Footballco Appoints Former New York Times Md

Football content and media company Footballco has appointed former Managing Director, EMEA, the New York Times, Sarah Thorpe as Global SVP of Sales and Partnerships.

Footballco – which was formed in November 2020 following investment from Integrated Media Company (IMC), an affiliate of US private equity giant TPG – owns football publisher Goal, as well as German and Dutch-language sites Spox and Voetbalzone. Prior to last year’s investment, the publishers were part of DAZN Group, which is now a minority stakeholder in Footballco.

Thorpe is based in the UK, where she has worked for three years, since leaving New York in 2018, and prior to her stint at the New York Times, she held roles with CNBC, Forbes, and began her career in investment banking at Credit Suisse.

In her new role at Footballco, she will be responsible for the management and growth of the company’s sales revenue and diversifying its income streams by broadening relationships with existing and new global clients, with a focus on creative content partnerships. 

She will report to Footballco President, Stefano D’Anna.

“During my time with the New York Times I was fortunate enough to witness and be part of the digital evolution of one of the most respected brands in news media, which provided exciting opportunities to help many of the most important and innovative advertisers in the world through content and innovation partnerships,” said Thorpe. 

“Footballco presented an attractive opportunity to play a role in the formation of a new and exciting company which, through a combination of inspiring people and the backing of TPG, is going to change the way brands engage with football fans.”

D’Anna added: “Sarah is a high calibre individual and a strong addition to the Footballco leadership team. 

“Her appointment is an indicator of our new approach and the overall direction we’re heading.”

Thorpe’s appointment follows a number of hires at Footballco, which have included James Lamon – who joined as SVP of Content and Creative from Buzzfeed – and former Publicis Poke Creative Director, Pete Liffen, who was appointed as Executive Creative Director.