Why the rise of the English Football League is worth paying attention to
Insights about the rising popularity of the English Football League that we can draw inspiration from
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West Coast Eagles and Allianz Australia announced a new 4-year partnership - The insurer’s branding will feature on the neckline of the West Coast Eagles’ AFL match guernseys, training apparel, media backdrop and in gameday signage, and it will also become the official shorts partner of the West Coast AFLW team for the 2026 season and a major partner of the Eagles’ Wheelchair team
The “2025 Crown Australian Open” was unveiled at Crown Oaks Day - Crown Resorts became the new Naming Rights Partner of the 121 year old event being held at Royal Melbourne Golf Club at the beginning of next month
McDonalds extended its partnership with the Brisbane Lions for a further 5 years, until 2030 - it’s increasing its backing as a Premier Partner of the AFL men’s team, Official Partner of the AFLW program and Official Membership Partner of the Club
New Balance became Tasmania FC’s first ever apparel partner with a 5-year deal, in collaboration with Belgravia Apparel - Tasmania FC VFL and VFLW athletes will be the first to play in the New Balance kit in 2026 and the design of playing kit is underway and will be available for purchase in early 2026
St Kilda FC’s long-term partner Opal extended its commitment as Co-Major Partner of the Saints’ AFLW program until the end of the 2027 - its branding will continue to feature across the team’s playing guernseys, training apparel, media polos and outerwear
Paywise joined the NBL Group (encapsulating the NBL and WNBL), as its Official Salary Packaging and Novated Lease Partner under a 2-year partnership which will see it play a major role at HoopsFest Perth in January 2026
Melbourne Stars announced SIXT Car Rental as its Official Matchday Presenting Partner for BBL|15 and WBBL|11 - its branding will be present at games and on the club’s digital channels throughout the season
A lucky/skillful fan named Chris won $10,000 from Carnival Cruise Line after nailing a half-court shot at a Brisbane Bullets game
Geely Auto Australia became the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs’ Official Vehicle Partner, EV Partner and Apparel Partner from the 2026 NRL and NRLW seasons - the new 3-year deal will see its logo emblazoned on the front of the Bulldogs’ playing shorts across both men’s and women’s teams
Budget Direct significantly expanded its partnership with the Dolphins to become a Principal Partner for 2026 - its logo will feature on the front of the 2026 jersey, and sleeves
Perth Scorchers announced an extension of its partnership with Major Partner Budget Direct for the upcoming Weber WBBL|11 and KFC BBL|15 seasons - The renewed agreement will see the insurer continue to feature prominently across the Scorchers’ playing and training apparel
Picklebet upgraded its Official Wagering Partnership with the Penrith Panthers and it will now feature on the top back of the Panthers jersey until at least the end of the 2028 season
Lite n’ Easy extended its partnerships with Melbourne Stars and Sydney Sixers which will see it continue to fuel both teams throughout the summer - this year, its logo will be seen on the chest of the Stars’ WBBL|11 playing kit
Sydney Sixers secured a partnership extension with Merlin (a brand of the Chamberlain Group, the world’s largest manufacturer of automatic garage door and gate openers)
Sydney FC welcomed Naked Wines as a new club partner for the 2025/26 season which will see Sydney FC Members receive exclusive discounts on Naked Wines’ premium range
Queensland Rugby Union announced Sumo Energy as the Official Naming Rights partner of the Hospital Cup and Founders Cup through to the end of 2027 - the new deal aligns with the opening of the company’s Brisbane office in the coming months
Central Coast Mariners secured a partnership extension with Budget Car & Truck Rental which will see Budget branding again feature prominently on the front of the Central Coast Mariners’ 2025 Ninja A-League Women’s jersey
Tennis Victoria announced the renewal of two major partnerships for 2025/26 with Victoria’s Container Deposit Scheme and Dunlop
Michael Zerafa and Nikita Tszyu came face-to-face on a floating boxing ring on the Brisbane River, under the Story Bridge, and in front of media to promote their upcoming grudge match at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre - the pair were joined by Mitch Robinson and Cam Rayner
