Unlocking Commercial Value in African Sports Partnerships

Welcome to the Deep Dive. This is where we take the

sources, you share all the articles, research those

conversations, and we really try to unlock the core insights, you

know, get to the heart of it. That's the idea.

And today, well, we're not just dipping a toe in, we're going

deep into something truly fascinating the the whole

evolving landscape of commercial relationships and sport.

Yeah, and with a specific lens on the African continent, which

makes it even more interesting. Exactly.

We've been digging into this really rich discussion among

experts, people involved on the ground, looking at this big

shift that seems to be happening.

Right, that move away from, well, what you might call simple

sponsorship, sometimes a bit superficial.

Yeah, towards something that feels deeper, more strategic,

real partnership. That's the keyword partnership,

and you can think of this deep dive as maybe your shortcut to

understanding that whole complex conversation.

Our mission really is to pull out the key points, the

important bits of knowledge, those aha moments.

And figure out what this shift you know from transaction to

partnership actually means for sport in Africa and, well, where

it might be heading. So we'll guide you through it.

We'll start with the traditional stuff, right?

The big sponsorships, their power, but also maybe there are

limits. Then we'll get into why things

are changing, why this partnership idea is taking hold.

And look at some really cool, innovative ways people are doing

this now, redefining the whole relationship.

We also have to tackle the the unique challenges in Africa and

the opportunities because they are massive.

Absolutely huge. And finally, what needs to

happen, what structures, what strategies are needed for the

future? It's quite a journey.

OK, let's unpack this. Let's do it.

So kicking off with traditional sponsorship, when you think

about just the sheer scale of it, the conversation we looked

at started with some, well, pretty massive examples.

Deals that have really shaped global sport.

Oh definitely. They highlighted relationships

like Emirates and Arsenal. I mean, that deal's been going

for nearly 20 years now. That's a long time.

Huge presence shirts stadium. Everything and Emirates isn't

just Arsenal, is it? They're famously with Real

Madrid too. Right.

And then there was Qatar Airways, mentioned PSG, UEFA

Champions League, big stage stuff.

These aren't, you know, your local corner shop sponsoring the

youth team. These are massive global

players, often state owned airlines, pouring just enormous

amounts of money into sport. We're talking serious capital,

hundreds of millions, maybe more over the years.

Exactly. And one of the speakers made a

really sharp point. To really grasp the power here,

you got to look beyond just the obvious, you know?

Meaning beyond just putting a logo on a shirt or seeing your

name on TV. Yeah, it's not just about hoping

someone sees the logo and thinks, oh, I'll book an

Emirates flight. I mean be a tiny bit, but the

real game is bigger. So what is it then?

What's the bigger picture with those huge deals?

It gets really tied up with things like tourism and maybe

even more with shaping how the whole world sees a country,

national image, perception. OK, explain that a bit more.

We'll think about Dubai, a massive part of its global

brand. You know this image of being

modern, connected, A hub that was heavily built up and pushed

out through Emirates Sports sponsorships consistently

everywhere for years. So the sponsorship becomes a

tool for nation branding. Precisely.

And you see the same kind of strategic thinking with Qatar

Airways. It's not just marketing spend.

It's like soft power. It's using sport to project a

certain image, attract tourism, attract investment by linking

the nation to excitement, to global events, to excellence.

That's a really crucial point. It shows how powerful that

traditional model can be, way beyond just advertising recall.

It shows the potential reach, the impact.

But, and, and this is important, we have to remember the context.

You mean these specific examples?

Gulf nations massive wealth. Exactly.

Huge sovereign wealth, state owned companies, often with

these very clear national goals baked right into the sponsorship

deals. It's a specific model born from

very specific circumstances. Which leads us right to the core

question this whole discussion was wrestling with how can

Africa learn from these massive global examples?

You know, draw lessons from Europe, from America, but then

crucially, adapt them, leverage its own unique assets, its own

context to build relationships that actually work and last.

That is the $1,000,000 question, isn't it?

Because those examples show the scale of sponsorship, but the

deeper conversation, the one we're diving into, it really

highlighted this fundamental shift that's changing everything

globally. The move away from sponsorship

towards partnership. Exactly away from that simple

sometimes one way transaction towards something more well

integrated relational where both sides benefit properly true

partnership. Let's really get into that

difference, because it's more than just changing a word.

What did the speakers mean by the old way, the transactional

view? Think of it like buying

advertising space. Historically, that's pretty much

what it was. Clubs or federations were

selling spots. Like square footage, Jersey

space billboards. Right.

