Sports promoting... sports?

While it might seem counter-intuitive for teals, leagues or athletes to shine a light on potential competitors, cross-sport promotion is actually a strategic move

May 21, 2025

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North Melbourne renewed its long-standing partnership (which began in 1999) with Mazda as the club’s Co-Major partner across AFL and AFLW for another 3-years and as the Naming Rights partner of the club’s largest event on the calendar, the Mazda North Melbourne Grand Final Breakfast

Port Adelaide extended its partnership with Santos which will see its logo elevated to the club's AFL guernsey as a co-major partner

Essendon FC announced Australian Unity as its Official Health Insurance Partner and Official AFL & AFLW Member Partner - it will feature across all member-related communications, match day and across the EFC Business Network

Melbourne City FC renewed its partnership with Nostra Homes for a further 2 years which will continue to feature on the A-League Men’s playing shorts and on the sleeve of the A-League Women’s Home shirt

Resmed, the leading health technology company focused on sleep, breathing, and care delivered in the home was named the Official Sleep Partner of the Qatar Airways British & Irish Lions Tour

Rugby Australia welcomed Cape Mentelle as the Official Wine Partner of the Wallaroos as part of a 3-year deal

Volleyball Australia welcomed 13cabs as the Official Taxi Partner of the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships Adelaide 2025 - it will receive naming rights to the dedicated Passenger Collection Zone, ensuring seamless and reliable transport for spectators and guests throughout the tournament

Queensland Rugby Union announced a 3-year partnership extension with Queensland-based air-charter specialist Alliance Airlines until the end of 2028

Wests Tigers Empower announced a partnership with Western Sydney University underpinned by a shared mission to reduce domestic violence through primary prevention and evidence-based programs

Adelaide Crows secured a new 3-year partnership with cybersecurity and data protection company Acronis

Football Australia joined the Hon. 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

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Gold Coast Titans announced a new partnership with KOJO which will deliver end-to-end sports presentation for its home games at Cbus Super Stadium

Ex-Western Bulldogs premiership player Tom Boyd launched a petition for the AFL to create a dedicated Mental Health Round after the AFL world was shocked by the horrible news of the Selwood twins

In an Australian sporting first, the Brisbane Broncos have gone completely ‘off-brand’ with a new Mental Health jersey (Designed in collaboration with Black Dog Institute and ASICS) to be worn by the NRL squad next month, during a dedicated Mental Health Round

ASICS became the first sports brand to appoint a dog, Felix the Samoyed, as an official brand ambassador, following new global research that highlights the significant influence dogs have on physical activity and mental wellbeing

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Former Seven West Media boss James Warburton was appointed as the CEO of Supercars, returning after having served as CEO from 2013 to 2017

Anthony De Ceglie, director of news and current affairs at 7News and editor-in-chief at Seven West Media was appointed as the inaugural chief executive of the Perth Bears

Kayo Sports secured the live streaming rights to all 53 matches of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 that will feature some of world football’s biggest names like Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland

ESPN reported that the NBL is finalising a plan to introduce an in-season tournament to the 2025-26 season

To celebrate National Volunteer Week (NVW) the Australian Sports Commission created an interactive digital map that showcases thousands of volunteers and encourages clubs and organisations to champion the people who make the sports we love possible

Nedd Brockmann announced the return of “Nedd’s Uncomfortable Challenge” which is set to take place in October to help raise money for people experiencing homelessness in Australia

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Sports promoting… sports?

In today’s sports landscape, it’s common to see one sport promoting another.

While it might seem counter intuitive for teams, leagues or athletes to shine a light on potential competitors, cross-sport promotion is actually a strategic move as it can broaden a sports’ appeal, expand its fan base, help generate earned media coverage, deliver commercial outcomes and strengthen the overall health of the sports industry.

Why do sports promote other sports?

1. Shared audience, broader engagement

Fans of one sport are often fans of others.

According to Mark Zucco, GM Strategy, Data & Insights at Gemba “Australia’s passion for sport is at an all-time high” and “85% of Australians are now passionate about at least one sport, and the average number of sporting passions has reached seven, the highest we’ve seen in the past decade.”

Leveraging this finding, sports can collaborate with one another to cross-promote to help attract new fans and broaden engagement with new and existing fans.

2. Competing for attention beyond sport

Sports are no longer just competing with each other — they’re competing with everything from Netflix to TikTok. Entertainment is now fragmented, and attention is a highly valuable commodity. By working together, sports codes can maintain relevance and presence in a crowded media landscape. Keeping fans engaged with any form of live sport can help keep them within the “sports ecosystem” which can be a win compared to losing them to binge-watching or gaming.

