The future of live sports venues and the match day experience

James Bijen The future direction and evolution of live sports venues is an important, yet often overlooked element in Australian rugby, and all sports across the country. Wallaby come architect Al Baxter's provides his vision on turning match day into an event, and Stadium Grub founder Kevin Perry gives his view on the total match day experience. Written by James Bijen.

Eyes on the Prize

Lachie Collins John May is a man who has had a long standing passion for the interaction between sport and business. While football clubs are built on the foundation of those that go out to battle and compete for premierships, there is often little recognition given to the people behind the scenes, implementing the processes and direction of the club on and off the field. May, who once had the inside running on all things sport business, provides us with a unique perspective on the politics and administrative positioning of sport.

Exiles Match Seeks to Bathe in World Cup Warmth

Chris Chard With the sporting juggernaut that is State of Origin continuing to grow as a multimillion dollar money spinner for Australian rugby league, the third International Origin series between England and the ‘Exiles’ is set to take place at the Halliwell Jones Stadium Warrington June 14,th with organisers hoping the fixture will benefit from some pre-World cup good will.

Report examines the impact of sport sponsorship in Australia and New Zealand

Connor Wright Sponsorship Today has published a detailed analysis of sponsorship in Australian and New Zealand sport; finding that the combined countries’ sports sponsorship spending is US$880 million (AUS$927m). While the report deals with the facts and figures of Australian and New Zealand Sponsorship, the analysis goes further, examining the trends behind the data, to reveal some interesting findings about the impact of sponsorship in the two countries.

Hope in the battle for a more even playing field in La Liga

Frank Tigani The success of Barcelona, who matched Real Madrid's record season of 100 LA Liga points, has further highlighted the increasing polarity between the top two Spanish teams and the rest of Spain’s Primera Division. The main factor behind this growing polarity that has seen Real Madrid and Barcelona literally dominate on the field has been the growing financial disparity between them and the rest of the league off the field. But what is the solution for a more balanced competition in La Liga?

Souths top of the (fan engagement) table

Nic Ferraro A partnership between NRL club South Sydney Rabbitohs, ANZ Stadium and former Masterchef contestant Kevin Perry has resulted in a fan-engagement bonanza at the weekends match between the Rabbitohs and Knights. Ever the supporter of fan-centric initiatives which boost the game day experience, SBI MD Nic Ferraro was on hand to give his view.

Profile: John Gearman

Anthony Costa John Gearman is a sports designer with over 25 years of experience developing products and brands within Australian sports. In this time, Gearman has worked with a lot of major sporting bodies and clubs around Australia and believes that his work is about providing marketability for clubs to give fans an image and brand that they’ll be proud of and not embarrassed to show. Anthony Costa (Brand Sports) sat down with Gearman to get his insights on current brand development within Australian sport and what direction he believes is possible and necessary for the sustainability of certain Australian sports.

Cricket Australia, finish your own homework

Aidan Baker Cricket Australia Governance has a soft underbelly, which has been controlled by dictators fueled by self interest rather than the good of the sport. Be it at local, semi professional, state, or national level, the sport has seen a decrease in player numbers, sponsorship and public interest; yet the governance of the sport has stayed the same or even reverted to the ‘old guard’. It may have worked previously, but unless it changes, the sport will continue to suffer.