• Long – term partnership brings together two of the most progressive organisations in English football 
• Partnership to drive the success of up-and-coming, forward-thinking English Club
• Data-led approach to all aspects of sporting and commercial performance

Grimsby Town Football Club is delighted to be working with Twenty First Group, the London-based global leaders in bespoke sports intelligence after announcing a long-term partnership. 

On the back of the Club’s recent promotion to the English Football League and following this season’s much admired FA Cup run, the partnership will see Twenty First Group build on its working supporting some of the world’s most elite football clubs. They will also support the Club in driving sporting success and unlocking commercial value.

Drawing on Twenty First Group’s proprietary technology and science capability, the focus will be on supporting both long-term strategic planning as well as short-term decision-making to improve performance as the Club seeks to combine its unique community-first culture with a differentiated approach to football operations in League Two.

Commenting on the partnership, Twenty First Group CEO Blake Wooster said:

“As a business which already works with some of football’s most elite clubs and the game’s biggest investors, I couldn’t be more proud to be supporting one of English football’s most innovative and ambitious ownership groups.

“The Club is clearly on an upward trajectory and to have the opportunity to work with its leadership team on a long-term basis is really exciting for TFG.

“There is a shared commitment to using data and being innovative in driving sporting success and unlocking commercial value but, as importantly, a shared and fundamental belief in the power of sport to drive social change.”

Grimsby Town FC Chair, Jason Stockwood said:

“When we came into the club two years ago Andrew and I believed we could influence the organisation by resetting the culture, a philosophy of continuous improvement and improving decision making through data.

“Data is now fundamental for making decisions on performance. But making the right decisions from data is harder than ever, so that’s why I couldn’t be happier to be working with the leaders in their field, Twenty First Group.

“Not only will they be helping with creating an evidence-based culture, but they will help us set the long-term vision and strategy for the club”.

Club Chief Executive Debbie Cook added:

“In the last two years we’ve made significant progress as a Club, both on and off the field, but we’re ambitious to go much further and realise the true potential of this iconic English Club.

“This work with the Twenty First Group represents an exciting step forward in our journey of continuous improvement”.

The Club are also pleased to announce that Gareth Jennings has joined the board of GTFC as an Advisor to bring a wealth of strategic football knowledge to the Mariners.

Gareth sits on the Technical Committee of the Association of Sporting Directors and is also the Technical Director of the UAE Pro League. As well as this, he has held various roles across the professional game, including Head of Technical Leadership at FIFA and General Manager of High Performance at New Zealand Football. Gareth is also the authors of the FIFA Technical Directors handbook.

Speaking of his work with the Club, Gareth said: “First of all, many thanks to Jason, Andrew and Debbie for giving me the opportunity to work with this great football club. It was evident from our first conversation that they are ambitious but, more importantly, have a desire to do what’s right not just for Grimsby Town Football Club but also the wider community.

“Our aim is to develop a long-term strategy based on true values. This will include building a game model and supporting Paul and Chris to bring it to life both on and off the pitch with our leadership behaviours and work ethic.”

Andrew Pettit, Vice Chair of GTFC, said: “We are delighted to add Gareth’s extensive football experience into the board conversations. As we look to set the ambition for the next ten years, we feel his knowledge – alongside Twenty First Group and the existing management team – will help us make informed decisions about where we can progress as a club.”

UTM