Harvey Norman backs Sydney Kings and Sydney Flames in major female sports push

Two of Australia’s foremost female entrepreneurs Katie Page and Robyn Denholm have struck a major arrangement for the retailer to back the Sydney Flames.

Sydney Flames player Tess Madgen, Harvey Norman CEO Katie Page, Sydney Kings player Jackson Makoi and global chair of Tesla Robyn Denholm. Picture: Richard Dobson

Two of Australia’s foremost female entrepreneurs have struck one of the biggest sponsorship deals with a focus on women’s sport, with Katie Page’s Harvey Norman signing on as major sponsor of Robyn Denholm’s Sydney Kings and Sydney Flames.

The three-year deal, to be announced on Tuesday, is retail giant Harvey Norman’s first big foray into the fast-growing sport of basketball and is with Kings and Flames ownership group Hoops Capital. The Kings are defending men’s National Basketball League champion, while the Flames have won the Women’s NBL four times.

It includes the creation of a pathways program for young female athletes into the Flames training system that is designed to improve their exposure to professional basketball for training and development, as well as education and employment, and also additional programs for female coaches, referees and officials.

Ms Denholm, the global chair of Tesla and technology executive who became a part-owner of the Kings and Flames after taking a stake in Hoops Capital last year, personally negotiated the deal with Ms Page, the chief executive of Harvey Norman.

“I think it‘s fantastic from a community perspective and It’ll be great for basketball,” Ms Denholm told The Australian. “But I also think, given its Katie and myself, and her history with women’s sports in Australia, as well, I think it’d be great to the women’s sports ecosystem as well.”

Ms Page has backed female athletes and women’s sport for more than 25 years, and is a former basketball player herself – “It’s a tough sport, I’ve still got the gravel in my knees,” she said describing growing up competing on asphalt courts in Queensland.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re in the bush or the city, the demographics of basketball show it is a very strong sport. And overlay that with the future Flames program and then I think it is natural that Harvey Norman is involved.”

Ms Denholm is one of only a few female sports owners, with Ms Page a co-owner of the Magic Millions business and Rebecca Frizelle an owner of the NRL’s Gold Coast Titans.

Ms Page said with the rising popularity of women’s sport, with the Matildas flying high in the Women’s World Cup soccer tournament, Australia winning the women’s Ashes and the AFLW and NRLW competitions rising, it made sense for more wealthy women to also buy and control sport teams.

“(Women’s sport) is coming of age, but it has a long way to go. So you have to keep supporting it. But you are not going to do something bad for your brand, you’re doing it because your customers want it,” Ms Page said.

“The next part of that is women owning teams. It is a very important visual for women and girls to see. Visibility is very important.”

Ms Denholm said that while the business side of sport has more passion than the business world, she said both had common themes.

“Basketball business is about people and making sure you‘ve got the right people in the right places and the passion level is very high. You’ve got someone to cheer on the court every weekend, which is a little bit different, but you’re cheering on teams in the business world as well.

“I love what sports teaches people as they’re coming through, particularly at the grassroots and community level, around leadership and around camaraderie and collaboration. All that sort of stuff are also great skills for business.”

The Kings and Flames are building a new elite training facility in Sydney’s Auburn, where Harvey Norman opened its first store in 1982 and where a flagship outlet remains – where Ms Denholm says she shopped at when setting up her first home.