Mike Forde

Former Director of Football Operations, Chelsea FC | Founder of Sportsology | High-Performance Expert

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In-Person Fee Range:

$20,001 - $30,000

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Virtual Fee Range:

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Traveling from:

New York

Topics

Peak Performance Team Building Speakers Leadership Speakers Sports Stars Hot Sports Speakers

Mike Forde

Former Director of Football Operations, Chelsea FC | Founder of Sportsology | High-Performance Expert

Add To My Favorites Check Fee/Availability

In-Person Fee Range:

$20,001 - $30,000

Fee Details

Virtual Fee Range:

Inquire for Fee

Traveling from:

New York

Why Book

Mike Forde is one of the world’s leading authorities on elite talent and high-performance team building, and former Director of Football Operations and Executive Club Director at Chelsea Football Club.
During his tenure at Chelsea from 2007 to 2013, the club won the UEFA Champions League, Europa League, Premier League title, and three FA Cups — the most successful era in the club’s history.
He is the founder of Sportsology, a consulting firm whose clients include the 2018 NFL Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles, the San Antonio Spurs, and more than 30 professional teams across five global sports.

Biography

Mike Forde is one of the world’s leading authorities on elite talent and high performance, having worked in professional sports since 1998. Mike has a rich background and experience in creating ‘game changing’ methodologies around management of world class, multi-cultural talent. His work in pioneering new practices in elite sports world have become a benchmark for leading teams across the globe. Mike is the go to expert for some of the great sports leaders from the world of the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and European Soccer.

Between November 1999 and July 2007, Mike was Performance Director for Bolton Wanderers Football Club, also in the EPL. Mike also consulted closely on Corporate Knowledge Capture, with Sir Dave Brailsford and two-time Tour de France winners Team Sky Cycling.

Between August 2007 to July 2013, Mike was employed as Director of Football Operations & Executive Club Director for Chelsea Football Club in the EPL, dealing with all areas of performance and team operations relating to the 1st team. In this period Chelsea won the UEFA Champions League, Europa League, Premier League title and three FA Cups. The most successful era in the club’s history.

In 2013 Mike branched out to create the leading Consulting and Software company ‘Sportsology based out of London and New York. Mike now has a client list of the ‘who’s who’ of professional sports including 2019 NFL Super Bowl runner-up L.A. Rams; 2018 NFL Super Bowl Champions Philadelphia Eagles; and 2017 NFL Super Bowl runner-up Atlanta Falcons.

Over the past four years Mike has built a powerhouse business consulting around building high performance teams and ‘Talent Factories’ for over 30 professional teams across five global sports. Through his extensive work Mike has created a clear methodology around building high performance environments and leading talent that is repeatable and scalable for teams and companies anywhere to take their organizations to the next level.

In addition, Mike is co-author of the inspiring business book ‘Quiet Leadership’ (with over 100,000 sales globally) and a consistent publisher in the Financial Times; MIT Sloan; Harvard Business Review and many other leading business publications.

Programs

Building High Performance Teams

In an era where companies have to be successful from day one, it is critical to build the right performance focus within your teams for sustained success. There are no winning and losing companies – people make them winning and losing. Building a close, tight knit high-performance team can be achieved by anyone once the core principles are understood. Learn how to design a high-performance team; understand the principles of selecting and deselecting talent to achieve this goal and how to build a highly accountable team mentality that can survive change and the threat of competition.

Creating Winning Cultures

In a world where the portability of talent between companies has never been at such a high turnover rate, it is imperative that all organizations and teams design and create the right culture. People come and go, but the culture is the one constant that survives over time. In this presentation learn the core principles of creating a winning, sustainable culture. Explore and develop how to build the boundaries and values that drive success, and irrespective of where your company is on its own personal journey, you will leave with a tool kit for helping take your companies culture to the next level.

Leading Talented People

In a talent economy the ‘war for talent’, as McKinsey’s said back in the 1990’s, is over! Talent Won!! Every organization has to now embrace a new economy where attracting, retaining, and developing your best talent is the only lasting competitive advantage in a cutthroat business world. Learn the principles of how to create a company culture that both attracts and retains talented people. In addition, learn how to maximize the productivity of these special individuals and understand what strategies and techniques can be adopted to bring the best out of them on a daily basis.

Growing High Performance People

In every company the quest for finding tomorrows ‘unicorn’ talent is the single biggest focus for most CEO’s and talent managers. As talent hitting the workforce now has more employment options than ever before, how an organization positions how they will grow and nurture their talent is a huge competitive advantage. Learn how to create an environment and a set of principles for development that will seduce talent to stay, and also allow you to create a ‘talent factory’ brand in the marketplace to attract tomorrow’s star talent.

