Who said that an NRL side in Victoria would never work? On the back of their Premiership win in NRL 2007, the Melbourne Storm have announced a 3 year deal with major vehicle manufacturer Suzuki to be the sleeve sponsor for the next 3 years. It adds to an impressive linup of corporate backers for the Storm, with Medibank / Host Plus their major sponsors and additional deals with Reebok sweetening things – independent NRL audits have found the Melbourne Storm’s sponsors to be amongst the most recognised in the game.
An estimated value on the Storm’s advertising power is now around $2 million AU – a huge leap from previous years, as big name corporates fight to get a piece of the Storm’s hot real estate – their well recognised strip. With their value tripling in the last three years and a new stadium in 2010 – the Melbourne Storm look like a solid investment for the future. It all adds weight to our recent article about the health of the NRL and future expansion plans.
To capitalize on their growing brand, the Storm have just released a new away strip (pictured above) for their 2008 NRL season – helping their sponsors stand out even more with their increased TV coverage. Teams such as Canberra and Newcastle would kill for the financial backing the Storm now has. With a prodominantly white top, it certainly stands out from the rest.
And they said it would never work in Victoria? The Storm now have a top coach, a playing roster littered with stars and a growing corporate brand that is highly sought after. Well, maybe it was only Denis Fitzgeralnd that said the Storm would never work and they have been throwing egg on his face ever since.
How Denis FItzgerald is an administrator in any senior code of sport is a miracle. The guy has had control of Parramatta Eels for 25 years, protected in the heart of Rugby League and still struggles to attract crowds.
I love seeing these things about the Storm, and more than anything it says, your hopeless Denis.