In this episode of The Deal Room Sport from Sporting Group International and Sporting Jobs, host Ed Nell is joined by Adrian Wright and Ian Dutton to unpack a hectic start to the year. They lift the lid on a new front-of-shirt deal for Pretoria Capitals, share war stories from the ICE gaming conference in Barcelona, explore how betting brands are shifting towards training wear and endorsement deals, and reveal SGI’s exclusive role in commercialising the new World Player Super League, a global amateur golf movement spanning 4 million participants.

Key Takeaways

Duelbits, Pretoria Capitals and a 600-brand push into South African cricket

SGI’s India team, Danesh and Pranay, drove a huge outreach effort, contacting around 600 South African and international brands, to crack a T20 opportunity. That led to a front-of-shirt partnership for betting brand Duelbits with Pretoria Capitals in the SA20. Existing work on a surrogate sports news site for India meant SGI already understood Duelbits’ priorities and could show the value of a property owned by JSW with strong viewership in India, South Africa and the UK. Seeing the logo on live TV, including a record-chasing innings with almost six sixes in an over, reinforced why even “distant” deals feel personal when you’ve brokered them.

ICE in Barcelona: a £5m stand, mega meetings and old-school sales graft

ICE, historically a casino show and now the key gathering for global igaming, brings together betting operators, sportsbooks, casinos and the tech platforms that power them. Ian used the event to “shake hands and look people in the whites of the eyes”, meeting clubs like Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest, Tottenham Hotspur, AFC Bournemouth and Crystal Palace alongside properties such as MotoGP and SailGP. One exhibitor, Evolution, reportedly spent around £5m on its stand for the three-day show, underlining the scale of the sector. Adrian, after a convoluted budget route via Girona, reverted to “schoolboy sales”, cold-approaching a stand, getting politely knocked back, then using a MotoGP meeting to spark intrigue and ultimately progress a live opportunity.

Betting brands: from Premier League front-of-shirt to training wear and digital

With the front of Premier League shirts becoming more restricted for betting brands, SGI are seeing a clear shift in strategy. Historically, brands bought front-of-shirt for credibility and mass visibility in Far East markets. If a bookmaker could afford that asset, fans in countries like China, the Philippines and Indonesia assumed it was trustworthy. Now, many operators are targeting training wear instead, where day-to-day digital content from training grounds, behind-the-scenes clips and player social posts deliver constant exposure. SGI’s job is to get “under the bonnet” of each brand’s target territories and demographics, then identify the mix of assets – divisions, regions, digital rights – that best match their objectives.

Players as assets: the fine line in club presentations

Adrian notes that some clubs now include individual player social followings in sponsorship decks, implying access to those audiences even when they don’t have contractual rights to use players’ personal accounts. While that’s “a little bit naughty”, there is indirect value: brands on kits or training wear benefit organically when stars post in club gear. SGI’s experience in Japan – where clubs only unlocked commercial value there after signing Japanese players – and examples like Spanish fans following a compatriot to Birmingham City show how individual players drive international travel, shirt sales and engagement, not just domestic club loyalty.

World Player Super League: a blank canvas in global amateur golf

Perhaps the most exciting new project is the World Player Super League – a collaboration of established tour companies, tournament providers and golf organisations into a single global structure. It brings together 4 million amateur participants, 3,800 events and 82 countries under one umbrella, with finals and pairs events set up for broadcast. For SGI, it’s a rare “blank sheet of paper”: they have exclusivity to build a partner programme from scratch, targeting high-net-worth individuals, CEOs and senior managers who play in these events. With every participant carrying a mobile phone and posting from tees, clubhouses and hole-in-ones, the user-generated content and reach are enormous. Add in ex-Premier League footballers, former Ryder Cup captains and celebrities sprinkled across events, and SGI see a once-in-a-lifetime chance to commercialise a proven golfing ecosystem that has never previously been packaged for sponsors.

Key Moments

“They contacted 600 South African and international brands trying to get a breakthrough… and it was just complete opportunism that someone turned around and said, ‘Any chance you can speak to Duelbits?’”

“It’s always a proud moment… when you bring a brand and a rights-holder together, it’s such a special moment, especially when you’re seeing it on Sky Sports in South Africa, 13–14 hours away.”

“One of the stands called Evolution, bear in mind it’s just a three-day conference, was £5 million. You can imagine the level of size, detail, complexity they’ve done around this.”

“Endorsement deals for us are probably a third of our business… and I think it’s only going to grow more and more.”

“This will be the largest amateur golf movement in world golf – 4 million participants across 82 countries, 3,800 events… a blank canvas and they’re literally taking every word we say as verbatim.”

About Sporting Group International

Sporting Group International (SGI) is a global sports marketing and sponsorship agency with representatives across Europe and Asia. They connect brands, clubs, governing bodies and athletes through high-value partnerships, including stadium naming rights, shirt and sleeve sponsorships, official partnerships and endorsement deals. SGI also support rights holders and investors with strategic commercial advice, international market development, recruitment and talent management, helping to drive revenue growth and brand visibility across the world of elite sport.