The Australian national wheelchair rugby team, The Australian Steelers, begin this year’s major competition period without a team sponsor but have launched an innovative campaign to help secure a corporate partner.
Calling it the “Officially Unsponsored” campaign, rather than their usual green and gold uniforms, The Australian Steelers will wear an all-white uniform with a QR code where a sponsor’s logo would usually be. Scanning the code leads to the SponsorSHOP, where brands can explore sponsorship opportunities including naming rights, footwear and apparel partnerships, travel partners and more.
With fans expected to be the first to scan the codes, it’s hoped that the more than 670,000 international viewers of the 2025 Wheelchair Rugby World Challenge will rally corporate support on behalf of the team.
The initiative is also running on the teams social media platform. Fans are invited to share posts, tag aligning brands and send the story to their marketing connection networks.
Wheelchair rugby profile
- Rugby Wheelchair Market was valued at $0.15 billion in 2024
- Projected to reach $0.45 by 2034
- First included in the paralympics in 2020
- Mixed gender sport (men and women play on the same team)
- 2026 Santos Wheelchair Rugby World Challenge, to be held in Adelaide in April
- Additional international competitions include the Canada Cup in June and the World Championship in August in Brazil
- Governed by WWR (World Wheelchair Rugby)
Australia’s national wheelchair rugby team profile
- Currently ranked world #2
- Defending World Champions
- Winning of two gold medals at the Paralympic Games (2012 and 2016)
- Bronze medal winners at the Paris Paralympic Games 2024
