The Athletic.

Hello, I'm Mark Chapman.

Welcome to the Business of Sport podcast on The Athletic.

Matt Slater with us as usual.

And our guest today is Rick Parry,

chair of the English Football League, which is made up of 72 clubs in three professional leagues beneath the Premier League.

Hugely experienced in football. He also served as chief executive of the Premier League and has

held the same role at Liverpool. Rick, welcome to the Business and Support podcast. Thank you very much

for talking to us. Just first of all, explain your remit as chair of the EFL. Well, I guess the clue is in

the title. It's fairly wide-ranging. In theory, it's part-time two days a week. Well, that's what

I'm paid for anyway. It's worked out at seven days a week through the pandemic,

but I actually think it's about saving the pyramid. You know, that's what makes the job worthwhile.

We have a fantastic network of clubs and the EFL matters, and we've got great opportunities

ahead of us for meaningful change. So I guess it's looking at the big stuff,

not getting dragged into the weeds whenever possible.

When we talk about saving the pyramid,

protecting the pyramid,

how much of that involves dealing with the 72?

How much does that involve,

would you say dealing with other leagues and and bodies that are within your remit?

It's a mix because, you know, clearly you have to have confidence of the 72.

That's really important.

...