South African investment holding group Bidvest has agreed a five-year extension to its naming rights deal for the Wanderers Stadium, one of world cricket’s leading venues.
The 34,000-capacity Johannesburg venue, more commonly known as the Bullring, has been named Bidvest Wanderers Stadium since 2009.
The Gauteng Cricket Board said that the renewal is worth a multi-million rand sum.
“For the GCB, this sponsorship has been so much more than simply adding a prestigious brand association to the home of South African cricket,” Greg Fredericks, chief executive of the Gauteng Cricket Board, said. “It has also been a guideline to what we as an organisation want to achieve and the policies and ethics that we would like to adopt. Bidvest’s reputation speaks for itself and it can only benefit us to have them on board.”
Bidvest already has strong cricketing connections through one of its group companies, Konica Minolta South Africa, which sponsors the Highveld Lions domestic team. This sponsorship is celebrating its 10th year in the 2014-15 cricket season.
Bidvest chief executive Brian Joffe added: “We regard sponsorships as effective vehicles to elevate the quality of sport in our country. The Wanderers Stadium is a rallying point for South African cricket and we’re pleased to help ensure that it remains so. We’re a proudly South African company and proud to be associated with one of our country’s iconic sporting venues.”