The Melbourne Rebels have announced a new three-year extension to their deal with Australian apparel manufacturer BLK. The deal continues a partnership that has existed between the Rebels and BLK (in their previous Kooga Australia guise) since the Rebels were founded in 2010.
The Australian arm of BLK, which also supplies gear to the Force and Reds in Super Rugby, and Saracens, Connacht, Ospreys and Toulouse in Europe, went into liquidation at the end of 2016, and several teams decided to seek other suppliers while the firm worked through its financial difficulties.
The retention of Rebels sponsorship is a welcome boost then, and a sign that things are getting back to normal after the Australian firm lost several contracts as a result of the liquidation, including the Sharks and Kings in Super Rugby, and the Titans in the NRL.
“The well publicised recent issues for the brand are behind us. The BLK globally is in a very strong position to capitalise on the rock solid foundation that has been laid over the last 10 years.” said BLK CEO Tyron Brant at the announcement of the Rebels tie-up.
“The Melbourne Rebels have shown that this deal is a true partnership and not just a sponsorship. Andrew and his full team demonstrated what true partnerships should be through good times and hard times and BLK could not be prouder to enter into a new deal with the Rebels.”
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