Grow Your Community Sports Club

Hello I am

John Oates

Sports Club Growth Expert

I am a highly motivated consultant with a 25-year background within Sport. During that period, I have worked closely with Professional and community clubs alike. My commercial knowledge combined with my teaching and coaching experience has provided a unique outlook on how to develop sports clubs into vibrant and profitable 'businesses', and I've been fortunate enough to be acknowledged by industry professionals as a leading expert in this field.

About Me.

With over 25 years’ experience of working with sports clubs and governing bodies around the world, helping them become successful and grow I have learnt what works, which information is required and how to relate to people in the clubs.

Here's a few clubs and governing bodies I've helped...

England Cricket Board, SRU, Hong Kong Rugby, Football Association of Wales, Newcastle Falcons, Wigan Warriors, Heart of Midlothian, Premiership Rugby, Strathclyde Sirens and many more.

I know how stressful, tiring and difficult running a sports club can be having worked within a wide range of them including Newcastle Falcons, where I was recently headed up the commercial team at and as a volunteering in my local rugby club which I have done for many years.

Understanding the people in the clubs, recognising how much effort, dedication and care you put into their clubs helps me to support and relate to them. I know it’s much more than just a club to these people - it's a passion and a cause. The training resources I have, the consultancy I offer and the advice I give helps the workforce within the clubs bring success to their clubs

Contact Me

Services

I have been sharing my knowledge and experiences from over 20 years. Working to develop sports clubs (both professional and community base) with people in those clubs who want to make a difference

Community Sports Clubs

Volunteer Development:

Bite sized training videos
Ebook resource
Development
Video training courses
Volunteer digital guide book
Online Workshops

Community Sports Clubs

Governing Bodies:

Club development programmes
Workforce training
Consultancy
Development programmes

Semi-Professional Clubs

Strategic development consultancy
Work force training
Club development
Workshops

Professional Sport

Consultancy and workforce training - sales and marketing, commercial, community programme development, social media, culture and brand development, building attendances and event management

My Work

Here's three projects

WORKING WITH SPONSORS

RBS CLUB FORCE PROGRAMME

RBS asked me to develop a club development programme that could be delivered through workshops, templates, and a booklet for rugby club volunteers. The aim of the programme was to provide simple and straightforward learning materials that would support the volunteers in growing the clubs. Over two years I delivered over 30 workshops across England, Ireland, and Wales which were attended by a minimum of over 30 volunteers from the local clubs. The workshops were interactive and the templates, basic strategies and a booklet which summarised the workshops.

WORKING WITH GOVERNING BODIES

ECB COACHES ASSOCIATION

My role was to work with the ECB CA to a) ensure that every local CA was optimising the resources that it had using “best practice” examples b) to build up the resources that were available to the local CA groups so that they could increase their activity aimed at generating more members c) to provide national resources for the use of the local CA’s to make them more efficient in the work that they were involved with.

WORKING WITH PROFESSIONAL CLUBS

STRATHCLYDE SIRENS

Strathclyde Sirens one of the leading semi-professional netball teams in the UK. Their aim is to compete consistently for honours as well as playing a major role in the development of women’s sport in the UK. My role with them is to assist them in the development of a commercial strategy plus a community programme which would focus on growing and the promotion of netball in Scotland.

My Experience

Here are a few customers I've been privileged to help (in chronological order).

2019 - 2020

Newcastle Falcons

Commercial Manager
2018 - 2019

Newcastle Falcons

Consultant on European Cup Finals
2013 - 2017

Innoved

Sales Director for Sport Software Products
2003 - 2013

Pro Stream Sports Marketing

Managing Director
2001 - 2003

Premium TV (Ventures)

Commercial Director of our commercial rights with Newcastle United, Middlesbrough, Glasgow Rangers, Leicester City and Aston Villa
1999 - 2001

Premier Rugby

Head of Community Marketing and Programme Development

What Customers Say

I've been privileged to work with some wonderful clients over the years. Here are a few nice things they have said about my work

Mick Hogan

Event Director, European Club Rugby Finals 2019

John played a crucial role in the planning and delivery of the 2019 European Club Rugby Finals weekend in Newcastle. The event successfully staged the tournament’s first ever Trophy Tour which visited sixty local rugby clubs, schools, businesses, sporting events and community groups across the region. He also led on the sell out corporate hospitality programme and successfully delivered partners for the record-breaking Fan Village on Newcastle Quayside.

John has tremendous experience in all aspects of sports administration from community level all the way through to elite level world class events. His skill in how he blends both ends of this spectrum to enhance the other is unique and he was instrumental in the success of the Newcastle 2019 Finals.

Anya Higgins

Course Leader MA Sport Management, Faculty of Sport, Health & Social Sciences.

It’s been a pleasure to meet John Oates this year for the first time, and to introduce him to our postgraduate student cohort studying Sport Marketing at Solent University. John delivered a bespoke session for us focusing on sport sponsorship which was very well received by an international group of students.

Claire Nelson

CEO Netball Scotland & Strathclyde Sirens

We engaged John to help drive our commercial partnership strategy for Sirens. What he has bought to the business has been far more than this initial brief as he is helping to shape an organisational wide commercial strategy that will underpin and enable our growth as a sport and business. Easy to work with and highly experienced, John brings a wealth of expertise to his clients to help them to realise their commercial objectives.”

Honourable Clients

Here's a few of the clients I've helped over the years

Governing Bodies

Rugby Football Union, Football Association of Wales, Norwegian FA, English Cricket Board, SRU, Irish Rugby Football Union, Welsh Rugby Union, Lawn Tennis Association, British Wheelchair Basketball, Hong Kong Rugby, and Scottish Football Association

Professional and Semi-Professional Leagues

The Football League, Super League, Premiership Rugby, Qatar Football, Welsh Premier League, Norwegian FA, English Cricket Board, SRU, Irish Rugby Football Union, Welsh Rugby Union,

Football Clubs

Newcastle United, QPR, Middlesbrough, Glasgow Rangers, Southend United, Cheltenham Town, Leyton Orient, and Heart of Midlothian.

Rugby Union Clubs

London Wasps, Newcastle Falcons, Munster, Leinster, Sale Sharks, Harlequins Rugby League, Edinburgh

Rugby League Clubs

Leeds Rhinos, Wigan Warriors, Hull FC, Bradford Bulls, London Harlequins

Cricket Clubs

Durham Cricket, Northants Cricket, Yorkshire Cricket, Suffolk Cricket, Surrey CC

Netball Clubs

Strathclyde Sirens

Get In Touch

Drop me a line or give me a buzz and let's see how I can help your sports club, governing body or sports business.

john@getsportsupport.co.uk

07808 572 986