Over the past few years, women’s sports have seen significant progress in media coverage. As highlighted by UN Women, women’s sports media coverage worldwide has surged from a stagnant 5 to around 16% in 2022, with projections to reach 20% by 2025 if trends continue. In the UK, the success of the Lionesses during Euro 2021 played a pivotal role in this rise in attention to women’s sports. However, while women’s sports are gaining recognition, disability sports still face significant barriers to consistent media visibility, despite the increasing general focus on inclusivity in mainstream sports.
A Surge In Awareness of Underrepresented Sports, Yet Disability Sport Still Struggles For Visibility
Despite progress in women’s sports media coverage in the UK, disability sports remains a niche, gaining significant attention only during events like the Paralympic Games. Once the Games end, however, coverage of disabled athletes often fades back into obscurity. While there is some movement toward greater inclusivity in media, this sporadic coverage fails to reflect the year-round dedication and achievement of athletes with disabilities.
The potential for disability sports to become more mainstream lies in the media’s ability to portray these athletes for what they truly are—world-class athletes with remarkable skills, rather than merely “inspirational” figures overcoming adversity. As Channel 4’s coverage of the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics reached 18.5 million individuals, equating to 30.4% of the TV population, broadcasters have proven that there is a genuine appetite for more accessible and inclusive sports. This coverage included improvements such as British Sign Language and audio descriptions, further demonstrating the importance of accessibility in sports media.
The challenge lies not just in the athletes’ visibility, but in how disability is portrayed in the media. Journalists can often frame disabilities as obstacles that athletes must overcome, rather than recognizing the athletes for their skill, dedication, and athletic prowess. This narrative can undermine the perception of disabled athletes as equal competitors, contributing to a culture where their accomplishments are viewed as “extraordinary” simply because of their disability, rather than “normal” as with their able-bodied peers.
Channel 4 shifted its approach from the typical narrative of “Superhumans” and the idea of competitors “overcoming” their disabilities to a campaign for the Paralympics 2024 that challenges viewers to rethink their perceptions of these elite athletes.
The Reality of Professional Disability Sport: A Struggle for Recognition and Support
While major events like the Paralympics draw attention to elite disabled athletes, the lack of consistent media coverage and financial support remains a major issue. British para-cyclist and one of the most decorated Paralympic athletes of all time Dame Sarah Storey has spoken candidly since the Paralympics in 2024 about the financial difficulties para-athletes face, noting that very few, outside of sports like tennis, receive sufficient funding to pursue professional careers. Most para-athletes juggle their athletic careers with regular jobs, a reality that severely limits their training and performance potential. The lack of consistent, year-round coverage means that disability sports often lack the revenue to support athletes at the professional level.
Another example of recognition, Alfie Hewitt made history by becoming only the second male player in history to win all four tennis Grand Slams in both singles and doubles. Yet, while this achievement was celebrated in the disability sport community, it didn’t receive the same widespread attention as similar feats in able-bodied tennis. Alfie had been previously listed for BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 2023, yet as with many disabled athletes, didn’t make it into the final 3. Only Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson in 2000 and Jonnie Peacock in 2017 have made the top 3 since it began in 1954.
Increased media coverage, similar to what women’s sports are currently experiencing, could help elevate the visibility of these athletes and attract much-needed sponsorships and endorsements. The challenge lies in breaking the cycle of sporadic coverage and shifting attitudes so that disabled athletes are seen and treated on par with their able-bodied counterparts.
Sponsorship and Brand Activation Supporting Change
In addition to media attention, brands are increasingly recognising the value of supporting disability athletes and strength in storytelling. Vodafone’s PLAYER.Connect platform, which extends to elite athletes like Alfie Hewitt and the Men’s British Wheelchair Basketball team, exemplifies how commercial partnerships can play a key role in increasing visibility and supporting athletes. By leveraging their sponsorships to promote disability sports, brands can help create a more inclusive sports culture, one that recognises the talent and achievements of athletes with disabilities as part of the mainstream conversation.
Some brands are also supporting their disabled athletes to speak out on the lack of representation across the disabled community, such as those with learning disabilities or hearing impairments, who still have minimal representation in major sporting events. The recent “Dare to Defy: Powered By Nissan” docu-series on Prime Video, featuring Nissan’s ambassadors Richard Whitehead MBE and Adele Roberts, explores disability representation and inclusivity in sport. However, as Richard Whitehead points out during the series: “(true inclusivity) isn’t just about empowering individuals with disabilities; it’s about how the public and stakeholders in sport perceive and elevate the achievements of disabled athletes”.
