Analyzing Gabi Simpson's Athletic Career Stage and Brand Development
Gabi Simpson is an exceptional young athlete that is reaching the pinnacle of her career. Ranked best Wing Defence in Australia, Gabi 25-year-old Sydney girl, has been fortunate to play with the Queensland Firebirds and Australia Diamonds for several years, which she now has the honour of captaincy positions in both teams. It is evident Gabi is dominating the netball industry and is at the peak of her career as she was awarded the highest accolade in Netball; the Liz Ellis Diamond in 2017 for her dedication and passion to the sport. With her dominating on-court performances Gabi has gained a very respectable, large and loyal following that recognise and applaud her humble, vibrant and genuine nature. This gratitude from fans, teammates, competitors and management has formed Gabi as an inspiration and role model to all in society. This document will further identify and discuss Gabi’s current stage in athletic lifecycle, how her brand has been developed; where a SWOT analysis will provide key strengths, weakness, threats and opportunities. Her current brand partners and the mutual-value exchange will be analysed so that potential sponsors can be recognised and considered by Gabi.
An integral part of athlete management is identifying what stage the athlete is at on the athlete lifecycle. The athlete lifecycle is an athlete’s progression through a series of differing stages of development (Fox, West, & Drew, 2012).This cycle generally consists of 7 stages including;
- Active start – (generally at a young age, where athletes develop the foundations of movement)
- Fundamental – (motivated by the desire to have fun and improve skills)
- Learn to Train – (converting movement into specific fundamental sport skills)
- Train to Train – (practicing skills to a competitive level)
- Train to Compete – (solidifying sport specific and position specific skills, competing at highest level of competition to maximise capabilities)
- Train to Win – (Full-time athlete and have a Performance Enhancement Team)
- Active for Life – (life after ending athletic competing career)(Webb, Nasco, Riley, & Headrick, 1995)
Gabi Simpson is currently ranked as a full-time athlete that competes at the highest level of competition; in the form of the Australian Diamonds; which places her at the Train to Win/elite stage of her athletic lifecycle. Athletes in the elite stage are world-class competitors, with an identified talent to pursue the most intense training, suitable for international winning performances (Fox, West, & Drew, 2012). With athletic performance and demands at their highest during this stage it is vital that athletes are supported by an Integrated Support Team to effectively prepare for specific competitive events (Iriberri & Leroy, 2009). It is pivotal that elite athletes, like Gabi, are supported with a year-round training and competition plan, recovery and regeneration processes, focus on athletic preparation and performance and are surrounded by individuals that carry their best interests into all decisions (Webb, Nasco, Riley, & Headrick, 1995).
Having the right support team is extremely important for athletes, especially with the unpredictable and dynamic nature of sporting environment. Research has shown that off-field factors do impact on athletic performance such as, social environments, resources, coach support, psychological implications and concerns of purpose after retirement (Pink, Saunders, & Stynes, 2015). The rise in social media has been a major concern for both athletes and support team, as the need to engage and connect is high but arises negativity from uncontrollable sources. Netball remains the most popular women’s sport in Australia with an estimated one million players nationwide (Lulham, 2017). This eludes to the popularity of the new Suncorp Super Netball competition within Australia where more fans have turned up to watch a higher standard of netball and has a national reach of 858,000 viewers (Netball Australia, 2018). With 4.73 million people tuned in to watch last series, that is an 81% increase to grand final coverage the year before (Hickman, 2017). While these increases are a positive and highlight what the future of netball can hold, it also associates concerns for the well-being of athletes. Therefore, it is vital that Gabi Simpson continue to create a strong network behind her to maintain elite performance for future years, as there has been significant commercial growth in potential investors willing to back the sport.
Gabi Simpson is a stellar athlete and candidate for any sponsorship proposition as her brand has been developed to successfully portray athletic performance, a marketable lifestyle and an attractive appearance (Netball Australia, 2018). These are the main elements of an individual brand; all of which are significantly important factors potential sponsors consider before choosing a candidate. It is clear that Gabi is currently excelling athletically, as she is the leading Wing Defence in Australia, received the highest accolade in netball - the Liz Ellis Diamond last year and has the honour of captaining both the Queensland Firebirds and Australian Diamonds (Netball Australia, 2018).
