FBIN Commercial Excellence Awards 2025: Announcing the Shortlists

Recognizing excellence in football business, the FBIN Excellence Awards honor the most impactful commercial initiatives. With five categories, they highlight those setting new industry standards.

We are delighted to reveal the shortlists for the inaugural FBIN Commercial Excellence Awards 2025!

These awards honor organizations that have excelled in developing and implementing innovative commercial strategies, driving growth and sustainability in the football industry. This marks the first edition of the awards, with two additional Awards – for Marketing Excellence and Management Excellence – set to be awarded later this year.

The five Award Categories

• Outstanding Sponsorship Activation: Celebrating creative and impactful sponsorship campaigns that have delivered measurable results.
• Innovative Revenue Model: Honoring organizations that have developed new revenue streams or optimized existing ones in unique ways.
• Best Fan Commerce Case: Recognizing innovative fan commerce initiatives that boost engagement and drive commercial success through merchandising, ticketing, or digital platforms.
• Best Tool or Service: Honoring tools or services that drive commercial success in the football industry.
• Commercial Excellence Leader: A special recognition awarded by the jury to an outstanding individual.

The five Jury Members

Following a thorough evaluation of all submissions, the jury has selected the top three nominees in each category. The jury consists of:

• Kristian Dobrev, Deputy CEO, The FBA
• Kasper Kronenberg, Co-founder & Executive Chairman, Off the Pitch
• Marijn Luchtman, Global Head of Sponsorships, Just Eat Takeaway.com
• Philipp Ostsieker, Managing Director, Transform Sports
• Michael Short, Head of Commercial Affairs, ECA

The Shortlists

Outstanding Sponsorship Activation

• 1. FC Köln & Telekom
• AC Sparta Praha & Betano
• Club Brugge & Emma Sleep

Innovative Revenue Model

• Club Brugge / Gold Membership
• Fortuna Düsseldorf / Fortuna für alle
• RSC Anderlecht / Increasing F&B Revenue with Adyen

Best Fan Commerce Case

• Club Brugge / Young Blues
• Eintracht Frankfurt / B2C Strategy
• Royal Antwerp / STAR RFID system

Best Tool or Service

• iXpole
• Relo Metrics
• Stats Perform (OptaAI Studio)

Commercial Excellence Leader

• Bob Madou, Club Brugge
• Sven von Polheim, 1. FC Köln
• Tomasz Kowalczyk, Polish Football Association

Congratulations to all shortlisted nominees! The winners will be announced on 18 March, during the Welcome Evening at the FBIN Commercial Excellence Summit in Budapest.