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NEWS
Holden floods footy's front lines
Both NRL and AFL gain from new agreements with GM's Aussie subsidiaryHolden has stirred up an outcry around the nation with its staggered announcements of sponsorship deals involving the country's pre-eminent football codes.
Yesterday the GM subsidiary revealed it had entered into "a three-year, multi-million dollar" arrangement with the National Rugby League, immediately prompting outrage and indignation from followers of Australian Rules.
Outrage quickly turned to embarrassment (at least for those media outlets that had jumped the gun), when Holden announced today that it had also signed a sponsorship deal with that icon of Australian Rules footy, the Collingwood Football Club.
Under the terms of the contract with the NRL, Holden will support State of Origin matches, an under-20s competition (the Holden Cup) and the Holden Kangaroos – a national team to play against other Rugby League-following nations. In addition, Holden will be backing the League's One Community Monster Raffle.
“Holden and the NRL are two iconic Australian brands looking to grow together into the future,” Mike Devereux, Holden MD, was quoted saying in a press release. “This sponsorship is the strongest indication yet that Holden is back, bigger and better than before, with a long term commitment to building and selling cars in Australia, and investing in Australian talent.
“Over the next decade Holden is investing over a billion dollars in our Australian manufacturing future to continue making world class cars and today we have made our first move to substantially enhance our marketing by partnering with the NRL, one of Australia’s top football codes.
“We are very excited about this partnership. It’s exactly what the Holden brand needs to cement our success this year, and into the future.”
While Holden has embraced the entire Rugby League through its sponsorship, it is frozen out of a similar deal with the Australian Football League (AFL), due to Toyota's tenacious grip on the mantle of principal naming rights sponsor for that competition. But Holden's contract with Collingwood is the next best option. It expands by one the number of car companies joined at the hip with an AFL football side (Ford/Geelong, Hyundai/Brisbane, Jeep/Richmond, Kia/Essendon, Mazda/North Melbourne, Opel/Melbourne, Skoda/GWS, Toyota/West Coast and Volkswagen/Sydney). Oh, and Toyota is also backing Adelaide's team, the Camry Crows.
As with the NRL deal, Holden is not saying how much the sponsorship deal was worth to the Collingwood Football Club, but it too is a three-year contract worth millions of dollars to the club.
“Collingwood is the most famous sporting club in the country and we’re thrilled to sponsor Nathan Buckley and his team of coaches, one of Collingwood’s highest profile properties,” Mike Devereux reportedly said.
“Our partnership with Collingwood is a natural fit. Both Holden and Collingwood are iconic Australian brands and come from strong foundations enriched in Aussie culture, supported by fans that have a real passion for these brands.
“We have big plans for the future and we’re proud to align ourselves with a club and a game that is committed to innovation and excellence.”
Holden's footy cash splash comes less than a month prior to the official unveiling of the new VF Commodore, which will continue to be built – with the Cruze small car – at Holden's Elizabeth plant in South Australia. Holden is whipping up interest in the car – for those with no interest in football – with an online scavenger hunt. A web-based jigsaw puzzle set to go live from February 6 will provide visitors with a piece-by-piece view of the car ahead of its reveal on February 10. Clues handed out via the website, will guide registered users of the site to different locations around the country to locate missing pieces. Finders who share each piece online will be entered into a draw to win a VF Commodore.
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