After 17 years of dedicated service and friendship, Richard Payne is set to move on from Sporting Insights at the end of March. Below, in his own words, he reflects on what he’s learned in the business, why great insight matters, and how to deliver it. When I joined Sporting Insights, or as it…
Outdoor and endurance sports to get greater recognition The omission of Jasmin Parris from the BBC Sports Personality of the Year nominees highlights just how much work there is left to do to bring some of the extraordinary outdoor / long-distance feats into the public eye in 2025. By any objective sporting standards, Parris should…
2024 may only be a few weeks old, but it has already been a dynamic year for the Sporting Insights team. Data engineer Abbie Adeola has recently joined the market intelligence services team that is delivering rapid growth and significant technological advancement under division head Robert Cobain. New and upcoming services include the Outdoor Market…
We are pleased to announce that Richard Payne has taken on a new position as Joint Managing Director, alongside existing Managing Director, John Bushell. Richard has been part of Sporting Insights since 2008, when he joined what was then Sports Marketing Surveys. He stayed with the business as a leading part of the management buyout…
This interview is taken from Golf Business Quarterly, April 2023. It can also be read in its original format here. His company’s numbers inform and educate the golf industry and beyond. Sporting Insights’ managing director explains how his lifelong love of golf resulted in a dramatic change of career and why the greatest influence on…
We are sad to share the news that our beloved colleague Di Gilder has passed away following a short illness. Di, or Diski, as she was affectionately known to many of us, was much respected and well liked within the golf industry. She will be particularly well known to attendees of the Golf Industry Open…
Sporting Insights delivers analytics to inspire a more active world In October, the board and I took a difficult but exciting decision to change the name of the company. It was a difficult decision because the Sports Marketing Surveys name had a lot of meaning for me. Sports Marketing Surveys Inc was the name we…
Over the past two years Sports Marketing Surveys Inc (SMS) has made significant developments to its business. These include investments into dashboard and data analysis capabilities; expansion into Asia; and the development into new market areas such as female sporting engagement; whilst continuing to build on its longstanding reputation for research in markets such as…
Sports Marketing Surveys (SMS) is pleased to announce the appointment of Geoff Zeidler as the new executive chairman of its European and Asian business. Geoff, a former rugby player and rower and current golfer, with broad experience in both large and small businesses, was identified as the best candidate to continue the impetus in driving…
Sports Marketing Surveys announces Robert Cobain as the company’s new Head of Audits in Europe. Rob’s arrival further strengthens the company’s retail audit offering. The plan is to launch outdoor and running retail audits in Q3 2022, and SMS is also exploring opportunities for new cycling retail audits in Europe. SMS has a long-established reputation…