Benefits of hosting major surf events, tracking the rise of the NBL, AFL's heart-warming moment
Benefits of hosting major surf events, tracking the rise of the NBL, AFL's heart-warming moment
Today’s lineup:
The benefits of hosting major surf events
Tracking the rise of the National Basketball League
A heart-warming moment that showcases a higher purpose, beyond winning and losing
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Coles became the naming rights partner of Football Australia’s MiniRoos, signing a 4-year deal
Patties Food Group became a partner of the Australian Olympic Committee ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games
DoorDash renewed their naming rights partnership with Touch Football Australia in a muti-year deal
ChiQ entered into a new 2-year partnership with St George Illawarra Dragons
Guzman y Gomez partnered with Swimming Australia for a 2nd year
Tyrepower renewed as Premier Partner of the NSW Swifts for 3 years
A private equity-backed consortium is 'in final stages' to save the Melbourne Rebels with a $20m-$30m injection
Guy Sebastian became the No.1 ticket holder of the Adelaide Crows
Reece Walsh became a face of Ralph Lauren
Gatorade partnered with Dan Gorringe to launch “Gorringe Ice”
Nathan Cleary announced he’s opening a new sports bar called Freddy’s, named after another famous Panther, Brad Fittler
The UFC announced that it’s returning to Perth’s RAC Arena in August, thanks to a partnership with Tourism Western Australia
Athletics Australia launched a new junior program called “Next Athletics” which aims to grow athletics participation among children aged between 3-12
GroupM announced it’s launching a dedicated media marketplace for women’s sports and committed to double its annual media investment in women’s sports
The Daily Aus and Nike Australia are extending “The Training Squad” - a 10-week program that supports 5 x young female & gender diverse sports journalists to enter the field
Building developer Gurner Group is planning a $1.7b “wellness & anti-aging Utopia” in Melbourne’s Docklands
Formula 1 owner Liberty Media announced a $4.5b takeover of MotoGP
Premier League club, Fulham FC have unveiled new plans for a stadium renovation that includes a boutique hotel, Michelin star restaurants and a rooftop pool with London skyline views
Image: Fulham FC website
Hosting the World Surf League Championship Tour is a valuable global branding exercise for Australia, and contributes to economic growth in more ways than one
The WSL’s Championship Tour has 2 x stops in Australia - The Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach and WA Margaret River Pro, and these events bring the world’s best female and male surfers to Australian shores, alongside an army of journalists, photographers and broadcast media.
Surfing and the beach lifestyle is a big part of Australia’s global identity, and events like these help reinforce this positioning to millions of people across the world via:
Event broadcast: Both tournaments are broadcast live in regions such as Africa, Middle East, Asia, Brazil, Europe, Hawaii and North America, and are available to watch via YouTube, Facebook and TikTok
Social media: the world’s best surfer’s have enormous social media followings (e.g. Gabriella Medina 11.5 million Instagram followers) and often post organically about their unique Australian experiences
Paid advertising: Lakey Peterson and Molly Picklum recently featured in Visit Victoria's “Great Ocean Road Best Bits” advertisement
The global surfing economy is sizeable:
50+ million people surf on regular basis
Up to $100 billion is spent annually on surf-related international travel
…and Australia puts itself in the best possible position to capture a share of this market thanks to the brand boost it receives from hosting the WSL tournament.
These major events don't just deliver positive economic outcomes via tourism though..
700k+ people participated in surfing in Australia during 2023, and hosting major events encourages this participation, which has shown to have positive impacts on the economy.
A previous study by Griffith University found that surfing positively impacts mental health and workplace productivity, and contributes between $557 billion and $1.9 trillion annually to the global economy, via things such as employment and saved healthcare costs.
The money spent on these major surf events appear to deliver a strong return both directly and indirectly to the economy, many times over and this has been recognised by the Victorian Government who has just announced that the iconic Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach is locked in until 2028.
The National Basketball League just wrapped up another successful season, and the league is on a positive growth trajectory
The NBL was in poor shape when it was purchased by Larry Kestelman in 2015 for $7 million.
Since then, things have turned around and it's grown to have an estimated annual revenue of $40 million, and has become one of the fastest growing sporting leagues in Australia.
NBL CEO David Stevenson previously stated that the league is in its “strongest-ever position, on and off the court”, and post the Tasmania JackJumpers' thrilling Finals Series win on the weekend, he posted some off-court season highlights:
Attendance
1.1m attendees (+12% )
Highest-ever average attendance (7,131)
40 x games sold-out
Broadcast
+26% growth
Game 5 of Finals Series was the highest ever viewed game
App & Web
+118% views across app + web
+53% in app downloads
The growth of the NBL has been supported by several factors:
1. Strong participation: There's 1.3+ million people who play basketball in Australia and it’s the 2nd most popular sport to play behind soccer.