A space on a shirt, A board by the pitch, an ad in the match

program. The main goal was just mass

communication. Get the brand name seen by as

many people as possible. Visibility.

So you sign the check, get your logo placement and that's kind

of it. Often, yeah, it's pretty

contained. Money flows one way, exposure,

assets flow the other. Transaction complete.

OK. So how does the partnership

view, as they called it, flip that?

What makes it different? This is where it gets really

interesting. It moves from just buying space

to like building something together.

It's much more collaborative, you know the the two way St.

instead of the brand just sticking its logo on whatever

the club already has, the brand of the club or the league, they

work side by side. To do what?

To create something new, something authentic, something

that's actually embedded in what the club does, its values, its

community connection. The focus shifts towards genuine

storytelling, finding goals you share beyond just marketing.

So it's about mutual growth, delivering value together.

Exactly. Going way beyond just the

standard assets and advertising slots.

It's about finding real relevance.

And why is this shift happening? Why is the old transactional way

becoming, as they said, unsustainable?

Well, it boils down to this. Sponsors are getting way more

sophisticated. They're more clued up, more data

focused, and they're really demanding clear, measurable

return on investment ROI. Right, the magic letters ROI.

And if you're just selling ad space, proving that concrete

ROI, that direct link to business results, that must be

pretty tough. Incredibly tough.

How do you actually prove that a logo on a sleeve directly led to

X amount of sales or new customers?

You can measure exposure, sure impressions, media value, things

like that. But linking that to hard cash or

leads or getting people to actually adopt your technology?

Much harder. Almost impossible sometimes with

just those traditional assets. And that's exactly why this

shift of partnership is so necessary.

It's designed to create relationships where you can

actually track and measure tangible ROI.

OK, that makes perfect sense. If sponsors want proof of

business outcomes, not just eyeballs.

How do you actually define ROI in this new partnership world,

and how do you measure it? The discussion used Oracle as a

really clear example. Yeah, the Oracle case study is

brilliant for illustrating this. Their whole approach as it was

described is almost upside down compared to the old model.

Doesn't start with right? What ad space does this club

have for us? Where does it start?

It starts with their business objectives.

What does Oracle as a tech company actually want to

achieve? They figured that out before

they even started talking to potential sports partners.

Interesting. So what was Oracle's main goal

with their sports deals? It wasn't trying to sell cloud

services directly to Manchester United or Red Bull Racing, was

it? Not as the primary goal, no.

Their main aim was to build really strong real world case

studies. Example showing how Oracle tech,

especially their AI and data stuff, could help sports teams

perform better. On the pitch or off it?

Both on the track, on the field, making tactical decisions,

player analysis, but also off it, you know, improving business

operations, fan engagement, using their tech for specific

high profile jobs within these sports organizations.

And the clever part, as I recall, was that these case

studies weren't just for other sports teams to look.

At exactly that's the genius of it.

These case studies developed with elite partners like Red

Bull and F1 or Premier League teams.

They become incredibly powerful selling tools for selling Oracle

tech into totally different industries.

Retail, healthcare, banking, telecoms, logistics, you name

it, sectors where data, cloud, AI are absolutely critical.

OK, I see where this is going. This connects to that analogy.

They. Use Yes.

The one that really landed if Oracle's tech, their data

analytics, their AI can help A-Team fine tune strategy so Max

Verstappen wins a race by a tiny fraction of a second.

Or help a football team analyze opponents to win a crucial

match. Then it can absolutely help a

bank optimizes risk analysis, or a retailer understand its

customer behavior better, or a hospital manage its resources

more efficiently. It makes complex tech feel

tangible, relatable. It proves its value in these

incredibly high pressure, performance driven environments.

So forget measuring success by how many times the Oracle logo

flashed up on screen. Completely.

For Oracle, the core ROI metrics were totally different.

They measured success by the number of really good documented

case studies they built with their partners.

OK. And crucially, the amount of

actual sales revenue they could trace back to using those sports

case studies in their pitches to clients across all those other

sectors. Wow, that totally reframes the

value, doesn't it? From passive brand awareness to

active, measurable business generation.

It's a fundamental shift. OK.

So moving from that strategic way of measuring success, the

discussion then highlighted some really innovative partnership

models already happening and some felt very relevant for

Africa. Benfica's approach came up

strongly. Yeah, Benfica's strategy is

fascinating because it's tied so directly to their absolute core

business, finding and developing top football talent.

That's what they do. So they're not just looking for

a check. No, they're looking for partners

who want to invest in that core activity right there on the

ground where the talent is. And how does that work in Africa

specifically? Well, they have this very

deliberate approach. Go to the source, go right to

the grass roots in places where talent is abundant.

