The shake-up at Manchester United continues to ripple through the football business world.
A group of former executives who left the club following Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos’s takeover are now making waves in their own right.
Victoria Timpson, United’s former chief executive of global alliances and partnerships, has teamed up with ex-commercial director Florence Lafaye and Ali Edge, who previously worked under Timpson, to launch a new agency called Altius8.
Their aim? Helping sports teams and organisations boost commercial revenues.
Tottenham Enlists Altius8’s Expertise
The trio has already caught the eye of Tottenham Hotspur, with chairman Daniel Levy bringing them in to help drive new deals.
Their experience at United, where they were instrumental in securing partnerships with major companies like Snapdragon and TeamViewer, makes them highly sought-after.
Their work reportedly helped increase transfer budgets for Old Trafford managers, proving their business acumen.
Richard Arnold Enters the Rivalry
But they’re not the only former United stars taking the agency world by storm.
Richard Arnold, the ex-United chief executive who also left after Ratcliffe’s takeover, co-founded Red Tiger Marketing, assembling a team of former United colleagues including director of revenue strategy Laurence Miller and strategy manager Polly Adams.
Initially focused on finding sponsors for the 2026 Commonwealth Games, Arnold’s team can now also target football clubs after a non-compete from his United days expired.
“We started conversations with a number of teams, not just in the Premier League,” Arnold told Sports Business last week, signalling a potential showdown in sports marketing.
Premier League Communication List Raises Eyebrows
Meanwhile, back in the Premier League, a seemingly mundane update sparked debate across top-flight clubs.
A “club comms” contact list was sent out to mark the start of the new season—but the number of contacts varied wildly.
Brighton ended up with 17 names, while Manchester United listed just five.
The league declined to comment, but insiders say the figures aren’t directly comparable.
The league’s numbers include executive assistants, maternity cover, and all staff who might be contacted by club comms departments at any point.
Nevertheless, clubs are scrutinising the Premier League’s spending, particularly its £81m operating expenses for 2023-24, which includes costly legal battles with Manchester City and Chelsea.
Spiralling Legal Costs Concern Clubs
An unnamed club executive expressed frustration: “A lot of us are struggling to understand why the figure is so high.
Clubs often host two matches a week and multiple press conferences.
How many press conferences do the Premier League have to manage? How many players do they have to look after?”
With legal battles potentially costing over £200m, clubs are increasingly asking questions about transparency and efficiency at the league level.
Women’s Rugby World Cup Highlights Funding Issues
Sporting attention isn’t limited to football. The Women’s Rugby World Cup kicked off in Sunderland, with nearly 43,000 fans witnessing the Red Roses crush the United States.
Canada, ranked second in the world, hammered Fiji 65-7 in York, showcasing the sport’s elite level.
Yet behind the results, structural and commercial challenges remain.
Earlier this year, Canada Rugby had to crowdfund £530,000 just to provide extra resources for their campaign.
That a top-ranked team needs public donations highlights ongoing funding and organisational issues that could hamper the growth of women’s rugby globally.
Sky Sports Reporter Faces On-Pitch Blunder
Not all sports news is serious. Over in Germany, a Sky Sports reporter had an awkward encounter with Werder Bremen captain Marco Friedl.
After the match, the reporter asked if Bremen were happy with their win, only for Friedl—whose team had lost 4-1—to reply, “I’m a Werder Bremen player in case you don’t know,” following his shirt swap with Frankfurt goalkeeper Michael Zetter.
It’s a reminder that even in elite sport, mistakes can be hilariously human.
A Season of Change and Competition
From former Manchester United executives launching rival agencies to clubs questioning Premier League spending, and from women’s rugby funding crises to on-pitch media mishaps, the sports world is buzzing.
One thing is clear: the next season promises intrigue, both on and off the field.
