TGG Live 2026

TGG Live 2026

The annual conference for insights, ideas and networking.

September 29th—30th, 2026

Old Trafford, Manchester

Overview

TGG Live has become a key fixture in the football calendar, drawing hundreds of senior delegates from clubs and federations across Europe for two days of live, unmissable insight.

Following TGG Live 2025 – our biggest yet – we’re back at Old Trafford for 2026. As ever, our agenda is built around the people running the game.

Keynotes come from Merijn Zeeman (Managing Director, AZ Alkmaar) and Neil Bath (former Director of Football Development, Chelsea). A Sporting Director panel with Ross Wilson (Newcastle), Simon Wilson (Sheffield Wednesday) and Leigh Bromby (Derby County), while an Academy Director panel features Stephen Torpey (Manchester United), David Rainford (Brentford) and Jonathan Hunter-Barrett (Wolves).

Dr Claire-Marie Roberts, who helped guide Coventry City to promotion to the Premier League as Performance Director, joins the bill too, alongside a new session for this year on how a CEO, Director of Football and Head Coach really work together, with Stephen Pearce (Derby County), David Fox (Plymouth Argyle) and Steven Schumacher (Bolton Wanderers).

New for 2026: specialist break-out sessions, so delegates can deep dive on their own area – Sporting Directors, recruitment, analytics, coaching/ Academies and performance – plus more built-in time for networking across both days, closing Day One with an exclusive dinner at Old Trafford.

A few sponsorship packages remain, – with access, visibility and connections other conferences can’t match. Contact events@trainingground.guru for more.

AGENDA

Day One (Sept 29th)

09:30

WELCOME

Sarah Mulkerrins & Simon Austin

09:45

OPENING KEYNOTE

Merijn Zeeman (Managing Director, AZ Alkmaar)

10:15

SPORTING DIRECTOR PANEL

Ross Wilson (Sporting Director, Newcastle United), Simon Wilson (Sporting Director, Sheffield Wednesday) & Leigh Bromby (Talent Acquisition Lead, Derby County)

11:00

THE STATE OF AI IN SPORTS

Reed Shaffner (Chief Technology Officer, Teamworks)

11:30

BREAK

12:00

ELITE PERFORMANCE MARKERS: SPOTTING THE BEST TALENT EARLY

Liam Bailey (Football Analytics Consultant, SkillCorner)

12:20

GLOBAL VIEW ON SPORTING STRATEGY

Stuart Webber (Head of Sport, RB Omiya Ardija)

12:50

LUNCH

13:50

BREAK-OUT 1

Sporting Directors, in association with Gemini Sports

BREAK-OUT 2

Recruitment, in association with Teamworks

BREAK-OUT 3

Analytics, in association with Twelve Football

14:50

BREAK

15:20

INSIDE THE AI THAT TURNS VIDEO INTO LIVE FOOTBALL EVENTS

James Young (VP of Sports Partnerships, Genius Sports)

15:40

DATA TO DECISIONS

Sasha Satikova (Club Consultant, Ludonautics)

16:05

REDEFINING ELITE PERFORMANCE

Claire-Marie Roberts (Performance Leader)

16:35

CLOSE

18:30

NETWORKING DRINKS & DINNER

Day Two (Sept 30th)

09:30

WELCOME & DAY ONE RECAP

Sarah Mulkerrins & Simon Austin

09:45

LESSONS FROM DAY ONE

Gareth Quinn (GM of EMEA, Teamworks)

09:55

OPENING KEYNOTE

Neil Bath (Leadership Consultant & Ex-Director of Football Development, Chelsea)

10:25

ACADEMY DIRECTOR PANEL

Stephen Torpey (Manchester United), David Rainford (Brentford) & Jonathan Hunter-Barrett (Wolves)

11:05

BREAK

11:30

EVOLUTION OF THE COACH-ANALYST

Joe Newton (First Team Analyst, Sunderland)

11:55

INDIVIDUAL DEVELOPMENT

JP Pittman (Individual Development Coach, Brentford)

