Good Morning,

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 or other noteworthy sponsorship related topics. Check out previous articles.

Want to make sure your latest sponsorship is featured? Let us know here for a shoutout in our weekly wrap-up and a chance at a feature in Deal of the Week.

Enjoy!

8th January 2025

The quarter in review

Key insights

• The fastest growing categories in the last quarter have been Wealth Management, Lawyers, Insurance Brokers, Superannuation and Soft Drinks

• The top new deals are a combination of small/mid-tier existing players fighting for share, new entrants making a large play at brand awareness (Superhero) and global giants re-entering the Australian landscape (Red Bull).

• Trading Platforms, Professional Services, Watches, Tires & Rubber and Wine are amongst the categories where spend has shrunk the most, mainly driven by the expiry of high-tier club or national body partnerships.

Fastest growing categories in Q4 2024

A number of categories saw large growth in investment in the last quarter:

• Wealth Management: fastest growing, coming off a low base as one of the smaller categories overall. Remara was the most notable new entrant, signing a Tier 2 deal with the St. George Dragons. PM Capital was very active, inking three lower-tier partnerships in AFL clubland.

• Lawyers: Brydens Lawyers: announced as new Major Sponsor for the Newcastle Jets.

• Insurance Brokers: typically lower-tier deals in clubland in Aus and NZ

• Superannuation: high-profile entrance into sponsorship by super and wealth management platform Superhero with large deals with AFL powerhouse clubs Hawks and Swans.

• Soft Drinks: dominated by the energy drink players, in particular Red Bull with high profile sponsorships of Australian Open, NRL and Western United.

In terms of $ growth (rather than %), there was also strong growth for Appliances (Haier, Ninja, AirTouch) and Beer (Hahn, Asahi, Coopers). Get in touch to learn more.

Fastest declining categories in Q4 2024

Other categories saw declines in spend in the last quarter:

• Trading Platforms: Pepperstone stepped down as tier 1 sponsor of the Adelaide Strikers. Tier 2 deals in AFL clubland (Swans x Independent Reserve and Demons x IG) also came to an end.

• Professional Services: Marsh is no longer listed as a partner of Cricket Australia, having held naming rights for the Sheffield Shield and the One Day Cup in recent seasons.

• Watches: Kennedy was the official timekeeper of the AFL since 2020. Rolex is exiting F1 after a decade-long partnership to be replaced by LVMH’s TAG Heuer as the official timekeeper. 

• Tires & Rubber: Goodyear are no longer listed as partners of the NRL.

• Wine: Australian wine-giant Treasury Wine Estates (TWE) exited three high-profile AFL clubland sponsorships.

These expired deals can signal which categories are not prioritising sponsorship for their business goals. However, expiries also create opportunities, as direct replacements, or for new brands to gain share of sponsorship, in a smaller pool of competitors.

More about Scout’s Landscape Insights Reports…

For a sponsorship landscape overview, with insights bespoke to your Club/Brand, State, Sport, and Season, reach out to Mark or Alex for a chat.

Sponsorship Landscape Reports cover:

• Which categories invest most in sponsorship?

• Which categories are growing / shrinking net spend?

• Which categories are growing / shrinking total activity?

• What are the top new/expired deals in L3M & L12M?

• How does the above vary for your State / Sport / Season?

• Which categories are especially invested in your State / Sport / Season?

• Which brands are under-represented within your State / Sport / Season?

Notable deals of the week

NEW/EXPIRED

🏏 Cricket Australia is set to enter a new sponsorship arrangement with Westpac as its exclusive banking partner, bringing an end to Commonwealth Bank’s partnership of 37 years. Westpac’s logo will appear on the shirts of men’s and women’s teams.

🏟️ The WACA Ground has announced a partnership with Bunnings Warehouse, designating the eastern and western grass banks at the historic venue as the "Bunnings Grass Banks” until 2026. This collaboration marks the first official naming rights partner for the upgraded WACA Ground. The WACA Ground Improvement Project is facilitated by WA Cricket and the WA Cricket Foundation, and Cricket Australia, along with local, state, and federal governments as part of the 10-year, $1.7 billion Perth City Deal.

