The sporting landscape has been bombarded with partnerships, broken records and amazing moments. And on the marketing front, the biggest news of the week belongs to Harvey Norman, who has joined the Australian Commonwealth Games Team in its quest for gold as an official partner for the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games.
But while brands are looking ahead to the global stage, much of Australia’s sporting and marketing attention this week remained firmly fixed on rugby league’s biggest spectacle, the State of Origin. Find out how brands are going head-to-head in rugby league’s most ferocious rivalry here.
In the match last night New South Wales were down and out trailing 20-0. Fast forward to an near impossible try from fullback James Tedesco and a send off for his Queensland opposite number Kalyn Ponga and the Blues snatched a two point victory.
It wasn’t the most clinical performance, but all the great sides find a way to win games that they aren’t suppose to.
Game two will be played in Melbourne on 17 June. This is a must win for Maroons if it wants to keep the series alive.
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In the AFL Scott Pendlebury became the most capped AFL player in history, playing his 433rd game in the sport. The day was full of festivities with the Collingwood Magpies playing in gold numbers to mark the occasion and Kayo having a dedicated camera on Pendlebury during the game. And the celebrations didn’t stop there, as the Magpies would go on to clinch a clinical eight point victory over the West Coast Eagles at home.
Welcome back to B&T’s Spotlight on Sponsors series, where we break down all the major sponsorship news from inside the sporting world.
What a massive week it has been, and not just on the field but also in the bleachers. Paula’s Choice has stepped onto the football pitch as the official skincare sponsor of the FIFA World Cup, NBL has taken flight with Virgin Australia for the next three years, Oscar Piastri and Google Pixel have made tee shirts together and rugby league players Ebony Marinoff and Jamal Fogarty are the newest ambassadors for HITIQ.
Australian Commonwealth Games Team x Harvey Norman
Harvey Norman has joined the Australian Commonwealth Games Team in its quest for gold as an official partner for the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games.
Building on the partnership first established at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, the collaboration with Harvey Norman brings together two proudly Australian organisations united by a shared commitment to investing in sport, backing athletes and celebrating Australia’s success on the global stage.
CGA CEO, Craig Phillips said Harvey Norman’s support will make a meaningful difference to athletes and the experience for team members at AUS HQ.
“Having Harvey Norman come on board as an official partner is a huge boost for our athletes,” Phillips said.
“Their support helps us continue to deliver world‑class preparation and resources, so our team can perform at their very best internationally.
“Through this partnership, we will be delivering an engaging Team Members lounge at AUS HQ using products from Harvey Norman, which is crucial in helping create the right environment for our athletes to pursue excellence and inspire Australians everywhere.”
Chef de mission, Petria Thomas said strong partnerships are especially important during the lead‑up to the Games.
“Our athlete’s preparation is demanding, so having trusted partners behind them that help us create the right environment for them to perform at their best really counts,” Thomas said.
“Thanks to Harvey Norman’s support, our athletes can focus on what matters most, performing at their peak and chasing gold on the world stage.”
Katie Page, CEO of Harvey Norman, said the partnership reflects the company’s long‑standing commitment to supporting Australian athletes.
“Harvey Norman is proud to support Australian athletes at every stage of their journey, from community and grassroots sport, right through to our elite athletes as they prepare for the Commonwealth Games,” she said.
“These moments mean so much, not just for the athletes, but for the communities and fans who follow their journeys.
“Through this partnership, we want to support their dreams and celebrate everything they achieve when representing Australia on the world stage.”
Seven‑time Commonwealth Games gold medallist and Harvey Norman brand ambassador Ariarne Titmus explained that the Games are a defining moment for many Australian athletes.
“The Commonwealth Games are incredibly special, they’re often where athletes make their breakthrough on a major international stage,” Titmus said.
“Having partners like Harvey Norman supporting the journey behind the scenes is so important in helping athletes have the best possible Games experience.”
As an official partner, Harvey Norman will work closely with Commonwealth Games Australia in fitting out the Team Members Lounge at AUS HQ in Glasgow and across other campaign initiatives that celebrate athlete achievements, engage fans and inspire communities nationwide.
The Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games will take place from 23 July to 2 August 2026.
FIFA World Cup x Paula’s Choice
Skincare brand, Paula’s Choice has laced up for both the the FIFA World Cup 2026 and FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027. The brand steps onto the football pitch as the official skincare sponsor.
To mark the occasion, the brand is set to launch a global campaign, ‘Proud Supporter of Your Skin’, which celebrates skincare that keeps its promises for fans and athletes in the world’s most high-pressure environments.
Centred on the face as the ultimate canvas of expression, the campaign reveals the stories unfolding both on and off the field, where every glance, reaction, and emotion brings the stories beneath the surface of the game to life.
The hero campaign film, ‘The Beautiful Game’, reinforces this perspective, stating, “they call it the beautiful game because it puts us through everything,” reframing beauty not as perfection, but as resilience and grit under pressure. It focuses on the visible effects of the game on fans, not just athletes: sun, sweat, flushed skin, late night, tears, and tension.
