🥳 20 Years of Catch Sport: A Two-Part Thank You

🥇 Part 1: The Athlete’s Mindset: From Fencing Piste to Olympic Launchpad (2003–2012)

Two Decades of Adaptability, Trust, and Athlete Focus

Two decades haven’t exactly flown by but they have gone quicker than I ever imagined. Writing a mini-memoir like this was daunting, though it quickly became clear that this story isn't about the what of Catch Sport but the who.

Catch Sport was founded by an athlete, for athletes. It was created by a former international fencer who understood the athlete's struggle. Crucially, I’d developed essential sales, marketing, and communications skills outside of sport that allowed me to create solutions that have consistently benefitted our clients.

Our ability to adapt over two decades—from a tech start-up to a leading communications consultancy—has been a major pillar in the company's success. But not as much as its desire to build lasting and mutually beneficial client relationships, built on trust and honesty. As part of our celebrations, a brand new service will be launched this Friday aimed, as always, to benefit athletes by helping them transition into professional broadcasting.

This is the story of how we got here and a sincere thank you to everyone who helped roll the dice along the way.

The Early Pillars of Support (2003)

My first thanks must go back to the foundations that allowed me to balance sport, education, and work. My international athletic career ended (sort of) in 2003. I must first offer a huge thank you to my parents for their tireless support, both on and off the piste. I also need to thank Brentwood School for a solid education and, crucially, the communication skills I would later rely on every single day, and the University of Surrey (Roehampton Institute), for supporting my regular sports-related disappearances. I also spent five years working at Computacenter. The sales and marketing training they provided me with on-the-job set me up for the hurdles ahead. Despite everything they taught me, I simply couldn’t see a future that was right for me there and I resigned the same day I quit fencing.

The Spark in East Africa (2004)

I was left with an "oh sh*t" moment. Taking my savings, I travelled, figuring I'd just find a job—any job—when I returned. Then, on a beach somewhere in East Africa, the idea came to me: take the tech from online dating and apply it to the sport sponsorship world. The idea had to be revolutionary: free to athletes from minority sports, with clients paying a fixed-fee to search for and sign-up athletes. An intense research period followed, fuelled by my excitement, despite the dial-up internet of the region!

The Launch & The Grind (2005–2009)

On returning to the UK, I took a contract at Corporate Games (thanks for the fun and learning about multi-sport events) to earn money. After sleeping on friend's sofas, trying to fault my idea, and coaching, I was nearly ready. My next thanks go to Marc and Jo, my generous friends and landlords who gave me a coaching job that partially paid my way.

My focus required a major personal decision: moving home to lean on my parents again. Set up in my old bedroom, Catch Sport was born, incorporated on November 28, 2005.

The early days were tough and lonely but I could dig deep into the resilience my sport had taught me and a failure to accept defeat. I filled the revenue gap with small “learn-on-the-job” jobs for governing bodies.

The 2012 Catalyst and The Breakthrough Deal

Then came the first landmark moment: the announcement that London would host the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Suddenly, so-called “minority” sport was front and centre. I hit the phone hard, relentless in my belief.

My “office” phone didn't ring much, so when it did, I’d consciously let it ring a few times to steady my nerves! The call was from Pete Gardner from the British Athletes Commission. After we met, every Lottery Funded athlete was included in the Catch Sport database. Thank you, Pete. It was a brave and bold move built on trust and the leg-up that truly launched Catch Sport.

It is with pride that we could eventually boast many clients but the true satisfaction came from getting significant money into the hands of athletes. Special thanks go to our standout supporters: Paul Simon (BT), sponsors of multiple athletes; the many divisions of Lloyds Banking Group across the UK and Adrian White (IHG) who used our athlete appearance service; and a now dear friend, Grant Horan (Global Games Sport), who partnered with us on event management and now successfully runs The Great British Sports Show.

The Unexpected Pivot (2011)

Before the Games I maintained a media contract with British Fencing. One year before London 2012, they hosted the European Championships in Sheffield. I took on the role of managing the Media and Comms department under the fantastic John Timms (MLS)—thanks for teaching me to stay calm under pressure.

With less than two weeks to go, I suggested we livestream the event. 36 hours before the start, I realised I hadn't arranged commentary! I had to do it. Fifteen seconds in, I thought: “I love this.” The complete pivot in the company’s direction had begun.

Read Part 2 of our journey of thanks tomorrow.