General Sports Worldwide, a company formed by veteran sports industry entrepreneur Andy Appleby, has "acquired 366 Group, a London-based athlete representation firm that represents about 100 athletes," including about 75 English soccer players, according to Liz Mullen of SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL. The existing leadership of 366 Sports, including CEO Sam Rush, COO Nick Andrews and Head of Football Colin Gordon, "will continue to guide the business on a day-to-day basis." Appleby said that the agency "will keep the name 366 Group, at least for now." He added, “We hope to be able acquire two, or three or four more agencies within the next two years to really create even more critical mass than we have today." Mullen notes Appleby owns General Sports & Entertainment, a company he founded in '98, which is the "parent company of several businesses, including the United Shore Professional Baseball League." In January '20, he "founded a separate company, General Sports Worldwide, to pursue sports agency acquisitions" (SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL, 9/14 issue).
MLS ON THE HORIZON: Appleby said that his plan to grow 366 Group lies in "taking advantage of a deep Rolodex of connections and exploiting his decades as a pro sports executive." Appleby: "I’ll be able to move the needle from a marketing perspective, in promoting our agency." He added that he bought 366 Group for "under $10 million in January." THE ATHLETIC's Bill Shea reported 366 Group eventually "will seek to represent MLS players in the United States." The agency currently has a "small office at Appleby’s U.S. headquarters in Rochester, Mich." Meanwhile, Appleby "plans to rely on Rush to grow the agency in Britain" (THEATHLETIC.com, 9/11).
