Three decades of transformation in sport
Helping to drive investment and build digital, accessible businesses
When the Deloitte Sports Business Group was created more than 30 years ago as a boutique advisory team in Manchester, the first smartphone hadn’t been invented, the Premier League was in its infancy and the average pint cost just £1.75. Women’s professional football was finding its footing following the lifting of the national ban.
Fast forward to today, and the sports industry has developed into a versatile business, able to engage fans from across the globe with innovative technologies, with an unprecedented focus on participation and inclusion.
And the Sports Business Group has had a ringside seat for this transformation, while advising organisations, governments and investors across more than 30 sports in over 40 countries. While all Deloitte's business areas are now helping to transform the sports industry, from strategy, the full M&A lifecycles, tax, audit and assurance, digital technology delivery and AI. We’re proud to be playing a central role in propelling the sports industry forward.
Changing the game for women
Women’s sport has seen a huge evolution and is set to surpass the $3 billion mark in 2026, according to the latest Deloitte Global Women’s Sport Report.
Behind this phenomenal expansion is a rapid rise in professional standards and a commitment to laying foundations for lasting growth, with Deloitte a crucial part of the team.
We’ve been working with WSL Football, creating a blueprint for professionalisation and regulatory standards that other organisations can follow. We’ve helped to control costs and attract investment, both essential to the industry’s future.
And we continue to build the business case for investment in women’s sport.
“Our Sports Business Group, in particular, has been central to the development of vital research,” says Jennifer Haskel, insight lead in the Deloitte Sports Business Group. “Alongside our Global Women’s Sport Report, our Sports Investment Outlook has supported the growth in valuation for many premium women’s sports assets during the investment process.”
With accelerated growth across the last decade, women’s sport is no longer having to prove itself; it now focuses on sustaining the momentum.
Having built a unique fanbase, finding new ways to engage this growing audience and enhancing the spectator experience is now a key focus for women's sports.
Having built a unique fanbase, finding new ways to engage this growing audience and enhancing the spectator experience is now a key focus for women's sports.
The business behind the sport
As the value of the industry soars, investor appetite has changed drastically. The days of clubs being seen just solely as a community asset or a 'hobby' investment for the wealthy have long gone.
Now, with revenue generation the driving force behind ownership, we’re seeing a surge in sports-focused investment funds and private equity as well as new types of investors seeking to finance acquisitions.
And it’s happening on a global scale. In 1996, only one Premier League football club was majority owned by overseas investors, but today, 80% of clubs are. Premium sports properties are valued in the billions, and buyers across the world want a stake.
Deloitte has been a key player in attracting investment to the game.
“For over thirty years, our Football Money League and Annual Review of Football Finance reports have provided the industry with the data that underpins valuation, diligence and investment consideration,” says Tim Bridge, lead partner in the Deloitte Sports Business Group.
To support and maintain investor interest, Deloitte continues to strengthen governance and sustainability at a club and regulatory level.
Our M&A team has also been involved in many of the industry’s biggest transactions, advising on over 250 deals in the past 30 years. This includes working with over 85% of 2025/26 Premier League clubs’ management teams, ownership groups or potential owners.
From stadiums to screens
It isn’t just football attracting investment; new financial backers have proved a windfall for the members of the England and Wales Cricket Board and The Hundred tournament.
As investor appetite increases, so do stakeholder expectations for returns, with data and digital experiences a driving force for unlocking value.
Digital and data experiences have also transformed how we engage with our favourite sports on and off the field of play. Fans no longer have to be inside a stadium to feel close to their idols. Social media, behind-the-scene documentaries and clips shared within moments of the event all provide unparalleled access and bring people closer to the teams and players they love.
Deloitte’s latest Football Money League report shows clubs are recognising the potential of digital experiences and meeting fans where they are, from online stores to targeted marketing.
And our partnership with the LTA shows what’s possible. Tasked with making tennis more accessible, we developed a comprehensive digital strategy to bring the LTA’s Tennis Opened Up vision to life. This included executing the whole digital transformation journey: a redesigned website, new booking app and bespoke digital platforms to support on-court performance. The result? Two million more adults are regularly playing tennis annually in the UK.
“Deloitte has been central to driving digital transformation for many sports, but it’s especially prominent in our work with the LTA,” says Mark Lillie, sports industry leader at Deloitte UK.
From grassroots to elite levels, data and technology can be a game changer. For fans, for our future athletes and for sport itself.
“Deloitte has been at the centre of advancing the business case for women’s sport. Our Global Women’s Sport Report has become the go-to for valuing the industry potential.”
Jennifer Haskel, knowledge and insight lead, Deloitte Sports Business Group
