Adelaide 36ers Secure Iconic Local Bakery Balfours as Club Partner in Multi-Year Agreement

The Adelaide 36ers have announced a two-year partnership with iconic South Australian bakery Balfours. Under the agreement, the brand will feature prominently on the back of the club’s gameday media polo for both the NBL27 and NBL28 campaigns.

The collaboration unites two enduring local institutions, blending professional basketball entertainment with a heritage brand that has been woven into the fabric of South Australian life since 1853, following its recent return to local family ownership via Unique Homestyle Foods.

The partnership is designed to elevate fan engagement and matchday hospitality at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre. Supporters will experience direct brand activations starting from the club’s opening home fixture against the Cairns Taipans, featuring product giveaways, complimentary food sampling across selected matches, and integration within corporate hospitality suites.

Furthermore, the partnership introduces an exclusive Balfours Fan Tunnel experience, giving members and fans a closer touchpoint as they welcome players onto the court before tip-off.

Commenting on the partnership, Adelaide 36ers CEO, Nic Barbato, said: “We’re incredibly proud to welcome Balfours on board as an Adelaide 36ers partner.”

“There’s something really special about bringing two iconic South Australian brands together, particularly when both have such strong connections with our local community.

“Balfours has been part of South Australian life for generations and is a brand that so many of our members and supporters have grown up with.

“We’re excited to bring Balfours products into our gameday experience and give our fans the opportunity to enjoy some delicious goods over the next two seasons,” Barbato said. 

Balfours and Unique Homestyle Foods owner, Matt Brown, highlighted the personal and generational ties connecting his family business to the basketball franchise.

“We’re so proud to have Balfours back in South Australia, where it belongs.”

“So many South Aussies have memories of Balfours and we’re excited to connect back with the community. It’s important for us to continue Balfours’ legacy supporting the South Australian community, whether that’s grassroots sport, right up to the big leagues.

“Personally, our family are mad supporters of the team and attend every home game, and my first job was actually part of the catering team, servicing the original ‘Clipsal Powerhouse’, in the era of Mark Davis, Al Green and Phil Smyth.

“Our connection goes back decades and now we have the opportunity to give back to a sport that’s given so much to us, and all the fans,” he said.

This alliance underscores the continued commercial appeal of NBL clubs to major consumer brands seeking authentic community integration and high-visibility engagement platforms.

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