Australia's first women’s only sports bar,a new type of immersive sports-viewing experience
Australia's first women’s only sports bar,a new type of immersive sports-viewing experience
Today’s lineup:
There’s a new type of immersive sports-viewing experience that’s been recently launched and starting to roll-out, putting fans in the best seat in the house
Australia's first women’s only sports bar is opening in Sydney. Here’s why The Ladies League will be successful
Not yet a subscriber? Discover specialised sports marketing insights, tailored for sports industry professionals within Australia and across the globe. If you work in sports for an agency, brand or rights-holder then this is for you.
AFL Max announced its 2nd custom-built facility will open at Melbourne Airport in May 2025 (Positioned next to URBNSURF and adjacent to Essendon FC)
Nike and LEGO announced a multi-year partnership that will see the roll-out of a series of co-branded products, content and experiences to elevate the power of sport and creative play
Paramount Australia and Football Australia agreed to a multi-year/multi-platform media rights deal for the national Australian teams through to 2028
QBE Insurance and the Sydney Swans launched an OOH brand campaign to encourage Sydneysiders to get behind the Swans as they chase the premiership
Internet and mobile provider Tangerine became a Platinum Partner of the Melbourne Renegades as part of a multi-year deal that will see their logo feature on the sleeve of the playing kit
Global logistics provider DP World elevated their partnership status with the Fremantle Dockers from Platinum to Premier Partner through to the end of 2026
TML Transport extended their partnership with Adelaide United for the 2024/25 season - their logo will continue to be displayed on the front of shorts
Hockey Australia entered into a partnership with Sports Environment Alliance as part of their mission to help build a sustainable future ahead of the 2032 Brisbane Olympics
Kane Cornes announced on SEN that he’s signed with Seven for 2025 and beyond (departing from Nine)
Lids appointed AI-powered agency 2045 as their Australian creative agency
Netflix teased a new Olympic Basketball documentary due in 2025 which is expected to comprise 6 episodes
NFL owners approved a measure to let private equity firms buy minority ownership of up to 10% (no less than 3%) of a franchise
Travis and Jason Kelce sold the rights to their podcast New Heights to Amazon-owned Wondery in a 3-year deal worth $100m+
Cristiano Ronaldo launched a YouTube channel, attracting 20m subscribers in one day
Topgolf Callaway is is exploring a potential spin-off of Topgolf, reversing the 2021 merger between Callaway Golf Company and Topgolf International, Inc., which resulted in the formation of Topgolf Callaway Brands
There’s a new type of immersive sports-viewing experience that’s been recently launched and starting to roll-out, putting fans in the best seat in the house
It’s no secret that technology is set to transform the sports-viewing experience.
Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality are often among the methods commonly expected to underpin this movement, but video’s of Manchester United’s season opener and UFC 305 being broadcast at Cosm recently went viral across the internet showing a new way that this is set to take place.
Cosm is now rolling-out a new type of “Shared Reality” state-of-the-art technology that aims to evolve the sports-viewing experience by bringing immersive experiences to physical spaces.
Through their revolutionary, giant 9,600 square-ft domed and compound curved LED screen that wraps around the audience, Cosm has created a unique viewing space where every seat is fully immersed in the content on the screen.
This uniquely high-level of immersion gives fans a hyper-realistic in-game experience of sitting courtside at an NBA game or ringside at the UFC.
The experience makes you feel like you've been transported to the stadium and allows you to watch the game in the best seats in the house among your friends, and without the need for headsets or devices.
How the production works:
The Cosm fan experience isn’t simply the traditional broadcast footage shown on a big screen...
Sports events are filmed with the company’s own premium-positioned cameras (situated courtside/on-field/ringside) to help create an illusion of being extremely close to the action
The in-house technical directors constantly switch between the 4-6 unique camera angles to create the best possible viewing experience
Broadcast partnerships enable the integration of live commentary
Cosm’s early success and expansion plans...
So far, Cosm has opened two venues. One in Los Angeles near SoFi Stadium and the Intuit Dome, and another in Dallas. They plan to open a third venue in Atlanta soon.
They’ve recently raised $250m+ in a new funding round which will support the advancement of their tech and media businesses, as well as the development of future venues.
They’ve also established a number of key sports partnerships with the likes of the NBA, UFC, ESPN, NBC Sports, Turner Sports and FOX Sports.
The arrival of Cosm is part of the emergence of immersive venues and fan experiences.
Not long ago, the National Hockey League stepped their draft event up a notch and hosted it at the $2.3b Sphere in Las Vegas, and it made some noise across the US and the globe.
With the roll-out starting to take place across the globe, will we see this new technology and fan experience arrive in Australia sometime soon?
Australia's first women’s only sports bar is opening in Sydney. Here’s why The Ladies League will be successful
1. A new & unique sports venue concept (category creation)
Public spaces to watch women’s sports in Australia have been virtually non-existent up until now, but this gap is about to start to be filled.
