TLDR
Mortgage Choice has expanded its NBL partnership to cover the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) for the 2026/27 season, its second year in Australian basketball. The WNBL drew nearly 200,000 fans last season, with social impressions up 380 per cent, making it one of the fastest-growing sponsorship properties in the country.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
The deal
Mortgage Choice has added the WNBL to its existing NBL partnership, covering both competitions for the 2026/27 season.[1] The brokerage joined Australian basketball as an official NBL partner in 2025/26, so this is year two in the sport and year one across the women's competition.[1]
NBL27 opens on Saturday 19 September 2026. WNBL27 follows on Thursday 15 October.[1] Every game across both leagues broadcasts live on ESPN, with WNBL matches also streaming on 9Now.[1]
What both sides said
NBL Group chief executive David Stevenson said the expansion was a logical progression. "Mortgage Choice has been alongside us since last season, and this expansion into the WNBL is a natural next step in a partnership that continues to grow," Stevenson said.[1]
Mortgage Choice chief executive Anthony Waldron said the second year builds on a strong first. "We had a great first year with the NBL. We are thrilled to be deepening the relationship by also partnering with the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) this year," Waldron said.[1]
Why the numbers make it interesting
The WNBL's 25/26 season produced a 43 per cent rise in attendance to nearly 200,000 fans, a 130 per cent lift in broadcast reach, and a 380 per cent jump in social media impressions.[5] Those are the figures a brand buys before they are priced in. Google, Reebok and Sephora all joined the WNBL as new partners in the same cycle.[5]
For a financial services brand targeting first-home buyers and mortgage refinancers, the audience skew matters. Women's basketball pulls a younger, more female crowd than the NBL's core base, and dual-screen placement across ESPN and 9Now extends that reach into free-to-air territory.
The market behind the move
A Victorian Government report from July 2023 found that early corporate sponsors of women's elite sport in Australia generate more than $650 million in customer value each year, with a $125 million annual investment gap still separating women's and men's sport sponsorship.[2] The commercial logic: that gap is upside for brands willing to act before parity closes it.
Philanthropic giving to women's and girls' sport hit $22.8 million in FY25, up $11.3 million on the prior year, according to the Australian Sports Foundation.[3] Institutional money chasing audience growth tends to confirm that the audience growth is genuine. WNBL27 tips off on 15 October 2026.
SOURCES & CITATIONS
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What competitions does the Mortgage Choice partnership now cover?
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James Dore is Strategy Director at Bushnote, a leader in SEO and AEO in Australia. He writes on search, AI and the technology decisions shaping government and industry.
