European sports law practice, Northridge has launched an innovative new club for the best high-growth technology companies serving the sports, entertainment and leisure market. Northridge Track is bringing cutting edge companies together with Northridge’s client and contact base of teams, governing bodies, venue owners, agencies, sponsors and investors operating within the sector. 

Alternative club

Created as an alternative to the typical accelerator or incubator programme, Northridge Track provides on-going, support to high-potential technology companies to access key decision makers in the sector. Northridge has partnered with industry adviser, Charlie Greenwood, to deliver Northridge Track. Mr Greenwood, formerly of Nike and AEG, works with sports-focused venture capital funds and tech accelerator programmes in the US and UK, as well as advising selected high-growth tech companies in the sports and entertainment sector. He will provide strategic advice to club members.  During the pilot phase, Northridge Track successfully worked with SPORTLOGiQ, a North American AI powered sports analytics company; STATSports, a provider of GPS tracking and performance software to professional sports teams; Deuce, a technology company driving grassroots participation in tennis, in relation to Andy Murray's investment in the business; and, AEG Worldwide, the global venue owner and sports and entertainment agency. Northridge founding partner Jon Walters explained ‘the sports and entertainment industries are becoming increasingly driven by technology - on the pitch, in commercial deals and to engage with fans.’ He added, ‘Northridge Track has been designed to support the very best tech companies in this sector, built on an underlying proposition of first class legal advice.’ Membership is selective on an ongoing basis for the most ambitious businesses in the sector who share what Northridge defines as its ethos of excelling ‘when the stakes are highest.’ 

‘Not just lawyers’

Alan Clarke, co-Founder and ceo of STATSports, ‘the greatest compliment I can pay the team at Northridge is that they aren’t like other lawyers. They understand our business and our industry. They don’t tell me the law, they tell me what to do.’ Cody Hoffman, founder and ceo of Funder, said ‘we view them as a genuine business partner, not just our lawyers.’ The firm was founded in October 2017, and counts among its clients major brands and agencies, including Puma and IMG, sporting bodies in football horseracing authority, rugby and other sports, major football teams including Chelsea and AC Milan, and individuals such as Dele Alli, Kevin De Bruyne and Thierry Henry.