Media and events company For Soccer Ventures (FSV) has acquired Gilt Edge Soccer Marketing, a soccer-focused marketing firm, with plans to launch a new company called For Soccer. The move creates a major North American soccer-specific media and experiences company leading into the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup, which will take place in the U.S., Mexico and Canada.
For Soccer will offer soccer marketing and media services, and will manage a portfolio of soccer properties, including Alianza de Futbol, the leading Hispanic grassroots community platform. The company is led by For Soccer Ventures founder Richie Graham, the managing principal and founder of Striker Partners, a family office based in Wayne, Pennsylvania. Graham also owns Major League Soccer’s Philadelphia Union.
Founded in 2019, For Soccer Ventures has developed a portfolio of media properties, including Black Star (a platform to accelerate the growth and popularity of soccer in black communities), the Association (an experiential soccer league celebrating soccer culture) and the Soccer Collective (a proprietary network of social media accounts and creator communities).
“For Soccer Ventures has seen tremendous growth since we launched the business a little over three years ago, and we’re now working with some of the biggest brands in the world,” Graham said in a statement. “Together with Gilt Edge Soccer Marketing, who have unprecedented research and fan activation capabilities, we will further our expertise and deep understanding of the North American soccer landscape, allowing us to better service brands and organizations who wish to authentically connect with the growing soccer consumer base.”
Gilt Edge, founded in 2008 by John Guppy, has operated as one of the first North American soccer-specific marketing agencies. The company has provided services to major corporate brands such as Unilever, Volkswagen and Pepsi, and top soccer properties including Chelsea FC, Liverpool FC, MLS and the Premier League.
“I feel like the specialization of marketing expertise, specific to the vertical of soccer, is a whitespace,” Guppy said. “We created Gilt Edge and put the word soccer in the name of the company for a reason. And quite frankly, we just disrupted the traditional sports marketing industry.”
Guppy will join the executive team of For Soccer as the president of growth enterprises. He’ll work alongside former For Soccer Ventures president and former USMNT captain Heath Pearce, who will take the role of president of marketing and communication for the new company and former Adidas’s senior director of North America running Ernesto Bruce, who will join the team as the CEO.
“As a region, North America is entering a defining moment with respect to its blended sporting and social culture ahead of the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup,” Bruce said. “And that’s where we come in; we have a very diverse team of individuals that believe in the sport and can help guide brands, connect them to different communities, connect them to fans, connect them to players and help accelerate the growth of soccer in America.”