For instance, while the Paralympics offers a platform for athletes, it doesn’t fully incorporate all disabilities. The absence of events for the deaf community and limited opportunities for athletes with learning disabilities only reinforces the exclusion within the wider sporting world.
For change to be meaningful, we need to ensure that all forms of disability are represented in competitive sports. This includes creating more events in the Paralympics, but also expanding opportunities outside of these high-profile tournaments. Representation in non-paralympic sports, such as wheelchair tennis and basketball, must become just as normalised and supported as able-bodied sports.
Conclusion: The Road to True Inclusivity
Disability sports have made strides in recent years, but they still face significant challenges in terms of visibility, representation, and funding.
For disability sports to thrive and be seen as a central part of the sporting world, there must be a shift in how it is represented and supported. This includes not only more consistent media coverage but also greater inclusivity in sporting events and more financial investment. If these changes are made, we could see a future where disabled athletes are celebrated year-round, not just during the Paralympics, and where their achievements are celebrated as equal to those of able-bodied athletes.
Cited:
https://www.unwomen.org/en/paris-2024-olympics-new-era-for-women-in-sport/facts-and-figures-women-in-sport
https://www.vodafone.co.uk/newscentre/press-release/player-connect-now-supports-wheelchair-athletes-international-summer-competitions/#:~:text=Vodafone%20has%20expanded%20its%20landmark,been%20available%20for%20wheelchair%20athletes.
https://www.channel4.com/press/news/channel-4s-paris-2024-paralympic-games-marketing-campaign-challenges-patronising
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dare-to-Defy/dp/B0DN25KCCNhttps://www.independent.co.uk/sport/london-rio-manchester-city-adele-roberts-lgbtq-b2654513.html
https://www.vodafone.co.uk/newscentre/press-release/player-connect-now-supports-wheelchair-athletes-international-summer-competitions/
This weekend the Super League makes its debut stateside, with a regular season fixture between Wigan Warriors and Warrington Wolves taking place at the Allegiant Stadium on Saturday. Like many sports before it, the move is designed to showcase the game on the global stage as part of its long-term growth into new markets.
And while an estimated 10,000 Super League fans have crossed the Atlantic to see the spectacle live, it’s really at home where people are taking notice. The fixture is getting significantly more press coverage than ever before and the sentiment is largely very good.
This is interesting in itself. Typically, sports leaving their home towns during the season causes consternation amongst fans and writers, and with good reason. In its simplest terms, it’s robbing fans of a major moment in their season calendar, unless you’re one of the few people with the means to book a last-minute flight to Las Vegas. Moreover, it creates uncertainty about where their beloved sport might end up in the future. How many more in-season fixtures will be taken away from the fans at home? Is this the end of Rugby League (a sport steeped in tradition) as we know it?
But this narrative doesn’t seem to be playing out at all. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. It has elevated the Super League into the spotlight and everyone seems genuinely excited. Every radio station I’ve tuned into this week has featured it, and the coverage is glowing. The story feels progressive. If the NFL can play in-season fixtures in England, why can’t the Super League do it Vegas? In the same stadium, no less, where Usher performed a half-time show at the Superbowl in 2024, and where Wrestlemania will take place in April this year. If nothing else, going stateside puts the Super League in the same conversation as the big boys, who are all full steam ahead with their own plans for global domination. This fixture (and the sport) feels bigger than ever before.
And as we edge closer to kick-off, the anticipation feels more like a boxing match than a Rugby League fixture (an ironic coincidence perhaps, in the wake of Chris Eubank Jr’s egging of Conor Benn on Tuesday). Sam Burgess has made a late arrival following last-minute Visa issues. A couple of Wigan fans who have been engaged for six years are using the occasion to finally tie the knot (when in Vegas…) It all adds to the narrative. And the coverage.
Warrington CEO Karl Fitzpatrick has said himself that this isn’t about cracking the American market. Recruiting more American fans is just a bi-product. This is about driving engagement back home. Today, he told the Independent, “When the NRL came out last year, they spoke about the ‘halo effect’ afterwards in Australia. Crowds were up, digital engagement is up and it’s been the same in Super League in our opening two rounds”.
Regardless of the result on Saturday, the American dream feels like more than a safe bet for the Super League. And at the very least, it’s been a home run for their PR team this week.
