This One's for the 'Gulls! (Featuring Paul Barber, OBE)

In this episode of The Women’s Football Finance Podcast, Paul Barber OBE, Chief Executive Officer of Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club, joins the pod. We talk about his club's journey of investing in its women’s team, from its decision in 2017 to apply for a club license and fully professionalise its women’s team to its plans to build the first ever purpose-built women’s football stadium in Europe. Paul describes the rationale behind Brighton's financial commitment to its women’s team, including investing millions “ahead of the revenue curve”, and their path to financial sustainability. He also shared thoughts on the need for cost controls, lessons from North American sports leagues, the financial challenges of competing with the top teams in the WSL, and much else. Come for the pros and cons of playing in Crawley, stay for the discussion of changing-room toilets.Hosts Valerie Goldstein, Dave Powell and Steve Estes also discuss the merits of possible solidarity payments between men’s and women’s football, and how that could work.