Optima Sport

What Optima Sport does

Optima Sport is a UK-based professional football experience company founded in 2022 by former Premier League footballer Ian Taylor and former Wales international Kevin Gall. Incorporated as Aura Optima Limited (company number 16113604, registered office at 96 Claypath, Durham, DH1 1RG), the company designs and delivers elite youth football tournaments and bespoke Professional Player Experience tours for boys and girls teams aged 8–21. Its flagship product is the annual U12 International Cup, hosted at Premier League and EFL training grounds — inaugurated in 2023 at Leeds United's Thorp Arch, continuing at Liverpool FC's AXA Training Academy in 2024, and scheduled at Derby County FC's first-team training ground in 2026 — featuring 16 elite academies from around the world. Alongside the tournament, the company organizes multi-day immersive tours where visiting teams train at UK academy facilities (including St. George's Park, the England national team base), play fixtures against academy opposition, take stadium tours, and meet former professional players.

The commercial model is based on bespoke, quote-based pricing per tour or tournament entry, with bookings requiring a 30% deposit and the balance due 8 weeks before commencement; tiered cancellation charges apply. Customers are primarily international youth clubs, academies, and team organizers — visible named clients include Rise SC (Texas), SF Seals SC, Manchester United FC Academy, and Chelsea FC Academy — with the served market spanning the UK, USA, Canada, and Australia, supported by region-specific booking conditions. The company pursues an event-driven go-to-market strategy, using tournaments at prestigious venues and an organic social presence on Instagram, X, Facebook, and YouTube to drive awareness, with direct contact via email, phone, and WhatsApp for bookings.

Optima Sport is not a technology company: it operates no proprietary software, mobile app, or API, and has no disclosed AI/ML capabilities. Its competitive position rests on founder credentials and relationship access — Taylor's 477-game playing career (10 Premier League years, almost half at Aston Villa where he is club ambassador) and Gall's 400+ game international career for Wales — which translate into differentiated access to top-flight club training grounds, academy fixtures, and professional player networks. The business is bootstrapped, with no external funding, no disclosed headcount beyond the two co-founders, and operates as a privately held UK private limited company.

Name

Optima Sport

Legal name

Aura Optima Limited

Website

https://optima-sport.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Optima Sport is a UK-based professional football experience company founded in 2022 by former Premier League and international footballers, offering bespoke youth football tours and the annual U12 International Cup tournament at professional UK club training grounds for international youth academies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Tourism / Youth Football Experiences

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620), Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (71394)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Athlete Development & Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD) (HSADAEAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Single-Sport Skill Academies (Soccer, Basketball, Tennis, etc.) (MPAKAJAB)

Keywords

• Youth football tours
• Elite football tournaments
• Sports tourism services
• Professional football training
• Academy football experiences

Headquarters

HQ city

Burton Upon Trent

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Tournament Entry Fees: Revenue generated from teams/groups paying to participate in elite youth football tournaments such as the U12 International Cup held at professional club training grounds.
2. Professional Player Experience Tours: Revenue from bespoke tour packages that include training at elite facilities, games against academy teams, stadium tours, accommodation, and meet-and-greets with professional footballers. Pricing based on group size and itinerary.
3. Booking Deposits and Payments: Customers pay 30% deposit upon booking with balance due 8 weeks before tour commencement. Cancellation charges apply at various tiers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Optima Sport organizes elite youth football tournaments and bespoke Professional Player Experience tours for boys and girls aged 8-21 at UK Premier League and EFL training grounds, St. George's Park, and CAT 1 academy facilities. Founded by former International and Premier League footballers Ian Taylor and Kevin Gall, the company leverages its founders' footballing networks to deliver immersive experiences including training sessions, games against academy teams, stadium tours, accommodation at 3-4 star hotels, and meet-and-greets with professional footballers.

Product overview

Optima Sport is a Professional Football Experience company offering two core products: Elite Tournaments (annual youth football tournaments hosted at professional club training grounds) and Professional Player Experience Tours (immersive training experiences for youth teams aged 8-21). The company also operates the U12 International Cup as its flagship tournament product and provides accommodation services through partner hotels. All offerings leverage extensive footballing network connections to provide access to Premier League and EFL facilities including St. George's Park.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Elite Tournaments Specialized organization of elite football tournaments for boys and girls at professional club training grounds worldwide, leveraging the company's extensive footballing network to host events at Premier League and EFL facilities. Available for competitive youth teams seeking professional-level competition environments.
• Professional Player Experience Tours Immersive football experience tours where players aged 8-21 live, eat, and train like professional players, including training at UK academies, games against top-level competition, stadium tours, accommodation, and meet-and-greets with professional footballers. Available year-round for boys and girls teams, with bespoke itineraries tailored to each group's requirements.
• U12 International Cup Annual elite youth football tournament for boys and girls aged 12 and under, hosted at professional club training grounds, featuring 16 elite academies from around the globe competing over multiple days. The flagship tournament product of Optima Sport.
• Accommodation Services High-quality hotel accommodation using 3-4 star hotels including Hotel Football, Marriott Hotels, Hilton Hotels, Crowne Plaza, and Village Hotel Group, offered on a full board basis as part of tour and tournament packages.

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, secondary and supporting.

• Derby County FCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 May 2026Host venue for the U12 International Cup 2026 at Derby County FC 1st team Training ground. Provides professional pitch facilities for elite youth tournament.
• Liverpool FCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2024Host venue for U12 International Cup 2024 at AXA Training Academy, home of Liverpool FC. Used for elite youth tournament and tour experiences including academy games.
• Leeds United FCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 June 2023Host venue for inaugural U12 International Cup 2023 at Thorp Arch, home of Leeds United FC.
• St. George's ParkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEngland National team training base used for tour training sessions. Provides world-class CAT 1 academy facilities for participating teams.
• Wolves FCsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerTour destination for training and academy games. Stadium tour included in tour itinerary for SF Seals SC May 2025 tour.
• Burnley FCsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademy opponent during Professional Player Experience tours.
• Blackburn Rovers FCsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerTour starting point for Professional Player Experience tours, providing academy facilities for visiting teams.
• Burton AlbionsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademy opponent during tour programs.
• Hotel FootballsupportingOthers3-4 star hotel partner used for tour accommodations around the UK.
• Marriott HotelssupportingOthersHotel partner for tour accommodations. Full board basis offered.
• Hilton HotelssupportingOthersHotel partner for tour accommodations. Full board basis offered.
• Crowne PlazasupportingOthersHotel partner for tour accommodations. Full board basis offered.
• Village Hotel GroupsupportingOthersHotel partner for tour accommodations. Full board basis offered.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/optima_sport
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC4rylcfgiD76CgPCRMOA-vw
• Facebookfacebook.com/optimasport2022
• Instagraminstagram.com/optima_sport

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Optima Sport