Industry News – Thursday, May 18th, 2017

AFL

• Essendon have announced 65,000 members.
• St Kilda have announced at 40,00 members.
• NORTH Melbourne is heading back to the future for its newest guernsey. They’ve decided to pay tribute to their original VFL guernsey. Back in 1925 when North Melbourne entered the competition they wore a primarily royal blue top — after donning navy in the VFA — with a white chevron.
• BRISBANE coach Chris Fagan has echoed Nick Riewoldt’s call for an AFL team in Tasmania. Fagan — a member of the Tasmanian Football Hall of Fame — told Fairfax the AFL had chosen to expand into non-traditional footy territory at the expense of the Apple Isle and that the time was now ripe to add another team to the league.
• ADELAIDE has landed an Australian first — investing in a professional eSports team. The Crows followed overseas sporting leagues, teams and individuals investing in eSports in the past 18 months, including former NBA star Shaquille O’Neal and super-rich soccer outfit Paris Saint-Germain
• The Crows have bought professional outfit Legacy eSports – one of Australia’s eight top-tier teams that competes in the Oceanic Pro League playing the game League of Legends. Legacy eSports are based in Sydney.

A-league

• Football Federation Australia have demanded answers from Ticketek over a bizarre AFL-themed advert for the upcoming friendly between Brazil and Australia.  The ad shows Brazilians playing football on a beach – then they’re given a Sherrin-style AFL ball to play with instead.

• Days after winning the A-League double, the Sky Blues have revealed a radical new design for the club badge — as well as extending their tenancy at Allianz Stadium for another decade.

NRL & Rugby League

• In a free to air first, @Channel7 will broadcast all 12 women’s @RLWC2017 matches – including the final. #RLWC2017
• Furious NRL clubs are set to wage a new attack on John Grant’s position as rugby league’s top administrator after the NRL warned it wasn’t in a position to pay the promised $13million in club grants next year.

Super Rugby

• MELBOURNE Rebels assistant coach Morgan Turinui has blasted the Australian Rugby Union’s drawn-out handling of changes to the Super Rugby competition as an “absolute disgrace.”
• Senior Wallabies have intervened in Australian rugby’s ongoing drama after voting to call an ARU special general meeting as the Super Rugby saga continues to haunt the game.
• Australian Rugby Union chairman Cameron Clyne insists the national body is not floundering in the task of reducing Australia’s Super Rugby presence from five teams to four, despite a special general meeting being called to debate its procedures.

General

• Campaigns from OptusSport, FFA, SamsungAU and NRLMedia take gongs at the global Clio Sports awards night in NY: http://bit.ly/2qqZbCD