Nedd Brockmann was named NSW Young Australian of Year - recognised for his charity work which has helped raised millions to tackle homelessness
Nick Kyrgios appeared on Nine’s Today Show promoting his new collaboration with Zues Street Greek and wearing a Stryda Brewing Co (the beer brand he owns) hoodie
Australian Olympic silver medallist Jess Hull was unveiled as the new Global Ambassador for performance watch brand COROS
Code Sports reported that Australian fashion brand Alfred’s Apartment landed a collaboration with the LA Rams, thanks to its links with the Brisbane Broncos
LSKD teamed up with LaManna Supermarket in Melbourne to host a unique pilates session
It was revealed that US President Donald Trump wants the Washington Commanders to name their future US$3.7 billion D.C. stadium after him
ATP & Spotify unveiled a global content collaboration which aims to inspire the next generation of fans through compelling tennis content and behind-the-scenes access
Tennis Australia hosted its AO26 Japan Launch which included two days of media, VIP and public events
Chris Hemsworth posted a video (3.5m+ views) to his Instagram promoting that he’s training for HYROX Melbourne - Centrefit (the digital fitness app he owns) has a partnership with HYROX
Guest Writer: Matthew Lodge
Matthew Lodge is a former Senior Communications Manager at the English Football League, with previous senior communications positions at TGI Sport, L’Oreal and the Melbourne Cricket Club. He is currently Head of Communications at MEE Agency.
Today Matt unpacks the rise of the English Football League, and the inspiration Australian football can take from its success.
Enjoy the read!
Why the rise of the English Football League is worth paying attention to
We are amid a pause in domestic ‘football’ (soccer) around the world, for the latest international break. And for Australian football fans, attention turns to friendlies this week against Colombia and Venezuela in Texas and New York – two of the host cities for next year’s World Cup.
It features a Socceroos squad that, for the general sports fan, are possibly not household names – yet.
The English Football League (EFL) is the new playground for the Australian Socceroos
Looking overseas and assessing the ‘home’ clubs where 16 current or recently-called up Socceroos squad members in 2025 are plying their trade, it’s hard to look past a domestic football league where – as the younger generation would put – our Socceroos boys are currently ‘cooking’.
It’s not the Premier League, and it’s not La Liga, Serie A, Ligue 1 or the Bundesliga.
It is the League where, for many English football fans – a growing rise of new and rusted-on fans all over the world – football remains its purest.
Behind the glamour of the Premier League and Europe’s elite competitions lies a thriving English Football League (EFL) - one that Australian football could potentially draw inspiration from
Whether it’s the growing list of Aussies making their mark, the League’s community-driven identity, or its savvy global expansion, there are plenty of reasons why it may be worth Australia taking note.
So, what is the EFL?
In a snapshot, it:
Oversees three divisions: Championship, League One and League Two
Features 72 Member Clubs across England and Wales
Acts as the governing body for two Cup competitions: the Carabao Cup and the Vertu Trophy
It equates to almost 1,900 games of football for the season – commencing in August, running almost back-to-back through the cold winter months as well as hosting five showpiece finals at the iconic Wembley Stadium, culminating in the notorious Play-Off Finals in May.
At the end of the 2024/25 season, with over 23 million fans through the gates, the EFL has the highest cumulative attendance of any league body or competition organiser in Europe.
This is bettering the likes of the Bundesliga, La Liga and Serie A as the second highest league division in Europe (only behind the Premier League).
The EFL’s profile has certainly been boosted by the rags-to-riches story that is Rob McElheny and Ryan Reynolds’ Wrexham
The Club is now valued at around £150 million according to football finance expert Kieran Maguire (an increase of 7,400% within four years).
But even with a surface-level examination into football in international markets, there’s no denying the rise in popularity of EFL football, driven in the most part by the Clubs and their diasporic fan bases, as well as the broader interest because of the promotion-relegation narrative.
