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Welcome to the Scout Newsletter, an exploration into the data behind the Australian Sport and Sponsorship Landscape.

This Week in Sponsorship is a weekly wrap up of the latest deals and renewals with a special focus on the Deal of the Week.

The Scouting Report is a monthly long-form deep-dive covering topics of interest to the sponsorship industry. Check out previous articles 

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2nd October 2024

Deal of the week

Panthers x Tooheys (Lion Drinks)

Brand: Tooheys (Lion Drinks)

HQ: Australia

Category: Beer

Deal type: Renewal

Tier: Major (2)

Context: Lion-owned Tooheys extends its 22-year partnership with the Panthers for a further seven years, cementing its position a top Beer sponsor in NSW and Rugby League.

A deeper dive on the impact of the deal:

• Beer is the 7th largest sponsorship category in Australia, with more than 80 individual deals across major clubs and leagues - one of the highest across all categories.

• Sponsorship spend has fallen slightly in the last 12 months, driven by exits from Furphy (4 x AFL teams), CBCo (4 x VIC teams) and Brick Lane (4 x teams). Many of these new deals have been replaced, typically by brands new to sponsorship (e.g. White Bay x Swans, Bailey Brewing x Tigers and Brewmanity x Demons).

• Beer Spend is particularly skewed towards Queensland-based teams. This is driven by XXXX dominating those sponsorships, creating competition and scarcity in the market. Recent deals for Coors with Brisbane Bullets and Cairns Taipans mean there are currently no vacancies amongst QLD based teams.

• Elsewhere, the story is largely one of competition between beer giants CUB and Lion and their sub-brands. This is particularly true in Rugby League, with all but one team listing a major Beer partner. With Lion-owned Furphy dialling down its sponsorship activity, CUB has grown its share of sponsorship in 2024.

• The Panthers deal therefore cements Tooheys as a leading beer sponsor in NSW, where it battles with Victoria Bitter (NRL + 5 team partnerships), plus multiple independent brands, for share of sponsorship.

For a full breakdown of the Beer category, or for a different look at what’s going on in sponsorship, drop us a note.

Other notable deals

NEW

⚽️ Brydens Lawyers were announced as Shirt Front Partner for the Newcastle Jets. The deal follows news earlier this year that the law firm would be ending their decade-long Wests Tigers partnership. Brydens leads the sponsorship market for Law firms, with other deals withs Rabbitohs, Knights and Giants.

🏀 International beer brand Coors has signed with the Brisbane Bullets, following a new partnership with other QLD-based NBL team the Cairns Taipans last month.

⚽️ Ferraro Dairy Foods becomes a Premier Partner of Melbourne Victory, taking the back of shorts position, on a two-year deal.

⚽️ Meanwhile Melbourne City have announced a new Premier Partnership with lawn & garden care experts Scotts, with a well-fitting focus on grassroots assets.

🏀 Sydney Kings signed new deals with Kraken Black Spiced Rum; MJ Bale as their official tailor.

RENEWALS

🏉 Tooheys (Lion Drinks) has renewed its 22-year partnership with the Penrith Panthers for a further 7 years.

⚽️ Mining Giant Ausenco has renewed with Brisbane Roar, for a fourth successive season, taking the Women’s front-of-shirt partnership.

⚽️ Car Hire brand Budget has upgraded its partnership with the Central Coast Mariners from the Sleeve to the Shirt Front, across both the Men’s and Women’s teams. Element Live Productions has been announced as the Shorts partner.

🏀 Perth Wildcats have renewed with WA-based civil and mining contractor NRW Holdings. The fifth year of the deal will see the brand on the back of jersey.

🏀 Sydney Kings extend partnership with Hard Yakka. This marks the third consecutive season where Hard Yakka will be the exclusive workwear partner.

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