CARLTON UNITED BREWERS (CUB) has extended its sponsorship of the Australian Football League (AFL) for a further ten years in a deal valued at over $50 million.
An important component of CUB’s continued sponsorship will be the Carlton Draught Substitute initiative: a joint commitment with the AFL to promote responsible consumption of alcohol.
Player substitutions during AFL matches will be accompanied by the message ‘should you sub too?’ to encourage drinkers to know when they’ve reached their limit.
The initiative comes as a result of the 2009 National Preventative Health Strategy report, as sanctioned by the Australian government, which recommended “a more tightly regulated advertising environment with strict government controls.”
According to the report, alcohol sponsorship would be phased out in years five to 11 of the plan. The Australian government has yet to rubber-stamp the report but sporting bodies in the country are increasingly mindful of how their alcohol-related partnerships are presented.
CUB has been a key supporter of the AFL for over a century and is currently one of three Tier 2 sponsors of the Aussie Rules league, alongside Coca-Cola and National Australia Bank.
Toyota has been the AFL’s premier partner since 2004 and signed a three-year extension in July 2011 – a deal considered to be “the largest sponsorship for any sport” in Australia.
By Luke Harman
Follow Luke on Twitter: @lukeharmanSBG