How international forces are shaping sport in Australia
Globalisation isn’t new to sport, but the pace, scale and ambition we’re seeing today is unprecedented.
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.
Altos Tequila celebrated its Grand Slam debut as the first-ever official tequila of the Australian Open and announced Thanasi Kokkinakis as its Ambassador - A suite of sports stars were attended the media event including Briana Throssell, Tayleb Willis, Cam Munster, Matt Guelfi and Zac Williams
Geelong Cats announced a new partnership with JD Sports, which joins the Club as an Elite Partner ahead of the 2026 AFL season - The JD logo will feature on playing shorts, training gear, and travel apparel, and the Cats become the first AFL club to wear the JD Roundel, joining some of the largest clubs and codes in the world, including those from the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, and the UFC, among others
Sydney Roosters announced Adept Fire Protection Services as an Official Platinum Partner commencing in 2026 - its logo will feature on the Roosters’ home and away NRL jersey in 2026 and beyond
Richmond FC welcomed Punt Road Wines as an Official Wine Partner of the club, and an partnership extension with its current IT Partner Comwire IT for 3 more years
People First Bank renewed its major partnership with Adelaide Strikers for the WBBL and BBL seasons - As part of the renewed deal, the bank is introducing a new innings-break activation called ‘First Past the Post’ - a fast-paced, cricket-inspired relay race that will see two local cricket clubs compete head-to-head to win $5,000 in prize money
South Sydney Rabbitohs inked a new deal with Dina Uniforms which became the club’s new Official Suiting Partner (This new partnerships builds on the existing relationship with Classic Sportswear, Dina’s sister brand)
Parramatta Eels unveiled a new ‘Supertee’ - a new children’s medical garment designed in its Club colours - Supertee garments are gifted free of charge to children in hospitals locally and across Australia, and this marks the first time a Supertee has featured an official professional sports design
Gold Coast Titans and Village Roadshow Theme Parks announced the extension of their partnership until the end of the 2027 season - As the official host of the Titans’ iconic Superhero Round, VRTP will continue to help transform Cbus Super Stadium into a celebration of heroes
Golf Australia secured a new deal Tabcorp (TAB) which became an Official Partner for its flagship events - from the Crown Australian Open, through to the VIC Open and the women’s Australian Open in March
Basketball Australia announced a 3-year partnership extension with Experience Gold Coast and Tourism and Events Queensland that will see the Foot Locker Australian School Championships continue on the Gold Coast
KFC activated its Official Partnership of Cricket Australia by rolling out ‘Whinge Wipes’ (limited-edition refresher towels designed to gently wipe your face to remove salty English tears) and temporarily replaced the Colonel in select in-stadium visuals with Travis Head’s face following his standout performance in the opening Test
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Melbourne Vixens and Netball Victoria announced a partnership with Latrobe City Council and the Victorian Government which will see the reigning Suncorp Super Netball champions visit 100’s of local students in the region, and the Victorian Netball League open its season in Traralgon
NSW Waratahs confirmed Everything Fleet extended its Platinum Partnership as the Club’s Official Fleet Rental Partner until the end of 2026 - the partnership spans the Men’s, Women’s and Academy programs, and the Everything Fleet logo will again feature on the front of the Waratahs Men’s playing shorts next season
Western Force welcomed Theme Group as the Club’s Official Catering Partner - after coming on board last season to assist with the men’s and women’s nutrition needs it’s now extending to be a Major Partner for the next 3 seasons
Brisbane Bullets welcomed Rydges South Bank as its Official Accommodation Partner for the remainder of the season
Swimming Australia announced a new partnership with Australian-owned franchise Bakers Delight
Aitken Partners became the Official Legal Services Partner of Melbourne FC until at least 2027
Melbourne FC extended its partnership with LEGO Australia which will continue as the Club’s Official Toy Partner for another 2 years
Coinciding with last week’s Crown Australian Open at Royal Melbourne, Min Woo Lee launched a limited-edition ‘Let Him Cook’ collection with Lululemon
