Retention is the real growth engine in sports sponsorship
The sponsorship industry is awash with headlines announcing new partners, but behind the noise, an important conversation is gaining traction...
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.
New Happy Hour Sports Industry Networking event, presented by Groblox (Melbourne)
After the success of our debut “Happy Hour” sports industry networking in Melbourne earlier this year, and our most recent event in Sydney, we’re teaming up again with MEE Agency to launch our next event in Melbourne.
Event details
Date: Thursday 9 October
Time: 3:00pm - 6:30pm
Location: Melbourne
Venue: Royal Saxon Hotel, Richmond
Tickets: $27
What to expect: an afternoon/evening of post-work casual drinks in a fun, informal and welcoming setting. No formalities. Drinks at Happy Hour bar prices.
Who should attend? We’re bringing together a mix of professionals from across the sports ecosystem including rights-holders, brands, agencies, media, government, education and suppliers - so if you’re looking to connect with like-minded people across the sports industry, then this is the place to be.
Thank you - To Groblox who are returning as the new Presenting Partner, and who are helping to ensure we can continue to bring the industry together in a fun and meaningful way.
Interested in an event partnership? Get in touch with Matt (Founder, Notice) or Steph (Co-Founder & Director, MEE Agency). We’d love to chat!
Hope to see you there!
Featured sports industry sponsorship opening: Motorcycling Australia
Motorcycling Australia is seeking new commercial partners to align with our passionate audience of riders, teams and volunteers. A partnership offers integration across our national championships, media coverage, and member benefits program. We connect with a highly engaged community of riders, teams, and fans. Our championships offer comprehensive broadcast coverage, combining strong national exposure in Australia on SBS Sport and Stan Sport with a significant international feed that reaches key global markets in over 26 countries.
View more here or reach out via email to Josh Gay, Marketing Manager: josh.gay@ma.org.au
The sports industry sponsorship openings board gives sports organisations an opportunity to showcase their partnership openings, and brands the ability to discover the right fit.
Cricket Australia announced a new 3-year partnership with Chemist Warehouse which became the Official Pharmacy Partner of the Australian Men’s and Women’s teams
Cricket Australia and ASICS unveiled the new international team uniforms that will be worn throughout one of the biggest summers in Australian cricket history
AFL in partnership with the Victorian Government announced the return of the Grand Final Footy Festival in Yarra Park, with Macca’s joining as the naming rights partner for 2025
NFL and TAB announced the renewal of their multi-year partnership in Australia through to 2030 - As part of the deal, TAB will retain its official sports betting partnership in the Australian market and deliver exclusive NFL events, content and experiences across its digital platforms and retail venues
Perth Wildcats and HIF extended its landmark partnership into NBL26, the longest-recognised partnership in NBL history that’s now stretching to 15 years- As part of the partnership, HIF will feature as the official game-day partner of the NBL Pride Round and provide giveaways for fans and members throughout the season
Melbourne United announced that The Sporting Globe Bar & Grill extended its partnership with the club through the NBL26 season
Brisbane Bullets secured a new partnership with Australian car buying service Motor Scout which will provide fans with exclusive offers and promotions throughout the season
Hockey One League inked a new partnership with ONE Active (new entrant in the sports‑nutrition space) which became the tournament’s naming rights sponsor
Rugby Australia and the Wallabies welcomed Cape Mentelle as their official wine partner for the next 3 years - the announcement comes a few months after Cape Mentelle became a partner of the Wallaroos
Australian Professional Leagues revealed the Official Match Ball for the Isuzu UTE A-League Men and Ninja A-League Women 2025/26 seasons with Official Match Ball Partner, Mitre
National Basketball League announced multi-platinum ARIA Award-winning singer-songwriter Tones And I will perform at the NBAxNBL Melbourne Series in October
Marvel Stadium unveiled ‘Stadium Sports, presented by Mountain Goat’ which includes ‘Stadium Smash Pickleball’ – a dedicated zone that features three full-size Pickleball courts (via MEE Agency)
Sydney FC launched its ‘Sky Blue Creators’ initiative - an all-new creators academy designed to give the next generation of content creators real access, real experience, and a real voice in professional football
NFL officially kicked-off its season with an official event at Felons Barrel Hall in Brisbane, which featured a Flag Football Fan Zone, activations from the Raiders, Rams, Seahawks, and Eagles, Photo Ops and a Madden NFL Gaming Lounge - more here
Netball Australia, World Netball and the Local Organising Committee of the Netball World Cup Sydney 2027 gathered at Sydney Harbour to reveal ‘Brace Yourself’ – a bold and contemporary brand identity for netball’s pinnacle event
Former Wests Tigers powerbrokers Justin Pascoe and Lee Hagipantelis acquired the Ottawa BlackJacks (Canadian Elite Basketball League) via their firm Global Sports Fund Management Group - the pair also purchased a 25% stake in the Newcastle Jets last year
Brisbane Broncos legend Darren Lockyer, alongside multiple Australian investors, are looking to buy a stake in English rugby league team London Broncos with the vision of turning it into a Super League powerhouse
The 2025 AFL Gather Round delivered a record $113.9 million to South Australia’s economy – a 24% increase from 2024, an independent evaluation by IER revealed
Football Australia and Free TV Australia extended their partnership to distribute matches across the Pacific through PacificAus TV
YouTube’s first exclusive global NFL livestream game between Chiefs vs. Chargers in São Paulo, Brazil set a platform record, drawing over 17.3 million concurrent viewers from more than 230 countries
Nike launched it’s new "Why Do It?” campaign aimed at reintroducing its famous “Just Do It” to a new generation
Guest Writer: Adam Hodge
Today we’re welcoming back veteran sports and entertainment marketer Adam Hodge.
