UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 delivered on every front, showcasing world-class football, packed stadiums, record-breaking viewership and a cultural momentum that continues to elevate the women’s game.
But did brands play it safe? Using reliable, established tactics but slipping into the background, or did they go for goal with new campaigns that truly met the opportunity of this moment?
WEUROs 2025 not only showcased the level of talent on the pitch but also tested brands to embrace brand strategy, fan engagement and cultural alignment. Some led with purpose, creativity and consistency; others did not, risking being left behind as the game evolves at pace.
Sponsors were highly visible across host cities and media channels. Just Eat’s fan zones in Zurich and Basel created immersive experiences with food, football, and branded content combined in ways that felt genuine and celebratory. PepsiCo’s campaign highlighted individuality and fan diversity, capturing the Euros’ inclusive spirit. Adidas was active in combining product performance with powerful storytelling delivered by ambassador partnerships. All great examples of brands going above and beyond, leaving behind surface-level logo placement, and it paid off.
Transitions on digital advertising boards don’t get fans out of their seats. To fans, tournaments are immersive, experiential and cultural. Tapping into this energy with engaging, relevant content brings a brand into the competition experience, ensuring long-term association.
Collaborative storytelling between brands and athletes was another strategy that resonated. Adidas is a strong example, pairing players like Lena Oberdorf and Delphine Cascarino with creators, musicians and fans to build bridges between sport and lifestyle. PepsiCo’s campaigns featured Vivianne Miedema and Alexia Putellas, two of the world’s best players, to highlight diversity and individuality in women’s football, sharing personal stories that resonate beyond the pitch.
Fans are knowledgeable. They know the players’ on-pitch prestige and off-pitch background as well as anyone, meaning they know which partnerships feel genuine and which feel inauthentic. Establishing strong brand ambassadors with shared values builds credibility and generates impact.
Expectations for the broadcast and digital reach of the tournament were high. UEFA had a target of reaching 500 million global viewers, and early estimates suggest the tournament came close to that, with the final drawing over 45 million viewers globally. These numbers reflect not only the growing popularity of the women’s game, but also its value as a media and commercial platform.
Social media platforms TikTok, Instagram and YouTube were abuzz with behind-the-scenes content, match highlights and fan reactions, and the short-form, shareable and platform-native content is now outperforming more polished but less personal formats.
These platforms give brands direct access into fans’ homes and personal spaces, so it requires a personal approach to maximise impact and drive engagement. Campaigns that feel too corporate will be too intrusive. But by “sticking to the football,” brands can gain more attention and loyalty, participating in conversations fans are already having through media they are already consuming. It’s no longer enough to just be seen. Brands need to embrace digital storytelling and integrate with fan behaviour to gain more meaningful traction.
Switzerland was a well-organised and visually striking host. Central locations, reliable infrastructure and high production values made it a memorable setting. But accessibility remained a concern. Travel and accommodation costs created barriers for many fans — particularly young people and families — limiting who could be part of the experience.
This persistent equity issue continues to shadow the women’s game. It’s here that brands still have room to do more. Sponsors and partners had a real opportunity to support match-goers with subsidised travel, community ticketing schemes or virtual access programmes. Remember local schoolchildren and residents receiving free or reduced-price tickets to the London 2012 and Paris 2024 Olympics? Or, at club level, travel companies Thomas Cook and Virgin Trains teaming up with Chelsea and Newcastle, respectively, to subsidise away travel for fans? It’s time to see similar action taken by brands when it comes to international football tournaments.
This tournament is about more than sport. It reflects a cultural movement being shaped by young audiences who care deeply about representation, fairness, sustainability and inclusion.
We saw several moments both on and off the pitch that struck a chord. From Ian Wright leading the BBC punditry team’s celebrations against Italy, to England’s Jess Carter speaking openly about having to delete social media after receiving a barrage of racist abuse. Women’s Euro 2025 connected with fans on many different, personal levels.
Brands should not be scared to tap into this, showing personality and purpose. This is what fans are after. They want commitment, authenticity and shared values. They want to see brands help turn momentum into sustainable growth, commercial success into grassroots investment, and help players build their platform to speak out on issues such as discrimination and equal funding.
By supporting youth programmes, infrastructure development and the broader ecosystem of the women’s game, brands could contribute to something lasting.
This tournament offered more than a chance to advertise. It offered a chance to lead.
