MARS was today announced as a Major Sponsor for the ANZ Championship. Featuring five Australian and five New Zealand teams, the ANZ Championship commences its third season of trans-Tasman netball in just ten days.
Peter West, General Manager for Mars Snackfood, said “It was an easy decision by Mars to sponsor the ANZ Championship. It is a reflection of the broad popularity of netball and the outstanding attendance and media interest of the sport across Australia and New Zealand. We are excited that netball sponsorship is now a key element in our advertising investment".
ANZ Championship General Manager, Anthony Everard, said he is thrilled to welcome MARS as a key partner for the ANZ Championship.
“MARS is a fantastic brand to have associated with the league”, he commented.
“Last year, the ANZ Championship experienced substantial growth in television audiences and live attendance in both Australia and New Zealand.
“MARS’ decision to add the ANZ Championship to their sponsorship portfolio further reflects the commercial appeal of the competition. We look forward to delivering outstanding value to MARS via this exciting new sponsorship”.
MARS will receive significant signage and at match activation entitlements at all games across Australia and New Zealand, as well as featuring prominently on the competition’s newly re-developed website, anz-championship.com.
MARS will also have a major involvement with the Netball’s Festival of Stars celebrity match, to be held at Hisense Arena prior to the Round 12 Melbourne Vixens v Adelaide Thunderbirds game on Sunday 6 June.
Since its inception in 2008, the ANZ Championship has rapidly established itself as one of the world’s hottest sporting competitions. With the support of key broadcast partners Network Ten (TEN and ONE) and SKY Sport, the 2009 season attracted 11.4 million television viewers.
Total attendance at games last season was 224,000, with a full house of almost 10,000 watching the Melbourne Vixens defeat the Adelaide Thunderbirds in the Grand Final.
The ANZ Championship has attracted some of the region’s most highly respected brands as sponsors, with the likes of ANZ as Principal Sponsor, Fisher & Paykel and Holden as Major Sponsors, and San Remo, Gilbert, ASICS, Lorraine Lea Linen and DealsDirect.com.au as Support Sponsors.
