For much of the last decade, sports marketing followed a familiar script: globalisation, digital scale and steadily inflating rights fees. In 2025, that script broke. This year forced brands, rights-holders and investors to confront harder truths about attention, technology and value, and in doing so, it reset how sport is bought, sold and measured.
From AI finally becoming operational, to women’s sport crossing from promise to proof, 2025 redefined what counts as premium, measurable, and essential.
2025 will be remembered as the year AI stopped being a talking point and became infrastructure.
Across sport, AI moved out of pilots and into fan-facing reality: automated highlights, personalised feeds, conversational search and predictive performance tools became part of the everyday experience. Best-in-class broadcasters showed what that looks like in practice.
In the US, MLB delivered personalised daily video recaps tailored to individual fan behaviour, while ESPN integrated AI-driven predictive analytics into live NFL coverage. Closer to home, Wimbledon leveraged generative AI to automate highlights and enrich digital storytelling, extending the value of the live moment well beyond Centre Court.
Broadcasters leaned heavily into automated clips and data-led production to keep pace with social platforms, while clubs and leagues expanded personalised apps and direct-to-fan services.
As cookies continued to disappear and privacy regulation tightened, AI intermediaries filled the. gap. Fans increasingly consumed sport through personalised summaries, agent-driven recommendations and platform-level curation. That shifted the centre of gravity.
First-party data became the most valuable strategic asset in sport, not just for ticketing or CRM, but for sponsorship valuation and attribution. Rights-holders were no longer simply selling exposure; they were selling access to logged-in, addressable fan relationships.
Hot take: the most valuable sponsorships of the next cycle won’t be the loudest or most visible. They’ll be the most intelligently embedded into AI-mediated fan journeys.
If AI was the technological shift of 2025, women’s sport was the commercial one.
This was the year women’s sport stopped being “emerging” and started being essential inventory. In the UK, that shift was underpinned by success on the biggest stages: England lifted both the Women’s Rugby World Cup and the Women’s European Championship, proof that women’s sport delivers national moments, not just incremental growth.
Those wins translated commercially. UK football and cricket saw record audiences, while sponsorship interest broadened beyond traditional categories into technology and automotive brands.
The bigger shift? How brands framed the opportunity. The question shifted from ‘does it scale?’ to ‘what audience does it deliver?” In a fragmented attention economy, younger, more diverse and culturally engaged fans aren’t niche; they are strategically scarce.
2025 didn’t slow the growth of women’s sport. It normalised it. And in business terms, normalisation matters more than hype.
Hot take: within five years, brands will struggle to justify sports portfolios that don’t include women’s sport, not on values grounds, but on performance ones.
Digital still dominates headline spend, but 2025 exposed its limits. Brand safety concerns, diminishing returns and platform fragmentation pushed advertisers back towards environments that guarantee attention and trust.
In the UK, live sport benefited more than any other category. Premium football, cricket and Formula 1 regained board-level interest, particularly around marquee fixtures and tentpole moments. Broadcasters leaned on sport to hedge against audience fragmentation, while sponsors treated top-tier live events as fewer, bigger bets rather than spread commitments.
Scarcity accelerated a shift from badge-on-shirt sponsorships to performance-linked partnerships. Advertisers demanded clearer accountability, better data access and measurable outcomes. Rights-holders that could package broadcast, content and first-party fan data alongside visibility pulled ahead; others felt the squeeze.
The result was a familiar but sharpening dynamic: value concentrating at the top. Mega-properties commanded premiums, while mid-tier assets faced tougher questions on differentiation, diversification and survival.
Taken together, these shifts explain why 2025 feels different.
AI made personalisation unavoidable. Women’s sport proved commercially credible. Live sport reasserted its value as one of the few environments capable of delivering trusted, high-attention reach. And fragmentation killed the illusion that reach alone equals impact.
The winners of 2025 weren’t those chasing novelty, but those building systems: data-ready rights, culturally fluent creative and partnerships designed for accountability rather than optics. In a cautious UK economy, certainty became the premium product.
Final hot take: the next era of sports marketing won’t be defined by who spends the most, but by who understands their fans best.
If recent years were about momentum, 2025 was about recalibration. For an industry built on moments, this may prove to be the year that quietly changed everything.
In a world where attention is fractured and loyalty is fluid, one of the most powerful tools available to help marketers cut through isn’t new at all – it’s culture. More specifically, it’s the strategic blending of cultural passion points to create something richer than the sum of its parts.