Now is the time for brands to build on this momentum. With many already active in domestic leagues, global tournaments and men’s football, sponsorship budgets remain under pressure. But the lesson from this summer is clear: The challenge isn’t just about spending more — it’s about spending smarter.
This tournament has shown what’s possible when fans are truly engaged and the women’s game is given the platform it deserves. It should serve as a catalyst for deeper, more meaningful investment. This is still the moment to stand out. To connect with fans. To support players. To drive cultural relevance. And to leave behind a legacy that extends far beyond the final whistle.
Women’s football is not waiting, it’s moving forward. Brands that move with it will be remembered not just as sponsors, but as players that changed the game.
Formula 1 has become one of the most sought-after properties in global sport — and the reasons run far deeper than glamour and horsepower. In a fragmented media landscape, F1 is one of the few rights-holders that can credibly claim global scale, cultural momentum and commercial scarcity.
Start with the basics: reach. F1 remains one of the only sports that races across five continents over a nine-month season, delivering a weekly cadence of jeopardy, personality and drama. That continuity has turned it into an always-on global storyline — a structural advantage even the biggest leagues struggle to match.
It’s also become a serious commercial engine. Media-rights revenues and sponsorship investment have surged across multiple cycles, confirming F1’s shift from a specialist motorsport to a structural global asset. The record fees now being paid for rights — including Apple’s exclusive U.S. broadcast deal beginning next season — are less a spike than a signal that F1 has become premium entertainment infrastructure. Apple’s production and release of last summer’s Brad Pitt F1 film only highlights the point: this is now a hybrid sport-entertainment-tech platform with global distribution baked in.
The commercial boom runs in parallel with F1’s cultural rise. The sponsorship supercycle that began in 2024–25 hasn’t cooled; it has deepened and diversified. PepsiCo’s multi-brand entry earlier this year is emblematic. The company views F1 as one of the few global platforms capable of accelerating consumer brands at scale — powered by its year-round narrative, its young, mixed-gender fanbase and its expanding entertainment footprint. For PepsiCo, F1 is less a motorsport and more a fast-growing cultural ecosystem with global reach and local resonance
This reflects a broader shift in how brands and cities engage with F1. Brands went ‘all in’ at this year’s Las Vegas Grand Prix — treating it less as a race and more as a cultural festival. The street circuit winds through the city’s most iconic landmarks. Brand activations, fanzones, viewing parties and merchandise proliferated across Vegas in ways that blurred the line between sporting event and cultural takeover. The post-race spectacle also reinforced that Las Vegas has become an extension of F1. Podium finishers were driven in a pink Lego Cadillac to the Bellagio fountains, followed by city-wide fireworks and a Disney concert featuring Mickey Mouse, orchestrated to announce Disney’s ‘Fuel the Magic’ F1 collaboration. That intensity reflects a truth about modern F1: it has become the place where brands go to create spectacle, content and global moments. Cities see that value too. Las Vegas’s own tourism authority has doubled down with multi-year commitments, a reminder that the economic impact of F1 now extends far beyond the paddock into destination branding, hospitality and global visibility. And F1’s influence now intersects directly with the global marketing and media calendar. The inaugural Las Vegas F1 Business Summit — rapidly establishing itself as a Cannes equivalent for sport, media and entertainment — brought together CEOs, CMOs and cultural decision-makers in a way no other sports property currently can. It captured the sport’s new positioning at the convergence of sport, culture, business and storytelling.
Meanwhile, the fanbase continues to widen — younger, more female and more culturally diverse than at any point in F1’s modern era. The F1 Academy has expanded the funnel; the emergence of House 44, a unique collaboration between F1, Lewis Hamilton and Soho House creating a premier members club feel to the paddock, to Adidas–Mercedes have pushed the sport deep into lifestyle; and team merchandise has moved from memorabilia to mainstream. Yet with growth comes increased complexity in fan engagement, where the sport and brands involved require localised strategies that vary from region to region while maintaining global brand coherence.
With the rise of the sport, it also brings natural tensions that come with being the most valuable sport property and they require thoughtful strategies to navigate through it.
