Emirates, a global connector of people and their passions, and the Lions, one of South Africa’s top rugby teams, today announced a five-year sponsorship agreement.

The agreement will see Emirates become the title sponsor of the Lions Super Rugby team and have naming rights to the Lions home ground Ellis Park in Johannesburg. The announcement was made at a media conference today by Orhan Abbas, Emirates Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations for Latin America, Southern and Central Africa, and Rudolf Straeuli, the CEO of the Golden Lions Rugby Union.

Starting from 1 January 2015, the Lions will become known as the Emirates Lions, and the familiar “Fly Emirates” logo will adorn the match and training jerseys of the team for the next five years. Ellis Park, will be named Emirates Airline Park. The agreement also includes in-stadia hospitality as well as a number of other marketing rights and activities.

Emirates Lions Media release

“Emirates is a strong champion of rugby worldwide and South Africa is one of the top rugby playing nations with very passionate supporters. We are therefore delighted to have the opportunity to sponsor one of the country’s most popular and established teams. It’s the first major sponsorship by Emirates of a South African team, and this will certainly raise the visibility of the Emirates brand not just here, but also in our key markets of New Zealand and Australia where the Super Rugby competition is played, and a number of other markets in which the games are televised,” said Mr Abbas.

“Our new association with the Lions enables us to be part of Ellis Park, which is an historical and famous venue in the country, most notably for hosting the Rugby World Cup final in 1995 which South Africa won. This was the same year in which Emirates first started operations to the country, and today we enable trade and provide connections for South Africans from Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg to Dubai and beyond to our network of more than 140 destinations around the world,” he added.

“At the Golden Lions Rugby Union we pride ourselves on growth and performance. We are thus thrilled to partner with Emirates – a world-leader in its field who is constantly looking to expand and develop. We are tremendously grateful to Emirates for their support and belief. It is wonderful to have financial stability, as a result of the support from this international, iconic brand, over the next five years,” said Straeuli.

“We are looking forward to working closely together in not only developing rugby at grassroots level in both South Africa and the United Arab Emirates, but also expanding the game of rugby across the globe. As 2015 will mark the 20th anniversary of the Springboks’ 1995 Rugby World Cup win at Ellis Park, it is exciting for us to have secured Emirates as a stadium sponsor from next year. We know that we will share many more happy memories, alongside Emirates, at this hallowed ground,” he added.

The Emirates Lions kick off their 2015 Super Rugby campaign on Friday 13 February 2015, when they take on the Hurricanes of New Zealand at Emirates Airline Park.

About Emirates:

Emirates was founded as an airline in 1985 and launched services to South African in 1995. It now flies to 141 destinations in 80 countries across six continents, providing air services that enable trade and travel to its home base in Dubai and beyond. Emirates also connects millions of people on the ground each year through its other operations including Emirates Holidays, its destination marketing arm, and tour operator Arabian Adventures. Seamless trade connections are supported through Emirates SkyCargo, its cargo division.

A multinational and multicultural employer with over 160 nationalities working together, Emirates is committed to connecting people around the globe, and helping them to discover, enjoy and share new experiences together. This commitment is reflected in its wide portfolio of international sports and cultural sponsorships.

Emirates and Rugby:

Emirates boasts a rich rugby heritage with its extensive portfolio of top-class rugby sponsorships. It first sponsored the Rugby World Cup (RWC) 2007 in France as a Tournament Sponsor, and then became a Worldwide Partner for RWC 2011 in New Zealand. Earlier this year, Emirates also announced that it will be a Worldwide Partner for RWC 2015 and 2019, to be held in England and Japan respectively.

Emirates strives to reflect the core values of the game and enrich the experiences of rugby fans across the globe, and has also been the Title Sponsor of the Emirates Dubai Rugby Sevens for over 20 years, with this vibrant tournament firmly establishing itself as one of the best on the HSBC Sevens World Series circuit. We are also proud to sponsor the Emirates Airline Glasgow Sevens, the penultimate event of the annual series calendar.

Our partnership with USA rugby sees Emirates displayed on the playing kit of the US Eagles men’s, women’s and Seven’s rugby teams. Emirates can also be found at the epicentre of every international rugby match through sponsorship of the IRB’s elite panel of referees – who always take to the field in their ‘Fly Emirates’ kit.

About the Golden Lions Rugby Union:

Founded in 1889, the Golden Lions Rugby Union recently celebrated 125 years of rich rugby history in South Africa.

The Union’s teams compete in a variety of tournaments including the domestic competitions of the Currie Cup and Vodacom Cup. The Union’s franchise team competes in the Super Rugby competition and, in 2014, achieved their most successful season yet. The Lions are known for their expansive brand of rugby as they produce a traditional running-style of play.

Located in Johannesburg, the 64 000-seater Ellis Park Stadium is the official home of the Golden Lions Rugby Union and is celebrated as one of the most historical rugby grounds in the world. The stadium played host to the 1995 Rugby World Cup final, where South Africa were crowned champions.

In recent years, the stadium has hosted many important events such as 2010 FIFA World Cup matches, 2009 Confederations Cup, large concerts and, most notably, the iconic Springboks versus All Blacks Test matches, with sold out crowds.