's still quite new in terms of broadcasting broadcasters 98 00:05:53,640 --> 00:05:58,200 Speaker 2: investing in the rights. For example, this Euros is the 99 00:05:58,240 --> 00:06:01,239 Speaker 2: first Euros were BBC and it you have shared the rights. 100 00:06:01,680 --> 00:06:06,520 Speaker 2: The last Euros was simpler, was exclusively BBC, So that's 101 00:06:06,600 --> 00:06:07,160 Speaker 2: quite new. 102 00:06:08,240 --> 00:06:08,720 Speaker 3: I think. 103 00:06:08,880 --> 00:06:11,560 Speaker 2: You know, you've got streamers like Disney now I have 104 00:06:11,640 --> 00:06:13,400 Speaker 2: bought the rights of the Champions League. I think for 105 00:06:13,440 --> 00:06:15,840 Speaker 2: five years. We need more of that, We need more 106 00:06:15,839 --> 00:06:18,040 Speaker 2: of the big streamers being able to do that. But 107 00:06:18,120 --> 00:06:23,520 Speaker 2: it's still new, it's still you know, it's still you know, 108 00:06:23,520 --> 00:06:26,800 Speaker 2: a competitive landscape and. 109 00:06:26,720 --> 00:06:27,560 Speaker 3: We just need more. 110 00:06:27,680 --> 00:06:31,680 Speaker 2: We need more broadcasters, we need more streamers so that 111 00:06:32,120 --> 00:06:35,359 Speaker 2: there's an accessibility, global accessibility to the women's game that 112 00:06:35,839 --> 00:06:37,400 Speaker 2: you know, just hasn't been there before. 113 00:06:38,800 --> 00:06:41,840 Speaker 4: Yeah, there's a lot of new, exciting things happening in 114 00:06:41,880 --> 00:06:44,760 Speaker 4: women's football, but unfortunately it does seem like some of 115 00:06:44,800 --> 00:06:47,880 Speaker 4: the same perhaps more negative conversations that we've been having 116 00:06:47,920 --> 00:06:49,880 Speaker 4: for a while and having in the men's game are 117 00:06:49,920 --> 00:06:54,080 Speaker 4: cropping up again here, notably the conversation about racism. We've 118 00:06:54,120 --> 00:06:57,000 Speaker 4: seen England's Jess Carter have to step back from social 119 00:06:57,040 --> 00:07:00,599 Speaker 4: media this tournament due to abuse that she's facing. It's 120 00:07:00,600 --> 00:07:02,839 Speaker 4: something I know you spoke up about during your time 121 00:07:02,920 --> 00:07:05,480 Speaker 4: with England. So what needs to be done to ensure 122 00:07:05,520 --> 00:07:08,000 Speaker 4: that things change in football as a whole. 123 00:07:09,600 --> 00:07:13,760 Speaker 2: Well, you know, I think obviously with the prominence and 124 00:07:13,800 --> 00:07:16,920 Speaker 2: the visibility of women's football now, unfortunately there is a 125 00:07:16,960 --> 00:07:19,680 Speaker 2: double edged sword and it comes with all of that 126 00:07:19,800 --> 00:07:26,960 Speaker 2: sort of despicable, disgusting hate speech, racism online and you know, 127 00:07:27,480 --> 00:07:31,559 Speaker 2: sometimes in stadiums, but I think mainly online. I think 128 00:07:31,800 --> 00:07:35,760 Speaker 2: in terms of the regulation of this stuff, you know, 129 00:07:35,920 --> 00:07:39,960 Speaker 2: I'm very I'm very clear that the only way we're 130 00:07:39,960 --> 00:07:42,920 Speaker 2: going to stop this and change it is if we 131 00:07:43,040 --> 00:07:47,600 Speaker 2: build frameworks of consequence. So offcom now have sort of 132 00:07:48,160 --> 00:07:50,720 Speaker 2: come in with the Online Safety Act, and they're going 133 00:07:50,800 --> 00:07:54,400 Speaker 2: to start finding the online companies, you know, the X's 134 00:07:54,520 --> 00:08:00,760 Speaker 2: and Instagrams if they continue to allow this this hatred 135 00:08:00,800 --> 00:08:05,400 Speaker 2: to exist on their platforms within the football ecosystem, and 136 00:08:05,440 --> 00:08:10,160 Speaker 2: then obviously clubs and governing