The High Performance Podcast

Episode: Amanda Staveley: The Untold Story Behind Newcastle’s £300M Takeover (E370)
Release Date: September 15, 2025
Hosts: Jake Humphrey, Damian Hughes, and team
Guest: Amanda Staveley

Episode Overview

This powerful and intimate episode features Amanda Staveley, business leader and driving force behind the £300m Newcastle United takeover. The conversation, led by the High Performance team, is far more than a business or football story—it’s an emotional journey into leadership, adversity, family, and the resilience that has propelled Amanda forward, even in the face of deeply personal health challenges.

Key Themes & Discussion Points

1. The Motivation and Meaning Behind High Performance

• Amanda opens up about her relentless drive not to disappoint herself or her family, especially her father and grandfather, and how these motivations have underpinned her career and personal resilience.
• She reveals her diagnosis with Huntington’s Disease, positioning every day as precious and emphasizing the importance of ambition and loving her life.
  • “I just didn't want to let myself down. I didn't want to let my dad down.” – Amanda Staveley [00:01]
  • “I will develop full Huntington's Disease. Every day is important. I'm also very ambitious. So I don't want to die because I love my life.” – Amanda Staveley [00:01]

2. Building and Leading—From Barclays to Newcastle United

• Amanda traces her proudest achievements from the Barclays bank recapitalization at 34 (amid the 2008 crisis) to the monumental Newcastle United takeover.
• She details how her early experience in high-stakes finance gave her the tools to structure deals, build trust, and plan years ahead.
  • “Every dream starts as a vision. To turn it into reality takes incredible hard work, good teams, good people, people you can trust and lean on when things get tough.” – Amanda Staveley [02:21]
  • On being underestimated:
    “Women probably are more. Not so much today, but yes, I was very much underestimated. And that continued, I would think, right up for many years… But that is a positive. That's a real help. They underestimate you, therefore, you have more time to get things really right.” – Amanda Staveley [05:17]

3. How to Buy a Premier League Club (The Newcastle United Takeover)

• Amanda provides a step-by-step narrative of the Newcastle takeover, including:
  • Finding value and a willing seller (“If you don't have a willing seller, it doesn't really work.” [13:42])
  • Building the business plan and infrastructure from scratch—the C-suite was essentially absent.
  • The importance of patient capital and choosing partners that understood football’s culture (Public Investment Fund, the Rubin family).
  • Overcoming opposition and skepticism, including doubts about using Saudi money.
  • Recruitment of Eddie Howe as head coach, detailing rigorous interviews, and why his humility and learning from setbacks set him apart.
  • Fixing practical problems at the club—refurbishing the training ground, supporting players beyond contracts.
  • The impact of fan culture and community spirit in steering decisions.

Notable Quotes:

• “We interviewed over 30 people. We looked at every player and there was two outstanding candidates. One was Unai Emery and ... Eddie was just unbelievable.” – Amanda Staveley [15:00]
• “What Newcastle needed was very patient capital and a very young demographic... the Saudi fans were very young, passionate about football.” – Amanda Staveley [11:17]

4. Human Leadership, Empathy, and Vulnerability

• Amanda’s empathy for players, managers, and staff repeatedly surfaces, from personalized gestures (handwritten notes, wash bags) to building personal relationships and supporting mental health.
• She shares the emotional burden of leadership and the impact of leaving Newcastle, including a tearful response to a fan’s tribute.
  • “That connection is extraordinary because I love all of the fans…Leaving was the hardest thing I've ever done, really.” – Amanda Staveley [22:17]
• She reflects on being seen as a ‘cold financier,’ countering that her leadership is fundamentally about human connection.
  • “All you've spoken about for almost an hour to us is about human connection. Am I right?” – Host [36:37]
  • “Well, that, to me, that is football. That is definitely football. That's what I love.” – Amanda Staveley [37:00]

