The Victorian Government, through Global Victoria, together with Asialink Business hosted a gala dinner event last night to explore the emerging sports-led trade and investment opportunities through collaboration with Asia's sports economies.
Keynote speaker for the event, Minister for Jobs, Innovation and Trade; Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, Martin Pakula addressed a packed house marking his first major opportunity to speak with the Victorian sports business community encouraging them to "build their global strategies with Asia at the core" as the world's sports arena starts to shift its focus on the region.
Minister Pakula highlighted that Victoria is uniquely placed to meet the demands of the booming sector, and "engagement with Asia underpins our state's future economic prosperity".
"We're creating more jobs and opportunities within the sports sector by facilitating their entry into major international markets like China." Minister for Jobs, Innovation and Trade, Martin Pakula
Joining expert panellists, Mel Jones, Nicole Livingstone, David Stevenson, Richard Heaselgrave and Tommy Greer later in the evening,Minister Pakula discussed real opportunities for Victorian expertise and capability in all stages of the major sporting event life cycle.
Later this month, Minister Pakula will travel to Vietnam and Singapore to forge stronger bilateral ties with Southeast Asia. He will also take part in a major trade mission to China coinciding with Austcham's annual Australia-China Sports Summit on 30 May in Shanghai. He will also attend the AFL 2019 China Game launch, set to take place on 2 June in Shanghai between St Kilda and Port Adelaide football clubs. China alone has a five-year sports plan – its sports sector is expected to grow to around $A900 billion in value by 2025. The plan involves substantial new infrastructure and improvement of China's sports-related capabilities.
Opening doors for businesses looking to engage with Asia
2019 will see Global Victoria continue to open doors for Victorian organisations seeking to engage with China's booming sports economy through:
- a sports and sports technologies trade mission to China coinciding with Austcham's annual Australia-China Sports Summit
- the AFL Shanghai Showdown Round between St Kilda and Port Adelaide clubs
- the Asia Gateway Voucher program which has supported a number of sporting organisations, including St Kilda Football Club, Football Federation Victoria and Tennis Victoria
Fast facts
- China's booming sports sector is tipped to reach more than $900 billion by 2025
- Global Victoria's network of international trade offices (VGTIs) is the largest of any Australian state or territory.
- Twelve of our VGTI offices are located across Asia in China, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia and India, which account for more than half of Victoria's annual exports.
- Victoria's sports sector supports more than 65,000 full-time jobs across the state and is a globally competitive player in sport technology, science and infrastructure.
Want to know more about our Asia Gateway Program?
Visit our page on the Asia Gateway voucher program
