Meet Sarah

Sport
Marketing

Digital
Media

Fan
Engagement

I’m Dr Sarah Wymer (PhD, FHEA), a Senior Lecturer in Sport Leadership & Management at Auckland University of Technology, working at the intersection of fan engagement, digital strategy, and sport partnerships.

My work is grounded in what actually moves people: emotional equity, authentic storytelling, and the digital behaviours shaping today’s sport communities. I help clubs, leagues, and governing bodies make sense of the digital landscape, from understanding fan sentiment to designing strategies that are both commercially smart and culturally grounded.

Alongside my consultancy work, I bring real-world insight into the classroom, teaching students how sport marketing truly operates beyond highlight reels and branding slogans.

After 11 years on the Gold Coast, I’m back home in Aotearoa with two decades of experience across New Zealand, Australia, and the United States. Whether I’m working with a club on a digital uplift, advising on partnership strategy, or redesigning a course, my focus is the same: helping sport organisations build connection that lasts — through better stories, deeper insight, and smarter decisions.

What I'm all about

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What I'm all about ☺︎

Storytelling matters because it’s more than a score update or a templated graphic. Results go up and down, but connection is what carries fans through the highs, the lows, and everything in between. I help sport organisations tell stories that spark emotion, build loyalty, and create engagement that lasts long after full-time.

As a sport marketing educator, consultant, and researcher, I care deeply about making the industry better from both sides — inside clubs and inside classrooms. I don’t want the next generation of marketers stepping into their first role thinking, “Why didn’t I learn this at uni?”

My work bridges that gap. I bring digital strategy, real-world insight, and creative thinking into the classroom, and I take research, data, and education-driven clarity back into industry. It means students graduate ready to thrive, and organisations get support grounded in both expertise and lived experience.