Women’s sports such as AFLW, State of Origin Women, women’s basketball, surfing and A-League soccer will be played live & loud 5 x nights a week at the new venue which features:
80 seats
Downstairs bar
Upstairs viewing lounge
6 x TVs, 1 x Big Screen
The new venue is a first-of-its-kind in Australia and a great example of new “category creation” – a practice of inventing a new market segment by introducing a product/service that addresses an unmet need.
What is that need?
As explained by the founder Rose Valente in the The Sydney Morning Herald:
“There has been no place where people can gather and watch women’s sports together”
Instead of competing within the well-established sports bar market, the founder has built The Ladies League (TLL) as the pioneer and leader of a new, distinct women's-only sports bar category in Australia.
2. Women’s sports has been underrepresented within the media and traditionally marketed as family-friendly, but this is set to change
Previous research by the Victorian Government found that just 15% of media coverage in 2022–2023 was dedicated to women's sport. This new sports venue concept helps create change. It expands the coverage of women’s sports and offers an appealing new experience (a place to eat, drink and be loud) to a new segment (18+) of supporters.
3. The concept has proven successful internationally
Since 2022, multiple women’s only sports bars have opened across the US. The most notable example is The Sports Bra in Portland, Oregon which reported nearly $1m in revenue within its first 8 months of operating, and recently received major investment from Alexis Ohanian (Reddit co-founder) to help it franchise and expand.
*Other examples include A Bar of Their Own in Minneapolis and Rough & Tumble Pub in Seattle.
4. Strategic placement
Place (4 p’s) has been strategically used to help create a "safe space" – it’s located among the many LGBTQ+ bars in Oxford St, and it’s close to Allianz Stadium and the Sydney Cricket Ground.
The growth of women's sports is inevitable and the TLL are well-positioned to be contributors to, and recipients of this positive change
By successfully creating the first women’s only sports bar in Australia, TLL are in a strong position to own the category and build a lasting competitive advantage.
The key to TLL growth & success will be to strengthen and consolidate the association between the brand name (The Ladies League) and the category (women’s sports bars in Australia) so that when people increasingly think of the category, they think of TLL.
adidas - Brand Activation Specialist
Amer Sports - Salomon Digital Marketing Manager
Australian Sports Foundation - Digital Marketing Manager
Bastion - Corporate Affairs - Client Manager
Brisbane Racing Club - Digital Marketing Specialist
Chery - Sponsorship & Events Specialist
Cricket NSW - Communications Coordinator
Destination NSW - Associate Director, Event Investment - Sport
EA SPORTS - Senior Manager, FC Franchise Activation - Markets (Middle East & APAC)
Football Australia - Marketing Manager - Women's Football & Competitions
Foot Locker - Paid Media & Affiliates Manager
Foxtel Group - Senior Commercial Manager - Kayo & BINGE
Future Golf - Head of Marketing
Gemba - Operations Coordinator
Golf Australia - Government Relations Manager - Western Australia
Hockey Tasmania - Communications and Marketing Officer
KOJO - Senior Account Manager
La Trobe University - Lecturer, Sport and Recreation Management
Lumen8 Media - Client Implementation Executive
M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment - Sport & Entertainment - PR & Communications Lead
Melbourne & Olympic Parks - Business Development Executive
Melbourne & Olympic Parks - Social Media and Content Advisor
Melbourne City FC - Match Day & Operations Lead
Melbourne Victory - Multimedia Producer
MKTG Sports + Entertainment Australia - Content Operations Coordinator
MKTG Sports + Entertainment Australia - Scheduling Specialist
National Basketball League - UI/UX Designer
Netball Australia - Head of Fundraising - Confident Girls Foundation
Netball Australia - Senior Partnerships Lead
Netball NSW - General Manager - Venue Operations
News Corp Australia - Head of Vision - Sports
News Corp Australia - Marketing Executive Sport
Octagon - Managing Director, Australia
Rugby Australia - Director, Corporate Affairs
Sportsbet - Customer Experience (CX) Coordinator (FanDuel)
Sportsbet - Commercial Insights Analyst
Sportsbet - Digital Product Manager
Sportsbet - Senior Commercial Manager - Premium
Sports Entertainment Network - Digital Strategy & Campaign Manager
Sports Entertainment Network - Strategy and Solutions Coordinator
St. George Illawarra - Content & Social Media Manager
Surfing Victoria - Major Events Manager
Table Tennis Australia - Head of Strategic Projects and Commercial
Tennis Australia - Event Execution Sales Support
Tennis Australia - Marketing Partnerships Coordinator
Tennis Australia - Tennis World - Customer Experience Lead
TGI Sport - Account Executive
TGI Sport - Public Relations Executive
TGI Sport - Sales Account Manager
Western Australian Institute of Sport - Marketing and Communications Manager
Western Bulldogs - WBCF Head of Partnerships, Marketing & Communications
Volkswagen - Brand Communication and Sponsorship Specialist
YouGov - Senior Research Manager (Sport)
Not yet a subscriber? Discover specialised sports marketing insights, tailored for sports industry professionals within Australia and across the globe. If you work in sports for an agency, brand or rights-holder then this is for you.
Keen to hear how the women’s only sports bar goes as a sports bar that suits women was my co-owner’s idea (who’s a woman) when we opened the Dock!