2. Increased Australian interest in the NBA: The 2022/23 NBA season saw a 35% uplift in viewership in Australia compared to the year prior, and ESPN continues to increase the number of games broadcast in Australia every year.
3. Success of Australia’s national teams: The Boomers and Opals have qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics and are ranked in the world’s top 4.
The NBL’s traditional revenue streams appear healthy:
Sponsorship: The league has a portfolio of blue-chip sponsors such as Hungry Jacks, Mitsubishi, Blackmores, Powerade, Chemist Warehouse, Kmart, Bunnings and Sportsbet.
Broadcast: The league's 3-year broadcast deal with Foxtel, ESPN and News Corp was worth $45 million and expired at the end of the season – there's reported interest from every FTA network and multiple streaming services.
Aggressive expansion plans
Locally, the league has a goal of adding 3-5 teams over the next 5 years. Among the front-runner destinations are Sydney (a 2nd team), Newcastle and the Gold Coast.
Globally, basketball is the 3rd most popular sport in the world. The sport has 450+ million players from 200+ countries, and 2.2 billion fans around the globe.
To capture a slice of this global interest, the NBL is looking to cement itself as the world’s 2nd best league and become a proven pathway to the NBA.
The NBL:
Has a proven track record of helping players prepare for the NBA draft – LaMelo Ball and Josh Giddey were both top 10 draft picks
Has recruited players from the US, Europe, Asia who are shaping to be promising NBA draft candidates
The league is also looking to expand internationally and partnerships will be key. In January, the league announced the signing of a strategic MOU with the Japan Professional Basketball League (B.LEAGUE) which will see the two leagues work closely to promote the growth of the sport and their respective competitions in both countries.
A heart-warming moment that showcases a higher purpose, beyond winning and losing
Imogen is 10 years old and currently undergoing a 2.5 year treatment plan for Leukemia. On Good Friday, she got the chance to toss the coin with Jy Simpkin and Patrick Cripps.
The Kangaroos' social media team put it perfectly:
"Imogen was invited to the coin toss to put a smile on her face, but she ended up putting a smile on everyone else’s"
Imogen's joyful personality was captured on the live broadcast and it melted the hearts of so many fans watching across Australia.
The clip quickly blew up on social media and has been viewed 3+ million times on AFL Instagram alone.
This moment is a great reflection of the positive impact that sports can have on people and communities on so many levels.
The Good Friday SuperClash between the Carlton Football Club and North Melbourne FC is an amazing initiative for so many reasons, and one of them is fundraising.
The game was a sell-out, and $5 from every adult ticket and $10 from every family ticket sold, was donated to the Good Friday Appeal.
Since 2017, Good Friday football has raised over $1.7 million for the Royal Children's Hospital, and this year the teams are looking to break the $2 million mark.
So far, $228,433 has been raised.
ARC’TERYX - Community Marketing Coordinator
Australian Sports Commission - Research and Innovation Officer
Bastion - Experiential Producer
Brisbane Lions FC - Marketing Coordinator
Collingwood FC - Partnerships Executive
Cricket Australia - Event Experience Director - Big Bash Leagues
ClassPass - Account Manager
Essendon FC - Community Engagement Coordinator - Early Years Education
Fanatics - Retail Event Manager
Football Tasmania - Digital Marketing Specialist
Football Victoria - Executive Manager - Commercial
Fremantle FC - Brand and Marketing Team Lead
Netball NSW - Fan Development & Membership Coordinator - GIANTS Netball
Gold Coast Suns FC - Events and Experience Manager
JD Sports - Senior Email Marketing Executive
Hawthorn FC - Foundation Executive
La Trobe University - Senior Lecturer, Sport and Recreation Management
Lululemon - Director, Brand and Community
M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment - Account Director
My Muscle Chef - Product Marketing Manager
Netball Australia - Broadcast and Media Partnerships Lead
NRL - Marketing Executive
Optus Sport - Owned Channels Marketing Specialist
St Kilda FC - STK Education Program Coordinator
parkrun Asia Pacific - Head of Event Delivery
PepsiCo - Brand Manager – Gatorade
PGA Australia - Partnership Development Manager
Sail GP - Head of Commercial Growth
Sweat - Senior Social Media Specialist
Tennis Australia - Head of Experience Design
West Coast FC - Manager - Secondary Schools
Western Bulldogs FC - Head of Marketing Business Development
Woolworths Group - Senior Brand Partnerships Manager
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.