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Sport for Business
Sport for Business
Patrick Nelson of the Irish FA in Conversation
Let us know what’s on your mind
Patrick Nelson's journey from trainee computer programmer to guiding Northern Ireland football through nearly two decades of transformation reveals how sport can change a nation's cultural landscape. As CEO of the Irish Football Association, he's witnessed firsthand the unifying power of football, particularly during Euro 2016 – what he calls "the best period of my working life."
The newly christened Clearer Twist National Stadium at Windsor Park forms the backdrop for our conversation about football's remarkable ability to bridge divides in Northern Irish society. "Football happened on a Saturday, people got together, they played their games, they shook hands at the end and moved on," Patrick recalls of even the most challenging periods. This commitment to connection extends beyond football, with Patrick regularly meeting his counterparts at Ulster Rugby and Ulster GAA to strengthen cross-sport collaboration.
While the disappointment of missing out on hosting Euro 2028 at Casement Park lingers, Patrick remains characteristically forward-focused. He's championing Belfast's role in the ambitious bid to host the 2035 FIFA Women's World Cup – a vision that would see "girls who are currently dreaming of wearing that green shirt turning out on that pitch in 10 years' time." Through personal anecdotes about his first football match (a remarkable 14-1 victory), his passion for skiing, and his direct management style, we glimpse the person behind Northern Irish football's impressive progress. Subscribe now to discover how sport continues to transform communities across the island of Ireland.
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Hello and welcome to the Sport for Business podcast. I'm your host, rob Hartnett, and in today's bonus episode we're chatting with Patrick Nelson. He's the CEO of the Irish Football Association in Belfast. Thank you. Our football coverage on sport for business is brought to you in partnership with sky ireland, sponsors of the republic of ireland men's and women's national team and your home, to find the very best of football action from across the UK and the rest of Europe.
Rob Hartnett:Patrick Nelson is an interesting guy. He is English by birth, irish of descent, but he has been working and operating in Northern Ireland at the head of the Irish FA, running Northern Ireland football for the last best part of two decades. He is a fascinating character, plenty of really good insight into not only football but the way in which it can be used to bond communities together as well. We sat down at the launch of the major new Naming Rights sponsorship, the Clearer Twist National Stadium at Windsor Park, which is where Northern Ireland will be playing all of their home games, and indeed Linfield. We touched on a variety of subjects crossing over from football and we finish off with our regular question and answer session. I think you're going to enjoy it, so let's take it away with Patrick Nelson. We're here in the newly titled Clearer Twist National Stadium at Windsor Park. I'm joined by Patrick Nelson, the CEO of the Irish Football Association here in Belfast. Very welcome to.
Patrick Nelson:Sport for Business. Patrick, rob, thank you very much. Sport for Business is always an interesting lesson and I'm delighted to be part of it, and today is a fantastic day. This stadium that we're in has got an incredible history. It's 120 years old. There are so many football stories that have been written here, but the one that we start today is the fact that, the first time ever, it's going to have a commercial name. It's going to be the clearer twist national stadium at windsor park for the next eight years I'm going to come back to the future, but let me take you back a little bit.
Rob Hartnett:First of all, your journey into football. You've been ceo here now for for a number of years, but it wasn't always football on your career path uh, absolutely not.
Patrick Nelson:I actually started as a trainee computer programmer. Um, in the days when there were trainee computer programmers and that was in the electricity industry, of all things I then moved into what you might call and this sounds a bit highfalutin but global financial services. I worked for American Express, I worked for Mastercard and I worked for an incredible bank called Capital One Bank, where we set the bank up in Europe. That is a very long time ago now, but that was the first half of my business life. I've worked in football now for very nearly 20 years.
Rob Hartnett:And there have been a lot of highs along the way as well 2016, obviously, the qualification for the Euros, and then with the women's team making it to the same tournament in 2022 as well. Your personal reflection what are some of the memories that stick out for you from those best of days?
