Bootstrapping The Cube: How Connor Ryan is Bringing Street Football Back to the Academy

Bootstrapping The Cube: How Connor Ryan is Bringing Street Football Back to the Academy

From The Business of Football by David Chimbaza

April 7, 2026 · 1h 1m · Episode 80

About this episode

David Chimbaza interviews Connor Ryan about his journey from professional football to entrepreneurship and the creation of The Cube to revive street football culture.

In this episode, David sits down with Connor Ryan, a former Premier League academy player and the founder of the football equipment startup, Volta Sports. Connor shares his non-linear journey from falling out of love with professional football to working in fashion and construction, before finally finding his true purpose in entrepreneurship. KEY TAKEAWAYS Street football culture is missing in modern academies: Connor created The Cube to bridge the gap between structured, often repetitive academy drills and the joy and creativity of playing in the cages with friends. Ideas are worthless without execution: While it's easy to have a great idea, the hardest and most vital part of entrepreneurship is actually taking the leap, executing, and putting your product out into the real world. Perfection is the enemy of progress: Building a business requires daily problem-solving and iteration. Connor stresses the importance of launching before you feel completely ready, noting that his very first prototype was an unusable 40kg block. Company culture matters from day one: Even with a small team, Connor focuses on building a culture reminiscent of the best sports teams, emphasizing daily…

More episodes of The Business of Football

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Business of Football podcast page.