Fantastic Media Leeds appointed to deliver business and marketing strategy as Super League club prepares for new stadium era

Leeds-based marketing agency Fantastic Media Leeds has been appointed by Rugby Super League club Huddersfield Giants to deliver a business and marketing strategy through to 2030. The contract covers strategic guidance as the club prepares for a planned move to a purpose-built stadium, with Fantastic’s brief centred on strengthening the Giants’ brand, improving fan engagement, and unlocking new commercial opportunities. The deal adds a significant sports client to the agency’s growing roster and builds on its specialist sports marketing division.

What the Contract Covers

Fantastic will use its INSIGHT programme, an evidence-led strategic approach that maps the core drivers of a business, to develop a data-driven marketing plan for the club. The work will focus on fan sentiment, brand equity, and commercial growth as the Giants build towards a new stadium and what the club describes as a new era. The agency’s sports marketing division already works with clubs, governing bodies, athletes, and rights holders across multiple sports.

Giants Managing Director Richard Thewlis described the appointment as an indication of what is happening behind the scenes at the club, saying the partnership demonstrates the Giants’ ambition to establish themselves as a major force in world rugby alongside the stadium move.

“Rugby League clubs are some of the most important cultural institutions in the communities they serve. They represent civic pride, identity and belonging, yet too often clubs underestimate the role brand plays in winning the hearts and minds of fans, partners and investors. The most forward-thinking clubs are the ones willing to truly understand what makes them unique and use that to shape their future.”

— Andy Hobson, CEO, Fantastic Media

Fantastic Media’s Growth

Founded by Hobson in 2006, Fantastic Media Leeds has grown to a 27-strong team operating from its city-centre base. The agency acquired Brighouse-based PR firm Faith Brand Communications in a six-figure deal in early 2024, and has a client portfolio spanning national and international brands including STADA Thornton & Ross, Skopes Menswear and SportsBroker. Hobson also holds a directorship at The John Smith’s Stadium in Huddersfield — the Giants’ current home ground — which gives the agency an existing understanding of the club’s commercial environment.

Why this matters for Leeds

This is a Leeds agency winning a multi-year strategic brief from a professional sports club preparing for a major infrastructure investment. The contract sits within Fantastic Media’s specialist sports marketing division, which is an increasingly valuable niche for agency businesses. For Leeds’ creative and marketing sector, it’s another example of regional agencies competing for and winning strategic work that might previously have gone to London firms. The agency’s growth trajectory — from startup in 2006 to nearly £2 million turnover and an acquisition — reflects the depth of marketing talent operating out of the city.