What a week it has been for the sports sponsorship space. While the Carlton Football Club extended its decade-long partnership with Virgin Australia, the dominant story remained the Albanese Government’s gambling ad crackdown.
Come January 1, betting companies will be banned from advertising during live sporting events, on team uniforms and in stadiums. Gambling advertising on TV will also be restricted to no more than three clips each hour between 6am and 8.30pm, while there will be a total ban on wagering ads on the radio during 8am-9am and 3pm-4pm.
This has been highly reported in the media as a threat to the value of the NRL rights deal.
But, B&T explored how the crackdown actually opens an “opportunity” for brand marketers as they won’t have to compete with the deep pockets of wagering services for ad space and sponsorships.
In the NRL alone the The Dolphins (Betr), Newcastle Knights, Penrith Panthers (Picklebet), Sydney Roosters (Unibet) and Wests Tigers (PlayUp) would all be affected with their jersey sponsorships.
On top of that, the Brisbane Broncos have The Star (casino) as its back-top sponsor and the Gold Coast Titans have The Lottery Office as its front of jersey partner.
Welcome back to B&T’s Spotlight on Sponsors series, where we break down all the major sponsorship news from inside the sporting world.
This week we delve into Carltons extended partnership with Virgin, North Queensland Cowboys new partnership with Mother Energy, Collingwood giving CyberCX a further two years, Tradeify locking up the services of Travis Head and Heineken announcing its 2026 star Quality National Champion (essentially the best bartender who can pour the perfect Heineken)
Carlton Football Club x Virgin Australia
Virgin Australia has extended its partnership with the Carlton Football Club for a further three years, cementing a relationship that has lasted more than a decade.
Carlton’s scale across both its fan base and corporate member network presents a strong opportunity for Virgin Australia to grow brand consideration in Victoria, particularly among audiences with a higher propensity to travel for games.
As part of the deal, the Virgin Australia brand will feature prominently across in stadium signage at Carlton home games, with fans encouraged to keep an eye out for exciting Virgin Australia experiences and giveaways throughout the season.
Carlton CEO Graham Wright said the Club was pleased to extend a long-term partnership that has delivered strong outcomes over many years.
“This partnership continues to deliver important outcomes for our people and our Club’s commercial growth, and we look forward to building on the foundations established over many years,” Wright said.
“Virgin Australia is an organisation defined by strong values and a genuine customer-first mindset, which aligns closely with our own.
“Their continued support across more than a decade speaks volumes about their belief in our club and their commitment to our future.”
Virgin Australia chief marketing and customer operations officer, Libby Minogue, said the extension reflects the strength of the long-standing partnership and a shared focus on delivering great experiences for fans.
“We’re incredibly proud to extend our partnership with Carlton and celebrate more than a decade of supporting the club,” she said.
“With a passionate fanbase and one of the largest corporate member bases in the AFL, this partnership creates a strong platform for Virgin Australia to deepen brand consideration in Victoria and connect with audiences more likely to travel with us.
“As the official airline partner of the AFL and AFLW – flying all 19 clubs, including players, coaches and officials – this partnership further strengthens our ability to bring fans closer to the moments that matter most.”
The announcement follows Virgin Australia recently penning a new five-year deal as the AFL’s exclusive airline, continuing to fly players, coaches and support staff to matches across the country.
North Queensland Cowboys x Mother
The North Queensland Cowboys will be fuelled by Mother Energy for the 2026 and 2027 NRL seasons.
Known for its bold personality and strong connection to sport and entertainment, Mother Energy will bring an exciting new dimension to the Cowboys’ game day experience, engaging fans both in-stadium and across digital platforms.
As part of the partnership, Mother Energy will introduce the Mother Mullet Cam at Cowboys home games, an interactive fan filter that instantly gives fans their dream mullet, creating unforgettable, laugh-out-loud moments on the big screen. The partnership will also feature entertaining content, fan activations and creative storytelling designed to celebrate Cowboys supporters and elevate the atmosphere at Queensland Country Bank Stadium.
