Great Athletes

What Great Athletes does

Great Athletes, trading as Sportivater Limited (company number 08665470), is a UK-based social enterprise founded in 2013 and headquartered in Cambridge that brings elite athletes — Olympians, Paralympians, World Champions, Commonwealth Games and Invictus competitors, on a roster of more than 100 — into UK primary schools to deliver half-day visits combining inclusive fitness circuits with motivational assemblies. The company uses a direct-to-school go-to-market model supported by an online booking system and phone sales (01223 792200), with schools accessing the service for free and funding flows passing through an online sponsorship-based fundraising platform. Great Athletes operates an asset-light delivery model: it does not manufacture physical goods and does not employ the athletes as full-time staff; athlete participation and the school visit are the primary value- delivery mechanism.

Revenue is generated through a participation-fee-plus-sponsorship-share model. Schools pay nothing upfront; parents and extended family sponsor children per pupil, and a per-pupil participation fee (£1.50–£3.50, tiered inversely with school size) is deducted from the funds raised. If fundraising falls short of the fee, Great Athletes covers the shortfall so the school receives no voucher (the company bears the loss); if fundraising exceeds the fee, the school retains 60% as a voucher for sports equipment and Great Athletes retains 40% to fund athletes and operations. Ancillary offerings include a multi-workshop 'Get Active Program', equipment voucher redemption partnerships with primary school sports suppliers such as Bishop Sport & Leisure, an annual conference, free downloadable content (e.g., '20 Top Tips'), and minor paid acquisition channels (Google AdWords Remarketing). The company's stated cumulative impact metrics are 7,000+ schools visited, £8M+ raised for school sport, 3.5M children inspired, and a 98% school voucher receipt rate, though these are facilitation totals rather than Great Athletes' own revenue. The company has no disclosed funding rounds, no parent company, no M&A activity, and is independently operated under a registered UK trade mark with GDPR and Fundraising Regulator compliance.

Name

Great Athletes

Legal name

Sportivater Limited

Website

https://greatathletes.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Great Athletes is a UK social enterprise that brings 100+ elite Olympians, Paralympians and World Champions into primary schools to run fitness circuits and assemblies, funding operations via per-pupil sponsorship fees deducted from parent-raised funds.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

School Sports Engagement and Fundraising Services

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162), Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Sports Fundraising & Development Services (Foundations, NIL Collectives Support) (MPAKAKAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Athletics Fundraising, Sponsorships & NIL Support (EDALAIAN), Athlete Endorsements & Brand Ambassador Programs (MPAKALAD)

Keywords

• School athlete visits
• Primary school fundraising
• Sports equipment funding
• Elite athlete engagement
• School sports events

Headquarters

HQ city

Cambridge, Cambridgeshire

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Participation Fees: Great Athletes receives a per-pupil participation fee from sponsorship funds raised. If total donations are less than participation fees, Great Athletes covers the shortfall and schools receive no voucher. If donations exceed participation fees, Great Athletes receives the participation fee plus 40% of excess.
2. Sponsorship Share: Of funds raised above the participation fee, schools retain 60% in the form of vouchers for sports equipment, and Great Athletes retains 40% to fund athletes and operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Great Athletes is a UK social enterprise that arranges visits by elite athletes (Olympians, Paralympians, World Champions, Commonwealth and Invictus competitors) to primary schools, combining a half-day fitness circuit with an inspirational assembly. Schools pay nothing up front; the visit is funded by parent and community sponsorship collected through an online fundraising platform, from which Great Athletes deducts a participation fee and retains 40% of any excess, with 60% returned to the school as vouchers for sports equipment.

