Sports Marketing

Whether it’s recruiting Roy of the Rovers and Edwina Currie to launch a sensible drinking initiative, encouraging footballers to plant their own pitch with free grass seeds, broadcasting the European Champions League Final live from an exhibition stand in Montreal, or holding one-to-one press briefings with editors for the launch of a football product in a stretch limo, we thrive on the fact that great ideas make great stories.

With a long history in football marketing, S&J has handled press and public relations on behalf of the Women’s Football Association, Vauxhall Conference, Nationwide Conference, Football Trust and the FA National School.

The agency worked on the international brand marketing for German owned football specialists uhlsport GmbH. Sports brands previously handled by S&J also include Gola, Quasar and Line 7.

Alliance Premier League

Media and Lobbying

The Alliance Premier League represented the creation of the fifth tier of the football pyramid at a time when promotion and relegation to and from the Football League was determined by a vote of the FL Chairman. The brief was to elevate the APL brand through national media channels and to lobby for the removal of the ‘closed shop’ and its replacement with direct promotion and relegation. In 1987 Scarborough replaced Lincoln City as the first club to be automatically promoted.

GM Vauxhall Conference

Media, Sponsorship and Activation

We served as sponsorship agents when Vauxhall Motors succeeded Gola to secure the title rights to the Alliance Premier League, a relationship that lasted 16-years.

Nationwide Building Society

Media, Sponsorship and Activation

The GM Vauxhall Conference sponsorship was succeeded by the Nationwide Building Society which ran for five years.

Kempa

Brand Identity

Kempa Handball was created to challenge the dominance of the big brands active in the sport. The brand was named after German international Bernard Kempa and launched in Leipzig with the German national team.

GM Vauxhall FA National School

Media and Activation

GM Vauxhall were the first sponsors of the elite FA National School based at Lilleshall National Sports Centre.

Football Trust

Media

The Football Trust was a Government and Football Pools company funded body established to improve the safety of sports stadiums in the United Kingdom and to assist with the costs of implementing the Safety of Sports Grounds Act 1975.

Alcohol Concern

Media and CSR

We were responsible for gifting the title rights to the Bob Lord Trophy (nonleague football’s League Cup) to Alcohol Concern’s health education campaign, Sports Drinkwise.

Women’s Football Association

Media

Prior to being incorporated as part of the Football Association the WFA launched the first Women’s National League.

Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club

Lobbying

As part of the Bring Home The Albion campaign, we undertook a ‘pro bono’ supporter survey to demonstrate the socio economic impact of having a professional football club in the City. At that time Brighton’s home games were taking place in Gillingham and the survey of 1000+ fans was part of the lobbying to secure planning permission for a temporary stadium at Withdean.

National Blood Service

Media and CSR

‘Pints for Points’ was a community based campaign in Nottingham created to encourage blood donors and sign-ups to the British Bone Marrow Registry. Sponsored by German football brand, uhlsport, amateur clubs received free equipment the more donors they encouraged to participate