As the Kings franchise looks forward to a significant period in its history, EP Rugby chief executive Charl Crous has announced a 3-year clothing sponsorship deal with BLK South Africa, beginning in 2016.

The sponsorship will coincide with the Southern Kings’ return to Super Rugby in 2016 and both parties are excited about the journey which lies ahead for rugby in the Eastern Cape region.

“This is the start of a new chapter for the Kings as we take up our permanent position within Super Rugby, and we are happy to have signed a preferred clothing apparel sponsorship with a company that has the international capacity to meet our requirements,” said Crous.

His sentiments were shared by BLK South Africa director William Hughes.

“BLK has a long and proud rugby heritage, with the brand enjoying strong partnerships with a host of Super Rugby and International teams,” Hughes said.

“We are extremely pleased to announce our partnership with the EP Kings rugby franchise and would like to take this opportunity to welcome the players, administration and fans to the BLK family.

“As a brand we are committed to assisting the Kings to achieve their on and off field goals through the provision of cutting edge, high performance apparel.”

Besides BLK South Africa supplying team kit for the Southern Kings Super Rugby squad and the EP Kings professional teams, the partnership also covers a wide range of replica apparel, which will be rolled out ahead of the Kings’ return to Super Rugby.

“We are obviously looking forward to our return to Super Rugby and we are extremely excited by the wide range of product offerings for supporters that BLK will be rolling out,” said Crous. “We believe it will bring our fans closer to the Kings brand as we work together to make our mark in this southern hemisphere competition.”

Hughes noted that BLK South Africa had worked hard in its efforts to secure a relationship with the EP Kings franchise.

“We recognised the huge potential and talent that exists across the Eastern Cape region and we are excited to be part of this new chapter and assisting the Kings to go #beyondlimitsknown.”

He added that close to 90% of the kit to be supplied to the EP Kings rugby franchise would be locally manufactured in BLK South Africa’s 3 carbon-neutral factories in Cape Town.

Sport24