Eleven Sports Media Banks Major Investment

Eleven Sports Media has secured multi-million-pound investment from UK private equity firm BGF.

BGF has described its investment in Eleven Sports Media, an agency with offices in Blackpool and Manchester, as an attempt to ‘supercharge international growth and increase Eleven’s foothold in the US market.’

Following the new injection of cash, Eleven Sports Media plans to make strategic hires in the US to support the opening of an office in Charlotte, USA in 2025, as well as continuing to grow its Manchester team.

Eleven first entered the US market by winning New York City FC in 2021, and the business has since added the NFL’s Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints and New York Jets in 2023. More recently, Eleven has attracted partners in the NBA and NHL with the wins of Milwaukee Bucks and New Jersey Devils this year. Work in the US now accounts for more than half of the business’ overall sales.

The deal, which was led by BGF investors Rhys Davenport and Josh Bean, will see Bean join the Eleven board.

Matt Cairns, Founder and CEO of Eleven, said, “We were looking for an investment partner that will add significant value to our business while allowing us to remain in control of the day-to-day direction. It was also important to us to find a culture fit and a team that we get along with – BGF ticked all of those boxes.

“We’ve been impressed throughout the deal process and we’re really excited about the future potential driven by our combined experience and networks. Our success to date is testament to the quality of team we’ve built and high performance culture we’ve nurtured and I’d like to thank everyone who has played a role in reaching today’s milestone.”

BGF investor, Rhys Davenport, added, “We’re excited to be backing such an impressive business, which has established itself as a market leader in the UK and gained rapid traction and opportunities in the US.

“We have a strong track record of working with business owners to help them scale internationally, so can add value through our experience and network. Building on the success in the US, we look forward to achieving this with Eleven and exploring more growth opportunities.”