Best Training Ground Guru Podcasts (2025)

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Jamie Hamilton: Time to break free of positionism 1:12:00

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2d ago1:12:00

1:12:00

Our guest on Episode #74 of the TGG Podcast, in association with Teamworks, is Jamie Hamilton. Jamie is a UEFA A Licence coach and has become one of the most important thinkers in football coaching, with his work on positionism and relationism. This has struck a chord with coaches, players and fans, at all levels of the game, and is influencing a c…

1
Wellbeing vs Enlightenment: Pain to Pleasure vs Suffering to Spiritual Realization 40:49

1d ago40:49

40:49

What is our life purpose? What is our spiritual life purpose? How can we balance our effort towards well-being with our spiritual surrender? This episode maps two paths: The "horizontal path" has its survival needs, daily responsibilities, self care, and right effort toward well-being and wellness, and this is perhaps our human life purpose: surviv…

1
Wellbeing vs Enlightenment: Letting Go of "Why Did This Happen to Me?" 30:02

10d ago30:02

30:02

This episode is a must-listen for hard core spiritual seekers determined to be in surrender to God's will even in the most difficult of circumstances. Why do bad things happen to good people? If you're going through a hard time and asking yourself "why did this happen to me?", or if you're blaming yourself for having "attracted this", or mad at God…

1
Rob Mackenzie: Leading Tottenham's talent hunt 1:09:05

16d ago1:09:05

1:09:05

Our guest on Episode #73 of the TGG Podcast, in association with Teamworks, is Rob Mackenzie. Rob is the Head of Scouting at Tottenham and has worked for the Europa League champions for two years. Prior to Spurs, he was Head of Recruitment at Aston Villa and at Leuven in Belgium, and Head of Technical Scouting at Leicester City, helping to lay the …

1
Spiritual Activism: The Great Power (3/3, EP14) 45:14

17d ago45:14

45:14

Changing the world by being divine vessels of love through the power of prayer as the capacity to manifest Divine Will. Prayer as the power of positive mindset for personal healing, collective healing, and collective awakening. Multidimensional, spiritual solidarity. Spiritual Activism is community engagement and global healing within your daily ro…

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Spiritual Activism: The Multidimensional View (2/3, EP13) 30:03

21d ago30:03

30:03

Spirit guides and Divine guidance, community connection in shared life purpose of loyalty to Unity, Life, Love. Multiple dimensions of reality creating the physical world. This is part 2 of "Spiritual Activism", where we look at how to be of service during these times of global turmoil, from the spiritual perspective. Please listen to Part 1 first,…

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Spiritual Activism: From Aloneness to Togetherness. (1/3, EP12) 35:52

28d ago35:52

35:52

True power as the Power of Love, empowerment through remembering our togetherness and connecting with spirit guides and Divinity. We begin here, on our multi-episode exploration of Spiritual Activism, where we look at how to be of service during these times of global turmoil, from the spiritual perspective. In this episode we consider how on both t…

1
Patriarchy and Spirituality: Healing into the Great Mother. (EP11) 28:01

1M ago28:01

28:01

Inner healing as liberation from cultural conditioning. How do we heal from patriarchy, at the deepest level, and where do we arrive to on the other side of that healing? To heal the soul-body split of the patriarchy, we turn towards what we had once turned away from. As a result we land into the arms of the Great Mother, feminine wisdom, integrati…

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Patriarchy and Spirituality: How Cultural Wounds Hijack Your Spiritual Path. (EP10) 42:16

2M ago42:16

42:16

Patriarchy is deeper than cultural institutions or social norms — its root is a spiritual wound. Patriarchy is the result of a soul-body split, a dissociation that includes disconnection from the body, loss of groundedness or connection with Mother Earth, and spiritual bypass. Our cultural wounds are physiological, emotional, and spiritual — severi…

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Tom Heaton: Leading Manchester United's new era 36:31

2M ago36:31

36:31

Our guest on Episode #72 of the TGG Podcast, in association with Teamworks, is Manchester United and England goalkeeper Tom Heaton. Tom is playing his 21st season as a professional and is a member of United's new five-man leadership team, along with Bruno Fernandes, Harry Maguire, Lisandro Martinez and Noussair Mozraoui. In this Episode he told us …

