The Australian Football League (AFL) is preparing to trial a new fan experience this weekend that could reshape how audiences engage with live sport. For the first time, the league will stage a creator-led watchalong during the preliminary final between Collingwood and Brisbane, taking place on September 20.
The initiative, dubbed the “Ultimate Footy Watchalong,” will run live on the AFL’s YouTube channel and the AFL Live Official App, complementing traditional broadcasts on Channel Seven, 7plus, Kayo, and Fox Footy.
The Creator Model Comes to Footy
Fronting the digital experiment is Dan Gorringe, a former Carlton and Gold Coast player turned podcaster and content creator known online as DanDoesFooty. Gorringe will be joined by fellow creators, AFL and AFLW players, and well-known ‘footy personalities’ to deliver alternative commentary, live reactions, and interactive fan engagement throughout the match.
For Gorringe, this signals the start of a shift in how younger audiences experience live sport:
“This is the beginning of modernising how fans experience footy – especially for younger generations who want to immerse themselves in the game differently.”
Meeting Fans Where They Are
The AFL sees this experiment as an opportunity to align more closely with changing consumption habits. Bec Haagsma, AFL Executive General Manager of Customer and Commercial, described the project as a tailored offering for a digitally native audience:
“The Ultimate Footy Watchalong is all about providing an experience that is in tune with younger audience consumption habits, encouraging the connection between the game and the ever-increasing online audience.”
The move follows similar experiments abroad. Just last month, Germany’s Bundesliga handed streaming rights for 20 games to YouTube creators such as Mark Goldbridge (That’s Football) and Gary Neville (The Overlap). The goal: make top-flight football accessible in new formats through personalities who already command loyal digital followings.
Why This Matters
As Vadim Drozdovski, VP of Strategy & Growth at WSC Sports, put it:
“The smartest leagues see creators as collaborators, not competitors. It’s about meeting fans where they are, and letting the story of the game travel in every format, on every platform, in real time.”
Technology has made it easier than ever for leagues to build segmented, engaged audiences through collaborations with creators who understand digital-first storytelling. Instead of fearing the rise of independent voices, the AFL and Bundesliga are embracing them as extensions of the fan experience.
365247 Insight
This strategy highlights a critical evolution in sports broadcasting:
- Creators are distribution partners — they bring trust, authenticity, and built-in fan communities.
- Younger fans value interaction over tradition — watchalongs, chatrooms, and real-time reactions often feel more engaging than linear broadcasts.
- Leagues need to diversify formats — it’s not enough to rely on TV deals; content must live across platforms and styles.
For clubs, leagues, and sponsors, the opportunity is to embed themselves into these creator-led ecosystems — not only to reach new fans but to build emotional relevance in spaces where fans already spend their time.
At 365247, we work with sports properties and brands to navigate this shift, helping them understand how creator-led strategies can unlock new fan demographics, drive engagement, and expand revenue streams.
The big question: are you still treating broadcasters as your only partners, or are you ready to see creators as co-creators of the live sports experience?
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