Smooth Sailing: How SailGP is Cleverly Navigating Sponsorship Landscape ⛵️
The future of sports sponsorship belongs to those willing to embrace change. SailGP, guided by purpose, offers a glimpse of that future already taking shape.
30 April 2025
In sport, as in life, many assume that size determines significance. The bigger the league, the greater the reach. The older the institution, the deeper the commercial roots. Occasionally though, a newcomer shapes the landscape through clarity, conviction, and smart design rather than tradition.
SailGP fits that mould. Launched in 2018, it is a high-speed sailing league built on foiling catamarans that glide across the water at over 60 miles per hour. Yet some of its most impressive acceleration has taken place off the water.
In only a few seasons, SailGP has attracted a sponsorship portfolio featuring Rolex, Emirates, DP World, Cognizant, Accor, and Mubadala. These are brands often aligned with global sporting giants like Formula 1, yet they have chosen to back a league still early in its journey.
“In my view, that [Rolex deal] was very much a coming of age for us,” said SailGP Managing Director Andy Thompson on the Sports Pundit Podcast. “We understand the responsibility that comes with a brand like that, but it also pushes us forward.”
This goes far beyond simple brand alignment. It reflects a deeper shift in how sports properties can work with commercial partners. SailGP avoids recycling traditional formats. It places values and flexibility at the centre of its approach. Each deal is crafted with intention and relevance.
While many leagues rely on rigid sponsorship tiers or standardised asset bundles, SailGP builds relationships around tailored access and bespoke activations. This has become one of its defining strengths.
“As a new property, you can provide a more bespoke set of rights for partners,” Thompson explained. “We’ve been able to tailor hospitality experiences and curate content that really enables partners to activate in the right way.”
This approach has resonated with brands that prioritise B2B outcomes. Partnerships are shaped to meet objectives around business development, athlete interaction, or storytelling through content.
“We’re rubbing shoulders now with major championships in golf and tennis,” Thompson said. “That’s where we see ourselves, and it’s how we’ve built our proposition.”
Perhaps the most distinctive feature of SailGP’s model lies in the way partners move between team and league assets. In other sports, brands often face a binary choice. Here, the pathway can shift over time.
Emirates began by supporting the British team. As further opportunities emerged, the brand expanded involvement to league level. Accor followed a similar path, starting with the French team and later scaling up. Meanwhile, Mubadala entered as a global league partner before choosing to take on title sponsorship of the Brazilian team, gaining a more ownable and narrative-driven asset in the process.
“It’s not been a concerted strategy,” Thompson said. “But it’s something that’s evolved, and it works.”
The same dynamic can also be seen in Formula 1. Earlier this year, Santander shifted its sponsorship from Ferrari to the central F1 property, before also agreeing a deal with Carlos Sainz’s new team, Williams.
“Sponsors are aligning to teams to get that access to athletes and the team,” Thompson explained, “but also [looking for] a broader set of rights in the league.”
Alongside this fluid structure, SailGP is also building one of the most data-rich ecosystems in professional sport. Each boat generates over six billion data points per season. The organisation supports this with a dedicated data science team, focused on both performance and commercial insight.
“We have a strong data science team, one side focused on the boats, the other on commercial,” Thompson said. “And the data is only as good as the analysis you can do.”
This analytical mindset carries through to audience strategy. With support from Oracle, SailGP is developing a CRM to understand and engage fans more deeply. From ticketing to giveaways to digital touchpoints, the league is creating a more direct connection with its community.
“Why should fans sign up?” Thompson asked. “Tickets, giveaways, exclusive access. That’s how we build depth, not just reach.”
SailGP shows how emerging properties can compete at the highest level by remaining agile and focused. Its sponsorship model feels current and responsive. It’s flexible in design, driven by values, and backed by precision.
Rather than inherit old systems, SailGP has created new ones. The league stands as a case study in how to grow a premium sports property through intelligent structure, thoughtful partnerships, and a clear sense of identity.
The future of sports sponsorship belongs to those willing to embrace change. SailGP, aptly powered by its self-generated momentum and guided by purpose, offers a glimpse of that future already taking shape.