FMG secures long-term naming rights at Waikato Stadium

New Zealand rural insurer FMG has reached an agreement to become the naming rights sponsor of Hamilton’s Waikato Stadium.

A 10-year sponsorship deal for the 25,800-seat facility has been agreed with Hamilton City Council to renamed the venue as FMG Stadium Waikato from October this year.

The stadium is home to the Chiefs Super Rugby franchise and Waikato Rugby Union’s provincial side.

FMG chief executive Chris Black said: “For us, the stadium represents a lot of what’s great about the Waikato. It’s an asset the community is fiercely proud of, and we’ve sought to respect that by retaining a regional reference within the new name – something that has not been done before with a stadium naming rights sponsorship in this country.”

There is an option to extend the term for a further five years under the deal, which the Waikato Times newspaper reports could be worth NZ$700,000 (€425,000/$469,000) annually to the city of Hamilton.