Code Sports

❧

Wikipedia

Code Sports
Type of site
Available inEnglish
HeadquartersSydney, New South Wales, Australia
OwnerNews Corp Australia
EditorEliza Sewell[1]
URLwww.codesports.com.au
Launched2021; 5 years ago (2021)
Current statusActive

Code Sports, stylised as CODE, is an Australian sports news subscription website owned by News Corp Australia, launched in 2021.

History

Code Sport was established in late 2021 by News Corp, as a sports-focused revenue-raising outlet similar to the successful The New York Times' subscription website, The Athletic.[2][3]

Code Sports editors
Editor Tenure
Alex Brown[2] 2021 – May 2024
Heath Kelly[2] 2024–Unknown
Eliza Sewell[1] March 2025 – present

The founding editor was Alex Brown, who remained in the position until May 2024, when Heath Kelly was appointed as successor.[2]

Description

The website's primary scope of coverage is Australian rules football (AFL, AFL Women's), rugby league (NRL, NRL Women's Premiership), and cricket (Australian cricket team, Big Bash League), with additional coverage given to basketball, netball, and rugby union.[4]

Readership

In the month of April 2023, Code Sports was reported to have 48,000 readers in Western Australia, ranking it the 133rd news brand in the state.[5]

News stories

In 2025, Code Sports, in collaboration with other News Corp Australia publications The Daily Telegraph and The Courier-Mail, published a series of articles collectively titled "The Deal Makers",[6][7] which reported on a survey of 50 player agents about major issues in rugby league, including recreational drug use.[6] In the survey, 62% of agents said drug use was a problem among players.[6] The reporting sparked heated phone calls between NRL chairman Peter V'landys and senior executives at News Corp Australia.[6] According to anonymous sources, V'landys objected to how the survey question was framed, arguing it made the NRL appear to have a widespread drug problem.[6] In response, senior executives and editors at News Corp Australia declined an offer of NRL hospitality at a 2025 State of Origin match in Brisbane.[6]

In February 2026, Code Sports reported that the State of Origin series, the long-held rugby league series that is played between the Australian state teams of New South Wales and Queensland, could be held in Auckland, New Zealand, in 2027 for the first time following an alleged deal between the New Zealand Government and the Australian Rugby League Commission (ARLC).[8] The news was later picked up by New Zealand media, such as The New Zealand Herald,[9] and the Otago Daily Times.[10] The NRL confirmed the report ten days later.[11]

Awards

  • Harry Gordon Sports Journalist of The Year Award: Linda Pearce (2023)[12]
  • AFL Media Awards: Eliza Reilly (2025)[13]
  • WA Football Media Guild Awards: Eliza Reilly (2025)[14]
  • AFL Vic Media Awards: Paul Amy (2025)[15]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "News Corp's Sport Network appointments". adnews.com.au. 20 March 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Jaspan, Calum (11 October 2024). "New age News Corp takes shape in Lachlan Murdoch's mould". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  3. ↑ Hogan, Kelsey; Moran, Jonathon (17 November 2021). "NewsCorp launches Code, a new centralised sports hub". The Daily Telegraph.
  4. ↑ "Latest sport news, scores, SuperCoach: This is CODE Sports at codesports.com.au". CODE Sports. 8 December 2021. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
  5. ↑ "The West scores big: Figures reveal a 16 per cent rise in online audience". The West Australian. 27 April 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Chammas, Michael (6 June 2025). "News Corp bosses boycott Origin as V'landys goes to war over drugs question". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  7. ↑ "The Deal Makers: NRL player agents special investigation". Code Sports. 16 May 2025.
  8. ↑ "State of Origin 2027 in New Zealand hailed as a boost for rugby league by Kiwi great". ABC News. 5 February 2026.
  9. ↑ "Eden Park to host State of Origin game in 2027 – report". The New Zealand Herald. 5 February 2026.
  10. ↑ "NZ set to get State of Origin game". Otago Daily Times. 5 February 2026.
  11. ↑ "Ampol State of Origin heads to New Zealand". nrl.com. 16 February 2026.
  12. ↑ Abbott, Lachlan (15 March 2024). "The Age cleans up with the biggest haul at the Melbourne Press Club Quill Awards". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  13. ↑ "Herald Sun and Code Sports reporters earn major accolades at AFL Media Awards". The Herald Sun. 17 September 2025.
  14. ↑ "Readings, Duffield, Channel 10 among major winners at WA Football Media Guild Awards". wafootball.com.au. 13 November 2025.
  15. ↑ "Winners – 2025 AFL Vic Media Awards". play.afl. Australian Football League. 23 February 2026.