RC&A Sports Management

In 1979, Richard Carpenter formed Sports Management Ltd to advise on and manage sponsorship and perimeter advertising solutions. Richard negotiated the first ever shirt sponsorship of a professional football club for Hitachi, at Liverpool FC. This concept was quickly followed by deals at Luton Town - Bedford Trucks and Everton - Hafnia. Within the first 5 years Sports Management Ltd had perimeter advertising contracts with 18 of the 24 First Division (now Premiership) Clubs, including Manchester United, Arsenal, Leeds United and Aston Villa.

In parallel with this growth a subsidiary was formed, Sports Management and Production Ltd to produce and manage the actual signage required. Richard still is a consultant to the company, which is arguably now the largest in its field worldwide.

RC&A Sports Management Ltd are official signage agents for The FA, and handles signage arrangements throughout the FA Premier League and the Football League, including the management of the Carling Cup (League Cup). In Europe Sports Management help to create the signage management of the UEFA Champions League and handles all European and British Athletics. In Rugby they are suppliers to Zurich Premiership Clubs, Octagon, and the European Cup (Heineken), The Powergen Shield and the Knockout Cup.

In 1986, the two operations became part of the Aegis Group of Advertising and Media companies still managed by Richard.

In 1992 with the formation of the FA Premier League Richard was offered the post of setting up the new League Commercial Operations. He was responsible for the sponsorship and commercial partnership model used today, introducing and managing sponsorships with Carling, McDonalds, Nestle, Wilkinson Sword, The Daily Telegraph and many others. He also coordinated corporate facilities for the Premiership clients and individual club promotional activity.

Richard Carpenter and Associates was formed in 1998 when Richard decided not to move into London to the Leagues new headquarters. Richard renewed his relationship with Sports Management, regained a significant number of perimeter advertising contracts with Premiership Clubs and formed a new association with the two other specialists in sports advertising Bermitz Advertising and Fox Advertising.

This association between the three businesses are official consultants and managing agents for The Football Association for all FA Cup activity, The Football League and Nationwide Building Society, and The Rugby League for all Super League, Cup Competitions and Internationals.

This association also holds agreements with 80% of the Premiership clubs and 85% of the Nationwide First Division for perimeter advertising. This means that delivery of perimeter advertising coverage is assured.

RC&A Sports Management Ltd was re-formed in April 2001 to compliment the perimeter advertising business. This part of the company now incorporates the more specialist business of organising and planning programmes of corporate hospitality and sponsorship for clients. Its core business is taking clients budgets and planning bespoke hospitality, promotions and events to suit marketing and sales objectives, to reduce wastage and ensure better opportunity to make budgets work more effectively.

RC&A Sports Management became part of the Formation Group Plc in September 2005 which widens the companies scope even further and together with the other Formation Group specialists in its field Fox Advertising and Active Sports Marketing can now secure even stronger access to sport.

RC&A Sports Management became part of the Formation Group Plc in September 2005 which widens the companies scope even further and together with the other Formation Group specialists in its field Fox Advertising and Active Sports Marketing can now secure even stronger access to sport.

Fox Rcanda Sports Management and Marketing is now a wholly owned subsidiary of SPORTFIVE GmbH & Co. KG, which is part of the SPORTFIVE Group, Europe's leading sports marketing agency. The SPORTFIVE Group covers the full range of the sports rights business, from stadium advertising and hospitality programmes to shirt sponsorships, stadium consulting and the sale of international TV rights. Football being the focus of the business of SPORTFIVE, the group markets the rights of more than 250 individual clubs, 30 football associations and several international leagues.