ARETé 2023: Riding the waves of sporting emotion

By Founder & CEO: Simon Bayliff

As we race through the last month of 2023, hot and glitter-dusted off the back of the first F1 race in Las Vegas, it draws me to press the pause button and reflect on the year that was 2023 for ARETé.

It never ceases to strike me on how every year older we grow as a business in this wonderful industry, the more we seem to crave it and are grateful for our place in it. We have experienced the inevitable and intoxicating highs and lows that seemingly only a handful of industries offer to such extremes. Emotions. Always emotions that keep us wanting more.

We had a very eventful year across all our represented sports including triathlon, netball, football, tennis, cycling, paratriathlon and hockey. All of our clients have continued to excel and inspire. There are far too many highlights to list in one article however just a few potted highlights from me.?

Triathlon

Hayden Wilde starting the season with a nightmare/mystery flat tire in Abu Dhabi. A pre-race crash at the Paris Olympic Test Event. Overcooking the bike laps in SuperLeague Toulouse. ‘The Jump’ in WTCS Hamburg. Tactical masterclass in SuperLeague Malibu. The dropped swim cap and sizzling run in the WTCS Grand Final. And… still finally finishing 2nd in the World Triathlon rankings. A year to remember for (mostly) the wrong reasons. But the big one is coming in Paris next summer!

Cycling

Mark Cavendish MBE coming “home” to ARETé. Riding his last Tour (or so we thought). Releasing his gripping Netflix documentary. Securing the first Monster branding on a pro road cycling helmet. Announcing he was going to ride one more time.

Football

There were so many great men’s and women’s football stories including Marcus Edwards flying at Sporting Lisbon and being top of the table for Christmas; Nathan Redmond excelling at Besiktas and transferring back to Premier League’s Burnley FC; Oliver Skipp continuing to grow and improve at Spurs; Arthur Okonkwo levelling up through loans at Crewe, Sturm Graz (winning the Austrian Cup) and Wrexham; Tommi O’Reilly and Charles Sagoe Jr. making their 1st Team debuts at Aston Villa and Arsenal at just 19 years old.?

From the Strong Womens Club, Ruby Mace, Khiara Keating and Aggie Beever-Jones and all the football girls continuing to fly for both Club and Country. Khiara securing No.1 spot at Man City and being the first ARETé female football client to be called up to the senior Lionesses. Our football business had a very challenging but nonetheless an impressive year again with strong growth both on and off the pitch.

Tennis

Signing British no. 1 Cam Norrie as a commercial client. Which was followed quickly by the team securing a significant six-figure sleeve patch deal with PGIM. Watching and supporting him live around the world including at Wimbledon and in Beijing.??

Netball

Layla Guscoth superbly co-captaining the England Roses throughout an amazing season. Beating the Aussies Diamonds in a World Cup for the first time to sadly falling just short in the final.?

Hockey

Maddie Hinch announcing her retirement from her glittering and stellar hockey career. Securing a full time US collegiate role at UCONN.?

I could go on and on. There will forever be the undulations in the sports season. That’s what makes it addictive in so many ways. We witnessed it in numerous other sports like the Ryder Cup, the Rugby World Cup and the Cricket World Cup. The drama and the potential that both outcomes – an epic win or a devastating loss – could stir the emotions within us so deeply is too tempting not to keep consuming beyond our limits.

Finally, just around the corner awaits another Olympic Games in Paris – one year closer than the usual quadrennial global sporting extravaganza – but this time on our doorstep just across La Manche. I cannot help but feel that Paris 2024 will be a truly spectacular occasion. Possibly even one of the “best ever”. Why? A number of factors always define a special Olympics. Iconic city. Tick. Iconic venues. Tick tick. The thirst of us human beings for live sport. Tick tick tick.?

The final one may well be the critical driver next summer. Humans are often instinctively defiant and resilient in the face of adversity. So, in a show of defiance to a pandemic that denied us sport lovers of some of Maslov’s deep needs for live sporting competition and superhuman achievement, we may need to express and celebrate beyond the usual Olympic levels and, by accident, create the greatest Olympic Games ever. I, for one, can’t wait!

Finally, a heartfelt and humongous thank you and Merry Christmas to all our clients – the athletes, the brands and the rightsholders – that bestow the privilege of ARETé representing them and working alongside them. You drive us and inspire us every waking minute.

Here’s to another ride in 2024.