The Long Game: Why Brand Building Is Sport’s Most Undervalued Commercial Asset
Fandom generates nearly $2 trillion in economic activity annually and has expanded by an average of six percent each year since 2010, outpacing global economic growth according to research published by Two Circles. Tom Allwood, co-founder and managing director at MATTA, detailed these figures while examining how emotional attachment translates into commercial value across modern sports and entertainment properties.
While established teams and competitions command deep loyalty, data shows that a third of fans have joined a new fandom since 2022. This shift presents a distinct commercial challenge for emerging leagues, such as T10 cricket in Italy or women’s ice hockey in the US. When creating new properties, founders face crowded naming conventions and familiar crest designs that fail to immediately capture consumer attention.
According to Allwood, what matters most is giving fans specific rituals, in-jokes, and communal memories to share after matches, pointing to examples like the European T20 Premier League’s Belfast Wolves supporters and Women’s Elite Rugby’s West Coast Bay Breakers. MATTA encountered a similar challenge in 2015 when working with the FA to build the Lionesses brand before the team achieved widespread mainstream recognition, establishing an official identity and the “Unleash Fierce” campaign to give supporters and commercial partners a cohesive entity to rally around.
Merchandise Design Versus Lifestyle Brand Ambitions
Fan loyalty alone does not guarantee commercial success in retail markets. Some of the world’s most famous sporting properties feature uninspiring product ranges where a standard crest is simply slapped onto a T-shirt, which limits appeal primarily to ultra-fans rather than attracting broader consumer demographics.
Successful execution transforms merchandise and licensed collaborations into vital revenue streams for existing audiences while capturing new demographics. Arsenal has achieved notable success by bridging football, fashion, and culture, demonstrating the necessity of partnering with the right activations and operating with the mindset of a lifestyle brand.
Similarly, MATTA positioned England’s women’s rugby team, the Red Roses, around core themes of confidence, strength, and togetherness during their “For the Girls” World Cup campaign. This brand positioning enabled strategic commercial alignments, such as a multi-year partnership with Clinique that began with the grassroots GameFace programme in 2022 and evolved into an official beauty partnership by 2025.
Ultimately, brand decisions function as direct commercial decisions requiring long-term strategic investment and distinct positioning across both legacy institutions and emerging sports properties.
Disclaimer: The insights provided in this article are for informational and entertainment purposes only and do not constitute medical advice or sports betting recommendations.