AFL’s Melbourne Conclude Sponsorship Deal With Webjet

The Melbourne Demons, of The Australian Football League’s (AFL), have confirmed Webjet as their new joint major sponsor, the country’s leading online travel agent.

Only last week, The Australian rules club terminated its agreement with previous sponsor EnergyWatch after being made aware of a series of racist remarks that appeared on Facebook, apparently by the energy broker’s co-founder and chief executive Ben Polis, who has subsequently lost his job. EnergyWatch had been contributing A$1.9 million (US$1.98 million) per year to the Demons and the decision could have potentially led to financial problems for the club.

However, Webjet has moved quickly to fill in any financial drawbacks and have praised the Demons’ stance over the controversy. “About a week ago Melbourne footy club made a great decision based on integrity and did something that most people would find difficult, so everyone stands up and applauds them and says well done,” Webjet managing director John Cuscic told Nine Network’s Footy Show. “It took us less 24 hours to make the call. We’re Australia’s leading online travel agency and Melbourne is an iconic football club which has got great pride… so we thought it would make a great opportunity for the two of us to work together.”

The agreement will see Webjet’s logo feature on the front of Melbourne’s jersey and its training apparel. Club CEO, Cameron Schwab, added: “At a time when the club has experienced a challenging period, this announcement is a great fillip. Webjet are a great Australian success story and have built a fantastic brand and are ambitious as to their future growth. The Melbourne Football Club can now play a key role in relation to this. The partnership with Webjet puts us back on track from a commercial perspective. We were faced with a challenging situation, but we would never compromise our integrity. Webjet has seen the opportunity and we are delighted with the association.”