Sports Tours

What Sports Tours does

Sports Tours Limited is a privately held UK tour operator founded in 1989 and headquartered in Derby, England, specializing in organizing youth football, rugby, and netball tournaments and tours across the UK and Europe. The company serves grassroots and club-level youth teams (U7 through adult veteran) plus accompanying coaches, families, and club administrators, offering bundled packages that combine tournament entry, accommodation, transportation, awards ceremonies, and mandatory travel insurance. Sports Tours runs approximately 34 tournaments annually across UK coastal venues and at least 8 European countries (Spain, Belgium, Sweden, Netherlands, Italy, Portugal, Denmark, Iceland), with a particular focus on the Blackpool Easter Tournament and the Spain Netball Festival delivered in partnership with England Netball.

The company operates a direct sales-led GTM model handled by a small 12-person team reachable via phone (01332 227 474) and online enquiry forms, supported by a proprietary Tour Management System (TMS) for online booking and participant management, and a white-labelled mobile app (powered by Vamoos) that delivers offline tournament schedules, maps, and documents. Payment processing is integrated through Payit by NatWest Open Banking, and travel insurance is delivered through Aviva Insurance via the broker David Roberts & Partners. The platform is described as incorporating AI for booking automation, predictive demand forecasting, chatbot-based customer support, and automated document generation, although these capabilities appear to be applied productivity tooling rather than proprietary AI.

Revenue is generated primarily through packaged tour sales (UK tournaments from £66-£187 per person; international tours from £449-£1,249 per person), tournament entry fees, and bundled travel insurance, with a £50 per-person deposit and balance due 12 weeks prior to departure. The company holds ABTA, ABTOT, and ATOL certifications, providing financial protection that is a regulatory requirement for selling flight-inclusive youth packages and a barrier to new entrants. Cumulative reach is approximately 20,000 players, coaches, and families served over 36 years, with a 4.9/5 Google reviews rating.

Name

Sports Tours

Legal name

Sports Tours LTD

Website

https://sports-tours.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Sports Tours Limited is a privately held UK tour operator founded in 1989 that organizes youth football, rugby, and netball tournaments and tours across the UK and Europe for grassroots and club-level teams, bundling accommodation, transport, tournament entry, and travel insurance through a proprietary booking portal and mobile app.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Sports Tour Services

NAICS

Tour Operators (56152), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events (7113)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Sports Team, Tournament & Training Travel (THAKAGAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sports Travel, Logistics & Team Operations Services (MPAKAKAI), Sports & Active Travel Agencies (e.g., ski, golf, dive) (THAKAFAJ)

Keywords

• Youth sports tours
• Tournament organization
• Youth football tournaments
• Youth rugby festivals
• Youth netball tournaments

Headquarters

HQ city

Derby

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Package Tours: Complete tour packages bundling accommodation, tournament entry, awards ceremonies, and transfers. Includes UK-based weekend tournaments and international multi-day tours with flights.
2. Tournament Entry Fees: Revenue from youth teams registering to participate in organized football, rugby, and netball tournaments across UK and European venues.
3. Travel Insurance: Mandatory insurance bundled with international tour packages, provided through Aviva Insurance services. Single-trip policies valid only for booked tours.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Sports Tours organizes youth football, rugby, and netball tournament and tour packages across the UK and Europe, bundling accommodation, tournament entry, awards ceremonies, transportation, and travel insurance. The company delivers end-to-end tour management for youth sports teams (U7 to adult levels) through on-site representatives, a proprietary Tour Management System (TMS) booking portal, the Sports Tours App (powered by Vamoos), and AI-powered booking/scheduling automation.

