The Australian Rugby Union has signed a sponsorship deal with global logistics firm DHL so that the forthcoming tour of Paul O’Connell, Brian O’Driscoll and the British and Irish Lions will be officially billed as the DHL Australia Lions Tour.
The Lions are currently drawing crowds to Carton House where they are undergoing a training camp under coach Warren Gatland. The pitches, on the same estate as the venue for the 2013 Irish Golf Open next month, are also home to the Irish Rugby team training sessions and are as well manicured as the gardens of a stately home.
The Lions themselves have a strong sponsorship portfolio in place with HSBC bank the principal supporter, backed up by brands including Adidas, Microsoft and Land Rover.
There had been concern over the late announcement of an official tour sponsors after early hopes of a deal with a local bank broke down.
The Australian Rugby Union posted heavy losses last year but are on target to sell out 400,000 tickets for the nine matches on the Lions Tour.
DHL are very active in the sports sponsorship market with international deals in place already with Manchester United and rugby teams and competitions in countries as far afield as the UK, US, Kenya, the Netherlands, South Africa and Fiji.
DHL was the Official Logistics Partner of Rugby World Cup 2011 and was a partner of the 2005 DHL Lions Series in New Zealand.
“Rugby is about determination, teamwork and dedication, and these qualities resonate very strongly with DHL,” said John Pearson, CEO Europe and Global Head of Commercial, DHL Express. “We are delighted to be continuing our partnership with the British & Irish Lions Tour this year, and thrilled to be building further on our global ties with Rugby. We look forward to engaging with the fans of both the Lions and Australia before and during the tour.”
South African Breweries Ltd (SAB) paid US$2.5 million for title sponsorship of the Lions’ last tour in 2009.
The DHL Australia 2013 Lions Tour gets underway on Wednesday 5th June with the tourists taking on the Western Force at Patersons Stadium in Perth. Matches in the series will be televised live in Ireland on Sky Sports.
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