CyberCX has struck a strategic partnership with the Australian Football League, becoming the Official Cyber Security Partner of the AFL and AFLW. The deal also includes a separate sponsorship tied to the league’s ARC score review system at Marvel Stadium.

The agreement covers services across the AFL’s security operations, including managed detection and response, incident response management, recovery services, and offensive security and assurance work.

Under the partnership, the ARC score review system at Marvel Stadium will carry CyberCX branding through a presenting partner arrangement. The ARC system supports score reviews during matches at the venue.

Club uplift

All 18 AFL clubs will have access to a cyber assessment programme under the deal. CyberCX described it as a way to support uplift initiatives and improve security maturity at club level.

The AFL has a large digital footprint spanning ticketing, membership, content delivery, and match-day operations. This generates significant volumes of personal and commercial data and creates multiple potential entry points for attackers.

The partnership links cyber security services with one of Australia’s most prominent sporting competitions as cyber incidents continue to affect organisations across many sectors. High-profile brands often attract financially motivated threat actors, and sports organisations run time-sensitive operations where disruption can have immediate public impact.

CyberCX Chief Executive Officer John Paitaridis said the agreement is part of a broader push into the sporting sector.

“This is a significant partnership for CyberCX that underscores our commitment to delivering critical cyber security protection to the AFL so they can operate the league with confidence in an increasingly complex threat landscape,” Paitaridis said.

Threat landscape

Paitaridis referenced findings from the company’s CyberCX 2026 Threat Report and linked them to risks facing sporting bodies and clubs.

He said, “Sport is fundamentally woven into the Australian culture and community, with sporting codes and clubs experiencing record participation, fan engagement and revenue underpinned by new technologies. However, the threat environment globally is worsening.

“Our recent CyberCX 2026 Threat Report revealed that cyber extortion is now the number one type of cyber incident confronting organisations, while financially motivated attacks are taking longer to detect. Against this backdrop, sporting codes and clubs remain lucrative targets for cyber criminals and the impacts can be devastating.”

CyberCX is part of Accenture and operates across Australia and New Zealand. It has 1,400 cyber security professionals and provides cyber security and cloud services.

AFL focus

AFL General Manager Commercial Peta Webster said the partnership is aimed at protecting fan information across the league’s digital interactions.

“We know there is always an ongoing cyber risk across the world. This partnership will continue to provide a safe and secure experience for all of our fans, in the knowledge their personal information is protected at all points in the fan engagement lifecycle,” Webster said.

The AFL and AFLW include professional competitions, club operations, and a broader network spanning venues, broadcast and media partners, and grassroots programs. That ecosystem can require consistent security practices across organisations with varying resources and internal expertise.

Webster said the arrangement will run for two years and extend beyond the elite level of the sport.

“We welcome CyberCX to the AFL family and look forward to working together over the next two years, helping to secure our game from the grassroots to elite,” she said.

CyberCX has expanded its visibility through sports partnerships in recent years. It was the Official Cyber Partner of the Australian Open this year, marking its fourth consecutive year working with Tennis Australia. It is also the official cyber security partner to the Wallabies and Wallaroos, supporting work that includes cyber incident simulation exercises, organisational risk assessments, penetration testing, and changes to cyber security controls at Rugby Australia.

The AFL agreement adds another major sporting body to that list and brings CyberCX into match-day infrastructure through its ARC association at Marvel Stadium. The club assessment programme also signals an intent to extend cyber practices across the league, with CyberCX and the AFL set to work together over the next two years.