Just five years ago, Australia’s female Rugby Union team was still utilising chocolate fundraising boxes to go on tour. Now, three years after first signing, Cadbury Australia has elevated its commitment to the team, signing on as the Principal Partner for the next six years.
Lead image: L-R – Wallaroos Eva Karpani, Piper Duck, Director of Marketing Excellence Mondelēz International Kathy De Lullo, Wallaroos Siokapesi Palu and Faitala Moleka
Cadbury has been the team’s major partner since 2021 and has expanded its commitment. The iconic Cadbury logo is now prominently featured across the Wallaroos‘ home and away jerseys.
Cadbury has a long history of supporting Australian sports at elite and grassroots levels. The brand has particularly been committed to driving visibility and equality for women in sports through partnerships with the Australian Olympic and Paralympic teams, Hobart Hurricanes, Matildas, and AFLW, which aim to inspire the next generation of Australian female athletes and encourage participation in sport.
Rugby Australia CEO Phil Waugh said Cadbury’s new commitment is a watershed moment for Women’s Rugby In Australia. “Cadbury has been an invaluable partner to Rugby since 2021, and we are proud to announce together the brand’s expanded commitment to Women’s Rugby for the next six years”.
“The 2029 Rugby World Cup promises to be an inspiring moment for the game, and to be able to enjoy the support of such a prominent brand in the lead-up to that major event is a huge boost to the Wallaroos program”.
“In February, Rugby Australia announced it will invest more than ever into its Women’s Rugby program In 2024, with higher player payments, a full-time head coach, our first dedicated women’s high-performance manager, and an increased Wallaroos schedule”.
“We still have work to do; however, we are seeing the flow-on at the community level, too—women’s Rugby is the fastest growing part of the game at the grassroots level; we saw a 16% increase in female participation in clubs in 2023.”
“This major partnership with Cadbury will be a significant factor as we strive to continue growing our financial commitment to Women’s XVs, and especially in driving greater visibility of our athletes and the Wallaroos”.
In addition to supporting athletes and sports at the highest levels, Cadbury has had a long-standing commitment to grassroots programs, including the 2022 national women in sport program, which funded uniforms designed specifically for female athletes, 2023’s Cheer & a Half community grants, which celebrated the generosity of volunteers in local grassroots clubs, and a re-design of the iconic Cadbury Dairy Milk milk chocolate block, which featured four Cadbury Women in Sport ambassadors, filling supermarket aisles with inspiring images of these exceptional athletes.
“We know Australians are passionate about sport on the world stage, and Cadbury’s values of creating connections, generosity, and community spirit resonate with this partnership with Australian Rugby and the Wallaroos. Through our commitment, we want to support the Wallaroos at the elite level and promote visibility and equality for women in sports”, said Kathy De Lullo, director of marketing excellence at Mondelēz International, custodians of Cadbury.
De Lullo told B&T that Cadbury values continuing to drive support for women’s sports, building relationships around generosity, community spirit, and forming connections.
“The women in sports programmes started about four years ago in 2020. And through that, we’ve had multiple initiatives aimed at keeping women in the game, giving them the visibility and the equality to continue to access these fabulous sports,” said De Lullo.
De Lullo said that, outside of the increased support and logo visibility, there are further plans to integrate the Cadbury brand within the game day experience as a whole. “Anything that we can do to support the experience, the visibility, and the involvement in the participation in the game, not just as players but as spectators or volunteers or in any way, shape or form. That’s that’s the intent of the programme,” she said.
“I think it’s an invitation to communities and people to come out and show their support. Nothing brings people together more than supporting their teams on a national and global stage”.
As the Wallaroos set their sights on the upcoming Women’s Rugby World Cups in 2025 and on home soil in 2029, there will be many opportunities to support the success of Australian women’s Rugby.
“Over the last decade, we have invested $50 million into Australia’s leading sporting codes. We want to encourage Australians to get more involved in Rugby at a local club, in the stands, or as part of the global competition, and we are seeing pleasing growth in women’s participation figures across the board, from the elite through to the grassroots. As a leading brand, together with a leading sports code, we are thrilled to boost our partnership with the Wallaroos and are excited about the journey to come,” said Darren O’Brien, President of Australia, New Zealand and Japan at Mondelēz International.
Cadbury’s partnership with the Wallaroos will extend for six years through Australia’s home Rugby World Cup in 2029.
