100 new jobs created as digital sports content and media company expands in Leeds

100 new jobs are being created in Leeds as Perform Group, the digital sports content and media company, announces expansion plans.

Perform, which operates 40 offices across the world, is based at 8 Park Row in Leeds and opened its first Leeds office in 2012.

The company provides live, detailed sports data via Opta, part of Perform Content, and also operates Perform Media, a collection of sport-focused digital platforms, which includes titles such as Goal.com.

Earlier this year the company also launched DAZN, the world’s first truly dedicated live sports streaming service.

This job creation announcement comes as Perform takes part in Innovate 2016, alongside the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP), which supported the company’s expansion in the region.

The two organisations have joined forces with the Department for International Trade’s Northern Powerhouse team to highlight the strength of innovation in the North and particularly the strength of the digital sector.

Ben Warn, CEO of New Ventures at Perform Group, said: “Perform Group is at the pinnacle of digital sports content and media globally, as such we require the best people from analysts and coders through to account managers.

“When it came to the expansion we looked globally at where we could find the right people, with the right attitude in the right location, and it was then we realised we were already here in Leeds and just needed to expand.

“Over the last four years we’ve developed some fantastic relationships across the Leeds City Region, particularly with the universities. We also understand that the City Regions offer a unique environment that appeals to our employees”.

Roger Marsh OBE, chair of Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership, added: “The expansion of Perform Group in Leeds is fantastic news and a testament to the confidence within the City Region and in our digital sector.

“In fact Perform is the latest in a string of international businesses from this sector to locate and expand within our region in the last 12 months, including household names such as Sky and Google.

“Our region has a heritage of being pioneers, whether that be Louis Le Prince shooting the first video in Leeds, or Prof Simon Kay completing the first double hand transplant; and I know that Perform Group continues this tradition of being innovators and disrupters. It is therefore wonderful to hear a global firm reference its ability to find and attract the right talent for their business within our City Region.

“The LEP is working with the region’s leading universities and colleges to invest in the skills for the future labour market, helping to create a pipeline of talent that businesses like Perform Group can benefit from. In turn these international firms create career opportunities which ensure that the region is able to retain more of the world class talent it produces.”