TEG Sport and NSW Government announced that Sydney will play host to two of the biggest teams in world football next year, with Chelsea FC and Tottenham Hotspur confirmed as the headline clubs for the Sydney Super Cup 2026 - The EPL giants will take on Sydney FC and Western Sydney Wanderers FC, before facing off against each other in a blockbuster ‘London Derby’
NBL in partnership with City of Perth announced the HoopsFest Fan Zone - a free 4-day pop-up event in January that will take place in Forrest Place featuring DJs, food trucks, giveaways, merchandise, sponsor activations, and family-friendly activities
The official launch party’s of the Oracle Perth SailGP and KPMG Sydney SailGP took place on Bathers Beach and Sydney Harbour respectively - in addition Nic Natanui, Tom Slingsby and WA Minister Reece Whitby also held a meet and greet in front of media to officially welcome the Bonds Flying Ross to WA for the upcoming major event
Tennis Australia and National Pickleball League (NPL) announced a new partnership which will support clubs, coaches and communities across Australia to expand access to both social and competitive play, focusing on venue integration, innovative events and inclusive participation programs
TGI Sport entered into a new commercial partnership with the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) which will support the growth of football across the Pacific and the launch of the OFC Pro League in January 2026
How international forces are shaping sport in Australia
Globalisation isn’t new to sport, but the pace, scale and ambition we’re seeing today is unprecedented.
Australian codes are pushing beyond traditional borders, expanding into new markets through overseas fixtures, international brand launches and diplomatic partnerships.
Meanwhile, the world’s most powerful leagues and investors are planting deeper roots here, reshaping the commercial landscape and redefining who plays where, who watches, and who profits.
As Australia becomes both an exporter and importer across the spectrum of sports, the industry faces a new era of opportunity, and competition, on a global stage.
Below are some of the international forces and plays that are impacting, and showing up in Australian sport worth noticing…
Leveraging global sports events for tourism marketing
Australia continues to tap into the international spotlight created by major sporting events, turning global fandom into real-world visitation and economic impact.
David Warner and Stuart Broad (897k and 10.5m Instagram followers respectively) have been employed to feature in a 3-part content series as part of the Come and Say G’day campaign.
The UK remains a crucial tourism market for Australia — currently our 4th largest source of international visitors, which collectively contributed over $5 billion to the economy in the 12 months to June 2025.
Tourism Australia is looking to keep that momentum…
Tourism Australia is also rolling out a new installment of its ‘Come and Say G’day’ campaign featuring Pat Cummins and Ruby the Kangaroo across UK TV and digital channels.
This is not the first time Tourism Australia has capitalised on the international spotlight generated by hosting a major sports event. It took a similar approach with:
FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023
British & Irish Lions tour earlier this year
A version of ‘Howzat for a holiday?’ also ran in India throughout the last Summer of Cricket, when the Indian cricket team toured, generating ~100m views.
Cricket isn’t the only platform being used to for tourism tourism marketing…
TGI Wildcard in partnership with Visit Victoria and NFL launched a creative content piece featuring the face of NFL Redzone – Scott Hanson which showcases what makes Melbourne and Victoria every bit different (ahead of the 2026 NFL Melbourne Game)
Australian sports are actively exporting themselves overseas
The NRL has global plans
Las Vegas: The League’s Las Vegas season opener is a bold play to unlock new revenue streams via broadcast, sponsorships, subscriptions and gambling partnerships.
Related: Everything you need to know about the NRL’s Las Vegas expansion, Can the NRL’s Vegas Gamble Pay Off?
Global Round: The NRL is considering plans for a global round at the start of the 2027 season according to the Sydney Morning Herald - London, Dubai, Hong Kong, Miami and Paris are among the potential host cities (in addition to Las Vegas).
Papua New Guinea: The NRL is expanding its Pacific presence with a new Papua New Guinea franchise (PNG Chiefs) — backed by a $600 million, 10-year agreement with the Federal Government aimed at strengthening regional ties.
