Building a Sustainable Future for Australia’s Most Historic Athletics League
Home of the sacred Stawell Gift, the Victorian Athletic League (VAL), established in 1895, is Australia’s longest running and most competitive professional running competition.
With prize money exceeding $500,000 each season, the VAL has been a historic drawcard for elite runners across the country for many decades.
Following the success of our first partnership throughout the 2023/24 season, Fixon Media Group continued its collaboration with the VAL for a second year during the 2024/25 season, focused on building deeper momentum and accelerating brand growth.
Client:
Victorian Athletic League
Year:
2024-25
Location:
Victoria Wide
The Challenge
Heading into year two, the challenge was to build on the foundations laid during the 2023/24 season. The league’s strategic priorities remained clear:
Increase athlete membership and race day participation
Expand fan engagement and community reach
Improve the commercial valuation of the sport to attract new sponsors
While strong growth was achieved in the first season, it was essential in year two to not only scale performance but also introduce refinements to the content strategy to ensure long-term sustainability and broader market appeal.
The Solution
Working closely with the VAL, Fixon Media Group evolved the content strategy with a more structured and targeted approach for the 2024/25 season.
Key adjustments included:
Refined audience segmentation: The content was now directed to a defined demographic breakdown – 80% open-age athletes, 15% juniors (U18), and 5% masters (35+) – to ensure the messaging resonated with all key growth segments.
Optimised content formats: Roaming microphone content was reduced to focus on high-impact formats that had previously shown strong engagement.
Greater race day variation: We introduced broader content diversity on race days to better showcase the atmosphere and performance across different athlete groups.
Doubling down on proven winners: Content formats such as mic’d up race commentary and dynamic drone cinematography were prioritised, building on their proven success from the previous season.
The Result
The refinements to the strategy delivered outstanding growth across all core objectives:
591% increase in Instagram followers
35 million+ views across all platforms
2 new sponsors attracted to the sport
33% increase in race entries, with record participation across multiple meets
17% increase in memberships across the league
The league’s digital presence is now stronger than ever, with content reaching far beyond the traditional audience and actively drawing in new fans, athletes, and commercial interest.
Moving Forward
Our continued partnership with the Victorian Athletic League has contributed to a modernised and commercially viable future for professional running in Victoria.
We look forward to supporting the league’s evolution in coming seasons and playing a role in the continued resurgence of one of Australia’s most iconic sporting traditions.