Westpac to bring an end to CBA’s long standing innings as cricket partner
Westpac will expand a significant sporting sponsorship portfolio when it becomes a major sponsor of Cricket Australia in July, ending CBA’s 37-year relationship with the game.
NSW
Don't miss out on the headlines from NSW. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Westpac has stumped a major banking rival and brought to an end the CBA’s longstanding innings as a major sponsor of Australian cricket.
The Saturday Telegraph has been told Westpac will add to an already significant portfolio of sporting sponsorships by taking over in July as Cricket Australia’s exclusive banking partner.
It looms as one of the first major announcements for new Westpac boss Anthony Miller who started as CEO on Monday.
Westpac currently sponsors the NRL for an estimated $6 million a year, and is front of jersey partner for the NSW and Queensland State of Origin sides.
According to sources who spoke on condition of anonymity, Westpac’s level of investment in cricket is likely to include front of shirt branding for the Test side, currently held on a one-year deal by Toyota.
“The Ashes next season was a key consideration,” the source said.
It is also set to deliver front of shirt branding for the one-day team and the women’s Test and one-day sides.
CBA has been a partner of cricket for 37 years.
They held naming rights to the Australian men’s team and the Test match series each summer until pulling back in 2016 to focus primarily on the women’s game.
When signing a three-year extension with Cricket Australia in 2021, CBA announced it planned to continue investing in women’s cricket and promoting gender equity.
That same year the bank doubled down on female sport, inking a four-year deal with the Matildas worth $1 to $2 million a year.
The rights to promote the side as the CommBank Matildas ends next year.
Market analysts suggest the success and popularity of the Australian women’s soccer team will see their next naming rights deal rise fivefold.
A further source suggested if CBA wants to retain the Matildas, they would need to prioritise it as a tier one deal and then strategically review their overall partnerships mix.
The source told The Saturday Telegraph: “CBA would have reached a number for cricket dependent on the rest of the portfolio.”
It is understood CBA was considering its future level of involvement with Cricket Australia when Westpac made its play.
A Commonwealth Bank spokesman said after 37 years, their sponsorship with Cricket Australia will conclude at the end of the current contract on 30 June 2025.
“We were keen to continue our long-standing relationship with Cricket Australia and made a very attractive offer to them but they have decided on commercial grounds to go in a different direction,” he said. “We are extremely proud of what we have achieved over many decades in helping to grow cricket, in particular our support for the womens’ game, from our incredible international team all the way through to the grassroots.”
Westpac declined to comment.
PM hosts Teals for charm offensive drinks at The Lodge
The Prime Minister may well need them in the coming federal election, so it’s no surprise Anthony Albanese is hosting Teal and independent MPs tonight at The Lodge as he seeks to win their support in the event of a minority government.
Man miraculously survives 25-metre cliff fall
A man has fallen 25 metres off a cliff on the Central Coast, with paramedics attributing his miraculous survival to the fact he hit several ledges on the way down.