Former Arsenal Leads Launch Sports Marketing Agency, PinDrop, Kickstarting with Rangers FC as First Client

(London, UK – 07/12/2023) - Today marks the official launch of PinDrop, a holistic sports marketing agency founded by sponsorship and analytics specialists, Sean Thornley and Menino Pereira, who met whilst working in the commercial department of Arsenal F.C.

PinDrop is targeting two areas of sports sponsorship; collaborating with rightsholders to enhance commercial growth by implementing effective partnership sales strategies, strengthening analytics capabilities, and optimising rights packages. Simultaneously, PinDrop will work with brands, leveraging their extensive sponsorship knowledge to support on every aspect of their sports marketing journey, including identifying prime partnership opportunities, negotiating favourable terms, and implementing mechanisms to measure the success of their investment.

Menino Pereira on left, Sean Thornley on right

Co-Founder Sean Thornley is a former professional tennis player who competed twice in the doubles main draw at Wimbledon and represented Great Britain all over the world. Thornley transitioned into the business world in 2015. He most recently held the position of Business Development Lead at Arsenal and played a leading role in securing several strategic global partnerships during his tenure with the club.

Co-Founder, Menino Pereira, is an electronics engineer by trade and gained significant experience in consulting before making the switch to the commercial side of sport. He has spent over a decade working in three continents and built best in class strategy and data analytics functions for leading rightsholders, agencies and brands including Arsenal F.C, London 2012, Sportfive and Capgemini.

Together, Thornley and Pereira bring complimentary, diverse experience and expertise to the intersection of sports sponsorship, business development, and analytics. Their collaborative efforts extend beyond conventional boundaries, as evidenced by their leadership in shaping Arsenal's Web3 strategy over the past two years.

First Client Announcement, Rangers FC

PinDrop proudly announces its inaugural partnership with Rangers FC, where they will collaborate with the club to drive revenue growth through enhancing their partnership development and research function. This strategic relationship reflects PinDrop's commitment to position rightsholders to best serve the growing needs of modern brand demands.

Karim Virani, Chief Commercial Officer at Rangers FC said:

"PinDrop brings a unique and innovative perspective to partnership acquisition, and we're excited to be their first client. Their insights-driven approach aligns with our vision, which we will utilise in pursuit of elevating Rangers’ commercial growth.”

Sean Thornley, Co-Founder of PinDrop, said:

“We are thrilled to launch PinDrop's journey with one of the UK’s most iconic and historic football clubs, Rangers FC, as our first collaboration. The global popularity of Rangers, alongside its current partnership platform offers an attractive marketing solution for brands seeking domestic and international growth. We look forward to enhancing these robust foundations through empowering the club with advanced analytics and enriching their market position to further achieve their commercial objectives.”

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