Gary Neville has teamed up with Manchester United’s Mark Goldbridge following the announcement that Overlap has acquired his YouTube channel. Goldbridge platforms United Stand and That’s Football were acquired by Neville’s company in a deal reportedly worth seven figures.
Overlap was founded by Neville in 2021 and is best known for its weekly podcast ‘Stick to Football’ featuring former United defenders Roy Keane, Ian Wright, Jamie Carragher, Jill Scott and guests. The business sold a majority stake to media giant Global earlier this year and is now expanding into YouTube. Goldbridge’s channels boast a combined 3.7 million subscribers, and the person running them, whose real name is Brent Di Cesare, has emerged as a prominent figure on social media.
Goldbridge and Neville’s collaboration is an interesting development considering their previous interactions. Goldbridge is famous for his passionate and funny rants about all things United and has previously attacked Neville, with the former defender blaming “that bloody YouTuber”.
That’s a waste of time, given the potential for making money in the rapidly growing YouTube media landscape. “Mark has criticized me more than anyone else, but I don’t have to agree with him,” Neville told Broadcast Sport. “He knows what he’s doing and he has to keep criticizing me. That’s how the world works.”
The Guardian reports that the deal is worth a “seven-figure sum”. This will see The United Stand and That’s Football rebranded with new content. The United Stand will feature ‘Stick to United’, a format that introduces former players and journalists, and a dedicated news program, ‘Daily United’.
Neville hints that there’s more to come as Overlap looks to acquire more YouTube channels. “(We) need to enter into discussions with other channels, but we are not in a hurry,” he said. “We will wait for the right opportunity in the next six, 12, 18 months. I don’t think of it as a media empire.”
The 51-year-old revealed he recognized the need for overlap to develop following United’s sacking of Ruben Amorim in early January. He met with Goldbridge last month and the deal was finalized shortly thereafter.
“We are building what we believe will be one of the most exciting independent football communities in the world, providing fans with direct, personality-driven content,” he said.
“United Stand and That’s Football are two of the most popular football channels on YouTube and our aim is to develop them into the most engaging Manchester United and football news channels on the market.”
“I’ve spent the last 10 years building United Stand for Manchester United fans and That’s Football for all fans, and I’m most proud of what we’ve achieved so far,” Goldbridge said.
“This deal is about what happens next. Overlap has the ambition, credibility and resources to take my practice to the next level.”
