The NBL flywheel is spinning
Last season, the 2024/25 Hungry Jack’s NBL regular season experienced another season underlined by immense growth, and it’s hard to see things slowing down
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Sports conferences suck.
For too long, the sports industry has been serving up sub-par experiences for the majority of those that work alongside sports teams, leagues, brands, agencies and athletes.
The industry wants more than polite panels that deliver generic insights the audience is already acutely aware of.
They deserve more than being talked down to by those who refer to best-practice but don’t actually know what’s involved in doing it.
That’s why Sport Design Australia is launching Victory Lap in 2026.
Victory Lap is a new sports marketing and creative gathering, for the industry’s most curious minds. We’re bringing together the best sports marketing and creative talent from all over the world, to showcase their work, in-person, right here in Australia.
No generic ‘fireside chats’. No suit and tie handshakes. No hypnotic hotel ballroom carpet.
Just top-tier work presented by the people who actually make it happen.
Debuting in 2026, Victory Lap is a first-of-it’s-kind gathering built for creatives, marketers and thinkers at the cutting edge of sports culture, creativity and strategy. A place to learn, challenge, inspire and connect.
It’s more sports industry collab, than conference.
With more info to come over the next 6 weeks, make sure you drop your details on the waitlist.
Cricket Australia and NRMA Insurance agreed to a multi-year expansion of its partnership which will see the insurer retain Official Naming Rights to all Men’s Test Series in Australia for another 6 seasons, and become the Official Naming Rights Partner of the Women’s International Series for the next 7 seasons
Cricket Australia announced a new 3-year partnership with Origin Energy which will feature on the Sleeve of the Australian Men’s and Women’s Cricket Team
Sydney Roosters and adidas launched a landmark new 4-year apparel partnership which will see adidas design and supply all on-field and performance apparel for the Roosters’ NRL, NRLW, and pathways programs, as well as the Club’s official off-field range for members and supporters
McDonald’s became an Official Partner of Netball Queensland and the Queensland Firebirds as part of a multi-year deal which will have a strong community focus on delivering great experiences from the grassroots to the elite stage
Collingwood FC unveiled a new name for its headquarters at Olympic Park (‘KGM Centre’) thanks to a new Naming Rights deal with Korean Automotic Manufacturer KGM
YETI, the global leaders in premium outdoor gear, became the Official AFL Guernsey Neckline Partner of the Geelong Cats
Gold Coast SUNS unveiled National facility management organisation VOAO as its new AFL Neckline Partner
Melbourne FC secured a partnership extension with MA Services Group which elevated its partnership to become one of the club’s Major Partners for the next 2 years, until at least 2027 - this will see its branding situated at the top back of the AFL guernsey
RAC reaffirmed its commitment to Western Australia’s premier indoor entertainment venue, extending its naming rights partnership with RAC Arena in Perth until 2030
NSW Waratahs secured a new 2-year partnership with travel insurance provider 1Cover which will see the 1Cover logo appear on the lower back of the Waratahs men’s, women’s and Academy teams jerseys in 2026 and 2027
Adelaide Strikers signed Health Partners as its Official Health Partner which spans the men’s and women’s teams, along with the club’s School Holiday Program
Melbourne Renegades secured a new partnership with GMHBA which became the club’s Official Health Insurance Partner for the 2025/26 Big Bash League season
Sydney Sixers announced Mini Melts as an Official Partner for the next 3 years
Brisbane Heat welcomed Arnott’s Shapes as an Official Partner which will be ‘bringing bold flavour you can see’ to fans across WBBL and BBL match days, digital platforms, and branding campaigns throughout the summer
Cricket Tasmania confirmed that Hobart Airport has renewed its agreement for a further 2 years, following a successful initial 2-year partnership as the Official Coaches Partner of the Hobart Hurricanes
Macarthur Bulls FC announced that Better Life Mobile has joined the club as a Major Partner for the upcoming season which will see it take up the sleeve position on the Bulls 2025/26 jersey
Cronulla Sharks inked a new deal with gourmet supermarket Panetta Mercato which will support the next generation of Sharks stars as a Major Sponsor of the club’s pathways squads for 2026 and 2027
Penrith Panthers and Platinum Partner KWT Towing further strengthened its partnership with the club ahead of the 2026 NRL season
Sherrin launched ‘Kick for a Conversation’ in partnership with Movember to support men’s health - it will donate 15% its Movember Sherrin sales to the cause
Hawthorn FC officially opened its new headquarters (the Kennedy Community Centre) in front of high-profile attendees including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Victoria Premier Jacinta Allan