Patrick Nelson:well, I think. I think the the first thing I would say on this, rob, is that, um, I have worked as I a you know, starting as a trainee computer programmer. It was actually the 4th of September 1978 was my first day in work. And of all of that time and your listeners will be thinking, oh, my God, he's not that old, really, is he?
Patrick Nelson:And the answer is yes he is In all of that time. The best period of my working life was those three weeks in France in the summer of 2016. The close second was the three weeks that we had in Southampton with the senior women's team, but the first time that we qualified for that tournament was an incredible period. We changed the country through football. You know, some people say it's just 22 people going out on a field and kicking a ball around. It's much more than that. You know, football has the ability to move a country culturally like almost no other thing I can think of, and and to be part of that is something that I'm incredibly proud of. This is actually my dad's country. This was my dad's country, you know. He was born here in Northern Ireland. He lived much of his life here. He ended up having to go to England for work, but this was his country and I'm so proud to have been part of the story of this country and to be part of the football story over the last 16 years.
Rob Hartnett:And it is great that it should be so personal, because obviously you've done an awful lot of real good things. Um, we can touch on some of those. Um looking at it, though, when you come back to 2016, when you come out of it, when you come out of 2022, your job as such is to make sure that the happiness and the joy and the transformation of opportunity that comes out of those is actually translated into reality. So there's been a number of recent announcements about the player pathway and the development of players that can take Northern Ireland to the next stage of those. How challenging is that to actually translate the emotion of a goal scored in a tournament qualified for into more brass tacks, of getting kids out onto the pitches.
Patrick Nelson:That's a really good question, but, you know, in many ways it's easier in the business the industry I'm in now in terms of football and sport than it ever used to be in the world of global banking. I used to go to Visa conferences and Mastercard conferences worldwide and we didn't talk about credit cards at the end of the evening. We talked about football and cricket and rugby and golf, and so having an opportunity to actually influence people in terms of the memories that we create through those fabulous moments such as the Euros in 2016, the Women's Euros in 2022. And even on a national level, things like the Clearer Water Irish Cup finals that we've had over the last couple of years they're incredible opportunities and what we do is we effectively we bottle those emotions and we then try and pour that liquid over people in our country afterwards to remind them of the amazing memories that football creates and to encourage people and to catalyse them to make their own memories and it really does Pardon the pun.
Rob Hartnett:I hate to pour cold water on the optimism, but there are tough times as well. On the optimism, but there are tough times as well. We were on a stage here a couple of years back where we were unbounded in our optimism that casement park was going to happen and that the euro 2028 finals were going to come to belfast and northern ireland.
Patrick Nelson:How disappointing was it for you personally that that didn't happen well, I think, um, not only for me personally, but corporately, it's an opportunity missed, what we will have to do now, because the Euro 2028 in the UK and Ireland will be an incredible summit. You know it would be an amazing tournament organised under the auspices of UEFA, who are one of the premier sporting organisations in the world, and it was an opportunity to bring it here to Belfast, to our city, to our country, and it's disappointing that that has gone away. It's up to us now to actually qualify, to be there on the field, so that we can have that feel good factor through the performances that we make on the field and we'll make good memories during the summer of 2028.
Rob Hartnett:Okay, there was nothing lost out of it in terms of the relationships. I know that, you know.
Patrick Nelson:Northern.
Rob Hartnett:Ireland and culture and community and identity have always been wrapped up in sport, but perhaps as part of the journey, even though it was tested at times, the relationships that were forged between GAA on one side, between the IFA on the other side, and the long-term benefit of working closer together and realising that that is going to be a benefit, that's something which was a win from that whole episode.
