Pop quiz, what is Australia's most valuable sporting brand? You will never guess.
Brand Finance's annual list of Australia's top 20 most valuable sporting brands has just been released and the outfit sitting on the top of the pile will surprise most at first glance.
Penrith Panthers, a club with just two premierships and who have played finals joust once in the last nine years, are the country's most valuable sporting brand, valued at $46.2m
They sit above Collingwood even, who are worth $39.1m.
Despite being the most valuable brand they have been given a brand rating of AA- which makes them one of the weakest brands in the top 20.
The success of Panthers Leagues Club and other businesses has helped earn such high value for the club.
An NRL club may sit at the top of the pile but the list is dominated by AFL clubs.
There are 14 AFL clubs in the top 20 with a total brand value of $334m, compared to six NRL clubs on the list with an accumulated value of $151m.
Super Rugby, A-Leaue and Big Bash teams were included in the study but none of them made the top 20 list.
Top 20 Most Valuable Sporting Brands:
1. Penrith Panthers ($46.2)
2. Collingwood Magpies ($39.1m)
3. Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs ($34.5m)
4. West Coast Eagles ($32.6m)
5. Hawthorn Hawks ($27.1m)
6. Geelong Cats ($26.8m)
7. Carlton Blues ($25.3m)
8. Fremantle Dockers ($24.3m)
9. Essendon Bombers ($24.0m)
10. Sydney Swans ($22.7m)
11. Parramatta Eels ($21.3m)
12. Richmond Tigers ($21.1m)
13. Adelaide Crows ($20.9m)
14. Brisbane Lions ($20.4m)
15. Brisbane Broncos ($18.6m)
16. Port Adelaide Power ($17.8m)
17. St Kilda Saints ($16.5m)
18. Canberra Raiders ($16.0m)
19. Melbourne FC ($15.0m)
20. Sydney Roosters (14.5m)