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Trauma and Resilience: Becoming a Spiritual Warrior, Being Truly Alive. (3/3, EP 9) 36:19

2M ago36:19

36:19

Soul incarnating into the body. True presence, good boundaries, creatorship, creativity, empowerment, life force, vitality, true self. These are the capacities of the Spiritual Warrior who is grounded, centered, and in the heart. Incarnating and embodying allows us not only to handle traumatic events but also allows us to enjoy bliss, ecstasy, and …

501
Nick Montgomery: Tottenham triumph & career in coaching 56:29

2M ago56:29

56:29

Our guest on Episode #71 of the TGG Podcast is Nick Montgomery, Ange Postecoglou's Assistant at Nottingham Forest. The duo worked together at Tottenham last season, helping the North London side win their first piece of silverware in 17 years, when they claimed the Europa League. Montgomery has worked in football for almost three decades, as a play…

1
Trauma and Resilience: Intention, Incarnation, Determination. (2/3, EP 8) 21:45

2M ago21:45

21:45

Trauma healing, building resilience, spiritual healing, and embodiment. What it really takes to confront difficulty head-on. Soul incarnating into the body. True presence, courage, determination, intention. Yes, you can do it, because you have to. Now you need to want to. We are all blown out by life's difficulties sometimes. Our toughest moments d…

1
Trauma and Resilience: Causes, Effects, and How to Heal from Trauma. (1/3, EP7) 37:37

2M ago37:37

37:37

Trauma healing, building resilience, spiritual healing, and embodiment. This episode gives a definition of trauma and the cause of trauma, and explains the effects of trauma (disembodiment and the fragmentation of time itself). It also begins a definition of resilience, which we call spiritual resilience, or the "spiritual warrior" to distinguish i…

1
Holistic Health Checklist: Emotions, Relationships, Energy Body, Spirituality. (2/2, EP6) 24:08

2M ago24:08

24:08

Holistic health and wellness, healing fundamentals, and daily life hacks, in a quick summary + plug-and-play checklist. Emotional release tips, relational audit, info for empaths, energetic boundaries, meditation tips, and questions for you to reflect on what's working and what you could change in your routine, relationships, spiritual practice, an…

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Holistic Health Checklist: How Healing Happens. (1/2, EP5) 30:35

3M ago30:35

30:35

Holistic health and wellness, healing fundamentals, and daily life hacks, in a quick summary + plug-and-play checklist. What is the underlying mechanism of resilience and healing, and how can we increase our capacity through easy small changes in our daily habits and routine? This episode first explains the formula for resilience and healing, and t…

1
3 Qualities of Spiritual Mastery. (2/2, EP4) 19:45

3M ago19:45

19:45

What is spiritual mastery? What are the top qualities of spiritual mastery and what is the most important quality that takes us through the spiritual journey? This episode brings clarity through our cultural noise, to spiritual truths and what matters: the maturity of the dedicated spiritual practitioner. (This episode can be heard as a standalone …

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Simon Wilson: Driving success with strategy at Man City & Stockport 48:40

3M ago48:40

48:40

Our guest on Episode #70 of the TGG Podcast, in association with Teamworks Intelligence, is Simon Wilson. Simon is the Chief Executive of Stockport County and one of the most experienced football leaders in the UK. At Southampton, he was only the second full-time performance analyst in the country, before joining Manchester City in 2006. His time t…

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3 Qualities of Spiritual Mastery and 3 Pitfalls. (1/2, EP3) 43:55

3M ago43:55

43:55

What is spiritual mastery, spiritual authority, or simply being a spiritual person, really? Contrary to popular belief or what our culture tells us? This 2 part episode series discusses what being a spiritual person is and isn't, 3 pitfalls or traps we are often still stuck in even while on a spiritual path, and what it really looks like to heal fr…

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Spiritual Surrender, Ego Death, and Transformation: From Comfort Zone into Great Mystery. (EP2) 32:06

3M ago32:06

32:06

Ego-death, spiritual dark night of the soul, transitions, and massive soul-level transformations...This episode maps out the 3 stages of spiritual surrender, when life takes us past our edge and we go through the fires of transformation. Whether through a lifechanging life event or difficulty, or even simply by our own choice to dive courageously i…

