Professional services firms recognised at Sport Industry Awards
The Sport Industry Awards has announced the six shortlisted firms for its annual ‘Professional Services Firm of the Year’ award. Among them are a diversity of consultancies, law firms, and architecture groups.
Founded in 2001, Sport Industry Group is a UK-based organisation which champions the national sport sector – supporting its global impact by bringing the industry together through editorial content, a network of influential figures from across the British and international sporting landscape, and major events. One of those is the Sport Industry Awards – attended by 1,700 high-profile guests from the British and international sport industry including business leaders, celebrities, sporting legends and media.
The Sport Industry Awards aims to celebrate the work done around the UK’s sport sector, whether it’s delivering events of all formats and scale, or using sport as a platform to drive social change. The event also promotes campaigns that have an ingenious creative spark which reverberates throughout the industry and beyond – and the companies behind them.
As with every other sector of the UK economy, the professional services industry is deeply intwined with the execution of sporting initiatives across the UK. To that end, the Sport Industry Awards’ 2024 shortlist has picked out six firms which have played a key role in sporting projects over the last 12 months.
Trivandi
Founded: 2012
UK headquarters: London
Headcount: 40
A global team of trusted industry experts, Trivandi leads the design, delivery and operations of major events and venues. With a multi-disciplinary team of experts, it provides strategy, commercial and sustainability advisory, architecture and project management, alongside operational services – with a goal to “make every venue and event better than the one before, leave a sustainable legacy and train local people to do what they do”.
Sheridans Sport
Founded: 1953
UK headquarters: London
Headcount: 200
Part of the wider Sheridans law firm, Sheridan Sports has become a leading legal services provider in women’s sport, and has played a key role in the commercial growth and maturity of the industry during 2023. The firm represents a number of the Lionesses squad along with athletes, rights holders, brands and organisations at the cutting edge of women’s sport. It has also maintained a position as one of the leading esports lawyers in Europe.
The Sports Consultancy
Founded: 2006
UK headquarters: London
Headcount: 50
The Sports Consultancy is a commercial advisory specialising in the sport sector. It provides a mix of management consultancy, commercial sales and negotiation and legal services. The Sports Consultancy combines business experience with real market international sports industry expertise and has built its services by understanding and adapting to the evolving needs of our clients. It has grown the business at over 30% a year for the last three years and invests heavily in equality, inclusion and diversity, as well as social causes.
Deloitte
Founded: 1845
UK headquarters: London
Headcount: 26,000
One of the world’s four largest professional services firms, Deloitte is a leading advisor to governing bodies, sports organisations, governments and investors – placing it in a prime position to chart the financial success of sport across Britain. In 2023, Deloitte delivered innovation and digital transformation programmes that supported elite international events and completed ambitious transactions. It invested in industry-leading research, activated ambitious partnerships in sport and expanded its teams. The Big Four firm also has a commitment to developing a sport industry which sparks significant societal and economic growth for generations to come.
Northridge Law
Founded: 2017
UK headquarters: London
Headcount: 30
Northridge is a professional services firm that is entirely dedicated to advising the sports industry on its most complex issues. Within six years of being established, it has more than doubled in size. In 2023, the law firm worked on Farhad Moshiri’s on-going sale his controlling stake in Everton, the FA’s restructure of elite women’s football in England, Al Nassr’s record-breaking acquisition of Cristiano Ronaldo and Newcastle United’s deals with adidas, Sela and its Amazon Prime documentary.
Populous
Founded: 1983
UK headquarters: London
Headcount: 1,000
Populous is a global architecture and design practice The firm’s services include architecture, interior design, event planning and overlay, branded environments, wayfinding and graphics, planning and urban design, landscape architecture, aviation and transport design, hotels and hospitality, and sustainable design consulting. Over the last 40 years, the practice has designed more than 3,000 projects worth £35 billion across emerging and established markets. Famous projects include the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Wembley Stadium, and the Climate Pledge Arena.
