Le Havre, of French soccer’s top-tier Ligue 1, has announced a new strategic partnership with global sports marketing agency Sportfive as it looks to enter a new era of commercial development.
Under the partnership, Sportfive will manage the commercialization of La Havre’s marketing rights, including partnerships, hospitality, image rights, and activations involving the club’s teams and players from the 2026-27 season.
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La Havre will look to tap into Sportfive’s network of brands and industry knowledge to boost the club’s commercial portfolio and increase its revenue, having gained promotion to the top-tier ahead of the 2023-24 Ligue 1 season.
Sportfive’s role will see it utilize Le Havre’s 150-year history and position as the oldest soccer club in France to boost the club’s visibility and attract new partnerships.
As well as its 25,000-seat Oceane Stadium, the club boasts a reputable academy, known as ‘Made in Cavee,’ which has produced elite soccer talent including Riyad Mahrez, Pape Gueye, Ferland Mendy, and Brice Samba.
Xavier Oddone, Sportfive’s managing director, said: “Le Havre Athletic Club is a club with a strong identity, a defined territory, and a reputation for developing top international players, as well as a rich history. It is exactly the kind of partner with whom we like to create value: by building a commercial offering that makes sense for clubs, brands, and fans.”
The commercial push comes a year after the club was acquired by Blue Crow Sports Group (BCSG), the sports investment platform and multi-club ownership group founded by former Houston Astros executive Jeff Luhnow.
Alongside a majority stake in Le Havre, BCSG’s assets include Mexico’s Cancun Futbol Club and Botswana’s Elite Africa.
The group previously owned a majority stake in Club Deportivo Leganes, of Spanish soccer’s top-tier LaLiga, but sold the asset last month to sports investment group 885 Capital.
Yacine Alaoui, managing director of Le Havre, said: “Le Havre has many strengths to showcase and, under the leadership of its shareholder Blue Crow Sports Group, aims to continue growing and structuring itself while preserving its values and unique identity.
“This collaboration will notably help strengthen the club's revenues while ensuring that the satisfaction of our partners remains optimal at all times. We are delighted to rely on Sportfive’s expertise, network, and experience, and we are entering this new collaboration with great enthusiasm.”
For Sportfive, meanwhile, the partnership adds to the agency’s footprint in Ligue 1, having already secured commercial marketing agreements with Olympique Lyonnais (Lyon), LOSC Lille, Toulouse FC, and Saint-Etienne.
Due to its presence within French soccer, Sportfive has previously facilitated multi-asset sponsorships for brands, most recently brokering a four-way deal with trading platform eToro, which became the sleeve sponsor of Lille and an official partner of Lyon, Toulouse, and Saint-Etienne.
Outside of soccer, Sportfive remains highly active in France after securing major agreements with high-profile sports organizations, including a digital partnership with American football franchise the New Orleans Saints to manage French-language platforms ahead of their regular-season game in Paris.
It also has partnerships in place with the French Ski Federation, French Athletics Federation, and the French Handball Federation, as well as the French rugby governing body LNR.