Sustainability in F1 is widely spoken about, as a sport built on speed and performance. The carbon footprint of moving 10 teams and their equipment across 24 races and 5 continents is significant and while F1 has committed to 100% sustainable fuels by 2026 and net-zero by 2030, achieving this will requires systemic change across the entire chain. Yet, meaningful progress is underway. For brands this creates a credible and evolving ESG narrative, one where they can contribute to practical solutions, realistic commitments and measurable targets that extend well beyond the track.
Access has also become a pressure point with ticket and hospitality prices rising, potentially pricing out the fans who drove the sport’s cultural resurgence. So the question remains, how the sport can maintain exclusivity and premium positioning whilst also ensuring that it remains accessible to the next generation of fans who many experience F1 primarily through screen rather than grandstands. This creates a clear opportunity for brands to step in as cultural connectors, helping balance exclusivity with accessibility.
It’s no surprise that CMOs keep asking the same question: how do we get in? In 2026, Formula One stands not just as a sport but as a rare global asset – one whose momentum and value continue to accelerate.
As the Women’s Super League kicks off its 2025–26 season, the return of Hannah Blundell to Manchester United marks another important moment in the evolving landscape of motherhood in elite football. Blundell, who began her maternity leave earlier this year, is set to become the first Manchester United player to return to the pitch after pregnancy—a milestone that reflects growing support structures within the game.
She joins a small but growing group of players who have navigated pregnancy and returned to elite competition. Toni Duggan made history in 2022 as the first WSL player to take maternity leave under newly introduced legislation. Melanie Leupolz returned to competitive football for Chelsea just three months after giving birth, and Katrina Gorry—now at West Ham United—continues to balance top-flight football with parenting two young children, having also taken maternity leave earlier in her career.
The WSL has made meaningful progress in recent years. Maternity leave policies now offer 14 weeks of fully paid leave, with protections in place regardless of how long a player has been at a club. These changes are helping dismantle long-standing barriers that once forced many women to choose between motherhood and their careers.
Still, while institutional policies are evolving, brand engagement is still finding its footing. Parent athletes—particularly mothers—remain relatively absennt from mainstream marketing narratives, despite the richness and relatability of their stories. This absence is not just a missed emotional opportunity; it reflects a broader disconnect between brand narratives and the lived experiences of modern athletes. In an era where authenticity and social relevance are important, brands risk falling behind if they fail to engage with the multifaceted identities of the athletes they partner with.
There’s potential for brands to engage more thoughtfully with this space. By recognising and supporting the journeys of parent athletes, they can contribute to a more inclusive sporting culture—one that reflects the realities of modern professional life. Also, authenticity is key. Campaigns that spotlight the lived experiences of mother-athletes can promote emotional connection and brand loyalty. These stories challenge outdated notions of what strength looks like, redefining it to include care, adaptability, and perseverance. They also offer a more expansive view of athleticism, one that embraces the full spectrum of human experience.
Partnerships with advocacy organisations can also ensure that brand efforts are informed and impactful. These collaborations can help brands navigate the nuances of maternity in sport, avoiding tokenism and instead contributing meaningfully to structural change.
As football continues to grow, the structures that support participation will be just as important as the performances on the pitch. Supporting motherhood in sport is one meaningful way to help shape that future. Brands that recognise this won’t just be keeping pace with progress; they’ll be helping to shape it.
The first day of the Premier League season is a hotbed of fan debate. How will new transfers settle into the team? Who’ll be this year’s top goal scorer? It stands in contrast to the end of last season, where Liverpool were crowned champions in May and all three sides had been relegated long before the final day.
For the majority of fans, the traditional last-day excitement might have felt underwhelming. But one entity stepped up to the plate, driving conversation until the bitter end: Fantasy Premier League (FPL).
With the official game having more than 11 million players worldwide, FPL has become a phenomenon. And while any mention of plans to “Americanise” our league is generally met with scepticism, fantasy football has seamlessly found its place in the culture of English football.
Perhaps it’s because the incentives to participate are high. Prizes for winning can range from all-inclusive, seven-night stays in the U.K., plus match tickets via the official public league, to small cash wins and bragging rights in private leagues among a workplace or friendship group. Or maybe it’s because of the FPL’s unobtrusive nature: Unlike fancy halftime shows which fundamentally change the match-going experience for many fans, FPL is virtually invisible to non-players. Scoring in the game comes directly from on-field performances and is all logged digitally. It’s a standard-bearer for how to engage without alienating fans, something brands and broadcasters should keep front of mind.
