Think Formula 1 but on water. That essentially is SailGP. With high-adrenalin races lasting about 15 to 20 minutes, this new sporting franchise has many celebrity backers from Ryan Reynolds to Hugh Jackman. SailGP is redefining how a sports league can be built, and has ambitious plans for the Middle East. We caught up with its Managing Director Andrew Thompson.
The backstory
Five years ago, SailGP was just an idea on a drawing board. A bold concept to create a made-for-broadcast, high-speed sailing league designed to rival the mighty Formula 1, but on water. Today, it is a multi-million-dollar franchise with 12 national teams, global sponsors like Rolex and Emirates, high-profile investors including Hollywood superstars, and sell-out crowds in global (and glamorous) cities from Sydney to Saint-Tropez. Its rapid rise offers a fascinating case study in how to build a modern sports league.
A new sporting product
At its heart, SailGP is a sporting spectacle. Races are fast and furious, lasting minutes and running close to the shore so fans can feel the boats skim past at 100kph. Each event packs four races into a 90-minute broadcast, distributed across more than 200 territories. SailGP has invested in cutting-edge technology – “LiveLine” graphics pioneered by Oracle’s Larry Ellison make tactics and positions visible on screen for fans to enjoy in real time.
The boats themselves are one-design – F50 foiling catamarans. Because every team races on identical boats, it ensures the battle is about skill, not technology. This creates tight margins and high drama to attract both newcomers and seasoned sailors. The top boats finishing only minutes apart.
Built for business
From the start, SailGP was designed to be a modern sport for a new type of spectator. High-energy, engaging and with a good sprinkling of celebrity involvement. Its co-founders, Ellison and five-time America’s Cup winner Sir Russell Coutts, were clear: the sport had to be broadcast-friendly, sponsor-driven and exciting for its audience.
Luxury watch brand Rolex signed on as title partner and has since become more involved. Oracle provides the data infrastructure, while Mubadala, DP World, Emirates, and Accor are operational partners. Yes, it’s about visibility for sponsors but it runs deeper than that. Brands get to tell their own stories within SailGP’s narrative.
Franchising is another pillar. Initially, the league owned all teams so it could move quickly. Now, franchises sell for around $60 million each, with owners including Reynolds, Jackman, and marketing guru Gary Vaynerchuk. Much like F1, this is a sport with a high entry cost. If you own a team, you are definitely somebody. This mix of capital, celebrity involvement, and storytelling power adds weight to SailGP’s ambition to become one of the hottest properties in the sporting world.
Making waves
SailGP’s fifth season ends in Abu Dhabi this November with a $2 million Grand Final. Beyond this spectacle, management has its eyes on the horizon: growing audiences, embedding franchises, and moving up the sports property rankings into the global top 25. The strategy is clear – maintain an obsessive product focus, deepen sponsor integration and promote its own athlete personalities.
As SailGP Managing Director Andrew Thompson says, “If someone had said five years ago we’d be here today, I’d have said that’s pretty nice.” But ambition runs higher. With celebrity owners amplifying the brand, Middle Eastern anchors securing geography, and women drivers rewriting history, SailGP is not just a sailing league. It is a real-world example of how to build a 21st-century sports property – agile, commercial and global.
Agility over tradition
One of SailGP’s advantages is being unburdened by legacy governance. It started with a blank sheet of paper, which few sports get to enjoy. Where established federations and associations are slow to react, SailGP can pivot quickly. For example, finals formats have been re-engineered mid-season. And broadcast presentations are tweaked to align with fan feedback.
This agility also extends to geography, with the Middle East becoming a key growth market. After debuting in Dubai, SailGP now stages its prestigious Grand Final in Abu Dhabi, backed by Mubadala and the Abu Dhabi Sports Council. Long-term, the league is weighing up a permanent training base in the UAE and even a professional Emirati team.
Celebrity investment
Sport loves a good human interest story and the odd Hollywood actor as an investor. Just as Netflix’s Drive to Survive transformed Formula 1 fandom, SailGP knows its long-term success depends on personalities. Thankfully, it is not short of star power from Hollywood and further afield: Reynolds and Jackman co-owning Team Australia, with French footballer Kylian Mbappé using his platform to drive youth sailing in France. These names add reach and credibility, especially with younger audiences. However, the league wants its next frontier to involve turning its SailGP athletes into household names.
Drivers (yes they are called drivers not sailors in SailGP) like Tom Slingsby, Dylan Fletcher, and double Olympic champion Martine Grael, who became the first woman to win a SailGP race in New York, are some of the most recognisable faces. The challenge is transforming them into media figures who can carry the league beyond its niche audiences.
Women at the helm
One of SailGP’s most progressive features is its women’s pathway. Sailing is one of the few sports where men and women can compete on equal terms, and SailGP has embedded female athletes into every team. Supported by DP World, the programme is closing historic gender gaps. Grael’s victory this summer was not just symbolic but a tangible shift. The league wants more women like her to showcase.
Grassroots and legacy
SailGP is proving its inclusivity credentials elsewhere too. The Inspire programme brings local youth into each host city’s event, mixing sailing lessons with STEM education. In Abu Dhabi, 1,500 children took part last year. Apprenticeships in engineering and boat-building extend opportunities further, embedding the league’s technical side into education.
Here’s a nice story – a young Bermudian boatyard worker offered an internship during a race later flew to Southampton on his own initiative, secured a full-time role, and now tours globally with the team. For management, stories like this rank alongside commercial wins.
*The Championship-deciding Mubadala Abu Dhabi Sail Grand Prix 2025 Season Grand Final, presented by Abu Dhabi Sports Council, takes place on 29-30 November.