While third-party targeting no longer has one foot in the grave, advertisers comfortable with using a 20-year-old technology available to everyone in the market as their primary method of accurately targeting potential customers should take a long, hard look in the mirror. In the age of AI, insights, ever-increasing addressability and attribution – those savouring the crumbs of cookies stand to miss out on the feast of alternative targeting and measurement available.
While the world of digital media and cookie alternatives is advancing faster than most can keep up, two of the foundations of advertising are still as relevant as ever. Campaigns that prioritise contextually relevant advertising to engaged audiences are proving their value and, with two in three people in the UK claiming they are sports fans, the opportunity to engage fans across the sporting landscape is huge.
As well as access to engaged fans in sporting environments, brands that can tap into these properties through sponsorship are uniquely positioned to take even better advantage of alternative targeting through contracted rights, IP-access and the global reach of rights holders.
IP-Inclusivity and Contextual Relevance
Most ads are remarkably forgettable. Exclusive access to the IP offered by premium rights holders to sponsors can change this.
System1 and Fuse’s The Sports Dividend research explains that among sports fans, brand ads that feature sports in the creative are more likely to contribute to long-term brand health, drive short-term sales performance and viewers are more likely to feel emotions like happiness more strongly.
With creative that achieves stronger results and makes consumers feel happier, contextual alignment is the next step. Research shows that ads get twice as much attention when placed in top rated / the most relevant contexts.
This means when compared to a standard ad in a standard context, IP-inclusive ads in relevant contextual environments can be twice as effective at long term brand building among relevant sport loving audiences. For example, an ad starring Tom Daley aligned with Olympics content or one with Virgil van Dijk aligned to football news will double its effectiveness compared to ads without IP in irrelevant contexts.
While leaning on contextual placements in an age of data and tracking might seem counterintuitive, for sponsors who have IP-access, content amplified with a media partner, or with AI-powered contextual targeting, produces results that are clear.
All of this is done without using any audience targeting at all. Imagine what could be achieved when privacy compliant first-party audiences are overlayed.
Privacy compliant first-party data sharing
Gone are the days when sponsors are content with simply placing a logo on a shirt or LED board and calling it a day. As well as the key role that sponsorship plays in shifting brand metrics, the ability to identify current or potential customers and serve them IP-inclusive, contextually relevant creative can improve performance further.
The most accurate way to do this is using a data clean room, a tool used to match datasets from different parties in a secure and privacy compliant way. Using a data clean room, first-party data from the rights holder can be overlayed with first or second-party data from the sponsor, meaning brands can securely identify current or potential customers who are already engaged with a rights holder and therefore are more likely to engage with branded sponsorship content.
While many rights holders are still in the early stages of developing a project that requires significant investment and a mature data strategy, Manchester City is showing it is not just ahead on the pitch, but also when it comes to driving value for its sponsors.
Following the launch of the Nissan Ariya, Nissan released its ‘Be More Pep’ campaign, encouraging people to follow in the steps of City’s iconic manager, from fashion to haircuts and ultimately, to the electric Nissan he’s seen driving around Manchester.
Using a data clean room, Manchester City’s first-party data segments were matched with second-party signals, creating an audience of “Man City fans who are environmentally conscious and interested in electric vehicles”. The segment was then tested against the “Ad Platform ‘EV Intender’ Audience” with the matched dataset resulting in significantly higher engagement for Nissan, recording 52% higher VCR and 43% longer average watch time.
While engagement metrics in a nondescript ad buying platform are not necessarily an indicator of bottom-line success, they do suggest that this relatively new strategy in the sponsorship industry has massive potential.
The next challenge for the world of sponsorship will be to reach data sharing standards expected by the rest of the industry. These are twofold – on the one hand, rights holders need to highlight the value their data can bring to sponsors, building clear audience segments and data sharing projects that sponsors can confidently buy into and activate. On the other, sponsors need to ensure their internal data-strategy includes an acknowledgement of the possibility of activating the sponsors’ data.
As these products evolve, there will be more pressure on rights holders to define and identify signals more accurately. This will help sponsors use their rights for more middle and lower-funnel tactics, highlighting sponsorship as a truly through-the-line channel able to drive more than just impressions and 30 second equivalents.
The case for better metrics
Across digital media, the success of sponsorship properties has largely sat with vanity media metrics like impressions, engagement or clicks, often driving to irrelevant landing pages too focused on the sponsor and not linked to the sponsorship. But, with opportunities to analyse more signals than ever with AI, using legacy digital metrics like impressions or viewability cannot show the real value of sponsorship.
