Launched on 7 March to leverage International Women’s Day, Australian building equipment hire and construction solutions provider Coates unveiled a campaign promoting the extension of its AFL partnership which added an official AFLW sponsorship with the aim of increasing support for women’s footie over the next three years and of reaching its 25% female staff workforce and management target by 2025.
Building on its existing status as the AFL naming rights partner of the ‘Coates Talent League’ (formerly the ‘NAB League’), Coates’ expanded support saw it become an official partner of the AFLW and of the AFLW Workplay initiative – the AFL’s careers platform for AFLW players.
Originally launched in 2021, the latest iteration of AFLW Workplay connects AFLW players with flexible employment, career and educational resources to further advance the opportunities for the players ‘to thrive on and off the field’.
While Coates’ support of the ‘Coates Talent League’ – Australia’s premier underage football pathway competition for boys and girls in the eastern states – seeks to help the next generation of AFL and AFLW players develop and showcase their skills.
The partnership seeks to bring to life Coates’ commitment to ‘a fair and equal world’ and the tie-up also sees Coates directly teamed up with AFLW and A-League Women’s squads the Newcastle Jets and Perth Glory to provide opportunities for their elite and emerging players a pathway to a career with Coates.
The announcement was supported by a digital-first campaign spearheaded by a social spot running across sponsor and rights holder platforms backed by a PR push.
“Coates is excited to extend our partnership with the AFL to support the AFLW, who continue to lead the way in creating a tremendous platform for their athletes to achieve their football goals and further their aspirations away from the field,” said Coates Chief Executive Officer Murray Vitlich. “Like AFL, we are committed to the progression of women and offer AFLW athletes the opportunity to join our business through Workplay, while also supporting their football goals and commitments.”
Coates General Manager Marketing and Communications Sheridan Jones continued: “Coates is a values-based organisation where we aim to be our best, work as one team, continuously improve for our customers and care deeply about each other. Coates and the AFLW provide the best environments for teams and individuals to shine and it’s exciting to partner with an organisation with shared values.”
“The AFL is delighted to continue its partnership with Coates as the official partner of AFLW and Workplay in 2023 and beyond,” said AFL Executive General Manager Customer and Commercial Kylie Rogers. “The AFL and Coates share the same commitment to supporting the progression of women in our respective industries and we’re looking forward to continuing to work together to achieve this both on and off the field.”
“Coates’ contribution to AFLW and the Workplay platform, alongside our other valued AFLW partners, will strengthen our ability to help AFLW athletes reach their potential, whether that be their on-field careers or developing their passions away from football,” commented AFL General Manager of Women’s Football Nicole Livingstone.
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The new raft of sponsorships sees Coates become an Official Partner and the Official Hire Equipment Partner of the NAB AFL Women’s Competition (AFLW) and AFLEW Workplay, the title partner of the 2023 Coates Talent League.
“We see women’s sports as a barometer of how things can change quickly, and the AFLW, the Women’s A-League and others have done a phenomenal job of pushing elite women’s professional sports to the front of mind of sports fans,” continued Vitlich. “A few years ago, this wasn’t necessarily the case, but their efforts have changed the habits of these fans across the country. It’s a prime example of how quickly things can change if we are determined to change, and if we establish the right values to ensure that change is permanent. Construction is no different, and we believe the sector can learn from sport and become more diverse and more inclusive if we are collectively committed to progress. In recent years the foundation these leagues and teams have built has been exceptional and accelerated the opportunities for elite female athletes across the country. Not only are we proud to support fantastic female athletes and great role models, but we’re also equally proud to help grow the women’s game for generations to come as well as provide avenues for careers off the field.”
Coates, as a leading company in the Australian construction industry, is conscious of the role it can play in creating a more inclusive and diverse workforce in what has traditionally been a male-dominated sector.
Since 2021, it has steadily increased its own women’s workforce from 18% to 21% and is committed to raising this to 25% by 2025.
“We hold a privileged position as an industry leader to foster and represent change not just within our own ranks but within the sector at large, and it’s a responsibility we take seriously,” commented Vitlich.
Industry research shows that only 12% of the Australian construction industry workforce are women.
Coates is encouraging other companies in the sector to follow its approach by establishing more flexible working policies and launching their own versions of its Leadership, Excellence and Performance (LEAP) program designed to identify and develop high performing, future female leaders at Coates.
This latest initiative adds to Coates’ long-standing sports associations which range from Formula One to Supercars.
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