SailGP’s high-speed growth story
The popularity of the league is accelerating, and it's attracting sponsorship from big brands, bids for hosting rights from major cities, and investment from celebrities & tech entrepreneurs
Key Announcements for 2026
After a successful 2025 (and a brief reset) we’re looking ahead and turning our focus to growth…
New Happy Hour Sports Industry Networking Events
To help us continue to bring the Australian sports industry together in real life, we’re launching new networking events in Melbourne and Sydney, and new networking events in new cities across Australia. Dates and locations will be released soon — keep an eye on our Happy Hour Sports Industry Networking Events landing page for updates.
Seeking new partnerships - advertising, sponsorship, strategic
We’re looking to grow alongside the right partners. If you’re a brand or organisation interested in collaborating through advertising, sponsorship, events or something else, we’d love to explore how we can collaborate.
📩 Interested in any of the above? Get in touch now with Matthew Hughes via DM on LinkedIn or email: matthew.hughes@noticesports.com.au
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ANZ expanded its partnership with Tennis Australia, becoming the Official Bank of the Australian Open - Under the renewed multi-year partnership, ‘ANZ Arena’ was unveiled at Melbourne Park (formerly known as Show Court 3) and ANZ served as Presenting Partner of the Brisbane International
DiDi became the Official Rideshare Partner of the Australian Open and will play a key role in helping fans and the AO workforce get to and from Melbourne Park throughout the tournament
Lipton Ice Tea was announced as the Australian Open’s Official Ice Tea in 2026 - it will be available at all bars across the precinct
realestate.com.au was unveiled as the Official Real Estate Partner of the Australian Open as part of a new multi-year deal - REA launched a bespoke campaign (including 2 x TVCs featuring Pat Rafter) which is set to feature across broadcast, print, digital, Melbourne Park and OOH/high-traffic areas across Melbourne
Altos Tequila, the first-ever Official Tequila of the Australian Open crafted a new drink especially for the tournament - the ‘Match Point Paloma’ - it’s served in a reusable cup, and its design is inspired by the architecture of Altos’ brand home in Jalisco, Mexico
Tangerine announced a new partnership with Australia’s highest ranked women’s single tennis player, Maya Joint - Tangerine’s commitment to supporting female athletes is an important focus for the Australian internet and mobile data challenger brand which also extended its partnership with Olympic swimmer Mollie O’Callaghan last year, and recently announced its sponsorship of WNBL team, Bendigo Spirit
Brisbane Heat and Queensland’s Department of Transport and Main Roads announced the renewal of its longstanding (since 2016) partnership for a further 2 years - the pair will contunue to promote safe driving practices via the ‘StreetSmarts’ road safety public education program
Brisbane Heat secured a new partnership with La Roche-Posay which became the club’s Official Sunscreen and Skincare Partner - Roaming staff handed out products and shared skincare tips at the Heat’s recent game vs the Thunder at the Gabba
Perth Glory announced a major 3-year partnership with energy wholesaler Renewables Warehouse which will see their flagship energy storage brand, ESY, displayed on the front of the Men’s playing shorts
Melbourne Victory confirmed it’s working with Areto Labs and its AI-powered tools to target social media toxicity
Gold Coast Titans welcomed Formcom as a new Major Partner - As part of the 2-year deal Formcom’s brand will appear on the lower back of the Titans’ NRL away jersey
Revo Fitness entered into a new partnership with Optus Stadium, becoming the Stadium’s first Official Fitness Partner - the partnership opens exciting new opportunities to deliver large-scale fitness experiences
New Balance activated its sponsorship of the Australian Open by capturing two skaters skateboarding through Melbourne Park
Transport Accident Commission (TAC) announced new partnerships with Basketball Victoria, Cricket Victoria and Football Victoria at the MCG and the launch of a new campaign which will see Victoria’s grassroots and elite sportspeople spread critical road safety messages across the state
Hockey Australia announced Kookaburra Sport as its Official Apparel Partner which will design all on-field and off-field apparel across all Hockey Australia programs, in partnership with athletes from across the Kookaburras, Hockeyroos and national pathway programs
Melbourne Stars experienced an outdoor advertising mishap… but rather than burying it, they leaned into the moment - By openly showcasing the mistake on Instagram, the club turned a potential negative into a positive, with the below clip achieving strong performance (126k+ views)
Dan Gorringe teamed up with the Melbourne Renegades and Melbourne Stars to help promote the recent Big Bash League’s Melbourne Derby’s via social media activity and gameday appearances
