Sports Conference

Britain’s most successful Paralympian and an icon of both resilience and excellence in the world of elite sports. With an extraordinary career spanning nearly three decades, Sarah has won 17 Paralympic gold medals and amassed over 30 world championship titles across two sports—swimming and cycling. Her journey from Paralympic swimming champion to cycling legend demonstrates her unparalleled determination, adaptability, and drive to succeed at the highest level of competition.

Rachael is a Partner at Level and is the first female Chair of the Pro Manchester Sports Committee. She is an experienced disputes lawyer across sport, media and entertainment with a specialist practice in defamation, privacy, media crisis and reputation management, which she has handled at the highest level for newsworthy clients against national and international media outlets. Whilst naturally most of her work is confidential, her work over the years has included advisory services to a broad range of clients including topflight professional footballers (PL, EFL, WSL), football and rugby clubs, sporting organisations and individuals and managers working across football, golf, boxing, athletics and rugby, well-known actors, musicians, newsworthy OBE and MBE recipients and individuals in official public roles. As part of her work, she has regularly considered and handled EDI and reputational issues in sport as part of her practice.

Leanne has commercial experience in the entire sports sphere, from football clubs, sports governing bodies, national and international sports organisations to athletes and leading sports brands. Leanne advises on drafting and negotiating a vast range of commercial agreements including merchandising, supply chain, technology and sponsorship agreements, working for both sports bodies and sponsors. She advises these organisations on how best to protect and exploit their valuable intellectual property as well as comply with data privacy regulations.

Deepa’s Bio

With a distinguished career spanning 25 years across Sports, Media, and Hospitality, Deepa has mastered the art of uncovering and sharing the stories of extraordinary individuals. As the host of the acclaimed podcast ‘Thinking Deepa’, she delves into transformative conversations, extracting powerful insights that inspire growth and change.

At the helm of Thinking Deepa, Deepa has hosted trailblazing guests, including global icons like Usain Bolt and Shaun Wright-Phillips. The podcast’s impact speaks for itself—one of its standout episodes ranked #1 on Spotify, a testament to the powerful conversations and game-changing insights that have captivated audiences worldwide. Renowned for its focus on self-development, Thinking Deepa uncovers life-altering lessons and cutting-edge strategies, equipping listeners with the tools to elevate their lives.

Beyond the microphone, Deepa is an award-winning events, marketing, and partnerships strategist, known for crafting bespoke strategies that drive real impact. With a keen ability to transform ideas into reality, she has launched multiple successful venues and provided expert consultation to a diverse range of businesses. Her signature blend of innovation and strategic insight makes her an invaluable asset to every project she undertakes.

Her leadership extends beyond her professional work—Deepa serves on the Executive Committee for Soho House and is a Sports Committee Member with Pro Manchester, demonstrating her deep commitment to shaping influential networks and driving meaningful conversations.

John is a commercial and sports regulatory lawyer and an expert on international motorsport including Formula 1 and Formula E. Prior to joining Level to set up the motorsports practice, John spent many years in-house at the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team working on topics ranging from commercial sponsorship to sports disputes. He is unique in private practice with his deep understanding of the technical and business side to motorsport and applies this to clients including commercial rights holders and athletes / talent.

John is also an Independent Non-Executive Director of the Manchester FA and Chair of the Manchester FA Regulatory Strategy Group.

With a background in Psychology and twenty years retail experience. Richard is the former head of global partnerships for Carbon Free Dining and planted 1 million trees with them. Now Richard runs Play It Green, bringing genuine sustainability, nature repair and social impact to partners, globally. All done with his own brand of conscious capitalism.

Andy Etches is a co-founder and director of Rezzil, a leading sports technology platform that enhances cognitive performance and training for athletes, particularly in football. Before establishing Rezzil, Etches worked with Manchester City FC and consulted for various football organizations, focusing on integrating technology to improve player performance and data presentation.

Rezzil’s VR technology is utilized by numerous professional sports teams worldwide to develop players’ decision-making, composure, and reaction times under simulated high-pressure scenarios. The platform also offers analysis and rehabilitation tools to assist athletes during recovery periods.

