With the final print edition of 2018 put to bed, SportsPro magazine editor Michael Long rejoins editor-at-large Eoin Connolly to discuss a busy fortnight in the sports industry. On the agenda: whether the Copa Libertadores heralds a globe-trotting future for club soccer; a new man with a big job at the IAAF; Seattle's NHL return and the XFL's comeback; and what the experiences of Raheem Sterling, American gymnasts and Jess Varnish tell us about the growing power of the athlete voice. Then the well-travelled World Surf League chief executive Sophie Goldschmidt, the cover star of issue 103, shares her thoughts on a fast-emerging sport, its environmental responsibility, and the potential of wave pool technology.