But the real magic of FPL is its capability to create unique storylines, which are often based on players that get little airtime in the mainstream news. Take Antoine Semenyo, Bournemouth winger. While Bournemouth’s final game of the season had limited impact on the table (the club could only finish ninth, 10th or 11th going into it), the game posed an opportunity for managers to score crucial points and leapfrog in FPL leagues. For the 7.1% of FPL managers who backed Semenyo as a differential, his two goals may have made a real difference, turning a pedestrian, end-of-season “dead rubber” into a game people had a vested interest in.
The focus on individual performance over teams also offers an interesting platform for brands that are considering player deals. For example, the FPL’s second-highest points scorer last season was Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo, who was selected by 46.9% of FPL managers. While his performance stats no doubt contributed to his £71m move to Manchester United, it’s his increasing popularity with fans, with more eyes watching his performance week-on-week in connection with his FPL scores, that poses the more interesting consideration for brands looking to unearth a good return on their ambassadorial deals.
And it’s not just the goal scorers that FPL draws attention to. FPL’s stat-based scoring system means that fans often care more about players who keep creating and preventing goals, than those who score them. Trent Alexander-Arnold’s ability to provide assists from a defensive position made him a must-have in your FPL side, and has helped raise him to the same level of stardom as Mo Salah and Virgil Van Dijk for FPL fanatics. Alexander-Arnold’s status as a global star is reflected in his £26m Adidas deal and his weekly wages ($312,000) from Real Madrid, agreed this summer. The wider understanding of individual stats, like clean sheets and assists, has had an impact on match betting. Fans can now apply their FPL-based knowledge to the betting market, which has expanded to include these stats.
Fans’ embracing of FPL has been matched by the media. With YouTube channels, podcasts and social media channels dedicated to the game, it’s now possible to amass hundreds of thousands of subscribers and followers. Major broadcasters and outlets, such as Sky Sports and The Athletic, now have their own podcasts dedicated to the game, putting ad-free content behind a paywall, which helps drive subscriptions and exposure to other sports platforms and content. These influencers and broadcasters also offer more advertising space and another route for brands to reach their target audience.
So while keeping existing supporters engaged with the Premier League, FPL is simultaneously bringing new fans in. By gamifying the following of the league, it becomes more accessible to the casual fan who may be more interested in competing with their friends than following a team religiously week in, week out. By offering a social entry point to the sport, new FPL players may begin to follow players in their team more closely, gradually building an affinity with them and their clubs as they immerse themselves in the league more widely. With new features launched for the 2025-26 season, such as Adobe’s personalised team badges, which give FPL managers the chance to design team badges for their team, it’s clear the Premier League is now investing more heavily in fan engagement than ever before.
The unusually anticlimactic end to last season showed the value of FPL to English football. The game’s popularity offers a lesson in fan engagement and serves as a door opener for more commercial opportunities within the sport. Brands and sponsors would be wise to take notes on the ever-growing popularity of the game, and should also keep an eye on the trending players within it as they look to tap into a growing audience.
In a world gripped by political instability and economic uncertainty, the Lionesses offer something powerful: focus, momentum, and cultural relevance.
Sunday’s nail-biting Euro 2025 win wasn’t just a sporting triumph. It was a commercial line in the sand. The Lionesses aren’t a moment – they’re a movement. And for brands, the message is clear: the time to invest is now.
At Fuse, we’ve spent years making the case for women’s sport as a commercially smart, culturally rich platform. Now, the metrics match the message. Audience numbers are soaring. Engagement is deep. And brands that move fast can still get ahead of the pack.
Some already have. Pepsi and Google Pixel deserve credit for being early and consistent supporters – not just at marquee events, but at league and grassroots level too. Their strategy is simple: build long-term value, not just visibility.
Why Chloe Kelly has the Gen Z trifecta
But let’s talk about the real marketing gold: the players themselves. And there’s no bigger breakout star than Chloe Kelly.
She’s not just the match-winner; she’s the marketer’s dream. Everyone wants Kelly to be their best friend. She’s confident, cool, and effortlessly relatable. She’s the player you cheer for and the personality you buy into. That’s why she’s already fronting campaigns for Land Rover and Calvin Klein, and why interest in her is skyrocketing post-Euros.
Kelly’s appeal cuts across sport, fashion, and lifestyle. She has the Gen Z trifecta: authenticity, hustle, and charisma.
