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Blundstone Arena will now be known as “Ninja Stadium” following a 4-year naming rights partnership with SharkNinja
Red Bull Australia became Western United’s Official Energy Drink Partner and fans will be treated to a spectacular aerobatic display at Sunday’s season opener to celebrate - *Red Bull also recently announced a new partnership with the NRL
Toyota extended their partnership with the Brisbane Heat and Queensland Cricket for another 2-years which will bring the longstanding partnership to a decade
The WNBL launched the 24/25 WNBL Season in the brand new Foot Locker 'Reimagined' store in Melbourne Central, and announced new partnerships with the Ford Dealer Network and Latina™ Fresh on the same day
AGL renewed their major partnership with Melbourne Victory for another 2 years and will continue as the Naming Rights and Presenting Partner for several flagship club programs
Melbourne City FC announced a new multi-year partnership with cyber security firm, ctrl:cyber who became the Naming Rights partner of the club’s training and admin facility at Casey Fields, and the home pitch for the women’s team
Brisbane Roar welcomed leading renewable energy company, Solmech as an Official Partner for the 2024/25 season
Adelaide 36ers announced Apex Steel as a back of jersey partner for the next 2 seasons, and a renewal of its partnership with Australian Motors Mitsubishi
Perth Scorchers inked a new 2-year partnership with Australian civil construction company, BMD
Geelong Senior Coach, Chris Scott was announced as Chief of Leadership and Performance at Morris Finance, the club’s major sponsor
A WBBL10 Timeline installation that showcases the competition’s history was activated in Rundle Mall ahead of the Adelaide Strikers’ opening game vs Brisbane Heat
Prime Video announced Australian cricket captain, Pat Cummins as their new brand ambassador at their “Primeville” pop-up activation at SXSW Sydney
Nedd’s Uncomfortable Challenge has raised $3.8m+ for We Are Mobilise from 59k+ donations - 11k+ people have signed-up to complete their own uncomfortable challenge
Essendon FC Women’s teamed up with Marmalade_Aus to create the AFLWs largest ever banner off the back of an internal joke about how some of the AFLW milestone banners were tiny - it’s received 700k+ views on social media so far
Josh Mansour and Josh Addo-Carr’s “Lets Trot” podcast was shortlisted as a finalist in the sports category, in the Australian Podcast Awards
The Australian Sports Foundation announced a record-breaking year in donations for 2023-24, raising $98.8m (+24% YoY)
KOJO was announced as the official sports presentation partner of the Melbourne Stars across BBL and WBBL
The Australian Professional Leagues announced that it’s looking to “supercharge” growth by bringing new fans to the sport through the “top of funnel” and via TikTok
Tennis Australia launched AO25 in China with the support of sponsors including Kia, Marriott, 1573, Luckin, Waterdrop and EZZ.
Surfing Australia secured $1m in federal funding for the “New Wave of Female Boardriders” project which will make surfing more accessible to women and girls across the country
Fast-growing online sports betting brand, Dabble, launched a Million Dollar Hole-in-One activation at this years BMW Australian PGA Championship, giving fans on site the chance to win a share of the massive cash prize if a player hits the perfect shot
Alex Volkanovski joined NSW Premier Chris Minns to announce that Sydney will host #UFC312 on Sunday 9 February at Qudos Bank Arena
The Australian Government launched a new national sport strategy, Sport Horizon, that sets a shared vision for creating healthy, active, and connected communities and a thriving sport system
Stretching beyond apparel, Reebok launched a line of sports nutrition and performance supplements in the U.S and Canada
Nike extended its partnership with the NBA and WNBA as the exclusive on-court uniform and apparel provider for 12 more years, until 2037
The NFL is rapidly expanding in Australia and taking an integrated approach to achieving its international growth goals
The National Football League 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 provides NFL clubs with access to global markets for fan engagement initiatives.
The Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Rams are the two teams that have been granted approval to focus their fan engagement activities in Australia.
Here are some of their combined recent growth tactics worth noticing.
EVENTS
The NFL has been actively hosting major events across iconic Australian locations, including:
Season Kick-Off at Bondi Pavilion – To celebrate the start of the 2024-25 season, the league hosted a Kickoff Festival that featured big screen viewing of the Philadelphia Eagles vs Green Bay Packers game, authentic Philly food, giveaways, guest appearances and a live concert from The Cat Empire
Draft Party at Burleigh Heads Pavilion – Jordan Mailata, former punter Sav Rocca and mascot SWOOP were in attendance
Super Bowl watch party on Sydney Harbour in 2024 - *An Official Super Bowl LIX party is coming to Melbourne in 2025
* The LA Rams are currently recruiting for the role of Manager, International responsible for planning international events.
PR ACTIVATIONS & CROSS-PROMOTION
The NFL has leveraged its star power and cultural connections to create a number of cross-promotion opportunities:
The LA Rams' Mascot, Rampage, has been highly active and has appeared at Sydney Swans events, collaborated with The Shepmates in LA, met with the Penrith Panthers' Pantherettes, and appeared alongside the Richmond Football Club and Sydney Roosters mascot's on match day
Former player and current coach, Matt Leo showed the Victoria Racing Club around the home of the Philadelphia Eagles when the Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour stopped in America
The league collaborated with the Gold Coast Titans on game day to promote NFL Flag Football
The Los Angles Rams and Las Vegas Raiders were involved in number of cross promotion initiatives as part of the NRL’s inaugural season opener in Las Vegas
Player appearances have been key.
