London, Monday 16th November – TaP Sports, a new global consultancy for the sports industry launches today, providing athlete management and brand & entertainment consultancy for the sports industry.
Founded by 2020 Music Week Manager of the Year Ben Mawson, co-founder of TaP Music (Lana Del Rey, Dua Lipa, Ellie Goulding, Dermot Kennedy and more), TaP Sports will offer services parallel to their successful music management entity, bringing expertise in profile building and positioning, as well as experience in crossing the fields of sport, music and entertainment. The business will focus on two main activities: offering consultancy and creative marketing services for clubs and other sports entities, plus strategic athlete brand and commercial management.
TaP Sports will be headed by Managing Director Zoe Prothero. Zoe has worked on a number of campaigns in football and sport from UEFA European Championships and FIFA World Cup whilst at Coca-Cola to the UEFA Champions League and Premier League when at Fuse. She most recently held a senior commercial role at ABB FIA Formula E. Prothero and Mawson previously collaborated when Dua Lipa performed at the 2018 Champions League Final Opening Ceremony.
Initial clients of TaP Sports include English Premier League club Leeds United. TaP Sports’remit for Leeds spans across marketing, social media and media engagement, as well as commercial partnerships.
Athlete management will also be a key part of TaP Sports’ work, supporting football agents andtheir players to secure brand partnerships and social media/ PR management. TaP is delighted to welcome Kalvin Phillips as their first athlete client. Leeds United’s homegrown hero and talismanic midfielder has been instrumental in Leeds United’s return to the Premier League andis now a regular part of the England national team.
Another initial project for TaP will be the release of the soundtrack for an upcomingdocumentary spanning Liverpool FC’s title winning season which includes a Lana Del Reyrecording of anthem ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’. This will be a charity project in support of Liverpool FC’s Foundation.
TaP Sports will offer clients four core services:
A brand partnerships division, specialising in lifestyle brands and fashion, will work alongside world class content, social media and publicity departments.
Social media services will be provided by TaP’s existing digital and social team, offering 24- hour service (with offices in LA and London) and supporting clients with management of their social channels, as well as specialising in maximising opportunity with new digital platforms like TikTok and Twitch.
Content will be created in house via a strategic partnership with leading football creativeagency (and award winning magazine) MUNDIAL, who will work closely with TaP’s London office.
Publicity for TaP Sports clients will focus on non-sporting press – taking clients beyond the sports media – and will be managed by Carl Fysh, Lottie Lander and Thom Denson, who each hold TaP Sports internal roles in tandem with their existing roles at SATELLITE 414. SATELLITE414 is an international publicity company with a roster that includes Beyonce, Dua Lipa, Dave, Adele, Diplo and many more. Their experience in sport includes a successful five year profiling project with Formula 1 superstar Lewis Hamilton.
Speaking of the launch of TaP Sports, founder Ben Mawson says: “I am excited to launch TaPSports with an incredible team alongside me, who all lead their respective industries. We hold the belief that there is much synergy between entertainment and sports and an often missed opportunity to grow audiences worldwide. We want to work closely with the best agents and best players and help them build their profile and commercial value. We will work strategically on the brand endorsement side, rather than just transactionally and help players become cultural icons, building brands with a reach far beyond the pitch. I’m especially excited to beworking with Kalvin Phillips, such an incredible player at such an exciting time in his career”.
Billy Hogan, Chief Executive, Liverpool FC “Lana Del Rey’s beautiful rendition of You’ll Never Walk Alone in support of the LFC Foundation is a huge moment for the club’s official charity andit was great working so closely with TaP Sports on that project. It feels incredibly poignant that in such a challenging year for so many that a globally renowned artist such as Lana can help tosupport the work the club is doing in our communities.”
Angus Kinnear, Chief Executive, Leeds United FC: “Following our promotion to the Premier League we have many new and exciting opportunities to engage and grow our fanbase across the UK and internationally. We look forward to working with the team at TaP to help us deliver against these off-field ambitions.”
Kevin Sharp, Palm Sports Agency: “We’re very happy to welcome TaP Sports to team Kalvin. They have already shown themselves to be great partners and a valuable extension to theteam.”
