About me
I’m Eddie May and I’ve worked in sports marketing and sponsorship for 30 years.
I’ve been on both sides of the table
I’ve spent time as a brand-side marketeer, responsible for identifying and leveraging high profile sponsorships with the likes of The FA, Manchester United and Chelsea FC.
I’ve also started, built and exited from a 50-person agency, working with global brands and rights holders including Stella Artois, EA Sports, New Balance, The NFL, EFL and ATP Tour.
Now, the only side I’m on is yours
In 2018 I decided to step away from managing a team of people and focus on using my expertise to help clients in a more strategic, direct and hands-on way.
I work exclusively with brands in sponsorship and I don’t represent any rights-holders.
This means I can provide 100% objective advice on harnessing the power of sport to grow your brand, with absolutely no conflict of interest.
A bit of background
Growing up in Derbyshire, England, I always loved sport.
I’d play and watch pretty much everything – football, tennis, cricket, golf, rugby. I even got quite into American Football during the 1980s thanks to Channel 4’s UK coverage.
This love for sport led me to want to work in it, somehow. After realising I wasn’t good enough at anything to be a professional athlete, I did the next best thing and took a degree in Sport & Recreation Studies at the University of Birmingham, followed by a summer of coaching football/soccer in the USA.
That eventually led to my first job in sport, in the marketing team at Umbro. After a few years there, I co-founded and ran a London marketing agency called Threepipe, working with many brands and rights holders in sport.
In 2018, I decided to step away from managing a team of people and set up Overdog, to focus on using my expertise to help clients in a more strategic, direct and hands-on way.
Along with that sports degree, I also have a CIM Advanced Certificate in Marketing, a Mini MBA in Marketing and a qualification in Data Analysis for Management from LSE.
In 2025 I was shortlisted for the prestigious Sport Industry Group ‘Consultant of the Year’ Award.
I now live in Saffron Walden, Essex, with my wife and three children, but working with clients all over the world.
When you work with me, you work with me
There’s none of that annoying thing of buying into one person and then getting handed over to a junior team that just doesn’t have the same experience.
That said, when there are projects that call for other skills or resources, I have a great network of some of the best in the business.
So, if something we’re working on needs an expert in brand identity, design, web development, PR, digital marketing or anything else, chances are I know just the person or agency for the job.
What’s an Overdog?
In sport, everyone loves a good underdog story. As a Derby County fan, it’s kind of my default setting.
But in business, not many want to remain an underdog and I like the idea of helping the brands I work with to win.
So, I thought to myself, “what’s the opposite of an underdog?”.
Turns out “Overdog” is a real word, which slightly surprised me at the time, but it seemed quite fitting.
Overdog: someone who is dominant or has a significant advantage in their field