Cowboys chief commercial and external affairs officer, Dean Payne, said the partnership was a perfect cultural fit for the club and its fan base.
“Mother Energy brings a fun, energetic and unapologetically bold approach that aligns perfectly with our club and our fans,” Payne said.
“From the Mother Mullet Cam to hilarious game day content and fan-first activations, this partnership is all about creating memorable moments and elevating the Cowboys experience. Our supporters are at the heart of everything we do, and Mother Energy understands how to connect with them in a way that’s authentic, entertaining and uniquely North Queensland.”
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Mitchell Whittet, marketing manager of Mother Energy said the Cowboys’ passion, personality and strong regional connection made the club an ideal partner.
“The Cowboys are one of the most passionate clubs in the NRL, with fans who bring incredible energy every game day,” he said.
“We’re excited to partner with the Cowboys in 2026 and bring our brand to life through fun, unexpected and fan-driven moments. The Mullet Cam is just the beginning – we can’t wait to create content and experiences that get the crowd involved and make game day even bigger and bolder.”
Collingwood Football Club x CyberCX
CyberCX, part of Accenture, has expanded its partnership with the Collingwood Football Club, as the official cyber security partner of the club, its app and its major partners. As part of the partnership, CyberCX branding will appear on the interchange bench at Collingwood home and away games at both the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) and Marvel Stadium.
Over the past two years CyberCX has worked closely with Collingwood to strengthen the club’s cyber defences by providing 24/7 monitoring of the club’s environment through sovereign security operations centre (SOC) services to detect threats, conducting penetration tests for internal and external networks, and uplifting cyber security awareness and capabilities across all levels of the organisation.
“At CyberCX we see first-hand how the global threat environment is deteriorating. Our CyberCX 2026 Threat Report revealed that cyber extortion is now the number one type of cyber incident confronting organisations, while financially motivated attacks are taking longer to detect. This impacts sporting clubs and codes, who face an increasingly hazardous range of cyber threats,” said CyberCX CEO John Paitaridis.
“CyberCX is a mission-driven organisation dedicated to securing our communities, and nothing brings our communities together like sports. The Collingwood Football Club is a leading organisation in Australia’s sporting landscape, we’re proud of the work we have delivered for the Club over the past two years and look forward to strengthening our partnership into the future.”
“We’re thrilled to extend our partnership with CyberCX. Their expertise and commitment have been invaluable in strengthening the Club’s cyber defence,” said Collingwood CEO Craig Kelly.
“Working with Australia’s leading cyber security organisation gives us confidence that our information is protected. In today’s digital world, safeguarding data isn’t just about the Club, it’s about protecting our players, staff, Members and supporters from digital threats.
“This partnership ensures we keep everyone connected to Collingwood safe online.”
CyberCX previously warned that the global sporting sector faces a hazardous cyber threat environment with Australia becoming an increasingly attractive target and has reinforced the need for continued investment in cyber security.
The expanded partnership with Collingwood follows a partnership announced last month between CyberCX and the Australian Football League (AFL) elevating CyberCX as the official cyber security partner to the AFL and AFLW and the naming partner of the AFL Review Centre (ARC).
As part of the agreement, all AFL clubs will have the opportunity to partake in a cyber assessment program that will spearhead cyber uplift initiatives and boost security maturity at club level.
This year CyberCX was the official cyber partner to the Australian Open for the fourth year in a row. CyberCX is also the official cyber security partner to the Wallabies and Wallaroos, helping to improve Rugby Australia’s cyber security defences through cyber incident simulation exercises, organisation risk assessments, penetration testing and uplift in cyber security controls at Rugby Australia.
Travis Head x Tradeify
Tradeify, the global trader evaluation platform, has recruited Australian cricket star Travis Head, coinciding with the start of the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) season. The partnership marks the third chapter of Tradeify’s ‘The Champion Mindset’ campaign, promoting the composure required to succeed at the top of professional sport and financial trading.
