AFL Renews Long-Term Partnership with CUB

The AFL announced today the continuation of a historic partnership with CUB for an extended 10-year deal.

The landmark agreement will see the AFL and CUB continue a partnership that has been in place for more than a century.

A key component of the sponsorship agreement is a joint commitment from the AFL and CUB to encourage responsible consumption of alcohol message through the Carlton Draught Substitute.

The partnership between the AFL and CUB is unprecedented in Australian sport and can be traced back to humble beginnings in Melbourne, impotent when the AFL was the VFL and CUB was being born.

AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou said: “This is a significant result for both the AFL and CUB and provides wide ranging benefits for the Australian football industry.

“This agreement cements the AFL’s relationship with a company that has enjoyed a long and proud history with our game for more than a century.

“CUB’s commitment to Australian football is underlined by the significant investment and duration of this agreement and we believe it will take our partnership to the next level.”

CUB CEO Ari Mervis said: “This is a significant partnership which stretches back over 100 years and I’m proud to be a part of extending that by another decade.

“Footy is a big part of the Australian culture and we believe our beers play an important part in the recreational lives of many Australian adults.”

A key component of this sponsorship agreement is a new campaign to encourage responsible consumption linked to the branding of the AFL Substitute at all AFL matches, to be known as the Carlton Draught Substitute.

Whenever a player substitution is announced during an AFL match, fans will be asked ‘should you sub too?’ – prompting patrons to consider their alcohol consumption and to drink responsibly.

This campaign is in part of the AFL’s policy of providing a safe, secure and family friendly environment at all AFL matches.

“Both the AFL and CUB are committed to encouraging the responsible consumption of alcohol and through the Carlton Draught Substitute campaign we will remind all patrons to consider their consumption at all AFL fixtures,” Mr Demetriou said.

The AFL and CUB have already implemented several initiatives at a number of AFL venues to improve match environments, such as switching to mid-strength beer for night fixtures and encouraging patrons to report anti-social crowd behaviour.

Some of the most prominent characters of Australia’s game have been stalwarts of CUB, like Jock McHale who coached and played in almost 1000 games and worked at the brewery for 50 years. 

CUB is the proud brewer of some leading brands Carlton Draught, VB, Crown Lager, Cascade and Peroni.  CUB is also Australia’s biggest cider producer with great brands such as Bulmer’s, Strongbow and Mercury.

CUB has long been at the forefront of industry efforts to encourage responsible consumption of their products, and is committed to supporting a healthy drinking culture.