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Welcome to the Training Ground Guru Podcast. In every episode we bring you insights into the teams behind the teams in professional football. Thank you for listening.
Simon Wilson: Driving success with strategy at Man City & Stockport
Training Ground Guru Podcast
48 minutes
3 months ago
Simon Wilson: Driving success with strategy at Man City & Stockport
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 there coincided with the new ownership of Sheikh Mansour and a period of complete transformation. Simon played a key role in this, first as Head of Analysis, then Strategy and Performance Manager and finally as Director of Football Services for the entire City Football Group.
In this latter role, Simon designed, built and delivered the club's global multi-club operation.
After a short spell as Chief Football Officer at Sunderland, Simon joined Stockport County in 2020 and has masterminded their climb through the divisions. In February 2025, he was promoted from Director of Football to Chief Executive.
In this Episode, Simon told us about his career journey, about his pivotal work at Manchester City and about Stockport's seven-year plan.
SHOW NOTES =>
02:27: Reflections on Stockport's summer transfer window.
03:21: Getting over last season's play-off semi-final defeat.
05:06: The club's seven-year plan.
07:45: What it's like working with Stockport owner Mark Stott.
08:53: How does the new squad compare to last season's?
09:45: The strength of this season's League One.
11:39: Simon discusses his time working at Sunderland.
16:24: How did Simon first get involved in football?
19:51: His first jobs with clubs - first at Preston and then Southampton.
21:19: Being only the second full-time Performance Analyst in the UK.
22:14: Working with Sir Clive Woodward.
23:25: Joining Manchester City.
25:27: Sheikh Mansour taking over at City.
29:08: Simon Pearce and Brian Marwood's involvement at the Etihad.
31:35: Becoming Director of Football Services for the City Football Group.
36:01: The difference between an entertainment club and a talent club in the multi-club model.
36:57: Are smaller clubs in a multi-club model servicing the bigger clubs?
39:44: Players moving between clubs in the group.
40:19: Economies of scale and sharing of data between the group's clubs.
41:47: Why Simon left Manchester City.
43:38: The current state of the game.
45:54: Moving from Sporting Director to CEO - how it's going.
47:13: What does the future hold for Simon?
Training Ground Guru Podcast
Welcome to the Training Ground Guru Podcast. In every episode we bring you insights into the teams behind the teams in professional football. Thank you for listening.
