28.04.2023 – Sports Industry News Wrap – A-league, AFL, NRL, Rugby and WNBL

Ahead of a big weekend in sport, heres the latest nws as of 12pm 28.04

A-Leagues

• Liberty will remain a naming rights partner for the A-League Women’s and a major sponsor of the Isuzu UTE A-League into the 2023/24 season.

AFL

• After residents voiced concerns about the amount of tree canopy that was to be lost under the original plan, the Crows have produced an alternative plan featuring a smaller secondary training oval for Kings Reserve.
• Adelaide president and former South Australian premier John Olsen says Tasmania’s AFL bid will secure majority support from the league’s 18 presidents despite some reservations about a stadium cost blowout.
• AFL club presidents will be updated on Anthony Albanese’s Saturday funding announcement in Hobart at 3pm this afternoon as AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan denied delays over appointing his successor were “damaging” the AFL’s brand.
• AFLW clubs finally have a start date with the eighth season of the women’s competition set to kick off during the AFL pre-finals bye weekend.
• Redeveloping Macquarie Point with an AFL stadium, housing and recreational facilities will boost Tasmania’s economic activity and bring more events to the state, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says.
• An AFL stadium at Macquarie Point would adversely impact the Hobart Cenotaph as a place of quiet remembrance of the nation’s war dead, the state’s Vietnam Veteran’s association says.

Broadcasting and Digital

• Nick Bower, GM of ad sales at Paramount, said the ALW Grand Final relocation had made no impact on its platforms and should be seen as a positive change.
• The opening rounds of the AFL and NRL footy season saw time spent per person consuming online sports content double in March to 74 minutes on average a month, up from 35 minutes in February, according to Ipsos iris.

NRL

• New Zealand are set to enter the Harvey Norman Women’s National Championships for the first time in 2023 under a new format structure announced on Friday.
• International rugby league is set for a major shake-up with Tonga to tour England for the first time while two separate tri-nation tournaments are slated in the southern hemisphere at the same time.
• The women’s State of Origin title will be contested across two games for the first time in its history after the NRL announced games in both NSW and Queensland in 2023.
• The NRLW is primed for its biggest season yet, with more than twice the number of matches in 2023 and games broadcast live on primetime for the first time in the league’s history.

Rugby

• Rugby Australia’s return to surplus this year is a good headline, but the really important information is contained in the annual report.

WNBL

• Basketball Australia has been urged to join forces with Larry Kestelman and a booming NBL in a bid to secure the WNBL’s future amid frustration about the league’s ownership structure.