Pat Cummins teamed up with the ‘schoonerscorer’ to promote his Mountain Culture Beer Co brand at a pub in Sydney’s Surry Hills - the clip has had ~350k views on Instagram
AFL and Prime Video announced the global release of its new docuseries, Final Siren: Inside the AFL, premiering on the eve of the 2026 Toyota AFL Premiership Season on February 27 on Prime Video in 240 countries and territories worldwide
Perth Bears unveiled their new logo in anticipation of their inaugural 2027 NRL season - it was created by a longtime passionate North Sydney Bears supporter and pays homage and respect to the North Sydney Bears while embracing the club’s future in Western Australia
RunNation, a new Australian full-speed collision sport concept (based off the Run it Straight and RunIt Championship league) that is being promoted by UFC Heavyweight Tai Tuivasa, announced its second event at Sydney’s Hordern Pavillion
Macarthur Bulls unveiled its 25/26 Sony Foundation Pink Jersey - the club’s major partner SipEnergy generously donated its front-of-jersey position to the charity for last week’s match
Brisbane revealed new $3.6B Olympic stadium designs for Victoria Park, and the Queensland Government announced Australian architecture firm COX and Hassell as the designers (Their portfolio includes Optus Stadium and Adelaide Oval redevelopment)
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*Australian Open sponsors have been highly active - Stay tuned for next week’s newsletter, where we’ll share a comprehensive overview of the tournament’s standout activations
SailGP’s high-speed growth story
As the global sports marketplace becomes more fragmented and competitive, niche sports, leagues and teams are emerging, and disruption of the traditional sports landscape is taking place.
Related: Sports landscape is shifting
One of the clearest examples of this new era is SailGP, a league co-founded in 2018 by Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison (who is Chief Technology Officer, and the world’s third richest person with a $245B net worth according to the Forbes Real Time Billionaires List) and championship sailor Russell Coutts (SailGP CEO).
The League is a fast-growing sports property that blends elite sailing competition, cutting-edge technology, global destinations, environmental sustaintability and a premium entertainment experience.
‘Formula 1 on water’
Often described as “Formula 1 on water”, the Rolex SailGP Championship sees national teams battling it out in identical high-tech, high-speed 50-foot foiling catamarans (that can reach up to 100 km/h) at iconic venues around the world such as New York City, Dubai, Sydney, Los Angeles, Rio de Janeiro, and Abu Dhabi.
Teams compete as national squads, creating instant fandom - those currently represented include Australia, Canada, Denmark, Great Britain, France, Germany, Brazil, New Zealand, Italy, Denmark, Spain, Switzerland, and the United States. *Sweden is entering the Championship in 2026 and others are set to follow.
Powered by technology
Technology sits at SailGP’s core.
Each F50 catamaran is fitted with 800+ sensors, streaming over 30,000 data points per second per boat into Oracle’s cloud infrastructure. Over a season, this equates to roughly 80 billion data points, powering everything from broadcast graphics to performance analytics.
Critically, SailGP operates an open data policy - Every team has access to the same data and tools — ensuring competitiveness, and constant innovation.
SailGP’s 2025 season was a breakout one
12 x grand Prix events delivered in iconic locations across the globe
4 x new venues added - Sassnitz (Germany), Geneva (Switzerland), Portsmouth (UK), Auckland (New Zealand)
12 x teams on the start line (The league’s largest fleet - it’s inaugural season had 6 teams)
2 x new teams debuted (Red Bull Italy & Mubadala Brazil SailGP teams)
Last year, the competition was recognised by Fast Company as one the most innovative and fastest growing sports properties in the world - a reflection of both its on-water product and off-water strategy.
The popularity of the league is accelerating
SailGP’s growth story is backed by hard numbers.
In 2025, the league’s broadcast viewership surged:
215 million total audience
18 million average viewers per event
Broke its own single-event viewership record twice - Sydney: 21.2 million viewers, Cádiz: 23 million viewers
Digital engagement followed suit:
2.75 million social followers
1.6 billion social views
1 million YouTube subscribers, up 52% year-on-year
SailGP’s long-term approach to its broadcast strategy (prioritising growth) has helped underpin its growth
In its early stages, SailGP adopted an unconventional approach to media rights by offering them for free. This strategy aimed to maximise global exposure and rapidly build a fan base. By removing financial barriers for broadcasters, SailGP ensured widespread coverage across various platforms and regions, which was crucial for establishing its presence in the competitive sports market.