The ICC Cricket World Cup winner becomes the third professional athlete to join Tradeify’s growing ambassador roster, following 2026 PDC World Darts Champion Luke Littler and MMA icon Israel Adesanya.
The announcement comes at a key moment in Head’s career, following a dominant batting display that drove Australia to victory in the 2025/26 Ashes series. Now, Head has sights set on the upcoming 2026 IPL, the world’s most watched cricket league, as he prepares to lead Sunrisers Hyderabad into the new season with his signature ‘Travball’ batting style.
Since his breakthrough for Australia in 2016, Head has built a reputation as a clutch performer in high-pressure situations, most memorably scoring 137 runs in the 2023 World Cup Final to defeat home-nation India and deliver the trophy to Australia. This ability to maintain composure and produce match-winning performances at key moments has earned him a loyal international following.
Tradeify will be a part of future iconic moments, with branding on the back of Head’s bat in all matches through the duration of the partnership. The brand will also leverage this association to engage cricket fans across the world, starting with a signed bat giveaway.
“In the world of cricket, there are few athletes we admire more than Travis. Travis has dominated big international moments for the last 4 years, becoming a clutch player for Australia with countless match winning performances in Test series, World Cups and The Ashes,” said Brett Simberkoff, founder and CEO of Tradeify.
“We love his mentality and ability to deliver in big moments by keeping a cool head, mixing a calm mind with a front-footed proactive approach – a quality that mirrors the mindset of top traders. Everyone at Tradeify is excited to be a part of his journey and look forward to supporting as his career continues to hit new levels”.
“Achieving sustained success in professional cricket takes the right mindset – staying level headed and maintaining composure, no matter what comes your way. I’m pleased to partner with Tradeify to elevate this skill as part of The Champion Mindset campaign,” concluded Head.
Formula 1 x Heineken
Heineken has crowned its 2026 star Quality National Champion following the brand’s annual Star Quality National Final, held at the Heineken Fan Zone during the Aussie F1 Grand Prix.
Finalists were selected from a pool of over 1,000 bartenders nationwide, bringing together the country’s top bartending talent. The event showcased the best in beer craftsmanship, as participants competed for the title by demonstrating mastery of Heineken’s five-step Star Serve ritual: rinse, pour, skim, check and serve.
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Established as a cornerstone of Heineken’s standards, the Star Serve ritual sees consumers twice as likely to repurchase a Heineken when a bartender complies with all five steps, supported by more than eight years of mystery shopping insights.
Taking out the top honour on the day was Jorja Salt (The Boat – Mindarie), recognised for her flawless execution of all five steps, with a perfect pour that saw the foam sit precisely on the shoulders of the star, a detail unmatched by other finalists. She was joined on the podium by Belle Ritchie (Normanby Hotel, Brisbane) in second place, and Will Lincoln-Price (BearBrass, Melbourne) in third.
The event was also attended and judged by social media creator SchoonerScorer, who crowned the winning pour and created live content, extending the atmosphere of Albert Park beyond the circuit.
The competition forms part of Heineken’s broader Star Quality Program, which has trained thousands of bartenders across hundreds of venues nationwide on the Star Serve. Designed to elevate the beer experience, the program reinforces the importance of perfect execution at every stage of the pour, which, alongside being served in Heineken branded glassware, is a key driver of consumer satisfaction and repeat purchase.
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“The Star Quality Program is about more than just pouring the perfect beer, it’s about delivering a consistently premium experience for every Heineken® served,” said Dino Bozzone, Heineken country manager. “Our National Final is a celebration of the venues and bartenders who bring this to life every day.”
Additional finalists included Matthew French (Warradale Hotel, Adelaide), Kathy Liu (Hotel Nacional, Melbourne), Tayla Brown (Scarborough Beach Bar, Perth), Chris Hodges (Finn McCool’s, Fortitude Valley), and Fred Wadkins (formerly of The International, Sydney), who also took home the Wild Card award for theatre and presence.
