E187: Re:Thinking Sport - Mark Bullingham

This is a special episode of Re:Thinking Sport, our collaboration with Portas, the global strategy consultancy dedicated to sport and physical activity.  

Our guest is Mark Bullingham, who is the Chief Executive of The FA, the governing body for football in England, one of the biggest jobs in sport. 

His remit covers the entire game, from England teams to grassroots, the Women’s Super League to Wembley Stadium. 

Bullingham was promoted to the top job in March 2019 following the departure of Martin Glenn, the man who recruited him to The FA as the commercial director. Before that he ran Fuse, Omnicom’s sport and entertainment agency and was marketing director of the America’s Cup sailing race. 

It’s a conversation that covers a lot of ground, including The FA’s relationship with the commercial sector and innovation, the future funding model for the Women’s Super League, what he thought of The Hundred and what he’s learning about politics and politicians from Euro 2020 and The FA’s joint bid for the 2030 FIFA World Cup. 

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