Acquisition integrates Premier League boardroom experience into Trivandi’s global advisory business
Combined team bridges strategic vision with operational realities
Sixth global office opens at Liverpool Hope University to drive excellence in sport, venues and major events
Trivandi has acquired Beyond the Pitch, a specialist elite sport advisory business founded by former Premier League football club executives with first-hand experience of club leadership, major stadium development, financing, investment and commercial growth.
The acquisition strengthens Trivandi Group’s ability to support clients from early strategy and investment decisions through to delivery and long-term impact. By combining Beyond the Pitch’s football boardroom experience with Trivandi’s global advisory, design and delivery expertise, the group delivers a unique, integrated end-to-end service offering. This approach is designed to close the gap between strategy and delivery, giving clients advice that is practical, joined up and grounded in real-world experience.
Beyond the Pitch was founded by the former senior executives who led the planning, financing and construction of Everton FC’s new £800 million, 53,000-capacity Hill Dickinson Stadium. This client-side stadium development expertise adds further depth to Trivandi’s ability to seamlessly integrate strategy, investment, design and delivery across major stadia projects.
A New Liverpool Base at Liverpool Hope University
As part of the acquisition, Trivandi is opening its sixth global office, located on campus at Liverpool Hope University (LHU). Beyond the Pitch has signed a milestone Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the university to drive excellence in sport, venues and major events by bridging academia with real-world delivery.
Instead of treating this as a traditional corporate footprint, the two-way partnership allows academic research and data-driven insights to feed directly into the sport and event industry. Simultaneously, LHU students will gain hands-on exposure to major sports consulting, bringing practical experience back into the classroom and opening up local career pathways to support the next generation of sport and event professionals.
Demonstrating Immediate Value
The integrated Trivandi and Beyond the Pitch team are already working together on complex sports projects. Recent work has included providing business development support for a global sports and entertainment service provider, and providing ongoing delivery of strategic infrastructure projects and business planning within professional cricket. It has also included CEO recruitment assignments for Manchester United Foundation and The Players Foundation, recruitment support for Wigan Sports Group, and support for Salford RLFC Board as it rebuilds the club. The team are also currently supporting a number of elite football clubs on sale and acquisition matters, working with clients to unlock value and shape the next chapter of their journey. This early collaboration serves as an immediate proof point of how the partnership successfully integrates boardroom acumen with practical, reality-based delivery planning to optimise world-class infrastructure.
James Bulley OBE, CEO and Co-founder of Trivandi, said:
“Sport is attracting more investment than ever but investment alone does not create value. Clients need people who have experienced what it actually takes to turn vision into long-term commercial and operational value. Beyond the Pitch brings first-hand experience from inside elite sport, including club leadership, major stadium development, finance, commercial growth and investment. This acquisition supports investors and owners to make better investment decisions, optimise assets and create long-term value.”
“Liverpool is a city with sport, culture and major events in its DNA. Through our new office at Liverpool Hope University, we can bring leading edge research and data insights into our advisory offer, while helping build the next generation of sport and event professionals”
Denise Barrett-Baxendale MBE, DL, Partner and Co-founder of Beyond the Pitch, said:
“Beyond the Pitch was created to provide advice grounded in real-world experience from inside elite sport.”
“We understand the realities of club leadership, stadium development, finance, regulation, commercial growth and stakeholder pressure because we have lived them. Joining the Trivandi Group gives us a stronger global platform while allowing us to keep the specialist focus and personal approach that define our work.”
“Together, we can support clients across a wider journey, from investment and strategy through to planning, delivery and long-term impact. We share a culture of continuous improvement, and we are excited to show the industry the value of a truly integrated, delivery-led approach.”
Professor Penny Haughan, Vice Chancellor and Rector at Liverpool Hope University, said:
“We are very pleased to be working with Beyond the Pitch and Trivandi Group as part of an exciting venture that connects our students and academic community with real industry experience.”
“This collaboration reflects a shared commitment to create opportunities that advance learning, employability, leadership development and research impact across sport, events and related sectors within a values-led academic environment. We look forward to working with the team.”