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10 Spiritual Teachings and Themes that Guide our Spiritual Path. (EP1) 34:21

4M ago34:21

34:21

For our spiritual path, we can look to these 10 core themes to keep us aligned and inspired, and to help support our spiritual awakening, healing, and personal growth. This is for you if you're interested in mysticism, non-duality, spiritual practice, and ultimately, enlightenment. *** Click "Follow" to receive future episodes, released weekly. ***…

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Spiritual Awakening: The Ground of Love - Trailer 4:49

4M ago4:49

4:49

For those on a deep spiritual path, this podcast covers spiritual awakening, spiritual practice, psychology, meditation, energy healing, spiritual healing, mysticism across lineages and ancient wisdom traditions, and indigenous wisdom. This podcast isn't just information- it's energetic transmission. Welcome to your new sangha through the fields! C…

1301
Luke Bornn: Toulouse, Teamworks & making a difference with data 48:38

5M ago48:38

48:38

Our guest on Episode #69 of the TGG Podcast, in association with Teamworks, is Luke Bornn. Luke has been one of the leading figures in sports analytics for more than a decade. After working as an Assistant Professor at Harvard University, he became Head of Analytics at Roma and then with the Sacramento Kings. In 2020 he co-founded Zelus Analytics, …

1401
The past, present and future of tracking data 1:00:21

5M ago1:00:21

1:00:21

Tracking data has transformed the way clubs analyse the game. This cornucopia of information is shaped and analysed by data scientists to create valuable insights for coaches, managers, Heads of Recruitment, Sporting Directors and more. But how much do you know about tracking data? Ie what it is, how it's collected, how it's analysed (and by whom),…

1801
Andrew Nestor: Leading West Brom's new era 46:41

7M ago46:41

46:41

By Training Ground Guru

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Vitor Matos: Elite developer 50:50

7M ago50:50

50:50

It's great to be back for Season 6 of the TGG Podcast - and with a new sponsor, Genius Sports. Our first guest of the new season is Vitor Matos, the former Head of Elite Development at Liverpool. During five seasons at Anfield, Vitor helped to nurture a new generation of talent and deliver a number of trophies. Since leaving Liverpool at the end of…

3001
Robbie Savage: Pundit to Manager 1:02:09

11M ago1:02:09

1:02:09

Our guest on Episode #65 of the TGG Podcast is Robbie Savage. As a player, Robbie made 346 Premier League appearances and captained four clubs. After retiring, he became a household name as a TV and radio pundit and appeared on Strictly in 2011. Now he's pursuing a different career, as a Manager, with Macclesfield in the Northern Premier League. Ro…

4301
Paul Fernie: English Sporting Director making a mark in Germany 40:18

1+ y ago40:18

40:18

Our guest on Episode #64 of the TGG Podcast is Paul Fernie. Paul is Sporting Director of SV Darmstadt in Germany. He grew up in Hull and worked in analysis roles in England before the opportunity came to join Wiesbaden. He progressed from Head of Recruitment to Sporting Director and led the club from promotion to Bundesliga 2. Paul told us how the …

4701
Danny Röhl: Masterminding Sheffield Wednesday's Great Escape 42:59

1+ y ago42:59

42:59

Our guest on Episode #63 of the TGG Podcast is Danny Röhl. Danny led Sheffield Wednesday to one of English football's great escapes last season. When he took over in October, the club were seven points adrift of safety with no wins in 10. By the end of the campaign they were three points clear of relegation. In this episode Danny told us how that r…

5401
Natasha Patel: Innovating in New York and Southampton 52:52

1+ y ago52:52

52:52

Our guest on Episode #62 of the TGG Podcast, in association with Hudl, is Natasha Patel. Natasha is Assistant Academy Director at Southampton and one of the most experienced women working in men's professional football. From 2011 to 2019 she was Academy Analyst and then Head of Performance Analysis at Southampton, before leaving to become Head of P…

5601
Rene Maric: From blogging to Bayern Munich (Part 2) 52:42

1+ y ago52:42

52:42

Here is Part 2 of our interview with Bayern Munich Head of Coach Development & Playing Philosophy Rene Maric. In this second half, Rene told us how he kickstarted his career with the tactics blog Spielverlagerung, about coaching Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham at Borussia Dortmund, and about his brief spell as assistant at Leeds United. SHOW NOT…

