Western Force

What Western Force does

Western Force is a professional rugby union franchise based in Perth, Western Australia, founded in 2004 and operating as one of Australia's Super Rugby Pacific teams alongside its Super Rugby Women's side. The franchise operates under a Rugby Australia participation license while being privately financed by Dr Andrew Forrest AO through Tattarang, following his 2017 intervention to keep the club alive after its controversial Super Rugby exclusion. The organization runs a vertically integrated rugby ecosystem anchored by the Fortescue Academy, the UWA Western Force Cup (school rugby across 15 Perth schools), and the Host Family Program, which collectively feed talent into its men's and women's professional teams.

Revenue is generated across six distinct streams: matchday ticket sales at HBF Park (via Ticketmaster), annual membership subscriptions marketed as the 'Sea of Blue' community, premium corporate hospitality (Try Line Suites, Western Force Suites, Theme Group Clubhouse, Open Side Boxes, NRW Sideline VIP), a multi-tiered sponsorship program (major partners Altrad, Fortescue, NRW Holdings plus official partners including Yokohama, New Balance, SportFM), merchandise via westernforce.store, and broadcast rights through Stan Sport and Channel Nine. The franchise competes in the Trans-Tasman Super Rugby Pacific competition (against Australian, New Zealand, and Pacific Island teams) and the Swyftx Super Rugby Women's competition.

The company employs 101–250 staff and operates from Force HQ at 203 Underwood Avenue, Floreat. Its go-to-market is event-driven, monetizing matchday, content, and community engagement. Strategic priorities evident in the data include women's rugby professionalization (first Super W club to pay players and appoint a full-time women's head coach), grassroots community building (school competition, academy pathways, host families), and commercial diversification through a growing roster of official partners. The franchise has no disclosed proprietary technology, no app, and no public APIs; its core technology is described as not applicable to a professional sports organization.

Name

Western Force

Legal name

Western Force (operated by Rugby Australia)

Website

https://westernforce.rugby

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Western Force is a privately owned professional rugby union franchise based in Perth, Western Australia, competing in Super Rugby Pacific (men's) and Swyftx Super Rugby Women's (women's). It serves rugby fans, corporate sponsors, and elite players through matchday events, memberships, hospitality, merchandise, and a grassroots-to-professional academy pathway.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Rugby Franchise

NAICS

Sports Teams and Clubs (711211)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Rugby (Union & League) Leagues (MPAKAAAG)

Keywords

• Professional rugby franchise
• Rugby club memberships
• Corporate hospitality services
• Rugby merchandise sales
• Sports sponsorship programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Perth

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Matchday Revenue: Revenue generated from ticket sales for Super Rugby Pacific and Super Rugby Women's home games at HBF Park, including general admission and premium hospitality seating.
2. Membership Programs: Annual and multi-year membership packages offering priority access to games, exclusive content, and member events. Marketed as 'Sea of Blue' supporter community.
3. Corporate Hospitality: Premium hospitality packages including Try Line Suites, Western Force Suites, Theme Group Clubhouse, Open Side Boxes, and NRW Sideline VIP seating for corporate clients and private events.
4. Sponsorship: Multi-tiered sponsorship program including major partners (Altrad, Fortescue, NRW Holdings), official partners, official suppliers, and Force XV supporters program. Sponsorship packages include jersey branding, media exposure across 35+ televised games, and stakeholder engagement opportunities.
5. Merchandise: Online merchandise store selling apparel, accessories, and supporter gear. Seasonal collections including Pink Merch and Winter Range.
6. Media Rights: Broadcast revenue from Stan Sport coverage of all Super Rugby Pacific and Super Rugby Women's matches, with select games on free-to-air Channel Nine.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Western Force is a professional rugby union franchise based in Perth that operates men's and women's teams competing in Super Rugby Pacific and Swyftx Super Rugby Women's. The club sells season memberships, premium corporate hospitality packages, branded merchandise, and multi-tiered sponsorship programs, and is supported by a youth development pathway through the Fortescue Academy and the UWA Western Force Cup school competition.

Product overview

Western Force operates as a multi-team professional rugby organization offering a platform-plus-modules structure. The core offerings include the Super Rugby Pacific men's team and Swyftx Super Rugby Women's team, supported by the Fortescue Academy for talent development. Additional modules include Force TV for video content, the Full Force Podcast for audio content, and a merchandise store. Corporate hospitality packages (Try Line Suites, Western Suites, Clubhouse, Open Side Boxes, Sideline VIP) and membership programs provide revenue streams, while community initiatives such as the Western Force Cup school competition and Host Family Program support grassroots rugby development in Western Australia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Fortescue Academy: The Fortescue Academy runs a holistic program focused on developing elite habits, skills, and character to facilitate individual growth and create the next wave of Western Force players and Wallabies.

