Commercial Director

Soul Padel; Ormskirk; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

A growing sports organization based in the UK is seeking a Commercial Director to lead commercial strategy and partnerships. The ideal candidate will have experience in professional sports or high-growth consumer ventures. This hands-on role provides an opportunity to shape the future of padel, drive national expansion, and build a commercial engine from the ground up. Attractive salary package with equity opportunities involved.

Benefits

Equity opportunities

Autonomy in decision-making

Dynamic work environment

Qualifications

• Experience from professional sports teams or rights-holders.
• Experience in global sports events or major properties.
• Experience in high-growth sports or consumer ventures.
• Experience in elite athlete commercialisation.

Responsibilities

• Lead all commercial partnerships and sponsorships.
• Manage negotiations for retail, licensing, and equipment supply.
• Drive revenue at venue-level and through national sponsorship growth.
• Commercialise digital and data assets.
• Build propositions for Soul Padel sub-brands.
• Lead commercialisation for athletes and ambassadors.
• Support major events and activations.
• Define a strategic growth plan for the next three years.

Skills

Outstanding commercial and negotiation skills

Strong senior-level relationships

Ability to build a commercial strategy

High-level brand fluency

Data and digital awareness

Financial literacy

Job description

Commercial Director – Soul Padel

A senior, high-impact commercial leadership role in one of the UK’s fastest-growing sports

Reporting to: CEO

Salary: Negotiable

Location: Flexible

Overview

Soul Padel is on an ambitious growth journey to become the UK’s most dynamic and recognisable padel operator. We are now seeking a Commercial Director of exceptional calibre — someone proven in professional sport, major rights-holders, global sports events, or high-growth commercial ventures to design and deliver a commercial strategy that elevates the Soul Padel brand nationally and unlocks significant new revenue. This is a hands‑on, start‑up opportunity, not a corporate management role with a large team.

You will personally lead all commercial deal‑making, partnership creation, negotiation, activation and revenue delivery across the business. This is an opportunity to build the commercial engine of a sport experiencing explosive growth — and to create a lasting legacy.

Core Purpose of the Role

To design, build and execute Soul Padel’s commercial strategy across partnerships, sponsorships, brand alliances, retail & equipment supply, F&B, merchandising, digital assets, naming rights, ambassador commercialisation and multi‑venue revenue optimisation.

You will act as Soul Padel’s senior deal‑maker, relationship architect, commercial strategist, working directly with the CEO and the executive team to drive the next stage of national expansion.

Key Responsibilities

1. Lead All Commercial Partnerships & Sponsorships

   Build and manage a high‑value partnership pipeline with national and international brands. Secure major commercial deals across equipment, apparel, data, digital, F&B, naming rights and experiential categories. Create compelling multi‑asset rights packages leveraging Soul Padel’s expanding footprint. Deliver activation and partner servicing personally to ensure long‑term value and renewals.

2. Retail, Licensing & Equipment Supply

   Lead all commercial negotiations for rackets, balls, footwear, accessories, apparel and performance products. Establish high‑margin retail propositions across clubhouses and online. Create scalable equipment/apparel partnerships tied to coaching programmes, ambassador assets and retail sales.

3. Venue‑Level & National Sponsorship Growth

   Monetise Soul Padel’s nationwide venue footprint through:

   • Court naming rights
   • Multi‑venue partnerships
   • Local activation via clubs
   • Brand integration at events & tournaments

   Develop clear commercial frameworks that club managers can support and scale.

4. Digital & Data Commercialisation

   Leverage Soul Padel’s media channels, CRM, audience data and the Soul Mates loyalty app to create:

   • Digital sponsorship assets
   • Paid content partnerships
   • Data‑led brand activations
   • New online revenue streams

   Drive online shop sales and distribution across equipment, apparel and merchandise.

5. Commercialisation of Soul Padel Sub‑Brands

   Develop commercial propositions for:

   • Soul Sisters (women’s padel)
   • Soul Timers (over 50s participation)
   • Soul Circuit (local leagues)
   • What’s That Racket? (schools outreach)
   • Soul Mates (digital loyalty app)

   These must become sponsorable, scalable and revenue‑generating pillars.

6. Athlete & Ambassador Partnerships

   Lead all commercialisation activity for Theo Garton, Soul Padel’s professional athlete and ambassador. Build his sponsorship portfolio, brand partnerships and performance‑linked commercial roles. Integrate ambassador value into venue, retail and digital commercial strategies.

7. Events & Major Activation

   Support the design and commercialisation of Soul Padel’s tournaments, leagues and national events. Create brand‑led activations suitable for national and international sponsors. Ensure all event properties create measurable commercial returns.

8. Strategic Growth & Executive Leadership

   Define the commercial strategy for the next 3 years across all revenue lines. Own revenue forecasting, pricing, budgeting and margin improvement targets. Provide board‑level reporting with clear KPIs, insights and strategic recommendations.

   Play a leading role in positioning Soul Padel as the most commercially attractive padel brand in the UK.