5651
Rene Maric: From blogging to Bayern Munich (Part 1) 43:13

1+ y ago43:13

43:13

Our guest on Episode #61 of the TGG Podcast is René Marić. The Austrian is one of the most interesting and highly-rated young coaches in European football. He made his name by founding the cult tactics blog Spielverlagerung and went on to become Assistant Manager at Red Bull Salzburg, Borussia Monchengladbach, Borussia Dortmund and Leeds United. No…

5801
Radhi Jaidi: Breaking barriers as a player and coach 1:00:15

1+ y ago1:00:15

1:00:15

Our guest on Episode #60 of the TGG Podcast, in association with Hudl, is Radhi Jaidi. Radhi is a true legend of Tunisian football, having played 105 times for his country and won every trophy there was to win at club level there. Fans in England will know him best from his time at Bolton Wanderers, where he played under Sam Allardyce and helped th…

6051
Ruben Selles: In the eye of the storm at Reading 1:01:46

2y ago1:01:46

1:01:46

Our guest on Episode #59 of the TGG Podcast, in association with Hudl, is Reading manager Ruben Selles. The highly-rated coach gained plaudits for the way he managed Southampton for the second half of last season and there were high hopes when he took over at Reading in the summer. However, an ongoing financial crisis has plunged the very future of…

6251
Chris O’Loughlin: Upsetting the odds with Union Saint-Gilloise 49:06

2y ago49:06

49:06

Our guest on Episode #58 of the TGG Podcast, in association with Hudl, is Chris O'Loughlin. Chris is the Sporting Director of Union Saint Gilloise, one of the most innovative and interesting clubs in the whole of Europe. Despite having a stadium with a capacity of just 9,400, and a budget that’s dwarfed by the biggest clubs, they are top of the tab…

6551
Kevin Thelwell: Building something to believe in at Everton 46:37

2y ago46:37

46:37

Our guest on Episode #57 of the TGG Podcast, in association with Hudl, is Everton Director of Football Kevin Thelwell. Kevin tells Simon Austin about his role at the club, their four strategic pillars, his relationship with manager Sean Dyche and much more. SHOW NOTES=> 01:50: Team going in the right direction. 02:44: Sporting Director role explain…

6651
Jes Buster Madsen: Neuroscience and developing decision making 46:18

2y ago46:18

46:18

Our guest on Episode #56 of the TGG Podcast, in association with Hudl, is Jes Buster Madsen. Jes is Head of Research and Development for FC Copenhagen in Denmark and is leading the way in the application of cognitive neuroscience in football. SHOW NOTES=> 01:31: What role of Head of Research & Development involves. How he got the role. 09:10: How h…

6951
Mark Leyland: Evolving the role of the analyst 46:18

2y ago46:18

46:18

Our guest on Episode #55 of the TGG Podcast is Mark Leyland. Mark is one of the foremost analysts in this country and has become much more than that. He started his career in the Academy at Everton and went on to work for Burnley, Liverpool and Newcastle. Mark is one of the few backroom staff to be name-checked by managers. Eddie Howe described him…

7101
Sarah Rudd: Arsenal’s analytics pioneer 46:18

2y ago46:18

46:18

Our guest on Episode #54 of the TGG Podcast, in association with Hudl, is Sarah Rudd. For almost a decade, Sarah was Vice President of Analytics for StatDNA and Arsenal, making her one of the most senior women in the whole of European football. She's now founded her own analytics company, SRC FTBL, along with husband Ravi Ramineni. In this episode,…

7151
Pep Lijnders: Liverpool’s intensity identity (Part 2) 37:56

2y ago37:56

37:56

Episode #53 of the TGG Podcast is with Liverpool assistant Pep Lijnders. The Dutchman sat down with Simon Austin at the AXA Training Centre for an exclusive interview. In Part 2, he looked back on his career, gave insights into his time with Liverpool and reflected on his special relationship with Jurgen Klopp. This has been an interview we've want…

