New Zealand-based alcoholic beverages group Independent Liquor has agreed a deal to sponsor the 2017 Rugby League World Cup, which its home country will co-host alongside Australia and Papua New Guinea.
Independent Liquor will serve as an official partner of the event, with its Woodstock Bourbon and Cola brand to receive pouring rights for the spirits category at all fixtures played in New Zealand.
Woodstock will also activate the ‘Woody’s Words of Wisdom’ initiative at key games featuring New Zealand, with fans to be invited to write their message of support and raise it aloft to be in with a chance of winning prizes.
Laura Youngman, Independent Liquor category manager for Ready to Drink and Spirits, said: “Our partnership with the Rugby League World Cup 2017 cements Woodstock’s support of rugby league in New Zealand at all levels of the game.
“From grassroots with our ‘League Club Fix Up’, sponsorship of the New Zealand Vodafone Warriors, and now our association with the Rugby League World Cup, Woodstock is proud of its long-standing commitment to rugby league and can’t wait to be part of the sport’s premier event.”
New Zealand will host seven World Cup matches, including each of its national team’s three pool-stage games, two quarter-finals and a semi-final. The pool-stage match between Samoa and Tonga will also be played in New Zealand.
The World Cup will run from October 27 to December 2.