Best Business Serving Football – up to 200 Employees
Brandsmiths
Brandsmiths has a leading practice in the football industry. Further to the technical skill and practical experience of its lawyers, it has become the ‘go to’ Firm for those involved in the industry. The Sports Group provides tailored and strategic advice to top level professional football clubs, international football agencies, elite professional football players and some of the most recognisable global sports brands. Recently, Brandsmiths has advised Manchester United, Everton, YMU, Wasserman Media Group, Jamie Vardy, Virgil van Dijk, Roberto Carlos, Ben Foster and Umbro (i.e. Iconix Brand Group). In the 2022 summer transfer window Brandsmiths advised on 37 football transfers in over 10 countries with a combined transfer fee value of c.£500 million. Such transactions included some of the largest in the history of football, including Antony and Casemiro’s transfers to Manchester United from Ajax and Real Madrid respectively.
Destination Sport Group
Destination Sport Group is a specialist sports travel group based in Manchester. The group has a global presence with over 180 staff operating across Europe, North America, Middle East, China and Australia
The ambition of Destination Sport group is to set the global standard in sports travel, offering partners a tailored approach and best-in-class solution via its market leading travel divisions.
The group includes: Amaze (in-destination management throughout Europe), Destination Sport China (destination management and strategic support within China), Destination Sport Travel (specialised team & business travel for elite clubs and governing bodies), Destination Sport Experiences (travel for participants and spectators across cycling, running and triathlon), inspiresport (premium sport development tours for schools and teams) and Sportsbreaks com (ticket-inclusive fan travel packages to many of the world’s top sporting events)
Destination Sport Group counts in excess of 50+ clients and are involved with football clubs at all touchpoints from pre-season training camps and global pre-season tours, through to domestic fixtures, European competition, finals and everyday business travel With a holistic approach,
Destination Sport Group can support with all aspects of travel including team, corporate, supporter and development tours can be managed by one entity on a global basis.
Football Fun Factory
The Football Fun Factory is a truly unique football coaching franchise that has a bold mission to become the world’s leading children’s football coaching organisation. We aim to make football fun for everyone, by creating experiences that children and their families are inspired to be a part of. We offer weekly training programmes for 2-12 year olds, school holiday camps, birthday parties, and events. Our awe-inspiring, inflatable football experiences set the Football Fun Factory apart from any other organisation, as we create a football paradise for children that develops a long-lasting love for the game.
Mackrell.Solicitors
With a focus on building close, long-term relationships with players as well as building a strong international network of advisors and subject-matter experts, Mackrell.Solicitors sets itself apart from many other law firms by offering a personable, engaging and practical full-service approach that considers the diverse and wide-ranging needs of their clients.
Having grown from just a concept nearly six years ago, the Sports & Entertainment team now acts for more than 100 athletes.
The team has continued to go from strength to strength, growing to meet the demand for their highly personable and cost-effective services.
The team’s commitment to education and adding value not only to their clients, but also to the football community at large drives their passion for pro bono, charitable, and educational work.
With connections in more than 60 countries around the world, as the founding member of elite legal network Mackrell International, its sports clients obtain immediate access to advice anywhere in the world.
Few firms can offer such a carefully tailored service to sports clients, which is a testament to the hard work and focus on clients’ needs.
Onside Law
Onside Law is a specialist sports law firm, with a particular focus on football. Having been at the forefront of the industry for nearly two decades, working in both the men’s and women’s game, Onside Law advises on the biggest deals and disputes in football, acting for many of football’s most iconic names. Highlights from the last 12 months includes advising FIFA on all bidding and hosting arrangements for the FIFA World Cup and FIFA Women’s World Cup, working on the proposed acquisitions of a number of EFL clubs, assisting Jude Bellingham with his business affairs and representing Leeds United before the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Our women’s football department continues to grow, including by assisting on a number of transfers within women’s football (including Caroline Weir to Real Madrid) and potential investments in the women’s game. The team continues to go from strength to strength and has solidified its reputation as the go-to legal advisors in football.
