Highlights

Polestar renewed its landmark partnership with Melbourne Football Club AFLW team into a second season. Polestar is one of a growing list of new Auto brands entering sponsorship in the last year, including Geely, GAC, JAC Motors, Omoda Jaecoo, Leapmotor and more.

Perth Glory announced a new three-year major partnership with Northside Rentals, including Playing Shorts branding. Car Hire is currently a Hot Category, after recent activity from Budget, Avis, Carbiz & more.

There are now 30 major team sponsorships in Car Hire in Australia, but none in Brisbane (both sponsorships in QLD are Gold Coast based). Are key players missing out on owning the Brisbane market?

Car Hire Sponsorships, by State

To see the major activity or gaps for any chosen category, get in touch.

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Activity this week

This Week In Sponsorship

Announcements

AFL 🎽

New

  • 🧹 DTMF Group x Collingwood Football Club: "Collingwood Football Club has named DTMF Group as its Official Commercial Cleaning Partner. Building on a long-standing relationship, the partnership will help maintain high standards across the club's facilities, supporting a clean, safe and high-performing environment for players and staff."

Renewal

  • 🚗 Polestar x Melbourne Demons: "Melbourne has secured Polestar as the Co-Principal Partner and Official Automotive Partner of its AFLW program for a further season, with the Swedish electric performance car brand signing a one-year extension. The extended deal strengthens Polestar's commitment to the club and women's football, building on a landmark partnership that began in 2025 when it became the AFLW competition's first dedicated automotive partner. Together, Melbourne and Polestar continue to lead the way, with the extension marking the AFLW's first automotive co-principal partnership."

  • 🩺 sportsmed x Port Adelaide FC: "Port Adelaide Football Club is proud to announce sportsmed as an official club partner, strengthening a long-standing relationship that has supported the club's AFL and AFLW programs for many years."

Rugby League 👕

New

  • 🏀 Steven Adams Pathways Trust x One NZ Warriors: "The One New Zealand Warriors and the Steven Adams Pathways Trust today announced a strategic partnership that will launch a nationwide fundraising campaign aimed at giving more Kiwi kids the opportunity to participate in sport. Both organisations bring a genuine track record to the table. For more than 30 years, the One New Zealand Warriors have given young New Zealanders the chance to pull on the club's jersey and represent their community through rugby league."

Water Polo 🏊

New

  • 📊 Squadi x Water Polo Australia: "Water Polo Australia is pleased to announce a new partnership with Squadi to become the sport's Membership & Competition Management services provider. The partnership will see Squadi's platform used to modernise how clubs, associations, referees and participants register, manage teams and deliver competitions across the country - providing an integrated, mobile-friendly experience designed to reduce administrative load and improve the day-to-day experience for the water polo community."

Cricket 🏏

Renewal

  • 👟 New Balance / Belgravia Apparel x Cricket NSW: "Cricket NSW is excited to announce an expanded multi-year partnership with global sportswear leader New Balance and Belgravia Apparel, as Official Partner of Cricket NSW and Preferred Apparel Provider 🏏👕 New Balance will also become the Exclusive Apparel Partner of both the Sydney Sixers and Sydney Thunder T20 Youth Camps and Academies."

  • 🍗 KFC x Queensland Cricket: "The 2026-27 season will have the perfect start in Queensland with KFC and Seven renewing their backing of the KFC T20 Max competition in a massive cricket grassroots boost. KFC has extended its commitment to Queensland Premier Cricket with a new three-year sponsorship that will again see it take on the naming rights of the T20 Max and Queensland Premier Cricket competitions. KFC will also be prominently displayed on the Queensland Bulls and Queensland Fire playing kits this season, the first time since 2010 that it has been featured on Queensland team apparel."

  • 📺 Seven x Queensland Cricket: "Seven has signed on for a second season as host broadcaster of the T20 Max after streaming 17 matches live and free on 7plus Sport last season, with the men's and women's matches attracting a strong following."

Softball 🥎

New

  • 🖨️ Eckersley Print Group x Softball Australia: "Softball Australia is proud to announce a three-year partnership with Eckersley Print Group, naming the company as Preferred Print Partner and an Official Sponsor of the WBSC Women's Softball World Cup Finals 2027. The partnership represents another significant commitment to working with local businesses in delivering a world-class event for the City of Moreton Bay community."

Basketball 🏀

New

  • 🤝 United Group Australia x Adelaide Lightning: "We're delighted to welcome United Group Australia Pty Ltd as an official partner of the Adelaide Lightning for the upcoming WNBL season. Welcome to the Lightning family! ⚡️"

  • 💼 Elevate Management Consulting x Adelaide Lightning: "We're proud to welcome Elevate Management Consulting to the Adelaide Lightning family as an official partner for the upcoming season. Together, we're committed to creating a positive impact both on and off the court supporting the continued growth of women's basketball while making a meaningful difference in our community."

