Netball’s growing commercial appeal is in sharp focus as London Pulse strikes a landmark partnership with Eleven Sports Media, backed by underwriting specialist Sela. In a deal that underscores how data-led fan engagement is reshaping sponsorship in women’s sport, the Vitality Netball Superleague club will tap into Eleven’s community-driven media platforms and Sela’s global rights expertise to elevate its visibility on and off the court. This latest move, highlighted in Sport Industry Group’s “Shorts” series, offers a snapshot of how innovative rights holders and brands are beginning to reframe netball not as a niche pursuit, but as a compelling property in the wider sports business landscape.
Inside the strategic partnership between Sela and Eleven Sports Media for London Pulse Netball
In a move that underlines netball’s rising commercial value, Sela has joined forces with Eleven Sports Media to embed premium, football-style partnership infrastructure into London Pulse’s matchday experience at the Copper Box Arena. The collaboration blends Sela’s global rights and fan-engagement expertise with Eleven’s community-driven digital platforms, creating a data-led ecosystem that elevates sponsor visibility while keeping the Pulse fan firmly at the centre. Dynamic LED displays,integrated social content,and bespoke partner storytelling are being aligned to key fan touchpoints – pre-game,in-game and post-game – turning each fixture into a live content environment rather than a traditional matchday.
For London Pulse, the alignment is as much about long-term sustainability as short-term impact. By using Eleven’s audience insight tools and Sela’s brand network, the club can build tailored campaigns for partners seeking deeper engagement with London’s diverse sporting audience. The partnership prioritises:
- Enhanced in-venue visibility through synchronised digital signage
- Content-rich partner activations across social and web channels
- Community-driven storytelling focused on women’s sport in the capital
- Scalable commercial assets designed to attract non-traditional netball sponsors
| Partner | Core Role | Key Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Sela | Global rights & brand strategy | Premiumised netball proposition |
| Eleven Sports Media | Fan data & digital platforms | Measurable sponsor engagement |
| London Pulse | Elite performance & community reach | Stronger, diversified revenue base |
How data driven fan engagement is reshaping the London Pulse matchday experience
Inside the Copper Box, every cheer, tap and scroll is now a signal.London Pulse, working with Sela and Eleven Sports Media, are stitching live fan behavior into the fabric of the event, using real-time dashboards to understand who is in the arena, what they care about and how they move through the matchday. Push notifications adapt to crowd mood, LED perimeter boards pivot mid-quarter to highlight the stats fans are obsessing over, and half-time content is shaped by the most-clicked storylines from the first 30 minutes of play. The result is a venue that behaves less like a static stage and more like a responsive screen, tuned to the rhythm of its audience.
- Real-time content triggers powered by in-bowl engagement data
- Personalised offers based on ticket history and live app interactions
- Dynamic partner messaging aligned with fan sentiment and game state
- Integrated social feeds that surface fan posts as they gain traction
| Touchpoint | Data Signal | Fan Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-game app hub | Session log-ins & clicks | Tailored previews & seat-specific guides |
| In-bowl LEDs | Live noise levels | Reactive hype moments & gamified chants |
| Concourse screens | Footfall heatmaps | Smarter queuing & targeted F&B offers |
| Post-game wrap | Engagement recap | Personal highlight reels & rewards |
What emerges is a feedback loop that extends far beyond the final whistle. Behavioural insights from one fixture feed directly into the next, sharpening everything from soundtrack choices to sponsor activations. For London Pulse, this is not just about filling seats; it is about crafting a living ecosystem in which fans feel recognised, partners gain measurable value and the matchday narrative evolves in step with the people experiencing it in real time.
Commercial opportunities and brand integration lessons from the London Pulse case study
London Pulse’s collaboration with Sela and Eleven Sports Media turns a traditional club-partner relationship into a live laboratory for commercial innovation. Instead of limiting exposure to static logos, brands are woven into the fan journey: from dynamic LED messaging that adapts to match context, to data-led storytelling segments that spotlight player performance alongside sponsor narratives. This integrated approach helps partners move beyond awareness into measurable engagement,capturing fan interactions across broadcast,social,and in-arena touchpoints,and using those insights to refine campaigns in real time.
Key lessons emerging from this case show how netball – often seen as a challenger property – can punch above its weight in the sponsorship market by pairing authenticity with smart tech. Rights holders are learning to package inventory in modular, flexible formats that suit different brand objectives, while maintaining a coherent visual identity for the club. For brands, the project underlines the value of aligning with purpose-led, community-centric teams: the London Pulse platform offers access not just to matchday audiences, but to schools, grassroots programmes, and digital fan communities that crave content with real meaning.
- Dynamic signage: Contextual LED and digital overlays tied to match moments.
- Data-driven storytelling: Branded stats, heat maps and performance insights.
- Community-first activations: Sponsor presence across academies and outreach.
- Modular rights packages: Scalable assets for local, national and global brands.
| Asset | Brand Benefit | Pulse Example |
|---|---|---|
| In-bowl LED | Real-time visibility | Momentum messages during scoring runs |
| Second-screen content | Digital engagement | Branded match insights on social clips |
| Community programmes | Purpose alignment | Partner-branded talent ID clinics |
| Hospitality & B2B | Network building | Matchday suites for partner deal-making |
Recommendations for rights holders seeking to replicate the Sela and Eleven Sports Media model
Rights holders eager to emulate this blueprint should begin by clarifying their value proposition to both fans and brands, then architecting partnerships around shared growth rather than simple sponsorship inventory. That means building a data-informed understanding of fan behaviour, using insight to design assets that live across venue, broadcast and digital. It also means inviting partners into the storytelling process, not just the signage plan – aligning creative, community and commercial objectives from day one. Consider a modular rights structure that can flex to different brand tiers without diluting the core identity of the club or event.
- Prioritise insight: invest in fan data, surveys and digital analytics.
- Design for multi-channel: in-venue LEDs, social video, short-form content and community touchpoints.
- Build hybrid teams: rights holder staff working side by side with activation specialists.
- Measure impact: track outcomes beyond impressions – engagement, sentiment, participation.
| Focus Area | Action | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Fan Insight | Map key fan segments | Sharper targeting |
| Partner Fit | Align values and audiences | More authentic activations |
| Content | Co-create short-form series | Always-on visibility |
| Community | Integrate grassroots programmes | Deeper local relevance |
At an operational level, the model works best when rights holders treat partners like long-term collaborators rather than short-term advertisers. Establish joint KPIs, shared dashboards and regular creative workshops to ensure campaigns stay responsive to fan feedback and performance data. Be prepared to test,learn and iterate on formats – from dynamic in-bowl content to micro-sponsorships within social clips – while maintaining a clear editorial voice. This approach turns sponsorship into a living ecosystem: one where brands, fans and teams all see tangible value from every appearance, activation and share.
In Retrospect
As the dust settles on this latest flurry of rights announcements and brand activations, one thing is clear: properties like Sela’s expanding portfolio, Eleven Sports Media’s community-first model, and London Pulse’s ascent within netball are not isolated stories, but markers of a shifting landscape. Rights-holders are thinking harder about how they connect, brands are demanding sharper narratives, and emergent platforms are challenging traditional hierarchies.
These shorts capture a sector in motion rather than at rest. From venue-led experience to hyper-local sponsorship and the elevation of women’s sport, each development underlines how innovation is now a prerequisite, not a bonus, in sport’s commercial ecosystem. The coming months will show whether these partnerships can convert early momentum into lasting value-but for now, they stand as clear signals of where the sport industry is heading next.
