The Investor SA

13 February, 2015

Werne van der Merwe

 

-Golden Lions Rugby Union signs five year sponsorship with Emirates worth R100- million -

 

On the 11th of December 2014, a five year agreement was made between the Golden Lions Rugby Union and Emirates Airlines in Johannesburg.It is estimated  that  this  agreement  is  worth R20 million a year over a five year period.  The  agreement  will  see  the  famous  airline  group as the title  sponsors for the Superrugby team The  Lions, and  the  famous  Ellis  Park  stadium  in  Johannesburg. From  the  1st  of  January  The  Lions became  known  as  The Emirates Lions,  as  the famous "Fly Emirates" logo were displayed at the front of  their  match  and  training  jerseys. The Historical  Ellis  Park  stadiumwhich  is  famous  for   hosting  the 1995  Rugby  World  Cup  Final, which  saw  The  Springboks  Triumph  a  narrow defeat over the mighty All-Blacks  to  host  the  Webb Ellis trophy, will be renamed to 'Emirates Airline Park'. 

 

The  announcement of the five year agreement between Emirates' connector of people and their passions, and  The  Lions Rugby Union,  which  is one of the most successful rugby unions in South Africa, was made by Orhan Abbas, Emirates' commercial operations for Latin-American, southern and  central   Africa senior vice  president, and  Golden  Lions Rugby Union CEO Rudolf Straeuli.

 

Mr. Abbas,Emirates' commercial operations for Latin - American, southern and central Africa senior Vice -President  had  this  to  say:  "Emirates  is a strong  champion  of  rugby worldwide and South-Africa is one of the top rugby playing nations with very passionate supporters .We are therefore delighted to have the opportunity to sponsor one of the country's most  popular and established teams. It's the first major sponsorship by   Emirates of a South-African team,and this will certainly raise the visibility of the Emirates brand not just here, but also in our key markets of New-Zealand and Australia where the Superrugby competition is played, and a number of  other markets in which the games are televised.

 

To  which Mr. Abbas also added: " Our new association with The Lions

enables us to be a part of Ellis Park, which  is an historical and famous

venue in the country, most notably  for hosting the  Rugby  World  Cup

final in 1995 which South -Africa won.This was the same year in which

Emirates first started operations  to  the  country, and today we enable

trade and provide connections for South - Africans  from Cape - Town,

Durban and Johannesburg to  Dubai  and  beyond  to  our  network of

more than 140 destinations around the world".

 

Emirates  was  found  as  an  airline  in  1985, and  in  1995 the airline

launched services to South Africa to provide and  enable  air  services,

trade and travel. Emirates now  flies  to  over  140  destinations  in  80

countries, across  6  continents to its home base in Dubai and beyond.

Emirates'  international portfolio of sport and sponsorships is reflected

by the fact that Emirates is a multi-cultural and multi-national employer

of  over  160  nationalities  working  together  and  its  commitment  to

connect people around the world, helping them to discover, share and

enjoy new experiences.

 

After  the announcement, CEO Rudolf  Straeuli had this to say:"At  the

Golden  Lions  Rugby  Union  we   pride   ourselves   on   growth   and

performance. We  are  thus thrilled  to  partner with Emirates - a world

wide leader  in  its  field  who  are  constantly  looking  to  expand  and

develop. We  are  tremendously  grateful  to Emirates for their support

and belief. It is wonderful to have financial stability,as a result of the support from this international,iconic brand over the next five years".

 

He  also  added: "We are looking forward to working closely together in  not  only developing rugby at grass roots level in both South-Africa and the United Arab Emirates, but  also  expanding  the  game  of  rugby across the globe. As  2015  will mark the 20th anniversary of the Springboks 1995 World  Cup win  at  Ellis  Park, it is exciting for us to have secured Emirates as a stadium sponsor from next year. We know that we will share many more happy memories, alongside Emirates at this hallowed ground"

 

Emirates  has  an  extensive  portfolio  of  top  class  sponsorships  throughout the rugby world. Through its sponsorship with the IRB's elite referee panel, Emirates is at the centre of every international rugby match as the  referees  take the field in their 'Fly Emirates' kit.The 'Fly Emirates' logo is also displayed on the U.S Eagles' men, women and 7's  rugby teams playing  kit. For over  20  years Emirates  has  been the  title sponsor  for  the Dubai 7's rugby tournament, as well as the Final event in the 7's World Series: The Glasgow 7's. As Emirates strives to reflect its core values of the game and enrich the experiences of rugby fans  across  the  globe, saw  them  sponsor  the  2007  Rugby  World  Cup  in  France  as  tournament sponsors. They then went on to become world wide partners for the  2011 Rugby World Cup in New-Zealand, and now Emirates announced it  will be world partners for the 2015 and 2019 Rugby World Cup to be held in England and Japan respectively.