Virtuopo Expands into Sports Content with Defend & Attack: The John Barnes Podcast

Liverpool production and virtual events company Virtuopo is expanding into sports content after teaming up with football legend John Barnes to create Defend & Attack: The John Barnes Podcast. Just two episodes into the series, clips from the podcast have already generated more than one million views on social media. 

The project is Virtuopo’s first original sports podcast and forms part of the company’s wider strategy to grow its content creation services, building on years of expertise in virtual events, livestreaming and broadcast production. 

The podcast features former Liverpool FC and England star John Barnes and TV personality Simon O’Brien discussing some of the biggest issues in football, with fan interaction and guest interviews planned for future episodes. The collaboration grew out of a conversation at a client event, where John Barnes appeared as a keynote speaker. Following the event, Virtuopo’s managing director Chris Holmes suggested launching a football podcast together. 

Chris Holmes said: “John and I hit it off straight away and we quickly realised there was an opportunity to work together. He’s always had a unique perspective on football and isn’t afraid to say what he thinks, so I came up with the idea of launching a podcast.  

“Virtuopo is best known for virtual and hybrid events, but we also have a purpose-built podcast studio and an experienced production team. Podcast production is a growing part of our business, and this project marks an important step as we continue to extend our podcast portfolio, working with personalities, brands and corporates.” 

John Barnes said: “The response from football fans has been fantastic. Simon and I have some great conversations about what’s happening in football, and we don’t always follow popular opinion. That’s what makes it interesting. Chris and the team have created the right environment for those conversations. Hopefully people enjoy listening and joining the discussion as the podcast grows.” 

The podcast is recorded at Virtuopo’s studio in Brunswick Business Park, which features green screen facilities and remote production technology. The broadcast studio is used to produce podcasts, livestreams, virtual events and corporate conferences for clients across the UK.

Founded in Liverpool in 2020, Virtuopo is an independent production company and virtual events specialist that has delivered projects for brands and organisations such as Liverpool FC, Knauf Insulation, Brabners, Weightmans and the British Council. Virtuopo also livestreams pay-per-view coverage of events including Europe’s Strongest Man and Britain’s Strongest Woman for Giants Live.