Marketing in Sport

Marketing in Sport in its simplest form is harnessing the passion of sports to engage fans, sometimes referred to as customers, to deliver business returns to brands, clubs, federations, athletes, fans and more. 

The course will apply theory to real life cases within the industry, and show how the industry has evolved from a logo on a shirt to a greater focus on actually engaging fans through an integrated marketing approach. 

At the end of course you will have heard from world class thought leaders across the sports business, from universities, brands, federations, talent agencies, sports marketing agencies, creative directors and athletes themselves.

Course curriculum

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

    2. Module 1: Why market sport? Elisavet Argyro Manoli, Associate Professor of Marketing & Management, Bergamo.

    3. Module 2: Fan engagement 101. Simon Luff, Managing Partner, Strategy, Ear to the Ground.

    4. Module 3: It's all about the brand. Matthew Bates, VP Global Partnerships & Communications, SOUNDBOKS.

    5. Module 4: The rise of athlete endorsement. Katie Traxton, Good Vibes Only Talent founder.

    6. Module 5: The Power of Content. Darren Collins, Executive Producer and Creative Director and founder of DC Consulting.

    7. Module 6: Marketing Women's sport; misunderstood and under used. Tim Mcloughlin, Commercial Partnerships and Sales at the Football Association.

    8. Module 7: Purposeful marketing and the peculiar relationship in sport. James Rigby, Purpose-driven marketing & communications, Senior Communications Manager, Purpose at SailGP.

    9. Module 8: Delivering your marketing strategy and measuring success. Ally Corbin, Vice President, Consumer Insights and Strategy, Navigate.

    10. Summary of the Marketing 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 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.

Elisavet Manoli

Associate Professor of Marketing and Management at the University of Bergamo

Following a career as a marketeer in the sports industry, and having worked for English, Spanish and Greek football clubs, and international sport events and federations, Elisavet began her academic career in the UK, working for Loughborough and Teesside University’s. Her research focuses on two broad areas, marketing communications management and integrity management, both in the context of sport, and on which she has published and presented extensively.

Simon Luff

Managing Partner and Head of Strategy at Ear to the Ground

Simon has 18 years’ experience working in advertising and is an expert in brand planning, marketing effectiveness, content strategy and customer experience planning. He provides strategic leadership in Sports and Gaming for some huge names in the global marketplace including New Balance, PlayStation, Coca Cola, Spotify, Pringles, JD and Bose.

Matt Bates

VP of Global Partnerships and Communications at SOUNDBOKS

Matt Bates is VP of Global Partnerships and Communications at SOUNDBOKS, the world’s most powerful Bluetooth speaker! Prior to SOUNDBOKS he worked for Therabody and lead a team that delivered the company’s first ever global campaign with Cristiano Ronaldo, being lead on the company’s biggest marketing deal with Manchester United, whilst also restructuring and executing a comprehensive global communications strategy. Prior to this, he has nearly 15 years’ experience in the partnerships and communications industry, working across multiple campaigns for the likes of Sony, HSBC and Under Armour in both an agency and rights holder capacity.

Katie Traxton

Founder, Good Vibes Only Talent

Katie Traxton, former Chief Communications Officer at Formula E racing and founder of Good Vibes Only Talent, has an MA in English Language and Literature from the University of Oxford as well as an MBA. With over 17 years in the industry, Katie has contributed to global organisations like Volkswagen, BP, and the British Council where she led a marketing campaign in 179 countries. She is multilingual and holds several board directorships and trusteeships, notably as the British Motor Sport Trust's sole female trustee. A staunch advocate for workplace inclusivity, Katie has been actively involved as co-chair of the PRCA’s LGBTQ+ network, a member of WACL, and as a European Sponsorship Association Board Director and internal inclusivity lead. Believing in the power of positive culture to boost commercial success, Katie invites others to join her in transforming organisational culture. She set up Good Vibes Only Talent in 2021 and have some of the world’s leading talent across sport, music, gaming, film, TV, travel, and a magician

