A big audience isn’t the same as a valuable commercial proposition.
Sponsorship renewals, unsold assets and audience-led partner offers, with senior support alongside your existing team.
Sport is very good at counting people: fans, viewers, participants and followers. It is less good at turning those numbers into commercial value.
A sponsor rarely pays for a number alone. They pay to reach people who matter to them, in a way that works for their business.
Three live problems I help with
A partner’s contract is up for renewal. The offer needs to show what has changed and what it is now worth to them.
A rights package, event or experience has no partner yet. I work out why, and what a buyer would say yes to.
Audience and participation habits shift, and partners ask what that means for them. I turn that into an offer, not a theory.
Working alongside your team
I do not replace your commercial director or your partnerships team. I take one specific gap and work with your people, with clear owners and dates.
They keep the relationships. I bring the extra capacity and the experience of having done the job.
What I do
- Find out who your people really are
- Build sponsor and partner offers that fit them
- Test price and packaging on real prospects
- Build the target list and win the meeting
- Report against a plan your team owns
Entry offer
Commercial Growth Sprint
Ten business days on one commercial decision: a sponsorship renewal, an unsold asset or an audience-led offer.
What you get
- A short decision paper
- A recommended offer and the price logic behind it
- Ten named target organisations and a 90-day plan
What it is not
- No guaranteed deal, revenue uplift or introduction
- Scope, access and terms agreed in writing first
Discuss your next commercial priority (opens in a new tab) Full scope and exclusions →
Where I have done it
LTA
As chief commercial officer (2012 to 2014), I worked with a great team on a strategy that generated £29m of cumulative sponsorship revenue. Separately, a four-year participation plan brought 131,000 more people into tennis.
World Rally Championship
We grew TV sales from £1.8m and doubled distribution to 186 countries. I later ran the promoter as managing director.
Nielsen Sports
New business built from nothing, with a team of four, just as key contracts came up for renewal.
Also for brands
Is the deal worth it?
Before you sign, you want a decision you can defend to your finance director and your board. I give you one.
I am paid by the client who hires me. If I am already advising a rights holder you are talking to, or have any commercial interest in a recommendation, I will say so before you decide.
What I look at
- Does the audience match your customers?
- What the rights fee buys, set against your alternatives
- What activation will really cost, and who delivers it
- How you’ll measure it. Reach isn’t revenue.
What you get
- A clear go, no-go or renegotiate recommendation
- An owner, a budget and measures for every step
“Simon possesses the rare skill of listening to current or prospective clients, understanding their challenges and putting together the best, bespoke solution that delivers results.”
“Easynet partnered with ISC to support the World Rally Championship (WRC) for a three year term. Simon was fundamental to that relationship and ensured all aims and objectives were met.”
“From encouraging youngsters to pick up a racquet for the first time through the Mini Tennis programme to supporting the elite of the game at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, the partnership provides us with an ideal platform to promote our commitment to healthy hydration.”
Quick answers
What is the Commercial Growth Sprint?
Ten business days on one commercial decision, such as a renewal, an unsold asset or an audience-led partner offer. You get a short decision paper, a recommended offer and price logic, ten named target organisations and a 90-day plan. The fee is £3,000 plus VAT if applicable. It does not promise a deal, revenue or introductions.
Do you work with my existing commercial team?
Yes. I do not replace your commercial director. I take a specific gap, such as a renewal or an unsold package, and work with your people against a plan they own.
Are you a sports sponsorship consultant?
If that’s what you’re searching for, yes. I’m a fractional chief commercial officer for sport, so I do more than advise. I package the sponsorship offer, price it, test it and help you win the meeting.
Can you help a rights holder get more from sponsors?
Yes. I work out who your fans and customers really are, what they would say yes to, and which businesses care. Then I package the offer, price it, test it on real prospects and help you win the meeting.
I am a brand. Can you tell me if a sports deal is worth it?
Yes. You get a clear go, no-go or renegotiate recommendation. I check whether the audience matches your customers, what the rights fee buys against your alternatives, what activation will really cost, and how you will measure it. If I am already advising the rights holder, I will say so before we start.
What results have you delivered in sport?
As chief commercial officer at the LTA, the commercial strategy generated £29m of cumulative sponsorship revenue and and, separately, a four-year participation plan brought 131,000 more people into tennis. At Nielsen Sports I built £3.9m of new business from nothing, with a team of four.
Let’s discuss where your next commercial opportunity sits.
A free 30-minute call to identify your live priority and the next step. No deck, no obligation.
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