Why is UK sport still struggling to unlock the full value of data?
65% of UK sports rights-holders say data is critical to their commercial growth.
But only 15% believe they can extract meaningful commercial insight from it. And just 12% say data is integrated into commercial decision-making.
This is just one of the standout findings from our upcoming 2025 Sports Leadership Benchmark – the UK’s leading report on the state of the sports industry, shaped by the views of C-suite leaders across every major sport.
The picture is clear: while sport made strong early moves in adopting data, many organisations are now stuck.
At a recent roundtable lunch we hosted with senior leaders from across the industry, one guest summed it up:
“We’re future-proofing. But we’re not using the data because we haven’t got anyone who knows what to do with it.”
It’s a challenge we see often. And it’s not just a technical problem – it’s cultural.
In a world where sport is fighting for attention against data-first brands, streaming giants, and personalised digital experiences, failing to act now risks falling behind.
But the good news? There is a path forward.
We believe five shifts will help unlock growth:
The organisations that get this right will lead the way – commercially and competitively.
Because this isn’t just about systems. It’s about mindset.
The full 2025 Sports Leadership Benchmark drops later this summer. If you’d like early access, drop me a message.
Commercial Leader | General Manager | International Sales Director | Consultancy | Business Development | adidas and Intersport.
2moLove the 5 steps in place and then the clear need for HR to support organisations in sports with roles required and parallel skill sets. All this - so much before then taking advantage of AI and it’s capabilities! Hope keeping well Ben.
CRO of EngageRM Ex-Founder and CEO of SponServe SaaS and commercial advisor and evangelist of sports tech
2moThis is still very much a growing, yet un-resolved issue for sports. Technology has gone from data ownership (via on premise hosting etc) to cloud where data is owned or at least held and usable by the vendor, and now shifted back to owned cloud instances. Rights owners can now certainly own their own data, gain deep and meaningful insights and leverage modern and continually involving tech to drive huge commercial gains. They just need to take the first step and make an investment and let time show the results…
Strategy | Marketing | Commercial | Fan Experience | Digital Transformation | Innovation
2moNice post Ben Wells - I echo much of this. Rights holders need an integrated strategy, technology stack, and operating model to truly pivot toward data-driven fan experience, marketing and commercial activation. Data is just one part of a wider ecosystem, it's the alignment across all of the elements that unlocks the value.
Director of Marketing & Communications at the Welsh Rugby Union
2moBen Wells - the shifts you've identified are spot on. And the importance of embedding a data culture can't be forgotten.