5. Facing Personal Adversity—Huntington’s Disease

• Amanda offers a candid portrait of living with Huntington’s. She discusses her test results, symptoms, and how managed routines, exercise, and mental challenges have helped slow progression.
• She talks about the societal stigma, the fear of inheriting behavioral changes, and the immense support from her husband and medical professionals.
  • “I'm now proud of my diagnosis. Whereas before, I was very ashamed.” – Amanda Staveley [51:01]
  • “I have to be confident they'll find a cure. And I do believe we will.” – Amanda Staveley [51:16]
• The diagnosis has clarified her priorities; she is fiercely protective of her time and family.
  • “Every day is important…I don't want to die because I love my life.” – Amanda Staveley [55:07]

6. Family, Resilience, and the Cost of Ambition

• Amanda recounts her strained relationship with her father, the challenges of being a woman in high finance, and the formative years of building her own path (e.g., walking away from Cambridge, her first restaurant loan).
• She discusses her son Alexander’s premature birth and the lessons of hope and tenacity.
  • “He was born at 26 weeks… we were told to have a termination… but he’s our absolute rock star.” – Amanda Staveley [57:30]
• On what she’d tell her younger self:
  “Just be…courage. Just because you don't have those tool set at that age… Now I have the track record that actually allows me to go into meetings with the confidence to be able to say no.” [46:52]

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Tenacity and Not Giving Up
  “Tenacity, integrity and... just, you know, don't give up. Be true to yourself.” – Amanda Staveley [65:07]
• On Personal Cost
  “I have very little freedom. I mean, I just have no free time…” – Amanda Staveley [63:14]
• On Empathy:
  “If something could be a little better, then make it better…if I can be more empathetic to other people's needs, then, you know…” – Amanda Staveley [38:50]
• On Living Openly with Illness
  “I'm now proud of my diagnosis. Whereas before, I was very ashamed.” – Amanda Staveley [51:01]
• Golden Rule for High Performance:
  “Don't give up. It's the same as, you know, you've just got to keep going, you've just got to be consistent…” – Amanda Staveley [66:21]

Important Timestamps

• Opening reflections and Amanda’s motivation [00:01 – 02:51]
• Early career and the Barclays deal [02:51 – 06:24]
• Spotting opportunities and working with passion [06:24 – 07:32 & 09:44]
• Player welfare and future of football [09:54 – 11:08]
• The Newcastle takeover and building a club [13:37 – 17:15]
• Recruitment of Eddie Howe [16:42 – 17:54]
• On club culture and fans [21:12 – 23:45]
• Managing FFP & key transfers (Minte to Brighton) [26:49 – 30:16]
• Support for players facing adversity (Sandro’s addiction and support) [31:45 – 36:35]
• Empathy in leadership & family roots [37:00 – 44:12]
• Struggles at Cambridge and finding inner resilience [44:12 – 48:37]
• Living with Huntington’s [48:37 – 57:13]
• On her son’s premature birth [57:30 – 58:43]
• Handling criticism and public life [59:50 – 61:35]
• Juggling multiple roles: mother, partner, leader [61:50 – 62:13]
• Reflections on achievement and ambition [62:26 – 64:58]
• Quickfire: Non-negotiable behaviours, regrets, advice [65:07 – 66:49]
• Closing reflections from the hosts [66:49 – 69:59]

The Hosts’ Final Thoughts

• Amanda Staveley is praised as a trailblazer whose emotional investment set her apart from the typical football investor. Her warmth, fan empathy, and support for players resonated deeply with both the club and the podcast hosts.
  • “Having an administrator in football or a club owner or someone in a senior leadership role that takes the time to really understand what the fans want and has a kind of emotional investment…that's why she is so hugely revered.” – Host 1/Damian [66:49]
  • “I've never heard an owner of a club talk in those terms.” – Host 2 [68:49]
• The episode underscores Amanda’s ‘reinvention,’ resilience, and the sense that her story is far from over.

Key Takeaways

• Amanda’s journey demonstrates that high performance is not only about financial acumen or deal-making, but also deep empathy, humility, and authenticity.
• Her story inspires listeners to embrace vulnerability, face adversity head-on, and value personal connections above all.
• The role of a leader in any field is not just about results, but the lives, wellbeing, and dreams of those around them.

For anyone seeking to understand leadership, resilience, and the human stories behind football’s boardrooms, this episode is essential listening.