Month: February 2017

Western Force secures $1.5 million WA government sponsorship

Perth based Super Rugby franchise Western Force have signed a $1.5 million sponsorship deal with the Western Australian state government backed Road Safety Commission as naming rights partner for the 2017 season.

The Road Safety Commission logo will be visible on the front of the team’s playing jerseys.

The partnership is for one year with a three-year renewal option to cover the existing broadcast agreements.

Players and coaching staff will help deliver road safety messages by being ambassadors and providing up to 1,200 hours of service in support of road safety within the community and through the media.

Western Force chief Mark Sinderberry commented on the huge importance of striking such a deal.

“This a partnership that our whole organisation including the Western Force players, coaches, staff, members, our other partners and the wider rugby community will get behind,” Sinderberry said.

“The partnership with the Road Safety Commission is significant and goes some way to under-pinning the revenues of the Western Force for the future, and just as importantly allows us to play a role in the wider community to help address the problems we collectively face with cars, young people and road safety.”

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The AFL Commission to consider a night time grand final

The Australian has reported that a night time start for this year’s AFL grand final is to be discussed by the AFL Commission in March.

The grand final is traditionally played at 2.30pm but no decision has been made for the start time for the 2017 decider, with the match potentially being pushed more than two hours later to a twilight bounce down or later in the evening.

Discussions have reportedly begun with major stakeholders, including grand final broadcaster the Seven Network, which is entering the first season of a six-year $2.5 billion rights deal.

In February last year, AFL chief Gillon McLachlan commented on a time change to the game. “I haven’t ruled it (a twilight or night grand final) out,” he said. “I’ve said it openly — there’s divisions on this. I haven’t ruled it out. At some point in the next 10 years, there’ll be a change.”

The 2017 fixture has other firsts for the league. Last year, the AFL commission gave the green light to scheduling its first ever Good Friday game.

The league will play its first game for premiership points in China in May when Port Adelaide take on Gold Coast Suns in Shanghai.

Source: The Australian

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