- June 23, 2026
- Posted by: SportsV
- Categories: Home News, Industry News, News, Press Releases
Oak View Group (OVG), a global leader in live entertainment infrastructure and services, today announced a new partnership with Stoke City Football Club with a long-term plan to reinvent the food and beverage experience at the bet365 Stadium.
OVG will lead the design and delivery of an elevated, fan-first offering, bringing locally inspired menus, premium hospitality offerings and streamlined concessions for visitors and fans.
Under the agreement, OVG Hospitality will assume responsibility for all hospitality operations at the 30,000‑capacity bet365 Stadium and work with the Club on the planning and delivery of revitalised catering, both on matchdays and at stadium events.
Simon King, Chief Operating Officer at Stoke City, said:
“OVG has a proven track record of transforming hospitality, food‑and‑drink and service at major football venues over the long-term. We are excited to bring that expertise to our club and venue, helping us develop our offering as we seek to create increasingly memorable, modern experiences that reflect the Club and its community.
“For us, OVG provide the perfect balance between combining their global scale with a deep understanding of the sense of local pride that is required to provide a thriving and successful food & drink operation.
“They come on board at an exciting time during which we are actively planning for significant investment into our catering areas over the coming years. Although this can’t happen overnight, we are also confident that more incremental changes can be made to start to improve fan and customer experiences right from the start of the 26/27 season.”
Stephannie Dimelow, Director of Premium at Co-op Live is one of 50+ industry expert speakers set to share insights at the 2026 SVB LIVE Conference & Exhibition being hosted at Everton FC’s new Hill Dickinson Stadium on October 1st and 2nd, with an Opening Night Icebreaker at Liverpool FC’s Anfield stadium on September 30th.
Katie Harel, Managing Director of OVG Hospitality, said:
“We are incredibly proud to be a true partner to Stoke City Football Club. This is an important collaboration for OVG and we are committed to delivering consistently world‑class experiences at the bet365 Stadium, on matchdays and beyond.”
The agreement expands OVG Hospitality’s growing UK and European footprint. OVG currently manages food and drink at Co‑op Live in Manchester, operates a joint venture with City Football Group at the Etihad Stadium, and manages all hospitality at Leicester City and Southampton.
The UK expansion follows the success of OVG’s hospitality model across major U.S. sports and entertainment venues, such as Mortgage Matchup Center, Benchmark International Arena and Penn State University’s Beaver Stadium.
About Oak View Group (OVG)
Oak View Group (OVG) is the global leader in premium live entertainment infrastructure and services, with a platform spanning venue development and end-to-end capabilities across venue management, hospitality and sponsorship sales. Founded in 2015, the Company serves a collection of seven world-class owned venues and a client roster of the most iconic arenas, stadiums, convention centres, music festivals, performing arts centres, and cultural institutions, spanning four continents.
About Stoke City FC
Founded in 1863, Stoke City is the second oldest league club in the world and a founding member of the English Football League, currently competing in the EFL Championship having previously brought Premier League Football to the Potteries from 2008/09 to 2017/18. The bet365 Stadium is a 30k seater venue with high-quality function rooms, a premium on-site sports bar and an outdoor fan zone complete with permanent stage, big screen and integrated audio setup. The Club’s charity, the Stoke City Foundation, is meanwhile working to create active communities, healthier lives, united by football across the communities of Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire.
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