Sports sponsorship consultancy Onside has announced the expansion of its international operations with the acquisition of Bayridge Sports.

Bayridge managing director Jon Long (pictured) will serve as Onside's managing director in the UK and the Middle East.

Bayridge clients include British Triathlon, England Hockey, Cricket West Indies, Extreme International, Podium Analytics as well as sporting figures such as snooker world champion Judd Trump and London-based immersive media business Outernet.

"It has been a tough 24 months for the sports and entertainment sector but our regular industry and consumer research gives us lots of reasons to feel positive about our role in the recovery story and the confidence to expand our footprint," said John Trainor, chief executive of Onside.

"The commercial models of rights holders are changing and the marketing priorities of brands are evolving. In this context we have seen increasing demand for our combination of exceptional intelligence, practical advice and commercial support. This next phase of our growth will enable us to support a wider portfolio of clients."

In Association with

Jon Long commented: "This is a natural next step in a partnership that has seen John and I deliver on projects with major organisations in Europe, the Middle East and North America over the past 18 months."

Onside will deliver a quarterly sponsorship review in 2022 that provide insights into the UK public's relationship with sponsors, which has found that Nike and Coca-Cola top the sponsor impact charts in sport.