bodies like the FA then 137 00:08:10,240 --> 00:08:15,840 Speaker 2: have the power to ban individuals who are racist. And 138 00:08:15,920 --> 00:08:18,040 Speaker 2: I think that's the only way really we're going to 139 00:08:18,040 --> 00:08:20,280 Speaker 2: see less and less of it is when you're building 140 00:08:20,320 --> 00:08:23,880 Speaker 2: consequences for the online companies, When you're building consequences for 141 00:08:23,920 --> 00:08:26,960 Speaker 2: the individuals. I think, you know, talking about it and 142 00:08:27,000 --> 00:08:30,600 Speaker 2: bringing awareness to it doesn't change doesn't change it. 143 00:08:33,320 --> 00:08:37,280 Speaker 1: Yeah, And that was the point that also some of 144 00:08:37,320 --> 00:08:40,000 Speaker 1: the current incland players have made too, that it is 145 00:08:40,040 --> 00:08:43,360 Speaker 1: about addressing that from a sort of social media stance. Also, 146 00:08:43,400 --> 00:08:47,400 Speaker 1: they were very clear in that in terms of the football, 147 00:08:48,000 --> 00:08:50,719 Speaker 1: with your experience, I'd just love to also get your 148 00:08:50,760 --> 00:08:55,240 Speaker 1: take on England's performance so far. A few really close calls. 149 00:08:55,360 --> 00:08:57,600 Speaker 1: I mean, Serena Viigman, we've been hearing from on Blue 150 00:08:57,600 --> 00:09:00,679 Speaker 1: Bag Radio lots, you know, over the course of the tournament. 151 00:09:01,120 --> 00:09:03,440 Speaker 1: Do you think she's going to change the starting lineup 152 00:09:03,480 --> 00:09:06,240 Speaker 1: for Sunday? What do you think of their performance so far? 153 00:09:08,080 --> 00:09:10,880 Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean it's been now biting to say the least, right, 154 00:09:10,960 --> 00:09:13,800 Speaker 2: I mean we've been you know, we've seen penalty shootouts, 155 00:09:13,840 --> 00:09:16,800 Speaker 2: we've obviously the last game against Italy was literally ninety 156 00:09:16,840 --> 00:09:20,000 Speaker 2: seconds and misslle A Jamang equalized. 157 00:09:20,520 --> 00:09:22,920 Speaker 3: So it has been tense, to say the least. 158 00:09:23,320 --> 00:09:25,679 Speaker 2: But that team has so much resilience, you know, the 159 00:09:26,600 --> 00:09:29,760 Speaker 2: team they never they're never beaten. They'll keep going to 160 00:09:29,800 --> 00:09:33,680 Speaker 2: the last whistle, and now they're in the final, they'll 161 00:09:33,720 --> 00:09:36,360 Speaker 2: take that into the final. I do think Spain are 162 00:09:36,400 --> 00:09:39,840 Speaker 2: the best team in the competition. I've covered Spain earlier 163 00:09:39,880 --> 00:09:42,800 Speaker 2: on in the competition and they are they are exceptional. 164 00:09:43,559 --> 00:09:47,200 Speaker 2: You know, I've got two world class players in Iteraner 165 00:09:47,240 --> 00:09:49,920 Speaker 2: bom Matti and Alexa Patellas. 166 00:09:50,640 --> 00:09:52,679 Speaker 3: So it's going to be a tough, tough challenge. 167 00:09:53,080 --> 00:09:55,160 Speaker 2: I expect to me in Aveigman to play the same 168 00:09:55,280 --> 00:09:57,920 Speaker 2: starting lineup and then bring on you know the super 169 00:09:58,000 --> 00:09:58,720 Speaker 2: subs Michelle A. 170 00:09:58,760 --> 00:10:01,800 Speaker 3: Jamang and Choe Kelly. So so let's see. 171 00:10:02,440 --> 00:10:04,559 Speaker 2: It's very difficult to pour, but I do think it's 172 00:10:04,600 --> 00:10:06,480 Speaker 2: going to be a very very tough game. It's a 173 00:10:06,520 --> 00:10:10,599 Speaker 2: replay of the World Cup twenty twenty three final and 174 00:10:11,400 --> 00:10:13,880 Speaker 2: it's just hoped that the Lionesses can find a way 175 00:10:13,920 --> 00:10:14,240 Speaker 2: to win.