In addition:
Brisbane Broncos in the Middle East: The Courier Mail reported the Brisbane Broncos were invited by Arabian Government officials to play Super League Champions Hull KR in the Middle East for $1.5m - the deal fell over due to logistical issues but the club remains open to the idea of playing games in the region.
Pacific Championships: The Pacific Championships (which features many of the NRL’s biggest stars) started as a diplomatic experiment and has transformed into a tournament that’s competitive, commercially potent, culturally driven, and that’s fueling Rugby League’s growth across the region.
Related: How the Pacific Championships became Rugby League’s new growth engine
The Australian Open is building its global brand
As tennis grand slams face the possibility of disruption, and more intense competition for talent, viewership and partners, Tennis Australia is making sure the AO remains the “Grand Slam of Asia-Pacific” in multiple ways.
International launch events have been key to this:
*More to come next week
While Australian sports export themselves, America’s biggest leagues are planting flags here
NHL - Nine and the NHL announced a new broadcast partnership that is seeing 9GO! broadcast a live NHL game every Saturday morning throughout the 2025/26 regular season (delivering 21 regular-season games in total).
NFL - The NFL has set ambitious goals for its international growth over a 10-year period, targeting $1 billion in new annual revenue and 50 million new fans, and Australia is a part of the plan. The expansion into Australia forms part of the league’s “Global Markets Program” which gives NFL clubs access to global markets for fan engagement initiatives - LA Rams, Seattle Seahawks, Philadelphia Eagles and Las Vegas Raiders have been granted rights to engage Australia and New Zealand. The NFL’s first-ever regular season game in Australia will be played at the MCG in 2026, with the LA Rams as the designated team.
Related: NFL growth tactics in Australia, NFL growth in Australia
NBA - Australia continues to rank among the top international markets for NBA League Pass, and this may be thanks to the growing number of Australia players on NBA rosters, including Josh Giddey and Dyson Daniels.
NBA x NBL - In October, Melbourne hosted the New Orleans Pelicans who faced off against Melbourne United & SEM Phoenix in front of sell-out crowds at Rod Laver Arena. Flinders St Station was lit up with projections to mark the event.
English Football also views Australia as an important market
TEG Sport and NSW Government just announced that Sydney will play host to two of the biggest teams in world football next year, with Chelsea FC and Tottenham Hotspur confirmed as the headline clubs for the Sydney Super Cup 2026 - The EPL giants will take on Sydney FC and Western Sydney Wanderers FC, before facing off against each other in a blockbuster ‘London Derby’.
The English Football League has become the new playground for the Australian Socceroos - 16 current or recently-called up Socceroos squad members in 2025 are plying their trade.
Earlier this year, Wrexham used matches against Melbourne Victory at Marvel Stadium and Sydney FC at Allianz Stadium as crucial pre-season clashes.
Related: Why the rise of the English Football League is worth paying attention to
A new wave of investment is creating disruption and delivering new propositions
LIV Golf Adelaide has quickly become the most exciting and successful event on the global golf event calendar - it was recently named the World’s Best Golf Event by the World Golf Awards for a third consecutive year.
Related: The world’s best golf event (literally), LIV Golf Adelaide 2025 unpacked LIV Golf takes over town
SailGP is a fast-growing league which was co-founded by Larry Ellison who has a net worth of $250+ billion USD (he was recently crowned the world’s richest person). In 2026, the Rolex SailGP Championship is making its debut in Perth on 17-18 January and a seventh return to Sydney Harbour on 28 February and 1 March.
Earlier this year, Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds were unveiled as owners of the Australian team - the ‘BONDS Flying Roos’. The pair have recently just signed Monday.com and Blueberry as partners.
Big Bash is exploring privatisation
There are reports that Australian cricket is moving towards a landmark move - opening the Big Bash League to private investment, much of it is expected to come from overseas.