12:20

BUNDESLIGA TO PREMIER LEAGUE: LEADING ELITE PERFORMANCE

Robert Percy Marshall (Director of Medical & Performance, AFC Bournemouth)

12:45

BUILDING A PERFORMANCE DEPARTMENT

Paul Ford MBE (Performance Director, Norwich City)

13:10

LUNCH

14:10

BREAK-OUT 1

Coaching & Academies, in association with Kognia Sports

BREAK-OUT 2

Performance, in association with STATSports

15:10

BREAK

15:35

AI & PERFORMANCE: TRANSFORMING DECISION-MAKING IN ELITE SPORT

Dr John Hill (Elite Performance Specialist), representing Orreco

16:00

LEADERSHIP TRIANGLE: HOW CEO, DIRECTOR OF FOOTBALL & HEAD COACH WORK TOGETHER

Stephen Pearce (CEO, Derby County), David Fox (Head of Football Operations, Plymouth Argyle) & Steven Schumacher (Head Coach, Bolton Wanderers)

16:40

CLOSE

Speakers

Day One

Merijn Zeeman

Merijn Zeeman

Spent 16 years in pro cycling, the last 10 as Sporting Director of Team Visma-Lease a Bike. Transformed the team from bottom of the World Tour rankings into the most dominant force in the sport, culminating in winning all three Grand Tours in 2023. Central to this success was a culture-first, data-driven approach - principles Merijn is now applying to football as General Manager of AZ Alkmaar.

Day One

Ross Wilson

Ross Wilson

One of the most experienced Sporting Directors in British football. Arrived at Newcastle in October 2025 to take charge of sporting strategy, development & recruitment across men's, women's and Academy. Joined from Nottingham Forest, where he was Chief Football Officer. Before that spent three years as Sporting Director at Rangers, delivering a first league title in a decade, a Scottish Cup and a run to the Europa League final.

Day One

Simon Wilson

Simon Wilson

The new Sporting Director at Sheffield Wednesday, charged with helping to revive a fallen giant. Previously played a central role in one of English football's most remarkable recent success stories, taking Stockport from National League to League One in six years. Has also held senior roles at Manchester City, Sunderland and Southampton.

Day One

Leigh Bromby

Leigh Bromby

Former defender for Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday who spent nine years at Huddersfield Town, progressing from Academy Manager to Sporting Director. Under his stewardship the Terriers reached the 2022 Championship play-off final. Joined Derby in 2025 and is now Talent Acquisition Lead. Role split between leading on recruitment and negotiations, as well as shaping the club's broader strategy.

Day One

Reed Shaffner

Reed Shaffner

Chief Technology Officer at Teamworks, bringing 15 years of experience in technology and product leadership. Previously served as CTO at TeamSnap, and before that held senior product roles at Microsoft and more. Now leads Teamworks' technology strategy, drawing on this cross-industry experience to help build tools for athletes and elite sports organisations.

Day One

Liam Bailey

Liam Bailey

Football Analytics Consultant at SkillCorner, collaborating with professional clubs to design custom metrics and streamlined analytics workflows for elite recruitment and performance analysis.

Day One

Stuart Webber

Stuart Webber

Spent a decade as one of English football's most prominent Sporting Directors, helping Norwich City and Huddersfield Town gain promotion to the Premier League. After leaving Norwich in 2023, he has pursued his long-held ambition to work abroad, taking up the role of Head of Sports at RB Omiya Ardija in Japan.

Day One

James Young

James Young

Has worked in sports performance for the last 15 years. After starting as a biomechanist with England Cricket, he moved to Deloitte to build their Global Performance Analytics practice. In 2021, James was recruited by Sunderland to lead their analysis & data department. At Genius, he looks after key partners such as English Premier League, Belgium Pro League & UEFA.

Day One

Sasha Satikova

Sasha Satikova

Club Consultant at the sports advistory firm Ludonautics, founded by Dr Ian Graham. Previously Lead Data Scientist at Tottenham, where she headed the club's data science capability, and Senior Data Scientist at Manchester City. Sasha has built her career around using advanced statistical models and machine learning to inform decision-making across recruitment, performance and squad planning.

