Motion Advisory Partners supports 53Six in its acquisition by FUEL

Dublin and London, 12 October 2026

The partnership brings together two agencies with complementary talent and capabilities, and a shared ambition to grow across international markets.

Live events, social content and fan engagement are closely connected for both brands and rights holders in today's evolving market. Bringing those capabilities together creates a stronger offer with more ways to reach audiences, build brands and generate revenue.

Based in Dublin and London, 53Six helps sports organisations and brands build audiences and revenue through strategy, creative, content, performance media and data. Tom Fox and Marcus McDonnell had built an agency with specialist expertise and an international client base. They wanted a partner that understood the business and could help them take it further.

FUEL’s capabilities in live experiences, entertainment and production offered a clear strategic fit. Its resources broaden what 53Six can deliver for clients, while 53Six brings sports marketing expertise and audience intelligence to the wider group. There is scope for both agencies to win work together and do more for the clients they already serve.

For agency founders, the appeal of a partnership like this is practical. It provides access to skills, relationships and resources that would take time to build alone. Finding the right fit means understanding what each business contributes and how the people will work together.

That was an important part of Motion’s involvement. Rick and Rob worked directly with both sets of founders to help progress commercial discussions and support the transaction through to completion. Motion also led discussions on shared opportunities, integration priorities and communications with employees and clients. The focus was on where collaboration could add value and how to protect the significant strengths of each agency.

53Six retains its brand with Tom and Marcus continuing as CEO and COO. They will lead the agency’s next stage of growth with access to FUEL’s wider capabilities. For FUEL, the partnership adds real depth and strengthens its international reach in sports marketing and fan engagement.

FUEL Co-Founder and Managing Director Jamie Deasy, who was recently named one of Europe’s top 50 Event Agency Leaders, stated: “We’re delighted to welcome 53Six into the FUEL group. 53Six brings deep expertise in sport, performance marketing, and audience intelligence, while FUEL brings scale across live experiences, entertainment, and high-end content production. Together, we are building an end to end global growth engine for clients around fandom, combining world class live experiences and content with the fan-data and insight to demonstrate their impact, while creating significant growth opportunities for both businesses internationally.”

Tom Fox, Co-Founder and CEO of 53Six comments: “We were looking for a strategic partner that understood how sport and live experiences are increasingly interconnected, and could further accelerate our growth internationally. Since day one, we've believed in the power of sport to create meaningful shared experiences, and in today's world, that belief feels more relevant than ever."

Motion’s client profile is increasingly strategic growth and dealmaking for the companies redefining marketing, media and culture. We work with founders and investors behind distinctive agencies and other businesses across digital, experience, sport, content and marketing technology.

We’ve enjoyed working on the 53Six x FUEL deal and look forward to continuing our relationship with the group.

A massive thank you to Rob Reid, Rick Palmer and Motion Advisory Partners, who played a central role in 53Six joining the FUEL group. From the moment we started working together, we knew that we had the right partner. Their expertise, guidance and support throughout the entire process was second to none. Brilliant operators who are very good at what they do.

We have ambitious plans for FUEL, and Rick and Rob have helped us put a clear commercial framework around that ambition. They understand our sector, bring valuable relationships and help us assess how the right businesses and capabilities can strengthen the group. They are hands-on with the detail, from evaluating opportunities and working through terms to planning how people and businesses come together. We value their judgement, their willingness to challenge our thinking and their genuine commitment to what we’re building.