Blogs

With just one week to go until the Friday 8 October entry deadline, now is the time to fine-tune your submissions, crunch the numbers and polish your elevator pitches. Not convinced? Here's five reasons to get involved: 1. Elevate your business and demonstrate your commitment to the sponsorship community by taking part. From boosting staff morale to attracting new business and raising your profile, winning Europe’s most prestigious sponsorship prizes can help your business to the next level2. ... read more

By Andy Marston Recently valued at $10 billion, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is a behemoth. Since its establishment in 1993, the competition has become synonymous with Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). Under Dana White, the UFC has either acquired rivals or forced them into submission. There is, however, a challenger that the UFC has failed to hush. In just three years, the Professional Fighters League (PFL) already has 25% of the audience of the UFC. While still a long way from ... read more

Jenny Seymour Commercial Director Give us a brief overview of the BPA as a company in general and your approach to sponsorship and partnerships specifically. The BPA is the National Paralympic Committee (NPC) for Great Britain and Northern Ireland and it is our responsibility to select, prepare, enter, fund and manage the ParalympicsGB team at both Summer and Winter Games. We are a registered charity and our vision is to, through sport, inspire a better world for disabled people. What ... read more

By John Espley The R&A is one of the governing bodies of golf worldwide and the organisers of The Open Championship, the world’s oldest international golf championship. Our responsibilities, in cooperation with the USGA, include the regular production and revision of the rules of golf, ensuring a common standard for golf and golfing equipment around the world. Partnerships are crucial to ensuring the continued promotion and progression of the sport. The role of sponsorship has evolved ... read more

The greater demand from society for influential organisations to be more socially responsible towards their communities and fans has seen gambling lose its status as the most common primary sponsor among team sports in England. Our analysis of the leading 221 football, rugby and cricket teams now compared to two years ago has revealed that Construction & Engineering, Automotive and Financial Services have all overtaken Gambling as the most prevalent sponsorship sectors when it comes to a ... read more

What is your name and position within the organisation? Richard Petrich Co-Founder and Managing Director Give us a brief overview of Value of We as an agency in general and your approach to sponsorship and partnerships specifically Value of We is a boutique branded entertainment agency that specialises in closing the gap between global brands and rights holders and a hard-fought-for Millennial and GenZ audience. We offer support across the entire commercial value chain from ... read more

When an organisation first begins investing in sponsorships, it will most likely track the details in a spreadsheet. It's a ubiquitous and easy way to get started, but it doesn't take long to outgrow. There are just too many details to keep track of: multiple events, media channels, partners, assets, objectives, activations… the list goes on. Even the best spreadsheet can hold an organisation back from getting the most out of its sponsorship investments. Industry professionals recognise the ... read more

What is your name and position within the organisation? Holly Crook Head of Partnerships Oliver Clarke Head of Brand Partnership Sales Give us a brief overview of BLAST as a company in general and your approach to sponsorship and partnerships specifically BLAST is the world's leading esports content studio and rightsholder - working with the best broadcasters, brands and communities across the world. We provide the leading production, technology and platform in esports - ... read more

What is your name and position within the organisation? Charlie Preston, Partnerships Manager at Physique Management Company Give us an overview of Physique Management as a company in general and your approach to partnerships specifically Physique Management (physique.co.uk ) is the leading sports healthcare product supplier with over 20 years' experience supplying to: medical professionals, elite sports teams and organisations, as well as general consumers. Our product range ... read more

In just over a week, Europe will host the toughest test in team sport and no I’m not talking about the Champions League final.  The adrenaline fuelled Ocean Race Europe will set off from Lorient, France over the last weekend in May, ushering in the start of a unique sporting story. I am excited by the prospect of the closely fought race, exhilarated at witnessing the fastest offshore monohulls on the planet and their crews pushed to the limit, 24/7, as the race take place closer to ... read more

