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GREAT BRANDS

CREATE DISTINCTION

BUILD BRANDS THAT CREATE COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

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BUILD BRANDS THAT CREATE COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE -

NOT JUST ATTENTION

CREATE ADVANTAGE

Brand strategy and senior marketing leadership for ambitious athletes, sports businesses and rights holders.

Find the right first step
Athlete? Free starter guide here

THE REAL PROBLEM

MORE MARKETING
IS NOT ALWAYS
THE ANSWER

Many athletes and sports businesses can build reach & awareness, but clarity is what converts.

When people cannot quickly understand who you are, what you stand for and why you matter, more content simply creates more noise. First Five helps you find the truth at the centre of the brand, turn it into distinction, and build the strategy around it.

Trusted Partners & Clients…

  • Nike logo with the word 'TEAM' below it, all in gray on a dark background.
  • RPA logo - athlete marketing partner
  • Kitlocker
  • Logo of the International Rugby Players Association featuring a stylized rugby ball and the organization's name.
  • A sports jersey with pink and blue geometric patterns and the text ''Black Girls Rock'' lies on green grass. The jersey features the logo of Black Girls Ruck, and pink Nike swoosh logos on the shoulders.
  • Two smiling girls standing against a brick wall, with a logo of a large stylized 'K' and the text 'Miss Kick Foundation' overlaid.
  • A woman wearing a light blue dress with a white headscarf, standing sideways with one hand on her hip, next to a painting of a rugby player in a white uniform holding a rugby ball.
  • Women playing basketball on an outdoor court during a tournament, with some players jumping for the ball near the hoop. The court has a logo that reads 'Ball Out 3x3 Championship 2021' and is set up with banners and a tent in the background.
  • Man in black athletic shirt lifting a kettlebell in front of a white brick wall
  • Logo of Women's Sports Alliance with black circular emblem and bold black text on a yellow background.
  • A youth football team in green jerseys with 'BIGKID' printed on them, posing outdoors on a football field. The team includes both boys and girls, with some kneeling and others standing, holding a football and wearing bright athletic shoes.
  • A woman in a sports jersey celebrating with a fist pump.
  • Logo of Black Prince Trust featuring stylized black and white face with closed eyes and the text 'Black Prince Trust' below, and website www.blackprincetrust.org.uk.
  • Group photo of female basketball players on an indoor court, wearing colorful jerseys, with a game timer and scoreboard in the background, and a 'LOVE BASKETBALL' logo at the bottom.
  • A female basketball player dribbling in a game, wearing a jersey with the logo 'Hoopity' and surrounded by spectators.
  • Logo of Middlesex Cricket featuring a blue crest with a crown on top, three stylized cricket bats inside, and the words 'Middlesex Cricket' below.
  • Woman with wavy blonde hair and glasses smiling while holding a shiny football with a red, white, and blue design.
  • A young woman standing beside a soccer goal on a lit outdoor field at night, smiling and looking up.
  • A female athlete smiling and holding a race bib, standing in front of a sponsored backdrop at the 2024 World Championships in Nice, wearing a sports bra and leggings with a medal around her neck.
More Clients

WHO WE HELP

DIFFERENT AMBITIONS.
SAME NEED FOR CLARITY

You do not need a generic agency solution. You need the right strategic support for the stage you are at & the opportunity ahead.

Young woman standing on a rugby field holding a rugby ball, wearing a black Nike hoodie, with leafless trees and goalpost in the background during overcast weather.

PRO-AM ATHLETES

Turn attention into commercial value, platform into purpose, and audience into opportunity - without compromising your identity.

Define Your Brand
Three people gathered around a laptop, looking at the screen, with a woman standing and leaning over to view.

START UPS & SCALE UPS

Unlock brand-fuelled growth with senior strategy and fractional leadership -
so vision becomes differentiation
and price stops being your only lever.

Unlock More
Crowd of spectators cheering in a stadium during a sports event, with many raising their fists and hands, and the field visible in the background under bright stadium lights.

RIGHTS HOLDERS

Leverage athlete-led culture to deepen
fan engagement, create meaningful commercial models, and future-proof
your organisation.

Create Impact

How We Can Work Together

Two men are standing in a gym, one is holding a laptop and speaking, while the other listens attentively in front of a whiteboard and weight plates.

Step 1 -
Finding Clarity

From your first discovery call, the goal is to reveal what is already true - what you have in your hands today but are struggling to see.

Your first solution is to begin with one of our frameworks, tools or guided lesson products to give you direction and momentum.

A man in a green jacket speaking into a microphone is seated at a table during a panel discussion. Two men in black shirts sit beside him, while a water bottle and glasses are on the table. In the background, a screen displays headshots and names of other panelists.

Step 2 -
Explore Strategic Options

Perhaps you already have some early brand strategy in place but need help growing, achieving a specific goal or creating separation?

It would then make sense to book a diagnostic or tactical sprint, to bring in a consultant for embedded leadership - choose what fits the stage you’re at.

Four men standing on a grassy field under a large umbrella, looking at a laptop together, with rain falling around them.

Step 3 -
Build With Confidence

When you’re growing at scale, you need experience, wisdom and tried and tested processes that fit your industry and market.

Here is when you need help to execute with retained senior thinking, internal alignment, and frameworks that scale with you.

Get Started
A man wearing a yellow hoodie and white pants sitting on a beige sofa, using a silver MacBook laptop and wearing headphones, in a well-lit room with large windows and green plants.

Check out the latest free tool:
Brand Outreach Templates

Yes Please!

FREE ATHLETE RESOURCES

Young man jumping in the air holding a basketball on colorful outdoor court with yellow, red, and blue sections.

Athlete Branding Starter Kit

People working together on a table covered with newspapers, photos, and notes, using pens to write or review documents, in a collaborative work environment.

Athlete Media Kit Template

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Athlete Monetisation Ideas

READ THE BLOG

Industry Insight
A coach giving instructions to a youth soccer team on a field, with the coach holding a laptop and the players listening around a soccer ball.

BIG-BRAND EXPERIENCE WITHOUT ALL THE
BIG-AGENCY HEADACHE

I spent more than a decade helping Nike build brands, communities and commercial relevance across sport. Now I bring that experience to people and organisations who need senior thinking without building a huge team around it.

Sometimes that means a practical brand audit or a short strategy sprint. Sometimes it means working alongside a leadership team as a fractional CMO. The format changes. The job does not: find clarity, make the important choices and turn strategy into action

Learn More