Warriors ‘relieved’ after Telstra reverses plan to force out club sponsor

New Zealand Warriors Chief Executive, Cameron George says the club is “relieved” that the NRL and its naming rights partner Telstra will not proceed to force the club to end its sponsorship with rival telecommunications operator Vodafone.

Earlier in the week, the NRL enacted an exclusivity clause in an effort to strengthen its deal with Telstra, that would prevent other telecommunications companies from sponsoring NRL clubs.

This would have meant the Warriors would miss out on at least $1 million per season for the next two years, having to end their 22-year-long partnership with Vodafone at the end of this campaign.

With the NRL’s decision prompting a public outcry, in a statement on Twitter on Tuesday night, Telstra said it had made the decision to allow the Warriors to extend their partnership with Vodafone.

The statement advised “our sporting clubs are feeling the pinch right now and many, like the Warriors, have stepped up to support their fans and the game

“While our naming rights sponsorship is a big investment from us in the game and should be protected in the long term, now is not the time to be taking money out of the sport.

“Just as we’ve extended our sponsorships that were due to expire for 12 months to support our partners, the Warriors have our support to extend their existing sponsorship too.”

Warriors Chief Executive, Cameron George told Newstalk ZB that he was happy with the outcome, advising “(we are) so relieved, we appreciate both the NRL and Telstra for their review of the situation.

“It’s been on and off the table for a little while … this year it really escalated because our home games were in Australia. We had to remove Vodafone signage and goal post padding. It just all came to a head.”

Looking to whether the sponsorship will continue beyond 2022, George added “we’ve got two years to go with Vodafone and we’ll enjoy that time.”

“Telstra’s contract with the NRL expires at the same … we’ll just wait and see what happens with their partnership.”

Vodafone spokesman Rich Llewellyn said it was “bloody great that the NRL and Telstra have found a way through this”.

Image: The Warriors display their Vodafone sponsorship in 2016.