Well-known across the Australian sports industry, “Hodgie” brings a wealth of experience from leading roles at some of the country’s top agencies, including Head of Marketing & Commercial Strategy (APAC) at Octagon, and more recently, Head of Marketing Strategy at Gemba.
In the 3rd of an ongoing series, Hodgie puts forward that sponsorship retention is the true driver of long-term growth for your sport. Enjoy the read!
Retention is the real growth engine in sports sponsorship
The sponsorship industry is awash with headlines announcing new partners. But behind the noise, an important conversation is gaining traction: the real measure of a rights holder’s commercial success isn’t how many new logos they sign — it’s how long their existing partners stay.
Former Coca-Cola and Visa sponsorship lead Ricardo Fort sparked this debate on LinkedIn recently, noting that too many organisations chase the next announcement while neglecting current partners.
I backed his view, writing:
The point resonates because the economics of retention vs acquisition are so stark: Harvard Business Review shows that acquiring a new customer can cost 5 to 25 times more than retaining an existing one — a principle sponsorship follows closely.
Practical examples in the market
Globally, the organisations with the strongest commercial programs are often those with long-tenured partners:
UEFA and Heineken: over 30 years together, with campaigns evolving from simple logo placement to award winning creative in that time
Arsenal & Emirates: a partnership since 2004, renewed in 2018 to run until 2028, covering stadium naming rights, shirt sponsorship and global content
Meanwhile, rights holders who lean too heavily on constant new deals may suffer higher churn.
Why this matters for commercial growth
Retention isn’t passive and isn’t the result of a few lunches, a corporate box and an end of season report, it’s the product of deliberate, long-term strategy:
Incentivising outstanding service: Account teams given equal weight, reward and recognition as sales teams.
Commitment discipline: Delivering every entitlement, every time.
Innovation: Working with sponsors to know their business needs and optimising campaigns season after season.
Value benchmarking: Regular independent valuations to ensure partners know they’re getting a fair exchange. This avoids both atrophy (partners quietly underpaying) and the “boiling frog” scenario where fees creep too high until renewal becomes untenable.
The commercial impact is clear: long-term partners tend to scale-up investment over time, with happy partners up-grading, becoming naming rights sponsors, growing categories, and embedding deeper into fan culture.
Why this is particularly important for Australian rights holders
Australia’s sports market is heading into a critical decade:
Increased sport sponsorship competition: Several large global sporting events in the region between now and Brisbane 2032 will see sponsorship dollars spread thinner than ever
Media disruption: The AFL recently extended its media rights with Seven and Foxtel through 2031 while the NRL has held talks with streaming giants, underscoring the volatility in available broadcast revenues – putting more pressure on the sponsorship revenue line.
Non-sport competition: Sporting rights holders are fighting for a finite corporate pool across arts, entertainment and ESG initiatives as these non-sport players become increasingly sophisticated.
Relative measurement pressure: As marketers increasingly rely on short term channels (like digital and social), the fight for dollars in longer-term brand building channels like sponsorship gets tougher
In this environment, retention isn’t just smart — it’s survival. The AFL’s 20+ year relationship with Toyota, Cricket Australia’s long-standing bond with KFC and the NBL’s Hungry Jacks deals since 1988 show the power of deep, trusted partnerships.
These deals don’t just provide cashflow; they also:
Grow the game
Stabilise the balance sheet
Demonstrate credibility to new investors
Think of it another way. If you were deciding between two new jobs, do you take the gig that might pay a few dollars more today, but you know that turnover is massive, and employee satisfaction is low? Or do you go with the guys who might offer a few bucks less up front, but have happy staff who stay for years and grow with the business?
