Best Professional Services in Sport
DB Living
DB Living are a Tax Consultancy supporting professional and semi-professional athletes and self-employed professionals with their Tax Returns and Tax Reclaims.
Founded by an ex-professional footballer, DB Living has a team dedicated to delivering the high possible service to their 700+ clients ranging from Women’s and Men’s Football, Rugby League, Rugby Union, Netball and Cricket.
DB Living are partnered with the Netball Players Association and Our Game Football, in addition to having a high recommended service and extensive testimonials for their work.
DB Living is an example to other sports professionals looking to prepare for life after football, to ensure a smooth transition after retirement.
Everton Football Club
Everton Football Club has created a fully integrated in-house Legal, Risk and Governance Team delivering joined-up professional services across the whole Everton Family.
With unprecedented scrutiny from regulators, lawmakers and the media, and rapidly growing risk exposures in areas such as cyber security, safeguarding and financial sustainability, it is now more critical than ever that the Everton Family and its employees systematically comply with legal, regulatory and internal policy requirements.
The team is made up of qualified professionals covering:
• Management Information and Reporting
• Strategic Projects
• Risk Management
• Legal Services
• Company Secretarial
• Due Diligence
• Compliance and Assurance
• Data Protection
• Insurance
• CEO Strategic Support
This includes Big Four Qualified Chartered Accountants, Qualified Lawyers and a Data Protection Officer. The team touches every part of the business, from compliance around matchday logistics to protecting the data of millions of fans, to player transfers and commercial partnerships. The team is a critical part of the Club’s vision and strategy; on-pitch success must be underpinned by a strong business.
Fladgate LLP
Fladgate’s Sports Business Group is renowned for its ‘end-to-end’ ability to work with all stakeholders, ranging from governing bodies, rights holders, clubs and institutions to agencies, investors, funders and athletes. This highlights our deep and genuine understanding of the sports sector, and our strong capability to provide a genuine full service across all key legal disciplines involved in the business of sport. Our knowledge and networks means we are able to proactively seek opportunities for our clients and deliver robust and practical solutions.
The team has exceptional expertise in advising stakeholders on international major sporting events, commercial rights exploitation and advising on complex commercial litigation in sport. We also have a market leading reputation for international sports investment and finance.
Our specialist lawyers have hands-on practical experience including in-house roles at London 2012, the 2015 England Rugby World Cup and Manchester City FC.
Jockey Club Services
Jockey Club Services (JCS) has developed a world class platform of services which is now available to the professional sports market. Marked improvements have been experienced by JCS’s clients in the performance of their clubs and they have achieved savings across many facets of their businesses; allowing profits to be re-invested back into their sport.
With expertise in Ticketing, Finance & Accounting, Payroll, Public Wi-fi, IT Services, Events, Live Music and Procurement, JCS has provided procurement services to five county cricket teams, ticketing to three county cricket teams and the Saudi Cup in Riyadh, live music to The Ageas Bowl and Kingsholm, has created the Rewards4Cricket Loyalty programme being run by Hampshire, Glamorgan, Durham, Lancashire and Worcestershire County Cricket Clubs. JCS’s fastest growing service is finance and accounting where partners include Table Tennis England, England Squash, Badminton England, British Fencing and UK Athletics. JCS has many other NGB’s in the pipeline.
JCS can deliver significant economies of scale to other professional sports organisations, saving them money and providing insights based on experiences which prove a real benefit. These economies of scale will only increase as new partners come on board.
KSS
KSS is one of the foremost sports architecture practices in the UK. With a number of awards, we have been formally recognised as a leading professional service in sport. We specialise in stadia, indoor arenas and training centres in the UK, Europe and around the world.
With over 100 members of staff in central London and Sevenoaks Kent, we have an established reputation for bespoke, high quality design, supported with technical excellence and backed by critical commercial judgement.
Our sports team leaders have over 28 years of experience in stadium design and are proud to have worked globally in this field. Key highlights are The Amex Community Stadium in Brighton, Main Stand Development at Anfield, London 2012 Basketball Arena, East Stand Development at Twickenham Stadium and the recently completed No.1 Court at Wimbledon.
Oakwell Sports Advisory
Oakwell Sports Advisory solves commercial challenges in sport by providing strategic advice to existing rights holders and investors We provide in depth industry research in 9 sports, financial modelling and analysis and general corporate finance advice including acquisition and sale advice.
Oakwell are CVC’s strategic, commercial and financial advisers in rugby Our challenges included bringing many different and fragmented stakeholders together, positioning the right aligned partner (CVC) in to rugby’s ownership ecosystem, and persuading rights holders/shareholders to see how rugby can be taken to the improved and next commercial with CVC.
Our solution to the PRL delivered over £12m of capital to each club to enable much needed infrastructure investment (stadium upgrades, broadband/wifi) to improve fan experience, and acted as a reset on all commercial options at the league and club levels In addition, our strategy with CVC will lead to potential further investment at Celtic club and Union levels that will allow rugby to grow, not to stagnate, improve its narrative to its audience and deliver further investment into academies, schools and youth to grow participation at all age levels and genders as well as accelerate Rugby’s maturity to becoming an improved and healthy commercial sport.
