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he AFL has announced a new partnership with Therabody, with the creators of hand-held massage therapy device, Theragun, set to become the leagues official recovery partner.
The partnership follows a similar deal announced recently between the NRL and Therabody, with the company now set to integrate its devices and research into pre-match training and post-match recovery routines for the AFL.
As part of the deal, the AFL will also have access to Therabody University, Therabody’s educational division led by its founder, Dr. Jason Wersland.
AFL executive general manager of customer and commercial, Kylie Rogers, said the partnership will help improve overall athletic performance across the league and help prevent injuries.
“Effective recovery is critical for the well-being of our players, so we are so pleased to welcome the expertise at Therabody to help support players both on and off the field,” Rogers said.
Speaking on the partnership, Dr. Wersland said: “We are continuously working to develop industry-leading, clinical solutions that help support athletes in any sport, at any level.”
“We look forward to supporting the AFL’s elite athletes and helping them to prevent injury and optimize overall performance,” Dr. Wersland said.
With the partnership, Therabody is also set to become the official naming rights partner of the AFL All-Australian team at the end of the 2021 season.
Elsewhere, the Victorian Football League (VFL) has announced a new broadcast partnership with the Seven Network, Foxtel, and Kayo ahead of the start of the 2021 season on Friday.
As part of the deal, the expanded 22-team VFL competition will be broadcast on Seven, Foxtel and Kayo Freebies throughout the year, with Seven set to broadcast the VFL’s match of the day live and free and Kayo set to broadcast at least two additional matches every round on Kayo Freebies.
The VFL will only appear on Fox Footy on Foxtel on Thursday nights in weeks when there is no AFL Thursday night game, with the VFL Finals Series to be broadcast across all three platforms.
Fox Sports executive director, Steve Crawley, said: “We are thrilled to be able to bring VFL footy to a whole new audience in 2021 via Foxtel and Kayo, with more coverage than ever before.”
“The expert Fox Footy team will be covering every Thursday night match as well as the Finals, with fans able to watch live on Foxtel or stream on Kayo.
“In a major boost, Kayo will also produce a minimum of two additional matches per round which will be streamed live and free on Kayo Freebies.
“VFL plays a major role not only as a feeder league to the AFL, but also in keeping community footy clubs engaged, so we’re excited to make more matches accessible to dedicated footy fans across the country,” Crawley said.
The deal is part of Kayo’s push for more grassroots sports coverage, as detailed in the announcement of a new partnership with Toyota for grassroots sport.
