WePlay Appoints Barney Francis To Advisory Board

WePlay has appointed former Sky Sports Managing Director Barney Francis to its Advisory Board.

The performance marketing agency has tasked Francis – who spent ten years as MD of Sky Sports before becoming CEO of Comcast’s Future Sport division in 2019 – with ‘identifying global growth opportunities within sport’s changing landscape.’

“WePlay is a really exciting agency, purpose built for this new era in sports,” said Francis. 

“I’m a big fan of the ‘outcomes over outputs’ approach that sets WePlay apart from the old agency guard. This is becoming increasingly important at a time when marketers need to justify every cent of brand spend.”

The news comes after WePlay formed a new Board in 2019, following an initial round of investment. 

Francis will join as an advisor to that Board, which is chaired by Simon Cummins, Global Head of Odgers Berndtson’s sports, media & gaming practice, and featuring former World Athletics CEO Olivier Gers, former PureGym CFO Adam Bellamy, and Ten Entertainment Chairman, Nick Basing.

Cummins, said: “Barney is a terrific addition to the team, which speaks to the direction of travel – not only for WePlay but the sports industry at large. We are very fortunate to have someone of Barney’s standing to join our existing Board.”

Luca Massaro, CEO, WePlay, and Sport Industry NextGen Leader 2016, said: “It is absolutely fantastic to welcome someone of Barney’s experience, industry clout and knowledge to the WePlay team. 

“The shift towards OTT and other direct-to-consumer sports revenue streams is accelerating exponentially and we have seen it directly over the Covid period, with 220% growth in our OTT business, 140% in ecommerce and over 300% in digital sponsorship. We have aggressive growth plans to expand internationally and I firmly believe that Barney can help us to achieve our ambitions for the future, building on a proud track record of year-on-year growth since the agency’s inception.”

The London-based agency, which also counts offices in Paris and Madrid, services clients such as FIFA, LaLiga, and AC Milan, and has recently added the European Club Association to its roster.

Sport Industry Group spoke to Francis about the post-Covid sporting landscape, and the future of sports marketing. Read more here.