Jordan Mailata has visited Australia on multiple occasions and has been involved in string of media opportunities, including a visit to Collingwood Football Club
The LA Rams have hosted Australian sports stars at SoFi Stadium including a contingent of the Brisbane Lions, Cooper Johns and AFLW players
Todd Gurley visited the Sydney Swans at their new facility and had a meet & greet with Penrith Panthers star Nathan Cleary
DIGITAL
The league has launched numerous official social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok specifically for its Australian and New Zealand audiences.
The “mainstream” AUNZ accounts deliver localised content, and influencer partnerships with high-profile Australian talent such as Daniel Ricciardo and FISHER have been key to growing the code’s online presence
This social media approach has been complemented with NFL Flag Football accounts, showcasing grassroots-themed content
Earlier this year, The Shepmates (409k+ Instagram followers) were given the honour of announcing a pick at the NFL Draft in Detroit and cheekily got themselves booed-off the stage - The footage went viral
More recently, in collabotion with Fanatics, the league launched NFLshop.com.au – an online shop designed to provide local fans with easy access to official NFL merchandise.
NEW PROGRAMS
The NFL has launched new grassroots and development programs in Australia.
A new NFL Academy was launched on the Gold Coast (based at A.B. Paterson College) to nurture talent and a provide a formal development pathway
The league has teamed up with the Australian Sports Commission’s “Sporting Schools” initiative to offer both primary and secondary schools the opportunity to participate in NFL Flag Football
BROADCAST PARTNERSHIPS
The NFL has multiple broadcast agreements that distribute live games across paid and free channels.
Seven Network streams NFL games “live and free” on TV and across all Seven digital products, including 7Plus
NFL games are also available on paid platforms via ESPN and ESPN2 which are available on Foxtel, Kayo Sports & Fetch TV, and via the league’s NFL Game Pass (thanks to the DAZN x Prime Video partnership)
Sportsbet is also now giving punters with a registered account the ability to stream live NFL games on their app
FUTURE HORIZON
NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell, has floated the idea of expanding its international fixture and Australia has an appetite to become a host.
It was recently reported that representatives from Venues NSW, Optus Stadium, and the Melbourne Cricket Ground flew to London to meet with NFL executives about this opportunity.
Additionally, it’s also been reported that several high-profile Australian athletes (including from AFL and NRL) are showing interest in participating in NFL Flag football at the LA 2028 Olympics.
The NFL’s game plan for growth in Australia is a masterclass and this appears to only be the beginning of the league's efforts to deepen the connection with Australian sports fans.
Watch this space.
Adelaide FC - Business Development Manager
AFL - Senior Events Executive
AFL - Social Producer
AusTriathlon - State Services Manager - ACT
Australian Grand Prix Corporation - Communications and Engagement Manager
Brisbane Racing Club - Social Media & Marketing Coordinator
Cricket ACT - Commercial Partnerships and Foundation Manager
Cricket NSW - Head of Partnerships
ESPN - Client & Brand Solutions Executive - 12 month contract
ESPN - Senior Sales Manager
Essendon FC - Fundraising Manager
Football Australia - Manager - Government Relations
Football Australia - Senior Manager - Government and Stakeholder Relations AFC Women's Asian Cup 2026
Foot Locker - Digital Content Coordinator
Foot Locker - Digital Insights Analyst
Foot Locker - Digital Operations Manager
Foot Locker - Director, Digital Marketing
Foxtel Group - Engagement Campaign Specialist – Kayo Sports BINGE
Foxtel Group - Marketing Manager - Main Event
Foxtel Group - NRL Digital Reporter (Fox Sports)
Foxtel Group - Strategy Analyst - Kayo Sports & BINGE
Golf Australia - Senior Participation Manager - VIC
HOKA Australia - Area Manager - NSW & QLD
KOJO - Account Director
Melbourne & Olympic Parks - Marketing Campaign Advisor
Netball Australia - Head of Media and Public Relations | contract
Netball Australia - Head of Participation
Netball NSW - Commercial Partnerships Coordinator
Netball Victoria - Data & Insights Manager
Netball Victoria - Events & Engagement Specialist
Newcastle Knights - Partnerships Executive
Nike - Senior Manager, Digital Operations, Digital Commerce Pacific
Penrith Panthers - Foundation and Community Assistant
Queensland Rugby League - Marketing Manager
Racing Queensland - Events Manager
RMIT University - Manager, Sport & Fitness
Rugby WA - Marketing Coordinator
Seven West Media - Head of Club Relations
South Australian Tourism Commission - Commercial Partnerships Manager
Sportsbet - Insights Analyst
Sportsbet - Social Content Lead (Creative)
St Kilda FC - Partnerships Development Lead
Sweat - Digital Marketing Manger
Sydney Roosters - Commercial Partnerships Executive
Sydney Swans - Corporate Partnerships Coordinator
Tennis Australia - People Relationship Manager - Member Associations
The Yard Gym - Performance Marketing Specialist
Tradable Bits - Customer Success Manager, APAC
Tradable Bits - Digital Advertising Specialist, APAC
Two Circles - Sponsorship Sales Executive
Two Circles - Sponsorship Sales Director
Under Armour - Senior Professional, Visual Merchandising
Volleyball Australia - Events 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.
If only the NFL hadn’t made the idiotic decision to reskin the graphics and presentation of some of the broadcasts into Australia on both 7mate and ESPN, which negatively alters the host broadcast feeds in very annoying ways.