The Launch of The Football Collective

Henry Chappell, Founding Partner of Pitch Marketing Group 

There is no bigger event than the FIFA World Cup. It brings people together from all around the world, and creates a deluge of drama, excitement and emotion like nothing else. 

Because of this, it provides a unique global marketing opportunity for brands, federations and media organisations.

But this opportunity is not without its challenges.

Understanding the real passion that drives football fans for one.  Being able to deliver activations in the host country of a World Cup is another. 

Not to mention creating a distinctive marketing campaign that can work across multiple markets and cut through the clutter of rival brands, all of whom will be competing for attention on the world’s biggest pitch.

It is for these reasons that we decided to partner with SDIsports to form Football Collective. Together, we can provide holistic, turnkey marketing solutions to World Cup sponsors, sponsors of national teams, media companies and other brands seeking to reach audiences through football.

SDI has the local market expertise and resources in market in Qatar and North America. Whilst we have 20 years of experience creating and activating sponsorship campaigns in football for some of the world’s biggest brands.

It really is a case of 1 plus 1 equalling 3.

We are looking forward to both the opportunity and the challenge.

Nigel Scott, Chief Creative Officer at SDIsports 

When I first met Henry over 20 years ago, I never would have thought that one day we would be launching something as exciting at the Football Collective together, and yet here we are.  

Who can blame us, with the next two FIFA World Cup™ tournaments happening in our collective backyards of Qatar and North America?  There are no other agencies dedicated to the beautiful game that can say that, no other agencies that understand the three way relationship between fans, federations and football in quite the way we do (thanks in no small part to our Fanthropologist) and no other agency that can be relied upon to be culturally sensitive and creatively relevant when it comes to operating in Qatar.

As soon as the opportunity came about to establish an alliance, Henry & Pitch were my first and only choice as a partner.  I instinctively knew that I needed his kind of brain and the company’s knowledge and network to make this idea a reality.  Operating in Qatar is such a specialized role and SDI Sports needed a more global perspective to be able to deliver on the great opportunity that FIFA World Cup™ provides.

And so here we are, launching The Football Collective with two years to go until the main event.