Bank Boost AFL Fiji
The AFL Fijian men’s and women’s team, for the first time, received a sponsorship from Bank South Pacific for the 2017 AFL International Cup in Melbourne, Australia from August 5-19.
The sponsorship, worth $20,000, included travel bags, vests and caps. AFL Fijian men’s coach and development officer Simon Highfield said BSP’s sponsorship at the 11th hour was a massive morale booster for the players.
“It is a massive moral boost for the boys and girls, they have been working tirelessly on and off the field, getting their preparations right,” Highfield said.
“It is nice seeing them get some rewards for the amount of work they have put in which has been absolutely fantastic.
“This will give other countries a chance to take Fiji seriously, we will be looking beautiful off the field and performing on the field so I think it is a really good idea and a really good initiative by BSP and we thank them a lot for it.
“As a developing sport we rely on donations from Australia so this is the first time a company has come out and purchased something on our behalf. So hopefully we can continue this partnership into the future.
“With a week left for preparations it is just the on field stuff that we need to sort out.
“We are looking really positive, we will be playing France in the first game, which will be a really good test for us and show where we stand as a team and in comparison with the rest of the world.”
Not only is it a first for AFL Fiji to receive sponsorship, it is also the first time BSP Bank is supporting AFL.
BSP head of smart business Tupou Halofaki said they were pleased to help a small sport like AFL. “We are glad that they gave us an opportunity and we saw this as an opportunity to support a very young sport like AFL,” Halofaki said.
“Almost everyone is a die-hard rugby fan and for us to be supporting AFL will hopefully give them a boost and let people know that there are other sports besides rugby out there.
“We wish them all the best and we hope that some of them come out successful in secure some overseas contracts and we are proud to be part of their journey.”