Non-obvious ways to grow sports
Sports are on a constant mission to capture new fans and participants, and build stronger connections with existing ones
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.
Chemist Warehouse signed a 5-year partnership extension with Athletics Australia which will help support Australia’s athletics talent in the lead up, and beyond the LA Olympics in 2028
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs announced Wattyl Paint as a major sponsor for the next 2 years - the logo will feature on the sleeves of the Bulldogs’ jersey
Supercars announced Monster Energy as the Official Energy Drink of the Repco Supercars Championship as part of a multi-year deal, and a partnership extension with Boost Mobile which includes continuing as the Naming Rights sponsor of the Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500 until 2025
RMIT renewed their partnership with the Melbourne Renegades, and and became a new Major Partner of the WBBL team -their logo will feature on the front of the WBBL playing shirt
Fast-growing car company, Chery partnered with the Sydney Thunder and Sydney Sixers for WBBL|10 and BBL|14
Foodland Supermarkets became the Community Partner of Adelaide United and the Naming Rights sponsor for Coopers Stadium’s Family Park
Melbourne City FC announced a new partnership with Vitasoy, whose logo will feature on the A-League Men’s shorts and the A-League Men’s training kit sleeves
Birkenstock Australia partnered with Geelong FC AFLW and treated players and staff to a special footwear fitting session to launch the partnership
The Sydney Sixers unveiled a collaboration with DG Designs to celebrate the milestone of the 10th WBBL season - 250 limited edition prints are set to be given away free during the club’s match on Sunday 10 November
Nedd’s Uncomfortable Challenge has concluded, raising $4.7+ million from 74,000 donors and alongside 25,000 participants who took on their own uncomfortable challenge for We Are Mobilise
The WA Government announced that the The Bledisloe Cup will return to Perth’s Optus Stadium next year, on 4 October 2025
Padel Australia announced a strategic partnership with Mindspring that will involve building Padel courts on underutilised tennis courts, enhancing membership & revenue, and new technology implementation
LIV Golf Adelaide 2025 announced three-time Surfing World Champion Mick Fanning as its Ambassador, and Grammy-nominated Australian DJ & producer, Dom Dolla as the Friday headline act
Sportsbet launched its “BS” Spring Carnival ad-campaign featuring Australian sports identities Merv Hughes, Alex Volkanovski and Dan Gorringe
The Tasmania Devils, Tasmania JackJumpers, Hobart Hurricanes and Netball Tasmania joined forces with TasTAFE to launch the Tasmania Academy of Leadership and Sport
The Adelaide Strikers unveiled their WBBL|09 Championship Flag from the sky, with the support of skydivers who landed at Adelaide Oval
Olympic silver medallist Jess Hull became the first Australian to sign with Grand Slam Track, the track league launched by US legend Michael Johnson which will see 48 athletes competing for $18m+ in prize money
Formula 1 racing team, McLaren unveiled a new training center designed to optimise physical and mental well-being for its drivers, pit crew, engineers, and support staff
Centr, the fitness-app brand founded by Chris Hemsworth, announced it’s extending into the cardio equipment category with the launch of premium treadmills
For the 11th straight year, LeBron James topped Forbes’ list of the NBA’s highest-paid players - he’ll collect $48.7m in salary for the 2024-25 season and an estimated $80m from off-court earnings
The UFC launched a channel on live-streaming platform, Kick, to broadcast fight watch-alongs, behind-the-scenes coverage, athlete interviews, and press conferences
Sports are on a constant mission to capture new fans and participants, and build stronger connections with existing ones
In a world full of digital devices and addiction, sports are not only competing against one another for attention, they're increasingly battling against other entertainment options e.g. Netflix.
While some of Australia’s major codes are thriving, others are struggling to maintain their fan bases and attract new ones, which often leads to financial pressure, posing an existential threat.
The Australian sports landscape appears to be becoming increasingly competitive as domestic competitions expand their annual fixtures, women’s sports grows, and globalisation and technology enhance the distribution of the world’s major codes such as the NFL, NBA and Premier League.
There are many obvious ways to grow sports such as grassroots & community programs, broadcast distribution/rights, building new facilities etc. and these are important for growth and retention.
To complement the above, here are some non-obvious things that help attract new fans and participants to sports, often incidentally.
1. Children’s books, podcasts, TV shows
Many of Australia’s top athletes such as Sam Kerr, Ash Barty, Nicho Hynes and Eddie Betts have produced books that introduce children to sports.
Cricket has prominently featured in the much-loved children’s TV show, Bluey, and recently Football Australia teamed up with Ogilvy to create an AI-powered podcast series about the Matilda's Paris 2024 campaign.
Embedding sports into these channels is an effective strategy that helps children form strong connections to sports at an early age, and these connections can last a lifetime.
2. Retail partnerships
Earlier this year, Mattel (parent of Barbie) announced a partnership with Mary Fowler that involves creating a one-of-a-kind Barbie doll in her likeness.
She was among a string of high-profile female athletes from across the globe also announced as "role-model" ambassadors.
Barbie's new line of role-model athletes help normalise & celebrate female participation, encouraging more young girls to play sport from a young age.
