Foot Locker has been getting active in Australia, Skechers has been making significant moves in sports
Here's some of Foot Locker's basketball moves worth noticing...
Not a subscriber yet? 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.
JD Sports became the NRL’s Official Presenting Partner of Rugby League Las Vegas for seasons 2025 and 2026, as well as becoming the Official Sports Retail Partner of the NRL Premiership
BYD signed a 5-year deal with the Sydney Roosters and will feature prominently across the Roosters’ NRL and NRLW home & away playing jerseys - check out Scout’s partnership deep-dive here
Gold Coast SUNS unwrapped a new 3-year deal with Zambrero who will feature on the top-back of the club’s 2025 playing and training guernseys
Brisbane Roar welcomed Guzman y Gomez on board as an Official Partner for the 2024/25 season and will offer healthy food options to all A-League Women’s players and staff on match days
Ben McKay, Harrison Jones, Jye Caldwell and Mark Harvey featured in a creative clip to announce PUMA as the new Official Apparel Partner of Essendon FC’s AFL team and the Official Footwear Partner of both the men’s and women’s programs as part of a 4-year deal
South Sydney Rabbitohs signed AirTouch as the Head Coach, air-conditioning and smart home partner, marking the first time AirTouch has partnered with an NRL club
Melbourne Stars welcomed five:am Organic Yoghurt as the Platinum Partner for WBBL|10 who will feature across the Stars’ dugout, drinks stations, boundary advertising, water runners and LED screens
Sydney Sixers announced a new partnership with global pool cleaning brand, Aiper, ahead of the KFC BBL|14 season
BHP Mitsubishi Alliance became the Foundation Partner of the Queensland Firebirds Futures Academy
Cricket Australia announced a 3-year purpose-led partnership with UNICEF Australia that aims to raise awareness of the millions of girls around the world who are denied their most basic rights like education, health, nutrition and access to safety
Cronulla Sharks have started their search for a new naming rights partner for their stadium following the end of their 6-year partnership with PointsBet
David Warner teamed up with Tourism Australia to showcase his favourite Australian holiday destinations on his 10.8m-follower Instagram, issuing a warm welcome to Indian fans ahead of the upcoming 5-Test series between Australia and India
GameAbove Sports, a company focused on global sports business development and strategic investments, acquired a meaningful ownership stake in the Brisbane Bullets, who welcomed NBA Hall of Famer George Gervin to its ownership group
The AFL Gather Round fixture was announced - 2 x matches are locked in to be played at the new $40m recreation space in Barossa Valley, one of Australia's premier wine regions
North Melbourne confirmed a 3-year deal to play 2 x games in WA per season, with no more home games to be played in Tasmania beyond 2025, ending their 13-year-long association with the state
Adelaide Crows unveiled a new logo as part of a Club-wide rebrand
Visit Victoria announced that Kabaddi is coming to Melbourne - Pro Kabaddi Melbourne Raid will be held at John Cain Arena on 28 December, after Day 3 of the Boxing Day Test between Australia and India
TEG Sport announced they’re bringing the Beach Volleyball World Championships to Adelaide in 2025, in partnership with the SA Tourism Commission
The Men's & Women’s A-League competitions are off to a great start on Network 10 - So far, 1.28 million Aussies have been reached, up 34% YoY
Whoopi Goldberg launched the world’s first 24/7 global women’s sports channel, All Women’s Sports Network, and bought the rights to broadcast the WNBL in over 65 countries
FC Barcelona & Nike announced a new record-breaking partnership reportedly worth USD $1.82 billion over 14 years, making it the highest sponsorship in sports
Foot Locker has been getting active in Australia and basketball has been part of the plan
Here are some of Foot Locker's basketball moves worth noticing:
1) New partnerships
Foot Locker has key basketball partnerships across all levels of basketball – from local courts to the national stage.
These include:
Australian Boomers
NBL, WNBL & NBL1
Summer Jam
Australian Junior Championships, Schools Championships, U18s Club Championships
Its elite-level partnerships deliver widespread brand exposure (via in-game, national broadcast and earned media) and its community-themed partnerships enable the brand to connect with the basketball community on a deeper level.
