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Business of sport

Yesterday

Wallaby Max Jorgensen in Australia’s recent win over England.

The fundies donating their fees to help support rugby union

Back-to-back Wallabies victories have given rugby union tragics a glimmer of hope. Now, nine fund managers are doing their bit too.

  • Zoe Samios

This Month

Nathan McSweeney was out for 14 in his first crack as opener for Australia A against India at the MCG on November 7,

Make more money by losing – the sad state of world cricket

The game has long abandoned even the pretence of being coherently run. For fans and players alike, cricket is increasingly unfathomable.

  • Tim Wigmore
Winx is the only mare (female horse) to make the list of Australia’s richest horses.

Making bank: Australia’s highest-earning racehorses revealed

Champion horses can make millions on the racetrack. But the real money lies in retirement.

  • Zoe Samios and James Thomson

October

VRC CEO Kylie Rogers.

Pony club, more events and Flemington rebrand: CEO’s plans for VRC

Kylie Rogers, who joined the VRC in August as its first female CEO, is preparing an ambitious strategy to boost the fortunes of the struggling club.

  • Zoe Samios and Patrick Durkin
Craig Williams is back to ride Everest winner Giga Kick in the All Aged Stakes at Randwick on Saturday.

From dead quiet to $100m economic boost: How Everest is changing racing

It was a move to get the media’s attention and take on the Victorian racing elite. But Australia’s richest horse race has achieved far more.

  • Zoe Samios
Advertisement
Collingwood, Carlton, Brisbane and Penrith in action.

$145m: The most valuable AFL and NRL teams revealed

An inaugural list that rates the most valuable club trademarks in the two most popular football codes are out, with an ASX-listed giant leading rugby league.

  • Zoe Samios and Sam Buckingham-Jones
Businessman Leigh Clifford (right) wanted to save the Melbourne Rebels. Left: Rugby Australia CEO Phil Waugh, who shut down the club in May.

Former Melbourne Rebels directors sue Rugby Australia for $30m

The court case comes five months after former Qantas chairman Leigh Clifford declared war against the governing body.

  • Zoe Samios
Ivan and Nathan Cleary after winning their fourth premiership.

Abdo says NRL’s our ‘most watched’ sport. Is he right?

Sunday’s clash between the Penrith Panthers and Melbourne Storm had fewer viewers than the AFL the week before. In other ways, though, the NRL is winning.

  • Sam Buckingham-Jones
The Panthers, led by Nathan Cleary, are chasing a fourth successive NRL title on Sunday.

Why just three teams keep winning the NRL title

Just three teams have won the NRL since 2018, but the AFL premiership has been shared between six clubs in that time. Here’s why.

  • Zoe Samios
The NRL’s Peter V’landys and Andrew Abdo

The media storm behind the NRL’s next billion-dollar play

Peter V’landys and his chief executive Andrew Abdo want a mammoth broadcast deal to shore up the code’s future. Will they bring an NFL-style model to Australia?

  • Zoe Samios and Sam Buckingham-Jones

September

Brisbane’s Eric Hipwood, Kai Lohmann and Callum Ah Chee embrace during the AFL grand final.

AFL grand final audience climbs to 4m

The clash between the Brisbane Lions and Sydney Swans was the most watched for the AFL since 2021.

  • Zoe Samios
No AFL club has played in more grand finals than the Sydney Swans since 2000.

How the AFL’s two grand final teams achieved sustained success

The two Andrews who run the Sydney Swans and the Brisbane Lions say stability is the key to achieving an extended patch of sunshine in the AFL world.

  • Gus McCubbing
Andrew Dillon.

AFL boss warns against reform that would eradicate local bookies

In a wide-ranging interview, the AFL boss says he is also considering other marquee events to grow the sport.

  • Zoe Samios
AFL President Richard Goyder with the 2024 AFL Premiership Cup.

Tasmanian team may not be the last as AFL eyes growth in ACT and NT

The AFL’s expansion plans are on a roll, with record crowds, booming memberships and the first non-Victorian grand final in 18 years.

  • Patrick Durkin and Gus McCubbing
Reigning premier Collingwood has the biggest membership in 2024.

By the numbers: What the membership data says about your AFL club

The AFL has announced a record club membership of 1.3 million – boosted by 241,410 new fans. How does it compare with 2021?

  • Zoe Samios
Advertisement
AFL CEO Andrew Dillon.

AFL increases soft salary caps for men’s and women’s competitions

The male ceiling will lift by $700,000 by the 2027 season while the AFLW equivalent will rise $300,000 amid other changes.

  • Anna Harrington
The Giants run through their banner for the opening of the 2024 season.

What the data says about the rise of the AFL’s northern fan base

The AFL began this season with an opening round that focused solely on the northern states. Was it worth the gamble?

  • Zoe Samios
The popularity of the Sydney Swans has made it harder to get to games for SCG members.

Swans high means SCG members struggle to get tickets

Sydney Swans’ performance and the growing popularity of AFL in the northern states had thousands flocking to the SCG’s famous stands. The success comes with a catch.

  • Zoe Samios
WA Premier Roger Cook grew up playing both rugby union and league, and has taken a personal interest in securing an NRL team for Perth.

Perth Bears: WA premier’s personal push for NRL in Aussie rules state

Roger Cook grew up as a West Australian in love with rugby league, so is intent on a top-flight team landing west of the Nullarbor.

  • Tom Rabe and Zoe Samios

August

An NFL pre-season game earlier this month. There are several teams already looking for investors.

NFL ushers in new era, allows private equity ownership

League owners loosened some of the strictest rules in US professional sports to allow PE to own as much as 10 per cent of a team.

  • Randall Williams

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/topic/business-of-sport-hzc