The most hyped up NRL club—despite not even being in the competition yet—the PNG Chiefs has drummed up even more attention by inking the largest club sponsorship in NRL history.
Joining the tribe on a deal reportedly worth at least $4 million is Bank South Pacific (BSP). The largest bank in Papua New Guinea will join the Chiefs immediately and will be with the club until at least the end of the 203o NRL season.
The principal foundation partnership was announced at Santos Stadium in Port Moresby by PNG Chiefs CEO Lorna McPherson, BSP chairman Robert Bradshaw and BSP group CEO Mark Robinson.
Welcome back to B&T’s Spotlight on Sponsors series, where we break down all the major sponsorship news from inside the sporting world.
As principal foundation partner BSP’s brand will feature on the front of the PNG Chiefs jersey, with prominent logo placement also to be incorporated across other major training and merchandise apparel.
This will also include prominent exposure and support for the club’s fan engagement program, while the front of jersey position will be supplemented by a comprehensive partnership including signage, hospitality and executive access, academy and pathway programs, community initiatives, and match day activations.
BSP will also become the official banking and financial services partner of the PNG Chiefs.
Talking to The Australian, the Chiefs CEO said that PNG’s sponsorship portfolio will be the most lucrative in the NRL.
“Let me be very clear, the shirt will have $20m [worth of sponsorship] alone. That would put the PNG Chiefs I would say clearly at the top of the NRL, and we haven’t kicked a ball yet,” said McPherson.
“And that’s before we’ve done the merchandising, the membership, the ticketing, or the [corporate] hospitality. We’ve tried to create that benchmark for an expansion club, and so it puts us at that very top tier.”
For BSP group CEO Robinson, this is a “partnership with purpose”.
“This agreement sees BSP become a partner on match day, a partner in engaging the new army of Chiefs fans and an active partner in the community. This includes working with the Chiefs to lift financial literacy throughout PNG,” he said.
The Chiefs will enter the competition in 2028 with what some pundits are calling the “Avengers”. Before a single ball has even been kicked PNG has already been aggressive in the market, signing four time premiership winner Brian To’o, ex-team mate and three time premiership winner Jarome Luai, NRL’s all-time try scorer Alex Johnston, NSW State of Origin stars Connor Watson and Zac Lomax, and dual code superstar Joey Manu.
These signings has drummed up PNG to be the most anticipated expansion club in NRL history—overshadowing the return of the Bears in 2027.
This is thanks to ex-sports hack, Michael Chammas, who has made a big song and dance about each and every signing. The Chiefs’ general manager has even gone as far as holding a coveted 007 spot—which was later revealed as Manu.
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BSP, although the first official sponsor of the chiefs, aren’t the first sponsor to align themselves with the club. Pepsi PNG wasted no time jumping on the bandwagon, signing Luai to a five-year deal.
The NRL finals series kicks off tonight when the South Sydney Rabbitohs take on the Newcastle Knights at Allianz Stadium.
Turning our attention to some sphere shaped ball sports and the NBL and WNBL has expanded their partnership with Mortgage Choice. It will be the first time Mortgage Choice has also partnered with the WNBL.
And in the soccer, Australian food brand Patties Food has entered a strategic partnership with FC Tokyo, led by its flagship meat pie brand, Four’N Twenty. The deal marks the company’s first major sports-driven marketing expansion into the Japanese market and makes Patties a premium partner of the J1 League club.
