Wellington Phoenix unite with Entelar Group as principal partner

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Image credit: Wellington Phoenix Instagram

Wellington Phoenix have confirmed Entelar Group has joined the club as one of its principal partners for the upcoming season.

As ‘New Zealand’s total connection company,’ Entelar Group will be featured alongside OPPO as the Phoenix’s front-of-shirt partners for the 2024-25 A-Leagues.

OPPO, the global smart device brand, has renewed its commitment for a fourth season as a principal partner and will be prominently displayed on the men’s home and women’s away shirts this season. Entelar Group will take the spotlight on the women’s home and men’s away jerseys.

Additionally, Entelar Group has pledged its support to the club’s award-winning Football For All programme, which helps eliminate barriers for thousands of Tamariki and Rangatahi to participate in futsal or football in Aotearoa.

Phoenix general manager David Dome mentioned the great support of OPPO over the last three seasons and his enthusiasm for the new partnership.

“We’re delighted to have Entelar Group join OPPO as our principal partners for the upcoming A-League season,” Phoenix general manager David Dome said in a club statement.

“It’s an exciting time to be involved in football and Entelar Group is an exciting New Zealand company that are ambitious, like us.

“By getting behind our Football For All programme New Zealand’s total connection company is not only giving back to the game but connecting communities.

“OPPO New Zealand has been one of our biggest supporters for the past three years and our national fan base has played a part in making it the respected and loved brand it is in Aotearoa today.

“We’ve enjoyed working with the OPPO New Zealand team and look forward to taking our partnership with them to a new level this season.”

Entelar Group CEO Rajesh Singh shared his excitement about joining the Wellington Phoenix whānau.

“The timing couldn’t be better with the increasing popularity of football in Aotearoa,” Singh said in a statement.

“So many of our people all over the country, as well as our customers, suppliers, and partners are all big fans of the Phoenix, making this relationship even more special to show our commitment to building connections with New Zealand businesses and the wider community.”

OPPO New Zealand managing director Morgan Halim spoke about the fantastic connection they have created with the Wellington Phoenix.

“This partnership has been a game-changer for OPPO in New Zealand, allowing us to connect with fans nationwide,” Halim said in a statement.

“We’re excited to welcome Entelar Group on board and look forward to making this season the most memorable one yet for our supporters.”

The OPPO logo has been iconic on the Phoenix shirt over the past few seasons and the club have done fantastically to grow their business portfolio with another big New Zealand company in Entelar Group.

Brisbane Roar teams up with Monochrome as Platinum Partner

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Image credit: Brisbane Roar website

Brisbane Roar confirmed Monochrome Corporation will become their Platinum Partner and A-League Men’s match day kit sleeve sponsor for the upcoming 2024/25 season.

Monochrome is a diversified financial services group specialising in crypto-assets and infrastructure projects within the bitcoin and digital asset sector across the Asia-Pacific region.

Earlier this year, Monochrome’s asset management division launched the Monochrome Bitcoin ETF (Ticker: IBTC), Australia’s first ETF to directly hold bitcoin.

A cryptocurrency company partnering with a club in the A-League is an extremely rare case and could signify a change in the future with this Brisbane Roar deal.

Central Coast Mariners partnered with Australian crypto platform Zipmex back in April of 2022 with the partnership becoming a joint deal with NRL club Penrith Panthers, however, this collaboration didn’t last very long at all, dissolving in 2023.

The other major codes in Australia have accepted multi-million dollar deals in crypto and the A-League could follow suit in the coming years if it becomes more acceptable.

Brisbane Roar Chairman & CEO, Kaz Patafta expressed his excitement and discussed the way this will benefit the club.

“We are delighted to welcome Monochrome to the club for the upcoming season. Monochrome is a leader in their field and a pioneer in the ETF investment space for crypto and bitcoin exposure. We are greatly appreciative for their support of our A-League Men’s program, and we look forward to seeing this partnership grow,” Patafta explained in a press release.

Monochrome CEO, Jeff Yew also commented on the collaboration and how the two parties are tied to the same values.

“Monochrome has been a long-standing supporter of Australian athletes and sporting events. Furthering our commitment to excellence alongside Brisbane Roar which aligns well with Monochrome’s brand values,” Yew said in a press release.

Brisbane Roar secure an important deal financially for the club and are busy once again in the offseason as they remain one of the strongest business clubs in the league.

This crypto deal is pioneering and could also give a glimpse into the potential for more deals like this if it becomes successful, with clubs becoming increasingly desperate for stable, financially-heavy partnerships.

Football Queensland will keep registration fees unchanged for 2025

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Image credit: Matimix

Football Queensland (FQ) has decided to buck national trends in increased registration fees by keeping the same low fees from past seasons for 2025.

FQ’s prices for the 2025 season will be $50 for MiniRoos, $66 for Juniors and $130 for Seniors making them the lowest registration fees in Australia.

President of Football Queensland, Paula Robinson, champions the federation’s economic management throughout the years to deliver affordable sport to a growing audience.

“The Football Queensland Board of Directors is extremely proud to keep its registration fees unchanged for yet another year. Having the lowest registration fees of any Member Federation means football in Queensland is one of the most financially accessible sports in the country. No wonder we have more Queenslanders than ever wanting to take to the football fields,” she said via FQ press release.

“As we continue to experience record year-on-year growth in participation across the state, the decision to not increase governing body fees for a fifth year reflects Football Queensland’s commitment to ensuring football remains accessible to all Queenslanders, no matter their age, background or location.”

Football Queensland CEO, Robert Cavallucci, explained how the governing body continue to manage difficult reforms.

“Football Queensland continues to undertake very difficult and significant reforms to its operational design, execution and statewide governance structures to transform how we deliver football and ensure the game can handle its evolving needs well into the future,” he said via press release.

“Coupled with prudent financial management, these reforms continue placing significant downward pressure on football’s volatile and high inflationary cost environment to deliver stable registration benefits to participants across the state. 

“After another exciting 2024 season, we look forward to welcoming participants back next year and seeing even more Queenslanders join our game in 2025.”

The registration fees for FQ have been the lowest in the nation for 5 years with the federation not allowing price increases since 2020, including in 2022 where on average football prices saw a 30% increase nationwide.

With the recent cost of living crisis in Australia, the cost of sports has been a massive influence on players either starting or returning to play football in Australia.

FQ’s massive increase in participants has made football the most-played team sport in Queensland, having the largest increase in players of all state federations last season. The continued low prices have been voiced as a key contributor to this success.

As a federation with a large contribution to Australian football in player numbers and successful professionals, its ability to keep prices low is a massive accomplishment.

Other state federations should look to FQ for inspiration in replicating their economic management if Australia wants to maintain participant numbers and ease the financial pressure to play football.

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