Lions Tour tore up the sponsorship playbook - and rewrote the record books

When The British & Irish Lions descended on home soil in June, Rugby Australia knew the tour would be big, but few expected just how seismic the impact would be. From record-breaking ticket sales to hospitality surges and unprecedented sponsor collaboration, the 2025 tour exceeded expectations on nearly every front. And with two Rugby World Cups headed to Australian shores this decade, it may offer a glimpse of rugby’s commercial future.

“It’s been amazing,” James Durbin, director of commercial and marketing at Rugby Australia, told the inaugural Sports Matters conference in Sydney. “We’ve broken records at every major venue, hosted over 40,000 hospitality guests and built something truly unique with our partners.”

The Melbourne Test alone drew more than 90,000 fans - the biggest ever for a Wallabies-Lions clash - and triggered a $20 million spending surge across the city, according to exclusive transaction data from NAB.

Bars and pubs saw a 94% uplift in spend compared to the previous week. Sports apparel sales soared 140%. Accommodation, food and entertainment sectors all recorded spikes as Melbourne embraced the influx of UK, Irish and domestic fans.

“Melbourne really turned it on,” NAB business banking executive Julie Rynski said. “Visitors didn’t just come for the rugby – they stayed for the full Melbourne experience. This Test was more than a game – it was a celebration of the city’s global status and a financial uplift for local business.”

In Adelaide, the impact was just as striking. The Lions’ first match in the city since 1888 drove the highest number of hotel rooms ever occupied in a single night, more than 10,750 across greater Adelaide on July 12, reaching 95% occupancy and $3.9 million in revenue. Even the Friday night before broke records, with 92% occupancy and $3.2 million in spend. In total, more than 43,000 fans packed Adelaide Oval - including an estimated 15,000 international visitors, said the South Australian Tourism Commission.

The story was replicated in Sydney where a crowd of 80,312 on Saturday took the total 2025 Qatar Airways Lions series attendance to an all-time record of 452,987, breaking the previous record of 389,400 set on the Lions’ 2013 tour of Australia.

A new sponsorship model

For brands, the Lions tour also marks a turning point in sponsorship strategy. Rather than competing with the visiting team for commercial space, Rugby Australia and the Lions formed a joint venture - a rare move in global sport.

“It allowed us to speak to brands as one,” Durbin said. “In the past, we’d pitch against each other. This time, we said let’s align and deliver a better experience for our partners and fans.”

That model helped land major sponsors like Howden, whose jersey presence with the Lions was complemented by integrated activations across Rugby Australia platforms, epitomised by The Howden Arms, a roving, sponsor-built pub hosting clients and fans on tour.

“We weren’t just selling logo space,” Durbin said. “We were building full fan journeys and shared value. That clean space gave sponsors permission to show up in more creative ways.”

Giles Morgan, group head of sponsorship at Howden, said sponsorship success starts with understanding the fan - and showing up in the right places, for the right reasons.

“There is an art to building relationships with clients through sponsorship. An art form that in my view many companies fall short of getting right,” Morgan, the former global sponsorship chief at HSBC, said.

“You can’t just show up with a logo and expect people to care. You’ve got to earn your right to be there."

Morgan said the Howden Arms was a new way to engage rugby fans. Over the six weeks of The British & Irish Lions Tour, Howden built bespoke pubs in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney with live bands, “very well stocked” bars and plenty of food. In total, the insurance group hosted some 2,750 guests.

“We have to connect with fans. If we don't resonate, we just become a logo. We built our own pub and it was rocking. People were coming, the dress code was red or gold and we're not talking about insurance. We wanted people to have fun. We'll hit them with a business request on Monday or Tuesday," he added. 

“We're in a really exciting time, but we've got to change the model of what a sponsorship deck looks like. They haven't changed a lot since 1992, but when done right - my god it's powerful."

Durbin also pointed to a shift in how rugby is experienced and marketed. From the 8,000-strong Lions Den fan zone to quirky events like the “darts tournament” in Adelaide, the goal was to stretch the moment beyond 80 minutes on the pitch.

“Rugby’s a social event,” he said. “It’s mateship, banter, activations, the pub, the precinct. That’s what drives tourism and deeper engagement.”

Luke Drake, SVP of sponsorship & events at Qatar Airways, the series title partner and official airline, said its sponsorship goes well beyond the pitch.

“We want to be part of moments that matter to fans,” he said. “Sport is a way to connect with them, enhance their experience and differentiate ourselves in a hyper-competitive category.”

But he said Qatar’s expansive sponsorship portfolio, which also includes FIFA World Cup, Formula 1 and the Champions League, was about embedding the brand within fan culture.

“We’d rather our brand take a backseat if it means the activation connects better with the fan,” Drake said. “You’ve got to prove you deserve to be there.”

A decade to define the sport

With the men’s Rugby World Cup arriving in 2027 and the women’s in 2029, Rugby Australia is eyeing the Lions tour as a springboard. A new Nations Cup tournament is also set to launch in 2026 - the biggest structural shift in international rugby since professionalism.

“We’re entering a new era,” Durbin said. “This tour showed us what’s possible when you get it right - on the field and off it. The next decade is about building on that.”

For brands, the takeaway is clear: if sport is done right - with purpose, partnership, and passion - the commercial upside goes well beyond the scoreboard.

“I genuinely believe sponsorship is entering its golden age,” Morgan said. “The ability to intercept people through their passions - across social, streaming, live, or experiential - is colossal.”