My friend and colleague William Field, who has died following a heart attack aged 56, was a leading adviser to the sports industry, and started consultancies that went on to handle huge financial deals. He had a deep understanding of sports management – sponsorship, governance, policy, technology and rights.
The son of Ted Field, a headteacher, and his wife, Carla (nee Craik), a librarian, he was brought up in west London and went to Ealing Green high school. After graduating in philosophy, politics and economics from Balliol College, Oxford, William worked as a researcher for the Labour MP Austin Mitchell and studied television production at the Royal College of Art.
In 1989, he joined Coopers & Lybrand, where he qualified as an accountant before moving to their management consulting division; there he worked on TV licence bids for Anglia and Meridian.
In 1993, William was part of the team that set up Spectrum Strategy Consultants, to provide specialist advice to the media sector. Over the next 15 years, he played a key role in making Spectrum a global company with offices in Europe, Singapore, Australia and Latin America.
As well as becoming managing director for Europe, William built the sports practice. Among other projects, he helped the Premier League develop the process by which it has valued and sold its rights so successfully since the early 2000s, and worked with Uefa to develop its digital proposition. He was also instrumental in creating the collegiate culture that distinguished Spectrum from other consultancies.
Following the sale of Spectrum to Value Partners, in Italy, in 2007, William set up Prospero Strategy Consultants, providing advice to sports and media companies. His work covered racing, football, rugby, cricket and many other sports.
William was known for being honest and objective, and was trusted by his many clients, colleagues and friends. He was also a passionate supporter of Chelsea FC and the Labour party.
He applied his systematic approach to his many interests: gardening, wine, music (his tastes ranged from Purcell to My Bloody Valentine) and his online Hattrick football team.
He is survived by his wife, Lucy Elgood, whom he married in 1993, their children, Matilda, Jake and Stella, his mother, and his brother, Martin.
