A couple of weeks ago, I filmed an episode of The Overlap Fan Debate and it finally came out this week.
I’m not usually someone who gets nervous, but for some reason this one felt different. Maybe it was sitting opposite Paul Scholes, maybe it was the fact there were cameras everywhere, or maybe it was just the weight of knowing a million football fans would see it. Whatever it was, my mouth turned to sandpaper about three seconds before filming started.
You know that weird moment where you’re speaking perfectly fine, but you convince yourself everyone’s looking at you like, “What’s wrong with him?” Yeah, that. I don’t think anyone noticed (at least I hope not), but it felt like a lifetime.
Before filming, we’d spent about 15–20 minutes in Paul Scholes’ & Jamie Carragher’s green room chatting through roughly what we’d talk about. The idea was to cover how sponsorships, adverts and kits have evolved over the years, the “golden era” stuff. Of course, once the cameras started rolling, that plan lasted all of about 30 seconds. Like any good conversation on The Overlap, it quickly took on a life of its own, which certainly kept me on my toes.
Talking Football, Brands & The Business Behind the Game
We got into how football sponsorships have changed, from the days of local brewers and car dealers on shirts, to today’s world of global betting companies and tech brands.
I talked a bit about what I do at Trunk, working with clubs and brands to make sure sponsorships actually mean something, rather than just logos on shirts. I mentioned how clubs like Arsenal and Liverpool have been doing a brilliant job turning sponsors into proper fan experiences, not just corporate deals.
We also touched on how hard it is for clubs to balance finances now, with Profit & Sustainability Rules (PSR) making sponsorships more important than ever. You can’t just hike ticket prices or build another stand and hope it fixes things. The real growth comes from the commercial side. The partnerships, the storytelling, the creativity.
It was a proper mix of nostalgia and debate, people reminiscing about old kits, adverts, and sponsors, while also talking about how football’s become this huge global business.
The Two-Week Wait
The episode was filmed two weeks ago, which meant I had a solid fortnight of mild panic wondering if I’d said something stupid that would make me a meme forever.
Thankfully, so far so good. (Although now I’ve probably jinxed it.)
There are definitely a few bits I’d have liked to word slightly differently, and one or two points I wish I’d expanded on, but when you’re in the moment, it flies by. What feels like ten minutes is actually an hour.
Looking Back
All in all, it was such a brilliant experience, a proper mix of football chat, humour, and insight into how the game works off the pitch. The whole team were great, the fans in the audience were class, and getting to chat football with the likes of Paul Scholes and Jamie Carragher was surreal.
For someone who spends most of their time behind the camera or the laptop, being on The Overlap was something completely different and something I’ll never forget.
Now that it’s finally out, I can stop overthinking every sentence, stop worrying about dry mouths and dodgy angles, and just enjoy it for what it was: a great conversation about the game we all love… even if it did come with a side of existential fear.
Watch the full episode below:
