Investment in Sport

Investment in sports has seen remarkable growth, driven by emerging trends and diverse stakeholders. Academic research on the economic impact and strategic management of sports investments provides valuable insights that shape industry practices. Private equity and venture capital firms are increasingly capitalizing on the lucrative potential of sports, investing in teams, leagues, and cutting-edge technologies like sports analytics and fan engagement platforms.


Athletes are becoming influential investors, using their earnings and brand power to invest in startups and established businesses across the sports sector. 


The course will apply theory to real life cases within the industry, and show how sport continues to be an attractive investment opportunity but is an evolving and complex space. 

Course curriculum

    1. Introduction to Investment in Sport: Professor Rob Wilson, Professor of Applied Sport Finance and the Academic Director at InSport Education.

    2. Module 1: The sport market proposition; Understanding the asset class. Dan Plumley, sport finance lecturer from Sheffield Business School.

    3. Module 2: Value-based thinking. John Purcell, co-founder Vysyble.

    4. Module 3: A threefold perspective on sports investment. Achille de Raugladre, Strategy and Investment.

    5. Module 4: Why is sport an attractive investment for brands? Gregg Turner, founder Triangle Sports Consulting.

    6. Module 5: Pathways to on-field and off-field success in football. A case study of Chelsea and Manchester United. Mobolaji Alabi, Football finance expert.

    7. Module 6: Regulatory Impact. Christina Philippou, Principal Lecturer in Accounting, Economics and Finance in the Faculty of Business and Law., Portsmouth University.

    8. Module 7: Understanding the athlete investor. Fergus Bell, Managing Partner at the Players Fund.

    9. Module 8: The outlook for sport investment; Beyond the status quo. Samuel Agini, finance journalist, Financial Times.

    10. Summary of Investment in Sport. Investment in Sport: Professor Rob Wilson, Professor of Applied Sport Finance and the Academic Director at InSport Education.

About this course

  • £269.00
  • 10 lessons
  • 8.5 hours of video content

Professor Rob Wilsion

Academic Director InSport Education

Rob is a leading sport finance expert and football business consultant. He has more than 20 years’ experience in the sport business sector and brings a wealth of experience as a creative educator. Rob specialises in financial reporting, management accounting and economic decision-making processes in sport organisations. Alongside his teaching interests, he has published 5 books and has a prolific media profile.

Dan Plumley

Sport Finance Lecturer, Sheffield Hallam University

Dan’s research area of expertise centres on the economics and finance of professional team sports. This stretches topics such as the financial health of sport teams, ownership structure, competitive balance of leagues and competitions, financial regulatory frameworks, and governance. He is a regular commentator in the media on such matters and actively consults in this space with professional sport teams and organisations.

John Purcell

Co-founder, Vysyble

John's extensive career has focused on launching and running business information services in the UK and Europe, before he co-founded Vysyble with Roger Bell. Vysyble help companies to realise their value-creating potential, based on evidence and their clients include Apple, Sainsbury’s and Cadbury’s. Their first foray into business dynamics started with an examination of the top level of English football in 2016. They have published a number of reports, including their own football profitably index and their work has received international coverage and recognition from numerous media outlets, organisations and academics.

Achille de Raugladre

Strategy and Investments

Achille is a Strategy and Investment professional with extensive experience in Sports & Media including. He is a former member of McKinsey's Global Sports Practice, working with leading sports organizations worldwide and spent time as a strategy & Transformation Director in a French Private Equity-owned professional football club. He is currently the founder of SportsInvest Advisory, a strategic and financial advisory firm dedicated to the sports industry.

Gregg Turner

Founder, Triangle Sports Consulting

Gregg is the founder of Triangle Sports Consulting and has over 25 years of experience delivering industry-leading commercial results for some of the world’s biggest rights holders and agencies including McLaren, UEFA, International Tennis Federation, Suzuki, Federation Francaise du Cyclisme and Wasserman. Highlights include contributing to the successful securing of US$500m to New Meadowlands by Metlife, securing Principle Partner rights to Wembley Stadium for 6 years, delivering €100m in sponsorship revenue for UEFA EURO2020 and EURO2024, the successful creation of a leading European Winter Olympic and Action Sports business for Wasserman, and delivered the largest ever sanctioned tennis event in Seville 2004 for the Davis Cup Final by BNP Paribas. He has lived and worked in multiple locations across the world and currently lives in Switzerland.

Mobolaji Alabi

Football finance expert

Mobolaji Alabi, a chartered accountant with significant audit experience, a finance professional and a football finance expert with a focus on financial regulations and governance strategies in English and European football. Bolaji obtained a PhD in Football Finance at the University of Reading and is a regular participant at football business conferences.

Christina Philippou

Principal Lecturer, University of Portsmouth

Christina Phillipou is a Principal Lecturer in Accounting, Economics and Finance in the Faculty of Business and Law at Portsmouth University. Christina qualified as a Chartered Accountant with PKF (now BDO), undertaking audits across a variety of business sectors before moving to Deloitte where she spent 8 years working as a forensic accountant. She joined the University of Portsmouth in 2015, where her research areas focus on forensic accounting, financial accounting, corporate governance, and economic crime all interact with sport and specific research interests include Corruption in sport, Football finance, Financial education of athletes and Corporate and sport governance She has written, lead, and co-delivered a football finance course for the Premier League's EAM program, and co-authored two reports on football financial sustainability for DCMS published alongside the Government Response to the Fan Led Review of Football Governance and the White Paper Consultation.

Fergus Bell

Managing Partner, The Players Fund

Fergus Bell is an ex-sportsman and award winning entrepreneur who gained enterprise experience by growing a real estate business before founding private investment group, The Bell Partnership. Following retirement from professional sport in 2016, Fergus has remained passionate about working alongside elite athletes as they prepare for life outside of sport and has advised global athletes and brands alike throughout his career. Fergus is also a passionate Angel investor and lectures at The European Sports Business School (Athletes in Enterprise) whilst also sitting on the board of numerous early stage businesses.

Samuel Agini

Financial Times

Samuel Agini covers the business of sport at the Financial Times. He breaks news and writes analysis on football, motor racing, golf, rugby and much more, focusing on the intersection of sport, money and power. He helps to produce the weekly Scoreboard newsletter, regularly provides insight across a range of media, and contributes to the FT's Business of Football Summit.