Examples of how sports promote one another worth noticing

Strategic Sports Partnerships - NRL x Las Vegas

The NRL is on a mission to build a fan base within the US but its home to some of the world’s biggest sports and most passionate fans so the league has a task on its hands.

With a limited budget compared to major US sports, the NRL has been taking a strategic approach, leveraging cross-promotion and earned media to grow its footprint.

As part its strategic marketing plan, the NRL has collaborated with sports such as the UFC, WWE, NASCAR, Vegas Golden Knights, LA Rams etc.

In 2025, Aaron Woods led the NRL’s biggest cross promotion moments, appearing on WWE Raw and at NASCAR’s Daytona 500. WWE’s Netflix debut reached 4.9m viewers, putting rugby league in front of a massive US audience, while his NASCAR appearance introduced the NRL to drivers, celebrities, and fans.

In addition, the Raiders commissioned a $10k Viking horn for their Vegas debut, inviting UFC CEO Dana White and NFL legend’s Tom Brady & Rob Gronkowski to take part in the ceremonial first blow - amplifying one of the NRL’s most unique game day traditions.

Although details are somewhat vague, the NRL’s UFC partnership has provided a platform for the league to engage with the US audience like never before, whilst enabling the UFC to further embed itself in the Asia-Pacific region.

Broadcast cross-promotion

Media platforms and broadcasters increasingly operate with multi-sport portfolios, strategically acquiring rights across various codes to create year-round engagement and audience retention.

This approach allows them to cross-promote sports, building fan interest and loyalty, while also strengthening their overall value proposition to advertisers and subscribers.

Nine recently reaffirmed its position as the undisputed “Home of Rugby” after announcing a 5-year broadcast deal with World Rugby, highlighted by the 2027 and 2029 Men’s and Women’s Rugby World Cups in Australia. The deal came a month after Rugby Australia signed a long-term broadcast deal with Nine and Stan.

The above deal’s not only strengthens Nine’s rugby offering but also increases cross-promotional opportunities for its broader sports portfolio, driving growth across multiple codes.

Athlete appearances

Athletes and sports often team up with one another in the form of a meet and great, jersey-swap or some other PR-themed exercise to create a value exchange, and achieve a common goal.

These initiatives are often successful at achieve earned media coverage via traditional and/or social media, exposing fans to sports and moments that they wouldn’t have otherwise have witnessed, strengthening the connection to the sport.

UFC Champion Alexander Volkanovski has collaborated with the Sydney Swans on multiple occasions, doing things like attending training, appearing on match days and featuring on podcasts. Most recently, The Volk recently made an appearance at a Dragons x Warriors match where he was presented with his own jersey.

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Global tennis star and part owner of the South East Melbourne Phoenix, Nick Kyrgios, has a well known keen interest in basketball and was recently involved in the NBL’s most recent HoopsFest tournament, appearing on the broadcast.

Athlete cross-sport collaborations and appearances are popular and common

Athletes often are interested in other sports outside of the one they play, and this type of activation is often organic, simple and effective for athletes, brands, fans and media - visit the article below for more.

Related: Cross-code collaborations

Unique fan offers

In the past, teams such as the Sydney Thunder and Penrith Panthers have partnered to offer exclusive ticket deals to each team's members and fans, providing added value to both fanbases.

The Parramatta Eels and Sydney Thunder also previously joined forces to create an Eels x Thunder Membership.

Penrith Panthers and Sydney Thunder announce exciting partnership | Sydney Thunder

Complementary sports driving interest and participation

Racquet Sports

Complementary sports like Padel, Pickleball and Table Tennis are playing a significant role in growing the broader "racquet sports" ecosystem, including traditional tennis.

Recognising this, at the 2025 Australian Open, Tennis Australia gave fans the chance to play Padel at the at Grand Slam Oval in Melbourne Park. Fans could also play Table Tennis at The Red Bull Rally activation site - see here.

Basketball

The NBL has been embracing outside leagues to help grow the game of basketball in Australia. Last week it announced Australia as the host of EuroLeague clubs Panathinaikos and KK Partizan to play in the 7th edition of the Pavlos Giannakopoulos Tournament this September.

In March, the BIG3 has announced that it will host its first-ever international BIG3 Showcase in Australia in November 2025 through a groundbreaking new partnership with the NBLand GameAbove Sports.

