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.
Newcastle United bolster executive team with three appointments
Newcastle United have announced three additions to the executive team sitting under CEO David Hopkinson, continuing the club’s sustained investment in its off-pitch infrastructure.
Graeme Johnson arrives as Chief People Officer. A senior executive with a background across consultancy, sports business and media, Johnson joins from Merlin Entertainments, where he held the position of Global Vice President of People and Culture, working alongside brands including LEGO, Hasbro and Ferrari.
Dave O’Connor takes up the role of Chief Revenue Officer, tasked with driving commercial growth across partnerships, retail, licensing and new business. A Newcastle native who attended school in North Shields and university in Durham, O’Connor co-founded global sports marketing firm 18K Sports and spent seven years inside FIFA‘s commercial division. He joins later this month.
Steven Taylor will follow on 1 July as Chief Marketing Officer, bringing more than two decades of experience in global brand building and fan engagement across consumer, lifestyle and hospitality sectors. He has led transformation programmes at Starwood, Shangri-La, Accor and Hurtigruten.
“In the near term, their focus will be on strengthening our organisational capability – embedding a high-performance culture, sharpening our global brand, and accelerating key revenue streams,” Hopkinson said.
The announcement comes amid stadium redevelopment plans for St. James’ Park.
Andoni Iraola appointed Liverpool head coach
Liverpool have confirmed Andoni Iraola as their new head coach ahead of the 2026-27 season, succeeding Arne Slot who departed the club over the weekend.
The 43-year-old arrives from AFC Bournemouth, where he spent three seasons and guided the club into European competition for the first time in their history, finishing sixth in the Premier League last month.
“The chance for me to coach top-level players, the chance to fight for titles – I think it cannot be more attractive than this,” Iraola told the club’s official channels.
The appointment marks a significant moment for both parties. For Iraola, it represents a step up to one of the biggest clubs in world football. For Liverpool, it is a rapid move to stabilise the dugout following Slot’s exit.
SPORTFIVE brings in Rossomondo for North America push
Global sports marketing agency SPORTFIVE has appointed Dan Rossomondo to its North American leadership team as it looks to strengthen its foothold in the US market.
Rossomondo, who will be based in New York and report to North America President Steve Loy, brings an extensive commercial background. He served as Chief Commercial Officer at MotoGP, where he contributed to the championship’s commercial strategy and brand identity, and prior to that held a senior partnerships and media role at the NBA, working on global rights and commercial expansion.
SPORTFIVE CEO Stefan Felsing described the hire as a significant step in the agency’s US ambitions, pointing to Rossomondo’s network and experience as central to challenging established players in the market.
RTL Deutschland restructures content division post-Sky merger
Following its merger with Sky Deutschland, RTL Deutschland has reorganised its content division under Chief Content Officer Inga Leschek.
The restructure consolidates entertainment, fiction, sports, production and streaming operations under a unified leadership structure. Oliver Schablitzki takes on the role of EVP Channels, Windowing & Planning, overseeing cross-platform content management across free TV, pay TV, streaming and YouTube.
Frank Robens leads the Sports division as EVP Sport, while Markus Küttner expands his brief as EVP Entertainment & Shows to include responsibility for the company’s daily series.
“We want to actively shape the future of entertainment, sports and storytelling – and extend our lead,” Leschek said.
Snapshot Moves
- The Minnesota Vikings have appointed Nolan Teasley as their new General Manager, ending a months-long search. Teasley joins from the Seattle Seahawks, where he spent 13 seasons rising to assistant GM and helped construct two Super Bowl-winning rosters.
- The Detroit Lions are hiring former Miami Dolphins General manager Chris Grier as a personnel executive.
- Russell Wilson has finalised a deal to join CBS Sports as a broadcaster following his retirement from playing.
- Paralympics Australia have strengthened their board with the appointment of Dr Amanda Green as a non-executive Director. Currently Chief People Officer at Inghams Group, Dr Green brings more than 25 years of experience in organisational psychology and culture transformation.
