The Footballco Business Podcast

How does a club in Germany's second division rival the merchandise revenues of Champions League regulars? In this episode, we sit down with Alexander Timm, Head of Merchandising and Cultural Lead at FC St. Pauli, to explore the business and culture behind one of football’s most unique global brands.

We discuss:


The origin story of St. Pauli’s two badges and why the Skull and Crossbones outperforms the traditional crest.

The role of collaborations with hip-hop and punk acts in the club's merchandising


How the club balances authentic left-wing values with modern commercial growth.

How Puma fits with the club's values

Why St. Pauli launched a €30m stadium cooperative instead of traditional corporate financing.

What to expect at STANDS 2026—St. Pauli’s two-day football, culture, and creativity event at the Millerntor-Stadion.

Find out more about STANDS

On this episode, we're joined by Sports Interactive's Richard Trafford (Director of Business Development) and Tom Elliot (Senior Research Coordinator) to hear about FMDB Pro, a new scouting tool created by the team behind the popular Football Manager video game series.

From how FMDB Pro was born from Football Manager to how it could change the face of international football.

We're joined again by SportsPro's Michael Long and Steve McCaskill for part two of our World Cup special.

With David Beckham rumoured to have earned more than £25m from brand endorsements at the 2026 World Cup and appearing in more campaigns than any active player, we ask whether you can have too much Beckham? And, is Beckham the most marketable athlete ever?

Also...Who have been the most marketable players at the 2026 World Cup? We try to build the most marketable 5-a-side team possible.

SportsPro's Michael Long and Steve McCaskill join the pod to discuss highlights from the 2026 World Cup and the innovations and changes to how the tournament is broadcast - what's worked, what hasn't.

This is the first of a World Cup two-part podcast, part two will be out on July 16th, covering whether Beckham needs to be involved in every World Cup advert and who have been the most marketable players at the tournament,

We took the podcast to the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity to speak to those across the festival on what they've been hearing across sport and creativity, as well as their personal World Cup marketing highlights, featuring...

Fast Company's Jeff Beer

Iconic Founder, James Kirkham

Sport and culture journalist, Daniel-Yaw Miller

Rachel Matovu of Amplify