For Aussies, if nationalism and the likes of Nestory Irankunda firing ‘worldie’ free kicks at Vicarage Road for Watford isn’t whetting the appetite, here’s why the EFL can become a beacon for sporting governance, competition, community engagement and commercial success.
The EFL sees Australia as a growth market, and one of its priority regions behind the likes of the US and the Nordics
And our country’s relationship is well-established:
The League estimates that there are 1.1 million EFL team fans in Oceania
Swindon Town – currently second on the League Two table – are Australian-owned, led by businessman and majority owner, Clem Morfuni
beIN Sports has the rights to EFL competitions. Over 300 matches are available to Australian audiences across the three divisions, as well as all 93 Carabao Cup matches
Since the League’s launch of Fantasy EFL – the first fantasy football game commissioned by the League to feature all 72 Clubs across the three divisions - Australia is making up a significant portion of game players
More recently, Wrexham used matches against Melbourne Victory at Marvel Stadium and Sydney FC at Allianz Stadium as crucial pre-season clashes
Attendances of more than 37,000 and 40,000 for the Victory and Sydney matches respectively (both attendances eclipsing the largest crowd during the 2024-25 A-League Men season) demonstrate that the appeal in Australia is alive and well.
Has the blueprint now been set for more EFL Clubs to come Down Under?
Breaking into international markets
When reviewing what the EFL is doing in Australia, it’s worth exploring the EFL’s strategic push into the United States.
There is no better time for football and its growth in the key market of America, thanks to both a growing interest in ‘soccer’, a large pool of younger fans and streaming platforms enabling access.
But rather than compete with the likes of NFL, NBA, MLB or even the Premier League, the EFL can offer more by way of narrative, clubs rising up the pyramid and the jeopardy of promotion and relegation, which can appeal to US sports fans seeking something different.
Additionally:
22 of this season’s EFL clubs are now in American hands – ranging from Snoop Dogg (Swansea City), Tom Brady (Birmingham City), plus Rob and Ryan at Wrexham
In line with a new ‘broadcast cycle’ – which included a landmark UK domestic broadcast agreement with Sky Sports – the EFL secured a multi-year US broadcast deal with CBS Sports (famed for its Champions League coverage) that covers over 400 games per season across its competitions
The EFL launched a dedicated account on Instagram (@eflusa) aimed at fans in the USA
For select matches, EFL football gets the big screen treatment at Cosm’s immersive entertainment venues in Los Angeles and Dallas
What does this mean for Australia? And what can we learn?
1. Australian football fans now have greater access to quality football content from overseas than ever before, thanks to the likes of deals with beIN
Looking inward, the A-Leagues have built a solid foundation for their broadcast deals, but long-term success of Football in Australia will also hinge on domestic leagues strengthening streaming and broadcast arrangements while expanding international reach to grow both brand value and revenue.
Leveraging the broadcaster’s wider marketing ecosystem is crucial — like how Sky Sports amplifies its English football products, exemplified by the broadcaster’s launch of a new dedicated channel: Sky Sports+.
Sky Sports - piggybacking off Sky’s other products, e.g. Entertainment, News, etc. - launched a full 360-degree campaign with a combination of mass reach and hyper localisation tactics, at scale. The key was speaking directly to fans - which they did, with almost more than 1,000 assets created to do so!
2. The fact that the EFL can monetise its rights in Australia shows that Australia is a viable market for football content and partnerships
The EFL has demonstrated the need to prioritise the packaging of content for export to generate revenue and increase brand exposure.
Internationally, the A-Leagues enjoy distribution across more than 70 territories. And for Australia, negotiating media rights (domestic and international streaming) is not just revenue-driven, but also growth-driven
3. The EFL’s pyramid model can serve as a proof of concept for Australian football governance and League design
We are in season one of the inaugural Australian Championship. Despite less than a third of matches available on terrestrial TV (SBS), it’s a step in the right direction in engaging more clubs, regions and supporters around the country.