Run Nation Championship, which is labelling itself as ‘The next global sporting empire,’ held its first trial in Sydney at an invite-only event - The new impact sport (that Tai ‘Bam Bam’ Tuivasa is behind) has the vision for a full-scale national rollout
TGI Wildcard in partnership with Visit Victoria and NFL launched a creative content piece featuring the face of NFL Redzone – Scott Hanson which showcases what makes Melbourne and Victoria every bit different (ahead of the 2026 NFL Melbourne Game)
Westpac and Cricket Australia teamed up to host the ‘Westpac W Clash’ celebrity fundraising event - the event featured Fletch & Hindy, NRL CEO Andrew Abdo, Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg, NRLW & NRLW Stars (+ many more) and raised $50k for the Southern NSW Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter
Australian Open unveiled a brand-new series of exclusive live music events for AO LIVE Opening Week - the TOPCOURT precinct will transform into a buzzing open-air stage for four nights of electronic music featuring Hot Chip, Elderbrook, Cassian and The Presets
Global electronic music icons Rudimental will perform at the Melbourne Derby (Melbourne Stars and Melbourne Renegades) on January 4 at the MCG
LIV Golf Adelaide was named the World’s Best Golf Event for the third year running at the World Golf Awards ceremony in Madeira, Portugal
Gold Coast SUNS announced the launch of the ‘SUNS Creator Day’ - an event designed to give aspiring creatives a behind-the-scenes taste of what it’s like to work in the creative industry, and at the Gold Coast SUNS
Cricket Australia have teamed up with oOh!media and several host city partners to broadcast the first ball of the first Test Match from Perth Stadium on November 21 live on over 600 digital screens in all major cities
Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant joined LeBron James as the only active NBA players with over $1 billion in career earnings, combining salaries and endorsements
The NBL flywheel is spinning
Founded in 1979, the National Basketball League (NBL) is widely regarded as the strongest competition outside the NBA.
But this hasn’t always been the case.
In 2015, the League was valued at less than $10 million and on the verge of collapse when Larry Kestelman stepped in, acquiring a controlling 51% stake for $7 million.
Since then, game attendances, TV viewership, digital traffic and fan engagement have grown rapidly and the League’s valuation has followed – By 2024, it was estimated that the valuation had climbed past $350 million.
Related: Basketball is on the rise in Australia
The NBL is on a clear and rapid growth trajectory and Larry Kestelman has a bold vision for it to become the dominant sport of the Australian summer, much like what the AFL and NRL are to winter.
Last season, the 2024/25 Hungry Jack’s NBL regular season experienced another season underlined by immense growth. Here’s an overview of how the NBL Group’s flywheel is spinning into the 2025/2026 season, and why it’s showing no sign of slowing down.
The Flywheel effect - and how it applies to sports
The Flywheel is a concept that describes how businesses can achieve momentum through a series of strategic, reinforcing actions that create a compounding effect over time. An example of a sports flywheel - strong performance drives fan interest, which attracts revenue (tickets/sponsors/memberships etc) which enables investment, which in turn fuels even better performance — creating a self-reinforcing loop of growth.
More: What Australian Sports can learn from Amazon
Broadcast partnerships and new distribution channels
Earlier this year, The NBL and ESPN announced a significant multi-year extension of its media rights deal in Australia and New Zealand. With an estimated 3.7 million subscribers, ESPN’s move to Disney+ has opened up a huge new audience for the NBL.
All games can be watched on ESPN through Kayo, Foxtel and Fetch TV in Australia, and Sky in New Zealand.
The NBL also extended its deal with Network 10 for another year, confirming free-to-air basketball will remain on Sundays at 2:30pm on Channel 10, and 4:30pm on 10 Drama.
In addition, it was reported by CODE the League was reportedly negotiating its new Ignite Cup in-season tournament to be shown in prime time on the Seven Network on Wednesday nights, but the two parties were unable to reach agreement.
More recently, the NBL announced that games and content will be made available on the NBA App and NBA TV, giving fans in the U.S and Canada the ability to watch games throughout the season.
The digital performance of Basketball.com.au, a new digital hub that unites all levels of Australian (including NBL, WNBL, NBL1) and International basketball under one platform, is also worth noticing. It’s going from strength to strength – in October it had 12m+ social impressions.
The WNBL’s bold new era
In November last year it was announced that the NBL and Wollemi Capital Group Syndicate acquired a majority interest in the WNBL and that the consortium would assume control of the WNBL on April 2, 2025 (with Basketball Australia retaining a minority shareholding).
