2023 Sports Economy Trade Mission to Australia

Join the Sports Economy Trade Mission to Australia

The Department for International Trade are pleased to offer UK headquartered companies the opportunity to take part in the 2023 Sport Economy Trade Mission to Australia.

Sport is a pillar of Australia’s culture and way of life with over 80% of Australia’s 25.7m population participating in some level of sporting activity. This together with an active interest in various professional codes, allows sport to generate around $50 billion to Australia's economy each year.

Our Trade Mission will take representatives from 15 UK headquartered companies that operate in the Sports Economy sector to Queensland and Victoria and over 10 days will hear from a range of stakeholders about the exciting opportunities that Australia has to offer.

This includes a session with the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games team to hear about the works leading up to the Games and legacy that it will provide to Queensland. We will also have members of the Victoria 2026 Commonwealth Games team discussing the opportunities for UK companies as they look to build on the success of the recent Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

This Trade Mission is not only focused on those two major events, as the programme will include interactions with a wide range of sports stakeholders through engagement of representatives of various sporting bodies in both states.

The Trade Mission will also include visits to some of the major sporting infrastructure sites and attendance at some live sporting events to fully appreciate the culture and appetite for sport that Australia has.

Further highlights include attendance at the two day global sports thought leadership summit SportNXT as well as the Friday session of the Melbourne Formula One Grand Prix.

There is also dedicated space in the programme for UK companies to pre arrange meetings with Australian companies contacted before the Trade Mission or Australian companies met during the business to business sessions and networking events.

The Trade Mission will include programmes in both Queensland (Brisbane and the Gold Coast) and Victoria (Melbourne):

Queensland (Brisbane and the Gold Coast)

• An introduction to Queensland by our Consul General for Queensland and the Northern Territory
• An overview of the plans for Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games from the Brisbane 2032 team
• Engagement with the key Queensland stakeholders such as: 
  • Queensland Government Department of Tourism, Innovation and Sport
  • Trade and Investment Queensland
  • Brisbane Economic Development Agency
  • City of Gold Coast
• A tour of the key sport related infrastructure within the Brisbane and Gold Coast regions
• Networking sessions with local businesses and other UK headquartered companies that have a local presence
• Attendance at a National Rugby League match to gain an appreciation of the infrastructure when in use

Victoria (Melbourne)

• An introduction to Victoria by our Consul General for Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania
• An overview of the plans for the Victoria 2026 Commonwealth Games
• Engagement with the key Victorian stakeholders such as:
  • Victoria Government’s Department of Sport and Recreation
  • Invest Victoria
  • Australian Sports Technologies Network
• Networking sessions with local businesses and other UK headquartered companies that have a local presence
• Attendance at the global sports thought leadership summit SportNXT
• A tour of the key Sporting related infrastructure within the Melbourne region
• Attendance at the Friday session of the Melbourne Formula One Grand Prix and interaction with the Department for International Trade’s Tech Innovation Hub. This is followed by an invitation only key stakeholder dinner at the race track.

We look forward to what will be an interesting, informative and engaging Trade Mission, and one that will allow you to connect directly with potential clients and partners.

Apply to join the mission today.

Dates: Tuesday 21 March 2023 to Friday 31 March 2023.

Where: Brisbane / Gold Coast and Melbourne - Australia

Contact for additional information: sport@trade.gov.uk 

Applications close: 20 January 2023

Applications are only open to UK headquartered companies.

Australia

Population: 25.7m

Size: over 31 times the UK

Capital: Australian Capital Territory (ACT) (0.4m)

Australia is the sixth-largest country in the world by land area, but it has a relatively small population compared to other countries. The population is concentrated in a few major cities and along the eastern and south-eastern coasts.

Queensland

Population: 5.2m

Size: over 7 times the UK

Capital: Brisbane (2.5m)

Queensland is the second-largest and third-most populated of the Australian States. Known for its 7,000km of coastline with white sandy beaches and five of Australia’s eleven World Natural Heritage areas. With the announcement of Brisbane 2032, Queensland is attracting more major sporting events from around the world.

Victoria

Population: 6.7m

Size: same as the UK

Capital: Melbourne (5.1m)

Victoria is the second-smallest Australian state though it has the second most populated city. Melbourne has a reputation for coffee, culture and sport. Melbourne regularly hosts major sporting events such as the Australian Open and Formula One, and is recognised as the present capital of Sports Tech within Australia. The Victoria 2026 Commonwealth Games will be used to help widen the sports economy focus to regional Victoria.