Commercial airline Virgin Australia has increased its presence within the Australian Football League by agreeing five-year sponsorship deals with Australian rules football teams Fremantle Dockers and West Coast Eagles.
Virgin Australia becomes the official airline of Fremantle and the premier partner and official airline of West Coast Eagles. The company will also launch its ‘give-back’ initiative, targeted towards fans of both Western Australian clubs.
Under the scheme, Virgin Australia will give A$10 (€6.72/$9.27) back to clubs for every flight taken by Velocity Frequent Flyer members who register their club preference during the 2014 AFL Premiership season. Virgin Australia will also reward the WA fans that fly the most during the season with an exclusive seat on board a charter flight from Perth to the AFL Grand Final, including tickets to the game and accommodation.
Judith Crompton, chief commercial officer for Virgin Australia, said: “Over the past two years, we have significantly expanded Virgin Australia’s presence in Western Australia with the launch of our regional operation, a new lounge and ongoing enhancements to our wide-body Airbus A330 transcontinental services. Virgin Australia shares Western Australia’s passion for the AFL and we recognise that these clubs are cultural landmarks in the state.”
The 2014 AFL season marks Virgin Australia’s fourth as the official airline of the AFL. It also has five-year sponsorship agreements in place with AFL teams Gold Coast Suns and Greater Western Sydney Giants.