Boost for Australian Sporting Goods Industry with Kookaburra Sport and Burley-Sekem to Merge


Two Australian sporting icons today joined forces when Kookaburra Sports and Burley-Sekem announced an agreement to merge. 

The move will see the strengthening of the Australian sporting goods and apparel industry with the consolidation of 240 years of experience into one operation. It will also ensure these two pillars of Australian and world sport remain Australian-owned and continue to employ more than 170 Australians in addition to its operations offshore. 

Burley-Sekem Managing Director Ed Cunningham said that the merger will see the coming together of two successful companies synonymous with sport in Australia.

“This is an important and exciting day in the long history of Burley-Sekem. We are joining forces with another well-established Australian business that holds the same values and culture as Burley-Sekem. In a few years, the group will have three brands each with more than 100 years of experience in Australian sport, providing a tremendous platform for growth,” said Mr Cunningham.

“The merger between the two companies will create a larger, stronger group with complementary skill sets. It’s a natural fit with the adding of Kookaburra’s global brand in cricket and hockey to our football offering and extensive licensing program.”

Kookaburra MD Brett Elliot said that the merger offered exciting opportunities to expand both companies’ involvement in Australian sport.

“The synergies between the two companies, historically, culturally and practically, are many. The respective major sports of each company complement each other seasonally, and enhance our business,” said Mr Elliot.

“This will allow the entity to not only invest in improving its existing products for consumers and sport, but also expand into new product areas, building on each company’s strengths and complementary skills."

“The merger of these two eminent companies ensures that for those two great Australian sports, footy and cricket, there will be balls that remain Australian owned and manufactured.” 

The iconic brands of the Burley Australian Rules football and the Kookaburra cricket and hockey balls will continue under the merger.

The new entity will retain its current operations bases and the balls will continue to be made in their traditional homes of Perth and Melbourne respectively.

Over the next 12 months, the two companies will develop a transition plan to create a single entity with its existing brands sitting within, that will play a vital role in the Australian sport, with ownership and manufacturing remaining in Australia.
 

About Burley-Sekem

Burley-Sekem’s origins trace back to 1907 and today the Burley Football is the official football used in the WAFL and SANFL, along with many community leagues across Australia. Burley also holds an AFL license for supporter footballs.

It’s Sekem apparel division stretches back to 1923 and has a long history across Australian sport. More recently it has become a leading distributor of Licensed Apparel and Accessories. It is a major licensing partner of the AFL, in addition to license agreements with the NRL, State of Origin, Australian Open, the Socceroos, A-League, the Wallabies and New Zealand Rugby Union.
 

About Kookaburra Sport

Kookaburra Sport was started in 1890 by AG Thompson and today is still owned by the Thompson family.

It produces the global ball of choice for both cricket and hockey. Its cricket ball is used for Test cricket in the majority of Test playing nations and is used for all ODI and T20 internationals. It is also the ball of choice for domestic T20 competitions such as the IPL, BBL and WBBL.

Kookaburra have pioneered the white and pink cricket ball through its world-leading research and development department. It is the ball of choice for community cricket across Australia and is a supporter and sponsor of more than 100 grassroots leagues. 

Kookaburra’s hockey ball has been used in Olympic and Commonwealth Games for more than 30 years. 

Kookaburra’s extensive range of sporting equipment, protective gear and teamwear across both sports is endorsed by some of the world’s leading players in both cricket and hockey.

Kookaburra and FairBreak Global Announce a Partnership Supporting Gender Equality


FairBreak Global and Kookaburra are proud to announce a partnership that brings together the most recognizable brand in world cricket with FairBreak’s focus on advancing gender equality in leadership and performance roles.

The partnership will see Kookaburra balls and equipment used in FairBreak’s global cricket competitions and academies, giving female players from developing cricket countries the chance to play and compete at the elite level with the best equipment.

Team Kookaburra player and Australian star Rachael Haynes will be an ambassador for the partnership.

“Kookaburra had led the industry in its sponsorship of elite female players in Australia and around the globe and has been a leader in instituting gender-neutral sizes for grassroots cricket to make the cricket experience more inclusive for young girls,” Haynes said.

“I’m a big supporter of the FairBreak concept so it's great that Kookaburra can now extend its support of female cricket to the emerging cricket nations via FairBreak’s programs.” 

FairBreak Global founder Shaun Martyn says, “Having the most recognizable brand in world cricket partnering with us is a powerful statement from Kookaburra about their commitment to gender equality. There is much work to do in this space. Kookaburra shares our values and desire to see all areas of cricket prosper with gender no barrier to opportunity or equality.”
 

About Kookaburra

Established in 1890 Kookaburra Sport is the ball of choice for cricketers and hockey players around the world. Kookaburra has been a pioneer in Australia and around the world in its support of female athletes. Current Team Kookaburra cricket players include Alyssa Healy, Natalie Sciver, Rachael Haynes, Megan Schutt, Sophie Ecclestone, Sophie Devine and Tayla Vlaeminck.
 

About FairBreak Global

Around the globe, there are women who are talented, passionate and driven in their professional field, but they do not have the opportunity to give their best in a way that is acknowledged or encouraged by their community. FairBreak is an organisation that aims to create opportunities in sport, business, media, arts and education to achieve gender equality on a truly global scale.

For more about FairBreak, please visit https://fairbreak.net

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