7201
Pep Lijnders: Liverpool’s intensity identity (Part 1) 39:50

2y ago39:50

39:50

Episode #53 of the TGG Podcast, in association with Hudl, is with Liverpool assistant Pep Lijnders. The Dutchman sat down with Simon Austin at the AXA Training Centre for an exclusive interview. In Part 1, he reflected on pre-season, looked ahead to the 2023/24 campaign and gave insights into his coaching methods. This has been an interview we've w…

7301
Ian Evatt & Chris Markham: Bringing Bolton back 59:01

2+ y ago59:01

59:01

Episode #52 of the Training Ground Guru Podcast, in association with Hudl, features two guests: Bolton manager Ian Evatt and his Sporting Director Chris Markham. Simon Austin sat down with the duo at the club’s Toughsheet Community Stadium ahead of the new season. It’s rare to get a manager and Sporting Director speaking together like this, so we h…

7451
Conor Nestor: Using analysis to get ahead in Asian football 49:58

2+ y ago49:58

49:58

Our guest on Episode #50 of the TGG Podcast, in association with Hudl, is Conor Nestor. Conor is the new coach of Hyderabad in the Indian Super League. He arrives from Svay Rieng in Cambodia, who he led to the 2019 league title. The Irishman told us about his fascinating career journey and about how he has used analysis to gain an advantage.…

7751
Des Ryan: Athletic development of Academy players 47:00

2+ y ago47:00

47:00

Our guest on Episode #50 of the Training Ground Guru Podcast, in association with Hudl, is Des Ryan. Des is Director of Coaching and Performance at Setanta College and was Head of Sports Medicine and Athletic Development at Arsenal Academy from 2013 to 2021. During his time with the Gunners he helped to develop 'Strong Young Gunners' like Bukayo Sa…

1
Pedro Marques: Inside Benfica’s talent factory 47:10

2+ y ago47:10

47:10

Our guest on Episode #49 of the TGG Podcast, in association with Hudl, is Pedro Marques, the Technical Director of Benfica's Academy. There's a strong case for saying that Benfica have the top Academy in Europe. They are the reigning UEFA Youth League champions (having beaten RB Salzburg 6-0 in the 2022 final), have the most profitable Academy in E…

1
Stuart Webber: Six years and beyond at Norwich City 1:01:04

2+ y ago1:01:04

1:01:04

Our guest on Episode #48 of the Training Ground Guru Podcast, in association with Hudl, is Norwich City Sporting Director Stuart Webber. SHOW NOTES => 02:04: Rebuilding Norwich's training ground. Appeal of Sporting Director job was producing something sustainable at a club. 08:03: Premier League is the hardest league in the world. Even Brentford an…

1
Tom Vernon: Giving everyone a Right to Dream 57:31

2+ y ago57:31

57:31

Our guest on Episode #47 of the TGG Podcast, in association with Hudl, is Tom Vernon, the founder and Group CEO of Right to Dream Group. => SHOW NOTES: 02:12: What is Right to Dream and its philosophy? 04:46: Start of Right to Dream in 1999. Changing the 'extractive mindset'. Setting up the only residential girls' Academy in Ghana. 12:23: Moving in…

1
David Sumpter: A curiosity-based approach to data 1:01:27

2+ y ago1:01:27

1:01:27

Our guest on Episode #46 of the TGG Podcast, in association with Hudl, is Professor David Sumpter, who has worked with top teams including Ajax, Barcelona and England. => SHOW NOTES: 02:06: How he got started in computer programming/ mathematics and then football. 05:45: Studying behaviour of birds and fish and how this relates to football. Need to…

1
TGG Extra: Justin Cochrane's Coaching Tips 12:18

3y ago12:18

12:18

In the first instalment of a new series called TGG Extra, Justin Cochrane gives his tips for current and aspiring coaches.By Training Ground Guru

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Justin Cochrane: Content and connection 49:18

3y ago49:18

49:18

Our guest on Episode #45 of the TGG Podcast, in association with Hudl, is Justin Cochrane. Justin has been first-team coach and Head of Coaching at Brentford since the summer. He was previously Head of Player and Coach Development at Manchester United and has also worked for the Football Association and Tottenham. => SHOW NOTES: 01:23: What does yo…