In this episode of The Deal Room Sport from Sporting Group International and Sporting Jobs, host Ed Nell is joined by Ian Dutton, Harry Lynch and SGI’s Country Manager for Spain, Diego Pesqué, to explore the growing opportunity around Spanish rugby, new brand partnerships and the rise of SGI’s retainer model.
They discuss why rugby in Spain is becoming an increasingly attractive proposition for brands, how the best deals solve real business problems rather than simply selling shirt space, and why both rights-holders and sponsors need the right people in place to activate partnerships properly.
Key Takeaways
Diego explains that rugby in Spain has grown rapidly in recent years, backed by investment in coaching, international events and overall development by the Royal Spanish Rugby Federation. Spain’s men’s 15s have established themselves at a strong European level, the sevens programmes are performing well, and qualification for the 2027 World Cup in Australia has created fresh momentum. For brands looking to enter Spain without fighting through the crowded football market, rugby is becoming a compelling alternative.
A major theme of the conversation is that football remains hugely important, but it is not the answer for every sponsor. Ian notes that many brands do not want to sit alongside direct competitors in an overcrowded category, while the cost of entry can price out businesses that still want meaningful exposure. Rugby, by contrast, can offer a cleaner space, different values and a more distinctive positioning.
Diego makes the point that modern sponsorship is no longer about simply selling a logo on a shirt or minutes on an LED board. The real work is in understanding what the brand actually needs. That might be market entry, product integration, operational support or commercial growth. SGI’s role is to identify those needs and then shape a partnership that delivers against them. One featured partnership is with Spanish beer brand Ambar, which wanted to make a stronger push into Madrid and saw rugby as the right vehicle. The fit made sense culturally as well as commercially: beer and rugby already have a natural connection, and Ambar wanted its product physically present where it mattered, in and around matchdays. For the federation, it meant aligning with an ambitious brand that matched its own growth trajectory.
The Ebury deal is highlighted as a strong example of SGI’s approach. Rather than just buying an asset, Ebury was interested in taking over the federation’s foreign exchange business. That meant the partnership delivered both visibility and a real operational solution. Ian describes this as a more strategic form of partnership, where the sponsor can say not only that it supports the property, but that it actively helps run part of it.
From the Sporting Jobs perspective, Harry explains that brands often spend significant money securing sponsorship rights but then still need experienced people to activate those rights properly. The panel note that activation can cost somewhere between 50 and 100 per cent of the original partnership fee. Without the right expertise and resource, even a good deal risks underperforming. Because Sporting Jobs sits alongside a sponsorship agency, the team have a close-up view of what brands actually need once they sign a deal. Harry says this is becoming a major focus area: helping brands recruit people with sports partnership experience who can manage, monitor and bring those deals to life. That could include roles in activation, partnerships and wider commercial delivery.
Ian describes SGI’s retainer model as a flexible extension of a rights-holder’s internal sales team. It is particularly useful for smaller clubs and emerging properties that do not yet have the budget, timing or need to hire a full commercial team. Instead, SGI can plug in, help shape a strategy, find the right partners and build momentum until the property is ready to scale internally. Diego sums up one of the episode’s core messages neatly: too many clubs still think in terms of inventory only, selling shirt logos, hospitality boxes or LED boards, rather than understanding the commercial objectives of the brand in front of them. SGI’s value lies in bridging that gap and helping rights-holders think more like strategic partners than inventory sellers.
Key Moments
“Football will always be a huge part of our business… but it is crowded, and a lot of brands don’t want to align themselves with some of their competitors.”
“We needed to find what was in there for the brands, not just brand awareness… and we found it.”
“Long gone are the days where brands were happy with just sticking the logo on a shirt or shorts.”
“The activation side of a partnership is somewhere between 50 and 100% of what the actual partnership costs.”
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.