Patrick Nelson:Well, it was a win, but there was a win from that whole episode. Well, it was um, it was a win, but you know there was a win before that as well. You know the um when we talk about, uh, the sporting codes working together, um, you know, I I worked very extensively with the leaders of ga and the leaders of rugby in particular over all of my time in northern ireland. We have great relationships. We, we, you know, we share lots of things and in fact, even later on today, as we record this here in Belfast, hugh, the Chief Executive of Ulster Rugby, and Brian, the Chief Executive of Ulster GAA, are going to be in my office later because we have a monthly meeting where we just sit and chat about things and we shoot the breeze, to use the American phrase, about how we can all work together better in future.
Patrick Nelson:And you know that was already created. Those relationships were already there when we looked at, you know, trying to bring Euro 2028 to Belfast. They were there to begin with. You know, if we didn't have those relationships, it might have been an even more complex discussion. But we all got on well in the first place. We get on well now and we're all committed to try and make this country better through our sporting endeavours.
Rob Hartnett:And it is very much on the ground as well. I can remember coming up to a coaching conference here oh, it must be 10 years ago or so now, with the early days of sports business and walking into the room and finding the coaches from all of the different codes and all the different learning from each other and brilliant in a sense that maybe wasn't even you know out in the, in the wider society, that sport was playing its part to actually sort of cross those community divides.
Patrick Nelson:I think that's that's always been the case. Um, you know this. This predates me by uh, by quite a, but one of our esteemed presidents here in history was a guy called Jim Shaw, who was president for six years in the early to mid 2010s, and Jim used to always tell stories of the fact that even during the Troubles football happened on a Saturday, people got together and they played their games of football. Stories of the fact that even during the troubles football happened on a Saturday, people got together, they played their games of football, they shook hands at the end of the game and they moved on. So sport has always been a unifier in this society and it's our job to continue giving people opportunities to make the country better through all sports, but in our case, football.
Rob Hartnett:Opportunity knocks. 2035 is something that you've put a flag in the ground, and you've said that you want the FIFA Women's World Cup to come here to be part of a bid across the two islands, perhaps, and to have 2028, when it's bigger and better and with the women's team as well. How is that looking at the moment?
Patrick Nelson:We are the one bidder that is working with FIFA. This is England, scotland, wales and Northern Ireland working together on this. We have to put a proper, merchantable, high-quality bid together. We're doing that. Over the next few months, fifa will make a formal decision on hosting rights at their Congress next year, 2026. We can't take anything for granted, but what I will say is that Belfast, northern Ireland and the clearer twist National Stadium at Winter Park is absolutely determined to be part of it, and we will have girls who are currently dreaming of wearing that green shirt will hopefully be turning out on that pitch in 10 years time in the FIFA Women's World Cup.
Rob Hartnett:Brilliant news. Can't wait to be very exciting. Before I let you go, I've just got a couple of very short, quick fire personal questions.
Patrick Nelson:Get to know a little bit more about patrick nelson, the person these are the harder ones perhaps um tell us what your first childhood memory of sport was uh, my first childhood memory of sports was, um, I went to, uh, a game in the old midland league. I was brought up in Heanor in Derbyshire, irish parents, as I mentioned before, my dad was here from the north, my mum was a Dubliner they met in England. My granddad took me to a Midland League game. It was Heanor Town versus Skegness Town. I think it was 1967. I thought all games were going to be like this because Heanor Town won 14-1. And all of the time that I've been around since, I've never been to another 14-1.
Rob Hartnett:It's always challenging to actually find the best of times in the first of times, because you never get to escape from it. Then, outside of football, what's the best sports event, the best occasion that sport has brought to life, that you've been at?
Patrick Nelson:um, I, I would have to say, it's my own skiing, okay, cool, yes, I, I love skiing. Um, I really enjoy it. It's, um, it's my favorite sport outside of this. I will never be, um, an olympic champion. I would not even be a contender for the village championships in skiing, but I love skiing, I really enjoy it. It gives me a tremendous freedom. And, um, that would be my other sporting favorite.