What is your name and position within the organisation? Julia Shaw, Founder of MANTA Sail Training Centre in Vietnam Can you tell us in less than 100 words what your company does? MANTA addresses social-ocean priorities (overfishing, pollution, climate change, also drowning, addiction, illiteracy), using the power of watersports, film, and translation, in circular model with UN global goals at core.Taking fishermen off overfishing/ biodiversity destruction, translating existing ocean ... read more

byTom Ainscough,Associate Director at ESA member CSM Sport & Entertainment The UK lockdown bit hard in January. A typically melancholic month made all the more oppressive given our confined circumstances. For the cricket fans amongst us, though, the glut of Test matches occurring across the world during the month provided a glimmer of light. New Zealand secured their berth in the inaugural World Test Championship Final, Joe Root amassed runs effortlessly in Galle, and India ... read more

byAnthony Scammell,Director, Sports + Partnership Marketing at ESA member Hill + Knowlton Strategies I’m going to take my cue from a recent Simon Sinek post which I applauded. Virtually, of course. “The primary ingredient for progress is optimism.” I’ve read a lot about ‘sports washing’ recently. Companies and organisations who may be heavy polluters using sport to camouflage their inaction on important issues like climate change. That may be true in some cases. But as a ... read more

What is your name and position within the organisation? Laurence Norman, Head of Sports Technology, NTT DATA UK Give us a brief overview of NTT DATA as a company in general and your approach to sponsorship and partnerships specifically NTT DATA is a global systems integrator and technology consulting business, working for some of the largest and most successful companies in the world. Headquartered in Tokyo, NTT DATA combines technology leadership and ruthless customer focus to ... read more

by ESA Member Bright Partnerships If you are a motorsport fan, you will be counting down the seconds to the beginning of the Formula 1 season. No doubt you will also be binge-watching the new ‘Drive to Survive’ series that just landed on Netflix. Now in its third season, the show has been a step change for the sport, which up until a few seasons ago seemed to be at risk of losing relevance to the younger audiences seeking greener pursuits. So in 2018 the new owners of F1 made a brave ... read more

What’s your name and position within the organisation? Peter Secchi, Founding Co-Director of Crunch and more recently our COVID-19 inspired offshoot Sport3 Give us a brief overview of Crunch as a rights holder in general and your approach to sponsorship and partnerships specifically Crunch was born 14 years ago because we believed that despite offering so much, sport sponsorship activation was increasingly at risk of failing to deliver for brands and fans alike. As individuals, we ... read more

The European Sponsorship Association is pleased to announce three graduates from the January 2021 intake of the ESA Sponsorship Sales Certificate. Under the guidance of Course Director, Catherine Hawkins, of Think!Sponsorship, they received Distinction, Commended and Pass grades respectively. Congratulations! Find out more about the ESA Sponsorship Sales Certificate now These graduates are this year’s first to pass through ESA’s digital sales certificate, which has allowed ... read more

What’s your name and position within the organisation? Seb Dilleyston, Joint-Managing Director of Hope&Glory PR. Give us a brief overview of Hope&Glory PR in general and your approach to sponsorship and partnerships specifically? We are a diverse team of 80 looking after some of the world’s best known and loved brands, fortunate enough to have been named Agency of the Year no fewer than 24 times in 10 years. Our agency purpose is to ‘Create Work People Talk About’, and ... read more

Russian sports sponsorship market has faced no fewer challenges than the European one. Cancelled competitions, safety measurements, restrictions on the number of stadium visitors... It came as a shock at first. However, this is where new digital solutions and partnerships started to appear. What is going on with the sports market in Russia? What are the plans for 2021?   Evgenia Maltseva, a member of ESA and CEO of Sponsor Consulting Russia, has met several members of the Russian sports ... read more

What’s your name and position within the organisation? Jason Fletcher, CEO of KORE Software. Can you tell us in less than 100 words what your company does? KORE Software is the leader in sports and entertainment business management solutions, with offices in Vancouver, Denver, New York, London, and Melbourne. More than 850 brands, properties, and agencies rely on KORE to drive process and revenue improvements. KORE’s suite of solutions enables business excellence across ... read more

