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.
Chicago Bulls hire Tiago Splitter as Head Coach
The Chicago Bulls have named Tiago Splitter Head Coach, making the former San Antonio Spurs champion the 25th head coach in the franchise’s history.
Splitter succeeds Billy Donovan and steps up after a spell as interim head coach in Portland, where he guided the Trail Blazers to a 42-40 record and a playoff berth while overseeing a top-ten defence across the back half of the season. “I’m grateful for the trust this organisation has placed in me,” Splitter said on his appointment.
The hire is the first major call for Bryson Graham, the 39-year-old first-time lead executive now steering a retooling Chicago Bulls roster built around player development rather than immediate contention. Splitter, who won an NBA title as a player in San Antonio, becomes one of a small group of Brazilian coaches to lead an NBA team as Chicago Bulls coach.
DAZN names Andrea Faelli to lead Italian business
DAZN has changed leadership in one of its most important markets, appointing Andrea Faelli as CEO of DAZN Italy in place of Stefano Azzi.
The move installs an experienced business leader at the head of the streaming service’s Italian operation, the home of its exclusive Serie A rights and a central pillar of DAZN’s subscription model. Faelli takes over a market that remains strategically vital to the platform’s wider European ambitions, with the handover confirmed this week.
Angel City name Amy Taylor as Chief Executive
National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) side Angel City FC have appointed Amy Taylor as CEO, confirming the hire this week ahead of a July 27 start date.
Taylor brings a heavyweight commercial background to Los Angeles. She joins from beverage maker Zevia, where she served as CEO, and previously spent years as president and chief marketing officer for Red Bull North America – a role in which she held the energy giant’s ownership interests in Major League Soccer (MLS) side the New York Red Bulls.
At Angel City, Taylor will oversee the club’s football, business and organisational operations as one of the NWSL’s highest-profile franchises looks to convert commercial momentum into results on the pitch.
MLB hands Shimon Hoizumi the Japan brief
Major League Baseball (MLB) has appointed Shimon Hoizumi as Managing Director of MLB Japan, recruiting one of the country’s most experienced sports media executives as the league deepens its push into Asia.
Hoizumi arrives with a media-rights pedigree, having previously held senior roles at DAZN and Warner Bros. Discovery. His appointment hands MLB a commercial and broadcast specialist in a market it views as critical to international growth, with Japanese stars continuing to drive viewership and sponsorship interest in the league.
Snapshot Moves
- Rangers have appointed Derek McInnes as Head Coach on a three-year deal, prising him from Hearts after Danny Röhl left Ibrox for RB Salzburg; Hearts have begun interviewing for a successor ahead of players returning to Riccarton on June 25.
- The Orlando Magic have formally unveiled Sean Sweeney as Head Coach, the 16th in the franchise’s history, with the longtime assistant arriving from San Antonio after the Spurs’ run to the NBA Finals.
We’re spotlighting the movers and shakers shaping the sports business every Friday. Submit your people moves to Insider Sport’s News Editor, Louis Thompsett, at [email protected] to be featured in the next edition of Sideline Moves.
Catch up on last week’s Sideline Moves to read about José Mourinho’s return to Real Madrid and the Philadelphia 76ers’ front-office rebuild. Click HERE to read.