  • 🇨🇳 Chinese Basketball Association x Basketball Australia: "Basketball Australia has signed a landmark four-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Chinese Basketball Association. This agreement, formalised following a successful two-game series between the Australian Opals and China in Melbourne, establishes a framework designed to enhance high-performance outcomes for both nations. The partnership aims to accelerate the development of elite players, coaches, referees, and performance staff through the sharing of best practices and technical expertise."

Renewal

  • 📻 SCA x Townsville Fire: "Two more years of making noise together. 🔥🎙️ We've extended our partnership with SCA for another two years, and this season, Kate Jeboult and Ck Kern are taking the lead as our new home game MCs. 🎤 On air and in the Fire Pit — they'll be bringing the energy."

Football ⚽

New

  • 💻 Adept IT Solutions x Newcastle Jets: "The Newcastle Jets are pleased to announce that Adept IT Solutions Newcastle as the Club's Major Partner for the 2026 Australia Cup campaign. Jets players Alex Nunes and Xavier Bertoncello unveiled their home and away shirts for the 2026 edition of the competition alongside Adept IT Solutions staff members at the Gardens stadium."

  • 📻 Rise 96.5 x Brisbane Roar: "Delighted to have Rise 96.5 Radio on board as a Club Partner ahead of the 2026/27 season 📻🤝"

  • 🏘️ Northside Rentals x Perth Glory: "Glory and Northside Rentals hit the road together with three-year major partnership. Perth Glory is proud to announce a three-year major partnership with Northside Rentals. The terms of the partnership include the Northside Rentals logo featuring on the back of the match shorts worn by Glory's A-League Men's and A-League Women's teams and the company becoming the club's official Membership partner."

Renewal

  • 🏐 HART Sport x Brisbane Roar: "Brisbane Roar are pleased to welcome back HART Sport for the 2026/27 season 🧡"

  • 💪 RYGG x Brisbane Roar: "We can't wait to partner with RYGG again this 2026/27 season to provide both our A-League Men & Women's with high performance creams and gels 💪"

Pickleball 🥒

New

  • 🏓 JOOLA x Picklr ANZ: "Picklr ANZ has announced a multi-year partnership with global pickleball equipment leader JOOLA, appointing the brand as its Major Equipment Partner and P-Series Sponsor. This alliance will see JOOLA's paddles, professional equipment, and specialised coaching support integrated across The Picklr ANZ's rapidly expanding network of premium indoor pickleball facilities throughout Australia and New Zealand."

Horse Racing 🏇

Renewal

  • 🍟 McDonald's Australia x Victoria Racing Club: "We're also excited to welcome McDonald's Australia back as presenting partner of The Elms Live Stage, continuing to deliver a world-class entertainment experience alongside elite racing. The Elms Live Stage has become a defining part of the Melbourne Cup Carnival, bringing together sport, music and entertainment to create unforgettable moments for racegoers."

Running 🏃

New

  • 🧴 Vaseline x TCS Sydney Marathon: "TCS Sydney Marathon has announce that Vaseline has been appointed as the event's 'Official Nipple Protector,' launching 'The Nipple Sponsorship' campaign to address the prevalent issue of chafing among endurance athletes. With 40,000 participants expected to compete in the 42.195-kilometre race on 30 August 2026, the partnership aims to provide a tangible solution to 'runner's nipple' and general friction-related discomfort, which research indicates affects 92 per cent of marathon participants."

  • 💊 Swisse Wellness x Voltaren City2Surf: "Swisse Wellness has entered into a multi-year partnership with the Voltaren City2Surf, becoming an Official Sponsor of the renowned mass participation event. The City2Surf, which takes place annually in Sydney, attracts approximately 90,000 participants each year. The event begins at Sydney's Hyde Park and concludes at Bondi Beach, covering a 14-kilometre course."

Multi-Sport 🏆

New

  • 👟 Brooks Running x NZ Team: "The New Zealand Team has proudly announced Brooks Running as its Official Footwear Partner today, with the multi-year partnership spanning the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games through to the LA28 Olympic Summer Games. As part of the partnership, Brooks will provide Team Footwear for the New Zealand Team marching into Opening and Closing Ceremonies, medal presentations and for the Olympic and Commonwealth Games Villages."

  • 🇳🇿 NZ Government (Events Boost Fund) x '100 Years of Unity through Sport': "The New Zealand Government has announced an investment from the Events Boost Fund to support the '100 Years of Unity through Sport' program, a cultural and sporting campaign marking a century of bilateral relations between India and New Zealand. This initiative is designed to commemorate the enduring connections between the two nations by hosting a series of major international sporting fixtures throughout 2026."

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  • The hidden market - new deals not announced publicly

  • Expired partnerships - deals ended in the last month

  • New entrants - brands new to sponsorship each week

  • Brands to Watch - Scout recommendations based on competitor activity

  • Hot Categories - the most active / fastest growing sectors

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