Episode 4: Paul and Sam Blake
We're joined by Paul and Sam Blake from the Newcastle Eagles.
Guests: Paul and Sam Blake
In episode four of Where Sharp Minds Compete, host Paul Shields, Partner and Head of Johnston Carmichael’s Newcastle office, is joined by Paul Blake, owner of Newcastle Eagles, and Sam Blake, Chief Executive Officer, to explore the story behind the most successful professional basketball club in British history.
The conversation unpacks the club’s takeover journey, the role of the local community in keeping it alive and what it’s like to run a sports business built on passion and resilience. Paul and Sam reflect on the times the club came close to failing, the turning points that helped them survive and the importance of having passionate people within the team. They also share stories from the club’s history, including how the venue was transformed into a vaccination centre during COVID, helping to deliver 125,000 vaccinations and showing the club’s wider value to the region.
Within the episode, looking at the parallels between sport and business, Paul shares how basketball is like a speeded-up version of business. He explains that many of the tasks delivered in a business are similar to what happens on a court, where decisions must be made quickly and often under pressure.
Blending community impact, sporting passion and practical business insight, this episode offers a compelling look at what it takes to build, sustain and lead an organisation through change.
