Football Australia unveils major deal with Subway

Football Australia

Football Australia has today revealed that Subway is the naming rights partner of the National Senior Men’s Football Team, the Socceroos.

The partnership lasts for three years and in turn is the largest ever national team sponsorship deal in Australian football history. As the world’s largest sandwich chain – with more than 37,000 locations globally – Subway now holds the naming rights for not only the Socceroos, but also the Olyroos, Young Socceroos, and Joeys.

Additionally, Subway becomes an Official Partner of the CommBank Matildas and the Australia Cup – the largest knock-out competition in Australia with over 700 teams from all corners of the country entering each year. Subway will have exclusive category rights for the Socceroos, CommBank Matildas, men’s and women’s youth national teams, and the Australia Cup.

The Subway brand and logo will also be showcased across all apparel such as game day and training, plus any promotional or marketing campaigns including mascots.

Upon announcing the new partnership with Subway, Football Australia Chief Executive Officer James Johnson said in a statement:

“We are thrilled to welcome Subway as the naming rights partner of the now, Subway Socceroos and our men’s national youth teams for the next three years. We are also pleased to see Subway join as a partner of the Australia Cup, as we approach a history making Australia Cup Final on 1 October at CommBank Stadium in Sydney.”

“Subway joins us at a time of unprecedented interest and growth in Australian football. The team at Football Australia has worked tirelessly to strategically position our iconic national teams in an increasingly competitive market and this record-breaking partnership, which follows a series of other commercial announcements over the past two years, demonstrates how deeply the Subway Socceroos and CommBank Matildas resonate with the Australian public. It also continues our efforts to work with brands which align with our own values and as the top-ranked company on YouGov’s Dining and Quality Rating Standards, we are delighted to be working with another high performing team.

“The Subway partnership announcement is highlighted by the Centenary celebrations of the Subway Socceroos, as they build towards a sixth FIFA World CupTM appearance later this year and coincides with the team’s Farewell match against New Zealand in Brisbane.

“To add further to our Centenary celebrations, we have recently partnered with the Royal Australian Mint to launch a limited edition 2022 Socceroos Centenary $2 Coin, and Australia Post which has released two new stamps commemorating 100 years of the Australian men’s national football team.

“We are delighted that together with Subway, we can write the next chapter of Australian football and we welcome them to the Football Australia family.”

Subway Country Director for Australia and New Zealand, Shane Bracken, is excited by the opportunities ahead and acknowledged the similarities and values that Subway and Football Australia shared.

“This is a partnership of two iconic brands and binds together a sandwich chain enjoyed by millions worldwide and a sport that millions play, participate in and support across the globe,” Bracken added via press release.

“Subway is proud to be partnering with Football Australia at such an exciting time for the game – not only across the national men’s and women’s teams, but as junior players move through the ranks and become our next line of role models and heroes.

“Our Aussie football stars have a huge few years ahead of them and Subway is looking forward to being part of the journey and helping make the game of football even bigger than it is right now.

“From one green and gold team to another – we’ll be cheering from the sidelines and across our stores.”

The official partnership launch will take place at the Socceroos Centenary and Farewell match against New Zealand at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane tonight (kick-off at 8pm AEST).

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WA Government and Virgin Australia Partner to Bring Discounted Flights for Italian Football Series in Perth

The Western Australian Government has partnered with Virgin Australia to offer discounted airfares to Perth ahead of a three-match series featuring AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus and Palermo, in a move that reflects how state governments are increasingly using major sporting fixtures as tools of tourism and economic strategy.

Subsidising travel costs rather than simply promoting the matches signals a shift in how state governments are approaching major sporting events. WA Tourism Minister Reece Whitby positioned the series within the state’s broader Winter of Unmissable Sport strategy, framing the partnership as a way to fill hotels, support local businesses and generate visible economic activity across a single week of programming. That logic places football alongside other major events states have used to justify public investment in visitor attraction, where the return is measured in tourism spend rather than ticket revenue alone.

A bet on Australia’s appetite for European football

Touring Italian clubs is not a routine occurrence in Australia, and Sport and Recreation Minister Rita Saffioti’s comments point to an underlying assumption behind the investment: that the existing fan base for European football in Australia is substantial enough to justify a state government underwriting travel costs to fill a stadium on the other side of the country.

Australian audiences for international football have grown considerably over the past decade, driven by streaming access, diaspora communities and the rising visibility of leagues once difficult to follow locally. State governments positioning themselves to capture economic value from that growth, rather than leaving it to broadcasters and travel operators, marks a change in how football’s commercial footprint in Australia is being treated by policymakers.

It also raises a question likely to recur as more international club fixtures are scheduled in Australian cities: whether public subsidy for travel around marquee football events delivers economic value beyond the host city, or whether the benefit is concentrated narrowly within the host state’s tourism and hospitality sectors. Virgin Australia’s involvement reflects the commercial logic on the airline side, with the partnership forming part of a broader push to connect Australians with major domestic and international destinations.

For the domestic football industry, the series is a reminder that international club football is competing for the same audience attention as the A-Leagues and grassroots competitions. Whether that competition proves complementary or extractive, in terms of where football-related spending in Australia ultimately lands, is a question state and national football bodies are likely to watch closely as similar fixtures become more frequent.

Referee Omar Artan appointed to UEFA Super Cup Final

The Somali referee will officiate the 2026 UEFA Super Cup in August between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa.

 

World Cup controversy to Super Cup support

As 2025’s CAF Men’s Referee of the Year, Artan stands as one of the world’s leading match officials.

His expertise and skill allowed him to enter FIFA’s international list in 2018, and has since proved an outstanding ability as a referee, culminating in the CAF Men’s Referee of the Year award last year.

Despite Artan’s capabilities and reputation, his dream of officiating this summer’s World Cup tournament met a premature ending. The referee couldn’t enter into the US after arriving on a diplomatic passport and single entry visa, and was subsequently forced to return home to Somalia.

But Artan’s journey as a referee on the global stage is far from over, as UEFA and CAF confirmed that Artan will officiate the UEFA Super Cup clash between Champions League winners, PSG, and Europa League winners, Aston Villa, in Salzburg this August.

 

Upholding the partnership

In April of this year, UEFA and CAF signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which promised to utilise mutual support to encourage development, inclusion and wellbeing in football.

The MoU aligns unity, cohesion and partnership between two powerhouse continents of world football.

And now, the alignment is stronger and clearer than ever. In the midst of a major blow to Artan’s personal and professional dreams, UEFA and CAF’s partnership provided an opportunity.

“Omar is an excellent young but already experienced referee, who has proven himself at the highest competition level of the Confederation of African Football,” said UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin via media release.

“Football is made to connect people, and UEFA wants to show its respect to Omar and his outstanding officiating skills, which had earned him such a prestigious nomination.”

Furthermore, CAF President, Dr Patrice Motsepe, outlined why the initiative perfectly embodies the nature of a partnership between UEFA and CAF.

“This is a great honour for Omar Artan and for African referees and is also an excellent example of football bringing together and uniting people from Africa and Europe and worldwide.”

 

Final thoughts

Out of bitter disappointment and controversy comes a far more positive reflection of football’s positive impact. It also proves that an MoU is more than just signatures, but a genuine promise to support the game and all within it.

A partnership like this has the power to help millions at once.

But sometimes, helping just one person is all it takes to prove its worth.

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