Premier Relocation
Premier Relocation was created in 2011 by founder and CEO Andrew Wells, to provide household goods moving services with a clear focus on quality and customer service. Andrew’s background in First Class Travel service gave him a deep understanding of the needs and expectations of the customer.
Moving home can be stressful for anyone but for of our customers the requirement to move often comes with little or no notice and requires the player to be “on the training ground” the next day with little or no time to make the necessary arrangements. Premier Relocation is focussed our supporting these needs.
Our vision and mission are very clear to all our team and through training, mentoring and focus on care and attention to detail we have built a team that share our purpose. Attention to detail is key, we have unprecedented levels of training for our team members on all aspects of packing ensuring that everything we touch is handled with care and packed to the highest standards there are. Good enough is not acceptable to us.
In the words of Andrew Wells, our CEO; “We have managed to tailor our service to complement the extraordinary lifestyles of extraordinary people”.
QTV
QTV is Scotland’s largest multimedia production company and outside broadcast facilities provider. Over the last eighteen months, QTV has migrated SPFL matchday production, post-production, streaming and broadcast distribution to a cutting edge centralised remote production facility at Clydesdale House in Glasgow.
The centralised model has been transformational for Scottish football, improving and streamlining coverage, opening up new revenue streams for the SPFL and its clubs, and increasing the value and amount of free-to-air broadcast coverage of the Scottish Premiership. At the same time it has reduced the carbon footprint of the SPFL’s matchday productions.
QTV now produces over 120 Scottish Premiership matches, over 85 world feeds, and ClubTV channels for some of Scotland’s biggest clubs from Clydesdale House each season.
In April 2022, QTV also designed and successfully pitched a centralised model for the implementation of VAR in Scottish football, which went live in October 2022.
The improvements have resulted in a surge of interest in and engagement with Scottish football, as fans, broadcasters, and media all reflect on the investment in the quality of coverage but also the increase in broadcast and digital output facilitated by QTV’s innovative approach.
Stadion
Formed in 2014, Stadion is a digital products and technology company working with 12 leading professional football organisations, including almost 50% of the Premier League. We are a team of creators – designers, strategists and engineers, passionate about creating beautiful digital experiences for clients in the world of sport.
We create digital products and use them as the foundation for shaping bespoke, cutting-edge experiences for global sports entities – powering everything from websites and apps to voice interactions and beyond.
Our focus is on helping rights holders grow through the use of digital media – commercial growth through sponsor and fan revenue, International growth through multi-language and geo-targeted experiences, and content growth by creating tools to publish any type of content on any platform.
Our clients include top Premier League and Champions League football clubs, leading rugby clubs, national and international governing bodies and Olympic federations.
The Terrace
In a world of giants, The Terrace have stepped in and shaken up the routine. Delivering reactive, connective and fan loved merchandise styles and products that have changed the game for football retail. From integrations and creativity to affordability and supply, The Terrace are ticking the boxes through license partnerships and club shop retail operations eradicating stock risk, bulk buying and adding a new spin from the Premier League to Non-League.
The Turmeric Co.
Not many fledgling businesses are able to imbed themselves in an industry as competitive as football. But then not many companies have a CEO as personally invested in their product as Thomas Robson-Kanu.
The Turmeric Co. was founded in 2018, but its roots stretch back to when Thomas was an aspiring footballer being told by a surgeon he would be fortunate to play again, let alone compete at the highest level.
Thomas then discovered turmeric. It left him pain-free for the first time in two years.
Throughout his career teammates would ask him for the tonic which helped him recover so well. It led him to start his own company – a company which now provides daily natural nutritional support to a growing number of clubs, including Celtic, Brentford, Everton, and Crystal Palace.
Year on year growth has led to a new headquarters and more than 300,000 turmeric shots distributed every month.
The Turmeric Co.’s products are unique, sustainable, backed up by science, and – most importantly – they work, with independent academic research finding the shots provide “an undeniably positive impact on recovery for professional athletes”.
Not bad for a company which began in a home kitchen.
