CODE Sports’ 50 most marketable Australian athletes: Why women’s sport is a better investment

With a jam packed schedule of major women’s sporting events, one expert is tipping our female athletes will bypass men as our most marketable stars in the near future.

Investing in our female athletes has never been a bigger opportunity

Australian women’s sport and their star athletes stand on the precipice of an enormous opportunity within the next 12-18 months as the world’s biggest events cross paths with the influx of interest in their achievements.

With a FIFA World Cup in Australia in July, plus a netball World Cup in South Africa and a countdown to the 2024 Paris Olympics which also includes world championships in swimming, athletics, rowing and cycling along the journey, there has never been a more packed schedule of major world events for women’s sport.

SCROLL DOWN TO CHECK OUT THE TOP 50.

Sam Kerr of Australia

Ariane Titmus

And never in Australian sporting history has interest levels in female athletes been at such a high with TV viewing figures, event ticket sales and online reader interest in women’s sport reaching unprecedented peaks.

When it comes to a marketing perspective, Australia’s golden women also boast an incredible personal brand strength largely due to the fact they are not only successful, but mostly down-to-earth humble characters.

A Code Sports special report into the most marketable athletes in Australia revealed one major trend - that women have a far stronger personal brand strength rating than men.

Who is Australia’s most marketable athlete?

A poll of sports fans asking them to rate athletes based on their authenticity, risk factor and overall perception revealed an obvious bias towards women.

The poll results were then added to their performance score (which takes into account their sporting achievements in the past 12 months) for a combined personal brand strength rating out of 40.

Eight-times world champion Stephanie Gilmore (35.4 points out of 40) and Olympic paddle champion Jess Fox (33.8) emerged as the top two for brand strength scores, with cricketer Alyssa Healy (33) and footballer Samantha Kerr (32.8) completing a top five featured NRL good guy Nicho Hynes (third, 33.4) as the only male.

Gretel Bueta of Team Australia

Australia's Jessica Fox

A further breakdown of the final rankings showed that seven of the top 10 athletes were women - with Lauren Jackson (seventh, 32.5), Ariarne Titmus (eighth, 32) and Meg Lanning (ninth, 32) in the top 10.

Australia’s greatest Olympian Emma McKeon came in at 11th with 30.9 points, ahead of golf star Minjee Lee (12th, 30.2) and Diamonds netball champion Gretel Bueta (14th, 30) giving women 10 of the top 15 spots in branding ratings.

The figures show that when it comes to women’s sport, it’s a pretty safe bet to back in partnering with Australia’s female athletes.

Leading sports marketing guru Tristan Hay and Monash University sports expert Dr Thomas Heenan predict that women will continue to soar into the marketability ranks.

“This list reflects data captured up until March of this year, we’ve got the women’s World Cup coming up, the Olympics next year, the rise of women’s professional leagues such as AFLW and NRLW, and there will certainly be a shift of more women on list,” Hay said.

“And not just making the list, but ranking higher. I’d say that by this time next year, 2024, it maybe close to 50-50, men and women.”

Dr Heenan predicts that the traditional marketing of female athletes as sex symbols will also dissipate.

“Don’t be surprised if Australia’s most marketable athletes are women,” Dr Heenan said. “The question remains if they will be celebrated for their sporting excellence or be presented in a sexualised fashion to pander to the male market.

“My hunch is that community and corporate standards will necessitate that sponsors and marketers will celebrate rather than sexualise women‘s sport.

“I expect that marketing will move with changes in the Australian population mix.”

Originally published as CODE Sports’ 50 most marketable Australian athletes: Why women’s sport is a better investment