The talk I mentioned their work in Ghana, Equatorial Guinea,

Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Rwanda, Mozambique and plans for

more. And what's the goal there?

The stated aim is literally to build tomorrow's heroes, setting

up academies, running programs focused on developing young

players who could potentially play at the top level, maybe

even for their own national teams eventually.

That's a powerful story to tell, especially in football mad

countries. Hugely powerful.

Think about the pitch to a potential partner.

Maybe a local bank or a Pan African mobile company Partner

with us and you're directly investing in building the next

generation of your country's football stars.

That connects a brand really deeply, doesn't it?

Absolutely. It's not just associating with a

famous European club badge, it's associating with the creation of

future national heroes from that specific country.

The value for the partner isn't just visibility, it's tangible

impact on a national passion point, which also happens to

feed Benfica's main business player development.

And it sounded like the benefits go beyond just the players

themselves. Oh, definitely.

A really important, sometimes missed part is developing local

people. They invest in training local

coaches, physios, sports psychologists, administrators,

people to actually run these academies long term.

So they're sharing knowledge building capacity.

Exactly. Building a sustainable football

ecosystem, leaving something lasting behind, not just

extracting talent. This sounds like a world away

from a standard one year kit deal.

It must need a much longer commitment.

Inherently, yes, yeah, Developing a player from say, 10

years old to being pro ready, that takes years, 5-8, maybe 10

years, as the speakers pointed out.

So the partnerships needed to fuel this have to be long term,

too collaborative. It's about finding partners who

are willing to walk that whole journey with the club and the

players, not just jump in for a season.

And they use that comparison to brands who back stars early on.

Yeah, like the brands who sponsored a young Ronaldo or

Michael Jordan, they weren't just buying exposure for that

year. They were investing in the

story, the journey. And when those athletes became

icons? The brands that were there early

reaped massive rewards. The connection felt so

authentic, That story, from grassroots kid to national hero,

it's just incredibly powerful for a brand.

Beyond developing talent, another really interesting

innovation discussed was using data and tech, especially right

down at the grassroots. Yeah, this tackled a huge

challenge in finding talent everywhere, but maybe especially

in vast places like Africa. Someone quoted Arson Wenger

saying talent identification is often harder than talent

development. Meaning lots of potential just

gets missed. Exactly.

It goes undiscovered, untapped, wasted because the systems to

find it efficiently just aren't there.

So how can data and tech help with that?

They talked about using simple objective measurements right at

the basic level. They even showed a physical

measurement card example. Not high tech stuff.

Now really simple things. You can measure consistently.

Speed over 10 meters. How accurately you pass short,

How far and accurately you pass long.

Agility drills. Basic objective metrics you can

gather from thousands of kids systematically.

OK. And how does that link back to

sponsorship or partnership? This is where it gets clever.

A brand can choose to partner by funding these data-driven talent

ID programs. It's not just putting a logo on

a tournament banner, it's paying for the infrastructure and

process to actually find the talent.

So the brand's story becomes we help discover potential.

Precisely. It's authentic.

It's credible. The brand is visibly benefiting

the community screening opportunities, helping the club

find players who might otherwise slip through the net.

And the data gives scouts much better objective context than

just watching one game where a kid might be nervous.

It adds real substance. It does, and as a nice little

touch, those measurement cards themselves, they could be

branded, integrating the partner right into the discovery tool.

Very smart and moving beyond talent ID, there were other

examples of these purpose driven deals mentioned.

Weren't there deals that really go beyond the transactional?

Yes, absolutely, where the partnership is built around a

shared social goal or impact, like Birdie Shoes and Angel City

FC in the US. What was that one?

A fixed percentage, 10% of the deals value is specifically set

aside to fund female empowerment projects, leadership training,

equality initiatives for women and girls in their community.

Purpose gates right into the contract value.

Wow, more than just a logo. Way more and the WTA deal with

the Saudi PIF was another example.

With the funding for players. Right Funding A maternity

scheme. Support for fertility treatment

for female players directly addressing a real world need for

athletes, balancing careers and family.

These are, as one speaker put it, living, breathing deals.

Tangible positive impact. They really show how creative

and impactful partnerships can be when they align around shared

goals beyond just commerce. Definitely.

But OK, it's clear there are exciting things happening

globally. Lessons to learn.

But the discussion also, quite rightly, spent a lot of time on

the specific realities, the unique landscape and the, let's

face it, complex, complex challenges within Africa itself.

