Sam White – Building a Football Club from the Ground Up at Royal FC
In this special guest episode, David sits down with Sam White, General Coordinator and Technical & Operations Manager at Royal FC, a Dubai-based club competing in the UAE Second Division. Sam shares a deeply insightful look at the inner workings of building a football club from scratch, his experiences navigating a fast-growing football culture in the UAE, and what it means to work in football beyond just the pitch.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Sam never pursued professional football as a player but found his route into the game through operations.Many underestimate how many non-playing jobs exist in football—media, hospitality, partnerships, and more.
The UAE football system allows teams to apply for league licenses, much like the U.S. model. Royal FC is currently in the Second Division and competes with teams like Precision FC and Alcabela, who’ve attracted ex-Premier League players like Ravel Morrison and Harry Arter.
Sam wears multiple hats—operations, contracts, youth development, and even social media.Being involved in a small club has allowed him to gain a broad skillset and experience things he wouldn’t have access to in a larger, more hierarchical European club structure.
While competition is fierce between clubs, Royal FC pushes for more collaboration across the league. Sam’s team worked with club ownership to propose a new domestic cup tournament to the UAE FA—an FA Cup-style competition involving lower-tier teams, which was positively received.
BEST MOMENTS
"It's kind of an amalgamation of everything you love about football — apart from scoring the winning goal. I can't do that, but I can hopefully find the player who can."
"In Dubai, it’s like America — you can invest in a license and enter the league. Anyone can beat anyone. It’s hyper-competitive."
"You’re automatically the underdog. You’ve got the team talk written — ‘Let’s go and beat the team full of ex-Premier League players.’"
"A lot of people don't realize there are so many jobs in football — from commercial partnerships to hospitality. Every Saturday, at least a hundred clubs need to run like restaurants."
GUESTS LINKS
https://www.instagram.com/royalfc.uae/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-white-b77b2435/
OUR SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebusinessoffootballpodcast/
Tik Tok : https://www.tiktok.com/@businessoffootball
HOST BIO
Right out of the block, David Chimbaza took his International Football Business degree to do exactly what it says on the tin: Launch his own International Football Business, DTCMEDIAUK. His company works with professional leaders & business owners in the football industry to create, monetize & scale their brands for their business & professional gains. Having created and managed multiple of his own sports social media accounts from the age of 15, many of which have scaled thousands of pounds & millions of views across 3 different platforms, David has constantly found ways to bring new and engaging entertainment to his audience. Now documenting his story of managing his Global business, his experiences in Stewarding, digital management & many more, David will bring you a fresh insight into how anyone can conquer the industry.
This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/