About Ned Coten

Game Plan Marketing is a Melbourne based business with a passion for branding, marketing and sport. It was founded by Ned Coten, a former professional athlete, sports administrator, business owner and now a branding and marketing author.

Despite representing Australia at the World Junior Championships and playing in Australia’s National Basketball League, Ned realised he was never going to make a good living as an athlete. During his 20’s he held a number of professional and volunteer roles in sports administration, sponsorship and the media, working with some of Australia’s leading sports and business icons.

He worked in a variety of roles on the Hopman Cup Mixed Teams tennis tournament, co-founded the Kalgoorlie-based Goldfields Giants in WA’s State Basketball League and worked in sponsorship management for the Quit Campaign.

He moved on to become CEO of Perth Wildcats, Adelaide City (National Soccer League) and Victoria Titans.

Following this, Ned moved into strategic branding and packaging design with Cowan Group. He then became the Managing Director of subsidiary Acorn Brand Design and worked with some of the worlds best known brands including Wrigley, Heinz, Cadbury and Coca-Cola. During this period he also advised many sporting enterprises and national sports organizations on their branding and marketing, from grassroots to elite level.

Along the way, Ned undertook a wide variety of roles, including contract and venue negotiation, athlete acquisition and management, media commentary, magazine publication, MC and game announcing, sponsorship sales and management.
Ned Coten
It was this unique experience and exposure to both grassroots and elite sport as an athlete, administrator, sponsor and board member that provided the insights and motivation for Game Plan Marketing.

Ned observed that most sporting organisations were not run as businesses and did not use the simple but effective strategies and tools that are readily available to them. He also realised that his specific knowledge and experience should be provided to a wider audience and Game Plan Marketing was born.

Ned explains his passion for Game Plan Marketing as follows:

I have always been very thankful for the role that sport has played in my life”, he says. “As well as being a lot of fun, I learned some great life lessons and made some of my best friends through sport. I made my living from sport for many years and felt that everyone should have the opportunity to participate. For me, Game Plan Marketing is a way of ‘repaying the world’ for what I have gained personally from my involvement in sport.

Ned Coten

Because of this philosophy, Ned has made a number of resources freely available on this website. He also speaks widely on marketing and branding for sporting organisations and produces a blog for professionals and volunteers involved in sporting organizations. He is the current Vice President of Basketball Victoria and is actively involved in coaching, volunteering and learning more about marketing and branding of sport.

Further to this, Ned developed the 5 Step Game Plan Sports Accelerator Program to help pro-active sporting organisations develop thriving communities and leave a legacy for their sport as a result.

The increasing presence of a sedentary lifestyle and the resultant epidemic of obesity makes the role of Game Plan Marketing even more important.

We believe that the world has never needed sport and physical activity more than it does now. Our goal is to make sure that every sporting organisation in Australia maximises the opportunities it has to engage people in sport and develop a strong, viable and engaging business in the process.

Ned Coten

Game Plan Marketing

Level 19, 644 Chapel Street, SOUTH YARRA Victoria 3141 AUSTRALIA
PO Box 147, PRAHRAN Victoria 3181 AUSTRALIA
+61 3 9010 6147
+61 3 433 136 832
ned.coten@game-plan-marketing.com
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