For each individual client we compile unique teams of experts and managers to work with you on developing the right solution. Our industry expertise and extensive experience make every project a success.
Success is no accident.
It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love for what you are doing or learning to do.
- Pelé -
Who we are.
Sports and football mad professionals
We live and breathe football and have great respect for its social significance. With this passion for the game in our hearts, we always keep a cool head and achieve on-target results in a pragmatic way to ensure long-term value for our clients and our favourite sport.
What makes us different:
Less general consultancy, more targeted expertise.
Independent minds take independent action.
We never allow ourselves to get bogged down in the constraints of established conventions and patterns of behaviour prevalent in the football entertainment industry. We operate independently: there is no external influence on our consulting work. Our goal is to build something special, growing and shaping the world of football together with our clients.
Giving it our all, every day: 100%
We encourage each other to innovate so that we can inspire our clients with new ideas. What fans expect from their team at every match, that’s what we bring to our work every single day: 100% effort and dedication. And because success is no accident, as Pelé rightly put it, we’ve made his recipe for success part of our guiding principles.
Our Team - Passion and Profession
Pelé’s recipe for success speaks perfectly to who we are. Especially when it comes to sports and football. For HFP, that is truly what it is all about.
Philipp Herpel brings his passion to work every day. Sports are his life, so he turned his passion – football – into his profession. The qualified engineer, EMBA graduate from Kellogg-WHU and lecturer at the Institute of Sport Economics and Sport Management at the German Sport University Cologne/Germany knows that planning, organising and implementing projects and processes require targeted management. To achieve this every day, the managing director of HFP GmbH leverages his extensive knowledge, valuable experience with large-scale projects and excellent contacts to experts in all areas of the sports industry. Team spirit is what Philipp lives by, both at work and as a passionately committed member of 1. FC Köln. He is driven by the desire to make a positive difference in sports, on both a large and a small scale.
Christopher Hahmann impresses with his structured approach and ability to develop tailored project management concepts. With his extensive experience in sports sponsorship for international mega-events, he brings valuable expertise and practical solutions to the customized consultancy of the sports industry. As a former youth football coach and through his club involvement, Christopher understands the diverse demands of the sports world from multiple perspectives. He appreciates the variety the world of sports has to offer and pursues handball with the same passion – finding both professional and personal inspiration in sports.
Mariam Arafa connects people and purpose through sport. With international experience across Africa, Asia, and Europe, she has worked with federations, ministries, and NGOs to foster collaboration at major events and beyond. Holding Master’s degrees in Global Sport Management and International Sport Development & Politics, she brings to HFP a unique ability to unite diverse stakeholders around shared goals – driven by her passion for inclusive sport, intercultural dialogue, and strategic communication.
Nicola Herpel keeps track of everything administrative at HFP. The qualified librarian is a knowledge management professional and is responsible for accounting and personnel management. Nicola finds a balance to the hustle and bustle of everyday life on the yoga mat or by singing in the choir.
Since UEFA EURO 2024, Benedikt Müller is bringing his extensive experience in mega-events and tourism to the project work at HFP. Before and during his tenure as the Host Cities Relations Manager for UEFA, he was engaged for years in coordinating all Host Cities and their interfaces around EURO 2024. Thanks to his previous activities in Europe, the Middle East, and China in strategy development and stakeholder management, Benedikt can draw upon an immense treasure trove of experience for sports and mega-event projects. Privately, Benedikt is a passionate fan of 1. FC Köln – his love for football (unfortunately inevitably .-) knows no league.
HFP – specialised consultancy for the sports and football industries
As a consulting firm operating on the global stage, HFP GmbH specialises in the sports industry and especially the football industry. Our clients include football and other sports associations, governments of World Cup and EURO host countries, venues, sports facility operators and clubs. We provide support on all questions concerning the planning and implementation of large-scale projects and investment decisions.
Our company name, HFP, reflects how we got started along our path towards becoming one of the “hidden champions” on the consulting market: Philipp Herpel and Alexander Fuchs met while serving on the Organising Committee of the 2006 Football World Cup and founded Herpel, Fuchs + Partner GmbH – HFP in 2008. After ten successful years, Philipp Herpel was appointed sole managing partner. Since then, Alexander Fuchs has devoted himself entirely to his responsibilities as a coach and interim manager and remains closely connected with the company.
HFP has always stood for agile, timely and on-budget project management performed by a small, experienced team of permanent employees – supplemented, if necessary, by our partners from a network of internationally qualified, top-notch specialists and experts.