Products and services

• Super Rugby Pacific (Men's Team) Western Force's professional men's rugby team competing in the Super Rugby Pacific competition against teams from Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific region; the club's flagship men's offering.
• Swyftx Super Rugby Women's Western Force's professional women's rugby team competing in the Swyftx Super Rugby Women's competition, the premier women's rugby competition in Australia.
• Membership Program Season membership offering providing fans access to Super Rugby Pacific and Super Rugby Women's home games at HBF Park, with member benefits and priority access to finals tickets.
• Corporate Hospitality Packages Premium corporate hospitality offerings including Try Line Suites, Western Force Suites, Theme Group Clubhouse, Open Side Boxes, and NRW Sideline VIP seating at HBF Park, sold to businesses for client entertainment and stakeholder engagement.
• Western Force Merchandise Store Official online merchandise store selling Western Force apparel, replica jerseys, accessories, and seasonal collections including the 2026 Pink Merch Range and Winter Range.
• Corporate Partnerships and Sponsorship Packages Sponsorship opportunities for businesses to align with Western Force across men's, women's, and academy teams, with partnership tiers offering brand exposure via jersey branding, media exposure across televised matches, and stakeholder engagement.
• Fortescue Academy Western Force's youth development academy focused on nurturing elite rugby talent in Western Australia, providing pathways from community rugby through to professional Super Rugby.

Quantifiable outcome

• First Super W club to start player payments, create semi-professional women's Academy, and appoint dedicated women's High Performance manager (2023)
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered official and major.

• zero2heroofficialOthers · 13 February 2026Charity partner for mental health awareness. Zero2hero Charity Game held in Round 14 2026 vs Queensland Reds.
• AltradmajorOthers · 1 January 2026Altrad is a world leader in industrial services for Energy, Mining, Minerals, Power, Water, Green Energy, Defence and Infrastructure sectors. Serves as a major partner of Western Force.
• FortescuemajorOthers · 1 January 2026Fortescue Metals Group is a global leader in iron ore industry and sponsor of Fortescue Academy. Major partner providing naming rights for the Academy program.
• NRW HoldingsmajorOthers · 1 January 2026Leading diversified provider of contract services to resources and infrastructure sectors in Australia. Major partner and sponsor of NRW Sideline VIP hospitality.
• New BalanceofficialOthers · 1 January 2026Global athletic footwear and apparel brand headquartered in Boston, MA. Official teamwear partner supplying supporter and performance products.
• Snap FitnessofficialOthers · 1 January 202624/7 gym chain with commitment to building stronger, healthier communities. Official fitness partner.
• First HomebuildersofficialOthers · 1 January 2026WA-based home builder with 150+ years combined experience. Official partner for 2026 SRP season.
• MatchWornShirtofficialOthers · 1 January 2026Leading platform for match-worn and signed football shirts partnering with 400+ global sports clubs. Jersey auction partnership.
• SportFMofficialOthers · 1 January 2026Local radio station providing live commentary of all 2026 Force SRP home games.
• SwyftxofficialOthers · 1 January 2026Naming sponsor for Super Rugby Women's competition - Swyftx Super Rugby Women's.
• Belgravia ApparelofficialOthers · 1 January 2026Australasian elite teamwear partner of New Balance supplying both supporter and performance products for professional and amateur sporting organisations.
• YokohamaofficialOthers · 22 May 2025Global tyre giant Yokohama OTR (division of The Yokohama Rubber Company) partnered for board and jersey sponsorship from 2025.
• Theme GroupofficialOthers · 15 May 2025Theme Group provides facility management, food services, and cleaning services. Partner fueling players with Theme Group Clubhouse hospitality.
• BlastaofficialOthers · 15 August 2024Beverage partnership for beer and beverage supply at events and hospitality.
• UWAofficialOthers · 1 January 2022University of Western Australia partnered to boost school rugby competition through UWA Western Force Cup.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Fijian Drua: Fiji-based Super Rugby Pacific franchise that joined the competition in 2022. Competes directly with Western Force and shares the cross-Tasman competition format and broadcast partnership with Stan Sport.
• ACT Brumbies: Canberra-based Super Rugby Pacific franchise and longstanding Australian conference peer. Comparable membership and sponsorship model, with a similarly compact home market to Perth.
• NSW Waratahs: Sydney-based Super Rugby Pacific franchise and Western Force's primary Australian rival. Operates the men's and women's Super W programs with similar corporate hospitality, membership, and sponsorship structures.
• Chiefs: New Zealand Super Rugby Pacific franchise based in Hamilton. Comparable men's and women's team operations, partnership tiers, and Fortescue Academy-style player development pathways.
• Crusaders: New Zealand's most successful Super Rugby franchise. Comparable operating model across men's team, community programmes, membership, and corporate hospitality, though on a much larger commercial scale.
• Highlanders: Dunedin-based Super Rugby Pacific franchise. Comparable small-market regional model with community-focused membership and sponsorship programmes, often used as a peer benchmark for Force-style franchises.
• Moana Pasifika: Auckland-based Pacific Islands Super Rugby Pacific franchise established alongside Fijian Drua. Competes in the same Trans-Tasman competition, sharing broadcast, sponsorship, and operational structures.
• Hurricanes: Wellington-based Super Rugby Pacific franchise. Similar men's and emerging women's programme structure, sponsorship stack, and Stan Sport broadcast relationship.
• Blues: Auckland-based Super Rugby Pacific franchise. Comparable commercial structure including membership, corporate hospitality, and regional sponsor portfolio; overlapping talent market with the Force.
• Queensland Reds: Australian Super Rugby Pacific franchise based in Brisbane. Directly competes with Western Force in the Australian conference and shares the same Rugby Australia umbrella, broadcast deals, and sponsorship market dynamics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/westernforce
• Facebookfacebook.com/westernforce

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Western Force