New sports leagues

Sports is becoming fragmented, new sports experiences are emerging and niche sports are on the rise. New leagues are giving more access and choice than ever before, and are serving as a gateway and extension for traditional codes.

Unrivaled is a 3v3 league built in collaboration with the biggest stars in women's basketball and it’s received investment from the likes of Gainnis Antetokounmpo, Michael Phelps, Alex Morgan and Coco Gauff
DAZN launched the Infinity League last year - a 1-day indoor soccer tournament that combines sports, technology and entertainment
Netflix has created its own sports events - The Netflix Cup (Golf) and the Netflix Slam (Tennis)
Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy co-founded TMRW Sports and recently launched TGL Golf - a tech-infused, 3v3 golf league
Kings League is a 7-a-side soccer league with revolutionary rules, and teams chaired by the world's best streamers and content creators
Olympic champion Michael Johnson unveiled Grand Slam Track, an elite track event series that's launching its inaugural season this year
…the list goes on

Related: The sports landscape is shifting

Startups and new technology offering new experiences

Start-ups are increasingly emerging around the globe, combining traditional sports experiences with hospitality, technology and gamification to create a new proposition that appeals to sports' non-traditional fans and younger generations.

To name a few:

Topgolf
URBNSURF
F1 Arcade
Home Run Dugout

Similar to the above, these types of experiences can funnel fans and participants through to the traditional sport and/or deepen the level of interest of those who are already engaged.

It’s not just startups taking this approach

Tottenham Hotspur has a 15-year strategic partnership with Formula 1 designed to deliver a brand a new F1 experience to London, through its electric karting facility.

Brands and sponsors are bringing sports together in various ways

Collingwood FC x TaylorMade Golf

Collingwood FC and TaylorMade Golf recently entered into a 2-year partnership, which got the industry talking. As part of the deal, the iconic 30-year-old golf brand will host match-day activations for Collingwood supporters to enjoy, adding a fun and interactive experience at the MCG and Marvel stadium.

Why the hell does a golf brand advertise to a football audience?

Check out the rationale from Mark Edney, Founder & Head of Sponsorship at withandplus here.

adidas x Bottas x Papenhuyzen

Around the Formula Australian Grand Prix 2025 adidas brought together Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas and Melbourne Storm’s Ryan Papenhuyzen for a race on an F1 simulator.

Sportsbet x Gronk x Melbourne Racing Club x AFL stars

Sportsbet brought 4-time Super Bowl champion Rob ‘Gronk’ Gronkowski to Caulfield Racecourse earlier this year (in partnership with TGI Sport) for Sportsbet Blue Diamond Stakes Day - he participated in branded activities alongside Mason Cox, Sam Darcy and Josh Weddle.

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Reebok x NBL

The “Pumped By Reebok” activation has seen many high-profile sports stars, digital creators, influencers and media personalities promote themselves on social media whilst sitting courtside, wearing Reebok shoes.

Notables guests: Brendan Fevola, Mason Cox and Todd Gurley etc.

Sports activations and appearances at major events

In Australia, leveraging athlete appearances and cross-sport activations has become a defining feature of major sporting events. From the glamour of the Spring Racing Carnival to the high-octane Formula 1 and the global spotlight of the Australian Open, having a strong and visible athlete presence is now a key engagement strategy.

LIV Golf Adelaide has embraced this approach with impressive results - The tournament has gone beyond traditional golf promotion by weaving itself into the broader sporting and cultural fabric of South Australia.

During last year’s LIV Golf Adelaide Tournament Henrik Stenson appeared at Adelaide oval during half time of a Port Adelaide FC match and hit a "hole in one" to win a random member a new MG car, valued at $18,990.

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LIV Golf Adelaide has successfully attracted a suite of current and ex-sports stars to appear and be involved in various ways which has helped promote the tournament within South Australia and more broadly across Australia.

For example:

World Surfing champion Mick Fanning was the 2025 LIV Golf Adelaide ambassador
Current and ex-athletes such as Travis Boak, Dylan Alcott, Nedd Brockmann and Erin Phillips participated in VIP golf days in the lead up to the tournament

By tapping into the influence and appeal of much-loved Australian athletes from various disciplines, LIV Golf Adelaide has successfully broadened its audience far beyond the traditional golf community.

Are all cross-sport collaborations good?

Not necessarily.

Although many fans are passionate about more than one sport, the key is to be strategic with who you partner with to ensure you’re not contributing to the cannibalisation of your own sport.

Are there any additional examples of cross-sport promotion worth noticing? List them below.