This has proven to be a transformative moment, and has set the stage for unprecedented growth, investment, and opportunities in women’s basketball. Some key WNBL recent milestones worth noticing:
Secured a new broadcast deal with Nine, Disney & ESPN – making the league more accessible than ever before
Launched a new website & app
Round 1 attendance up 51% YoY, alongside major growth in digital metrics
Announced that Tasmania will become the ninth team to join the league in the WNBL 2026/27 season
Secured a $571,000 3-year deal with the SA Government to save the Adelaide Lighting – more recently, the team has welcomed a group of four South Australian investors who bought into the Adelaide Lightning team - their 30% stake in the team will become 100% over the next 3 years
Secured new major partnerships with a suite of blue chip brands, including Google and YouTube (Parent company Alphabet is one of the world’s biggest companies and has a market cap of $3+ trillion)
Big brands are backing the NBL Group
The NBL Group has confirmed a record number of new and renewed commercial partnerships across the NBL, WNBL, and NBL1 competitions.
More than 30 brands have joined or recommitted to the NBL Group portfolio, representing strong alignment across key sectors including retail, automotive, hospitality, health, finance, and technology.
This season sees the addition of several new & renewed partners.
NBL New Partnerships
Disney+
Snapchat
Step One
Simplot
Dabble
Choice Hotels
Mortgage Choice
Sportrader
Paywise
NBL Renewed Partnerships
Europcar
Blackmores
Mitsubishi
Bunnings
Kmart
Midea
Tangerine
Reebok
AAMI
Foot Locker
Spalding
NBA2K
The league has transformed into a commercially attractive, culturally relevant sports property, directly driving its ability to secure new partnerships.
The NBL’s new ownership of the WNBL appears to be paying dividends, as blue-chip partners are signing across leagues:
Blackmores recently entered into a new partnership with the WNBL and renewed its successful collaboration with the NBL
In 2024, Hungry Jack’s locked in a 5-year extension as the NBL’s Naming Rights Partner, and just last month, it further backed that support by striking a new partnership with the WNBL
The NBL is committed to nurturing its partnerships - earlier this year it hosted its “NBL Full Court Press” event which gave partners a behind-the-scenes look at the NBL’s strategic direction and a preview of its upcoming initiative.
The league has been busy launching new initiatives and investing in its next wave of growth
Some initiatives worth noticing 👇
1) Ignite Cup
Launched a new in-season 21-game tournament, that’s played on Wednesday nights. Key features:
Quarter-by-quarter scoring system, separate Ignite Cup ladder, standalone Ignite Cup Final, played outside of the traditional schedule
Massive total prize pool of $400,000. The winning team takes home $300,000, while the runner-up receives $100,000) - 60% of the prize money goes directly to players and the remaining 40% going back to the clubs
The NBL Ignite Cup Final, presented by Disney+ will be played on the Gold Coast, in partnership with Experience Gold Coast
2. ‘PLAY IT LOUD’ – brand platform & campaign
Working closely alongside agency partners KOJO for strategy, creative & production, Emotive for copywriting support, and RCJ for media planning and buying, it launched“PLAY IT LOUD”. The new brand platform and campaign intends to redefine the League as a cultural movement, traversing the traditional sports landscape and authentically connecting with a new generation of fans.
3. Major events
In October, the historic NBA x NBL Melbourne Series, featuring the New Orleans Pelicans, Melbourne United and South East Melbourne Phoenix, (headlined by Zion Williamson) took over town. Games were played in front of sold-out crowds at Rod Laver Arena, and were broadcast live on Amazon Prime Video, Network 10 and NBA League Pass.
The NBL brought two EuroLeague giants, KK Partizan (Serbia) and Panathinaikos (Greece) to Australia in September to play in the seventh edition of the Pavlos Giannakopoulos Tournament, marking the first time the celebrated European competition has been held outside of Europe. The announcement was marked by a spectacular show in the Sydney night sky using 600 drones.
HoopsFest, “Australasia’s biggest basketball, culture and lifestyle festival” is returning to Perth for its second year, running from January 15th to 18th, 2026. This year’s event marks a significant shift, featuring regular season Hungry Jack’s NBL and WNBL games for the first time, all within the January school holiday period. The event also includes:
4-day Fan Festival
Hoopsfest cup – a fun social, open age tournament with a$50k prize pool
Sneakerland
The NBL’s flywheel is showing no signs of slowing down
With wider distribution, a revitalised WNBL, a surge of blue-chip partners, and a bold slate of new initiatives, the NBL Group has positioned itself as one of the most progressive, and fast-growing sports organisations in Australia. What began as a rescue mission in 2015 has become a masterclass in how to build a modern sports property: diversify revenue, expand reach, elevate culture, and relentlessly invest in the product and fan experience.