Product overview

Great Athletes is a social enterprise that operates primarily through its School Visit Program, bringing Olympians, Paralympians, World Champions, and other elite athletes into primary schools across the UK. The core offering combines an inclusive fitness circuit led by athletes with inspirational assemblies, while helping schools raise funds for sports equipment through a sponsorship model. The company also offers an optional Get Active Program of multiple workshops designed to help schools embed physical activity into the school day based on educational research. Additional offerings include an Online Fundraising Platform for managing donations, a Meet the Athletes showcase for selecting visiting athletes, and a 20 Top Tips educational resource. The products work together as an integrated school engagement solution focused on physical activity promotion and fundraising for sports equipment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Great Athletes School Visit Program Half-day visit to a UK primary school by an elite athlete (Olympic, Paralympic, World, European, Commonwealth or Invictus competitor), combining an inclusive fitness circuit with an inspirational assembly; funded by parent sponsorship collected via the company's fundraising platform, with no cost to the school.
• Get Active Program A series of 2 or 3 workshops delivered by an Olympic/GB athlete, designed to help schools understand how physical activity can improve academic results, pupil behaviour and mental health.
• Online Fundraising Platform Online sponsorship platform that lets schools create fundraising pages, collect donations from parents and extended family, and track funds raised per school.
• Online Booking System Online and phone-based booking system that lets schools schedule athlete visits, with office support Monday to Friday 8:00am-5:00pm.

Quantifiable outcome

• Schools raise funds for new sports equipment with 98% receiving equipment vouchers
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Fortune and CoatesminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 15 November 2024Fortune and Coates, a local estate agency based in Harlow, sponsored a Great Athletes visit to Milwards Primary School featuring Commonwealth Games Gold medal-winning gymnast Steve Frew. The sponsorship enabled the school to host the inspiring event.
• Bishop Sport & LeisureminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOne of two primary school sports equipment suppliers that schools can use their Great Athletes vouchers with to purchase new sports equipment.
• Unnamed Equipment SupplierminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOne of two primary school sports equipment suppliers that schools can use their Great Athletes vouchers with. Works with 'the country's largest primary school equipment suppliers' according to company materials.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Sport England: Arm's-length body of the UK government distributing National Lottery and Treasury funds to grow grassroots participation in sport. Adjacent funder and ecosystem partner that funds many of the same school-sport programs.
• Sky Sports Living for Sport: Sky Sports' school engagement initiative pairing elite athletes with secondary schools to deliver motivational sessions. Comparable athlete-visit-into-schools model but anchored to a major broadcaster and focused on secondary level.

Direct peers

• Premier League Primary Stars: Premier League's school engagement program that sends professional footballers and club ambassadors into UK primary schools to inspire children. Direct competitor for the athlete-in-schools visit slot.
• SportsAid: UK charity supporting young athletes through fundraising and corporate sponsorship, with strong links to schools and grassroots sport. Comparable as a UK sports fundraising and athlete-development platform.
• Fit For Sport: UK provider of school sport and activity programs, including curriculum PE, holiday camps, and athlete-led engagement. Comparable as a commercial operator delivering structured sports activities into primary schools.
• Youth Sport Trust: UK charity that works with schools to improve young people's health and wellbeing through PE and sport, including athlete-led school engagement programs. Closest direct peer given its UK primary-school focus on physical activity and well-being.
• Sported: UK charity supporting community sports clubs and groups, including school-linked programs. Similar model of using corporate and community sponsorship to fund grassroots sport engagement for young people.

Others

• Association for Physical Education (afPE): UK professional body for PE teachers, advocating for and supporting the delivery of physical education in schools. Ecosystem partner and adjacent stakeholder rather than a direct competitor.
• School Sport England (YST Schools): Youth Sport Trust's network program linking schools with athlete mentors and PE resources across the UK. Adjacent program competing for the same school-athlete engagement budget.

Emerging players

• Youth Sport Direct (Kinder+Sport): Ferrero's Kinder+Sport initiative promoting physical activity and healthy lifestyles among European children through school programs and athlete ambassadors. Comparable purpose-built athlete-into-schools model operating in adjacent European markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/greatathletesuk
• Facebookfacebook.com/greatathletesuk
• Instagraminstagram.com/greatathletesuk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/great-athletes

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Great Athletes