COMMERCIAL ASSESSMENT · JUNE 2026
AFC Wimbledon
A LEVELUP® commercial assessment quantifying the cost of digital sponsorship inaction and identifying the potential to close the gap.
SECTION 00 — INTRO
INTRO
LEVELUP® offers commercial support to ambitious clubs. The following is a snapshot analysis of AFC Wimbledon's commercial potential with a specific focus on digital sponsorship optimisation, which we have identified as a potential revenue stream based on our analysis.
SECTION 01 — WHERE YOU CURRENTLY SIT
STATUS QUO
Estimated annual opportunity cost
£280k–£420k
This is what AFC Wimbledon are leaving on the table every season by not commercialising digital inventory at the level the club's audience, location and stadium asset should command. This assessment highlights the gaps & identifies the potential, to be bridged in collaboration with existing staff.
AFC Wimbledon delivered a record revenue year in 2024/25, high fill rates at the Cherry Red Records Stadium, and the highest average League One attendance relative to ground capacity of any London club in the division. The club's fan-owned structure, its return to Plough Lane, and a Sports Interactive shirt partnership stretching back to 2002 give it a commercial story unmatched in League One, and arguably across the EFL.
Yet the digital commercial infrastructure is operating well below the level the audience and asset base should demand. The Football Manager shirt deal is a heritage and valued asset, not a structured digital media product, with no contracted content calendar or co-branded series to further engage fans.
And while there are shoots of potential, including the social media audience, some digital match wrapping and strong audiences at the stadium, these facets are not being commercialised to the level a club based in an affluent area of SW London should expect.
What exists vs. what is being sold
CURRENT DIGITAL ASSET AUDIT
The following table maps AFC Wimbledon's existing digital assets against whether they are currently structured as commercial products. The gap between column 2 and column 3 is the opportunity.
| Digital asset | Exists? | Sold commercially? | Current status & gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Instagram (@afc_wimbledon) | Yes: 108K followers | Partially | Above L1 average. Logo placements and ad hoc partner mentions only. No contracted post frequency, no audience data product sold to sponsors. |
| AFC Wimbledon Women | Yes: separate following | No | Women's team at Plough Lane not packaged as a distinct commercial product. SW London women's sport sponsorship is a fast-growing, making it an affordable entry category. |
| X / Twitter & Facebook | Yes | No | Used for club communications only. No sponsor integration, no boosted post product, no audience-buying inventory. |
| YouTube / Club video | Yes | No | Match highlights and club content uploaded. No sponsor pre-roll, no branded series, no 'presented by' product. |
| Club website (afcwimbledon.co.uk) | Yes | Logo listing only | Partner logo on sponsors page. No 'presented by' content, no sponsored editorial, no newsletter product packaged. |
| SI / Football Manager partnership | Yes: since 2002 | Brand presence only | Longest-running shirt deal in English football, but no structured social calendar, no audience data report to SI, no co-branded content series. Heritage asset under-leveraged digitally. |
| Cherry Red Records naming | Yes | Brand presence only | Music-label stadium naming is a unique cultural asset. No co-branded content (artist takeovers, gig-day crossover, playlist series) priced as a digital product. |
| Multi-tenancy (Broncos, Warriors) | Yes | No | London Broncos co-tenant, London Warriors from 2026. A cross-sport audience access proposition is not being offered commercially — a structurally unique London multi-sport asset. |
| Fan-ownership story (The Dons Trust) | Yes | No | Genuine media-worthy authenticity that resonates with ethical / B-Corp / community-led brand categories. Not packaged as a brand-association proposition. |
| Matchday digital wrapper | Partial | No | Minimal structured pre/post-match social product, branded story content, or email recap. The most easily addressable gap in the inventory. |
| Player / squad social | Yes | No | Players active across channels. No coordinated player posting schedule for sponsors (2–4 players, 1 sponsored post/month) as an authentic, low-cost distribution channel. |
BENCHMARK: WHERE AFC WIMBLEDON SITS VS. COMPARABLE CLUBS
The following benchmark focuses on clubs leading on digital, league peers at comparable audience scale, and clubs whose identity profile (fan-owned, values-led, London) make them the most instructive comparisons.
