TGG Live ’26 in video and photos: Thank you for being part of it
Written by
Simon Austin
October 5, 2026
More than 550 delegates from 11 countries attended TGG Live ’26 – our biggest and best conference to date.
Staff came to Manchester United’s Old Trafford stadium from more than 40 clubs and seven governing bodies, across 11 countries and more than a dozen leagues. Sporting Directors, CEOs and Academy Directors sat alongside Analysts, Scouts and Sport Scientists, sharing insights and ideas.
Among the delegates was Thomas Hitzlsperger, the former Germany international and ex CEO of Stuttgart.
“Data analytics is so important,” he said. “As a former player, I still hope that I can trust my gut a little bit and my experience, but the way everything’s going, developing, I think data and analytics is so important. I want to learn more in order to make better decisions.”
There were a total of 22 sessions on the main stage over the two days, featuring speakers from the Premier League, EFL, Eredivisie, Japan’s J League and Formula One, covering Sporting Directors, recruitment, analytics, Academies, coaching and performance.
Data and AI ran through much of the event, including James Young of Genius Sports on the AI that turns video into live match data to Dr John Hill of Orreco on AI and performance. Yet the overarching themes were about people: how to build connections, whether across departments, clubs or cultures, and how to cut through the noise to what matters most.
That came through in the break-outs too, which were sharper than ever and built around group work. In the recruitment session, Daunte Crawford of the Football Association of Wales set delegates a series of recruitment scenarios and asked who at a club should make the final decision, and why.
Ed Henderson, Chief of Staff (Football) at Nottingham Forest, said: “For me it’s been really valuable to be able to hear from all these different people across two days and to get loads of different ideas and bring them back to Nottingham Forest.
Independent football strategy consultant Kofi Hagan added: “This event is something that I’ve not quite seen before. I think there’s been loads of different events in terms of conferences, et cetera, but I think just the calibre of people in the room as well, and I think the content, I think it’s been something that’s been quite groundbreaking as well.”
The first day ended with networking drinks and dinner, and the second with a panel on how a CEO, a Head of Football Operations and a Head Coach work together, with Stephen Pearce of Derby County, David Fox of Plymouth Argyle and Steven Schumacher of Bolton Wanderers.
In between, our partners filled a busy exhibitor area.
Above is the highlights video and below are photos from across the two days. If you were there, thank you – you may well spot yourself below.
Day One
Merijn Zeeman, CEO of AZ Alkmaar, opened the conference with a keynote on outsmarting the competition at Team Visma and AZ.
Our Sporting Director panel, with Ross Wilson (Newcastle United), Simon Wilson (Sheffield Wednesday) and Leigh Bromby, the Talent Acquisition Lead at Derby County. "The world's your oyster," said Wilson. "We can see such a growth in AI, such a growth in data, and that's a moment in time that we're in now."
Reed Shaffner, Chief Technology Officer at Teamworks, our headline partner for the third year running, on the state of AI in sport.
Stuart Webber, Head of Sport at RB Omiya Ardija, on lessons from Red Bull's global network and life in Japan. "If you believe in something, stick to it," he said. "That doesn't mean you don't learn and can't be open-minded, but... there's so much noise, people trying to sell you something all the time."
Sasha Satikova, Club Consultant at Ludonautics and formerly of Tottenham and Manchester City, on turning data into decisions. "We have to disagree respectfully, but we need to work," she said. "And the most important thing is to let go of your ego, because at the end of the day, you want to make sure the club makes the best possible decision."
Delegates split into three break-outs: Sporting Directors, Recruitment and Analytics, working in groups to share ideas with peers.
Evening: Networking drinks & dinner
Networking drinks and dinner at Old Trafford at the end of Day One.
Day Two
Neil Bath, who spent 30 years at Chelsea, delivered the Day Two keynote on leadership as influence. "I'm a strong believer it's not about the leader himself," he said. "What we achieved was about us. Jim was my left arm in recruitment and Joe pretty much my right arm in coaching, and there was a huge team that went around that. I believe as leaders our role is to enable others."
Our Academy Director panel, with Stephen Torpey (Manchester United), David Rainford (Brentford) and Jonathan Hunter-Barrett (Wolverhampton Wanderers).
The Day Two break-outs covered Coaching and Academies, and Performance.
The closing panel, with Stephen Pearce, the CEO of Derby County, David Fox, the Head of Football Operations at Plymouth Argyle, and Steven Schumacher, the Head Coach of Bolton Wanderers, on how the three roles work together. "The key to it is having an idea what you really want, talking it through, not always agreeing on it," said Schumacher. "But in the end, coming out of the room thinking that we're all on the same page."
More from the main stage
More from the main stage: Liam Bailey (SkillCorner), James Young (Genius Sports), Dr Claire-Marie Roberts (McLaren Racing), Gareth Quinn (Teamworks), Joe Newton (Sunderland), JP Pittman (Brentford), Dr Robert Percy Marshall (AFC Bournemouth), Paul Ford MBE (Norwich City) and Dr John Hill (Orreco),
Sarah Mulkerrins, the BBC sports broadcaster, hosted TGG Live for the third year running.
The people in the room
Thank you to Teamworks, our headline partner for the third year running, and to all of our partners: Athoz, BeSoccer Pro, Bromby and Partners, Eyeball, Footovision, Gemini Sports, Genius Sports, Kognia, Marquee, Modulek, Orreco, PitchSide Technologies, Sense Perform, SkillCorner, STATSports, Twelve Football, UCFB and Whistle Performance.
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