Candidate Requirements

Essential Experience

The successful candidate must bring experience from one or more of the following:

Professional Sports Teams / Rights‑Holders

(Premier League, Premiership Rugby, LTA, ECB, RFU, top European football clubs, NBA Europe, etc.)

Global Sports Events & Major Properties

(Wimbledon, ATP/WTA, FIFA/UEFA tournaments, Olympic sports, F1/FIA, Ryder Cup, etc.)

High‑Growth Sports or Consumer Ventures

(Scaling sports/fitness concept, D2C sports brand, well‑backed tech or consumer sports business.)

Elite Athlete Commercialisation

(Experience building ambassador programmes, athlete sponsorships, brand partnerships.)

Skills & Competencies

Outstanding commercial and negotiation skills; able to close five, six and seven‑figure deals. Strong senior‑level relationships with brand decision‑makers and sports marketing leaders. Experience structuring complex partnership rights and activation plans.

Ability to build a commercial strategy from scratch and execute it personally. Understanding of retail margin dynamics, licensing models and supply partnerships.

High‑level brand fluency — able to position Soul Padel as a premium, scalable sports proposition.

Data and digital awareness for monetisation opportunities. Financial literacy including forecasting, budgeting, margin optimisation and ROI analysis.

Personal Characteristics

Gravitas and credibility in professional sport or elite commercial settings.

Entrepreneurial and hands‑on — comfortable executing without a large team.

Creative: instinctively sees commercial opportunities across physical and digital assets.

Persuasive and confident with C‑suite stakeholders.

Ambitious: driven to shape one of the UK’s most exciting sporting growth stories.

Resilient: thrives in a fast‑growth, evolving environment.

Results‑Oriented: relentlessly focused on revenue, margin and partnership value.

Why This Role Is Exceptional

You will build and lead the entire commercial engine of a rapidly growing national sports brand. Your work directly shapes the future of padel in the UK. You gain equity upside and a leadership seat at the table. You operate with autonomy, pace and creativity, unshackled by corporate layers. You will work across a wide array of rights: retail, digital, venues, schools, ambassador, events, naming rights and sub‑brands. You will drive national impact and create partnerships that redefine padel’s commercial landscape.

Professional Background

Highly Relevant Experience (One or More of the Following)

1. Professional Sports Teams / Rights‑Holders

Experience with major organisations such as:

• Premier League or EFL football clubs
• Premiership Rugby
• The FA, ECB, RFU, LTA
• NBA / NFL / MLS / NHL (UK‑based commercial leads)
• Major European football teams or global sports rights‑holders

2. Global Sporting Events & Major Sports Properties

Experience generating partnerships or commercial programmes for:

• Wimbledon / ATP/WTA Tours
• The Olympics / Commonwealth Games
• FIFA World Cup / UEFA competitions
• Formula 1 / Formula E / MotoGP
• The Ryder Cup / PGA events
• Major marathons or international sports series
• Global sports media/commercial agencies (IMG, CAA, Wasserman, Two Circles, Octagon, Infront)

3. High‑Growth Sports, Fitness or Consumer Ventures

Examples:

• High‑growth consumer brands in sports equipment, apparel, footwear or performance
• Fast‑scaling experiences such as boutique fitness brands with rapid expansion
• Sports tech, digital sports platforms or D2C consumer brands
• VC‑backed or PE‑backed sports/consumer scale‑ups

Key point: They must have acted in a business that grew significantly, proving their ability to build scalable commercial engines.

4. Athlete & Ambassador Commercialisation

Experience developing and monetising professional athletes — ideally in racket sports, cycling, endurance, tennis or other high‑performance domains.

Skills & Competencies (repeat)

1. Elite‑Level Commercial Acumen

• Able to pitch and close six and seven‑figure sponsorships or supply partnerships.
• Well‑versed in high‑level negotiation with global brands.
• Experience building multi‑asset packages across physical, digital, data and brand rights.

2. Partnership Architecture & Value Creation

• Knows how to structure sophisticated partnership models:
• Naming rights
• Retail supply agreements
• Content and digital activations
• High‑value apparel/equipment partnerships
• Athlete integrations
• Able to turn brand goals into measurable activation frameworks.

3. Start‑Up Compatible (Despite Seniority)

• Thrives without a large team, bureaucracy or legacy systems.
• Comfortably executes work themselves: outreach, pitches, proposals, activation.
• Motivated by autonomy, rapid decision‑making and equity upside.

4. Brand & Retail Depth

• Understands consumer behaviour in sport and how to drive retail margin.
• Experienced with sports equipment, apparel or performance brands.
• Skilled in product partnerships, licensing and retail strategy.

5. Strategic Mindset With Hands‑On Delivery

• Can design a national commercial strategy.
• Can also personally deliver the first wave of deals and activations.
• Knows how to scale commercial programmes across multiple venues.

6. Exceptional Relationship Builder

• Brings a network across sports brands, agencies and rights‑holders.
• Immediate credibility with C‑suite stakeholders and major decision‑makers.
• Able to represent Soul Padel at the highest levels.