| Club / tier | Digital spon. % | Key digital asset | What AFC Wimbledon can learn |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coventry City (Championship) | 30–40% | Structured digital sponsorship inventory across shirt, sleeve & website partners, with contracted social deliverables and audience data reporting baked into partner contracts. | Championship best-practice. Digital is a distinct commercial category, priced and contracted — not bundled in as a freebie alongside physical inventory. |
| Huddersfield Town (League One) | 15–22% | Front-of-shirt, sleeve and training kit partners all have digital content deliverables, branded video series and structured fan-engagement campaigns. | A League One club with similar scale to AFCW already operates higher on digital share. The gap is product packaging, not audience. |
| Charlton Athletic (League One) | 12–18% | Christopher Ward sleeve deal includes digital fan competitions and contracted social activation. MaxAmaze digital interactive in-stadium displays create new digital inventory. | Direct London peer. New digital inventory can be built from existing physical assets (perimeter, concourse) by adding screens and structured campaigns, as well as via digital audiences outside of the stadia. |
| Hull City (Championship) | 10–15% | Corendon Airlines partnership includes digital fan competitions and social content add-ons attached to each campaign cycle. | Even at the lower end of Championship, digital sits above where AFCW currently runs. Campaign-cycle add-ons are an immediate, low-friction upgrade. |
| AFC Wimbledon (League One) | ~10–15% (current) | 108k Instagram following + Sports Interactive shirt deal show potential, but with limited contracted digital deliverables to maximise revenue. | Baseline. This document is the roadmap to identifying the potential, and closing the gap to League One / Championship best practice. |
SECTION 02 — BRIDGING THE GAP
DIGITAL OPTIMISATION
Asset gap identification
DIGITAL INVENTORY WHICH SPONSORS WANT
Having reviewed sponsorship sales collateral and digital output & channels, we have identified a number of opportunities which are easy to deliver. The following are opportunities of digital inventory AFC Wimbledon could package and sell to sponsors (with high perceived value based on our experience as rights holders & sponsors), moving beyond traditional logo placements into structured content products and media solutions.
Custom Content
Bespoke film, photography and editorial built around partner objectives and club stories.
Content Series Sponsorship
Multi-episode digital series with dedicated partner branding and integrated messaging.
Social Partner
Branding across YouTube and other social content produced by the club offering embedded partner visibility in every post and episode.
Media & Audience Buying
Access to AFC Wimbledon's engaged SW London digital audience through targeted media placements and campaigns.
Identity-aligned packages
Partnerships that align with club values (community, inclusivity, culture) not just exposure.
Digital branding & advertising
Website, social, and match day inventory sold as structured advertising packages.
In summary
A fully activated digital commercial programme could generate £282k–£480k of additional annual revenue for AFC Wimbledon, from zero new infrastructure investment, using only existing channels, existing audience, and existing partner relationships repackaged with structure and measurability.
Next steps
FULL ASSESSMENT
The above is a snapshot of our findings. The next step would be to carry out a full assessment which would provide the following:
Sponsorship
- ✓Identification of potential gaps within asset portfolio
- ✓Definition of example inventory + valuation
- ✓Example packaging to include new inventory
SECTION 03 — LEVELUP
OUR UNIQUE PROPOSITION
Why us? We have worked across the sports industry for 30+ years, across clubs, rights holders, digital media owners and broadcasters, and have gained invaluable experience around the operations of commercial revenue growth in the process.
Our ambition is to offer this spectrum of knowledge and expertise to clubs who know they need to move, but might not have the resource or expertise to know where to start.
Our fractional consultancy allows clubs to start their own journey of growth, with senior-level expertise across the commercial ecosystem, working collaboratively with your existing resource base.
In summary, we aim to shape and grow the full commercial ecosystem of ambitious clubs by supporting the development of incremental and long-term revenue solutions.
“Senior-level experience, for less than the cost of an FTE.”
The LEVELUP promise
SECTION 04 — SUPPORT
OTHER AREAS WE CAN SUPPORT ON
OPTIONAL EXTENSIONS
VENUE OPTIMISATION
- .Conference & Events
- .Facility Optimisation
MARCOMMS, RETAIL & DATA OPTIMISATION
- .Ticketing & Membership
- .Marketing (all marcomms channels)
- .Matchday revenue
- .Hospitality
- .Retail
- .Fan data optimisation
Assessment of these subject topics would be required before a detailed analysis could be provided.
Next steps
Ready to LEVELUP®?
Why not book a follow-up to walk through the findings and agree a approach? We look forward to discussing more.
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