Rob Hartnett:I would say I was just recently out in turin for the special olympics winter games that were out there and they're coming back to northern italy next february. So maybe, if we can find a schedule in the window or a window in the schedule, we might be able to actually go over there, enjoy that. Um, a couple of quick my ones tea or coffee, coffee, coffee, netflix, or a night at the movies. I think a night at the movies, okay, can you think of the last movie that you were at conclave?
Patrick Nelson:very good, which is very topical at this point, indeed, and it was a tremendous film. I think Ralph Fiennes was utterly brilliant in it, as was Stanley. Tucci. I'm not sure either of them would actually make it to Beepo, but it was brilliant.
Rob Hartnett:Yeah, there might be a few cupboards to be shaken out there. All right, the last thing that made you laugh out loud.
Patrick Nelson:The stripe. They're all right. Um, the last thing that made you laugh out loud um the uh stripe that was cut into our pitch yesterday.
Rob Hartnett:That looked like I had been out on the mower myself. Okay, the pitch is being relayed at the moment now, after the clear water irish cop and before the next round of of international matches.
Patrick Nelson:That was probably laughing through tears, I would imagine it was, because, uh, it looked like somebody who'd never driven a tractor before had been out there, and that's the sort of thing I could have done.
Rob Hartnett:Okay, Last two. A trait that you most admire in people that you work with I think probably directness.
Patrick Nelson:You know it's a difficult one. You know we're taught maybe to be a little bit more around the houses these days, but you know I love a direct conversation that sounds like a winner and the last one.
Rob Hartnett:if I had a table booked in the muddlers club in belfast and I could give you three invitations to have somebody come along to join you that you're not related to they can be dead or alive from within sports, within politics, within life who would be first on your list, do you?
Patrick Nelson:think well, um, what I would say is firstly, it would need to be a table at mcdonald's rather than the muddlers club, because that's more my style. Um, I would invite, um, I would invite my wife, uh ros, I would invite john f kennedy and I would invite, uh, an old friend of mine, nigel morris, who's a brilliant businessman who set up capital one fantastic patrick it is always a pleasure when I'm in your company.
Rob Hartnett:Congratulations on the announcement now of the Clearer Twist National Stadium at Windsor Park. It doesn't quite trim off the tongue, but we'll get used to it, and thanks for everything that you've done within Northern Ireland football and sports in Belfast.
Patrick Nelson:Thanks, Rob, and thanks for being here today and I assure you the Clearer Twist National Stadium at Windsor Park will trip off the tongue very, very soon.
Rob Hartnett:It's already getting easier. It is Thanks to Patrick for taking the time out on a very busy day. He was leaving us to go and chat with the Ulster Rugby and the Ulster GAA representatives, in a group that meet regularly to talk about the ways in which sport can benefit the entire North of Ireland community. He was also then heading off to a National Trust meeting, of which he's a director as well. So busy man. Very, very interesting to listen to and for his thoughts on football, sport and society.
Rob Hartnett:Our coverage of football is brought to you by Sky Ireland, our partners in all of our coverage of the beautiful game, whether that be online at sportforbusinesscom or on our football series of interviews on the podcast Coming up.
Rob Hartnett:We will be chatting with Dr Ciarán Collins of the Technological University of Dublin about their new course, a diploma in sports analytics, innovation and technology Really good conversation, bringing in AI and the way in which technology is changing sport, how we consume it, how we perform it and so many other different areas. And before that we'll be chatting to Afrika Kyo, the Olympian, the medalist from the Tokyo Olympic Games, one of only two Olympic medalists from the city of Galway, and she has just been elected as the chair of the Athletes Commission on the Olympic Federation of Ireland, so my chat with her will be dropping next Tuesday. In the meantime, you can catch up with all the news from the commercial world of Irish sport at sportforbusinesscom. Sign up for the podcast, wherever you get your podcasts from, and thank you very much for taking the time to listen to us today. Have a great rest of your day, thank you.
