The AFL Footy Festival is kicking goals, Teigan O'Shannassy's new nutrition-focused side-hustle
The AFL Footy Festival is kicking goals, Teigan O'Shannassy's new nutrition-focused side-hustle
Today’s lineup:
The AFL Footy Festival is kicking goals
Teigan O'Shannassy's new nutrition-focused side-hustle
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Youi signed a 5-year extension with the Brisbane Lions and stepped up as Principal Partner
Fast-growing internet and mobile provider Tangerine became a major sponsor of the NBL - they also recently agreed to a new multi-year deal with the Melbourne Renegades
13cabs signed as the Major Partner of the Melbourne Stars and their logo will feature on the chest of the BBL jersey
The NBL is set to deliver clinics and activities to 100,000+ children in schools across the 24/25 season thanks to Kmart’s GAMETIME community program and a 1-year partnership renewal with the league
PGA of Australia announced Rolex as the Official Timekeeper of the BMW Australian PGA Championship, and a Major Partner of the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia and WPGA Tour of Australasia
Chemist Warehouse recommitted for 2-years as the Major Partner of the Australian Dodgeroos as part of a deal with Dodgeball Australia
Reflections Holidays extended their partnership with the Newcastle Knights for 3-years following a successful 1 year-deal as the Official Membership Partner
Toyota became a partner of Isaac Heeney and Toby Greene’s 5th Quarter Camps, and are offering a discount to the first 250 of those who register for their upcoming Albury and Wagga Wagga footy camps
Puma teamed up with JCDecaux and Bursty to launch a creative OOH execution featuring Nedd Brockmann
The NBL is reportedly considering re-introducing an All-Star game in NBL26
The NRL announced The Kid LAROI (South Sydney Rabbitohs fan) will headline the 2024 Grand Final Entertainment
Cody Simpson, Christine Anu, Zipporah Corser-Anu and Mike Brady AM were announced to join Katy Perry in performing at the 2024 Telstra Pre-Game Entertainment on AFL Grand Final Day
The AFL unveiled a fan-friendly route for the AFL Grand Final Parade and are expecting 250,000+ people to attend
The Cronulla Sharks announced an ownership stake in a local Asian restaurant located in close proximity to PointsBet Stadium
A new Sydney-based conference event was announced called the Sports Investment Summit which will feature global and national leaders of sport exploring new avenues between sport and financial investing
Marvel Stadium has been transformed into an interactive 12-hole golf course thanks to the return of Stadium Golf (presented by Sportsbet)
The NRL had a record-breaking season with 3.9m fans attending the 2024 NRL Telstra Premiership
Federal Minister for Sport Anika Wells announced a new gender equity board policy for NSO’s stipulating that boards must have an equal split of men and women from 2027 or risk having their funding withheld
FIFA is suing Google for allegedly spreading disinformation about world soccer’s governing body via its search results
Grammy award-winning music producer Diplo just hosted his first-ever run club event in San Francisco and 13,000+ people showed up to the 5km and dance
Kendrick Lamar was announced as the performer for the Super Bowl LIX halftime show
Large-scale sports festival events are expensive to run but if they’re done right they can deliver big returns on many fronts, and for multiple stakeholders
Last week the AFL announced the return of the Footy Festival which is a great example worth noticing – it's a free 4-day event featuring footy-themed entertainment for fans of all ages.
Here’s an overview of why the AFL hosts such an event and some expected positive outcomes. Some are short-term, direct, and easy to measure, while others are more difficult to quantify.
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1. Extending the fan experience beyond the stadium and game day
The Footy Festival amplifies the AFL Grand Final experience in duration and scale. The multiple days of entertainment allows 100's of thousands of fans experience the Grand Final atmosphere. The diverse range of activities cater to various supporter segments (+18, Family, interstate etc).
2. AFL Brand-building
The size and scale of the Footy Festival positions the AFL as a giant of the sports industry, and Grand Final day as one of the most significant sporting days on the annual major sports events calendar. The fan experience creates positive memories & associations that draws fans in and builds loyalty among existing fans.
3. Game development
The AFL activates an entire play zone for kids and also hosts kids clinics and player visits throughout. The family-friendly event helps future-proof the sport.
4. Enhanced broadcast media coverage
The AFL’s media partners (e.g. Seven, SEN, ABC, 3AW) broadcast live from the Footy Festival via OB vans and pop-ups to help capture the atmosphere and deliver the best possible coverage for those who can't experience the atmosphere physically.
