Gary Lineker, a famous football player and broadcaster, is getting even more serious about podcasting with a new project called “The Accelerator,” which is a fund for content creators that will help find, develop, and grow new podcast talent around the world. Goalhanger is now firmly at the center of the global creator economy boom, thanks to the launch. It is the UK’s largest independent podcast producer.
Goalhanger Podcasts, a studio started by Lineker, ITV executive Tony Pastor, and journalist Jack Davenport, runs “The Accelerator,” a program that gives money to creators. The fund will find promising independent creators and help them turn niche shows into scalable media brands by giving them “production support, marketing resources, and distribution through Goalhanger’s established network.”
The program is pitched as a way to “professionalize independent podcasting,” giving early-stage creators access to the same tools that make popular shows like “The Rest Is Politics” and “The Rest Is Football” work. Goalhanger says it wants to help hosts improve their branding, format, and ways to make money, as well as look into spin-offs into video and live events.
Goalhanger has quickly become a podcasting powerhouse, with a number of podcasts getting more than 40 million downloads a month and more than a quarter million paying subscribers. A recent sale of a small stake to a U.S. media group led by Hollywood mogul Peter Chernin brought in money and global know-how, making it possible for expansions like “The Accelerator.”
Goalhanger is betting that strategic investment in creators—not just in-house shows—will unlock the next wave of breakout podcasts by starting a dedicated creator fund. The project also fits in with a larger trend in the industry where podcast studios and media groups help independent creators by providing them with incubators, production deals, and co-funding models.
For individual podcasters, “The Accelerator” is a rare link between independent creator culture and the infrastructure of mainstream media. Selected creators can expect help with things like scripting, sound design, audience growth strategy, sales, and brand partnerships. This will lower the technical and financial barriers that often stop small shows from moving forward. The fund also opens doors to global distribution and cross‑platform adaptations, including potential TV, live‑event, and licensing opportunities—a path Goalhanger has already tested by adapting The Rest Is Football into a forthcoming Netflix‑bound series. This means that for creators, the program is not just about getting money for episodes; it’s also about building long-term media franchises.