2) In-store
Foot Locker stores have hosted major announcements and provided basketball fans with an opportunity to connect and engage with the stars.
The Australian Boomers partnership announcement took place in June at the Foot Locker store at QV Melbourne in June and featured appearances from the Boomers squad
The press conference to announce Foot Locker's new WNBL partnership for the 2024-25 season took place at its new “Reimagined" store at Melbourne Central
A host of high-profile basketball stars have visited stores, including NBA legend Carmelo Anthony who made an appearance earlier this year
3) Brand campaigns / content
To mark its 50th anniversary, Foot Locker launched a local brand campaign, celebrating culture and basketball, across OOH billboards, street furniture, in-center media, social media, in-store and online
Branded content and collaborations with high-profile Australian Boomers such as Dyson Daniels, Jock Landale, and Jack McVeigh has been key on social media
4) Events / Experiential
Foot Locker has ensured a physical presence at key events via:
Pop-up activations, including at Sneakerland in Sydney where they installed a fully-branded half-court at Carriageworks
Australia’s biggest street basketball competition in Australia, Summer Jam, which it is a Presenting Partner
Basketball in Australia is widely popular and continues to rise
1.2+ million people play basketball in Australia and it’s the 2nd most popular sport to play behind soccer.
AusPlay, an annual national survey conducted by the Australian Sports Commission, recently found that Basketball is the most popular team sport for 15-24 yo's.
The NBL season is currently experiencing an increase of 34% on average audience on ESPN.
*Read more on the NBL’s rise here.
The NBA is also a contributor - Australia delivered record-breaking viewership for the 2023-24 NBA season, ranking 1st globally for NBA League Pass average viewership, watch hours and subscriptions.
*Read more on the NBA’s growth in Australia here.
With basketball on a positive trajectory in Austraila, Foot Locker is well placed to grow with it.
Join Industry Leaders at the NSC Sports Investment Summit
Sydney, November 19-20 in Sydney – Join key decision-makers and thought leaders at the NSC Sports Investment Summit to explore the future of sports investment. Discover innovative approaches to diversify and strengthen investment in sports through joint ventures, equity financing, public-private partnerships, philanthropy, technology, and strategic collaborations.
With limited tickets remaining, this is a unique opportunity to engage with leading experts from the sports, government, technology, and finance sectors as they address the pressing need for visionary investment in Australian sports.
Do we need financial investment to transform sports, or should we transform sports to attract financial investment?
Skechers has been making significant moves in sports across the globe and this is showing up in Australia, signalled by a recent new partnership with Melbourne Victory
Founded in 1992, the Skechers brand is well-known, but predominantly as a lifestyle footwear brand.
It’s now looking to evolve beyond its comfort-first, day-to-day identity and is making moves to scale-up its performance division and become a serious sportswear contender.
To do this, athlete sponsorships/endorsements are proving key.
Here are some things worth noticing about Skechers’ moves in sports
GLOBAL
Skechers designs, develops and markets 3,000+ footwear styles for men, women and children and can be found in 180+ countries worldwide.
Harry Kane, FC Bayern Munich striker and captain of England signed a lifetime deal with the brand in 2023, becoming the first pro soccer player to compete in Skechers when we unveiled his new Skechers boots, SKX_01
A number of The Premier League athletes followed, such Mohammed Kudus, Oleksandr Zinchenko, and Anthony Elanga followed, inking deals to wear Skechers' boots
In the NBA Joel Embiid, Julius Randle and Terance Mann have helped build the brand’s presence in basketball and each of them have featured prominently across global brand campaigns
Skechers received mass earned media coverage at the Paris Olympics, when they presented Joel Embiid with a pair of Gold Sneakers to celebrate his gold medal with Team USA, and when Snoop Dogg donned his golden Skechers whilst carrying the Olympic torch
Skechers also has a presence in golf, baseball and emerging properties such as pickleball
AUSTRALIA
Locally, Skechers:
Recently became the Official Footwear Partner of Melbourne Victory for the 2024/25 A-Leagues season, and are supplying Melbourne Victory players and coaching staff with both football boots and sneakers
Announced a new partnership with Hawthorn Football Club in 2022 - the Skechers logo features on the front of the jersey on the neckline
Skechers’ strategic push into sports is paying off
Skechers’ brand growth is evident in its rising online interest. Google Trends data shows a steady increase in search interest over time - Over the last 5 years its set a new benchmark, increasing from regular a <50 score range (pre 2021) to a consistent >75 score range from 2021 onwards.
