Last night’s Rooftop Session in partnership with Sofar Sounds was a vibrant celebration of rising talent, with powerful performances from Hamzaa and Nippa. When we were selecting artists for the show, it was particularly interesting to observe how today’s creator-driven culture has enabled grassroots talent to build their profiles around the causes they care about. And it’s particularly inspiring how both these artists channel their personal journeys and advocacy for mental health into music that empowers and connects. Alongside their fresh sounds, they’ve shown how today’s creator culture enables talents to build meaningful profiles rooted in authenticity and the causes they champion, from resilience, wellbeing and healing to community empowerment.
For brands, partnering with new artists offers a unique opportunity to tap into that energy. Beyond fresh creative perspectives, they bring cultural relevance, highly engaged audiences, and the agility to co-create meaningful campaigns. Collaborating with artists at this stage of their journey allows brands to foster loyalty, demonstrate support for up and coming talent, and stay close to the conversations shaping culture right now.
From bucket-list moments like the Super Bowl, the Barmy Army’s curated cricket itineraries, and the Instagram-worthy glamour of the US Open, travelling for sport has long been a key part of the fan experience. But over the past few years, we’ve seen a shift in how rights-holders and brands are reimagining the sports arena to align with a new generation of fan profiles.
Sports tourism now represents around 10% of the global travel industry and is forecast to grow by 16.43% annually a year through to 2032, making it one of the fastest-growing segments in travel. For brands, this growth unlocks fresh opportunities to engage fans by building culturally connected experiences that capture the excitement and immersion fans increasingly seek.
Several forces have converged to put sports tourism at the heart of modern travel:
With this backdrop, sports tourism can be grouped into three broad categories: major events, destination events, and active events. Each offers brands unique ways to engage fans.
Major events like the Olympics, FIFA World Cup or Champions League finals, attract mass international attendance and dominate cultural conversations. While the cost of official sponsorship can be prohibitive, the growth of sports tourism allows non-sponsor brands to still play a meaningful role in the fan journey.
Paris 2024 Olympics
The Paris Games was a watershed moment, with the opening ceremony being held outside the stadium for the first time in modern Olympic history. Without a traditional Olympic Park, events were staged across the city in temporary sites, blending sport with iconic landmarks. This inspired brands to activate creatively beyond official zones, and tailoring experiences to a tourist sensibility.
The shift from centralised exhibition spaces toward brand-led consumer touchpoints reflects a larger trend: activations are moving from being property-led to being brand-led, where creativity, cultural relevance, and innovation drive engagement.
Looking ahead to Milan 2026 and Los Angeles 2028, we can expect the city-sport integration to become even more pronounced. Each host city will serve as a canvas for creative expression, offering opportunities for brands to deploy their budgets in effective ways.
UEFA Champions League
European football is built on matchday traditions, from local pubs to ritualistic routes to the stadium. These behaviours are integral part of the fan tourism experience, creating moments brands can authentically tap into.
The learning here is that cultural impact now outweighs proximity to the field of play. Success comes from understanding how fans interact with a host city and creating moments of surprise, shareability, and belonging along the way.
As events like Milan 2026 and Los Angeles 2028 embrace citywide formats, brands that treat the city itself as a creative playground will gain an edge. If you think back to your own holidays, often the most memorable moments are those that add unexpected cultural or interpersonal layers to the trip.
In some cases, the location itself is inseparable from the sport. These destination events blend heritage, culture, and competition, giving brands a chance to become an unmissable part of the environment.
Roland Garros
No other calendar moment is representative of a destination event like the Grand Slams. The Australian Open (a.k.a. “Happy Slam”) is famous for its festival atmosphere, while Wimbledon and the US Open are increasingly being referred to as the “runways of tennis”, where sport and high fashion come together. Though it’s Roland Garros, hosted amongst the spectacle and history of Paris, that epitomizes the destination event. The competition seamlessly embodies Parisian elegance where tennis meets haute couture, gastronomy, and fashion.
Singapore Formula 1
Catering to a growing younger F1 fanbase, the Singapore Grand Prix is a citywide celebration that happens to have a night race running through it. With sold-out podiums where approximately half are not locals, the majority of fans aren’t inside the track complex. Hospitality is so high that occupancy rates for trackside properties regularly hit 90–100%, while brands compete to outdo one another with ultra-exclusive social experiences:
The premium positioning does risk excluding local fans, with affordability cited as the main barrier to attendance for Singaporeans. Still, the appetite for luxury sport-tourism experiences remains insatiable, creating fertile ground for brand creativity.