Who would have thought we would be where we are this time last year? So how are people feeling? Well, it’s pretty damn obvious; people are worried about their health, their loved ones and the economy. But in addition to these worries, we have seen seismic shifts in people’s priorities, behaviours and overall lifestyles. These shifts initially came out of necessity, but our data shows that many of them will endure – reshaping the future of our industry. Key themes for 2021 Our research ... read more

This time last year, I penned a preview to what promised to be a most extraordinary year of sport, culminating in these now immortal words: “strap in for another year of exploration, expansion and excitement, as sport continues to push the boundaries, taking us to places we have never been before” Well, we were certainly taken to new places, though not quite the ones we had hoped for. As Covid-19 gripped the planet, sport came to a standstill with several events cancelled or ... read more

Every year ESA asks its members what they think the top three trends will be for the year ahead. Back at the beginning of 2020, at the turn of a new decade, we asked members what the trends would be to ensure continued growth for the decade ahead.  However, with the pandemic hitting in March, we knew that those trends were likely to have changed and so we asked our members what key trends would define the way in which the sponsorship industry would recover.  We asked the same ... read more

What’s your name and position within the organisation? I’m Ian Sollors, Head of Branded Content at Sunset+Vine. I’ve been in my current role a little longer than I care to admit, although I started life as a researcher for Clive James at the BBC back in the days when a VHS player was the only set top box you really needed.   Give us a brief overview of Sunset+Vine as a company in general and your approach to sponsorship and partnerships specifically? In the UK Sunset+Vine is ... read more

Introducing alumni in focus, a new series where we speak to former ESA Diploma students to find out how their careers have progressed since graduating Dip ESA. Izabela Taseski, who participated in the Diploma in 2015 and leads the brand and partnerships team at activewear brand lululemon, is next up. What role were you in when you started the ESA Diploma? At Barclays (UK) working on Sponsorships. What role are you in now, and how has your career advanced since graduating? At ... read more

What’s your name and position within the organisation? I’m Neil Stephens and I’m the Chief Marketing Officer of Sportskred group. I’ve worked in digital media for about 20 years, starting out in search engine marketing, social media and influencer marketing before moving into tech. Give us a brief overview of Sportskred as a company in general and your approach to sponsorship and partnerships specifically? Sportskred is a technology business that helps rights holders, and their ... read more

At the end of a long year and with the announcement of a widespread Christmas lockdown, it seems like the right time for one last blog of 2020 that reminds us what the incredible yet often unassuming people we live and work alongside are capable of. One such person is Katie Warriner. Katie’s story is particularly relevant at this moment in time. As a junior elite gymnast for Great Britain, she had a career centred around one goal at the exclusion of pretty much all else. Work and play focused ... read more

What’s your name and position within the organisation? Dylan Holman. Having worked for both leading agencies including Fast Track (now CSM) and in-house brand roles, I’m currently Global Sponsorships, Senior Manager at investment platform eToro. This role has allowed me to develop a sponsorship strategy which now includes 15+ sporting properties across the world from Premier League, Bundesliga and Ligue 1 football clubs through to tennis ambassador Gael Monfils and The eToro Tri Nations ... read more

In March this year as COVID loomed large I started writing blogs. I kept going all the way through ‘Lockdown One’ and, as the outside world tentatively reopened, I paused. Now, as precious daylight hours wane and the cold creeps in, it seems like the perfect moment to round off the year with an inspiring story or two. The first is that of John Stanbridge, RAF Aircraft Technician and… GB Bobsleigh pilot, who juggles a full-time job in the armed forces with national level competitive sport and ... read more

When the first wave of lockdowns rolled across Europe in March 2020, the path forward for sponsorship was unclear. As festivals, major events, competitions and grassroots sport went into an indefinite hiatus, we at the European Sponsorship Association decided a tool was needed to allow us to take the ‘pulse’ of our community throughout lockdown – and the ESA Sponsorship Sentiment Tracker was launched. With wave one going live as lockdowns took hold across the continent, the Sponsorship ... read more