🏏 The Melbourne Stars have announced that Intrepid Travel will be the Clubs new Platinum Partner for BBL|14, with their first ever sports sponsorship. The travel company’s logo will feature prominently on the backs of the players’ BBL jerseys and training uniforms, and it will also serve as the presenting partner of the Melbourne Stars’ First Nations Round, scheduled for January 9, 2025, against the Sydney Sixers at the MCG.

🏏 The South Australian Cricket Association (SACA) and the Adelaide Strikers have welcomed WeTrend as a Major Partner ahead of BBL|14. Under the three-year deal, the WeTrend brand will feature on the sleeve of the Strikers playing shirt, a strategic move designed to create awareness in the Australian market.

⚽️ The Newcastle Jets have announced a multi-year partnership with Senix – a leading global outdoor power tool and equipment company. Senix branding will feature on the shorts of both Jets A-Leagues teams for the 2024/25 and 25/26 seasons.

⚽️ The Central Coast Mariners have announced sports performance brand, ASICS as the club’s Official Footwear Partner and Corporate Supporter.

⚽️ The Central Coast Mariners have announced a new partnership with Coast Ford, who join the club as both an Official Associate Partner of the club and an Official Partner of Central Coast Mariners Academy.

⚽️ Melbourne Victory has announced Comwire IT as the Club’s newest Premier Partner and IT Managed Services Partner.

⚽️ Auckland FC has welcomed wealth manager Alvarium to the club as a premium partner.

🏐 Sunshine Coast Lightning and Protector Aluminium (Al) have cemented a new two-year Partnership deal ahead of the 2025 Suncorp Super Netball season. The Partnership will see the Protector AI logo feature on the 2025 Lightning dress and media polo, as well as a key position on the media wall, in-stadium signage, and content across Lightning’s digital channels highlighting the organisation’s community outreach.

🏀 South East Melbourne Phoenix have announced Nueva as their newest Major Partner for the NBL25 season. Nueva will have their logo emblazoned on the back of the home and away South East Melbourne Phoenix jerseys below the player’s numbers.

🏀 The Illawarra Hawks have announced a partnership with Pringles, the Official Salty Snack of the Hawks, for the remainder of the NBL25 Season.

🏀 The Townsville Fire have announced Audi Centre Townsville as their new vehicle partner for the WNBL season.

🏀 The Townsville Fire have announced a partnership with Mater Private Hospital Townsville as the new naming rights sponsor of the Townsville Fire Academy.

⚽️ Western United have announced a partnership with JFT Esports for the remainder of the 2024-25 A-Leagues season as the Club’s newest esports partner.

🏉 The Parramatta Eels have teamed up with URBNSURF to ensure Western Sydney families have the necessary tools to Play Safe This Summer. Ahead of the summer holidays, Parra Eels Play partnered with URBNSURF to provide critical water safety teachings to over 100 Year 5 and 6 students and teachers from Dundas Public School.

🏉 The Fijian Drua has secured a new partnership with leading Australian sunglasses brand Carve.

RENEWALS/UPGRADES

🏃🏾‍♂️ Athletics Australia has announced the extension of its partnership with international sportswear giant PUMA for a further 8 years until 2032. The new agreement, is recognised as the longest ever deal for Australian athletics.

🏉 The Fremantle Dockers and Woodside Energy have agreed to an extension of their 15-year partnership for an additional two years, securing the collaboration until the end of 2027.

🏉 The Newcastle Knights have confirmed their partnership with The Coca-Cola Company has been extended until at least the end of the 2028 season.

🏉 Wendy’s New Zealand has extended its long-standing partnership with the New Zealand Warriors, committing to a new two-year deal to take the relationship to 19 seasons through to the end of the 2026 NRL season.

🏁 Castrol Australia and New Zealand has announced the extension of its long-standing partnership with Tickford Racing. This new multi-year deal ensures that Castrol will continue as a naming rights partner of Tickford Racing into 2025 and beyond, marking one of the longest-running sponsorships in the Repco Supercars Championship.

Want to make sure your latest sponsorship is featured? Let us know here for a shoutout in our weekly wrap-up and a chance at a feature in Deal of the Week.

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