Sponsorship continued

Press, 31 March 1981, Page 6

Sponsorship continued

PA Wellington Lion Breweries, probably the biggest sponsor of rugby in New Zealand, has confirmed it will retain its financial contact with the code. The public relations manager for the brewery, Mr Des Fitzgerald,, said yesterday that the three-year contract. with the New Zealand Rugby Football Union had been renewed and would run this year.

“We see no reason to change anything,” said Mr Fitzgerald. “We cannot see the connection between the public issue and the sponsorship of the national provincial championship.” Lion is believed to spend about $lOO,OOO a year on sports other than rugby, and another $lOO,OOO on rugby alone, just over half of which is put into the national competition. “The rest is put into coaching clinics and clubs and the like, and our policy of helping young New Zealand sportsmen is intended to continue,” Mr Fitzgerald said. At least three other big

sponsors have indicated they will continue. They are the Thorn-E.M.I. organisation, which recently approached the Auckland union and tied up a contract of sponsorship, Cable-Price Toyota, which is in its second season of a three-year contract with the Wellington union, and the Canterbury Savings Bank, which is continuing its - long association with Canterbury. The Choysa • company, which until this year has been the official Auckland sponsor, was outbid this year but would like to be considered in the future. The New Zealand automotive manager for Cable-Price Toyota, Mr lan Taylor, said that withdrawal of the

$25,000 per year to the Wellington union “has not se-. riously been considered by us as a company.” “Without having considered it as a company decision, we see support of. rugby as distinct from the South African tour,” he said. The chairman of the New Zealand union, Mr Ces Blazey, said he believed soma sports withdrew from the Moscow Olympic Games last year solely on financial grounds. Some big companies were involved with sponsorship of the New Zealand team to* Moscow and pressure applied forced them to retract their commitment, Mr Blazey said.