TW: Discussion of domestic violence.
You’d have to be living under a rock not to realise that Australian women’s basketball (WNBL) is in the middle of a seismic shift. We’ve seen record crowds, record visibility, and a new generation of athletes who are redefining what it means to lead both on and off the court.
As the WNBL steps into this new era, the partnerships being forged across the league are also evolving (which we love to see) — not just bigger, but smarter and also rooted in real social impact. Even beyond WNBL, we’ve loved covering innovative and meaningful brand partnerships like the new collab between the NRLW’s West Tigers and Pepper Money, which focused on boosting financial literacy for female athletes.
This is why, when the press release came across our desks for Bendigo Spirit’s new two-year collaboration with Tangerine, it really stood out. This piece isn’t sponsored — it’s just a partnership that we loved to see.
More than a sponsorship, the partnership aims to champion change, elevate women athletes, and drive awareness around one of Australia’s most urgent social issues: domestic and family violence. As part of the deal, Tangerine will become Bendigo Spirit’s game day partner for the club’s work with the Orange Ribbon Campaign, a nationwide initiative raising awareness, funding support services, and amplifying the voices of victim-survivors of domestic violence.
For Bendigo Spirit captain and five-time WNBL champion Kelsey Griffin, the campaign goes far deeper than just a brand partnership. “With the Bendigo Spirit and Tangerine both being about creating a positive impact on and off the court, I think this collaboration is something that’s so important,” Griffin tells Missing Perspectives. “Sport is so much more than just about what happens on the court or on the field.”
She points out that special fixtures, like the Orange Ribbon Game, open up space for conversations many communities struggle to have. “Being able to… bring to light the impact of domestic violence on communities and also what can be done, but also raising funds in support of solutions for people, I think is really important,” she explains. “This is, you know, the start of something very much needed – and something I’m really proud to be a part of.”
Across the WNBL, we’ve seen meaningful partnerships become a defining feature. We’ve previously reported on the league’s ‘Fighting Period Poverty Round‘ with one of our favourite non-profits, Share the Dignity, which showed what can happen when women’s sport uses its growing platform to drive national change and social impact. To us, this new Tangerine partnership continues that momentum. “One of the great things about sport is that it creates a place that brings people together and can be inclusive… but also provides opportunity to elevate the platform or encourage conversations that might not always be had,” Griffin says.
She also believes that a collaboration of this kind plays a critical role in shifting public perception and increasing awareness of domestic violence. “People aren’t sure of the numbers or the statistics or the resources or what can be done in this space. So I think that being able to use our platform for this and for Tangerine to partner with it, I think is fantastic.”