Destination events show how place and experience can merge into powerful storytelling, illustrating that fans increasingly value the cultural context surrounding sport whether that’s the food, fashion, music, and nightlife which make each destination iconic. The insight: to win in destination sport tourism, brands must design experiences that feel native to the location, seamlessly blending the brand DNA with the atmosphere and aspirations of fans.
The final category is the active event (a term borrowed from The National Geographic), where travel and physical activities merge. These range from marathons and triathlons to wellness retreats and “mara-cations” – holidays built around running or cycling challenges. In the post-pandemic era, fans are choosing to go beyond passive participation in sport; they’re travelling to get involved in activities themselves.
For brands, these events offer a chance to align with values of personal achievement, health, and community; powerful, emotive drivers that extend well beyond traditional sponsorship and underscoring a shift from watching sport to living it. Fans now travel to test themselves, to join communities, and to collect experiences that feel personally transformative. Whether through co-creating training programs, offering recovery experiences, or celebrating the journeys of everyday athletes, the most resonant brands will be those that empower fans to see themselves not as audiences, but as part of the action.
Sports tourism offers a powerful lens for reimagining how brands activate around a sport. It gives fans a unique way to experience a culture, a city, and a lifestyle. Those who succeed will think ‘beyond the whistle’, understanding that official rights aren’t the only route to relevance. They’ll tap into lifestyle and cultural identity, embedding themselves throughout the fan journey, and they’ll design for a more diverse audience that reflects the rise of women’s sport, shifting life priorities, and younger fans redefining what it means to be a sports tourist.
The world’s largest member-based racing event – the Melbourne Cup – took place last week and central to their new proposition is “festival vibe” (as per CEO Kylie Rogers). Taking a page from the Australian Open and Melbourne F1, both of which are known for their multi-passion extravaganza across music, food and fashion, this year’s horse race will feature DJ’s, curated small plates and a renewed drinks offering. It will be interesting to follow their revamp and whether they can align to the sensibilities of a younger crowd.
And with two major events scheduled for next year: Winter Olympics in Milan and the FIFA World Cup across USA, Mexico and Canada, 2026 is set to be another landmark year for sports tourism, where being culturally connected and seriously effective will separate the brands who truly connect with fans.
For years, the industry’s focus on music and culture has been dominated by London. Outside of the London bubble there has always been amazing talent and a regional spread of iconic events, championed by artists like The Beatles, Oasis, The Arctic Monkeys, JADE and Sam Fender, but London has remained the industry’s hub. However, there is a shift happening. From leading venues to globally recognised awards, the industry’s focus is expanding beyond the M25 and with it comes the opportunity for brands to reach an incredibly engaged and loyal audience.
The opening of Manchester’s Co-op Live arena in 2024 marked a significant shift in the UK’s live touring landscape. Not only is the nation’s largest indoor arena now outside the capital, but it attracts global artists like Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo and Sabrina Carpenter, with Billie holding four nights of her European tour at the arena this year. This confidence in Northern cities is echoed by fellow music industry bodies. Following the success of the 2023 Eurovision being hosted in Liverpool and the MOBO awards regularly being hosted in cities across the nation (Sheffield in 2024 and Newcastle in 2025), two other prominent award bodies have moved away from London and found homes in the North. Today, the Mercury Prize makes its debut in Newcastle, and next year, the BRIT Awards is leaving the capital for the first time to be hosted in Manchester. This signals a clear intent from the music industry to champion Northern cities whose cultural heritage have been instrumental in shaping the UK music scene.
Brands should take note. The often-overlooked Northern audience have a thriving interest in live music and entertainment, and they are just as loyal and engaged as their Southern counterparts. Festivals like Kendal Calling in the Lake District regularly sell out before announcing their line-up, a true testament to fan loyalty and an anomaly considering the hardships currently faced by festivals with over 200 shows cancelled since Covid. Similarly, Manchester’s ‘The Warehouse Project’ is a well-established player in live music and remains a popular staple for ravers across the UK. Recognising this demand, AEG has recently announced a new day festival series in Leeds’ Roundhay Park and Cupra have expanded their European music platform into Manchester with ‘Cupra FM’ at their City Garage location. With 9 in 10 music fans agreeing that brands can enrich their live music experience, this presents a prime opportunity for brands to engage with super loyal fan bases on a national scale.