Playground xyz’s Attention Time is a human-led, AI scaled metric measuring the length of time that an ad is looked at – it is 7.5x more important in determining awareness, and 5.9x more important in determining recall than viewability. While clicks can be sparse and conversions even more so, Attention Time is proving to be one of the most reliable metrics that we have to measure the effectiveness of sponsorship ads.
While Playground xyz is only one example of an ever-growing list of companies measuring attention and similar metrics (all with varying methodologies), exploring and testing new metrics is going to be vital in accurately optimising properties over the course of a campaign, season or cycle.
While the sunset of the third-party cookie is further away than ever, privacy savvy consumers and increasingly unreliable targeting suggest that reliance on this outdated technology is leading to less efficient advertising and losses for brands.
However, brands that have invested in sponsorship are increasingly finding value goes beyond impressions and time on screen. Access to IP inclusive assets, when served in relevant contexts, can result in significant boosts to long- and short-term brand metrics, and access to first-party rights holder data can then further help to reach efficiencies in campaigns. When complemented by more advanced performance metrics, the strength of alternative targeting solutions speak for themselves.
All without the crumb of a cookie in sight.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
My journey into sponsorship began in an extraordinary setting — the Sahara Desert — where I worked on the Festival au Désert near Timbuktu, a music festival centred around the Tuareg tribe. My role there was to secure sponsorship for the music production, and then heading onsite to film the festival. I then went onto work in big PR events, working on projects like Vodafone Lifesavers and HSBC Startup Stars, which further deepened my exposure to sponsorship.
At just 26, I joined Vodafone’s global sponsorship team, working on partnerships with Ferrari, Manchester United, and later McLaren F1 and UEFA Champions League. It was an incredible experience, activating across 100 markets and working with one of the world’s biggest brands.
From there, I moved to RBS, expecting a major sponsorship role — only to arrive during the financial crisis! It was a rollercoaster moment, but also the most informative 18 months of my career. In times of crisis, like the financial crash or COVID, you learn a lot on how to navigate through disruption. It was challenging but exciting.
Finally, in 2010, David Pinnington, the founder of Fuse, gave me a call and said that he had set up a sports division and asked if I fancied a challenge. I said yes — and here I am now!
Can you tell our readers what it is about the work you’re doing that’s disruptive?
Disruptive doesn’t always have to equal groundbreaking. A successful business leader is one that can authentically leverage untapped opportunities to do better and be better. For example, we always think global — how can we make a difference and disrupt the sports marketing industry in other regions? We are currently expanding our international remit to countries where there is huge potential for brands to capitalise on the growing sport sponsorship market. Having just launched in Spain, India and Brazil, we have our sights set on new offices across the globe.
As a business we are also developing more sophisticated measurement tools to help brands and rights holders understand the true effectiveness and value of sport sponsorship. Over the last couple of years, we have worked closely with creative effectiveness agency System1 to coin a new term that we call the ‘Sport Dividend.’ This is best described as a rigorous set of principles that can help brands unlock growth amongst both sport and broad audiences. If done properly, sport sponsorship can go toe-to-toe with the world’s best advertising.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
Every single human being makes mistakes — they’re inevitable. But they really allow for opportunities for growth and learning. I believe that when you make a mistake, you have got to acknowledge it and own it and then move forward from it as quickly as possible. The quicker you can learn from it and adapt, the more resilient you become.
We all need a little help along the journey. Who have been some of your mentors? Can you share a story about how they made an impact?
It’s no secret that the most successful individuals have had support along the way — I strongly believe in the value of mentors and the guidance they provide.
One of my first mentors was David Pinnington, who was an incredible boss and friend. As a female within this industry, he instilled in me this steadfast belief that I could do anything I set my mind to. His total confidence in my abilities was so refreshing and his positive attitude and ability to see the best in any situation made you feel like you could conquer the world. When people tell me I can’t do something, I channel my inner ‘David Pinnington’ and the belief that you can achieve anything.
Philippa Brown was someone I also saw as a mentor and had a significant influence on my career. She helped shift my mindset from being a director of sponsorship to thinking like a true business woman and leader. Philippa taught me that it’s not just about sports; it’s about business. She encouraged me to develop the gravitas and strategic mindset that are essential for women in leadership roles.
Finally, my brother has been an incredibly important figure throughout my life. His entrepreneurial spirit and pragmatic approach have always helped me navigate challenges. He taught me how to approach complex issues by breaking them down and simplifying them which has changed the way I view and solve problems.
