Isuzu Ute Australia secures naming rights for A-League Mens
The recently rebranded A-Leagues has unveiled Isuzu UTE Australia (IUA) as its first official naming rights partner for the A-League men’s competition on a three year deal.
The competition will officially be titled the ‘Isuzu UTE A-League Men’, after the Australian Professionals League (APL) brought both men’s and women’s professional leagues, as well as youth leagues under the same naming banner last week.
The APL is the body that is responsible for the operation, commercialisation and marketing of professional football in Australia, and was officially formed in 2021. It said that the new naming rights marks “the latest milestone in the A-Leagues’ ambitious growth and commercial development strategy”.
The partnership also includes naming rights for the Men’s Finals Series, as well as becoming the Official Automotive Partner across all men, women, youth and e-sports leagues.
Managing director of the A-Leagues, Danny Townsend said: “This is an historic day for the A-Leagues and we’re proud to have partnered with Isuzu Ute Australia, one of Australia’s top-selling automotive brands, with rapid growth across its D-MAX Ute and MU-X SUV ranges. We have an ambitious vision for the future of professional football and IUA will be a key partner on this journey.”
This “commercial development strategy” has included this year’s new content partnership with ViacomCBS’s Network Ten, with league games set to be aired across both free-to-air and Paramount+.
IUA’s sponsorship portfolio also Surf Life Saving Australia and its Local Sports Sponsorship Fund, aimed at supporting grassroots clubs in local communities across Australia.
Hiroyasu Sato, managing director at Isuzu UTE Australia, said: “We are delighted to be joining forces with the fastest growing sport in the country. The A-Leagues bring together the best of football in Australia – the game’s unparalleled diversity, reach and participation is key to our strategy to connect with modern Australia.”
The A-League signed a new partnership with ViacomCBS/Network Ten this year
“We recognise that football is a great vehicle for bringing families and communities together, from amateur weekend players through to the professional A-Leagues. It’s a natural fit with our customers who share that spirit of excitement and adventure with football fans, and we look forward to being able to support the A-Leagues and Network Ten to bring football to all Australians.”
Isuzu has a history of partnering with Network Ten, featuring as one of the main sponsors of the recent season of Australian Survivor.
“The A-Leagues are all about inspiring everyone to play their own way, on and off the pitch, so there is a natural fit with the Isuzu Ute brand values of adventure, reliability and performance. Football fans and Ute and SUV lovers live for the weekend and so we are excited to explore this connection with our audiences,” said Ant Hearne, chief commercial officer, A-Leagues.
The rights agreement will cover player kit branding, signage and branding rights across all A-Leagues channels, digital content and activation rights across both Men’s and Women’s A-Leagues matches. On-ground support vehicles will also be provided to all A-League Clubs and Leagues.
The A-Leagues said that in the coming months it will reveal a “ground breaking, world class digital football platform to become the home of football in Australia”. This will come after last month Optus Sport’s Richard Bayliss was appointed as the professional leagues’ its first director of content.
The naming rights commences today, ahead of the kick off of the new Isuzu A-League Men competition on 19 November, with the A-League Women season following on 3 December. Both seasons will air entirely on Ten and Paramount+.
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Calum Jaspan was news editor at Mumbrella, based in Melbourne. He was also the producer and host of the Mumbrellacast. He left Mumbrella in May 2023.
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topics
A-Leagues
Ant Hearne
APL
danny townsend
Hiroyasu Sato
Isuzu UTE Australia
Naming rights
Network Ten
ViacomCBS