Day One

Claire-Marie Roberts

Claire-Marie Roberts

Most recently Performance Director at Coventry City in a period that culminated in promotion to the Premier League. Previously spent seven years as Chartered Psychologist for the British Olympic Association and nearly nine at the Premier League, latterly as Head of Elite Development. A former international swimmer and midfielder for Swindon and Aston Villa, Claire-Marie brings rare experience as athlete, coach, psychologist and performance leader.

Day Two

Neil Bath

Neil Bath

Neil spent 30 years at Chelsea, holding a variety of senior roles including Academy Manager and Director of Development and Operations. During this time, the Academy enjoyed one of the most successful periods in its history. After leaving in July 2024, Neil has travelled extensively across the globe studying best practice in both sport and business, and now leads his own leadership consultancy.

Day Two

Stephen Torpey

Stephen Torpey

Joined Man Utd as Academy Director in 2025, taking responsibility for all aspects of the club's youth development system. Arrived from Brentford, where he had led rebuild of the club's Academy structure and eventual return to Category One. Before that, spent time at Man City, leading Academy coaching across all ages, and at Liverpool, where he headed the Foundation phase.

Day Two

Jon Hunter-Barrett

Jon Hunter-Barrett

Has spent 14 years at Wolves, progressing through eight different roles to become Academy Director. Now one of the most experienced Academy leaders in the country. During his time at Compton Park, Jon has been instrumental in shaping the club's player development philosophy.

Day Two

David Rainford

David Rainford

David joined Brentford as Academy Director in early 2026, arriving from the Premier League, where he spent nearly a decade shaping the national youth development system. As Head of Education and Academy Player Care since 2020, he led the development of the National Duty of Care provision within the Elite Player Performance Plan.

Day Two

Joe Newton

Joe Newton

Experienced Performance Analyst/ Coach-Analyst who transitioned from a playing career with Tranmere Rovers and Wrexham. Spent six years at Brentford as First Team Analyst, helping them secure promotion to the Premier League. Was a pioneer of the Coach-Analyst role at Tottenham in 2025/26.

Day Two

JP Pittman

JP Pittman

Played for clubs including Grimsby, Oxford and Wycombe before gaining his UEFA A Licence and graduating from Premier League's Player to Coach Scheme. Joined Brentford in 2023 as Assistant U18s Head Coach and now leads on Individual Development Plans, drawing on a Master's in sports coaching from Leeds Beckett.

Day Two

Paul Ford MBE

Paul Ford MBE

Spent more than 15 years as Director of Sport for the British Olympic Association, leading high-performance strategy for Team GB across multiple Olympic Games. In April 2026 he made the move into pro football, joining Norwich City as Performance Director with responsibility for medical, performance, nutrition and psychology.

Day Two

Dr Robert Percy Marshall

Dr Robert Percy Marshall

As Director of Medical & Performance at AFC Bournemouth, leads all areas of athlete health and performance across the club. Before joining Bournemouth, served as Team Doctor at RB Leipzig (2018–2025), helping the club win two DFB Cups and the German Supercup, as well as reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League.

Day Two

Dr John Hill

Dr John Hill

High-performance specialist with more than 15 years' experience at football's highest levels. Has held senior high-performance roles in the Saudi Pro League and at Liverpool. His work focuses on integrating applied sport science, athlete monitoring and emerging technologies to improve training load management, recovery and performance outcomes.

Day Two

Stephen Pearce

Stephen Pearce

CEO at Derby County, with more than 20 years of experience in football finance and governance. Trained as a chartered accountant at KPMG before spending seven years at Chelsea as Head of Statutory Reporting. Joined Derby in 2013 as Chief Financial Officer and became CEO in 2018 - a role he's held alongside CFO ever since - overseeing both the club's finances and its day-to-day running.

Day Two

David Fox

David Fox

Former pro player who is now Head of Football Operations at Plymouth Argyle. Came through Manchester United's Academy before playing for Blackpool, Norwich, Crewe and Plymouth, where he made 128 appearances. Became Loans Manager at Huddersfield and Leicester before returning to Plymouth in 2025 to lead football operations.