In March 2024, Rezzil entered a four-year partnership with the Premier League to develop a VR game that allows fans to recreate iconic Premier League moments, further bridging the gap between professional sports and immersive fan experiences.

Etches’ work with Rezzil has been instrumental in advancing the use of VR technology in sports training, injury prevention, and fan engagement, positioning the company at the forefront of sports tech innovation.

Warren Gregson PhD MBA

Warren has over 25 years’ experience operating at the intersection of science and technology in the global football industry. Previous roles include senior academic research positions and strategic and operational roles in English Premier league clubs, national football associations and key technology providers. Over the last decade, Warren served as Head of Performance Science & R&D at Aspire Academy and Qatar FA supporting the countries preparations for hosting the FIFA 2022 World Cup. Warren is currently Professor of Applied Physiology at the Institute of Sport, Manchester Metropolitan University, where he is responsible for leading a large-scale research and innovation partnership with Manchester United FC. Warren also serves as an advisor to sports technology accelerators and several sports technology startups.

Darcy Young is the CEO and founder of Contested, a platform redefining how businesses access and partner with athletes. With a background in product development, technology, and innovation, and a passion for sports, Darcy is building a scalable solution that helps athletes thrive beyond the sport they play. Darcy focuses on connecting athletes, and their phenomenal stories, with forward-thinking brands to develop a new revenue model for underrepresented talent in sport.

www.contested.com

Claire known as ‘ Hughesy!’ is the founder & CEO of En2End Sports Activation Agency, specialising in audience/fan engagement through online, in-person, and hybrid experiences. From her roots as a sheep farmer’s daughter in rural mid-Wales, Claire has carved a successful career in the sports industry through hard work and innovation.

Her career began at Aon’s global sports marketing agency, where she worked on their high-profile shirt sponsorship of Manchester United. She then joined Liverpool Football Club as Head of Partner Experience and VIP Hospitality, gaining hands-on experience managing partnerships and delivering premium guest experiences.

Drawing on her experience on both the brand and rights holder sides, Claire founded En2End in 2019. The agency uses technology and creative solutions to deliver activations that connect brands & rights holders with their audiences/ fans. Claire has led major projects for UEFA, FedEx, AXA, British Cycling, and others, establishing En2End as a leader in tech-driven sports activations.

Claire is also mum to a gorgeous 2-year-old daughter, Bryony, so is balancing the challenges of running a business with family life!

Samuel Cuthbert is a leading sports barrister at 4 New Square Chambers and is ranked as a leading junior by Chambers & Partners and Legal 500 where he is described as “a real star of the future”. Samuel acts for clubs, athletes, agencies, and national governing bodies and his practice covers sports regulation, betting, safeguarding, disciplinary matters, and commercial sports disputes. Samuel frequently appears in CAS proceedings, Rule K arbitrations, and sporting appeals.

In addition, Samuel has significant experience in anti-doping cases, advising athletes, governing bodies, and regulators on issues ranging from sample tampering to protecting athlete anonymity.

He is currently involved in a multi-million-pound dispute on behalf of a major football club and has recently represented clients in high-value cases, including a £5,000,000 matter before the FIBA Appeal Board. Samuel has also acted in safeguarding appeals for the FA and appeared in complex commercial and regulatory matters, including international football media rights disputes.

Shamaine is the Director of Programmes for National Social Mobility charity LTSB and has over 10 years experience working in the charity sector. After graduating with a PGCE in Lifelong Learning specialising in Dance, Shamaine worked for the National Citizen Service (NCS) and then joined LTSB in 2018 and following 2 promotions is now the Programmes Director. LTSB is a charity that prepares and supports bright young people from disadvantaged backgrounds into meaningful roles with major firms all across the UK. The programme personally and professionally develops young people through practical skills coaching, higher-level critical thinking sessions, the power of sport and how to utilise the transferable skills you learn from the field into the workplace, and insight events with leading companies, business professionals, and LTSB alumni.

I have always been passionate about working with young people and helping them reach their full potential. Sports has significantly shaped who I am today, and I believe the transferable skills gained through sports are crucial in early career development.