General
Association Football
- AUSTRALIAN football will embark on a bright new dawn after the successful adoption of wide-ranging governance reforms finally ended the civil war crippling the game.
- Steven Lowy said while the FFA board is disappointed with some aspects of the EGM votes, it respects the right of members to give effect to their views through the votes. The first Resolution was to amend the Constitution of the FFA to give effect to recommendations made by the Congress Review Working Group. This resolution was passed, with eight votes in favour and two against. The second Resolution was intended to set up a process to consider and propose a new Leagues governance model. This resolution was passed unanimously.
- Football Federation Australia (FFA) launched its new season for the Hyundai A-League and Westfield W-League with the “Where Heroes Are Made” campaign.
- Adelaide United is excited to announce the price of general admission tickets for the upcoming Hyundai A-League 2018/19 season have been reduced, with a specific focus on attracting kids and families.
- Brisbane Roar Football Club is pleased to announce it has joined forces with Village Roadshow Theme Parks for season 2018/19. Adding to the Club’s game day experience in 2018/19, Village Roadshow Theme Parks will host a Super Hero Match Day at Suncorp Stadium during the upcoming campaign with BRFC members, supporters and fans encouraged to dress up as their favourite superhero and meet some of the Justice League characters.
- Melbourne Victory is delighted to announce that it has extended its partnership with WorkSafeVictoria for a further five years.
- Sydney FC have signed a landmark four-year major partnership with one of Australia’s leading air conditioning suppliers, Fujitsu General Australia — spanning the Sky Blues’ Hyundai A-League, National Premier League and Academy squads. Fujitsu General Australia,, will appear on the back of Sydney FC’s Hyundai A-League playing shorts, while they’ll become the front of shirt partner for the club’s Academy and NPL sides in a first for the Sky Blues’ youth teams.
- THE players’ union has implored Australian football’s new order to press on with expansion plans despite the uncertainty accompanying pivotal governance reforms. Eight bids are waiting to learn whether they’ll get the nod as one of two new teams set to enter the competition in season 2019-20.
- The war is over but Australian football’s future is far from clear, reports News Limited.
- Canberra’s A-League bid will push ahead with plans to build more momentum behind their proposal for a licence despite growing concerns the FFA board is considering scrapping the expansion process.
- The Football Federation Australia board are contemplating scrapping the current A-League expansion process after major reforms set to lead to a change in leadership of the organisation were pushed through earlier in the week.
- The World Game reports that the new FFA direction on expansion could put it on a collision course with Foxtel.
- The former Head of the A-League Archie Fraser believes the door to Asia’s riches could finally open after this week’s football revolution.
- Will FFA lose three major sponsors with the ‘exodus’ of Steven Lowy and most, if not all, of the FFA Board?
- South West Sydney bid’s dream arena unveiled
Australian Football
- Mediaweek reports that the AFL website was the biggest online destination for sports fans during AFL and NRL Grand Final week. The AFL site had nearly double the unique audience of the #2 property on the list – news.com.au’s sport pages. Fox Sports was almost equal second with Nine’s WWOS and then Perform Group sites rounding out the top five.
- The AFL has set a a finals attendance record, with 700,395 spectators at the nine games in September. The previous high was established in 2010, when there was a Grand Final replay, with the 651,000 attending that year. There were five matches with a crowd of at least 90,000 this year. That has happened only one other time, in 1972. The average attendance across the finals series was 77,821.
- The Adelaide Football Club has partnered with SEDA College to assist local high school students wanting to pursue a career in the sport and recreation industry.
- Ford Australia’s partnership with the Geelong Cats will move into a new era, after Ford officially extended its sponsorship to support the club’s inaugural AFLW side until 2020.
- The Northern Territory is preparing to explore whether it could realistically be home to an AFL club. The NT Government is taking the idea seriously enough to allocate $100,000 towards a ‘scoping study’ to investigate whether the Territory should aim for an AFL franchise if one becomes available. The study would look at various things, such as the challenges an AFL team would face in the NT, sponsorship opportunities, local talent pathways and facility upgrades.
- Sydney has sealed its long-term future in the Moore Park precinct with an $80 million deal develop a new headquarters a stone’s throw from the SCG. The Swans will take over a 27-year lease to manage the Royal Hall of Industries and the Horden Pavilion, both of which lie directly to the south of the SCG. The heritage-listed Royal Hall of Industries will be renovated to include training facilities and an administrative base for the Swans and the NSW Swifts netball team.
- Richmond will look at securing a second training venue as part of Richmond’s plans to expand the club’s facilities to help house the Tigers’ five football teams and growing administration.
- THE Sydney Swans will leapt from the bottom of the AFL facility pile to the top of the ladder with the announcement of a $65 million redevelopment to turn the historic Royal Hall of Industries building at Moore Park into a state-of-the-art centre of excellence. The AFL will also contribute $5 million to the project, however, along with their project partner Playbill they will pay $65 million in rent over the 27 years of the proposed agreement.
- DARWIN is poised to complete the Australian Football League’s plans to become a truly national competition, the NT News can reveal. The Chief Minister confirmed yesterday the Government would allocate $100,000 towards a scoping study to position the NT for a licence when one becomes available.
- Reports that the Western Bulldogs plan to sell all remaining pokies machines. Will find new ways to bring in revenue which are not dependent on gaming. President Peter Gordon says the club will post the biggest profit in club history this year
Rugby League
- Beattie: The NRL had an excellent year with our commercial partners. Sponsorship revenue grew by 18% and we have had a 100% renewal rate
- The four-week NRLW season for 2018 looks like retaining the same format in 2019. Beattie told NRL.com that expansion was still on the table for 2019 but it was more likely to be 2020.
- Melbourne Storm chairman Bart Campbell has announced the Club will begin exploring a fan ownership opportunity. The concept will give the public the opportunity to invest in the football club and in turn become not just fans but shareholders in the Melbourne Storm.
- In a move to grow rugby league in New Zealand and engage with fans further afield, the Vodafone Warriors have announced a partnership with Westpac Stadium to play a home game in Wellington in each of the next two NRL seasons.
- Wests Tigers have today launched a new partnership with leading rugby league organisation the Men of League Foundation. The new agreement will see the existing connections between Wests Tigers and the Men of League Foundation formalised to help raise awareness of the services of the Men of League Foundation and assist with the delivery of wellbeing projects. As part of the relationship, both parties will work together on a range of initiatives within the Wests Tigers community, including a dedicated round as the nominated charity partner in the 2019 season to further develop genuine and authentic connections to the game of rugby league.
- The Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs jersey will be looking decidedly bare next season after yet another sponsor pulled the pin on the club following its disastrous ‘Mad Monday’ celebrations last month. Shorts sponsor Wicked Sister Desserts yesterday decided to pull its sponsorship of the Club following player antics and the management’s handling of the incident.
- The fallout from Canterbury’s disastrous Mad Monday celebrations has continued with a second sponsor dropping the NRL club. Shorts sponsor Wicked Sister Desserts on Wednesday said it had terminated its agreement reportedly worth $350,000 over the incident and the Bulldogs’ handling of it.
- THE South Sydney Rabbitohs are facing a $2.5 million sponsorship crisis in the wake of the recent sexting scandal and captain Greg Inglis’ drink-driving and speeding charges.
- NEW Tweed Heads Seagulls women’s coach Kelvin Wrightbelieves the NRLW should expand to six clubs next year after a successful debut season.
Esports
Rugby Union