Day One

Steven Schumacher

Steven Schumacher

Head Coach of Bolton Wanderers, leading them to promotion to the Championship in 2025/26. Won League One at Plymouth Argyle in 2022/23 with 101 points. As a player, progressed through Everton's Academy before Bradford, Crewe, Bury, Fleetwood, Stevenage and Southport. Captained Bury to promotion in 2011 and began his coaching career with them.

Host

Sarah Mulkerrins

Sarah Mulkerrins

Sarah returns to host TGG Live after fronting our last two events. Sports broadcaster known mainly for her work over the last decade on BBC TV and radio, where she has covered World Cups, Olympics, World Championships and many of the biggest sports news stories.

Sponsors

2025 RECAP

Delegates

Staff from dozens of clubs and federations have attended TGG Live, including the following

Arsenal badge
Aston Villa badge
Bayern Munich badge
Borussia_Dortmund
AFC Bournemouth badge
Brentford badge
Celtic badge
Chelsea badge
Columbus Crew badge
Crystal Palace badge
Everton badge
Football Association badge
Fulham badge
Leicester City badge
Liverpool badge (NOT CURRENT ONE)
London City Lionesses badge
Manchester City badge
Manchester United badge
Newcastle United badge
Norwich City badge
Nottingham Forest badge
Rangers FC badge
Stoke badge
Tottenham Hotspur badge
UEFA logo
West Ham United badge
Wolves badge

Job titles of attendees included

Sporting Director

Chief Executive

Head of Analytics

Head of Technology

Head of Recruitment

Head of Scouting

Head of Talent ID

Head Coach

Pathway Development Manager

Head of Coach Education

Women’s National Coach Developer

Technical Development Manager

Academy Manager

Head of Academy Operations

Head of Development Centres

Head of Performance

Head of Research and Development

Head of Innovation

Head of Player Insights

Testimonials

“There have already been three or four conversations with high ups at different clubs I maybe wouldn’t have run into at different conferences. It’s great to have that access.”

Elliott Stapley

Assistant Sporting Director

Southampton

“The crowd were really warm and interested. I also talked to lots off people about different innovations and products they were working on that can support everyone in football and especially women’s football.”

Sarah Batters

Managing Director

London City Lionesses

“My personal highlight was the keynote speaker, Azeem Amir. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were tears at the end of that, it was excellent. I felt amazing coming out of that.”

Zaheer Shah

Head of Football Methodology

Tottenham Hotspur

“I have had the pleasure of working with TGG for a few years and this is an exceptional event that brings together the leaders and pioneers of our football community under one roof. We can’t think of a better place to showcase our new products than TGG Live.”

Gareth Quinn

GM of EMEA

Teamworks

“I found the Conference really interesting. It had a very strong start, with Tom Vernon from Right to Dream. I think it was nice to ground everybody. In football you can get carried away with the money and high performance level and it was nice to bring it back down to community.”

Kathryn Stuart

Player Insights National Lead

Football Association

“The panels are always great, to get a feel for how the same role looks at different clubs and in different contexts. It’s invaluable to see that and realise how varied it can be.”

Josh Ewens

Head of Sports Science & Innovation

West Ham United

“TGG Live is great. You meet so many different people from so many different clubs, but from different industries as well. We all have the same processes, but it’s great to listen, communicate and connect. It’s been brilliant.”

Peter Ramage

Assistant Player Loans Manager

Newcastle United

“It was really good to listen to different speakers in the industry. The panels were brilliant at answering different questions live and giving real-life situations and giving insight.”

Natasha Patel

Director of Sporting Analytics

US Soccer

“It was really good to get different perspectives and different ideas, particularly to do with the Sporting Directors. That really opened up my eyes in terms of what that world looks like.”

Joel Bonner

Post-Match Analyst

Liverpool

“The TGG platform offers a unique combination of selective and insightful content, relevant and topical news, plus an active and engaged network”

Paul Neilson

General Manager

SkillCorner

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