British Cycling has announced the launch of a new commercial wing designed to “supercharge” the organisation’s growth, and they are looking for investors to help fast-track its development.
British Cycling Ventures will absorb British Cycling Events and will oversee all commercial activity. The influx in investment British Cycling hopes to generate will be “reinvested into British Cycling’s wider mission” and used to “realise the full commercial potential of cycling in Britain and internationally,” according to their press release.
The national governing body hopes to expand its events portfolio across disciplines from track cycling to BMX freestyle, and to increase revenue generated from hospitality and merchandising. The Financial Times reported that the development of a track cycling “super league” could also be part of this plan.
“The launch of British Cycling Ventures (BCV) is a landmark moment for our organisation and a transformative step for British sport,” British Cycling’s Chief commercial officer and new managing director of BCV, Darren Henry said. “For the first time, we have a dedicated commercial engine designed to elevate cycling’s reach, create unforgettable experiences for riders and fans, and build sustainable growth far beyond our traditional horizons.
“BCV will give partners and investors a rare opportunity to help shape the future of one of Britain’s most successful Olympic and Paralympic sports.”
While British Cycling currently gets the lion’s share of its income from government grants (£33 million), with an additional £9.88 million from UK sport and £7.24 million from Sport England for grassroots projects, commercial revenue has risen by 286% since 2023. Partnerships with Lloyds Bank and Shell also increased by £1.9 million in 2023 to £5.3 million in the 12 months to March 2025.
However, during this same period, British Cycling’s membership count fell by more than 11,000, according to its most recent report. This 9% drop in memberships is part of a wider 15% decline over the past two years, though income generated from memberships has increased following the launch of a tiered system in April 2024.
Despite falling memberships, British Cycling chair Frank Slevin called the year a “monumental” one for the organisation, who, due to its “innovative new commercial strategy” via partnerships with Lloyds and Shell, left the governing body in positive figures for the first time since 2020/21.
British Cycling may be the country’s first Olympic federation to seek strategic investment, but there is international form for such a move. CVC, a Luxembourg-based private equity firm, is a joint venture partner with FIVB, volleyball’s global governing body, the Women’s Tennis Association and Six Nations Rugby. US private equity fund Silver Lake owns a commercial stake in New Zealand Rugby. Private equity funds play a large role in modern sport more generally.
While British Cycling Venture’s plans for the use of the yet uncollected investment remains vague, they have consulted the help of Oakwell Sports Advisory to “accelerate” its growth, and to help secure strategic equity and investment partnerships as Britain’s role in the 2027 Tour de France Grand Depart looms ever closer.
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