Rooted in the brand’s belief in high-performance skincare, this partnership reflects Paula’s Choice’s continued expansion into sport. By joining forces with FIFA, Paula’s Choice highlights that performance, resilience, and endurance are visible not only on the pitch, but also across the global audience experiencing the game.
With more than 5 billion viewers expected globally, the FIFA World Cup 2026 represents one of the largest shared environments in the world. As the tournament unfolds across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, it will span multiple climates and time zones, with matches shifting outside traditional viewing hours. These disruptions to sleep and daily rhythms, combined with intense emotional stress, have a direct and visible impact on the skin.
“We see skincare as part of a broader performance mindset,” said Faiz Ahmad, CEO of Paula’s Choice. “At the World Cup, that performance is everywhere, in the athletes, the fans, and the environments people move through. Our role is to support people and their skin in those moments. That’s what The Beautiful Game brings to life.
“This partnership builds on Paula’s Choice’s history of supporting athletes and organizations that embody excellence. The brand is proud to highlight its ongoing commitment to women’s sports through its existing partnership with the NWSL Seattle Reign and world-class ambassadors, including #1 WNBA overall draft pick Azzi Fudd and global rugby star Ilona Maher.
“At Paula’s Choice, we’ve built our legacy on high-performing skincare that delivers real results. The World Cup is a natural extension of that; a global stage where we can support skin through the intensity and environments that show up on the face.”
The campaign will roll out globally across key markets, including out-of-home, digital, and social channels. A flagship brand activation is set to take place in Los Angeles during the tournament, bringing the support your skin message to life for fans on the ground.
NBL x Virgin Australia
Virgin Australia has stepped on the court with both the National Basketball League (NBL) and Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) for the next three years. Virgin has become the official domestic airline partner of both competitions as demand for fan travel continues to surge across Australia.
The partnership comes as basketball continues its rapid growth, with more than 1 million Australian participants, 1.2 million attendees last season, and a 20 per cent growth in broadcast viewership year-on-year.
Virgin Australia CEO, Dave Emerson, said the partnership reflects the airline’s ongoing commitment to grow its share of sport and fan travel.
“Sport plays a powerful role in connecting communities, fans and driving visitation, and Virgin Australia is proud to be the new airline partner of the NBL and WNBL as we continue to grow our presence in live sport tourism,” said Emerson.
“Through basketball’s growing popularity in Australia is an opportunity for Virgin Australia to help fans get closer to the action on the court, while supporting players, coaches and support staff travel to away games.
“Our partnership with the league will complement our partnerships with the AFL, AFLW, Carlton and Sydney Swans football clubs, further strengthening Virgin Australia’s commitment to connecting fans with the sports they love while supporting major events that drive tourism and economic growth across Australia.”
The partnership will also see Virgin Australia become the presenting partner of HoopsFest, a basketball festival, set to take place in Perth from 13-17 January, 2027.
With Hoopsfest attendance increasing by an average of 25 per cent each year, Virgin Australia’s 250 weekly return services to Perth are helping fans, players and officials travel to the event, while driving increased visitation and a significant boost to the Western Australian economy.
This partnership adds to Virgin’s strong sporting portfolio which includes AFL, AFLW, Carlton Football Club and the Sydney Swans Football Club.
“This partnership with Virgin Australia reflects the momentum behind our leagues and the increasing demand we’re seeing for basketball, with fans travelling across the country to support their teams and be part of major events,” said NBL Group CEO David Stevenson.
“We’re also thrilled to welcome Virgin Australia as the presenting partner of HoopsFest – which has fast become one of the most exciting sporting events on the calendar. This new partnership will help us continue to grow HoopsFest, easing access to Perth and deliver even more amazing experiences to basketball fans. I want to thank Virgin Australia CEO, David Emerson, and his team, and look forward to working with them.”
Oscar Piastri x Google Pixel
What started as a vote on social media has become real-world fan merchandise, with Oscar Piastri attending the Canadian Grand Prix wearing the ‘The Piastee’, a t-shirt he designed in collaboration with Google Pixel.
Led by independent creative company Emotive and brought to life through Emotive Productions, the latest chapter of Google Pixel’s partnership with Piastri showed what can happen when audiences are invited to shape the idea, not just watch it.
Earlier this year, Google Pixel and Piastri launched their partnership via a film showing that ‘switching things up’ can lead to something great. A few months later, they collaborated again – this time to create ‘The Piastee’, where Piastri partnered with Pixel to switch up another part of his life: his famously understated fashion.
Piastri created three t-shirt designs with the help of his Pixel 10 Pro, inspired by internet-fuelled fan lore such as his much-memed reaction to the Austrian jetpack incident and his beloved pet dog Basil. Then, he put the designs to a social vote. More than 12,000 votes were cast, with a croissant-inspired tee (a nod to his ‘Oscar Pastry’ nickname) officially crowned the winning design and becoming ‘The Piastee’.
