University Assignment: WNBL Naming Rights Sponsorship Pitch Report

This report focuses on the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) and the need for a new naming rights sponsor following Chemist Warehouse's decision not to renew their contract. The report, prepared for a hypothetical General Manager of Commercial Operations, analyzes the current scenario, market position, target market, and existing sponsorships of the WNBL. It highlights the league's strengths, including its longevity and the growing interest in women's basketball. The report explores the league's size, location, and potential investment opportunities, including the benefits of broadcasting rights with Wesfarmers and Fox Sports. The report emphasizes the importance of a strategic approach to attract a new sponsor and ensure the continued success and commercial viability of the WNBL. The report includes references to relevant academic sources.

MANAGING THE SPORT BRAND
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

INTRODUCTION
• The Women’s National Basketball League is one of the top competition globally
• It is the elite competition in Australia involving the women
• Basketball Australia is the governing and controlling body of the league
• It is located in Wantirna South, Victoria
• It was founded in the year 1981
• There are 8 teams in total

CURRENT SCENARIO
• Larry Kestelman has taken all the control regarding the commercial aspects of the
Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL)
• He is the property developer and owner of the National Basketball League of Men
• He has point out one of the major issues of WNBL
• The lack of coverage through television is that major issue
• Chemist Warehouse, the main sponsor, has not decided to renew their contract of naming
rights agreement

SPONSOR
• Wesfarmers has been chosen as the new sponsor of WNBL
• Wesfarmers Limited is a multinational organization based in Australia
• The headquarter is in Perth, and the organization was found in 1914
• The organization has its presence in fertilizers, chemicals, industrial and safety products
and coal mining
• It is the largest Australian organization in terms of revenue

MARKET POSITION OF WNBL
• WNBL is the longest running elite national competition involving the women in Australia, as
there are 100,000 registered females playing basketball in the league
• It is running for 34 long years, longest in the region of Australia, which is the USP
• It helps in bringing new talent and provides to examine the best female basketballers
• It targets mainly the women in Australia, the students and coaching camps
• It also helps to increase the technical capability and quality of the women players
• The challenge is the creation of commercial opportunities and sustainability in competition

TARGET MARKET OF WNBL
• The main target market of WNBL would be the sports lovers
• Young students who love to play basketball can also be targeted
• Schools and Universities can also be targeted to encourage them to take part in State and
National level championships
• The coaching institutes can also be targeted in order to popularize the game

EXISTING SPONSORSHIPS
• WNBL is one of the strongest baseball league in the world
• The government of Australia is the principal partners, along with the Australian Sports
Commission
• Chemist Warehouse is the main sponsor of the league
• Fox Sports is the main Broadcasting Partner
• The Commonwealth Games as well as the Australian Paralympic committee is also
involved in the process of sponsorship

SIZE AND LOCATION
• The size of the business of the league covers the while country of Australia
• The location of the league is throughout the region of Australia
• The league is very popular in and around the nation
• Each team plays 24 games, which includes 12 home games and 12 away games
• All the 8 teams have their own home ground

INVESTMENT AND BENEFITS
• The initial investment can be of AUD 1 Billion
• The broadcasting rights will be with the organization of Wesfarmers and Fox Sports
• As both are globally known, both will be beneficial if Wesfarmers become the main
sponsor of the league
• The naming rights will be with the Wesfarmers
• The broadcasting will be a much better experience

REFERENCES
• Amos, N., & Sullivan, R. (2017). The business benchmark on farm
animal welfare 2016 report. Available at SSRN 2933184.
• Moreno, E., Gómez, M. A., Lago, C., & Sampaio, J. (2013). Effects of
starting quarter score, game location, and quality of opposition in
quarter score in elite women’s basketball. Kinesiology, 45(1), 48-54.
• Spiteri, T., Binetti, M., Scanlan, A. T., Dalbo, V. J., Dolci, F., &
Specos, C. (2019). Physical Determinants of Division 1 Collegiate
Basketball, Women's National Basketball League, and Women's
National Basketball Association Athletes: With Reference to Lower-
Body Sidedness. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning
Research, 33(1), 159-166.
• Thompson, P. A. (2014). Wesfarmers 100: The People's Story 1914-
2014. Wesfarmers Limited.

THANK YOU