Sean Thornley and Menino Pereira, former commercial executives at English Premier League soccer club Arsenal, have launched a new sports marketing agency targeting rightsholders and brands.

PinDrop was launched earlier this month by the pair, who left Arsenal to form the company.

The new agency, based in London, is seeking to collaborate with rightsholders to “enhance commercial growth by implementing effective partnership sales strategies, strengthening analytics capabilities, and optimizing rights packages.”

The firm will also work with brands, “leveraging their extensive sponsorship knowledge to support on every aspect of their sports marketing journey, including identifying prime partnership opportunities, negotiating favorable terms, and implementing mechanisms to measure the success of their investment.”

PinDrop has already secured its first contract, announcing a partnership with Scottish soccer giants Rangers.

The agency will collaborate with the Glasgow club to drive revenue growth by enhancing its partnership development and research function.

Thornley said: “We are thrilled to launch PinDrop's journey with Rangers as our first collaboration. The global popularity of Rangers, alongside their current partnership platform offers an attractive marketing solution for brands seeking domestic and international growth.

“We look forward to enhancing these robust foundations through empowering the club with advanced analytics and enriching their market position to further achieve their commercial objectives.”

Karim Virani, chief commercial officer at Rangers, added: “PinDrop brings a unique and innovative perspective to partnership acquisition, and we're excited to be their first client. Their insights-driven approach aligns with our vision, which we will utilize in pursuit of elevating Rangers’ commercial growth.”

Thornley, a former professional tennis player, transitioned into the business world in 2015 and most recently held the position of business development lead at Arsenal, playing a key role in securing several strategic global partnerships during his tenure with the club.

Pereira has spent over a decade working in three continents and developed strategy and data analytics functions for leading rightsholders, agencies, and brands including Arsenal, the London 2012 Olympics, sports marketing agency Sportfive, and Capgemini, the French IT company.