Sports & Hospitality: A Converging Growth Story

Much like the luxury hospitality sector in recent decades, the global sports industry is entering a transformative era, a change driven by capital, creativity, and heightened expectations. Investors and operators are now applying hospitality’s design thinking and service ethos to sports, translating performance venues into vibrant lifestyle destinations.

Across the world, clubs are becoming anchors for new communities. Stadiums surrounded by luxury hotels, wellness spaces, residential towers, and curated experiences that invite year-round engagement. Sport has evolved beyond competition to become a culture, a leisure activity, and a legacy combined.

Sport as the New Asset Class

Once the passion project of private owners, sport has matured into a serious institutional asset class. Global sports investment reached $31.6 billion in 2024, with private equity and sovereign funds now behind more than half of all transactions.

Valuations continue their upward trajectory. The average NFL franchise now tops $5 billion, while the Premier League’s latest media rights cycle achieved £6.7 billion in sales. These are brand ecosystems as much as teams; rare, globally resonant assets defined by scarcity, influence, and narrative power.

For investors, sport represents stability with soul: a fusion of financial performance and cultural permanence that few markets can match.

Leadership at the Intersection

CDR sits at the intersection of hospitality elegance and sporting enterprise; two worlds united by experience, performance, and people. Our Executive Search and Talent Advisory supports investors, owners, and operators as they build leadership teams equipped to shape the next evolution.

We connect visionary executives from luxury, real estate, and entertainment backgrounds with forward-thinking sports organisations developing multi-use destinations, mixed-format events, and lifestyle-driven portfolios. Each leader we place brings strategic acumen, creative instinct, and the ability to deliver excellence on a global stage.

Why CDR Wins

Already trusted by the same private equity and sovereign wealth groups reimagining the future of sport, CDR is known for discreet, senior-led delivery and a curated network of high-impact global talent. Our clients value the balance of insight, precision, and personal counsel that defines every engagement.

Women Business Collaborative 2025 Report

Around 8-17% of women CEOs played sports at the college level, with 17% of S&P 500 female CEOs and approximately 12.7% of Fortune 500 female CEOs being collegiate athletes.

As a female-led firm, we also bring a progressive lens to leadership diversity, ensuring talent strategies reflect the inclusion and innovation modern markets demand.

We partner with those shaping the next generation of sport, where hospitality, entertainment, and community converge. The leaders we place redefine how people experience connection and excellence, both on and beyond the field.

Connect with CDR to discover how our expertise can help you build exceptional leadership teams at the intersection of sport, hospitality, and investment.