GSW partners with three more clubs to drive commercial growth

General Sports Worldwide has strengthened its club commercial consultancy practice with partnerships at Sunderland, Reading and Carlisle United.

The three new partnerships underline GSW’s growing reputation as a trusted commercial partner for football clubs at every level of the professional game.

CEO Sam Rush said:

At GSW we pride ourselves on our ability to offer a broad spectrum of services to sporting organizations. The consultancy side of the business is particularly expanding as clubs recognise the help we can provide to significantly increase their revenues.

Sunderland: Premier League readiness

GSW supported Sunderland AFC behind the scenes in preparing for the club’s return to the Premier League. As part of a long-standing commercial consultancy partnership with the club, GSW facilitated the transition to SeatGeek’s enterprise ticketing platform – a market-leading solution that represented a major step forward in the club’s supporter experience infrastructure.

Reading FC: New ownership, new commercial direction

Following the purchase of Reading FC in May 2025 by Redwood Holdings Limited, GSW was appointed to provide exclusive commercial consultancy support to the club. The remit focuses on growing incremental revenue through partnerships at international, national and regional level.

Carlisle United: Record commercial season in progress

GSW was appointed by Carlisle United in April 2025, with a remit spanning the full restructure of the club’s partnership programme, a review of matchday hospitality and sponsorship – and a revised pricing strategy. The club were on track for a record commercial season by the end of the year.

Sam added:

Several of GSW’s key personnel spent a number of years working for football clubs in senior positions. They bring a level of experience that we feel really cannot be matched by other sports companies in our sector.