In today’s parlance, being disruptive is usually a positive adjective. But is disrupting always good? When do we say the converse, that a system or structure has ‘withstood the test of time’? Can you articulate to our readers when disrupting an industry is positive, and when disrupting an industry is ‘not so positive’? Can you share some examples of what you mean?
The phrase often goes: “be disruptive or be disrupted.” But, despite this mantra, disruption can still carry a negative connotation, particularly it if evokes feelings of chaos and uncertainty, alienates people, or fails to address an essential industry challenge.
Innovation is often a word used alongside disruption. But while innovation makes mere improvements to a product or service, disruption fundamentally changes how an industry operates. And it isn’t just about a quirky piece of creative that is plastered loud and proud online to generate a short-lived buzz, disruption can be quiet. It sits at the heart of culture and makes a difference over the long-term.
The female sports landscape has seen some disruption already from brands, sports clubs and media. For example, the WNBA agreed a ground-breaking $2.2 billion broadcast deal over 11 years with NBC, Disney and Amazon which is worth more than three times its previous cycle. Barclays has recently made history in the UK with their record investment in women’s domestic football. The investment gives a greater platform to the sport with an inevitable knock-on effect on fandom.
But the female sports market is still ripe for disruption — in terms of how it’s marketed, sponsored, invested in and broadcast, but also in terms of its overarching narrative — moving beyond the parity story into creative storytelling.
Can you share 3 of the best words of advice you’ve gotten along your journey? Please give a story or example for each.
Throughout my career, I was always told the cricket expression, ‘Play everything with a straight bat’. I’ve always found this to be so powerful and implement this within my personal and professional life. It means to approach things with honesty and decency. People always appreciate transparency and authenticity, and I’ve found it builds long-lasting trust with my clients and team.
Another piece of advice I’ve received is to always trust your intuition. Our gut instinct is an incredibly powerful tool. In my experience, 9 times out of 10, that inner voice is right. Listening to it has consistently guided me to make better, more confident decisions. It’s about trusting that you have the insight and capability to navigate challenges and seize opportunities with that true belief in yourself.
We are sure you aren’t done. How are you going to shake things up next?
Fuse is driving global expansion rapidly, with numerous new markets set to open in the coming years. This growth represents an incredible opportunity for us to and deepen our impact across the globe and really stay ahead of the curve within our industry. With the launch of our new global proposition, ‘Culturally Connected, Seriously Effective’, we’re committed to making it a driving force to ensure our clients feel more connected to culture than ever and further enhancing our capabilities to ensure we generate effective results for our clients. Alongside this, Fuse Ignite will be launched, which will be our future-facing, modern consultancy for rightsholders, with transparency at the heart of it — ensuring clarity and trust in every step of the process.
On a personal note, I’m also working on an exciting project focused on women’s health — a cause that is incredibly important to me. So, watch this space!
In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges faced by ‘women disruptors’ that aren’t typically faced by their male counterparts?
It’s no secret that female leaders still face bias in the workplace, among a myriad of other stereotypes — from leadership style to women’s health. Starting with a career in finance and then becoming one of few female CEOs in the sports marketing industry, tackling some of these has been a real challenge for me.
One of the oldest and most persistent gender stereotypes is that women are too emotional. They are perceived as less fit to make disruptive decisions because these are more likely to be irrational and emotion driven. When compared to men, female leaders are said to be less comfortable in asserting their authority, rebelling or inciting long-term change.
But he who shouts the loudest shouldn’t just be heard. Disruption isn’t about being bossy and bold, it’s about being smart. It’s about being collaborative with your team and the industry in which you sit in. And because women are socialised to put others’ needs before their own, they are more likely to be thinking strategically with emotional awareness — two key ingredients for successful disruption.
Do you have a book/podcast/talk that’s had a deep impact on your thinking? Can you share a story with us?
One book that resonated with me is Forged in Crisis: The Power of Courageous Leadership by Nancy Koehn.
I feel like as a leader, I’ve dealt with a period of turbulence — from Covid to the geopolitical issues in the Middle East and the ongoing war in Ukraine. In today’s world, leadership requires you to constantly adapt, not only within the business world but also on a broader, macro-geographical scale. While the leaders in the book may come from a different time, there’s learnings in there that are still so relevant today; how to show up for your people, manage crises, and communicate with clarity and integrity.