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5. Sponsorship
The event is an attractive platform for the AFL's official sponsors such as Toyota, NAB, Telstra, Bunnings, Coles and McDonald's who invest 10's/100's of thousands to activate their brand partnerships and connect with fans via experiential activations, giveaways and competitions.
6. Corporate hospitality
A host of hospitality events take place throughout GF week such as "The September Club" which is an exclusive corporate village that provides AFL partners with the ultimate match day experience.
“The Pub” (in partnership with Carlton Draught) is hosting +18 ticketed events across each night of the Footy Festival (e.g. Pub Trivia) and will serve as a watch party on Grand Final day.
7. Government investment
The Victorian Government and City of Melbourne provide financial and in-kind support to host the event as it helps create a vibrant atmosphere, attracts tourism and delivers flow-on effects to local businesses and the economy.
In 2018, it was agreed that the AFL Grand Final will be played at the MCG until 2057 (extended to 2059) as part of a $500m mega deal with the Victorian Government.
The phenomenon of large-scale outdoor major sports festivals that extend the fan experience beyond the stadium is nothing new…
Whilst some sports continue to scale their traditional major sports festival event concepts, others are introducing new ones
When the event concept first emerged 15 years ago, the AFL hosted their Grand Final Footy Festival event at Federation Square before moving it to Yarra Park due to the event expanding and requiring a larger footprint. The NRL also hosts a similar annual Grand Final event titled the “NRL Fan Fest”.
Themed rounds
In partnership with respective governments, over recent years leagues have launched themed rounds where teams converge on a major city.
NRL > Magic Round
A-League > United Round
AFL > Gather Round
NBL > HoopsFest *new in 2024
As part of the roll-out, large-scale fan zones and festivals have been set up around cities to extend the fan experience beyond the stadium.
Major Sports Events
Finally, The Australian Open, F1 Grand Prix, LIV Golf and Victorian Spring Racing Carnival are others worth noticing – they’ve successfully created large-scale entertainment-experiences outside of the main event via live-sites, fan zones, concerts and entertainment.
NSW Swifts player Teigan O'Shannassy's new nutrition-focused side-hustle is a great example of how athletes can leverage their unique positions to achieve long-term success, post-sport
It’s no secret that Netball has faced financial challenges, but Super Netball League players are in a unique position to leverage their status.
Thanks to their exclusive networks, social influence, and the spotlight that comes with their role, they have a significant opportunity and point of difference to set themselves up financially for life after sport.
Teigan O’Shannassy has adopted an entrepreneurial spirit and launched a nutrition consulting side-hustle called "Tossed Together”
Here’s why it’s a brilliant idea...
1. Credibility & authority
Her firsthand experience with nutrition as an elite athlete combined with her formal qualifications are a unique and powerful combination.
*Qualifications include: Bachelor of Food and Nutrition at La Trobe University + Nutritionist certificate at Nutrition Society of Australia.
2. Complementary careers
Her off-court education and work experience is complementary of her elite on-court career and vice-versa. Having an intimate knowledge of nutrition helps achieve peak physical performance and adopting a creative pursuit such as healthy cooking can help athletes find balance. Her position as a NSW Swift helps build her Tossed Together side-hustle.
3. Built-in audience
Her profile as a professional netball player has helped her build an Instagram following of almost 8k which serves as a solid platform to launch from. Cooking content is hugely popular online and her digital ecosystem is well placed to grow exponentially and deliver new customers if fueled by the right content strategy.
4. Exclusive networks
Access to high-performance nutritionists (via netball) can assist in developing the Tossed Together service offering. Team mates (e.g. Helen Housby, 190k Instagram followers) can help spread the word.
5. Proven model
There are thousands, if not millions of recipe-centric accounts online but not many are owned by 1) professional athletes 2) qualified nutritionist, so this is a key differentiator. Inspiration can be drawn from Christian Petracca, who has successfully leveraged his public profile to create an online food-focused side-hustle.
Teigan O'Shannassy is well-positioned to generate revenue from her off-court passion in multiple ways:
Consulting: Online or in-person
Workshops & events: She recently discussed nutrition with up-&-coming swifties via the “Train Like a Swift” holiday program
Sponsorship: Tossed Together's extended her digital footprint which showcases her passion & values - This has already proven appealing to brands such as True Protein and ASICS
Netball coaching: This can serve as a value-add, an incremental revenue-driver and/or create another key point of difference
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