Yeah, you absolutely have to. Africa isn't one place.

It's 54 incredibly diverse countries, different economies,

cultures, regulations, infrastructure.

You can't just apply a single model from Europe or the US and

expect it to work everywhere. So what did they describe as the

sort of common reality for many clubs and federations on the

continent right now, commercially speaking?

Well, the picture painted was that for many, the approach is

still very much stuck in that older model focused on selling

advertising space. Still selling inventory?

Jersey space boards. Largely, yes.

Clubs often hire people whose job is just to sell those slots

rather than build complex partnership strategies or

authentic stories or those Oracle style use cases.

And layered on top of that, you have many clubs, even big

historical ones, facing real financial pressures.

That funding struggles. Yeah, inconsistent revenue,

basic operational funding issues, which then makes it hard

to attract big international sponsors who are often just

looking for simple market share or direct sales and might be put

off by economic instability or infrastructure gaps.

And then there's the challenger on the fan base itself, which is

kind of a paradox, isn't it? It really is.

Africa has this incredible demographic dividend, this huge

young population. Someone mentioned 60, maybe 70%

under 30 in many countries. Massive, passionate, engaged

fans, especially for football. Huge potential audience, but the

challenge. The challenge is that many of

these young fans, while super enthusiastic, often have lower

disposable income than fans elsewhere.

And crucially, as someone in the audience pointed out, access to

formal banking, credit cards, widespread digital payment

systems, it can be limited. Which makes it hard to sell the

merchandise directly or memberships or online

subscriptions. Exactly.

Monetizing that passion directly through traditional fan spending

can be tough on a mass scale. So if you're a massive

passionate fan base, has limited cash and maybe no bank card, how

do you unlock the commercial value there?

OK, this is where the flip side comes in, the opportunity side

and a really vital insight from the discussion.

Those young fans, Gen. Z, Gen.

Alpha, they are the absolute prime target audience for the

big consumer brands. Think Vodafone, Pepsi, Coke,

Unilever, the tech companies. Brands who need to reach young

consumers. Desperately need to reach them

authentically because they are the future market, even if their

individual spending power is low right now.

And football clubs are the perfect way to reach them.

Arguably the best way in many African contexts, football

commands loyalty, passion, Community, Trust in a way few

other things do. Clubs are the most credible

channel for those big brands to access that vital youth

demographic without feeling intrusive.

So the club's value proposition changes.

Fundamentally, it's not we'll help you sell soda to our fans

today. It's we can give you authentic

access to this incredibly important audience that you

desperately need to connect with for your future.

The club sells the access, the engagement.

This is where that idea of clubs acting more like media companies

comes in. Exactly.

Think like Facebook or TikTok. The club has this huge engaged

user base, its fans. They consume content, they spend

time on the club's platform, whether that's the stadium,

social media at the website. And while they're there, the

club can facilitate brand messaging.

Targeted ads, integrated experiences, yes.

But the real key to unlocking this and getting past the direct

payment issue is knowing your fans developing that detailed

360° view. Like the examples of Al, Lily or

Ydad with their huge followings. Precisely, if clubs can really

understand who their fans are, demographics, interests, digital

behavior, location relations, then brands will pay a premium

for that targeted authentic access.

The value is in the collective reach and the engagement depth,

even if individual fan spending is low.

That shifts the whole focus from how do we get fans to spend to

how do we become the best platform for brands to reach our

fans. It really does.

But while that commercial opportunity is huge, the

discussion didn't shy away from the big internal hurdles, the

operational infrastructural challenges that make

implementing these strategies difficult on the ground.

Like the practical problems Benfica faces with its

academies. Exactly.

Basic stuff. Lack of quality pitches, proper

training facilities, transport issues, sometimes unreliable

electricity or Internet nutrition for young athletes can

be a major challenge. Just general organizational

capacity within clubs. These aren't small problems.

No, they're foundational. They need step by step

solutions, sustained investment over time just to create the

stable base needed for these long term partnerships to even

function properly. OK.

So considering all that, the potential, the challenges, the

global shifts, how does Africa move forward?

How does it actually enable this shift from transaction to

partnership in its own context? Well, a really strong point that

came through was the need for Africa to define its own way,

not just try to cut and paste models from the West.

Because they might not fit. Exactly how deals get

structured, how you measure success, what value really

means. It needs to be adapted to

African realities, African cultures, fan behavior, brand

perception, community ties. These things might work

differently, the experts were clear.

Africans need to lead this. Figure out what authentic

partnership means there. Makes sense.

