Amsterdam, 11 June 2026 - Athvance Sports, the sports IP platform of Athvance Capital, today launches Winner Stays: a new global sport format that premieres on 5 September 2026 at Jaarbeursplein in Utrecht. Alongside it, the ISFA 3v3 Street Football World Cup takes place on 2–4 September at the same venue, bringing 32 nations to the Netherlands, with the home side competing as reigning world champions. Together, the four days form Street Football Week Utrecht 2026.

The launch marks the next step in Athvance Sports' strategy of building and scaling next-generation sport properties, following recent portfolio addition Levels Fight League. Winner Stays represents the platform's first proprietary format IP - a competitive structure designed from the ground up for live audiences, digital reach, and global scalability.

A format built for the next generation of sport

Winner Stays takes the most universal rule in street football and turns it into a competitive structure. Four city-based teams compete on a single pitch. A twenty-minute countdown clock runs continuously. Score a goal and you stay on. Fail to score and you rotate off. No goalkeeper. No stoppages. No room to settle.

Eight cities compete in the first edition: New York, Medellín, Luanda, Tokyo, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Copenhagen, and Milan. The format is designed to scale, with a three-tier pyramid of Community Runs, Challenger Events, and an Elite Series enabling revenue generation at every level - including entry fees, city licensing, sponsorship activation, ticketing, and media rights.

Street football has millions of active participants worldwide and has never had a standardised global competitive structure. Winner Stays is built to be that structure, with controllable IP and multiple monetisation layers that operate independently of legacy broadcast rights.

Building sports IP, not just backing it

Athvance operates on two fronts: investing in proven sports properties and building proprietary IP from the ground up. The recent investment in Levels Fight League reflects the first; Winner Stays embodies the second - a format created, owned, and controlled entirely in-house, designed for where sport is heading: participation, city identity, and direct-to-consumer relationships rather than slowing broadcast rights.

Sjoerd van Schooten, CEO, Athvance Sports: "Winner Stays is a format we've built entirely from the ground up, and it reflects exactly where we believe sport is heading. Street football has shaped generations of players and fans, yet it has never had a global competitive home. We're building that home."

Dan Wood, Managing Director, Winner Stays: "I've spent decades in street football, and the culture has always had the talent, the energy, and the global community - it just never had a structure to call its own. Winner Stays gives it that, without losing an ounce of authenticity. This is the format the streets have been waiting for, and having Athvance build it the right way makes all the difference."

Danny Menken Managing Partner & Co-Founder, Athvance Capital: "Building owned IP in a massive, underserved category is exactly the kind of next-decade investment we believe in. Congratulations to Sjoerd, Dan, and the entire team."

About Athvance Capital

Athvance Capital is a European investment platform dedicated to unlocking long-term value across the global sports industry. The firm invests in emerging sports IP and the technology providers that support industry growth. Combining patient capital with operational expertise, Athvance identifies and scales assets at the intersection of sport, media, and technology. The firm partners with founders and rights-holders to build an operator-led ecosystem that accelerates value creation and fosters innovation. Athvance Capital aims to be the partner of choice for building the next generation of sports assets.

About Athvance Sports

Athvance Sports is Athvance Capital's sports IP powerhouse, focused on building and scaling next-generation sports properties and fan-driven formats. The platform's portfolio includes innovative sports IP such as Queen & King of the Court, Winner Stays, and Padel Copa, alongside strategic investments in emerging sports organisations with strong community value, media potential, and international scalability.

About Winner Stays

Winner Stays is a global sport IP format built around the universal street football rule: score and you stay on, fail to score and you rotate off. The world premiere takes place on 5 September 2026 at Jaarbeursplein in Utrecht.

For inquiries 
Dan@athvancesports.com
Pierre@athvance.capital 
Karim@athvance.capital 
Danny@athvance.capital