Centrebet will be the Newcastle Jets’ Major Sponsor for the 2008/09 Hyundai A-League Season.
The Newcastle Jets have today proudly announced that Centrebet will be the club-s Major Sponsor for the 2008/09 Hyundai A-League Season. This exciting development will see the reigning Hyundai A-League Champions partnering with Centrebet – Australasia-s leading sports wagering and gaming brand – for the upcoming Hyundai A-League Season and the ensuing 2009 AFC Champions League competition.
The deal, for an undisclosed sum, has an option to be extended beyond the coming season should both parties come to an agreement by the conclusion of the 2008/09 Season.
The growth of football in Australia, coupled with the Jets- on-field success since the inception of the Hyundai A-League has generated great interest from sponsors in recent times and has led to this watershed development. In addition to this, the Jets- move into Asia next season offers superb exposure for Centrebet who possess extensive accessibility through online betting systems.
Centrebet was first licensed as a bookmaker in 1992 and currently offers up to 4,000 international sports and horse racing markets per week, plus a growing list of state-of-the-art gaming products. In 1996 Centrebet was the first licensed bookmaker in the Southern Hemisphere to offer online sports betting.
Newcastle Jets CEO, John Tsatsimas, today gave a succinct statement expressing the club-s pleasure at the newly-formed partnership with Centrebet.
“Today is a watershed moment in the history of this club. We-ve reached a certain milestone and we-re all very excited,” Mr. Tsatsimas said.
It was a sentiment echoed by Director of Football Remo Nogarotto, who attended today-s media conference.
“It-s a red letter day for the club; we-ve worked long and hard to secure a sponsorship,” Mr Nogarotto said. “We-ve been negotiating with Centrebet for the last probably 4 or 5 months.”
Mr. Nogarotto explained that the partnership between the Jets and Centrebet is not dissimilar to sponsorships that large European clubs have with sports betting agencies, and that a company involved in the sporting industry is an excellent match for the culture of the Jets.
“We are very, very, very happy with the arrangements, both financial and the structure of the deal. We think that Centrebet is a wonderful fit for our team.
“It-s also very consistent with sponsorship deals from overseas. A number of teams in the Serie A and indeed in the English Premier League overseas are sponsored by betting agencies. It is something that appears to be an international trend; we-re the first A-League team to be a beneficiary of that trend,” proclaimed Mr. Nogarotto.
“The deal is for one-year but both parties have agreed that halfway through the course of that sponsorship we will sit down, review the situation with a very legitimate and sincere view to extend that into a long-term arrangement.
“The financial terms of the arrangement are the subject of a confidentiality agreement between the parties. They remain commercial in confidence, but I will say to you that we are very happy and they are very happy.
Centrebet-s Media Chief, Neil Evans, today spoke on behalf of the company regarding this exciting new deal.
“Why have we chosen Newcastle? Well, Newcastle to me is a great sporting venue, a fantastic fan base, and I look around at the people here and know how thick they stick. In good times and in tough times the club has progressed. They have reached the top of the tree and now they have a new challenge; to stay at the top of the tree.”
“I-m very excited about this, it gives us the chance to be part of a football club that-s going forward under a great young coach and we-re just looking forward to the season,” said Mr. Evans.
Mr. Evans explained that the Jets- success throughout the three seasons of the Hyundai A-League and, in particular, the Championship winning season of 2007/08 were decisive factors in the sponsorship agreement being made.
“Certainly it was a catalyst because we like to associate ourselves with a champion. Newcastle have worked very hard to be the Champion club, and we believe that Centrebet is the biggest and most reputable brand in our industry certainly in Australasia.
