SportXAwards launched to celebrate excellence in the sports business.

Taking place on 19 February 2027 in Johannesburg, the SportXAwards Pro Edition, a new industry initiative, has been launched to recognise the people, sports entities and brands making a meaningful contribution to the growth and commercial development of South African sport.

Recognition Segments

The SportXAwards Pro Edition will feature four key recognition segments:SportXAwards Business Leaders - recognising individuals demonstrating leadership, innovation and business impact within the professional sports sector.

SportXAwards Sponsorship Activation - celebrating creative and effective sponsorship activations that generate audience engagement and bring partnerships to life. Entries will be assessed through submitted videos or a one-page activation outline.

SportXAwards Media PowerList30 - ranking sports organisations according to their PR campaigns, online media mentions and visibility.

SportXAwards Fan PowerList30 - measuring online fan ratings and review sentiment to reflect audience perception and experience.

Broader Industry Perspective

Together, these elements will provide a broader perspective on performance across the sports industry - recognising not only leadership and creative activation, but also the visibility generated in the media and the experience created for fans.

“The Awards are designed to recognise the business of sport from several different perspectives,” said Gerrit Davids, Founder of SportXAwards. “Leadership drives the industry, sponsorship activation creates engagement, media visibility builds profile, and fan sentiment provides an important indication of how the market is responding.”

“The SportXAwards Pro Edition aims to provide credible recognition for the people and organisations shaping South African professional sport while creating greater visibility for the commercial, marketing and fan-engagement initiatives that contribute to its growth,” said Davids.

Nominations and Research

Nominations will be accepted for the Sports Business Leaders and Sponsorship Activation segments only, while SportXAwards will compile the PowerList30 for media visibility and fan engagement, respectively, using in-house research data.