Ford Australia steps up to WNBL Presenting Partner for the 2026-27 season
Ford Australia has extended its existing partnership with the Women's National Basketball League to become the League's Presenting Partner for the 2026-27 season, according to WNBL.com.au, deepening a commitment that reaches from its dealership network into more than 200 community basketball clubs nationwide.
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What the league and the car maker said
Ford Australia has extended its partnership with the Women's National Basketball League to become the competition's Presenting Partner for the 2026-27 season. In its announcement, the WNBL said the strengthened deal would see Ford put its "full power behind the WNBL to further drive the growth of women's basketball right across the country", celebrating the intensity, skill and energy of the competition. 1
As Presenting Partner, Ford will hold a major presence throughout the WNBL season, connecting with fans nationally and, in the League's words, supporting its continued growth and visibility. The deal ties Ford's basketball community ties to the WNBL's position at the elite level of the women's game, built around the WNBL's FULL POWER. FEEL IT LIVE. campaign. 1
What the league and the car maker said
WNBL Chief of Strategy and Basketball Partnerships Officer Lauren Jackson said the League was entering "a period of enormous growth", calling Ford's backing "a fantastic endorsement of the global and local momentum around women's basketball". She pointed to Ford's "deep connection with basketball communities right across Australia" and the opportunity to bring that connection to the elite level of the game. 1
Ambrose Henderson, Director of Marketing at Ford Australia, said the company was "proud to support the basketball athletes, fans and communities who bring so much energy to the game". He described becoming Presenting Partner as "a natural next step for Ford as we renew our focus on Australian basketball", adding that the League's momentum reflected "the strength and potential of the women's game". 1
Neither party disclosed the commercial terms of the agreement, and no financial details appear in the WNBL's announcement. 1
A partnership rooted in grassroots basketball
Ford's connection to Australian basketball is longstanding and runs through its retail network. According to the WNBL's announcement, the car maker supports more than 200 community basketball clubs across the country through its 180-strong dealership network, a footprint that spans from grassroots programs to the elite level of the women's game. 1
The presenting partnership formally links that dealership-led grassroots activity to Australia's leading women's basketball competition and its growing national audience, giving the manufacturer a season-long presence across the WNBL's platforms and live events. 1
Growth momentum behind the deal
The partnership lands amid a broader commercial build for the WNBL. The League reported widespread growth across attendance, viewership and partnerships for the 2025-26 season, its first under an ownership consortium of the Denholm family office, NBL Group and Basketball Australia. Majority owner Victoria Denholm said the League had attracted brands that had never invested in sport in Australia before, and that Ford was among the existing partners with which it grew its relationship during that season. 2
The WNBL's published season figures included nearly 200,000 fans attending games, a 43 per cent year-on-year increase, along with a 130 per cent increase in broadcast reach to 3.9 million and a 33 per cent rise in social media followers to 103,000. WNBL CEO Jennie Sager said fans had turned up "in record numbers" and highlighted Chinese star Han Xu's role in driving attendance, with Perth recording a 37 per cent attendance increase and a 60 per cent surge in membership sales when she played. 2
Since then the League has continued to add commercial partners. In September, the WNBL and NBL announced that Mortgage Choice would continue as an official partner of the NBL and expand into the WNBL for the 2026-27 season, with WNBL Chief Operations Officer Justin Nelson welcoming the extension ahead of WNBL27. 3
WNBL27 under way with wider broadcast reach
The WNBL27 season tipped off on Thursday, October 15, when Tasmania hosted Geelong from 7pm AEDT, with games available live on 9Now and ESPN via Disney+, according to the WNBL. The new Tasmania Jewels franchise gives the League a fresh market as it works to convert last season's growth trajectory into further audiences and partners. 12
The League's reach now extends internationally as well. Earlier in October, the WNBL announced a broadcast partnership with Chinese media partner YIDA ONEPATH LIMITED, bringing every game of the 2026-27 season to four major Chinese digital platforms: Douyin, RedNote, Kuaishou and WeChat Channels. That deal, brokered by Sportradar, comes as four Chinese national team players compete in the League this season. 4
For Ford, the presenting partnership places one of Australia's best-known automotive brands alongside a competition that is simultaneously expanding at home and abroad, with the car maker's dealership network and community basketball programs forming the local backbone of the sponsorship. 1
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