Fans aren’t just asking how she scored, they’re asking how she gets her ponytail so shiny and high, what mascara stays on through 90 minutes, and where she shops. That’s the new battleground: not just sportswear, but beauty, haircare and everyday essentials.
Then there’s Hannah Hampton, the England keeper whose journey from adversity to elite is pure storytelling gold. She’s authentic, underexposed and still early in her commercial journey. That’s an opportunity for brands to shape a long-term narrative with purpose and staying power.
Michelle Agyemang, the 19-year-old Arsenal star-in-waiting, represents the future of both the team and the fanbase. In a squad that’s still largely white, her rise signals a more inclusive and representative era. Brands looking to build cultural credibility should take note. Arsenal gives her the biggest club platform in the country, and her potential is massive.
And of course, Lucy Bronze, who played through the tournament with a fractured tibia, remains the Lionesses’ bridge between past and present. Her journey from underfunded beginnings to global accolades mirrors the evolution of the sport itself. For legacy campaigns and big-picture storytelling, Bronze is unmatched.
Powered by women who drive purchasing
The old cliche, “no one’s watching”, has never looked more foolish. Just ask model and actress Cara Delevingne, who posted a clip to Instagram during the final showing thousands of fans glued to screens and stadiums, with the caption: “But no one’s watching, right?”. It was a sharp reminder that the audience is not only here, it’s growing fast.
This is a sport powered by women, watched by millions, and increasingly backed by brands that understand its reach. Women drive the majority of purchasing decisions in categories like cars, travel, health, and fashion. And the Lionesses are the bridge into those conversations, not as token ambassadors but as full-spectrum cultural influencers.
Of course, major tournaments like Euros and World Cups will always attract huge audiences, both avid and occasional fans. But the real test, and opportunity, lies ahead.
Can domestic women’s football, especially the WSL, convert that buzz into long-term growth in attendances and week-in, week-out viewership? That’s where legacy will be built. And that’s where smart brand partners should now focus their energy.
The Lionesses have delivered. Now it’s time for the rest of the game, and the market, to step up.
With Wimbledon well into its fortnight the spotlight has once again fallen on the Centre Court, with sold-out crowds, record prize money and the prestige of tennis hospitality all to last another week.
A British upset or two is likely to fuel national excitement, while the Championships continue to top YouGov’s rankings as the most prestigious and best-presented sporting event. It remains a rare jewel in British sport. Not just a tournament, but a brand with unmatched intellectual property value.
But tennis is grappling with off-court tensions that could reshape its future. From disputes over scheduling, to the pressures of new investment and an increasingly fractured player ecosystem, commercial and structural questions are taking centre stage – before a ball is even hit.
Tennis in a scheduling standoff
At the core of tennis’s off-court battle is its calendar – packed, fragmented and increasingly unworkable. While there is consensus that the calendar needs to be streamlined to maintain fan engagement and player wellbeing, agreement ends there.
Grand slam organisers are advocating for a “Premium Tour” model, which would elevate their events as the unchallenged centrepieces of the calendar. In contrast, the ATP and WTA are pushing to preserve the status and viability of the wider ecosystem, including the 250- and 500-tier tournaments that nurture rising talent and support the global footprint of the sport.
The latest move from the USTA (United States Tennis Association) illustrates the impasse. In an effort to extend its marquee event, the US Open announced a revamped mixed doubles tournament, featuring top singles stars like Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu and adding a third week to the Slam. Supporters view it as a commercially savvy response to evolving audience demands. Critics see a thinly veiled attempt to sideline traditional doubles players and consolidate power.
Elsewhere, Masters 1000 events like Indian Wells and Madrid have already stretched to two weeks, compounding the fatigue of a year-long tour. Players now find themselves eyeing counterparts in the NBA or football – where athletes benefit from longer off-seasons and more consistent revenue-sharing frameworks.
Novak Djokovic has repeatedly warned that the calendar “puts players at risk, both physically and mentally.” And with rising stars like Holger Rune calling for time off after just a few seasons on tour, the tension between commercial growth and athlete sustainability is undeniable.
New money, old questions
Amid this struggle, one factor has added fuel to the fire: the influx of external investment, particularly from the Gulf.