3. Athlete-owned clinics
Sports clinics are not new. But player-owned ones are. Isaac Heeney and Toby Greene run 5th Quarter Camps – a program designed to “grow the sport of Aussie Rules by exposing communities to positive learning experiences within a safe, fun and inclusive environment."
This new model has benefits for all - The players are genuinely bought-in to giving the best possible experience because they own it, and this care extends to all the players involved. Why? Because they’re not just attending any old footy clinic, they’re supporting their team mates with their off-field endeavors. This model results in high engagement with young participants, parents and everyone in attendance.
4. Cross-code collaborations
Teams and leagues can collaborate to cross-promote upcoming events and provide additional value for fans. Sydney Thunder joined forces with Parramatta Eels and GWS GIANTS to create new memberships that provide members with dual access to games.
5. Community sports streaming
Streamer, BarTV Sports and KommunityTV produce and stream high-quality content for grassroots and lower tier sporting competitions. They offer a cost-effective way to distribute non-professional sports to a variety of stakeholders such as supporters, sponsors, advertisers and potential new markets.
BarTV Sports recently partnered with Nedd’s Uncomfortable Challenge to film his entire run which was streamed live, non-stop for 250+ hours on TikTok.
6. eLearning platforms
Startups are emerging to revolutionise sports education, creating more inclusive and dynamic eLearning experiences.
Specialising in school programs, coach education, academy pathways, workforce development, and volunteer upskilling, Playbk Sports has partnered with leading sporting organisations such as the Gold Coast SUNS, Brisbane Broncos and Special Olympics Australia to deliver custom eLearning programs.
7. Gaming
Video games like AFL Evolution, EA SPORTS FC, NBA 2K, WWE 2K and Madden NFL allow fans to interact with sports in an immersive way, regardless of location or physical ability.
The interactive nature fosters an understanding of game rules, player stats, and team dynamics, building knowledge and interest that often translates into following real-life sports.
Platforms such as Roblox also connect children to sports - Tennis Australia has created "AO Adventure" which enables users to explore the world of the Australian Open, completing activities and earning digital items and accessories. In January 2024, it had generated 14.5m+ visits since launching in 2023. It's likely this figure is much higher now now.
8. New role models
Role models play a crucial role in the growth of sports by inspiring participation.
The growth of women's sports at the elite level is facilitating grassroots growth - see above re: Mary Fowler x Barbie.
American rapper, Schoolboy Q’s love for golf is another example - he's helped challenge golf's traditional image and expanded its appeal to more young, diverse audiences who may not have previously felt represented.
9. Event extensions
Large-scale sports festival events such as the AFL Footy Festival are expensive to run but if they’re done right they can deliver big returns on many fronts, and for multiple stakeholders.
Read more here.
The Australian Open, F1 Grand Prix, LIV Golf and Victorian Spring Racing Carnival have all created large-scale entertainment experiences outside of the main event via live-sites, fan zones, and concerts. These experiences attract large-scale incremental attendance.
10. Social media (giving rise to niche sports)
Social media fuels the growth of sports in so many ways and the concept of social media contributing to the growth of sports is obvious in general.
A non-obvious insight is how powerful it can be in exposing small/niche sports to new fans - e.g. TikTok has given rise to sports like #parkour (39 billion views), #skateboarding (24 billion views), and #freerunning (4.8 billion views) through short-form video's.
11. Innovative venues
Artificial surf parks such as URBNSURF are playing a significant role in the growth and popularity of surfing. Surf parks provide consistent wave conditions, making surfing more accessible to beginners and those living in areas without natural surf breaks.
The $500m Winter Sports World venue is set to have a similar impact on snow sports when it opens in 2028 in Sydney’s West.
12. New sports-viewing experiences
Cosm is rolling-out a new type of “Shared Reality” state-of-the-art technology that delivers an immersive viewing experience and puts the fan in the best seat in the house.
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 experience the game in the best seats from more locations across the world.
Read more here.
13. Wagering
Although it’s a controversial topic, sports betting can significantly increase fan engagement - When fans have a personal stake in the game’s outcome, it can intensify their emotional connection and make them more likely to follow each play closely and stay engaged throughout, even in matches they might not otherwise watch.
Some companies have platforms that help increase the distribution of sports – e.g Sportsbet gives punters access to Live NFL games.
Wagering is also key to the NRL’s Las Vegas venture and expansion plans in the US.
14. Non-traditional revenue streams
Sports are continuing to find innovative ways to build new revenue streams to help put themselves into stronger financial positions, enabling them to reinvest in future growth initiatives.
Some recent examples worth noticing:
The NRL is looking to build a $300 million property portfolio to enhance their financial position and future-proof the sport
Carlton Football Club announced plans to launch an industry-leading imaging centre at Ikon Park which will provide MRI, CT, X-Ray, Mammography, and Ultrasound services to players and the wider community
Many leagues and teams have created formal business networks e.g. Melbourne Victory’s “Victory in Business” to build mutually beneficial partnerships that drive revenue and strengthen their business ecosystem
Other non-traditional revenue streams that sports are pursuing include property development, investment funds, incubators and accelerators, new teams and alliances, eSports and sports documentaries.
Read more here
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Hawthorn FC - Community Programs Manager
KOJO - Account Director
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Nike - Senior Manager, Digital Operations, Digital Commerce Pacific
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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.