According to The Age, selling 49% stakes in six clubs, along with full ownership rights for one Sydney and Melbourne team, could unlock between $600 million and $800 million in fresh capital. The proposed funding injection would help stabilise Cricket Australia’s financial position while driving reinvestment into grassroots cricket nationwide.
This trend isn’t limited to leagues and events, the commercial ecosystem around sport in Australia is evolving too…
Sports Direct, Britain’s biggest sporting goods retailer, which has 700+ outlets around the world, just opened its first Australian store in Melbourne’s Fountain Gate shopping centre.
Australians are investing overseas
Global Sports Fund Management Group, the firm owned by former Wests Tigers powerbrokers Justin Pascoe and Lee Hagipantelis bought a Canadian basketball franchise - The Ottawa BlackJacks.
Former Broncos legend Darren Lockyer has teamed up with businessman Grant Wechsel to acquire a 90% stake in the UK-based London Broncos. Their vision is to elevate the club back into the Super League and build a commercially successful powerhouse.
A new media order
Streaming is democratising access to sport - fans can follow leagues from anywhere in the world and leagues can monetise global audiences. This shift is allowing sports to grow beyond their traditional heartlands, but it comes with disruption.
Sports rights are fragmented and dedicated sports fans needs to subscribe to multiple platforms in order to watch all their favourite sports… or as Now We Collide put it “Build their own stacks” with personalised combinations of: Kayo, Disney+, Stan Sport, Paramount+, Free-to-air, YouTube and even TikTok!
In Australia:
The NRL is preparing to land a new broadcast rights deal that’s bigger than the $4.5 billion agreement signed by the AFL in 2022 - Peter V’landys has previously flagged that the League is considering carving up its broadcast rights with streamers such as DAZN, Netflix and Amazon
The Age recently reported that Foxtel’s new foreign owner, streaming giant DAZN, believed it was paying too much for its AFL rights and that it could seek to renegotiate it - The following week, The Australian published an article which ‘categorically dismissed’ this
The closure of Optus Sport and the transfer of its major rights (notably to the English Premier League) to Stan Sport reflects a broad shake-up of sports streaming in Australia
In March, ESPN officially launched on Disney+ across Australia and New Zealand giving subscribers access to sports such as NBA, NFL, NBL, WNBL, WNBA, NHL, NCAA, UFC
YouTube is giving rise to a new viewing experience - Dan Gorringe’s collaboration with the AFL for a live watchalong stream marked one of Dan Does Footy’s biggest ventures to date - more here
Sports are finding new creative distribution channels
Recently, the NBL announced that games and content will be made available on the NBA App and NBA TV - fans from the U.S. and Canada will be able to watch NBL games throughout the season.
Middle East momentum
Australian sport is forging deeper connections across the Middle East, with startups, agencies, clubs, and government bodies all playing a role in expanding commercial opportunities and global influence.
Illawarra Hawks just entered into a new partnership with global sports consultancy STOIC 360 that’s aimed at expanding the club’s commercial and cultural footprint across the Middle East in the lead-up to the FIBA Basketball World Cup Qatar 2027.
Collingwood FC players Darcy Moore, Josh & Nick Daicos and Isaac Quaynor embarked on a week-long trip to Dubai in partnership with club sponsor Emirates.
Global Victoria recently led a group of delegates from the State’s sports ecosystem across to the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and Qatar to engage with partners, as part of its second “Sports Economy Trade Mission to the Gulf”.
Aus Sports Law is working with the Israel Trade and Economic Commission Australia and the Israel Export Institute to support a group of 15-20 Israeli sports tech companies that are looking to enter the Australian market.
Australian-founded PMY Group announced it’s expanding into Saudi Arabia after signing a joint venture with local technology company Tahreez - the pair will deploy PMY’s technology solutions and expand its fan experience capabilities including laser shows, pre-game and half-time entertainment and trophy presentations throughout the Kingdom’s major events
Sports as a vehicle for political diplomacy
Finally, sports’ global expansion isn’t always purely about money and fans, it can also be about influence, soft power, and international diplomacy.
