Two Codes, One City: Sponsorship Lessons from a week at the Footy

Australia took on Curacao in the FIFA Series at AAMI Park

Melbourne is a city defined by sport. Ask anyone who lives here and they'll tell you, AFL isn't just a game, it's a religion. But last week, I attended two live sporting events in the space of a few days, and the contrast between them told me everything I need to know about where the sponsorship opportunities are right now, and where they're heading.

The Beautiful Game — Half Empty

AAMI Park was almost empty for the match between China and Cameroon in the FIFA Series

I was at AAMI Park on Tuesday evening for China v Cameroon and then the Socceroos' final home game before the World Cup against Curacao. A 5pm kick-off, a large Chinese diaspora in Melbourne, and yet the stadium was virtually empty for the first game. Bryan Mbeumo hadn't travelled, but there were still some vocal Cameroon fans doing their best to generate atmosphere in a ground that didn't need much help feeling cavernous.

The sponsorship presence was impressive on paper. Nike's 'Mission to Wreck' campaign ran prominently, and Football Australia's partners, Commbank, Qantas, Allianz, Coles and MJ Bale, were all visible across the LED. Powerhouse brands. Significant investment. But the swathes of empty seats told a different story. Even for the last Socceroos game on home soil before a World Cup they've qualified for, the interest simply wasn't there in the stands. The hospitality area on the far side of the ground looked equally quiet.

And yet, and this is the crucial point, it wasn't always like this. During Qatar 2022, Fed Square was packed in the middle of the night as Australia beat Denmark and then pushed eventual winners Argentina to the limit in the last sixteen. The passion was undeniable. The city came alive. It shows that when the World Cup arrives, everything changes. Brands who position themselves correctly around that moment can generate enormous brand equity from the biggest sporting event on the planet.

One thing that stood out, there wasn't a single betting brand advertising at the game. For operators looking at football in Australia, that's a wide open space.

Easter Monday at the MCG — A Different World

A full house at the MCG for the Easter Monday match between Hawthorn and Geelong

Two days later, 84,712 people descended on the MCG for the traditional Easter Monday AFL clash between Hawthorn and Geelong. It helped that the game was an absolute classic, Hawthorn scoring a behind in the final 30 seconds to win by a point. But the sponsorship landscape was just as fascinating to me as the scoreline.

Toyota, AAMI and Telstra hold field-level visibility. AAMI are clearly one of the biggest spenders in Australian sport, and it's easy to see why, the exposure is unrivalled. NAB's partnership with Auskick is one of the smartest community-level plays in the market, embedding the brand into grassroots participation from childhood. And younger brands like Crypto.com and Sportsbet have carved out their own space, with Sportsbet in particular deeply embedded in fan behaviour through a genuinely brilliant product.

AFL draws the biggest crowds in Australian sport and is a cultural pillar in this city. The brands spending big on it understand exactly what they're buying, reach, relevance and emotional connection at a scale that almost nothing else in this country can match.

What It All Means

These two experiences in one week crystallised something for me. AFL is the gold standard for domestic sponsorship in Australia right now, and the numbers back that up. But global football is coming, and the brands that get ahead of the World Cup wave, rather than reacting to it, are the ones who will look smart when the tournament kicks off this summer.

F42 Consulting works across both codes and has significant experience in football and igaming partnerships in particular. Whether you're looking to activate around the World Cup, explore AFL partnership opportunities, or simply want a fresh perspective on your sponsorship strategy, feel free to get in touch.