As we move forward, yes, we ourselves as leaders should be disruptive, but we will face disruption constantly, and so this book made me think about how we need to adapt our leadership approaches to stay agile and resilient in the face of constant change.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
As a female leader, one core thing for me is ensuring equal pay for women across all sectors. The gender pay gap is a systemic issue that continues to go on and I truly believe it’s essential that we tackle it comprehensively — not just at the senior leadership level, but across all roles. Women should feel values for their contributions and unfortunately, this is an issue that often gets de-prioritised, particularly by government bodies but this needs more focus and requires serious conversations about how to close the gender pay gap once and for all.
I also feel that women’s health often gets sidelined, and I would like to raise awareness about our health issues and its impact, not just later in life, but at every stage of it. By having these conversations and driving real change, we can empower women to take charge of their health, feel supported in their careers, and ensure equality across all areas of life.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
Just one word — ‘Onwards.’
This was David Pinnington’s response to any news — whether good or bad. This approach is deep-rooted within our heritage and our ethos and has shaped our values. It taught me to always look forward and embrace what was ahead with positivity. Resilience in the face of adversity.
This is at the heart of our agency and is key to achieving continued growth and success.
Sports marketing continues to play a diverse and increasingly important role in the marketing mix for brands. And for many reasons. It serves as a launchpad for brands seeking to enter new markets by capitalising on major events across the globe that command mass audiences. It’s a signal of a brand’s stature and prominence re-enforcing trust and credibility and a way for brands across all industries to build loyalty because they are involved in the very events that drive passion and reunite and connect us.
From an advertising perspective, media fragmentation is causing more and more brands to look at sport as one of the last remaining platforms to connect with audiences en masse. People instinctively know sport is important but now it is indisputable – just look at the impact of the most recent Euros on the UK advertising market – a 9 per cent growth in TV ad spend in Q2 2024, the strongest quarter for TV in over two years.
Globally, investment will continue to grow as history shows the sector is extremely resilient to challenging economic headwinds. Beyond the overall growth story, we’ll see other trends emerging in sports marketing in 2025, some of which mirror wider advertising and business trajectories.
The retail media boom is reshaping how sports marketers connect with fans, offering dynamic opportunities for brand activation. By blending e-commerce and fan engagement, retail media provides a direct path to consumers, creating moments where shopping meets sports.
Brands that integrate commerce strategies into sponsorships or athlete partnerships will stay ahead, driving ROI while building deeper audience connections. As retail media scales globally, sports marketing professionals must explore creative ways to tie sales and storytelling together.
This trend isn’t just a buzzword—it’s the future of sports-related consumer engagement, providing brands with both measurable results and meaningful fan relationships.
In 2025, digital ad spend will shape the sports marketing landscape, demanding that brands adopt cutting-edge strategies to engage fans. With AI-driven insights, dynamic ad placements, and cross-channel personalisation, sports marketers can unlock new levels of engagement. Social platforms and programmatic advertising are no longer optional but critical, as fans increasingly consume sports content digitally.
Brands must pivot towards data-driven storytelling, aligning ad spend with fan behaviour and expectations. Staying relevant in this space requires innovation and speed, offering immersive ad experiences that resonate with evolving audiences. In sports marketing, digital is not just part of the strategy – it is the strategy.
One of the biggest advantages of digital is the ability to measure the ROI of campaigns with precision. Metrics like click-through rates, conversion rates, and time spent engaging with content provide clear insights into what works. This enables sports marketers to optimise campaigns in real time, ensuring maximum impact.
Brands can now track the journey from fan interaction to purchase, creating a seamless loop that drives both engagement and revenue.
Artificial intelligence is moving from test-and-learn pilots to real-world deployment, transforming how sports brands engage fans in 2025. AI-driven tools enable hyper-personalised fan experiences, from curated content to predictive merchandising, but with great power comes ethical responsibility.
Sports marketers must balance innovation with transparency, ensuring fan data is used responsibly. Whether through chatbots, real-time analytics, or automated ad targeting, AI’s potential is immense, but so are its risks. As this technology matures, ethical frameworks will determine success. Brands that embrace AI strategically while respecting consumer trust will redefine the future of fan and brand activation in sports marketing.
As India is set to become the third biggest global economy, growing faster than any other emerging market, we expect to see brands from the region taking key positions within global sports platforms.
China is already ahead of the game having become active in sports marketing for a number of years, but last year’s Euros demonstrated how they are providing strong competition for limited spaces across major sport platforms. For example, five out of 13 of Euro 2024’s official global sponsors were from China, including key sectors like electric vehicles (BYD), which took many established manufacturers by surprise, and e-commerce (Ali Express). Alibaba also joined the Olympic Partner programme in 2017 and recently extended its partnership through to 2028.
