Calls grow in Australia to end Woodside’s sponsorship of Fremantle — The Guardian
In Australia, some fans are calling on the Australian rules football club Fremantle Dockers to end its partnership with oil and gas company Woodside Energy because of its role in fossil fuel production. A new wave of discussion was sparked by Tame Impala frontman Kevin Parker, who appeared during a tour wearing a team shirt with the Woodside logo taped over.
As The Guardian reports, Woodside does not sell oil or liquefied natural gas directly to football fans. The publication notes that such deals can give extraction companies an opportunity to build public trust and support in communities near which they operate and where their projects may depend on decisions by state, federal or local authorities.
Disputes over the partnership
Professor Emma Sherry, dean of the School of Management at RMIT University, said that companies with “complex relationships” with local communities invest in sport in the hope of linking fans’ emotional loyalty to their team with a positive attitude toward the brand. According to her, businesses seek to use people’s love for the club to create a “similar warm feeling” about the company.
Woodside and Fremantle extended their long-term sponsorship agreement at the end of 2024. At the time, the company said that both Western Australian organisations had “a focus on sustainability”. At the same time, Woodside’s position has faced sharper criticism after the company abandoned long-term targets for cutting emissions and developing clean energy.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
In response to the “Woodside, get off my chest” campaign, whose participants demand that the sponsor be removed from the club’s uniform, a Woodside representative said the company was committed to its partnership with the Dockers and expected to continue working together.
The climate factor in sport
According to research by the charity Comms Declare, major coal, oil and gas companies reach children through schools, museums, science centres, sports clubs and youth programmes. Woodside is listed in the report as a sponsor of 47 programmes, including Surf Life Saving Western Australia’s children’s beach programme.
Sherry noted that growing awareness of climate change, particularly among younger fans, demonstrates the risks to sports organisations’ future. She stressed that rising temperatures could limit the staging of matches, while droughts could make the use of grass fields impossible.
