Former England manager Gareth Southgate has revealed significant plans to develop his media business and has frankly stated that he has no intention of returning to the coaching realm.
The 56-year-old has remained out of work since stepping down from his role with the national team following the Euro 2024 final. Rather than rushing into a new club project, Southgate is actively exploring opportunities beyond traditional management.
Last year, alongside business partner Jimmy Worrall, he co-founded 1071 Media Limited. One of their initial successful ventures is the video podcast The Football Boardroom, which delves into the money, power, and politics that influence modern football. The podcast features prominent sports journalist Henry Winter and former football executive Christian Purslow, who has held senior positions at Liverpool, Chelsea, and Aston Villa.
In a recent interview on the Amol Rajan Connection, Southgate elaborated on the rationale behind the project, aiming to help fans comprehend the decisions made away from the pitch:
One thing we've clearly recognised in the sports industry is that some decisions made in boardrooms are completely inexplicable to fans. We were familiar with Christian Purslow, who served as CEO at Aston Villa and Liverpool, as well as holding the role of Commercial Director at Chelsea. He has a unique understanding of Premier League shareholder meetings, working with foreign owners, and football's financial rules.
So we launched the visual podcast The Football Boardroom with Christian and Henry Winter, who was recognised as Sports Journalist of the Year. We dissect all these complex mechanisms, and it's amazed us how much the audience for the project has grown. We believe not every media platform should chase noise and clicks; informing people and simplifying complex processes has proven to be genuinely in demand.
Southgate also confirmed that his company is in advanced stages of developing two more football podcasts and is close to securing a deal with a major media organisation. The former England boss emphasised that the sports media market is saturated, prompting his studio to focus on creating informative, engaging, yet entertaining content.
Interestingly, before embarking on his professional football career, Southgate seriously considered journalism as his primary path:
I enjoy learning more about football media. I likely would have pursued sports journalism had I not become a player. That was the path I had mapped out in my mind. I thought I would be paid to attend the best matches and write about them; it seemed like a brilliant idea.
While continuing to develop sports-related projects, Southgate has made it clear that a return to the managerial side of the game isn’t on his agenda. In fact, he confessed to nearly stopping watching football entirely since leaving the national team:
Towards the end of my time with England, I stopped enjoying the process. Wins kept the momentum going, but by the end, I found myself not relishing victories for more than a couple of minutes. So now, I hardly watch football. I attended the FA Cup final to see my beloved Crystal Palace lift their first trophy, and since then, I haven’t been to a stadium. My desire to be involved in football has greatly changed.
Gareth Southgate remains one of the most successful figures in English football history. He began his managerial career at Middlesbrough in 2006, racking up 151 matches before leaving the club following their Premier League relegation in 2009. He then worked with England’s youth teams, leading the Under-21 side from 2013 to 2016, before taking charge of the senior national team for eight years. Across 102 matches, he guided the side to the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup, as well as the finals of Euro 2020 and Euro 2024, cementing England’s status as a consistent contender in major international tournaments.