Women’s sport has seen unprecedented growth, yet brands must now go beyond words and significantly invest in this space. From grassroots initiatives to professional leagues, untapped potential for sponsorship, storytelling, and merchandise lies ahead.
As audiences grow and media coverage expands, the call for authentic support is louder than ever. Token gestures won’t cut it—brands must integrate women’s sport into broader strategies and commit to long-term partnerships. While women’s football has seen significant media attention and commitment from brands including record investment from Barclays in particular, other sports are yet to benefit. 2025 is the year to act, with early adopters set to benefit from heightened visibility, audience loyalty, and meaningful social impact. Women’s sport isn’t a side project; it’s a movement.
When Bet365 announced its sponsorship of pan-European soccer’s UEFA Champions League for the 2024-27 cycle, was it a surprise? Not really. The sports betting sector is dominating the global sporting scene, with recent research revealing 26 out of 100 competitions around the world are sponsored by companies in the industry.
Sponsorship of England’s top soccer clubs by betting companies has grown over 1,000% in two decades, with at least 42 different betting companies sponsoring English Premier League teams over the years. And still, nearly half of clubs in the league have front-of-shirt sponsorships from gambling brands, despite a very public ban on those deals coming into effect in 2026-27.
While many other industries are pivoting their business and partnership strategies away from sectors like betting, soccer is still scoring big. With a need to drive bottom-line revenue and rights holders looking to sell increased commercial inventory resulting from new competition formats and additional matches, it’s hard to ignore the millions in revenue these companies generate every year.
But as regulatory changes loom, it is time for brands and rights holders to “hedge their bets” when it comes to how and with whom they do business, as they pave the way for a new era of football sponsorship.
What’s changing in sport sponsorship
Change is already underway, having impacted the esports/gaming field, where digital and online safety regulations are coming to the fore. There is a greater emphasis on and regulations around targeting younger people. For example, if more than 70% of an audience is under 18, betting brands can’t use social media influencers or footballers as ambassadors.
And, most significantly for the EPL, there is the forthcoming voluntary ban on front-of-shirt sponsors from the 2026-27 season.
Not surprisingly, rights holders are pushing to maximize revenue ahead of major changes to gambling regulations in the UK and across Europe. And why wouldn’t they?
Major football tournaments attract huge global audiences which means significant global brand exposure and media value – a reason why Bet365 has signed as the global partner for the UEFA Champions League and Betano for the UEFA Europa League, and this summer’s Euros.
While the front-of-shirt sponsorship ban for Premier League clubs is a definite blow, there are still many lucrative options on the table. Betting brands are rushing to sign deals now to capitalize on the opportunity in the last couple of seasons of being a front-of-shirt sponsor.
However, the ban only applies to front-of-shirt sponsorships so other premium sponsorships such as sleeve and training wear will still be available. This is a good time to lock in a sleeve or other primary partnership packages before they start to rise in price as betting brands look to spend their sponsorship budgets on alternative assets once the ban comes into place. It’s also worth noting that the ban only applies to the Premier League clubs, not those in the second-tier Championship, which is still home to teams with loyal fanbases and a storied history.
How the industry is responding to change: The role of tech and data
It’s not just IRL shirts and merchandise where gambling brands and rights holders are responding to change. Increasingly, the role of tech will ensure that rights holders can maximize their assets while still staying on the right side of regulations. There will be more pitch-side virtual advertising to address pan-European or global betting regulations.
Currently, Bet365 perimeter boards still appear on TV in the UK, even when the match is being played in a market where gambling advertising is banned. This tech advancement is benefiting other sponsors too who are looking to geo-target the promotion of distinct products or services in specific markets.
Rights holders who continue to invest in better targeting capabilities to ensure they are compliant with regulations can be sure of their assets selling.
Tapping into other advertising inventory
With greater regulation and scrutiny of the industry, we will see a continuing increase in spending for other advertising inventory around football.
Where the promotion of a betting brand is prohibited, surrogate brands and advertising will continue to flourish. These can either retarget fans with betting messages in line with regulation, such as Bet365scores in Italy, or Entain Foundation when BWIN was the official sponsor of the UEFA Europa League can be used to reinforce brand messages without explicitly saying ‘buy me’ or ‘bet now.’
Likely as a result of regulatory changes, there is still significant investment being put behind responsible gambling messaging, with the likes of Sky Bet using playoff inventory to promote grassroots activation and responsible gambling.
For rights holders concerned about the sponsorship tap being turned off around betting, there are emerging and growing new categories to plug any gaps in their sponsorship portfolio.
