The Sharks released a statement announcing their new Title Sponsor, Cell C.

The Sharks (PTY) Ltd are proud to announce that Cell C will become our new title sponsor on a new three-year deal, effective from the 1st January 2014.

This sponsorship will see the Cell C brand emblazoned on the playing kit of The Sharks Professional Teams, The KwaZulu-Natal Amateur and Schools teams as well as The Sharks Academy.

Sharks Media Release

Our new title sponsor has also acquired naming rights for The Sharks professional teams, therefore from January 2014, The Sharks teams will be known as the Cell C Sharks.

The Sharks CEO, John Smit said: “We are proud to welcome Cell C to The Sharks family. This partnership brings together two iconic South African brands who share similar values and a pioneering spirit. Our goal is to be the best franchise in the country and we believe there is great synergy between our two entities.

“We thank Cell C for their investment in to our team and we look forward to a long and mutually beneficial partnership.”

Michael Ablett, The Sharks Marketing Manager added: “We are delighted to partner with a brand such as Cell C, who has secured title sponsorship rights on a three-year basis.

“Our marketing strategy has always been one that seeks to push boundaries in an endeavour to emerge as trendsetters. We believe that this new partnership with a leading mobile provider in South Africa will ensure that together with the rest of our valued sponsors, we form a formidable team that continues to push the envelope in terms of innovation.”

Over the last year Cell C has been involved in the development of rugby around the country and Cell C Chief Commercial Officer, Jose Dos Santos said this deal is the next big step for the company. “We couldn’t have found a better franchise to be aligned with than The Sharks. With their tanacity and spirit, their ethos and drive mimics ours as a company,” he added.

Notes:

About Cell C (PTY) Ltd
Cell C is a leading mobile provider in South Africa, which offers a wide range of products and services, including voice, data and messaging services to more than 12 million customers. In 2012, Cell C launched its 99c flat rate for both post-paid and prepaid customers, as well as for International calls to 50 destinations. Cell C’s unrivalled 99c per minute rate applies to any network, at any time of the day and is billed per second from the very first second. Cell C’s market-leading products and services are supported by its highly advanced network which covers 98% of the population.

The Sharks (PTY) Ltd
Since the sport went professional and the KwaZulu-Natal Rugby Union adopted The Sharks as a brand name for their team, The Sharks have, over the past decade, evolved from a provincial rugby brand to a commercially recognised sporting brand of international acclaim, promoting an intrinsic lifestyle value as well as fashion, entertainment and sporting aspiration. The Sharks are a sporting brand market leader, in innovation, match day activation and brand communication. There can be no better word to describe The Sharks brand essence than Sharkertainment.