Over time, as the league’s popularity is growing, SailGP is transitioning to more traditional media rights agreements, securing major financial deals with major broadcasters which is proving pivotal to enhancing the league’s commercial viability. *Similar tactics have historically been adopted by Formula 1.
The festival-like event is giving fans a positive experience
Fans want more than just a game or race. They want spectacle. To meet these changing consumer demands, major sports events and leagues are evolving, with rights holders creating entertainment-first live event experiences, and large-scale festival-like experiences that live beyond the competitive arena.
Australia’s biggest sports events all have launched festival experiences - e.g. Australian Open, Spring Racing Carnival, NBL Hoopfest, LIV Golf, Formula 1, AFL Gather Round, NRL Magic Round, AFL & NRL Grand Finals etc.
Related: The festivalisation of sports
Across the 2025 SailGP season:
112,000 spectators attended in person
10,000 guests experienced premium hospitality
68% of attendees travelled from outside host regions
Fans who attend enjoyed their experience, signaled by:
+58 average NPS score
43% repeat attendees
*Auckland and Sassnitz delivered standout experiences with +80 and +72 NPS scores respectively.
Sail GP is set to deliver a festival-like experience of its own in Australia in 2026
SailGP is doubling down on Australia:
The Oracle Perth Sail Grand Prix presented by KPMG is kicking-off season 6 at Fremantle’s Bathers Beach this weekend
The KPMG Sydney SailGP 2026 takes place in Sydney Harbour in February, and in its seventh edition it’ll debut an all-new twilight racing format
The Perth event marks SailGP’s West Coast debut and the start of a 3-year partnership with the WA Government. It’s expected to inject millions into the local economy while delivering global broadcast exposure.
Hype has been building for the beginning of the 2026 SailGP season in Australia
Nic Natanui, the legendary West Coast Eagles AFL star, helped with the launch of the inaugural Perth SailGP event in December 2025, appearing in front of media alongside Tourism Minister Reece Whitby and Tom Slingsby from the Bonds Flying Roos team.
Launch parties were also hosted in their respective cities:
Oracle Perth Sail Grand Prix presented by KPMG launch party- here
KPMG Sydney Sail Grand Prix launch party (below)
In Sydney, VIP guests were welcomed aboard the LANCE Super Yacht for an exclusive sunset celebration. Alongside Tom Slingsby’s BONDS Flying Roos, guests enjoyed a rare behind-the-scenes preview of the sport, from course insights to details on the new twilight racing format, capturing the electricity, energy and spectacle SailGP is known for.
The hype has delivered…
The league’s popularity is being commercialised effectively
In 2025, SailGP’s league-wide revenue topped $200 million - 68% YoY growth, and roughly 20x’ed since the inaugural season in 2019.
Revenue streams include:
Broadcast - 200+ deals in countries and territories worldwide
Ticketing - 112,000 ticketed spectators attended its races in person across the 2025 season
Hospitality - The Adrenaline Lounge hosted ~10,000 VIP guests in 2025 which included sponsors, corporate clients, and wealthy fans
Merchandise & licensing agreements
Sponsorships - The league & teams have secured partnerships with some of the world’s biggest brands
Investment & ownership - Celebrities, high-profile tech entrepreneurs, and major financial institutions have invested in teams
In addition, top-performing teams are approaching $10 million in annual revenue - the league implements a $10 million team cost cap so multiple teams are approaching profitability, some may’ve already achieved this.
SailGP has a compelling proposition for partners:
Global reach
Affluent audience with disposable income
Innovation / cutting edge technology
Clean racing with a strong focus on sustainability
Its commercial performance accelerated in 2025, driven by the expansion of the relationship with Rolex as new Title Partner of the Championship, alongside the entry of new multi-season global league partnerships including DP World, Emirates, Accor, KPMG and Fever.
New or expanded global partnerships in 2025
ROLEX - Title Partner
Emirates - Global Airline Partner
DP World - Global Smart Logistics Partner
Accor Hotels - Official Hotel Partner
Fever - Official Ticketing Partner
KPMG - Official Digital Transformation Partner
Other blue chip League partners include:
Mubadala - Official Global Partner
Oracle - Global Data Patner
Apex - Official financial solutions partner
Team partnerships
In 2025, SailGP teams welcomed new title partners:
Australia - BONDS
Italy - Red Bull
Brazil - Mubadala
The launch of the ‘BONDS Flying Roos’
In June, Australia’s SailGP team rebranded to the ‘BONDS Flying Roos’ as part of a new multimillion dollar deal that saw actors Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds join the team as co-owners.