The rise of crossover events shows how fandom itself has transformed. Fans today don’t live in silos. They don’t just follow boxing or football or streetwear – they follow individuals whose identities stretch across cultural lanes. Athletes are no longer defined solely by what happens in competition. Instead, their cultural value is shaped by how they live beyond it – what they wear, who they collaborate with, the music they share, the causes they champion and the content they create. A tennis star who cares about streetwear, a footballer who releases music, or a sprinter who collaborates with contemporary artists isn’t diluting their brand – they’re expanding it and creating a bigger, more diverse, more engaged following. This shift makes cultural crossovers not only possible, but essential.
As Anthony Joshua and Jake Paul step into the ring this weekend, the fight will be billed as a clash of two very different worlds: an elite heavyweight champion versus a creator-turned-contender, who built his career in the algorithmic arenas of social media. But the truth is far more interesting. This fight is not an anomaly or a sideshow. It is a defining moment in the evolution of sports entertainment – one where elite athletes and influencers now collide on equal footing.
Joshua vs Paul is the clearest signal yet that influencer culture has moved from the fringes of sport to the centre of its economics, audience reach and cultural meaning. What we’re witnessing is the rise of cultural crossover as a dominant force – where sport blends with entertainment, personality, fashion and digital fandom to create something bigger than any one discipline. This isn’t sport versus culture. It’s sport as culture.
Elite athletes are becoming influencers, and influencers are becoming athletes – and nowhere is this cultural realignment more visible than in golf. A sport defined by tradition and performance, it is now being reshaped by creators who command audiences on a scale that rivals, and often surpasses, the official tours. Content collectives like Bob Does Sports, GoodGood Golf and Grant Horvat each attract between 1.25 and 2 million YouTube subscribers – numbers comparable to the PGA Tour’s own following and significantly larger than those of most major golf rights-holders. But it’s not just reach that’s shifting the balance – it’s engagement. While the PGA and DP World Tour see tens of thousands of views on ten-minute highlight videos, the leading golf creators routinely pull in millions for content that stretches well beyond half an hour. Their audiences aren’t passing through – they’re staying.
This gravitational pull has already begun reshaping the sport’s ecosystem. Barstool Sports’ recent “Internet Invitational,” a three-day event featuring 48 golf creators, didn’t even stream live. Instead, the footage was crafted into six episodic cuts, each running two to three hours. The result was an average of four million views per episode and some of the most engaged golf storytelling online. Brands like Dunkin’ Donuts and DraftKings were woven into the narrative seamlessly, benefiting from exposure that felt native rather than intrusive. The lesson is clear: audiences gravitate toward formats that make them feel closer to the action and closer to the personalities shaping it.
And so the Joshua vs Paul fight underscores a broader truth – sport can no longer be separated from the cultural forces that surround it. It is entertainment. It is digital storytelling. It is identity. The future of fandom is fluid, and those willing to play at the intersections will find themselves not just reflecting culture, but creating it. Traditional sport is no longer the default destination for fandom – cultural crossover is.
Luke Bliss, Managing Partner at the sports and entertainment agency Fuse, reckons that tips from the pros can only get you so far. “You often hear stories of community leagues where the player with the least knowledge of football, and indeed the least interest in the data, is inexplicably leading the pack,” he says. “The bigger challenge is keeping the casual fan engaged for the entire season.”
“FPL has the unique ability to appeal simultaneously to avid players (the data-nerds) and the casual fan,” he says. “The user experience has become much simpler over time; the ‘mobile-first’ approach to the platform has made FPL accessible to anyone, anywhere, anytime.”
England’s victory at Euro 2025 was not just a win on the pitch; it was a cultural milestone. From full stadiums to national pride, the Lionesses captivated the country. Across 29 of 31 matches, fans filled every seat, with total attendance reaching 650,000, and the Women’s Champions League final drew record viewing figures.
Suddenly, women’s football was not just a game; it was a phenomenon. Young girls everywhere declared their ambition to be the next Lioness, with research showing unprecedented engagement with the sport.
Yet, as electrifying as the international stage has been, the domestic game is quietly building its own powerful narrative. The Women’s Super League (WSL) is evolving, and while there have been growing pains, the league is laying the foundation for long-term success.
Last season’s dip in attendance reflects the natural ebb and flow of a developing sport, but it also underscores the opportunity for renewed investment and innovation. Clubs like Chelsea and Manchester United are also under increasing pressure to elevate their women’s teams, and this scrutiny is driving change.