With vaccines starting to appear, and soon available for wide scale adoption, there is a growing sense of optimism that 2021 is not going to be a repeat of the last 12 months, both for us individually but also for sport. With the Tokyo Olympics now only eight months away, and many major competitions scheduled beforehand, both athletes and rights holders (and their respective brand partners) are now able to fully prepare for the excitement that is to come. We’ve seen how the sponsorship ... read more

The 8th of November marked the 25-year anniversary of the landmark Disability Discrimination Act passed in 1995, a civil rights law designed to prevent discrimination against disabled people in relation to employment, provision of goods and services, education and transport – where there had been no such law prior to that. The World Health Organisation estimates that more than one billion people – about 15% of the world's population – experience some form of disability.  There are 14.1 ... read more

What’s your name and position within the organisation? Sally Lockyer, Chief Executive Officer, Surrey FA Give us a brief overview of Surrey FA as a company in general and your approach to sponsorship and partnerships specifically? Surrey FA is a charitable organisation, and we are committed to our principle of creating football opportunities for all. We are one of 51 County FAs affiliated to the FA. We’re responsible for football development and participation, supporting our clubs and ... read more

What’s your name and position within the organisation? I am Treve Evans, Senior International Relations Manager at AIPH – the International Association of Horticultural Producers. I am responsible for commercial partnerships and Expo development. Give us a brief overview of AIPH as an organisation in general, and your approach to sponsorship and partnerships specifically? In addition to representing the interests of the global ornamental horticulture industry, AIPH, with a mandate by ... read more

Introducing alumni in focus, a new series where we speak to former ESA Diploma students to find out how their careers have progressed since graduating Dip ESA. Michael Higham, who participated in the Diploma in 2016 and leads the sponsorship team at Spanish football powerhouse Sevilla FC, is next up. What role were you in when you started the ESA Diploma? Partner Services Manager, Arsenal FC. What role are you in now, and how has your career advanced since graduating? Head of ... read more

What’s your name and position within the organisation? Ged Colleypriest, founder of Underdog Sports Marketing Give us a brief overview of Underdog and your approach to sponsorship and partnerships specifically? What approach makes your strategy/model unique – what is your USP/differentiator? Underdog Sports Marketing was founded to help our clients punch above their weight. Being an underdog is less about size and more about exceeding expectations, doing things differently to upset ... read more

ESA’s most recent webinar brought together industry experts from adidas, AEG, f1 Recruitment and Fuse to discuss the state of the sponsorship industry, how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the sports and entertainment career market and how sponsorship marketers can stay ahead of the curve in a fast-evolving industry. Here were the key takeaways from the discussion: Nimble organisations can thrive in tough times While all panelists conceded that 2020 has been a year of unprecedented ... read more

What’s your name and position within the organisation? Owen Laverty - Director of Fan Intelligence® at Ear to the Ground, a global creative agency working with the likes of New Balance, PlayStation, STATSports, Arsenal, FIFA and Beats by Dre to build campaigns and brands that lead culture. Give us a brief overview of Ear to the Ground as a company in general and your approach to sponsorship and partnerships specifically? We’re an independent creative agency using sport and esports to ... read more

From PR disaster and potential financial crisis just six months ago, Formula 1 has bounced back to enjoy one of its strongest seasons in recent history, delivering a golden year for the sport in a Coronavirus-hit 2020. Lizzie Isherwood, Communications Director at ESA member CSM, examines the lessons of the 2020 season. When the Australian Grand Prix was cancelled at the eleventh hour following the withdrawal of McLaren and amidst rumours of drivers flying home early, the wheels began to ... read more

What’s your name and position within the organisation? Nick Green Head of Sport – Commercial, The Telegraph Give us a brief overview of The Telegraph as a company The Telegraph has been a part of people’s lives for 165 years and this year our quality journalism has never been more important or in demand. So much so, we’ve recently recorded our biggest ever multiplatform audience of 29 million – that’s over half of the UK adult population.  Our focus is not about scale ... read more