Perth-based Super Rugby franchise Western Force is set to sell naming rights for individual player jerseys having failed to secure a new main partner.
Prospective sponsors can pay A$50,000 (€32,500/$44,000) to have their logo displayed on the front of a selected Western Force player’s shirt for the duration of the 2014 season. The rights to eight reserve players are also up for sale at A$25,000.
The move comes after Western Force’s failure to secure a replacement for naming sponsor the Emirates airline, a state of affairs that has left a A$1m annual shortfall on the franchise’s books, according to the West Australian newspaper.
Western Force chief executive Mark Sinderberry said: “We faced an economy which was tightening and there was a lot more uncertainty over the last six months. On top of that, and it was a lesser issue, the Perth Arena (the city’s new multi-purpose arena) was effectively a new product in the market for sporting and entertainment. It made it difficult to find the right partner.”
He added: “They are offering a year-round product, with a range of sports and entertainment. What we're offering is a product which is an involvement with a rugby team which plays in an international competition for the first five months of the year.”
Eight of the starting 15 jerseys have been sold to undisclosed recipients, with the exception of locally based employment group WorkFocus which has secured the number nine half-back position. Western Force will analyse the success of its new commercial approach over the next year and is understood to be open to securing a conventional naming-rights backer.