Exclusive: Former Man United CEO’s firm partners with CVC volleyball league
Former Manchester United chief executive Richard Arnold’s sport commercial consultancy has entered into a partnership with the CVC Capital Partners-run Volleyball World, City PM can reveal.
Red Tiger Marketing will today announce a deal with the league, owned by the private equity giant thrusted into the sporting world through Formula 1, which will “drive the long-term growth and commercial transformation of volleyball worldwide”.
Volleyball World has been grouped with a number of CVC Capital Partners’ sporting assets to form the Global Sport Group, an industry juggernaut which could use both debt financing and external additional investment to charge towards a number of acquisitions throughout 2026.
The partnership will see Red Tiger Marketing — a joint venture between Arnold and former LIV Golf head of franchise operations Laurence Miller — “support the development and delivery of its global commercial strategy, with a focus on sponsorship, strategic partnerships, and brand-led growth initiatives”.
Miller said that “Volleyball World has built a world-class portfolio with enormous momentum”, adding that, “we’re excited to work closely with Oliver [Clarke, chief partnership officer] and the team, applying our data-led and technology-driven approach to help accelerate commercial growth and unlock new, high-value partnerships.”
CVC firm does deal with Red Tiger Marketing
CVC Capital Partners’ Global Sport Group includes private equity investments in the Six Nations, Prem Rugby, Ultimate Rugby Championship, LaLiga, Ligue 1 and Volleyball World.
CVC’s investment in IPL franchise Gujarat Titans is not part of Global Sport Group.
Oliver Clarke of Volleyball World added: “Volleyball World has an ambitious vision for the global growth of the sport.
“Partnering with Red Tiger strengthens our commercial capabilities as we continue to build a premium, future-facing platform for brands looking to connect with our global audience.”
Red Tiger Marketing is understood to be announcing a number of partnerships across a number of sports in 2026.
Arnold was approaching two decades at Manchester United before leaving the Red Devils in 2023 and last year said: “Red Tiger is about applying world-class thinking, data-driven strategy, and operational discipline to help sports organisations realise their full commercial potential.”