Topics

Peak Performance, Team Building Speakers, Leadership Speakers, Sports Stars, Hot Sports Speakers,

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Who is Mike Forde and what is he known for?

Mike Forde is one of the world’s leading authorities on elite talent and high-performance team building, and former Director of Football Operations and Executive Club Director at Chelsea Football Club, represented by Eagles Talent Speakers Bureau. During his tenure at Chelsea from 2007 to 2013, the club won the UEFA Champions League, Europa League, Premier League title, and three FA Cups — the most successful era in the club’s history. He is the founder of Sportsology, a consulting firm whose clients include the 2018 NFL Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles, the San Antonio Spurs, and more than 30 professional teams across five global sports.

2. What topics does Mike Forde speak about?

Mike Forde speaks on building high-performance teams and talent pipelines, elite talent identification and recruitment strategy, performance culture and organizational design, data analytics and innovation in talent management, translating elite sports methodology to corporate leadership, and the repeatable frameworks behind consistently winning organizations. His programs draw directly on two decades of experience inside some of the world’s most successful sports franchises.

3. What makes Mike Forde different from other performance and leadership speakers?

Mike Forde has operated at the absolute apex of global sport — not as an observer, but as the executive responsible for building the infrastructure that produced championship results. His track record spans the UEFA Champions League-winning Chelsea FC to the Super Bowl-winning Philadelphia Eagles to multiple NBA playoff teams, across five different sports and two continents. His BSc in Sport Science and MSc in Psychology and Sport give his performance frameworks academic rigor. He is among a rare group of external experts ever permitted to study astronauts on the NASA Space Programme.

4. What types of events does Mike Forde speak to?

Mike Forde speaks to corporate leadership forums, financial services firms, technology companies, C-suite executive retreats, sports organizations, and professional development conferences. His message on building “Talent Factories” resonates with any organization that competes for top talent and needs a repeatable system for developing and retaining high performers. He has addressed audiences at global organizations across North America, Europe, and Asia.

5. Is Mike Forde available for virtual keynotes?

Yes. Mike Forde is available for both in-person and virtual keynote presentations. His frameworks for building high-performance environments have been delivered to global audiences across time zones, and his workshop-style delivery translates effectively to virtual formats for leadership teams and executive groups. Contact Eagles Talent Speakers Bureau to confirm availability and format options.

6. What is Mike Forde's speaking fee?

Mike Forde’s speaking fee varies depending on the event format, location, and specific requirements. To get an exact quote, contact Eagles Talent Speakers Bureau by calling 973-313-9800 or emailing info@eaglestalent.com.

7. What organizations has Mike Forde worked with?

Mike Forde’s consulting client list is a who’s who of elite sports organizations. In football, he served as Director of Football Operations at Chelsea FC (2007–2013) during the club’s most trophy-laden era, and as Performance Director at Bolton Wanderers (1999–2007). Through Sportsology, he has advised the 2018 NFL Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles, the San Antonio Spurs, the 2019 Super Bowl runner-up Los Angeles Rams, the 2017 Super Bowl runner-up Atlanta Falcons, and more than 30 professional teams across five global sports. He has also been working with the U.S. Men’s National Team ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

8. How do I book Mike Forde for my event?

Mike Forde is represented by Eagles Talent Speakers Bureau. To check his availability or request a quote, call 973-313-9800, email info@eaglestalent.com, or visit EaglesTalent.com.

9. Does Mike Forde customize his keynote for each audience?

Yes. Mike Forde tailors every engagement to the specific talent challenges, competitive context, and organizational culture of each client. Whether working with a financial services firm competing for top-tier talent, a technology company building its leadership pipeline, or a sports organization seeking a performance edge, he adapts his high-performance frameworks to the audience’s language and priorities. His consulting background means he approaches speaking engagements with the diagnostic mindset of a practitioner, not just a presenter.

10. What do past clients say about Mike Forde as a keynote speaker?

Leaders who have experienced Mike Forde’s work describe him as one of the most substantive voices they have encountered on high-performance culture. His ability to translate the rigorous systems of elite sport into practical, scalable frameworks for corporate organizations consistently earns him repeat engagements and referrals. Audiences leave his keynotes with a clear language and methodology for talent development — not just inspiration, but a blueprint for building environments where the best people want to stay and grow.