Jason White, Head of Marketing, Two Circles
One week today the first ball of the Men’s Ashes Series will be bowled, with views, opinions and anticipation from all corners ramping up. Who has made the team? Who has been left out? Predicting who the bolter or the wild card might be.
Whoever makes the final cut, captain Ben Stokes and head coach Bredon McCullum have travelled with some of the best players in the world, yet fostered a team approach that values team spirit and togetherness over standalone performances of individuals.
Within hours of the first ball being bowled, on the other side of the planet, the deadline for applications to Sport Industry NextGen closes. Once again, anticipation will rise ahead of the squad reveal, with a line up certain to include the very best this industry has to offer – while sharing the values, vision and togetherness of this England team just closely enough for me to stretch it into a tenuous introduction.
Every year when Sport Industry NextGen reveals its latest cohort I’m excited to see the names involved, getting a look at the decision makers of the future. So often it has acted as an early indicator of a shift in the industry or a peek at what’s to come. And yes, it also makes me feel old.
Why do we support NextGen? Because why wouldn’t we? Coaching, development, expert advice. All good things. But it’s the formidable network and exposure to brilliant minds within the group itself that makes it so powerful. Where else can an ambitious agency Senior Account Manager meet a founder learning on the job, or an aspiring commercial strategist chatting with a social change powerhouse?
Sport Industry NextGen was never designed to be another management course or networking event. It was a deliberate attempt to nurture the next generation of leaders.
I can say this with a fair amount of confidence, as part of the Sport Industry Group team that started the programme in 2015, ahead of the first cohort the following year. Now, on the other side at Two Circles, we’re proud to be part of the alumni family past and present through the likes of Leigh Walsh, Matt Barrett, Jason Jung, Matt Cook, Chris Tyas, Jack Westgarth, Sophy Coombes-Roberts, Tom Jackson and Rida Iqbal, as well as working with and supporting many ‘NextGeners’ as clients through the years.
At Two Circles, our vision is Building a Better Future for the Sports & Entertainment Industry. I see so many parallels between our own initiatives like the Athlete Programme and Diversity in Sports, and what NextGen continues to do with purpose-driven leadership.
The early days
At a time when sports leadership was too often hitting headlines for the wrong reasons, in 2015 we wanted to focus on the next generation for reassurances in our future. Fast forward to 2025 and the inaugural cohort is filled with influential decision makers impacting policy, recruitment and investments. That very first year now features present-day director and c-suite representation at the Premier League, Baller League, The Jockey Club, Brentford FC, Chelsea FC, Six Nations, Sky Sports and think Beyond, as well as numerous founders leading their own teams.
Each year, on both sides of the table, I’ve witnessed young professionals from across sport step into the programme – bright, ambitious, maybe a little unsure – and emerge more confident, better connected, with a more holistic view of the industry.
At the time, we had no idea how it would evolve – only a desire to build a small but powerful pipeline for the next generation of industry leaders.
A decade on, NextGen has become extraordinary. The alumni community now includes some of the most impressive and progressive individuals in sport. They’re shaping the strategies, partnerships and movements that are redefining the industry future from the inside out.
Who wouldn’t want to be part of that? Just make sure you’re in the mix before that first ball is bowled.
