By Alex Smith |
Sportfive has rolled out Microsoft 365 Copilot across its workforce, reaching 93 per cent adoption and enabling staff to spend more time on client relationships and creative work.
The Hamburg-based sports marketing agency employs more than 1,900 people in 20 countries, with its clients including Borussia Dortmund, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Chicago Bulls. The company works on major events such as UEFA EURO, the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
As the agency grew, staff spent large amounts of time on repetitive research, content creation and outreach. Output quality varied and workflows were fragmented, slowing delivery and limiting consistency. Sportfive responded by giving every employee access to Microsoft 365 Copilot.
“The biggest development I’ve seen in the sports industry is the topic of AI,” said Matthias Jahn, head of AI and business innovation at Sportfive. “No one in the sports industry, or any other industry, can avoid using it. AI is becoming the new operating system.”
Jahn said the company selected Copilot because it already operated on the Microsoft platform. “We can have it directly in our applications, which makes it unbeatable in this case.”
The rollout required every employee to complete an “AI driving licence” aligned with the European Union’s AI Act and Copilot fundamentals training before receiving access. The programme covered all roles, from senior leaders to interns and receptionists.
To support adoption, Sportfive ran an AI roadshow across Germany, introduced weekly AI office hours, and created tutorials and a central AI hub. A network of AI ambassadors provided local support, while senior leaders promoted the initiative in town halls.
“It was mainly about enabling employees to use Copilot in their everyday work,” said Raoul Nayar, AI and business innovation manager at Sportfive. “We set up an online training course and finished with an AI roadshow throughout Germany.”
Staff now use Copilot for sponsor research, outreach drafting, document creation, translation, email and image generation. In sales and marketing, the tool helps identify potential sponsors and assess partnership approaches more quickly.
According to the agency, 93 per cent of employees hold a Copilot licence and use the tool regularly. 88 per cent report being satisfied or very satisfied, and nearly three-quarters say they can no longer imagine working without AI. Teams report shorter processing times, more consistent output, higher weekly productivity, greater creativity and fewer errors.
Sportfive is now extending the programme into process change. It is building AI agents, linking Copilot to its customer relationship management system and improving underlying data. Colleagues can create custom agents through Agent Builder, such as tools that match clubs with potential brand partners.
Having established the model in Germany, the agency plans to expand the same approach to its teams in Asia and the United States.
“AI will influence the relationship between fans and clubs in a very special way,” said Jahn. “Copilot equips us with what we need for our relationship work: more time and more individuality in how we approach people. That is a huge win for us.”