Leeds United and Kalvin Phillips TaP into new sports venture with award-winning links to Dua Lipa, Ellie Goulding and Lewis Hamilton

LEEDS United and Whites midfielder Kalvin Phillips have become clients of a new sporting venture launched by Dua Lipa's and Ellie Goulding's award winning music management company.
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TaP Sports has been founded by 2020 Music Week Manager of the Year Ben Mawson, co-founder of TaP Music which houses the likes of Lipa, Goulding, Lana Del Rey and Dermot Kennedy.

Launched on Monday, TaP Sports will now be a new global consultancy for the sports industry to provide athlete management and brand and entertainment consultancy, working across brand partnerships, publicity, social media and content creation.

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TaP Sports will offer services parallel to their successful music management entity, bringing expertise in profile building and positioning, as well as experience in crossing the fields of sport, music and entertainment.

FIRST ATHLETE CLIENT: Leeds United and England star Kalvin Phillips. Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images.FIRST ATHLETE CLIENT: Leeds United and England star Kalvin Phillips. Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images.
FIRST ATHLETE CLIENT: Leeds United and England star Kalvin Phillips. Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images.

The business will focus on two main activities: offering consultancy and creative marketing services for clubs and other sports entities, plus strategic athlete brand and commercial management.

United have become initial clients of TaP Sports with their remit for Leeds spanning across marketing, social media and media engagement, as well as commercial partnerships.

Athlete management will also be a key part of TaP Sports’ work - supporting football agents and their players to secure brand partnerships and social media/ PR management - and United's England international Phillips will be TaP's first athlete client.

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Whites chief executive Angus Kinnear said: “Following our promotion to the Premier League we have many new and exciting opportunities to engage and grow our fanbase across the UK and internationally.

STAR: Dua Lipa, right, poses with fans on the red carpet ahead of the 33rd Annual ARIA Awards in Sydney, Australia last year. Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images.STAR: Dua Lipa, right, poses with fans on the red carpet ahead of the 33rd Annual ARIA Awards in Sydney, Australia last year. Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images.
STAR: Dua Lipa, right, poses with fans on the red carpet ahead of the 33rd Annual ARIA Awards in Sydney, Australia last year. Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images.

"We look forward to working with the team at TaP to help us deliver against these off-field ambitions.”

Kevin Sharp of Palm Sports Agency that looks after Whites star Phillips said: “We’re very happy to welcome TaP Sports to team Kalvin.

"They have already shown themselves to be great partners and a valuable extension to the team.”

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TaP Sports will be headed by managing director Zoe Prothero who has worked on a number of campaigns in football and sport from UEFA European Championships and FIFA World Cup whilst at Coca-Cola to the UEFA Champions League and Premier League when at Fuse.

Prothero most recently held a senior commercial role at ABB FIA Formula E and Prothero and Mawson previously collaborated when Lipa performed at the 2018 Champions League Final Opening Ceremony.

Another initial project for TaP will be the release of the soundtrack for an upcoming documentary spanning Liverpool's title winning season which includes a Lana Del Rey recording of anthem ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’.

This will be a charity project in support of Liverpool FC’s Foundation.

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TaP Sports will offer clients four core services in a brand partnerships division, specialising in lifestyle brands and fashion and working alongside world class content, social media and publicity departments.

Social media services will be provided by TaP’s existing digital and social team, offering 24- hour service with offices in LA and London and supporting clients with management of their social channels, as well as specialising in maximising opportunity with new digital platforms like TikTok and Twitch.

Content will be created in house via a strategic partnership with leading football creative agency and award winning magazine MUNDIAL, who will work closely with TaP’s London office.

Publicity for TaP Sports clients will focus on non-sporting press – taking clients beyond the sports media - and will be managed by Carl Fysh, Lottie Lander and Thom Denson, who each hold TaP Sports internal roles in tandem with their existing roles at SATELLITE 414. SATELLITE414 is an international publicity company with a roster that includes Lipa, Beyonce, Dave, Adele and Diplo and many more.

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Their experience in sport includes a successful five-year profiling project with Formula 1 superstar Lewis Hamilton.

Speaking of the launch of TaP Sports, founder Mawson said: “I am excited to launch TaP Sports with an incredible team alongside me, who all lead their respective industries.

"We hold the belief that there is much synergy between entertainment and sports and an often missed opportunity to grow audiences worldwide.

"We want to work closely with the best agents and best players and help them build their profile and commercial value.

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"We will work strategically on the brand endorsement side, rather than just transactionally and help players become cultural icons, building brands with a reach far beyond the pitch.

"I’m especially excited to be working with Kalvin Phillips, such an incredible player at such an exciting time in his career."

Leeds has a fantastic story to tell - and the Yorkshire Evening Post has been rooted firmly at the heart of telling the stories of our city since 1890.

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Thank you Laura Collins

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