Sport can become a bridge between cultures, nations, economies, and it can strengthen diplomatic relationships and open new markets.
Earlier this year:
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese joined tennis legend John Fitzgerald in China to announce the Australian Open Asia-Pacific Wildcard Play-off will return to Chengdu this year
Football Australia proudly joined Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Jakarta as part of his first official bilateral meeting, since his re-election, with the President of Indonesia, H.E. Prabowo Subianto
Sport has become one of Australia’s most compelling international assets - a platform for economic growth, cultural exchange, and soft power diplomacy.
But with globalisation comes disruption: new competitors, fragmented audiences, shifting consumer expectations, and attention and capital that can just as easily flow out as it flows in.
Watch this space.
adidas - Senior Manager, Digital Activation
AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 - Venue Fan Activations and Services Manager
AFL - Social Content Creator
AFL - Social Projects Lead
ASICS - Head of Sports Marketing
Athletikan - Co-Founder
Australian Golf Services - Marketing and Creative Lead
Australian Grand Prix Corporation - Communications Specialist
Australian Sailing - Digital Content Producer
Bastion - Senior Influencer Manager (Social)
Canterbury - Trade & Customer Marketing Manager
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs - Corporate Sales Executive
Capital Football - Marketing & Communications Manager
ClassPass - Field Account Executive - Brisbane
Diageo - Events & Sponsorship Manager
Easygo - Esports Sponsorships Lead
Entain Australia & New Zealand - Brand Copywriter - Multi-Brand Communications
Essendon FC - Head of Partnership Sales
Fanatics - VP and GM
Foot Locker - Director, Product Strategy
Football Australia - Senior Partnerships Manager
Front Runner - Senior Performance Marketing Manager | DTC Growth
Futures Sport & Entertainment - Senior Analyst
Gemba - Account Manager
Gold Coast SUNS - Head of Events & Match Day Experience
Gold Coast Titans - Commercial Development Executive
lululemon - Area Community Specialist (Melbourne)
lululemon - CRM & Email Marketing Lead
Melbourne Racing Club - Sales Coordinator
MKTG Sports + Entertainment Australia - Senior Communications Strategist
MKTG Sports + Entertainment Australia - Senior Event Manager
Netball Australia - Commercial Sales Manager
Netball Australia - General Manager - Community & Events (6 Month contract)
Netball Australia - Head of Partnerships
Nike - Senior, Brand Creative Seasonal Retail & Experience Designer Pacific
Nike - Senior Principal, Nike Sportswear & Energy Marketplace, Pacific
Nine - 9Now Sport Programming Assistant - Olympics & Paralympics
NRL - School Marketing Lead
Parramatta Eels - Partnerships Manager
Octagon - Senior Analyst
Queensland Academy of Sport - Project Lead - Digital Experience
Racing.com - Senior Content Creator
Red Bull - Athlete Marketing Manager (12m FTC)
Rugby Australia - Marketing Manager - Super Rugby Products
Rugby Australia - NSW Waratahs Partnerships & Hospitality Coordinator
SailGP - Race Stadium Manager, APAC
Seeker Agency - Senior Event Producer
Supercars - Partnerships Manager
St Kilda FC - Marketing Coordinator
Sydney Roosters - Social Media Content Producer
Table Tennis Australia - Customer Experience and Growth Manager
TGI Sport - Communications Manager
Thrive PR + Communication - Senior PR Consultant: Culture, Sport & Entertainment
Tradable Bits - Customer Success Manager — Sports, Music & Entertainment
Two Circles - Consultant
Two Circles - Major Event Ticketing Marketing Lead
Under Armour - Key Account Manager
Wasserman - Account Manager, Strategy & Consulting
Wasserman - Account Director
Wasserman - Art Director
Wasserman - Creative Director
Wasserman - Senior Social Media Manager
Wasserman - Social Strategist
World Rugby - Communications & PR Manager
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.