100 Year Business Lunch

For 100 years, the Perth Football League has provided the opportunity for current and up and coming business people to gather and form beneficial relations around our clubs.

Way back in 1922 when the League was first formed, one of the founding teams was the Commonwealth Bank who fielded a team of employees in what was the Mercantile Football Association. The bank is now the largest company in Australia.

From a humble beginning of a six team competition, the Perth Football League has now grown into a competition containing 70 Perth Clubs, 300 teams and over 12,500 players. Quiet a vast network of players, family members, local businesses and an often thriving community ecosystem.

Throughout the past 100 years, the relationships between our Clubs and the business community have been apparent. 2021 research indicates that the average Club has between 10 -15 sponsors who contribute to the sustainability of the Club. Some clubs have over 30 local sponsors.

Each year, a vast number of our players will be commencing apprenticeships or attending university, whereas others have already started their careers or have thriving businesses in a myriad of differing industries. Players are also often in the time of their lives where they are earning signiifcant incomes for the first time, taking out loans, investing and starting businesses. Clubs also can spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to facilitate a season on food and beverages, insurances, registrations, functions, apparell and other equiptment etc. A high proportion of this money makes its way to local mum and dad businesses.

Senior and past players have been crucial in providing the financial support for clubs and assist create a ‘community club vibe’ and even provide younger players with opportunity to find employment through their engagment with football.

The roll of engaging the business community is still prevalent amongst the Clubs (especially amongst the stronger ones) who call on local business and current and past players for sponsorships, contra goods & services, fundraising and overall support of the club. It would be easy to form a strong correlation between the best performing clubs and their relationship to business. A number of A Grade clubs have lead the way in terms of the value of building a business hub around their club and should be the template of what each club should be aspiring to.

For business people, the club environment has often provided the network of friendships to go on and excel in business as football communities often support each other’s undertakings where possible and relationships formed on the field often translate into off field success for years to come.

Critically, the football clubs have also provided a place where business people can go to get away from the weekly grind and be a part of a social pursuit away from the stresses of the corporate world.

In the Perth Football League’s 100th year, we are hosting a Business Lunch to reflect on some of the great stories from our history, as well as hearing from some of WA Football’s Business Leaders on their business and football endeavours.

All Perth Football League Clubs are invited and encouraged to attend this event which provides the opportunity to bring directors and partners of each club, to network in a social environment and liaise with the Perth Football League’s vast community.

All attending businesses will have the opportunity to be promoted amongst the hundreds strong crowd and the Perth Football League intends to turn this into an annual event to assist clubs in growing their relations with local businesses.

Guest Speakers will include Glen Bartlett (Melbourne FC President) and Trevor Nisbett (WCE CEO). Other speakers will be announced in the lead up.

Event Details

Date: Friday 6 August 2021

Time: 12 noon – 3pm

Location: Crown Perth Ballroom

Cost: $1,000 for table of 10 (incl)

Includes: 2 Course Meal, 3 Hours Drinks Package + Entertainment

Tables are limited. For more details & to book click here.