SUNS SAY THANKS A MILLION
THE Gold Coast Suns have signed a new major sponsor more than a year after losing the backing of Fiat.
The Suns have signed a five-yeal deal with CoverMore Travel Insurance worth about $1 million a season to breath life into the city’s football landscape that has been a graveyard for sponsors in recent years.
Cover-More has already signed a deal with English Premier League soccer club Arsenal and is on the cusp of announcing another deal with a major US team.
It is believed that sponsorship deal is with a club in one of the top three competitions – NBA, NFL or Major League Baseball.
The Gold Coast’s two professional sporting franchises – the Suns and Titans – had faced the prospect of going into 2018 without naming-rights sponsors.
The NRL club’s deal with Aquis finished at the end of the 2017 season.
The Suns confirmed in October last year that Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Australia would not extend its co-major sponsorship with Gold Coast after a three-year partnership.
It left the Suns with Hostplus — which signed on for a further three years in 2016 — as the club’s only major sponsor.
Cover-More’s name will be displayed on the front of Gold Coast’s guernseys for home games and on the back for away fixtures.
The opposite situation applies for Hostplus.
Suns chief executive Mark Evans said Gold Coast’s link to domestic and international tourism helped attract Cover-More, which already has a partnership with AFL sponsor Virgin.
“There are many synergies with the Cover-More brand and our brand which has strong links with domestic and international tourism,” Evans said.
“We look forward to a close working relationship with Cover-More as we strengthen and build our brands together in the years to come.”
Cover-More CEO Mike Emmett said the brand could help Gold Coast increase their fan base.
“The Suns continue to build their club and their brand around being bold, fresh, dependable, relentless and community focused,” Emmett said.
“Cover-More shares those values and we look forward to working with the Suns to expand their membership and fan base.”
Gold Coast said at the time of Fiat’s departure they were confident of securing a new major sponsor quickly but have battled over the past 12 months to lock in another deal.
It added to a tough period for the club that has struggled to show any improvement during their seven years in the AFL.
The Suns won’t play again at home until Round 11 next year due to the Commonwealth Games using the venue but the challenge hasn’t stopped them from attracting a new major sponsor.