Are Football Clubs Doing Commercial Partnerships All Wrong in 2025?

For all the talk of innovation in football, one area hasn’t moved forward: commercial partnerships. It’s 2025, yet many clubs still rely on cold calls, legacy sponsors, and outdated processes that belong in another era.

This is happening at a time when the sports industry is booming. Global sports revenue hit $463 billion in 2024 and is on track for $600 billion+ by 2028, with partnerships driving a growing share of that value. Fans are engaging across more platforms than ever, brands are investing more strategically, and private equity almost doubled its activity in sports last year.

But the way clubs and brands find each other hasn’t kept up.

The Real Issue: Football Has a Discovery Gap

Clubs often don’t know which businesses are actively looking to partner. Brands don’t know where relevant opportunities exist. Both sides lose time, clarity, and momentum. Fulfilment is also messy, with rights tracking still done manually in many clubs.

Meanwhile, the market is more competitive than ever. In the UK alone, 90% of adults engage with at least one sport, but their attention is spread across football, fitness, digital sports, and lifestyle activities. Clubs that rely on old methods will fall behind those who adapt.

Our View at OCO Sports Group: Modernising Partnership Infrastructure

At OCO Sports Group, we believe commercial partnerships can be far simpler and far smarter. We are working to address this structural deficit by focusing on the infrastructure that unlocks value. Football doesn’t lack commercial opportunity, it lacks the mechanisms to efficiently connect parties and track returns.

We are focused on building a platform where:

• Clubs and businesses can connect in one place.
• Matches are based on data, not guesswork.
• Partnership fulfilment is tracked clearly.
• Smaller clubs get the same visibility as bigger ones.
• Deals move faster and more efficiently.

The Strategic Imperative

Global and African companies that move early will shape the next decade of sports investment on the continent. We’re onboarding clubs and businesses who want to modernise how partnerships are built.