And with this fan loyalty comes significant economic importance. Consumer spend on live music is at a record high of £6.68bn annually, with Manchester and Glasgow being the top 2 cities after London for their total spend – Manchester accounting for 8.1% of all UK spend on live music and Glasgow 5.7% (LIVE Report 2024). So it’s not just cultural value, there’s tangible economic benefits that live music brings, and as a recent report from AEG shows, live music is in the top 3 spending priorities for fans. What does this mean for brands? Music and festival partnerships are one of the strongest platforms to consider when aligning yourself to fan passion points. Providing an opportunity to target consumers in an emotionally charged setting, where they are more loyal and receptive to experiences. This immense passion and loyalty can help future proof your strategy when activated authentically.
When brands develop their activation plans and sponsorship strategies, they should consider what regions of the UK can help them achieve their business objectives; for some this may mean a London-centric approach, but for others who want to reach a larger UK demographic, embracing the Northern audience is vital. This sentiment is echoed at Superstruct UK where their festival portfolio includes events from the South coast up to Cumbria and Sheffield, ‘Being based in London means you sometimes lean more towards London shows but that isn’t always the best approach to brand partnerships. If you consider shows across the UK and in the North you can reach a wider audience and hit your brand objectives.’ Nick Lound, Creative & Strategy Lead, Superstruct. In Fuse’s own work with Vodafone we have assisted in ensuring their portfolio is diversified with a spread of shows across the Lake District, Cornwall, London and Somerset.
The North of England’s rich musical history and legacy proves that live music and entertainment is part of its cultural identity. The industry has now opened their eyes to the immense audience demand, recognising that underserving such a passionate fanbase is no longer an option. Brands who want to reach highly engaged audiences on a national scale should follow suit and invest where the culture is widening its focus, to an audience that is primed and invested in new music experiences.
Fight nights are no longer just sport – they’re culture.
What we saw last Saturday wasn’t just a boxing match. It was storytelling, music and high-end fashion combining to create an experience that reached far beyond boxing’s usual audience.
Saturday’s Eubank Jr vs Conor Benn fight highlighted how story now sits at the heart of modern sport, especially on a night where there wasn’t even a world title at stake. A huge part of the excitement came from everything leading up to the fight, not only the moment the bell rang.
Eubank Jr didn’t just walk out. He made an entrance. 50 Cent performed three tracks live, turning the ring walk into a full cinematic moment that dominated social feeds within minutes. The nostalgia ran deep too. Both Eubank Jr and Conor Benn walked out to songs linked to their fathers, whose rivalry defined a previous era. It added a layer of history that made the moment feel even bigger.
Music wasn’t the only cultural layer. Fashion played its part as well. Conor Benn’s Palm Angels kit is part of a wider shift in how fashion is showing up in boxing. We are now seeing runway-level integration, with fighters using the ring as a cultural stage. Canelo Álvarez walked out in Amiri, while Terence Crawford entered wearing an Everlast x Off-White robe featuring details from the brand’s Spring Summer 2026 collection during their fight earlier this year. It is a clear sign that fashion now sees fight nights as moments with cultural weight.
Some brands still hesitate around boxing, yet the crossover between sport, music and fashion continues to attract audiences far beyond traditional fight fans. This crossover also broadens how partners can show up, helping them connect through the music, fashion and moments fans are already engaging with beyond the fight itself.
The numbers also back it up. Millions tuned in across broadcast, social channels and streaming platforms. Highlights reached 1.3 million views in a single day, and pay-per-view buys are expected to surpass the 620,000 from their first matchup. With reach at this scale, fight nights become shared cultural events, which naturally creates opportunities for partners.
This is where boxing becomes interesting from a partnership perspective. The sport offers multiple touchpoints throughout fight week, from press conferences and weigh-ins to walkouts and fight kits, giving partners several natural moments to build visibility and tell a consistent story.
The upcoming Anthony Joshua vs Jake Paul fight underlines this shift even more clearly. It will stream globally on Netflix and is expected to be one of the most-watched boxing events in years. Jake Paul’s previous fight on the platform reached 108 million viewers worldwide, showing how far the sport can scale when positioned in a global entertainment environment. All of this shows how big fight nights are evolving into broader cultural moments where partners can play a more meaningful role.
The NFL, Apple Music, and Roc Nation are curating halftime shows that speak to culture, identity, and influence. Earlier this year Kendrick Lamar’s performance drew a record breaking 133.5 million viewers, more than the game itself, and delivered a performance packed with symbolism. It proved the Super Bowl stage could carry real cultural weight, secure mass viewership and spark global conversation.