Global sales have been strong and in the company's most recent quarter, they posted record quarterly sales of $2.35 billion, a 15.9% increase.
The Skechers share price has also experienced strong growth, up approximately 100% to $62 since its $31 low in October 2023.
Moving forward…
Skechers has plans to achieve $10 billion in annual sales by 2026 and is committed to investing in brand (which includes sponsorships/endorsements), to help achieve this goal and continued growth thereafter.
AFL - Senior Events Executive
AFL - Strategy Secondment
Amazon Web Services - Account Manager, Media, Entertainment, Gaming and Sports
Bet365 - Brand Manager
Boardriders - Social & Content Specialist - Quiksilver & Roxy
Brisbane Lions - Event & Match Day Coordinator
Cronulla Sharks - Digital Content Producer
Delaware North - Manager Marketing, MCG (MCG Events)
Easygo - Sponsorship Esports Lead
Foot Locker - Digital Insights Analyst
Foot Locker - Digital Marketing Coordinator
Foot Locker - Director, Digital Marketing
Football Australia - Executive Officer to the COO, AFC Women's Asian Cup 2026 LOC Office
Foxtel Group - Engagement Campaign Specialist – Kayo Sports BINGE
Fremantle Dockers - Executive General Manager of Commercial
Gold Coast SUNS - Social Media Coordinator
GWS Giants - Commercial Content Lead
GWS Giants - Media & Public Relations Coordinator
Hawthorn FC - Community Programs Manager
IMG - Sales Manager, Media
JD Sports - Business Analyst
JD Sports - Digital Support Lead
Les Mills - Marketing & Communications Lead
Manchester City FC - Senior Program Manager - Partner Schools, Australia
Manly Warringah Sea Eagles - Events and Fan Experience Manager
Melbourne & Olympic Parks - Marketing Campaign Advisor
Melbourne FC - Senior Events Executive
Melbourne Storm - Media and Communications Manager
Melbourne Victory FC - Head of Media & Communications
Netball Victoria - Data & Insights Manager
Nike - Senior Manager, Digital Operations, Digital Commerce Pacific
NIke - Senior Manager, Digital Platforms & Growth - NDDC Pacific
North Queensland Toyota Cowboys - Creative Operations Manager
Northern Territory Cricket - Head of Events, Communications and Marketing
Optus Stadium - Senior Events Manager
Pepperstone - Brand and Sponsorship Coordinator
Port Adelaide FC - Events Executive
Racing Queensland - Partnerships and Development Advisor
RACV - Head of Leisure Marketing
Seven - Sports Sales Executive
Seven West Media - Head of Club Relations
Sport NSW - Advocacy and Communications Manager
Sports Entertainment Network - Group Partnership Manager
Sports Entertainment Network - Partnership Manager (Melbourne)
Sports Entertainment Network - Partnerships Coordinator
St Kilda FC - Community Participation Lead
Stan. - PR Lead - Sport
Sweat - Digital Marketing Manger
The Iconic - Planner - Sports
Tennis Australia - CRM Coordinator
Tennis Australia - Junior Commercial Analyst
Tennis Australia - Marketing Partnerships Coordinator
Tennis Australia - Media Rights Project Support
TGI Sport - Expression of Interest
Two Circles - Sponsorship Sales Executive
Under Armour - Senior Professional, Visual Merchandising
UniSuper - Brand and Sponsorship Lead
West Coast Eagles - General Manager Brand, Marketing and Digital Growth
Not a subscriber yet? 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.