Leanne Bats [#53]: Taking Lessons from FC Barcelona and the All Blacks to a Regional Sports Trust

On today’s episode I’m joined by Leanne Bats, Head of Digital and
Innovation at Sport Waikato, a not for profit Regional Sports
Trust in New Zealand with the vision of 'Everyone out there and
active'.


You might be thinking it’s fairly unique for a regional sports
trust to have someone leading innovation, and you’d be right.
This isn’t a typical role, it’s one that has been created
specifically for Leanne - a former Football Fern, who has gone on
to work with some of the biggest sporting IP on the planet in the
form of the FC Barcelona and the All Blacks.


In this conversation, we discuss how she’s implementing
innovation to increase participation in Waikato, a region in the
upper North Island of New Zealand. We also discuss what she has
learnt from her time with NZ rugby, her philosophy towards
innovation, as well as who inspires her.





Timestamps


3:00 - Leanne’s Journey from the Football Ferns to the All Blacks


9:00 - Participation as a Form of Fan Engagement


15:00 - Engaging Younger Generations - and Meeting them Where
They Are


21:00 - Implementing Innovation


29:00 - Innovators Who Inspire Leanne


37:00 - Future Plans and a Big Announcement





Additional Links


Connect with Leanne on LinkedIn - Here


Connect with Andy on LinkedIn - Here