Seven Consulting extends naming partnership of Australian Opals
Seven Consulting has extended its naming rights sponsorship of Australia’s national women’s basketball team the Opals, which sits alongside its ongoing support for the Matildas.
Just six months on from signing on as naming rights partner, Sydney-based program delivery specialist Seven Consulting has extended its deal with Opals for a further three years. The original agreement, struck in September on the eve of the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup, will now run until the middle of 2026. Seven Consulting will also offer career skills-development opportunities to our national players as part of the deal.
“We are delighted to be able to continue to support one of Australia’s most loved teams,” said Seven Consulting executive chairman Declan Boylan, who founded the company in 2002.
“We see the Opals as a continuation of Australian women excelling in world sport. They are an inspiration for children and the community and we are proud to continue to play a small part in their ongoing growth and success,” Boylan added.
Currently ranked third in the world behind the US and China, the Opals will be looking to avenge their heartbreaking world cup semi-final loss to the latter at this year’s FIBA Women’s Asia Cup to be held in Sydney in June. Many thoughts however will already be casting ahead to next year’s Paris Olympics, where the women’s national basketball team will be aiming to not only return to the dais but finally reach its summit after a swag of silvers.
The team at Seven Consulting will be familiar with such an experience, having cheered on the Matildas as a major sponsor during their inspirational run to the semis at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Like the Opals, Seven Consulting first signed on as a sponsor of the national women’s soccer team in 2017, before extending the deal for a further three years. The Matildas are also eyeing their best ever finish at the World Cup on home soil in the middle of the year.
Seven has also been providing paid internships and skills-development support for several Matildas players, including Tameka Yallop and Elise Kellond-Knight – a program that will now extend to the Opals. The initiatives are in line with growing awareness around the difficulties elite athletes face in their post-career transition (compounded by a deficit in female sports sponsorship), as well as recognition of the skills professional sportspeople can bring to the business realm.
“We’re delighted Seven Consulting will continue its support of our women’s team and look forward to strengthening our relationship even further over the coming years,” said Basketball Australia CEO Matt Scriven. “To secure a long-term investment for the Opals and more broadly, women’s basketball, with an organisation which is genuinely invested in making the partnership a success and aligns with our values, is really exciting for the future of the sport.”
Last week, Caliba inked a deal that sees the procurement consultancy support long-jumper Brooke Buschkuehl as she builds up to next year’s Paris Olympics campaign.