After fans flooded social media asking for the tee to become real merchandise, Google Pixel and the McLaren F1 driver responded by putting it into production. Influencers began wearing it, giveaways rolled out across social, and the shirt ultimately made its way onto the biggest stage of all: Piastri wearing it at the Canadian Grand Prix.
Now, due to the warm reception from his fans, it’s available as official fan merch on Piastri’s online store.
At the centre of the work is a simple truth that has fuelled the partnership from the start: Oscar Piastri’s understated personality is one of the most loved parts of his public identity. While racing is often defined by noise and ego, Piastri’s calm, dry and quietly self-aware persona has created an incredibly engaged fan community that actively looks for, shares and amplifies the internet lore surrounding him.
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The campaign leaned directly into that behaviour, turning fan observations and in-jokes into something tangible people could shape, vote on, wear and share.
“The most exciting part of this campaign was watching the audience take it somewhere bigger than we originally imagined. It started with fans voting on a t-shirt. Then they wanted it made for real. Then the internet started treating it like actual merch before it even existed. That level of participation is incredibly hard to force, but when you create something people genuinely want to engage with, it can move from content into culture very quickly,” said Jessica Cluff, head of earned creative at Emotive.
“At its core, this partnership is focussed on getting consumers to question why they would ever want anything less than ‘the best’, a mindset that Oscar shares and exemplifies on and off the track. This new work demonstrates Oscar being willing to switch things up once again, this time in a light-hearted and playful way that leans into his deep connection with fans and showcases the powerful capabilities of our flagship Pixel devices,” added director of Google’s devices marketing, Julia Davis.
The work was developed through Emotive’s integrated model, with creative and production working as one across Emotive Creative Agency and Emotive Productions. By keeping ‘idea’ and ‘making’ closely connected from the outset, the team was able to move quickly from social interaction to physical production, creator seeding, merchandise development and earned rollout.
The partnership continues to build on Google Pixel’s global platform encouraging consumers to ‘ask more of their phone’, brought to life through a distinctly Australian lens.
Jamal Fogarty & Ebony Marinoff x HITIQ
HITIQ has recruited AFLW Best and Fairest winner Ebony Marinoff and NRL playmaker Jamal Fogarty as brand ambassadors for its PROTEQT smart mouthguard platform, as the ASX-listed sports tech company accelerates its push from elite sport into grassroots and consumer markets.
The dual-code strategy signals a deliberate shift for HITIQ, positioning PROTEQT as both a product for professional athletes and a scalable safety and data platform for community sport. The company is targeting parents, schools and junior leagues increasingly focused on concussion risk and athlete welfare.
Marinoff, one of the most decorated players in AFLW history and the competition’s all-time leader for tackles and disposals, brings strong performance credibility and relevance to the category. Known for her high-contact style of play, averaging more than 12 tackles per game in 2024, she has been a long-time user of PROTEQT at the elite level.
“I wear PROTEQT at the elite level, so it’s great to see the technology becoming available to players at all levels of the game,” Marinoff said. “Giving grassroots athletes access to the same tools used in the professional environment is a really positive step for the sport.”
HITIQ executive chair and CEO Earl Eddings said Marinoff’s appointment reflects authentic product advocacy rather than a traditional endorsement model.
“Ebony is one of the most respected players in AFLW history, and her leadership and professionalism align strongly with HITIQ’s values,” Eddings said. “Her genuine use of PROTEQT and commitment to growing the game make her an ideal ambassador as we expand adoption across both elite and community sport.”
The expansion into rugby league with the appointment of Fogarty extends HITIQ’s reach into one of Australia’s largest participation sports, reinforcing a national, cross-code growth strategy.
A current halfback for the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, Fogarty previously led the Canberra Raiders to the 2025 NRL Minor Premiership and has built a reputation as one of the game’s most composed and experienced playmakers. Born in Beaudesert, Queensland, and a member of the Mununjali clan of the Yugambeh people, he has represented both the Indigenous All Stars and the Prime Minister’s XIII, bringing strong grassroots and community connection to the role.
Eddings said the combined appointments reflect HITIQ’s ambition to scale adoption beyond elite environments.
“Jamal’s appointment builds on what we’re doing with Ebony and signals where we’re heading as a brand,” he added. “This is about reaching athletes and families across all major codes and ensuring the same level of insight and protection available at the elite level is accessible in community sport.”
Fogarty said his involvement is driven by a desire to improve safety outcomes from the ground up.
“The risk of head knocks doesn’t start in the NRL – it starts in junior footy,” Fogarty said. “If we can give parents and coaches better information to protect players from an early age, that’s something I’m proud to be part of.”
The ambassador partnerships come as HITIQ looks to capitalise on rising awareness of concussion in contact sports, with parents, schools and sporting bodies seeking more data-driven approaches to player safety.