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund has forged high-profile partnerships with both the ATP and WTA. Already, the WTA Finals and the men’s Next Gen Finals have been hosted in Jeddah, boasting record prize money but struggling with poor in-stadium attendance and muted atmosphere. While top players welcome the financial uplift, critics question the suitability of such locations for flagship women’s events, citing both cultural disconnects and limited fan engagement.
Looking ahead, speculation around a new Masters 1000 event in Riyadh or Neom by 2028 is growing louder. But with the calendar already bursting, accommodating another top-tier tournament raises difficult questions. Would it edge out long-standing events in tennis heartlands like Monte Carlo or Buenos Aires? The path seems to be mirroring that of Formula 1, which is increasingly anchored in the Middle East, but is also drawing concern about the sport’s global balance and authenticity.
Winners and strugglers: The tennis divide
While governing bodies debate calendars and contracts, the inequality across the player ranks is becoming harder to ignore. At the top sit the global superstars: think Alcaraz, Iga Swiatek, and Jannik Sinner, the athletes that are commanding seven-figure prize money, eight-figure endorsement deals and appearance fees that rival their tournament winnings.
Consider this: Sinner recently earned over $7.5m at the exhibition-only Six Kings Slam in Saudi Arabia – more than double what previous Wimbledon champions have pocketed. Meanwhile, players like Casper Ruud, Daniil Medvedev and Aryna Sabalenka front campaigns for brands like Porsche, Rolex and Nike and their marketability is often tied as much to nationality and global appeal as to results.
Further down the rankings, the story changes sharply. A top-75 singles player might earn less in a season than one Premier League substitute’s weekly wage, all while covering travel, coaching and accommodation. Players like Ons Jabeur have spoken openly about their struggles to fund early careers despite being among the best in the world.
For those in the 100–200 bracket, even making the main draw of a slam can be life-changing. Wildcards offer some relief, but mainly to those from slam-hosting nations. Others face the treadmill of qualifiers and Challenger events, where prize money can’t always cover expenses.
Even within doubles, recent format shifts, like tie-break sets and reduced match times, have made it harder to build careers. And with mixed doubles now being restructured around stars, specialists fear being squeezed out entirely.
Revenue share: A brewing battle
Underlying all of this is a critical structural issue: who controls the money. In most tennis tournaments, players receive between 15 per cent and 30 per cent of total event revenue – far lower than revenue splits in major US leagues, where athletes routinely secure 50 per cent or more.
This disparity lies at the heart of a lawsuit filed in March by the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA), aimed at challenging what they label as a “cartel structure” in global tennis. Although no marquee players have yet put their name to the legal action, the case underscores a broader frustration: that players feel increasingly like assets in a system they don’t control.
For now, the big earners can weather the storm. But for those hovering outside the top tiers, the pressure of uncertain income adds to the mental and emotional burden of competing, especially in decisive moments of tight matches, where every point could mean the difference between breaking even or going into debt.
A tennis tipping point
As Wimbledon unfolds, fans will delight in the drama, tradition, and brilliance that the sport still delivers in abundance. But behind the scenes, the global game is at a crossroads. Balancing tradition with innovation, player wellbeing with sponsor demands and equitable growth with elite performance is no small task.
Whether tennis can navigate these crosswinds without fracturing – as golf has – remains to be seen. But one thing is certain, the conversation at the players’ lounge and courtside hospitality suites at SW19 this year will be as much about power structures and prize pots as it will be about rankings and rivalries.
Wimbledon 2025 is upon us, and it’s a safe bet to say that The Championships will deliver high emotion, record ticket sales, millions of BBC viewers, world-class hospitality, and a British surprise or two. It’s a formula that consistently puts the event top of YouGov’s most prestigious and best-presented sporting event tables, with few properties that can sit alongside it in terms of IP value.
Further encouragement for the AELTC can be found in the stars that have broken through to replace those that pushed broadcast figures to record highs. For Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer see Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, and for Serena Williams see Coco Gauff – the drama and ratings supplied by these players on Court Philippe Chatrier earlier in June will be toasted by the French Tennis Federation for years to come, as well as by their broad collection of personal sponsors.
Off the court, the pressures faced by the sport are more complex for rights holders to navigate. Issues are bubbling underneath the surface and will be subject to numerous discussions as the sport’s leading governors meet at SW19.