More recently, the Bonds Flying Roos unveiled two new major partners, with monday.com and Blueberry joining Title Partner Bonds in multi-year deals commencing at last year’s Abu Dhabi Grand Final - To mark the ocassion, it released a video with it’s co-owners.
Investment has been a key revenue driver for the League
In 2020, after only 16 months of operation, SailGP sold a minority stake to global entertainment, sports and content company, Endeavor, valuing the league at $200 million following its highly successful first season.
The League not only benefited from the cash injection, it also benefited from its capabilities across content production, media rights distribution, creative services, licensing, sponsorships and consumer marketing.
Teams have become a magnet for investment and their valuations are growing rapidly
The league initially owned most teams but it’s been transitioning to private ownership via franchise licenses, and valuations have surged.
Early team valuations (2019–20): $5–10 million
High-profile investors in SailGP teams include celebrities and tech entrepreneurs:
Ryan Reynolds & Hugh Jackman (Australia)
Kylian Mbappé (France)
Anne Hathaway (Italy)
Sebastian Vettel (Germany)
Marc Lasry, Gary Vaynerchuk, Issa Rae, Deontay Wilder, Gryffin, DeAndre Hopkins, Malik Jackson, Roquan Smith and Kayvon Thibodeaux and others (USA)
Much like Endeavor’s investment in the league in 2020, the above owners act as more than investors, they are media channels, ambassadors, and cultural amplifiers.
For example, since becoming owners of Australia’s SailGP team, Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman have been active in driving online engagement - creating content and injecting humour and storytelling into it’s owned channels to help drive awareness, and attract new audiences to the sport. The reach generated via their owned and earned channels would equate to millions of $ in media value.
Institutional Capital is also involved - Firms like Ares Management and Avenue Capital have recognised the League’s growth and are invested.
To help drive team valuations, the league has created scarcity by capping total team licenses at 20 globally (13 are currently taken).
In 2025, Deloitte was hired to run a tender process for new teams to enter the League — 35 parties expressed interest, and Sweden secured the 13th slot to start racing in 2026. Bidding continues for future teams.
With Formula 1 (and other sports) valuations hitting record territory (e.g. Mercedes F1 team’s reported $6bn valuation) SailGP may be well positioned to benefit from that momentum and investor appetite.
Host city rights
Like Formula 1, SailGP generates revenue by charging host cities to stage events, with governments and tourism bodies investing for tourism and media exposure.
Host fee’s have reportedly been within “six figures” historically, but much like the valuations of the league and teams, demand is growing and host fees are rising too - Auckland reportedly committed over $1 million for last year’s Grand Prix in New Zealand.
SailGP CEO, Sir Russell Coutts:
“We’ve had unprecedented interest from cities around the world”
Host city ROI
In 2025, the league staged 12 events across five continents, delivering more than $230 million in combined economic impact - 68% of fans travelled from outside the host region, helping to generate over $230 million in regional economic impact.
In addition to the economic impact each Grand Prix delivers, the global broadcast which reaches 200+ territories helps turn SailGP into a high-impact tourism advertisement that showcases iconic waterfronts and skylines around the world.
Related: The overlooked benefits of major sports events
For Australia, last year’s Grand Prix event beamed images of the Sydney Harbour to 21.2 million viewers around the world.
SailGP’s event operations are core to its success
Its lightweight event model (temporary infrastructure, rapid setup and teardown, no stadium requirement) makes it attractive to cities and scalable globally, especially compared to other major sports events, such as Formula 1.
The League is transforming into a global powerhouse, but…
Despite crossing $200 million in revenue, SailGP is not yet profitable - but it’s by design.
In 2025 the league recorded $200M+ but Larry Ellison and his partners have opted to reinvest in growth.
$10m investment in new global innovation HQ, SailGP technologies
115+ technical experts now based at the facility
Its broadcast deals have prioritised growth (mass coverage in exchange for free access to broadcast rights) and are transitioning to commercial deals as the League grows in popularity
SailGP’s high-speed growth is a case study in modern sports strategy worth noticing
It’s the result of deliberate strategic choices - prioritising audience growth over short-term revenue, launching teams that are tied to national identity to create immediate fandom, building a technology-first product, creating scarcity through franchise licences, ensuring a lean and sustainable operation, and delivering a live experience that goes well beyond the race itself. Add in global city partnerships, blue-chip sponsors and celebrity-backed ownership groups and the league begins to look less like a niche sport, and more like a next-generation global powerhouse.
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