Heat banks on new sponsorship deal as Big Bash ramps up

The Brisbane Heat has finalised a seven-figure sponsorship deal as one of the biggest cricket seasons in recent years starts at the Gabba this week.

It’s been a long time between drinks but Queensland Cricket boss Terry Svenson says this could be the year for the city’s Big Bash franchise.

The Brisbane Heat has just finalised a two-year sponsorship deal with Great Southern Bank, formerly Credit Union of Australia (CUA), for a reported seven-figure sum.

That makes it one of the most lucrative sponsorships in the BBL and underscores the Brisbane Heat’s standing as one of the most popular sporting brands in Oceania.

That popularity has not always translated into final wins, with the team’s only championship victory occurring in 2012/13. But Svenson is upbeat this is the year for the Heat as cricket emerges from two years of pandemic struggle.

“The Heat has one of the strongest social media presences with the most followers of all sporting teams in Oceania,” says Svenson. “The sport is attracting younger people, millennials and those aged 25-45, who like the faster pace of the game. That is the sweet spot for us.”

Great Southern Bank, which has sponsored the team since 2016, has its own ambitions to expand on the national stage following its recent name change. The lender, which began life 75 years ago as the Catholic Thrift Society, is the country’s largest customer owned bank Earlier this year the bank signed on as a sponsor of Carlton Football Club.

Paul Lewis from Great Southern Bank and Queensland Cricket CEO Terry Svenson prepared for big summer of cricket including ASHES and Big Bash. Picture: NIGEL HALLETT

Great Southern Bank chief executive Paul Lewis says the Heat sponsorship deal was a good fit for the Brisbane-based bank with both brands family focused and about having fun.

“Our key demographic is home buyers and young savers,” says Lewis, a former executive at both Westpac and ANZ. “That taps into the Heat’s huge fanbase, many of whom are trying to enter the housing market for the first time.”

The new agreement, which will run until June 2024, will see the Great Southern Bank featured prominently on the front of both men’s (BBL) and women’s (WBBL) playing and training shirts as well as on signage at the Gabba and Metricon Stadium.

“Having our new name on the Heat’s new shirts gets our brand in front of millions of television viewers nationally, as well as cricket fans attending games,” says Lewis. Lewis says BBL is the most-watched league in Australia on a per game basis and women’s cricket is now the fastest growing sport in Australia, appealing to a whole new generation of fans.

“The work we have put into the partnership since 2016 has been a huge success, helping us grow our brand awareness and attract new customers not just in Queensland but on the national stage,” says Lewis.

BEST SEATS

The best seats in the house at the Ashes on Wednesday were not reserved for the champagne and lobster set in the Chairman’s Lounge at the Gabba.

That honour went to the construction workers putting the finishing touches to Tomkin’s luxury Silk One development that overlooks the hallowed turf.

As the early Pom wickets fell, crowds of workers could be seen looking down from the balconies of the unfinished building.

Construction workers at the Silk One development had the best view of the Gabba.

One particularly diligent worker could be seen furiously painting between overs before downing his brush to watch Starc or Cummins bowl another peach.

For those watching from the actual ground it was a typical Gabba start to summer - hot and humid with lots of cold XXXX to cool things down.

Gabba Members say their dining room has been booked out on all four days of the test and are even offering fancy hampers for those who missed out.

One man very happy about the excellent return to the Test cricket at the Gabba is Queensland Cricket chief executive Terry Svenson, who is overseeing one of the busiest seasons after a bruising couple of years due to the pandemic.

This may be one of the last Ashes tests to be played at the old Gabba before it is pulled down to make way for a brand new stadium to be built for the 2032 Olympics.

Svenson says it yet to be determined where international and first cricket will be played during the redevelopment phase but would not rule some first class matches being played at Albion’s Allan Border Field.

HIT FOR SIX

Queensland Cricket boss Terry Svenson hosted an impressive soiree of local business and political types at the first day of the Ashes Test yesterday.

Spotted in the chairman’s circle at the Gabba was Mullin Lawyers’ boss John Mullins, Queensland Cricket chair Chris Simpson, Betta Home Living chief executive Graeme Cunningham, Stadium Queensland’s Cathy McGuane, Great Southern Bank’s Megan Keleher, Opposition pollie Tim Mander and Minister for Tourism, Innovation and Sport Stirling Hinchliffe. Svenson says that as well as events such as the Ashes at the Gabba he would like to see more top class cricket played in regional towns such as Mackay. “I want to see country kids being able to see their heroes,” says Svenson. Queensland Cricket recently launched a new grassroots cricket fund called the Queensland Cricket Foundation to improve infrastructure and training support at the local level.

HUTCHIES WARNING

Hutchinson Builders boss Scott Hutchinson warns there is more pain coming for the construction sector.

Hutchinson has been hit by this week’s collapse of Tacoma Plumbing and Drainage, which was working on Hutchie’s Ambrose high-rise development at Milton.

Hutchinson says there are likely to be more building industry failures in the company months mainly due to companies taking on too much work during the current boom and not factoring in the amount of profit margin needed to keep the doors open.

“We are knocking back work,” says Hutchinson.

Hutchinson Builders boss Scott Hutchinson. Picture: Lachie Millard

The amount owed to creditors by Tacoma has not been established but industry sources say the firm was also working on Silk One at Woolloongabba for Tomkins and six other sites around south-east Queensland.

Russ Stephens from the Association of Professional Builders says a recent survey of members found that the cost of materials and labour has increased by between 15-20 per cent since the start of the year.

Stephens says some firms are losing up to $40,000 on each job.

“Over the past seven years of studying the accounts of residential home builders in Australia we have noted that around 95 per cent of building companies are operating on less than 3 per cent net margin,” he says.

“In the majority of those cases the figure is zero net margin because owners draw everything out as a salary.”