Beyond the Pitch: The Impact & Growth of Football Brands

As Head of Commercial Partnerships, Annabelle oversees partnership strategy and operations for Manchester City Women. Since becoming the first member of the team in 2022, Annabelle has curated and operated a world-class and groundbreaking commercial approach for Manchester City Women’s football team. With a focus on women-first and social value partnerships, she secured the first commercial naming rights deal for a Women’s Super League (WSL) stadium and delivered a global first when City announced an Official Period Underwear Partner in 2025. Annabelle also sealed a partnership with The Fold – marking the first collaboration between a football club and a British womenswear brand.

Under her leadership, the partnerships team has secured women’s-only deals with Joie, snuggs, Hytro, and Revolut, and has delivered world-class content and activations for each.

Prior to joining Manchester City Women, Annabelle spent 3 years at the Mercedes Formula 1 team, where she gained valuable experience in elite-level sports commercial strategy.

Danielle Sarver Coombs, Ph.D. is an associate professor at Ravensbourne University London. She has published widely in areas related to sports, politics, and the politics of sport, particularly within areas related to gender and fandom. Most recently, Danielle co-edited two editions on the 2023 Women’s World Cup (both with Routledge/Taylor & Francis, 2025), one with a focus on media and the other on politics and society. The second edition of Danielle’s consumer-insights textbook will be published by Bloomsbury in 2026.

Francesca Brown epitomises resilience and empowerment, emerging as a beacon of hope for marginali sed girls and young women across the UK. As a devoted mother of two, her journey from a promising football career cut short by injury to becoming a dynamic force in youth work and advocacy speaks volumes about the transformative power of perseverance and determination.

Recognised as an inspirational sporting figure and an award -winning international speaker, Francesca\'s influence transcends sports. She is a tireless activist, Princes Trust ambassador, and the visionary behind the Goals4Girls development program, dedicated to uplifting young women. Francesca has become a global authority on sport for development, women in sports, and female leadership, earning accolades such as the Prince\'s Trust Pride of Britain award and the Football Blacklist award.

Her impactful presentations champion the empowerment of women across various domains, inspiring positive change and fostering inclusivity and resilience. Through Goals4Girls, Francesca has impacted over 2000 young women, providing therapeutic mentoring, football coaching, and educational opportunities. The unveiling of her statue symbolises her dedication to breaking barriers and inspiring future generations.

Goals4Girls stands as the UK\'s leading girls sports and education program, a testament to Francesca\'s vision and leadership. Collaborating with Premier League clubs and influential figures like Billie Jean King, Francesca advocates for gender equality in sports and education, reshaping the narrative surrounding girls\' participation in sports.

Peter Silverstone joined Newcastle United as Chief Commercial Officer in 2022 and has played a pivotal role in driving transformative commercial growth. The club has secured high-profile partnerships with global brands such as adidas and pioneering destination and experiences organisation, Sela.

Under Peter’s leadership, Newcastle United has launched several new departments, including its in-house Retail and Licensing business. He has also overseen the expansion of Brand, Marketing and Digital Media operations, helping to grow the club’s global fanbase and unlock new commercial opportunities.

With over two decades of experience in football’s commercial landscape, Peter previously served as Chief Commercial Officer at Arsenal FC and held senior roles at OneFootball and Pitch International.

As Head of Partnership Insights & Performance at Liverpool FC, Mike leads the club’s strategy for demonstrating ROI to both current and prospective partners through data-led insights. Since joining the club, he has embedded an objective-driven performance framework that ensures all partnership activations deliver measurable business impact for both the brand and Liverpool FC. Mike oversees reporting and performance optimisation across Liverpool’s global partner portfolio, helping brands maximise the value of their rights and deepening long-term strategic alignment.

Mike has a background as a Chartered Accountant and previously worked in media consulting and private equity advisory, supporting clients across the media, sport, and entertainment landscape. Finally, he is also a passionate sportsman having previously represented Barbados in rugby sevens at the Commonwealth Games.

James is one of Fuse's leading partnership consultants, with 15 years experience negotiating & managing award-winning partnerships for the likes of Vodafone, Google, Chase, Nissan and Santander. In his role as Managing Partner, he is responsible for some of Fuse's highest profile client & rights holder relationships, as well as evolving the agency's market-leading offering in the partnerships space.

David is the Chairman of Brand Finance Plc – the world’s leading brand valuation consultancy. He has worked in the area of branded business, brand, and intangible asset valuation since 1991. He specialised entirely in the field after becoming the Director of Brand Valuation for Interbrand in 1995. He subsequently left Interbrand in 1996 to launch Brand Finance which is celebrating 25 years in business this year.

David represented the British Standards Institution in the working parties responsible for crafting international industry standards: ISO 10668 on Brand Valuation in 2010 and ISO 20671 on Brand Evaluation in 2019.

David is a passionate writer and has authored many articles on brand valuation, published in numerous marketing and finance newspapers and magazines, such as: Financial Times, Accountancy Age, and Marketing Week. He has also lectured on the topic of brand valuation for Harvard, Chicago, and London Business Schools.

David graduated from Bristol University with an English degree, qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Price Waterhouse in London, and obtained a postgraduate diploma in Marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM). He is a Fellow of The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and has a practising certificate with the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW).

Hugo Hensley is an expert in the business of sport and sponsorship, and has led Brand Finance’s services in this area for 4 years. Hugo has worked with the likes of Liverpool FC, Real Madrid, and Mercedes F1 to help them understand the value of their brands and calculate the value they create for partners through sponsorship. Hugo leads Brand Finance’s research studies into the value of sporting brands around the world, and the fan research studies that form the foundation of these insights. 

Hugo has contributed insights and commentary to print and broadcast media, as well as podcasts and industry journals, including The Economist, Bloomberg, BBC World News and WARC (World Advertising Research Centre). Hugo has lectured on the business of sport, branding in sport, and sponsorship return on investment at EmLyon Business School and UNSW Business School. 

Hugo qualified as a chartered accountant with Brand Finance, after graduating from Oxford University with a Masters in Engineering. 

Scott specialises in sports sponsorship consultancy for corporate brands and rightsholders; encompassing brand valuation, business impact modelling, sponsorship strategy and sponsorship return on investment.

Scott is part of Brand Finance's Sports Services team, supporting on sports-specific projects and the Football 50 league tables. The team actively engage project teams to provide and execute bespoke bolt-on and/or independent sports services for existing clients who have a sports sponsorship portfolio.

Previous experience across sports and entertainment sponsorship has involved notable clients including PepsiCo (UEFA), British Gas (BOA/BPA, SRU), Vodafone (Wimbledon), Compare the Market (ECB), Activision Blizzard and BAFTA.

Scott holds a BSc in Management from the London School of Economics and a MSc in Sport Policy, Management & International Development from the University of Edinburgh.