Product overview

Sports Tours Limited is a UK-based sports tour operator specializing in organizing youth football, rugby, and netball tournaments and tours across the UK and Europe. The core offering is tournament and tour organization services, supported by digital tools including the Tour Management System (TMS) online booking portal, the Sports Tours App (powered by Vamoos), and Payit payment integration. The company operates under three sport-specific sub-brands: Football Tournaments, Rugby Festivals, and Netball Tournaments, each offering both UK and international events. Founded in 1989, the company has served nearly 20,000 players and operates from Derby, UK.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Youth Football Tournaments and Tours Organized youth football tournament packages for boys, girls, and mixed teams from U8 to U19 across UK coastal locations (Blackpool, Fleetwood, Norfolk, West Sussex) and European destinations (Spain, Belgium, Sweden, Netherlands, Italy, Portugal, Denmark). Packages bundle tournament entry, accommodation, transportation, and awards ceremonies with celebrity guests.
• Youth Rugby Festivals and Tours Organized youth rugby festival packages for boys, girls, and mixed teams from U7 to adult veteran level, held in UK and European locations. Festivals focus on competitive yet social rugby experiences with bundled accommodation, tournament entry, transportation, and awards ceremonies.
• Youth Netball Tournaments and Tours Organized netball tournament packages for junior and ladies teams from U11 to adult walking netball level, offered in UK and international locations. Includes bundled flights, accommodation, tournament entry, and family-friendly experiences. The Spain Netball Festival operates in official partnership with England Netball.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 20,000 players, coaches, and families have created unforgettable sporting memories through Sports Tours
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Payit by NatWestcoreTechnology or IntegrationPayment processing partnership providing Open Banking-based payment solution enabling customers to securely pay via their bank without card details or sign-up requirements. Free to use, works with major UK banks beyond NatWest customers.
• Aviva InsurancecoreOthersProvides mandatory travel insurance for international tours. Single-trip policies tailored for sports groups including Covid-related cancellation and curtailment coverage.
• VamooscoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology provider powering the Sports Tours mobile app, which offers offline tournament schedules, accommodation details, maps, and essential documents for tour attendees.
• David Roberts & PartnerssupportingOthersInsurance broker partner (FCA authorized, reference 143840) facilitating travel insurance products through Aviva for tour bookings.
• Soccer SpeakersupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerPreferred partner providing celebrity speakers, comperes, and signed memorabilia for fundraising events and awards ceremonies at tournaments.
• TelescopicgoalsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerPreferred partner providing adjustable, portable football goals. Offers 5% discount code (SPORTST5) for Sports Tours customers.
• Fleetwood Town FCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHome venue partner for Blackpool Easter Tournament. Poolfoot Farm training complex provides tournament facilities including FIFA 2-star grade 4G pitches, grass pitches, and Air Dome. Partnership enables discounted match tickets for attending teams.
• England NetballcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial partnership for Spain Netball Festival providing credibility and governance alignment for international netball tournament offerings.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sportsbreaks.com: UK-based sports travel package operator offering match-day breaks, tournament trips and sporting event packages for football, rugby and other sports — direct competitor to Sports Tours in the British sports travel market.
• Sports Tours International: US-headquartered global sports tour operator organising youth and amateur team tours and tournaments across multiple sports worldwide — directly comparable in product offering and customer profile to Sports Tours.
• Empire Football Tours: UK-based football tour specialist arranging youth and grassroots team tours and tournaments across Europe — closely comparable to Sports Tours' football sub-brand.
• Eclipse Sport Tours: UK youth sports tour operator organising tournaments and tours for school and club teams across football, rugby, hockey and netball — direct competitor across Sports Tours' core sports portfolio.
• Net4Events: UK netball event organiser running tournaments, tours and festivals for clubs and schools — directly comparable to Sports Tours' netball sub-brand, including international offerings.
• Total Sport Tours: Youth and amateur sports tour operator delivering tournament packages and travel logistics for teams across multiple sports — comparable customer profile and product structure to Sports Tours.
• Pro Sports Tours: Sports tour operator arranging team tournament trips and training tours for clubs, schools and representative sides across Europe — directly comparable offering to Sports Tours' international packages.

Broad incumbents

• JET2 Sports Breaks: Broader UK travel operator with a dedicated sports breaks vertical offering match-day and tournament packages — competes with Sports Tours for sports-related discretionary travel spend but from a much larger generalist travel base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sportstoursuk
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/SportsToursUKandEU
• Facebookfacebook.com/SportsToursLTD
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sports-tours-limited
• Instagraminstagram.com/sportstoursltd
• TikToktiktok.com/@sports.tours.ltd

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Sports Tours