One of those sectors is crypto, with the likes of Kraken sponsoring Spurs among others, and fan token platform Socios signing a $20 million deal with Argentine soccer superstar Lionel Messi to be their brand ambassador and offering token holders matchday tickets and merchandise. Deals, such as that with Messi, open up new opportunities with older talent and are becoming more prevalent in the legends’ space.
There will also be a continuing upsurge of interest in brands from the Middle East (Qatar hosted the 2022 World Cup) and China as we saw with the 2024 Euros where five of the 13 global sponsors were Chinese companies.
So, while brands and rights holders need to get match fit for regulatory changes, they can be confident that for any gaps in their sponsorship line-up, there is a squad of super subs on the bench warming up and ready to score lucrative and imaginative deals.
Juli Ferre joins Omnicom Media Group as Head of FUSE Spain, and will be responsible for leading the launch of the brand in Spain.
FUSE is the OMG agency which specialises in sports & entertainment marketing, present in 12 international markets and headquartered in London. FUSE works with both brands and rightsholders; providing brands with end-to-end partnership solutions including strategic consulting services, partnership brokering and negotiation, activation and measurement, and supporting rightsholders with commercial product consultancy and go-to-market services.
Juli, who has 20 years’ experience in the sector, has worked with brands such as Cirque du Soleil, FIBA, FCBarcelona and AS Monaco FC among others. His expertise will be a huge asset for OMG in Spain – a country which ranks fourth in Europe terms of sponsorship investment and which has a high growth trajectory due to its hosting of major sporting events such as the America’s Cup Sailing in Barcelona this year, the FIFA World Cup in 2030 and the considerable growth in e-sports and gaming in the market.
Regarding his new role, Juli Ferre commented “Leading the launch of FUSE Spain presents an exciting opportunity to capitalise on the growing sports sponsorship market here. Sport has become an increasingly important part of today’s culture – so for brands this offers a big opportunity to drive deeper connections with their target consumers.”
Joan Jordi Vallverdú, CEO of Omnicom Media Group Spain, added: “It is a pleasure to announce the addition of Juli Ferre to our team as head of FUSE Spain, our sports and entertainment agency. Juli’s extensive sports experience will undoubtedly strengthen our commitment to excellence and innovation in this exciting growth area. We are looking forward to seeing the positive impact that this will generate for our clients as well as sports rights holders.”
Louise Johnson, CEO of FUSE, also commented: “We are delighted to welcome Juli Ferre into the Fuse global family. Spain will be a key market for our sports partnerships division and Juli’s wealth of experience will provide a significant advantage to unlocking this business opportunity for the group.”
Omnicom Media Group (OMG), the media services division of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC), the leading global advertising, marketing and communications company serving more than 5,000 advertisers in more than 100 countries. OMG offers solid solutions that impact our clients’ business results, based on an end-to-end process, always keeping the client at the center. Omnicom Media Group exists to promote its agencies and specialized services (OMD, PHD, Hearts & Science, Annalect and Transact).
Fuse is a leading Sport & Entertainment marketing agency working with some of the world’s top brands and rights holders to drive brand and business growth through the power of people’s passions.
Services include partnership strategy, valuation & negotiation support, creative development & production, activation and digital planning, rights management, PR, major events and effectiveness.
With a London HQ of 120 employees and an international footprint across APAC, EMEA and the US, the integration within Omnicom Media Group allows the agency to be at the cutting edge of modern marketing, able to access the very latest tools and capabilities.
For more information, please visit https://fuseint.com/
For more information: Alejandra Iglesias [email protected] // Raquel Altelarrea [email protected]
Global Sport and Entertainment marketing agency Fuse has been appointed by British Gas as their agency for its partnership consultancy and activation. British Gas joins Fuse’s roster of clients that include PepsiCo, Vodafone, Nissan, Enterprise, FedEx and Just Eat.
Fuse has been working closely with British Gas for the past eight months to secure its return to the sports partnership industry, negotiating major deals with the Scottish Rugby Union, the Scottish Football Association as well as Team GB and ParalympicsGB – the latter two announced earlier this week.
Victoria Chew, Managing Partner at Fuse said: “The prospect of working with new clients is always exciting, but especially so with a brand like British Gas, re-entering the partnership world with big ambitions.
“We are proud of the work we have delivered so far and are delighted to now be able to bring to life the partnerships creatively. We look forward to working with British Gas to achieve its business goals internally and externally, by leveraging such an exciting portfolio of rights.”
