Minister Assisting the Minister for Defence Bruce Billson has today announced an innovative sponsorship deal which has seen Defence Force Recruiting secure naming rights of the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL), including national team the Opals. The 12-month sponsorship deal is worth $300,000 with an option to renew for a further 12 months. This arrangement will position defence jobs branding prominently before an important demographic of young Australian women in the 17-24 age group.

Mr Billson said the sponsorship would reinforce the image of Navy, Army and Air Force as an attractive and rewarding employment proposition. “We consider the WNBL and the Opals and the audiences they attract through the vibrant and exciting basketball, a perfect fit as far as tapping into a source of healthy young women who may want to consider a career in the Australian Defence Force,” Mr Billson said.

Last year the ADF recruited 931 women into the three Services, which represented about 15 per cent of all recruits. The ADF currently has about 51,000 personnel, including about 6,800 women. “We are committed to bettering this result, as illustrated by this new sponsorship agreement and we are keen to highlight the job opportunities that the ADF offers for women across the three Services,” Mr Billson said.

The Opals and WNBL enjoy strong recognition amongst young women while 33 per cent of the Australian population have an interest in the sport. “The Australian Opals are Australia’s most successful basketball team and we anticipate that Defence will be a beneficiary of being positively associated with such an exciting entity,” Mr Billson said.