Hockey full of beans!

New sponsorship for the men will boost ‘Cinderella’ sport

SOUTH African hockey has received a much needed boost with yesterday’s announcement that Mugg & Bean would be coming on board as a new co-sponsor of the SA men’s team for the next two years.

The national men’s side has been without a sponsor for the past few years, with a lack of funding and resources having proven to be a major stumbling block in their progression and preparation.

In the past, players have often had to pay their own way to camps, tours and tournaments, while the men’s team had to overcome incredible obstacles to qualify for last year’s Olympics, many of which were related to shortfalls in terms of finances and support.

Importantly, the new twoyear sponsorship will focus on assisting the team to get to top events, with the SA men’s side having recently secured their qualification for the World League semi-finals starting at the end of June in Malaysia.

The World League tournament serves as a qualification series for next year’s Hockey World Cup in the Netherlands, and so Mugg & Bean’s sponsorship is certainly a timely one.

“We are delighted that we have a popular brand like Mugg & Bean on board,” said SA Hockey Association (Saha) chief executive Marissa Langeni. “We are pleased that this is a two-year commitment which will include the World Cup in 2014. This sponsorship will assist the SA men’s team in competing in top-class interna- tional events and hockey is proud to be associated with the Mugg & Bean brand.”

Last year, Mr Price Sport recently added their support to the men’s side as the official kit sponsor, and the team has been focused on achieving standout results in the hope of catching the eye of additional partners who recognise their potential.

Famous Brands Chief Marketing Officer Derrian Nadauld stated: “This sponsorship deal will bring a new energy to the game .

“Hockey in South Africa has largely been a Cinderella sport, in desperate need of a sponsor who could give the team the support they so richly deserve. The sponsorship of the SA men’s team is a natural extension of the brand’s involvement with the sport of hockey.

“Earlier this year, the brand concluded a five-year sponsorship deal of the Varsity Sports Hockey series, currently running across universities across the country,” the Famous Brands CMO added.

The SA men’s team are currently ranked 12th in the world and this is the first financial form of sponsorship for the team in a number of years.

With Spar having pulled out of its sponsorship of the women’s team a few years ago, Investec importantly stepped in as the title sponsor, and the benefit of this has been clear to see as a number of impressive results have been recorded in recent times.

Now the men’s team has received a long overdue boost that will undoubtedly stand them in good stead for the future.