Superhero partners with the Sydney Swans and Hawthorn FC

Superhero soars into multi-year partnerships with Sydney Swans and Hawthorn Football Club

Friday 1 November 2024

Australian superannuation and investment platform Superhero has announced a premier partnership with two of the largest and most iconic AFL clubs – the Sydney Swans and Hawthorn Football Club. 

Founded in 2018, Superhero is an award-winning superannuation fund and investment platform. It has over 350,000 users and over $2.7 billion in funds under management. 

For Superhero, this sponsorship marks a significant addition to the company’s traditional marketing strategy, which was focused on digital channels. 

The partnership, covering the 2025 – 2027 seasons, positions Superhero as the Official Superannuation and Share Trading Partner of Hawthorn Football Club. Superhero is also now the Official Superannuation Partner of the Sydney Swans.

As part of the partnerships, Superhero will collaborate with both clubs on game-day activations, giveaways, social media activations and direct marketing. Superhero’s logo will be featured on the iconic Hawks guernsey and across stadium signage at both the Sydney and Melbourne Cricket Grounds. These activations will give Superhero visibility at a national level and reach hundreds of thousands of highly engaged AFL fans. 

John Winters, the co-founder and CEO of Superhero, sees the partnerships as investment in expanding the awareness of Superhero. “We want our engagement with customers to go beyond traditional advertising – we want to invest in longstanding partnerships with organisations that are highly engaging and trusted by their community.” 

A “natural fit” for progressive, dynamic and innovative clubs 

Founded in 1874, the Sydney Swans are among the oldest and most successful AFL clubs with approximately 75,000 members. Founded in 1902, Hawthorn is the youngest Victorian-based team in the AFL and has approximately 85,000 members.

Superhero’s partnership with the clubs will include activations tailored to the club’s membership. For example, Hawks members who open a new Superhero trading account can receive US$10 worth of fractional NVIDIA stock – one of the most traded stocks in the Superhero platform.

Ash Klein, the CEO of Hawthorn, said “We are elated to join forces with Superhero as one of the club’s new Premier Partners. Given the trajectory our club is on, the partnership with Superhero is a natural fit.” 

“Both organisations prioritise innovation, growth and excellence. Hawthorn members and fans will be eager to capitalise on the award-winning superannuation and investment opportunities offered by Superhero as we soar with our new premier partner into an exciting 2025 season.”

With explosive social media growth, Hawthorn has set itself apart from the rest of the AFL competition. The club has seen its social media accounts, including TikTok and Instagram, grow rapidly reaching a whole new audience.

“The Hawks clearly have an insight about how to resonate with their fans – particularly younger adults. They are using platforms like Instagram and Tiktok to build relationships with their fans beyond match days. As a challenger to significantly larger incumbents, we look forward to engaging with a broader audience via these partnerships”, said Superhero CEO John Winters. 

Superhero one of first digital challenger brands to invest in major AFL sponsorship 

For the Hawks, Superhero replaces iiNet as a premier partner. iiNet has been a Hawthorn sponsor since 2012. Hawthorn’s other premier partners include Nissan, KFC and Ryman Healthcare. The Swan’s other partners include QBE, HSBC, REA and Volkswagen. 

Other superannuation funds which sponsor AFL clubs include Hostplus (Richmond, Fremantle and Gold Coast) and Aware Super (GWS Giants). 

Superhero joins a small lineup of tech companies that have invested in a major sponsorship of multiple AFL clubs. Other examples include REA, carsales, Coinspot and Swyftx.

Speaking about why Superhero has chosen to invest in partnering with AFL clubs, Winters commented, “We’ve always been deliberate in choosing our partners, and this multi-year collaboration marks a significant investment.”

“This is a partnership with two forward-thinking clubs, who are committed to delivering genuine value to their members via their partnerships.”

“We feel a strong alignment in values and a shared energy – Hawks and Swans players are upstanding, inspiring and relatable role models.”