Eleven Sports Media, the Manchester-based hyperlocal sports marketing agency, has appointed John Clark as executive advisor for North America.
A former senior executive at Fenway Sports Management (FSM) with nearly 30 years of experience in sports, media, and entertainment, Clark will advise Eleven’s leadership on commercial strategy, enterprise partnerships and US go-to-market plans, as the business scales its footprint across major US leagues.
Clark spent more than a decade in senior leadership roles at FSM, leading revenue-generating business development programmes for the Boston Red Sox, Liverpool FC, Pittsburgh Penguins, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing, and Fenway Park events. He also oversaw the brand consulting practice and supported property clients such as LeBron James.
Earlier, he held roles with Madison Square Garden, the Miami Dolphins, and the Houston Rockets, driving sponsorship growth and revenue.
The appointment follows a period of strong stateside momentum for Eleven, including new US partnerships with NFL sides Miami Dolphins, Baltimore Ravens and Denver Broncos, in addition to existing partnerships with other leading teams in the National Football League (NFL), National Basketball Association (NBA), National Hockey League (NHL) and Major League Soccer (MLS). Eleven is now working with 20 leading US teams across the four professional sports leagues. The recent partnership wins continue Eleven’s growth in North America, following investment from BGF, one of the most active growth capital investors in the UK and Ireland, in 2024.
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Eleven’s model helps local businesses partner with elite teams through in-venue media, content and community programmes, working with some of the biggest names in sport across the UK, Europe and the US. Plans for 2026 include launching in the burgeoning US college sports market, as well as supporting more rightsholders across leagues in the US with Eleven’s gameday content software solution.
Matt Cairns, Founder & CEO, Eleven, said: “John’s track record building enterprise partnerships across some of the world’s best-known sports organisations makes him a powerful addition to our US journey. As we continue to work with teams from every major sports league and get ready to enter the college sports market, his experience will be invaluable in helping us to deliver real impact for not just rightsholders, but the sports fans and their communities that we work with.
“John shares our ambition of using the power of sport to support the local business market, so we can’t wait to build on that together, empowering small and medium-sized businesses alongside global brands to build deeper connections with hyperlocal audiences.”
Clark added: “I’m excited to join Eleven Sports Media as an Executive Advisor. Eleven provides a unique solution for major sports and entertainment organisations by helping them unlock greater value from their local and regional businesses, while seamlessly integrating them into broader sponsor portfolios.
“Their cutting-edge technology not only transforms the in-venue experience for fans but also delivers incredible value for the business partners who join the Eleven platform. I look forward to contributing to their mission of elevating both the fan experience and the communities that support it.”
Josh Bean, investor at BGF, concluded: “Eleven’s international expansion goes from strength-to-strength as the business continues to invest for growth. It’s a real success story of a North West business delivering against its global ambitions.
“We’re proud to see BGF’s patient capital model, value creation offering and experience of helping entrepreneurial businesses expand globally helping to unlock this potential.”
