AFL
- An announcement that Melbourne has officially relinquished the grand final for the second straight year is expected by the end of the week.
- Dees, Cats and Lions could be allowed into South Australia the day before their respective qualifying finals this week And the state’s premier hasn’t slammed the door completely shut on a crowd increase for at least the clash between Port and Geelong.
- The AFL is pleased to launch workplay – a new leading careers and networking platform designed to empower female athletes in sport and business.
- THE AUSTRALIAN Football League (AFL) and the Tasmanian State Government have agreed that a position for a Tasmanian licence will be put to AFL Club Presidents next year in line with the finalisation of the funding model for the AFL industry
Cricket
- Todd Greenberg is not looking for a fight when he leads the Australian Cricketers Association into the next collective bargaining agreement with Cricket Australia, following an ugly stoush in 2017.
Horse Racing
- Melbourne Racing Club’s pitch to host fully vaccinated crowds at its Caulfield Cup carnival is likely to fall days short of a 70 per cent national two-dose vaccination rate among the eligible population, tipped to be reached in late October.
NRL
- Brisbane is set to host the 2021 NRL Grand Final with a deal “all-but done” to have Suncorp Stadium host.
- Rugby league could change channels on free-to-air television for the first time in three decades with incumbent the Nine Network facing competition from rival Seven Network, with Seven keen to win rights to the popular State of Origin series.
- When the NRL flagged an expansion team for 2023, the early fear was there wouldn’t be enough players to fill the roster. The bigger concern might be whether there are enough coaches
- Despite claims to the contrary, Seven has firmly denied speculation that it is planning on bidding for NRL rights.
Rugby
- The Wallabies finally have clarity over their remaining fixtures this year but key scheduling decisions about the final Bledisloe Cup Test and Rugby Championship fixtures are in the hands of the AFL and NRL respectively.
- Rugby Australia boss Andy Marinos says the trans-Tasman relationship remains “competitive” but that all SANZAAR parties are comfortable following confirmation the final four rounds of the Rugby Championship will be played across Queensland.
Soccer (football)
- Football NSW have announced the difficult decision to cancel the 2021 State Cup and Champion of Champions.
- The United States Department of Justice declared Fifa and other football bodies to be victims of corrupt former officials and said Tuesday they would get more than $US200 million ($NZ287 million) from cash forfeited in a sprawling investigation.
Supercars
Supernetball
Broadcast
- Revenue at Nine’s streaming platform Stan lifted 29% to $311.8 million in the year to June. Active subscribers grew to 2.4 million
- Nine Reports a $184m profit and the successful launch of Stan Sport with 250,000 active subscribers
- Spark Sport has secured the broadcast rights for the Black Caps tour of Bangladesh, a week out from the Twenty20 series opener as platform ping-pong continues for New Zealand cricket viewers.