Modernizing The Calendar
There is a consensus that the tennis calendar is too complex, too long, and too fragmented to sustain fan interest and allow player recovery. This, however, is where the consensus ends. At its most basic level, the Grand Slams want a streamlined, ‘Premium Tour’ anchored around their events. Whereas, the ATP and WTA are looking to protect the interests of a broader tour that includes 250 lower-tier and 500 middle-tier level events.
An accord looks no closer to materializing. The announcement of a ‘revamped’ US Open mixed doubles tournament, featuring its top singles players (including teammates Alcaraz and Raducanu) and stretching the tournament into a third week, is a clear indication that the USTA is not willing to wait to shake things up. The other grand slams will no doubt be watching this closely. Reaction has been split between those who see the move as a stroke of commercial genius for fans and sponsors, and those who view it as a power-grab that betrays both tradition and the doubles specialists who will be marginalized by the new format.
Meanwhile, the ATP and WTA have extended a number of their celebrated 1000-tier events into two-week slots, and the players remain on a merry-go-round, looking enviously at their peers in other sports who benefit from extended off-seasons. Organizers and players are in a stand-off, and greater disruption remains on the cards.
Navigating New Investment
A relief for all the governing bodies is that tennis hasn’t been fractured in the way golf has been – the top players still play the top tournaments together. Separate strategic partnerships signed between Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and the ATP and WTA have helped in this regard, but have not been without controversy. Jeddah is currently hosting the year-end WTA Finals and Next Gen Finals, and while prize money for these events has never been higher, the opposite is largely true for in-stadium attendance, with an open question surrounding the appropriateness of WTA marquee events being staged here.
Next on the agenda is a Masters 1000 event, with reports suggesting a new tournament in Saudi Arabia could take place as early as 2028, though many question where this fits in a calendar already bursting at the seams. Ultimately, it’s likely a schedule will emerge that has parallels to F1. One with a high weighting of races in the Middle East, keeping key investors happy, but at the cost of regions such as South America, where top-tier tournaments and, consequently, players don’t visit.
The Haves and the Have Nots
For the players, a two-tier (at least) system is firmly in place and shows no sign of changing. At the top of the pyramid sit the singles superstars. Those whose annual prize money runs into the millions, with appearance fees at certain tournaments that can be negotiated, and whose earnings can be supplemented by eye-watering sums at exhibitions. Jannik Sinner, for example, took home $7.5 million for winning the Six Kings Slam exhibition, more than twice the sum of a Wimbledon champion.
When it comes to the partnerships sector, the single biggest factor underpinning commercial deals for these players is their country of origin. The raft of sponsors supporting European and American superstars should come as no surprise, based on the appeal these players have for major sponsors. Even the likes of Casper Ruud and Arthur Fils, who weren’t invited to the Six Kings party, fronted big brand campaigns around the French Open. However, moving East and interest wanes quickly, with top 20 players such as Rybakina, Alexandrova, and Khachanov operating in a different market. Despite that, earnings remain healthy thanks to the prize money achieved.
Outside the top 50, the picture changes rapidly. Coaching, travel, and accommodation take up a large percentage of earnings, and if you don’t manage to qualify for the top tournaments, only those representing Grand Slam nations will benefit from wild cards to supplement earnings via a main draw position. Deals with apparel brands are less lucrative, brands aren’t knocking on the door, and even the chance to go deep in doubles tournaments isn’t guaranteed with changing competition formats.
This is exacerbated by another issue – revenue share. Between 15% – 30% of tournament revenue is given back to players via prize money, much lower than seen in the major American leagues, and it’s largely for this reason that the Professional Tennis Players Association submitted a lawsuit in March. The suit looks to break the ‘cartel’ and bring more revenue into the control of players, though few notable names have, as yet, been directly associated with it. In the meantime, those on the periphery of the professional game will continue to have financial pressure adding to the on-court pressure when at the business end of a deciding set.
While changes will have to eventually occur on the above issues, it’s unlikely the structure of tennis will change drastically in the short term as players and organizers look to find balance between the needs of sponsors, fans, investors, and players. As the crowds descend on Wimbledon, this tension is likely to be at the heart of more than a few conversations courtside.
For too long, women’s health has been overlooked in the workplace. While there’s been progress, we’re still only just beginning to have honest conversations about the impact of menstrual health, menopause and the broader impact of female wellbeing on women’s work lives.
