On this episode of The Pitch, Andy and Drew dig into two ideas that both orbit the same macro challenge: how do sports venues generate more value on the days when the stands aren't full? Andy kicks things off with Surrey County Cricket Club's move to turn the Oval into a midweek co-working destination, installing Wi-Fi and laptop-friendly desks to pull remote workers into four-day county fixtures. Drew draws the comparison to the San Diego Padres' Remote Work Wednesday experiment and the pair debate the real ROI of infrastructure investment versus a lighter-touch marketing play. The conversation quickly expands beyond simple attendance tactics. Andy pitches the idea of segmenting co-working days by industry, turning the stadium into a genuine networking event, and ultimately folding the whole concept into corporate sponsorship packages that give brands a physical home inside the venue on non-match days. Then Drew takes the mic with a pitch around legends football, asking what would happen if the one-off celebrity and former player games that clubs like Liverpool and Manchester United already run were structured into a proper secondary league, complete with tracked stats, betting markets, and miniature club contracts. Andy traces the idea back to Sky Sports' Masters Football series from the early 2000s and the pair explore how the Kings League and Baller League have already proved the appetite exists, and why a Premier League-backed version could be close to unstoppable. Finally, the duo zoom out to look at why all of this matters now, connecting stadium monetisation directly to financial fair play regulations in European football, before grounding the conversation in practical examples from Southampton FC's in-stadium pub and arcade to the Bernabeu's surprisingly affordable Starbucks. Timestamps 01:30 - The Surrey Oval Co-Working Idea04:00 - Baseball Comparison and the ROI Question07:00 - Networking, Industry Days, and Segmenting the Crowd10:00 - Sponsor Suites as Co-Working Infrastructure15:30 - The Legends League Pitch18:30 - Kings League, Club Partnerships, and Defensive Moats21:00 - Stadium Revenue and the Financial Fair Play Macro24:00 - Spurs, Southampton, the Bernabeu, and What's Actually Replicable About The ShowThe Pitch is the conversational show from the Sports Pundit Podcast Network, hosted by Andy Marston and Drew Rauso. It's a play on words, with each host bringing an idea, theme, or provocation that they pitch to the other. Together they react, debate, and explore what's really happening across the sports industry, from shifting media models to the next wave of innovation. Each episode mixes perspective with practicality, with occasional appearances from other Sports Pundit hosts from across the Network. About The HostsDrew Rauso is a versatile media operator with a proven track record of building and scaling sports media ventures at the intersection of content, commerce, and creator strategy. He currently leads Brand, Strategy, and Operations at Playmaker HQ, a leading sports podcast network owned by Better Collective, home to shows featuring Shaquille O'Neal, Angel Reese, and Marshawn Lynch. Previously at The Players' Tribune, Drew has been instrumental in shaping athlete-driven media, overseeing partnerships, production, and growth initiatives that connect fans and talent in meaningful ways. Andy Marston is the founder of Sports Pundit, a community and media platform for sports and technology executives. Through a weekly newsletter, podcast network, lively group chat, and regular social events, he shares industry analysis and connects leaders across the sector. Alongside Sports Pundit, Andy leads Corporate Venture at athlete-backed venture firm, The Players Fund, where he works with high-profile sports IP such as Como 1907 and Juventus to design venture strategies and drive innovation initiatives.