And beyond adapting models, what about structural changes?

Things needed to make the whole industry more professional, more

attractive. Several big ones came up.

A recurring theme was separating sport, especially football

governance from politics. Olitical interference often

brings instability, lack of transparency.

It kills long term planning. Privatizing clubs was mentioned,

letting them become independent, professionally run businesses,

strong brands, not just relying on government handouts.

And then the broader industry structure, proper legislation,

clear regulations, strong federation's, creating a stable,

predictable environment that actually encourages investment,

both local and foreign. And for the clubs themselves,

where should they be focusing their own investment to help

make this partnership shift happen?

Data and digital that came up again and again.

It's a massive opportunity and frankly, essential.

Investing in understanding the fans.

Yes, building those 360° profiles, getting the CRM

systems, the analytics capability, creating digital

platforms to engage fans, that's key to unlocking the access to

audience value and also investing in creating new

digital entertainment products. Like that idea of NFC chips and

jerseys? Exactly.

Things like that. Making a jersey more than just

cloth, making it a key to unlock digital content, experiences,

rewards when you scan it with your phone.

These create new value layers you can sell to fans, and they

become new assets you can build into partnership deals, giving

brands cool, measurable ways to connect digitally.

So it all seems to come back to needing a long term view,

doesn't it, Especially for these partnerships moving away from

the quick one year deal. Fundamentally, yes, the strong

message was think multi year, five years, maybe even more

because building deep relationships, implementing

complex projects like talent development or data systems, it

just takes time. You can't expect big results in

Season 1. No way.

The timeline suggests it was more like year 1 is about

building trust, getting to know each other, figuring out the

possibilities. Year 2 you identify specific

joint projects. Year three you start

implementing, maybe see the first tangible results, the

start of RY and then years 345 and beyond.

That's where you get the sustained return, the deeper

impact. Makes sense.

Developing a player, Building a community program.

Results don't happen overnight. Exactly Needs patience,

commitment from both sides. It's an investment in the

relationships future. And to wrap it all up

practically, they offered that simple framework, the three PS

for successful partnerships. Yeah, that was a neat summary.

Purpose personalized improve. Right.

So purpose first. Have that clear shared goal

beyond just brand awareness. What are you actually trying to

achieve together? Building case studies like

Oracle? Developing talent like Benfica?

Driving social impact? Define that shared why upfront?

OK, second personalize. Get away from just spraying

logos everywhere. Tailor things.

Make the brand's involvement relevant to specific fan group,

specific communities, specific initiatives.

Don't just aim for reach, aim for relevance.

Remember that Premier League sponsor example?

High recognition. But people didn't know what they

actually did? That's lack of personalization,

lack of relevance. And 3rd proof.

You have to show the results, demonstrate the ROI, the value

delivered, whether it's case studies built sales, generated

community lives, impacted digital engagement, boosted

talent coming through, whatever the shared purpose was, you need

Clearwalk to measure it and show the partner the concrete return

on their investment. OK.

So pulling this all together, we've kind of traced the

evolution from those massive traditional sponsorship deals,

often about nation branding, mass exposure, through to why

that model is shifting. Yeah, driven by that need for

measurable outcome leading to this partnership model.

We looked at innovative ways as being done, focusing on core

business like talent, using data, tech, finding shared

purpose. And then we really had to

confront the specific African context.

The big challenge is infrastructure organization, but

also that incredible opportunity with the young, passionate fans.

And the need for clubs to maybe rethink their role, become these

valuable media platforms. Right.

The main take away feels like well, the potential for

commercial growth in African sport is just huge, but

unlocking it means ditching the old transactional playbook.

It needs strategy, patience, data, focusing on mutual growth,

real impact and finding what's genuinely relevant in Africa.

Yeah, building trust, investing in the basics, whether that's

talent, pipelines, infrastructure or those digital

fan connections. It's a fundamental mindset shift

needed all around. Which really leaves us with a

compelling question for you, the listener, to think about after

all this. What's that?

Given all that diversity across Africa, the different cultures,

economies, realities, how can clubs and brands really define

partnership in a way that's not just a copy of somewhere else, a

way that genuinely serves their goals and truly benefits the

communities, the passionate fans on the ground?

What does authentic relevance actually look like in practice

across Africas many nations? That's a big question, and one

the industry itself will be figuring out for years to come,

I suspect. Absolutely.

Well, thank you for joining us on this deep dive.

We really hope you found these insights from that conversation

as fascinating and thought provoking as we did.

Unlocking Commercial Value in African Sports Partnerships

About this episode