This Month
The Australian at the heart of Saudi’s billion-dollar push to dominate global sport
Danny Townsend ran Sydney FC and then the A-League. Now he’s in the box seat to observe Saudi Arabia’s ambitions to dominate world sport. Will his gamble pay off?
LIV Golf is here to make purists shudder. They like it that way
LIV Golf has brought a party atmosphere to the manicured lawns of Adelaide’s Grange golf links and the tournament’s new global CEO says the sport’s great disruptor is just getting started.
January
What the Australian Open can teach Brisbane 2032
Like grand slam tennis, the biggest challenge the Olympics faces is to attract people who may not even care for the sports themselves. But that needs space.
Banker showdown at the Australian Open men’s final
At the tennis, Jannik Sinner triumphed over Alexander Zverev as three duelling investment banks put on their own show.
Who’s really in and who’s out at the AO women’s final
Australia’s movers and shakers once more opened their social year in style, enjoying one of the true spectacles of global sport at the Australian Open.
The $30k luxury lounge for top tier fans at the Australian Open
Gina Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting has bought tickets to the Australian Open’s newly minted Club 1905, a premium offering for tennis fanatics.
Behind the cartoon version of the Australian Open going wild online
It started with an attempt to help visually impaired tennis fans. The cartoon feeds of the world’s best tennis players are a sign of a greater shift in consumption.
World’s first stadium designed for women’s sports takes the field
The CPKC Stadium in Kansas gives one team a permanent base while providing inspiration for other women’s clubs in an increasingly expensive era of stadium development.
A Michael Jordan moment? Djokovic could harness broadcast spat anger
Pat Rafter reckons Novak Djokovic is in a pretty good headspace to win a remarkable 11th Australian Open title after watching a spat with broadcaster Tony Jones play out. “He’s angry, and he likes to be angry,” Rafter said.
‘It’s like a game of chess’: Why Pat Rafter is hooked on padel
Pat Rafter was once the best tennis player in the world. Now he’s addicted to padel, joining the likes of Serena Williams and David Beckham in taking up the sport.
Saudi Arabia nears deal to take big stake in Foxtel’s new owner DAZN
The investment would value the British sports streaming business, in which News Corp will have a six per cent holding, at more than $16 billion.
FX proves the secret ingredient at Magic Millions sales
The hit to discretionary spending has led to caution at the lower end this year but foreign “whales” with currency buying power have pushed sales to new records.
‘Our competition is the couch’: Why Tiley is serious about pickleball
Pickleball is not a rival to tennis but instead is helping promote racket sports collectively to young people, says Australian Open boss Craig Tiley.
How Australia’s unpredictable weather is changing sport
Athletes now worry that unpredictable weather may affect participation and ultimately the financial viability of sports long-term.
December 2024
TV nostalgia be damned. Australian tennis has a winning game
Today there are more fans, both on-site and online, engaging with the sport than ever before.
News Corp sells Foxtel to British sports streaming giant in $3.4b deal
The multibillion-dollar deal will dramatically alter the local media landscape and create a rich competitor for sports broadcast deals.
Meet the Aussies taking cricket to the home of Moneyball
Home runs and hot dogs aren’t normally associated with cricket but a small group of Australians are trying to make America fall in love with the sport.
NRL stars to make thousands under new global agreement
Players such as James Tedesco and Nathan Cleary could add to their earnings under a deal between the RLPA and athletes’ representation firm OneTeam.
The young sprint star on track to join Aussie sport’s big earners
The highest-earning Australian sports stars usually play tennis, golf or basketball. Teenage sprint sensation Gout Gout may be able to change all that.
This woman made history when she took over her local A-League club
Alyssar Narey, one of just two women to run a football club in Australia, lays bare the reality of the family juggle, women in sport and the one thing she can’t survive without.