Adidas makes a play for NRL's booming audience with Parramatta Eels deal

The NRL season might have wrapped up, but the sponsorship deals are ongoing.

Adidas is the latest to make a play for Australia's expanding rugby league audience, signing a multi-year partnership with the Parramatta Eels that will see the sportswear giant become the club's official apparel partner from 2027.

The deal covers the Eels' NRL and NRLW teams, along with elite academy and junior representative programs, with players set to wear adidas for the first time in Round 1 of their respective 2027 seasons.

It comes off the back of a record-breaking year for rugby league, with television audiences and stadium attendance continuing to climb, strengthening the sport's appeal to broadcasters and commercial partners.

According to Nine, the complete 2026 NRL season, including finals, attracted an average national Total TV audience of 745,000 viewers per match, up 1.3% year-on-year. Regular-season viewing grew 4% across Total TV, while broadcast video-on-demand (BVOD) audiences surged 58.4%. The finals series averaged 1.066 million viewers per match.

The growth has extended beyond television. More than four million spectators attended NRL matches during the season, making 2026 the most-attended year in the competition's history, according to the league.

That audience momentum has translated into significant commercial value.

In July, the Australian Rugby League Commission secured a record $5.3 billion media rights agreement with Foxtel Group, Nine and Sky NZ, the largest broadcast deal in Australian sporting history.

The seven-year agreement, beginning in 2028, represents a substantial increase in annual broadcast revenue and gives the league greater scope to expand its domestic and international reach.

For brands such as adidas, the growing audience provides an opportunity to build connections beyond traditional sportswear sponsorship.

To launch its partnership with Parramatta, adidas has unveiled Made for Parra, a documentary-style campaign celebrating the club's connection to Western Sydney.

Rather than focusing on players or new merchandise, the film puts supporters at the centre of the story, capturing their relationship with the club across homes, parks, train stations, football fields and neighbourhood streets.

Adidas Pacific general manager Rachel Howard said the partnership reflects the brand's long-term commitment to rugby league and the communities surrounding it.

“Rugby league sits at the centre of life in Western Sydney, and Parramatta is one of the clubs that proves it,” Howard said.

“This partnership is about showing up properly in a code that matters to this country - for both the NRL and NRLW squads, and for the junior players coming through the club's pathways. We're here for the long term.”

Parramatta Eels chief commercial officer Daniel Clifford said the agreement would extend beyond the club's elite teams into its wider supporter base and development pathways.

“Bringing a global brand like adidas to the Parramatta Eels is a significant moment for our club, and we look forward to integrating the brand across our elite programs, pathways, Members and supporters for years to come,” Clifford said.

The partnership will cover the club's teams competing across the NRL, NRLW and NSWRL competitions, with the new apparel range and retail details to be unveiled later this year.