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Ampol announced as naming rights partner of the NRL State of Origin

Ampol has been announced as the new name rights partner of the NRL State of Origin until 2023.

The partnership will be led by TLA Worldwide, which has been working with Ampol on its sponsorship activity as part of its rebranding process from the name Caltex.

The deal also includes the naming rights of the Women’s State of Origin from 2021 onwards.

Ampol has taken over the naming rights of the State of Origin

Ampol’s managing director and CEO, Matt Halliday, said the business’ new identity will be on show during the Origin series.

“Ampol is a proud Australian company with a long history of playing a positive role in economies and communities across the country, including through support for elite and grassroots sport,” he said.

“As we transition our national retail network to Ampol over the next two years, this new partnership with the NRL will reignite old and new customer connections with our iconic brand. State of Origin’s position as the pinnacle of rugby league and one of the biggest events on the Australian sporting calendar also aligns with our own commitment to return Ampol as Australia’s number one fuel brand.”

The naming rights for the NRL State of Origin were previously held by Holden, but the automotive brand’s announcement that it will close in Australia at the end of this year opened up negotiations for the sponsorship.

Ampol’s first State of Origin series kicks off this weekend, in a historic clash taking place in Adelaide for the first time. Due to the impact COVID-19 has had on the 2020 NRL season, the series will take place over three consecutive weekends, instead of its traditional schedule throughout June and July.

“We’re delighted Ampol has joined us as naming rights partner for Australia’s biggest rivalry, State of Origin. There’s no bigger or more watched television program than Origin and this year we will expand into Adelaide for the very first time,” said the NRL’s chief executive, Andrew Abdo.

“Ampol is an iconic brand in Australia, so many Australians grew up with Ampol in their neighbourhoods and remember the long history Ampol has with our game.”

TLA’s general manager in Sydney, Richie Butterworth, added: “We have worked closely with the Ampol team this year to evaluate a number of partnership opportunities to support the brand re-launch. Sport is one of Australia’s great passions and something that unites us, so it provides the perfect platform for Ampol to connect with Australians young and old.

“With many great partnership opportunities out there for Ampol to consider, we have used our business’ 25 years of industry knowledge, alongside data and independent analysis to match the Ampol brand strategy and brand goals with key partnerships. We’re looking forward to bringing the NRL partnership to life.”

Last year’s State of Origin kicked off to 2.178m metro viewers, with games two and three drawing 1.96m and 2.002m metro viewers respectively.

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