If Australian rights holders want to not just stabilize and survive, but grow their commercial programs, they must invest as much energy in farming existing relationships as they do in hunting new ones.
Hodgie’s Final Take
I’ve said publicly in the past that ‘there is no reward for loyalty in sponsorship’ – referencing the ‘auto-renew’ mentality I’ve too often seen from rights holders who spend less time with sponsors the longer they remain loyal.
Whilst I’m softening my absolute stance on this - as I’ve seen more leagues (finally) develop their Partnership Management teams at the same rate as their New Business teams - I still believe that tenure should be rewarded with additional value and attention not less.
Winning new business makes noise. Keeping it makes history. In a market as competitive as Australia’s, long-term tenure isn’t just the best indicator of commercial success — it’s the only true driver of long-term growth for your sport.
Adelaide Lightning - Partnerships Marketing Manager
Adelaide United FC - Head of Commercial
adidas - Senior Manager, Category Management (Originals) Pacific
adidas - Senior Manager, Digital Activation
AFL - Consumer Growth Lead
Airtasker - PR & Sponsorships Coordinator
Amer Sports - Digital Marketing Executive
Amer Sports - Head of Marketing
Asahi Beverages - Partnerships & Events Lead - Queensland
Basketball Australia - Commercial Partnerships Coordinator
Bastion - Senior Experiential Producer
Bosch Group - Engagement Coordinator – Bosch Motorsport Australia
Budgy Smugler - Partnerships Coordinator
Cricket Australia - Communications & PR Specialist
Dabble - Commercial Analyst
Drummond Golf - Marketing Manager: Digital, CRM, Loyalty
Easygo - Sponsorship Marketing Coordinator
Fanatics - Retail Events Manager
Fitness First Australia - Marketing Executive
Flinders University - Associate Professor in Sports Management
Gemba - Account Manager
Gemba - Creative
Golf Australia - Relationship Coordinator - Central Queensland
Golf Australia - Relationship Coordinator - Northern Queensland
Hudl - Solutions Consultant
JD Sports - CRM & Email Marketing Manager
JD Sports - Senior Digital Trade Manager
KOJO - Associate Event Producer
KIC - Growth Marketing Manager
lululemon - Social Media Manager, Australia & New Zealand
Lion - Sponsorship & Events Leader
Melbourne Racing Club - Racing and Media Executive
MKTG Sport + Entertainment Australia - Content Specialist/Coordinator
MKTG Sport + Entertainment Australia - Creative Campaign Manager
MKTG Sport + Entertainment Australia - Graphic Designer
MKTG Sport + Entertainment Australia - Research Manager
Moshtix - Business Development Manager - Events, Attractions & Sport
Netball Australia - Legacy Manager (Netball World Cup)
Netball Australia - Partnership Lead
Netball Queensland - Partnership Lead
Netball Victoria - Events and Operations Manager
Netball Victoria - Social Media and Content Coordinator
Newscorp Australia - Sponsorship Manager
NSW Office of Sport - Social Media and Content Producer
Octagon - Event Manager (Fixed-Term Contract)
Octagon - Managing Director, Australia
Only Sports Media - Team Lead
Paralympics Australia - Head of Para Sport System & Partnerships
QSport - Chief Executive Officer
Red Bull - Field Marketing Specialist, Sport
Rowing Australia - Digital Content Lead
SANCTUM - Head of Events
Special Olympics Australia - General Manager, Major Events and Partnerships
Sport NSW - Events and Operations Manager
Sportsbet - CRM Executive
Sportsbet - Events Specialist
Sportsbet - Senior Commercial Manager
Sportsbet - Senior Marketing Insights Analyst
Sportsbet - Social Content Creator
Sports Entertainment Network - Commercial Manager
Sports Entertainment Network - Partnership Manager
St. George Illawarra Dragons - Chief Customer Officer
Stadiums Tasmania - General Manager Corporate and Public Affairs, Communications
Swimming Australia - Paralympic Campaign Operations Lead
Sydney Swans - Commercial Partnerships Account Manager
Tasmania FC - Head of Marketing
Tennis Australia - Brand Manager - Events
Tennis Australia - Ecommerce Manager
Tennis Australia - Marketing & Communications Manager
THE ICONIC - Head of Sports
Two Circles - Sponsorship Sales Lead
Two Circles - Sponsorship Sales Manager
VenuesLive - Event Manager - polytec Stadium
Volleyball NSW - Chief Executive Officer
World Surf League - Events Operations Manager
World Surf League - Partnerships 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.