As NBL Group Chief Executive Officer David Stevenson puts it:
“The momentum across the NBL, WNBL and NBL1 has never been stronger, with record attendances, sellouts in major arenas, and significant growth in broadcast audiences and digital engagement. Millions of fans around the world are connecting with our leagues like never before, which is a powerful reflection of the passion and progress driving the NBL Group forward.”
A key reason the organisation is so well placed for continued growth is its private ownership model. While not without risks, privatised structures enable the NBL to attract sophisticated capital, move faster than traditional governing bodies, and pursue strategic expansion at a scale and pace that other models often struggle to match.
Related: Who owns Australia’s sporting clubs and why it matters
The NBL flywheel is spinning. And at this rate, it’s hard to see it slowing down anytime soon.
Watch this space.
Adelaide FC - Head of Commercial Growth
Adelaide Oval - General Manager - Marketing & Corporate Affairs
adidas - Senior Manager, Digital Activation
AFL - Social Media Producer
Amer Sports - Area Sales Manager
Amer Sports - Head of Marketing
Amplify - Sports Talent Coordinator
Australian Turf Club - Business Development Manager
Bastion - Client Manager
BlueBet - Senior Digital Marketing Specialist
Canterbury - Trade & Customer Marketing Manager
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs - Marketing Executive
Capital Football - Marketing & Communications Manager
Carlton FC - Head of Consumer Sales and Growth
ClassPass - Field Account Executive - Brisbane
Dabble - Commercial Manager
DAZN - Presentation Coordinator
Easygo - Esports Sponsorships Lead
Entain Australia & New Zealand - Brand Copywriter - Multi-Brand Communications
Essendon FC - Head of Partnership Sales
Fanatics - VP and GM
First Ever - Account Manager
Foxtel Group - Communications & PR Manager - Sport
Front Runner - Senior Performance Marketing Manager | DTC Growth
Futures Sport & Entertainment - Senior Analyst
Geelong Cats - Head of Digital and Marketing
Groblox - Event Project Manager
GWS Giants - Sales Manager
GWS Giants - Senior Social Media Manager
Hawthorn FC - Video & Content Producer
HIF Australia - Brand and Sponsorship Manager
Hockey NSW - Chief Executive Officer
Hudl - Senior Account Executive
JD Sports Australia & New Zealand - Paid Social Media Executive
lululemon - CRM & Email Marketing Lead
lululemon - Retail Brand Experience Field Lead
MCG - Event Manager
Melbourne City FC - Graphic Designer
Melbourne Racing Club - General Manager - Sales and Sponsorship
Melbourne Racing Club - Public Relations Coordinator
MKTG Sports + Entertainment Australia - Senior Communications Strategist
MKTG Sports + Entertainment Australia - Senior Event Manager
NBL - Event Operations Manager
Netball Australia - Commercial Sales Manager
Netball Australia - Senior Manager - Marketing & Communications (Netball World Cup)
Netball Queensland - Partnerships Lead
Netball Victoria - Growth & Development Project Lead
Nike - Senior Principal, Nike Sportswear & Energy Marketplace, Pacific
North Melbourne FC - Digital Marketing Executive
NRL - School Marketing Lead
Octagon - Senior Analyst
Parramatta Eels - Foundation & Community Manager
Parramatta Eels - Partnerships Manager
Queensland Academy of Sport - Communications and Media Manager
Queensland Academy of Sport - Principal Communications & Media Officer
Queensland Academy of Sport - Research and Innovation Coordinator
Queensland Cricket - General Manager Community Cricket and Infrastructure
Queensland Government - Manager, Sport and Venue Mobilisation
Racing.com - Senior Content Creator
Reebok - Category Manager (Buyer)
Rugby Australia - Senior Content Producer
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
TaylorMade Golf - Marketing Manager
Tennis Australia - Communication and Content Coordinator
Tennis Australia - Publicity Manager - Events & Performance
TGI Sport - Sales Manager
Tradable Bits - Customer Success Manager — Sports, Music & Entertainment
Two Circles - Sponsorship Sales Lead
Under Armour - Key Account Manager
URBNSURF - Public Relations Manager
Vicsport - Chief Executive Officer
Viva Leisure - Franchising Marketing Manager
Wasserman - Account Director
Wasserman - Art Director
Wasserman - Creative Director
Wasserman - Senior Social Media Manager
Wasserman - Social Strategist
West Coast Eagles - Head of Brand & Marketing
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.