Welcome to Sideline Moves, Insider Sport’s weekly roundup spotlighting the key moves shaping the business of sport.
Every Friday, we bring you the latest executive appointments, strategic hires, boardroom shifts, and behind-the-scenes deals from across the global sports industry – all in one place.
Woody Johnson funds expansion of women’s flag football
Woody Johnson has committed a $1m grant to help launch the largest collegiate women’s flag football league in the US.
The New York Jets owner is supporting the Eastern College Athletic Conference as it prepares a 15-team competition that will begin in February 2026, spanning Division I, II and III programmes across the Northeastern US.
Each university will receive funding to support equipment, coaching and travel, creating one of the first dedicated pathways for women aiming to compete in the sport at a higher level.
Johnson’s latest commitment extends more than a decade of work by the Jets to grow girls’ and women’s flag football. The team played a central role in launching early high-school leagues in New York and New Jersey and has since been involved in developing more than 260 teams globally.
Previous work included the UK Girls Flag league, delivered with the Chicago Bears, which last year completed its second season and involved 240 participants aged 12–14.
The new collegiate league is designed to fill the gap between school-level participation and the elite level, arriving as anticipation builds for flag football’s first appearance at the LA28 Olympic Games.
Venky Alagirisamy fills a new position at Nike
Venkatesh “Venky” Alagirisamy has been appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Nike.
Alagirisamy steps into the newly created role at a pivotal moment as Nike looks to accelerate its “Win Now” initiatives, streamline leadership layers and strengthen connections between operations, technology and the marketplace.
His promotion follows nearly two decades at Nike, where he has led the company’s supply chain and operational strategy, embedding innovative approaches to production, planning and sustainability.
In this expanded role, Alagirisamy will oversee end-to-end integration of technology across Nike’s three iconic brands, ensuring digital tools and data insights are aligned with how the company designs, manufactures and delivers products to consumers.
The leadership restructure also involves the departure of Chief Technology Officer Muge Dogan, and the addition of Nike’s four Geography heads to the senior leadership team, while Global Sales and Nike Direct now report to CFO Matt Friend.
“His experience, innovative mindset and team-first leadership style will be key as we continue to evolve into a more agile, tech-enabled Nike,” said NIke CEO and President Elliott Hill.
“These changes amount to us eliminating layers and better positioning Nike to continue to have an impact the way only Nike can.”
Petra Sörling joins WADA finance and administration committee
Petra Sörling has been appointed to the Finance and Administration Committee of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), filling the seat of Dagmawit Girmay Berhane.
Sörling brings experience as a member of WADA’s Foundation Board and enters the role as the agency prepares to implement the 2027 World Anti-Doping Code and International Standards.
Her appointment is part of a broader slate of governance changes approved by WADA’s Executive Committee on December 2, 2025, ahead of the sixth World Conference on Doping in Sport in Busan, Republic of Korea.
Alongside Sörling, Marc Leu was named Independent Member of the Compliance Review Committee for a three-year term beginning January 1, 2026. Jacques Antenen joins the International Testing Agency Foundation Board as Independent Chair, with Ingmar De Vos representing International Federations and Mao Lijuan serving as an Independent Member, all effective from January 2026.
The committee also reappointed Anna Mguni, Jocelyn East, Marco Wonneberger, Xavier Bigard, Malav Shroff and Richard Budgett to WADA’s standing committees, aiming to strengthen oversight across education, health, medical research and compliance.
“These appointments reinforce WADA’s commitment to robust governance and athlete-centred anti-doping operations,” the agency said.
Cory Hilliard named CFO of USA Swimming
Cory Hilliard has been appointed Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of USA Swimming, taking the reins of the organisation’s financial strategy.
Hilliard joins the national governing body for swimming in the US after nearly two decades at the University of Colorado Boulder, where he served as Senior Associate Athletic Director for Business Operations and CFO.
In his previous role, he managed operating budgets for 17 Division I programmes and oversaw a business office responsible for accounting, travel operations and compliance with NCAA, university and state audit requirements.
“Cory brings extraordinary financial discipline, operational expertise, and a strong track record of transparent leadership,” said Kevin Ring, USA Swimming President and CEO.
Hillard is known for his data-driven approach and played a key role in major partnership negotiations, generating revenue across apparel, licensing, concessions and multimedia rights.
He will be based at USA Swimming’s national headquarters in Colorado Springs and will serve as a key member of the organization’s executive leadership team
“I am thrilled to join USA Swimming and contribute to an organisation whose mission and impact I deeply admire,” Hilliard said.
“I look forward to partnering with our Board, staff, and swimming community to support long-term sustainability, strengthen operational efficiency, and ensure financial strategies that advance athletes and the sport at every level.”
Snapshot Moves
- AFC Ajax has revealed Ernst Boekhorst will remain as chair of AFC Ajax’s board for a further three years following his re-election.
- Indiana Hoosiers’ starting quarterback, Fernando Mendoza, has signed an NIL agreement with Adidas, following an unbeaten regular season.
- Nathan Kosky has joined Goodwood to become the company’s Chief Commercial Officer, departing from AEG where he served as Vice President, Europe, Global Partnerships.
- England and Wales Cricket Board has announced Ros Trinick will join the leadership team as Communications Director, overseeing communications strategy across the organisation.
- FC Bayern München has announced Michael Diekmann will replace Werner Zedelius as Allianz’ representative on its supervisory board.
- Chris Gabehart has left Joe Gibbs Racing, though neither Gabehart nor the team has made a public statement.
We’re spotlighting the movers and shakers shaping the sports business every Friday.
Submit your people moves to Insider Sport’s Business Journalist, Kieran O’Connor, at [email protected] to be featured in Sideline Moves.
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