Bad Bunny’s announcement as the 2026 headliner feels like a continuation of that shift. He’s not just Spotify’s most-streamed artist in the world three years running – he’s a cultural force, known for advocating for social equity and representation across underrepresented communities. His selection signals a broader ambition moving forward to ensure the halftime show is more than a music performance, but a global cultural movement.
K-Pop and Afrobeats – the summer of 2025 saw a surge of subgenres dominating the global mainstream charts louder than ever. Sony’s KPop Demon Hunters (distributed by Netflix) soundtrack created worldwide frenzy, topping charts worldwide and amassing over 3 billion streams in just two months, while Moliy & Silent Addy’s Shake It To The Max (FLY) – Remix broke out in Afrobeats, hitting Spotify’s Top 50 in 45+ countries and surpassing 500M streams by August.
For brands looking to connect with mega-engaged fans and cut through the noise, these subcultures – now global movements in their own right – hold the key. They’re full of active, passionate, and loyal fans who, when approached authentically, become the ultimate brand advocates.
The first edition of the newly revamped FIFA Club World Cup currently being played in the USA has been no stranger to controversy. Those in the world of football have taken aim at the increased workload for already stretched players;[1], reports have attendance sitting at just 57%,[2] and the political climate in which it is all taking part is another matter completely.
Despite this, the allure of more football for fans across the world has meant online engagement has remained high. As I write this, the @DAZNFootball channel has amassed over 170 million views in the past 30 days[3]. Unofficial channels, housing analysis, reaction, and highlights likely take online engagement well into the billions of views.
While the majority of these uploads are from legitimate football lovers, highlights of Juventus’ 3-2 win over Manchester City raised some questions from fans. The reason? The highlights were posted hours before the match was played.
By combining archive footage and video titles which, to someone who isn’t following the tournament closely, paint a picture of legitimate highlights, the channels recorded millions of views. This engagement, free from the competition of legitimate highlights – which would not be posted until after the match -leaned perfectly into the YouTube algorithm, with these fake videos often finding themselves in the top recommended clips for football fans across YouTube and Google search.
While the rise of ‘fake’ reactive content and deep fakes will likely have an impact across many industries, the world of sports and entertainment is particularly susceptible to falling victim. Over 35 billion hours of sport were consumed on YouTube in 2024[4] and, with more sport being played at any given time around the world, there will be no shortage of fans wanting to catch up on matches, only to realise after a few minutes they have been watching a match that was never played.
Similarly, over 50%[5] of YouTube’s 2.5 billion[6] users use the platform for music or podcasts. Deep fake audio from previous years has seen Bill Clinton cover Sir Mix-A-Lot but fake leaks and releases will almost certainly capture the attention of music fans in the coming years.
Ultimately, while fake highlight videos may be frustrating for football fans who have been swindled out of a few minutes of their lunch break, these videos also have a real impact for brands who are advertising on YouTube. A high-ranking video which passes YouTube’s checks will warrant higher CPMs for advertisers who, despite their best efforts, are essentially spending their advertising dollars on a ‘made for advertising’ scam.
This may not be a new notion in the world of programmatic advertising; however, with AI models able to scrape through hours of archive footage and produce believable video content that has the ability to bypass Google’s moderation, the need for attention when it comes to brand safety and suitability is as relevant as ever.
For official partners of football competitions, teams and players looking to build a credible reputation, ignoring these risks is counterproductive. While it may add a couple of cents on CPMs in the short term, the role of sponsorship as a long-term trust building project means the investment will pay dividends when building affinity with fans.
In an evolving digital media landscape where there is more fan-produced content than ever before, and it is increasingly easy to be fooled by misinformation, sponsors, agencies, and publishers must be proactive to ensure brand safety. While it may take time, accessing premium inventory across social media and the open web for sponsorship assets will ultimately lead to the development of an authentic voice and trust in the space.
[1] https://www.espn.co.uk/football/story/_/id/45604072/jurgen-klopp-expanded-club-world-cup-football-worst-idea
[2] https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c74z8v15g8eo
[3] https://www.youtube.com/@DAZNFootball / Social Blade
[4] https://www.sportspro.com/news/youtube-big-screen-tv-sport-consumption/
[5] https://civicscience.com/interest-in-youtube-premium-stalls-into-2025-but-emphasizing-music-could-change-the-tune/
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.
