New sponsors back AFL and GWS Giants

Virgin Blue will replace Qantas as the official airline of the Australian Football League (AFL) after signing an $8 million-a-year contract.

Qantas is understood to have been keen to extend its deal with the AFL, which started in 2002, but was outbid. Virgin Blue sees backing the sport as a powerful marketing tool and will gain huge exposure flying the AFL's 17 clubs around the country.

The official airline provides the AFL with thousands of heavily discounted seats a year for football clubs and AFL officials.

Virgin Blue Chief Executive John Borghetti explained that "we are very excited to have been chosen as the official airline for the AFL. It is a great fit for the Virgin Blue brand and we look forward to welcoming the AFL board, executives, teams and support crews on board."

The deal will start from 1st January next year.

Meanwhile the Greater Western Sydney Giants (GWS) have completed key deals with the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Government and Skoda Australia ahead of their 2012 AFL debut.

The ACT Government will spend $25 million over ten years to fund four GWS games a year at the Manuka Oval in the Australian capital, Canberra. In addition, a Canberra logo will appear on the back of the team's matchday jumper.

ACT Sports Minister Andrew Barr said that the deal "represents very good value for money in terms of an economic benefit for the ACT. The social return of course is more difficult to measure in pure dollar terms."

Skoda will be the official car partner of the 18th AFL team, providing the team with a fleet of vehicles, and its logo will appear on the left hand side of the matchday jumper.

Greater Western Sydney Giants Chairman Tony Shepherd explained that "the Greater Western Sydney Giants will represent the people of GWS on the national stage.

"Collaborative partnerships with key businesses are fundamental to our success and the long-term sustainability of our Club. The Greater Western Sydney Giants will provide unique opportunities to deliver real and lasting commercial benefits to our partners. Of course, our partnership with Skoda is a great match as we each make our mark in our respective fields and assist one another to build into a formidable team."

Matthew Wiesner, Head of Skoda Australia, added "our growth plans are unashamedly ambitious.

"Significant growth in brand image and awareness are instrumental to our success.

"For an automotive manufacturer to succeed in Australia, it's much more than advertising dollars - it's about getting into the psyche of Australia. Is there anything more Australian than AFL?"