John Grabowski: KSI, Andy Carroll, and The Dagenham & Redbridge Revival

Dagenham & Redbridge has been all over the footballing news in recent weeks. A takeover fronted by John Grabowski and Happy Fan Group saw KSI come on board as a minority owner while Andy Carroll has been enjoying his time both on the pitch and in the dugout. Therefore this was never going to be your normal football club conversation.

Non-League football in the UK is highly competitive. There is also some great business to be had. But of course, there are challenges to overcome. What does it take for Dagenham to put the excitement and media buzz that comes with high profile ownership into results on the pitch that ultimately leads to what really matters: winning. John takes us through the takeover story, football club’s challenges when talking about money, getting KSI on board, and how they plan to take the club back to the football league. We’re delighted to welcome John to the business of sport.

In Today's Show We Discuss:

Buying Dagenham

• The story: how did you get the deal done? What was the journey and how many clubs did you look at?

• How do you go about sourcing opportunities and why do think this is a good business decision?

The Club

• What’s the plan?

• Stadium ownership?

• Build the brand? Andy Carroll as a decent performance starting point!

KSI

• The big move everyone is talking about. How does this come about?

• Why is this more than a marketing ploy?

• How do you plan to build on the audience and reach he brings?

The Business

• What is the business model of a club in the 6th tier

• Talk us through doing commercial deals, the plan to build value in partnerships

• Matchday: what are you currently doing and what can you build on?

Non-League Football

• The business of non-league football: Spencer Owen’s recent move to get Hashtag relegated

• Moving through the divisions with rising costs yet not more revenue

• BUT is this where there are some great deals to be had?