At Fuse, we were proud to work with Vodafone and the Welsh Women’s Rugby team on a campaign to launch a menstrual cycle tracking tool, a great example of how sport can lead the way in putting women’s health front and centre. The Women’s Euros this summer represents another platform to push these conversations further and shine a light on the real, lived experiences of women, both on and off the pitch.
We must move beyond tokenism and actively create environments where women feel in a safe space to discuss their health without fear of stigma or professional impact. That means more inclusive policies, from flexible working that reflects hormonal health, to better education for managers, and clear support systems in place.
Future female workforces will expect this as standard, not as a perk. It’s time we caught up. The talent is there, and the ambition is there, but we need to meet it with structures and support that allow women to thrive throughout every stage of their career.
Louise Johnson, the global chief executive of Fuse, believes we’re entering a “golden age of sports marketing and partnerships”.
However, attention spans are narrowing and consumers are being bombarded from every angle by advertisers as well as sponsors, which makes it harder for brands to stand out.
Platforms such as billboards, murals and other forms of out-of-home (OOH) advertising might still serve a purpose, but at a time when people increasingly have their heads in their phones it is the sponsors that are leaning into new technologies to create more immersive experiences that are cutting through.
For brands with bigger budgets in particular, innovations like artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality (AR) and even holographic technology are enabling sponsors to deepen connections with fans and tell stories in different ways.
“I think as an industry, we are much better at really being progressive and using the assets in a creative and integrated way,” Johnson says. “I think the next frontier is how do you keep evolving sports marketing assets to make sure that they are really fit for modern sports marketing.
“So how are you connecting it to commerce? How are you looping in with streaming platforms? How do you use first party data to really personalise your activation, and also the role of AI within activation as well.”
It’s never been enough to simply run an ad or experiential activation without supporting PR coverage and media.
But the variety of marketing channels now available means sponsors can put together campaigns that continue to come to life through a variety of in-person and virtual activity even after generating an initial buzz at launch.
“There’s a really interesting point around how it’s not only about integrated marketing and using it in all of your channels, but actually putting sport or culture at the center of your broader marketing mix, and having everything around that,” Johnson adds.
“So whether that be creative, media and commerce, I think that’s where you’ll start seeing some really interesting work moving forward.”
The rise in technical talent and rich player storytelling has driven cultural momentum behind women’s football. Gen Z and Gen Alpha audiences are emotionally invested and demanding equal representation. Major global brands are now consistently activating across both club and international tournaments, committing to long-term strategic partnerships, rather than one-off campaigns. We’ve moved into an era of sustained interest and belief in the women’s game. It’s no longer just a trend; it’s a cultural shift.
The time to get involved is now. UEFA is targeting over 500 million global viewers for WEURO 2025, and Switzerland’s strong infrastructure and central European location indicate it’s likely to be strongly attended on the ground. It’s a huge validation for the commercial opportunity behind sponsorship, as this level of potential reach is not something brands can afford to miss.
But with mounting pressure on UEFA and FIFA to deliver fairer funding, prize money and broadcasting rights, we’re at a crunch point. With more record-breaking sponsorship deals across multiple tournaments, brands risk stretching activation budgets thin. New approaches are needed to drive deeper impact, such as linking campaigns across properties and connected sponsorship across both men’s and women’s football, to distribute funds without undermining the women’s game.
It’s a wider conversation than brand investment; that’s just the tip of the iceberg. To achieve true long-term investment equity, we need to see meaningful action, such as revenue reinvested into grassroots programmes, league infrastructure and talent development. WEURO 2025 provides the perfect prompt to inspire this change.
“Sports is a way to hit those audiences more effectively than traditional advertising,” said Louise Johnson, global chief executive officer at Fuse, a sport and entertainment marketing agency.
Beauty plays a big role in sports. Personal care is essential to athletes; hair and makeup are powerful tools for self-expression while athletes wear a uniform, and sports and beauty both stand at the intersection of physical and mental well-being, she said. Sport is at the junction of adjacent passions, too, such as fashion, music and wellness. “Everything is crossing and bleeding over at the moment,” Johnson said. “That is why you are starting to see a lot of beauty brands coming in.”
Last year, when Charlotte Tilbury became the first beauty company and female-founded brand to be an official sponsor of F1 Academy, the female-only racing championship founded by Formula 1 that supports women drivers, it “sent a shockwave through the industry,” Johnson said.