These achievements have allowed Gabi to receive significant exposure within the industry and in society, which has allowed Gabi to solidify her brand and image within the community and among potential sponsors. In addition to Gabi’s natural athletic capabilities she also displays a desirable and marketable lifestyle which management have used to position Gabi in a certain light in the community and to potential sponsors. Gabi is portrayed as an adventurous, vibrant, authentic, honest and approachable personality that can easily communicate and engage with fans, industry partners, teammates and sponsors (Suncorp Super Netball, 2018). This ability is visible throughout Gabi’s active presence on social media platforms engaging in a two-way exchange with followers, whilst off-court with interactions with teammates and fans and during interviews. This active presence has allowed Gabi to illustrate to the world who she genuinely is as a person, her beliefs and values which has created a sense of personal connections with followers and partners. This persona is appealing to potential sponsors as it portrays an approachable, easy and beneficial exchange, reliability and trustworthiness with interactions. With this in mind, it all contributes to Gabi’s attractive appearance viewed by outsiders to the brand such as fans, industry partners, competitors and potential sponsors. Gabi’s genuine portrayal in the community eye and her open and engaging social media presence has led to the perception that she is a very approachable, authentic and down to earth individual that presents a significant role model to young adults. This is an aspect of Gabi’s brand that did not require major advertising and promotion by management team but merely recognised, accepted and embraced by the community. This highlights how powerful Gabi Simpson is as an individual and how she can utilise her brand to influence society; she is not just a leader within her sport but an inspiration for women and girls in society. These striking characteristics and unique brand elements are what established Gabi’s brand and consequent exposure which has led to attracting the sights and interests of several potential sponsors.
A major threat that faces Gabi is possibility of sudden physical injury and uncertainty regarding re-selection. However, Gabi and management have established an extensive portfolio and brand image in society that potentially can allow her to remain involved with sponsors and the sport, due to the extent of her social media following and interest by fans and brands. Gabi’s natural potential to lead and inspire has been recognised by potential sponsors, as demand is high for sponsorship deals in an already competitive market. It’s critical that Gabi partner with sponsors that align with her genuine, community-oriented values and will prioritise her interests during decision making, as she already has an extensive portfolio with the addition of leading, training, and travel commitments to her elite teams Gabi can be left too exposed, unable to meet requests of sponsors and generally become run down. Brands such as Asics, Suncorp, Elastoplast and San Remo have recognised Gabi’s potential to add value to their brand and have been fortunate to receive sponsorship deals (Netball Queensland, 2018).
It is vital that sponsors allow for an easy mutual-benefit exchange that is relatively easy to promote within Gabi’s sporting performances and lifestyle. Asics and Elastoplast elude to this mutual-benefit as they allow for simple promotion due to their products; shoes and strapping tape; directly linking to Gabi’s chosen profession, which easily integrates into her daily routine and can relate to her personal and professional experiences. However, Suncorp and Sam Remo don’t directly establish the same links, but with repositioning they still offer same benefit. Sam Remo are positioned as Gabi’s go-to pre- game meal, as she passionately shares her joy for pasta. Suncorp have established an entire campaign regarding “Team Girls” which promotes importance of sportsmanship and team bonding in sport. This campaign allows Suncorp to connect with Gabi’s fans and alternative demographics as they are promoting themselves via Gabi and consequently attract her following. With Gabi reaching the pinnacle of her career and performing at her current level, an opportunity to expand her sponsor portfolio is presented.
After thorough analysis and evaluation of Gabi as an individual, athlete and her brand image in society, it is highly recommended that Go Pro Australia be a candidate for sponsorship. Go Pro Australia are striving to capture and share individual’s memorable life moments and most meaningful experiences with others (Go Pro Australia, 2018). Through her social media presence Gabi has actively portrayed an interest in adventure-seeking, creating memorable experiences with friends and family, and being active outdoors. This potential partnership would allow Gabi to promote Go Pro’s selected products via creating authentic video/photo content of athlete life on tour, personal trips exploring the world and sharing special moments with family/friends. Ideally, this sponsorship would be contracted for 1-2 years to allow a relationship to be established whilst giving both parties room for future individual growth and would include product endorsement and campaigning Go Pro’s values within Gabi’s experiences. Overall, it is evident that Gabi Simpson has developed an extremely successful independent brand that highlights her athletic and personal achievements. Gabi has solidified her mark as a world class competitor in the netball industry with her presence not going unnoticed, as she has the honour of captaining the Firebirds for the past 2 years and the privilege of representing the captaincy team for the Australian Diamonds.
This paper has discussed, analysed and evaluated how Gabi has effectively established her brand within the community and strategically aligned with sponsors for mutual-benefit value exchange. A conducted SWOT and sponsor analysis identify her brand to include a large social following whom recognise and applaud her humble and genuine nature, several unique selling propositions, and high value return. It is highly recommended that Go Pro Australia be a considered candidate for a potential sponsorship deal with Gabi as both brands share values of fun seeking adventure, and a life of adrenaline to be shared with friends/family – which is encountered by Gabi on a day-to-day basis and is found to be her passion.