When the promotion-relegation format is introduced – and we have the likes of Australia Cup finalists, Heidelberg United mixing it with the likes of Melbourne City, Sydney FC and others more regularly – it can only be good for the sport.
Of course, Australia’s market and sporting culture differ from the UK, and these lessons from EFL need adaptation, not a direct transplant.
In the meantime, let’s get around our Socceroos and Matildas national teams. And hope – for the sake of this author – that he gets to see QPR arrest their current slide down the Championship table when domestic football returns.
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adidas - Senior Manager, Digital Activation
Amer Sports - Area Sales Manager
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Amplify - Sports Talent Coordinator
Australian Grand Prix Corporation - Hospitality Account Manager
Australian Turf Club - Business Development Manager
BlueBet - Senior Digital Marketing Specialist
Brisbane Bullets - General Manager - Commercial
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs - Head of Marketing & Content
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs - Marketing Executive
Capital Football - Marketing & Communications Manager
ClassPass - Field Account Executive - Brisbane
Dabble - Commercial Manager
DAZN - Presentation Coordinator
Easygo - Esports Sponsorships Lead
Engage Digital Partners - Social Media Manager - Sports
Essendon FC - Head of Partnership Sales
Fanatics - VP and GM
Front Runner - Senior Performance Marketing Manager | DTC Growth
Futures Sport & Entertainment - Senior Analyst
Geelong Cats - Head of Digital and Marketing
Great Southern Bank - Sponsorships Specialist
Gold Coast SUNS - Commercial Sales Executive
Gold Coast SUNS - Head of Commercial
Gold Coast Titans - Head of Marketing and Content
Groblox - Event Project Manager
GWS Giants - Senior Social Media Manager
Hockey NSW - Chief Executive Officer
Hudl - Senior Account Executive
JD Sports Australia & New Zealand - Paid Social Media Executive
lululemon - Area Community Specialist
lululemon - Manager, Digital Marketing, AUNZ
M+C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment - PR & Influencer Senior Account Manager
Melbourne City FC - Graphic Designer
Melbourne Racing Club - General Manager - Sales and Sponsorship
Melbourne Racing Club - Public Relations Coordinator
Melbourne Storm - Head of Community
MKTG Sports + Entertainment Australia - Senior Event Manager
NBL - Data Solutions Lead
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Netball Australia - Schools Engagement Manager (12 month fixed-term)
Netball Australia - Senior Manager - Marketing & Communications (Netball World Cup)
Netball Queensland - Partnerships Lead
Netball World Cup Sydney 2027 - Sponsorship Manager
Nike - Senior Principal, Nike Sportswear & Energy Marketplace, Pacific
North Melbourne FC - Digital Marketing Executive
Octagon - Senior Analyst
Parramatta Eels - Partnerships Manager
Publicis Sport & Entertainment - Senior Partnerships Director - Sports Marketing & Sponsorship
Queensland Cricket - General Manager Community Cricket and Infrastructure
Queensland Government - Manager, Sport and Venue Mobilisation
Racing.com - Senior Content Creator
Reebok - Category Manager (Buyer)
SailGP - Race Stadium Manager, APAC
SBS - Senior Client Partnerships & Integration Executive – FIFA World Cup
Sports Entertainment Network - Commercial Manager
St Kilda FC - Marketing Automation & Lifecycle Manager
SRO Motorsports Australia - Marketing & Partnerships Manager
Sydney Roosters - Social Media Content Producer
Tabcorp - Digital Platforms and Content Lead
TaylorMade Golf - Marketing Manager
Tennis Australia - Communication and Content Coordinator
Tennis Australia - Communications & Local Engagement Lead
Tennis Australia - Head of Marketing & Communications
TGI Sport - Account Manager
THE ICONIC - Head of Sports
Two Circles - Sponsorship Sales Lead
URBNSURF - Public Relations Manager
Vicsport - Chief Executive Officer
Viva Leisure - Franchising Marketing Manager
Western Sydney Wanderers FC - Event Specialist
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.