Where clubs are still finding their footing, brands are stepping in and filling the gaps, offering not just financial backing but also strategic support. This signals a shift in sponsorship where it moves beyond visibility and into meaningful investment in the women’s game ecosystem.
Turning momentum into action
The Lionesses’ triumph generated unprecedented momentum, but governance and club-level investment have yet to catch up. Clubs are not required to disclose how much they invest in their women’s teams, and often investments are tied to financial manoeuvring rather than a genuine commitment to the game. Chelsea’s ownership structure for their women’s team exemplifies this, revealing that the women’s side can sometimes exist primarily to optimise resources for the men’s team.
Progress is beginning to emerge. Minimum salaries have been introduced in the WSL, marking a step towards professional parity. With continued action at both club and league levels, the WSL is poised to become an inspiring benchmark for women’s football.
Why brands are stepping up
Brands are increasingly recognising that investment in women’s football is more than sponsorship; it is a chance to shape culture and create meaningful connections. Nike’s initiative to provide free boots to every WSL player is both symbolic and practical, offering tangible support to athletes while sending a powerful message about the value of women’s football.
Recognising this potential, Nike has now extended its partnership to supply boots and match balls for players across the top two divisions, reinforcing its commitment to the professional game.
Adidas paired players like Lena Oberdorf and Delphine Cascarino with creators, musicians and fans, blending football with lifestyle in ways that amplify the sport’s reach. PepsiCo highlighted players such as Vivianne Miedema and Alexia Putellas, sharing personal stories that resonate beyond the pitch, while Just Eats’ fan zones at the Euros created immersive, authentic experiences combining food, football and culture.
British Gas, entering as a WSL sponsor this season, has committed to enhancing grassroots engagement, helping fund local teams, training and community programmes. E.l.f Cosmetics’ back-of-shirt partnership with Tottenham Hotspur Women also marks a significant moment in the commercial evolution of the WSL, as it shows the women’s game’s ability to attract new audiences and challenge traditional boundaries between sport and beauty. It not only elevates Spurs Women’s profile but also reinforces the WSL’s positioning as a culturally relevant league. Beauty brands are recognising that women’s football is a vehicle for influence and inclusion.
Players themselves are becoming brands. Leah Williamson has developed her own profile beyond football, combining ambassador roles, personal partnerships, and community engagement to become a leading voice in the women’s game. When brands invest in players as individuals, they help elevate the entire game, increasing visibility and generating fan loyalty that can translate into higher attendance and viewership.
Protecting the Lionesses’ legacy
The Lionesses’ victory ignited a surge in interest, and women’s football is more culturally relevant than ever. But without consistent investment, that momentum risks being squandered. Brands can help bridge the funding gap, ensuring progress in wages, facilities, grassroots pathways, and fan accessibility. Partnerships can take many forms. They can supply equipment to players at all levels, create engaging fan experiences, or provide ambassador roles that build profiles and open up new revenue streams.
For players like Leah Williamson, these ambassador roles are not just marketing; they are platforms to inspire, advocate, and shape the narrative of women’s football. These initiatives can turn individual star power into league-wide growth, helping to secure the legacy of the Lionesses for future generations.
Next steps for clubs
While brands have shown appetite and creativity in supporting women’s football, clubs cannot rely solely on external investment. The disparity between men’s and women’s football remains stark. Male footballers in England earn nearly 17,000% more than their female counterparts, and grassroots support lags far behind.
Across the UK, 64% of women’s teams lack a trainer, 43% struggle to find referees, and over half of players pay for their own kits, with one in 10 going without. In some areas, the absence of local teams or enough players to form a squad prevents women from playing at all, while childcare and travel barriers further restrict participation.
For the WSL to continue the women’s game’s upward trajectory, clubs can align with the ambition shown by players, fans, and forward-thinking sponsors like Nike, British Gas, and others. Equal urgency, investment, and infrastructure are essential at both professional and grassroots levels. The Lionesses have sparked a movement – and with collective action, the WSL can ensure that this enthusiasm becomes lasting progress.
The Lionesses brought football home and, in doing so, inspired a generation. Now the question is whether that legacy will endure. Brands like Nike and British Gas are stepping up, investing in players and connecting the sport with broader culture. The league and clubs must follow suit, investing in talent, infrastructure, and communities before the momentum is lost.
The Lionesses have shown what women’s football can achieve on the world stage. With consistent, authentic support from both brands and clubs, the WSL has the potential to flourish, ensuring that women’s football remains a permanent fixture in the national imagination. The ball is now in the league’s court.
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.