Anthony Ogogo OLY

Olympic boxer / pro wrestler

Elite athlete, podcaster, actor and model Anthony Ogogo is an Olympic medallist in boxing and a professional wrestler. Anthony was at one time the world’s most sponsored boxer with partners including Nike, Subway, Coco-Cola. He got a bronze medal in the London 2012 Olympics despite travelling back and forth during the Games to visit his mum who was in hospital fighting for her life following a brain aneurysm. After turning pro, Anthony racked up a perfect 11-0 record and was on the cusp of a world title fight when disaster struck. He suffered an orbital fracture. Misdiagnosis meant he kept fighting resulting in irreparable damage to his eye and related soft tissue and he had to retire from boxing. Anthony regularly works as a boxing pundit and commentator on channels including Sky Sports, BBC, ITV and BT Sport. He has modelled for fashion brands such as Dolce & Gabbana, DSquared, Lyle & Scott and has modelled at Milan Fashion Week twice as well as London Fashion Week. His podcast ‘Getting Back Up, with Anthony Ogogo’ launches this summer.

Heather Fisher OLY

Olympic rugby player

Birmingham-based Olympic rugby player and former GB bobsledder, Heather is an accomplished elite athlete, motivational speaker, LGBT advocate and media personality with her own BBC radio podcast. After a difficult start in life and teenage struggles with anorexia , Heather quickly found she excelled in the sports arena. Breaking her back in four places in her late 20s left her in a back brace for 18 months and triggered alopecia which impacted her self-confidence and perception of herself. Never to be held down, she learnt to crawl, walk and finally run again before returning to international sport and was quickly back at the top of her game. Rugby highlights include competing in five Rugby World Cups and winning in 2014, winning four Six Nations, medalling at the Commonwealth Games and representing Team GB in the Olympic Games Rio 2016. Since retiring as an athlete, she has become an accomplished motivational speaker, MC an event host and has taken on a number of TV and radio opportunities. and also does extensive charity work raising money for young people with autism and for those with alopecia.

Darren Collins

Founder, DC Consulting

Founder of DC Consulting with over 15 years’ experience in creative agencies and production companies, and 10 years specialising in Sports Marketing. He delivers strategy, creative ideas and production and has worked with many of the World’s top brands including Adidas, Sony, Standard Chartered, Volkswagen and Etihad with Ferrari, teams and competitions including Manchester City, Liverpool, UEFA Champions League and the All Blacks, and talent including Sebastien Vettel, Lil Baby, Jurgen Klopp and Sergio Garcia. His work has been recognised with multiple global awards, including a Clio, a Cannes Lion, a Webby and a Sport Industry Award.

Tim Mcloughlin

Senior Sales Manager, The Football Association

Tim is a brand consultant who has built campaigns, strategies, and sponsorships for some of the world's biggest brands and events, including the Olympics, FIFA World Cup, NBA, and UEFA Champions League. He builds brands and set up sponsorships that deliver value for both sides, across football, cricket, tennis, rugby, NFL, basketball, and music. He currently works for the FA in their commercial team, delivering sponsorship and partnership sales and strategy. He builds and sells partnerships to world leading brands with the England football teams, FA Cups, Wembley Stadium, and grassroots football with an increasing focus on the Women’s game. He has won multiple awards for his work and speaks at conferences around the world.

James Rigby

Ex SailGP and Purpose consultant

James most recent role weas as Senior Communications Manager, Purpose at SailGP, leading the creation and delivery of industry-leading purpose marketing, communications, and digital strategies to elevate brand awareness, broadcast viewership, and digital engagement of the world's most sustainable and purpose-driven global sport and entertainment platform. He has over 15 years of experience in global sports marketing and communications, I have worked for leading organisations such as HP, Air New Zealand, Les Mills, and England Rugby, developing and executing innovative and customer-centric campaigns that drive business results and social impact. His mission is to use his skills and expertise to promote purpose-driven sports that inspire positive change and empower communities.

Ally Corbin

Vice President Consumer Insights and Strategy Corbinin

Drawing on almost 13 years at Navigate, Ally brings a results-driven mindset to all custom research. Her goal is to generate high cross-functional research ROI to any organization she works with. She has a major passion for integrating the voice of the consumer and building strategy while inspiring positive change. She currently lives in Phoenix, AZ where she also plays banked track roller derby for the Arizona Derby Dames. Ally is highly competitive at work and on the track, and she’s always looking for a win.