Why tribes are everything in sport, but growing them is no easy task November 20, 2025 Tribalism is key to fandom in sport but the challenge is commercialising and gorwing them, writes Ed Warner. To the Kia Oval for an exercise in tribe creation. Conscious that in most enterprises the whole is stronger than the sum of its parts, I have been working with the help of chairs across Britain’s sporting [...]
Arsenal praised for ‘Big Club’ move after ending Visit Rwanda partnership November 19, 2025 Arsenal fans have welcomed the club’s decision to end a controversial eight-year partnership with Visit Rwanda at the end of this season. The Premier League leaders had been in talks to extend the deal, which sees Rwanda’s tourism arm displayed on the team’s sleeves, beyond the current campaign. But both parties have now decided to [...]
Real Madrid eye £1bn injection to keep pace with Premier League elite November 18, 2025 Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is taking steps to ensure they remain competitive with Premier League clubs by inviting private equity to invest close to £1bn. Perez is expected to use the annual meeting of the club’s approximately 100,000 members on Sunday to announce proposals to change the club’s ownership structure. The plan considered most [...]
Why brands can learn from sports teams about earning fandom November 18, 2025 Brands shouldn’t start imitating sports teams but they do need to understand how fandom makes them so powerful, writes Sarah Hackett. Inflation, tough market conditions and uncertainty around the upcoming Budget are forcing us to make challenging financial choices. Two-thirds of consumers now say that price matters far more than it did before. Our loyalty [...]
Formula 1 financial world on brink of change, says motorsport boss November 17, 2025 Toto Wolff’s minority stake sale in Mercedes could start a domino effect across Formula 1, according to the chief of motorsport’s global trade association. The Austrian is in talks to offload five per cent of Mercedes – which he co-owns equally with the car manufacturer and Ineos billionaire turned Manchester United investor Sir Jim Ratcliffe [...]
Amex cites sponsorship strategy for Gen Z and Millennial credit card surge November 14, 2025 The surge in Millennials and Gen Zers taking out American Express cards is “definitely” down to the financial services provider going big on sponsorship, it says. The New York-headquartered card issuer states that over 60 per cent of Amex’s new global consumer card acquisitions “represent Millennials and Gen Z”, something they attribute to their drive [...]
Exclusive: Middlesex to play just two T20 Blast games at Lord’s in 2026 November 12, 2025 Middlesex will play just two Twenty20 Blast matches at Lord’s next year in a further indication of their declining foothold at the Home of Cricket. The 13-time county champions have been tenants at Lord’s since 1864 and have a 12-month rental agreement with the Marylebone Cricket Club that is renewed on an annual basis, but [...]
Where do Premier League clubs go after betting sponsor ban? November 11, 2025 Adam Raincock analyses where Premier League clubs turn when their voluntary ban on gambling front-of-shirt sponsorship comes into force. The 1984 film The Terminator ends with Sarah Connor being told ‘There’s a Storm Coming’. Fast-forward to 2025, and you could replace Connor with any Premier League commercial director. The same warning applies – there’s a [...]
Spruce Meadows and Cavalry FC: Inside the Southern-Heathcott empire November 11, 2025 Linda Southern-Heathcott is well-known within the Canadian sporting scene. She discusses her empire, the iconic Spruce Meadows and its Masters show jumping event, and one pretty noisy neighbour from the USA. “The only thing that makes sense is for Canada to become our cherished Fifty First State.” Those were the words of one President Donald [...]
Atletico Madrid valued at £2.2bn after Apollo Global Management acquisition November 10, 2025 LaLiga club Atletico Madrid has been valued at around £2.2bn after Apollo Global Management purchased a majority stake in the Spanish team. Chief executive Miguel Angel Gil Marin and president Enrique Cerezo will continue in post but the acquisition represents the latest private equity push into European football. It is understood that the US fund [...]