DUBLIN — FUEL, Ireland’s leading experience and entertainment group, has announced the acquisition of 53Six, the prominent Dublin and London-based sports marketing agency.
Under the terms of the agreement finalized between the two companies, 53Six will continue to operate under its existing brand identity as an integral part of the expanding FUEL group. The agency will remain under the leadership of its co-founders, Tom Fox, who serves as Chief Executive Officer, and Marcus McDonnell, who holds the position of Chief Operating Officer.
The strategic acquisition brings 53Six into the fold of FUEL, a multi-award-winning global group that operates extensively across live experiences, creative design, employee experience, and high-end content production. Headquartered in Dublin with dedicated teams operating across the United States and the United Kingdom, FUEL functions on an international scale. The group delivers more than 650 experiences and events across 55 cities worldwide for a premier client portfolio that includes major global brands such as PayPal, Coca-Cola, Google, Meta, Airbnb, Universal Music Group, World Rugby, and Amgen.
Founded in 2013 by Jamie Deasy and Brian McDermott, FUEL also manages and operates major cultural and lifestyle festivals, including WellFest, Beyond the Pale, and the Kaleidoscope festival, the latter of which is produced in partnership with Festival Republic, Live Nation, and MCD.
FUEL’s extensive global footprint spans a wide array of landmark cultural and sporting experiences. Recent high-profile projects include U2’s 50th-anniversary celebration produced in partnership with Universal Music Group and Principle Management, the creation of an AI-powered fan village at the Amgen Irish Open, World Cup fan zones developed for Budweiser, global corporate conferences for Coca-Cola, and the high-profile Irish premiere of the major motion picture Gladiator II. Recognized widely for its industry excellence, FUEL was named Experiential Agency of the Year at the European Agency Awards and ranked as the number one agency in Ireland by Eventex. Furthermore, FUEL serves as the official Irish member of 27Names, recognized as Europe’s leading live experience agency collective.
Founded in 2016, 53Six has established itself as a full-service sports marketing and growth agency with capabilities spanning overarching strategy, creative development, content creation, performance media, and advanced data analytics. The agency’s robust client portfolio features some of the most prominent brands, clubs, and rights holders in world sport, including Premier League club Arsenal, Italian powerhouse Juventus, the Football Association of Ireland (FAI), Leinster Rugby, the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU), the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars, gaming and sports betting giant Flutter, and European football governing body UEFA.
The agency’s recent portfolio of work clearly demonstrates its proven ability to translate strategy and creativity into tangible commercial results for its partners. For TEG Sport, 53Six deployed sophisticated full-funnel digital media strategies that successfully drove multiple sell-out fixtures, including a historic record attendance for the Irish women’s rugby team during their inaugural match at the iconic Aviva Stadium. For Betfair, the agency delivered a fully integrated World Cup campaign in Spain fronted by football legend and brand ambassador Luis Figo. Meanwhile, 53Six’s ongoing partnership with Leinster Rugby successfully combines powerful, narrative-driven storytelling with the implementation of a sophisticated new customer data platform designed to deepen fan loyalty and drive long-term commercial growth throughout the competitive season.
Industry observers note that this strategic transaction reflects a defining and accelerating shift across the global entertainment and media landscape. Increasingly, live experiences, sport, and culture are converging tightly around the core concepts of fandom, active participation, and community building. By bringing these traditionally siloed worlds together under one corporate umbrella, the partnership creates a modern business model specifically built for where the broader market is heading. It successfully merges the unmatched emotional power of large-scale live experiences with advanced capabilities in building digital audiences, deepening emotional fandom, and creating lasting commercial value for corporate partners and sports rights holders alike.
Speaking on the announcement, FUEL Co-Founder and Managing Director Jamie Deasy, who was recently named one of Europe’s top 50 Event Agency Leaders, emphasized the strategic rationale behind the deal.
“We’re delighted to welcome 53Six into the FUEL group,” Deasy stated. “We’ve known Tom, Marcus, and the team for some time, and there’s a very strong cultural fit and shared ambition between our two companies. 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, echoed these sentiments regarding the strategic alignment of the two organizations.
“We were looking for a strategic partner that understood how sport and live experiences are increasingly interconnected, and could further accelerate our growth internationally,” Fox commented. “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.”
Marcus McDonnell, Co-Founder and COO of 53Six, added that the operational synergies between the agencies create a unique offering in the marketplace.
“Our capabilities are highly complementary: 53Six brings the sharp end of sports marketing, FUEL brings scale across experiences and high-end production, and together we share expertise in content and creative,” McDonnell said. “That’s a genuinely different proposition for the industry and we are excited to join the FUEL group for this next chapter.”
Headquartered in Dublin with established teams across the United States and the United Kingdom, FUEL continues to solidify its position as a multi-award-winning global group operating across live experiences, creative development, content creation, employee experience, and high-end production, alongside its ownership and management of major cultural festivals such as WellFest, Kaleidoscope, and Beyond The Pale. Ranked number one in Ireland by Eventex and recognized as Experiential Agency of the Year at the European Agency Awards, FUEL delivers impactful activations globally for premier clients including Google, Meta, Coca-Cola, PayPal, Universal Music Group, Amgen, and World Rugby.
Established in 2016, 53Six operates as a specialized growth agency for the sports industry, combining creative content production, performance media management, and fan data analytics to drive commercial revenue and engagement for major rights holders and global brands. Co-founders Tom Fox—whose background includes leadership roles with Setanta Sports and Twitter—and Marcus McDonnell—formerly with the NBA and Pitch International—bring deep sector authority spanning sports technology, digital business management, and media rights. They are supported by a dedicated team of 20 specialists specializing in performance analytics, strategic planning, creative services, content creation, and digital product management.
Enquiries regarding media relations can be directed to Ruth Prendergast at [email protected]. Further information regarding the companies can be found online through FUEL’s official website at fuelhq.ie and 53Six’s platform at 53six.ie.
