The Springboks’ jersey has become the most lucrative billboard in South African sport after First National Bank (FNB) and Pick n Pay were unveiled by SA Rugby as the main sponsors of the national rugby team.
According to a report, the marketing value of the jersey has increased from around R78 million to 160 million in the past six years after back-to-back Rugby World Cup wins for Rassie Erasmus’ team.
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The Springboks are in demand, having followed up their Rugby World Cup win with a Rugby Championship title and winning 11 out of 13 Test matches in 2024. They also sold out every home game last year and are still in search of an equity partner to bolster their financial position even more.
SA Rugby and FNB announced on Wednesday that the bank would become the principal partner of all national teams – with the FNB logo now taking centre stage on the front of all team jerseys.
The agreement sees the FNB logo move from the shoulders of the Springboks, replacing MTN the Boks’ new main sponsor.
It is estimated that the partnership with FNB is around R150 million per year, although the figure has not been confirmed.
Pick n Pay has signed a four-year contract as a Tier 1 sponsor of SA Rugby, with the company’s logo set to feature in gold on the back of the Springbok jersey, as well as those of all other national teams in a ground-breaking new partnership.
Pick n Pay’s logo will also appear on the front of all national teams’ training apparel. Historically, the rights to the front of the playing jersey and training jersey were reserved for the main sponsor.
Pick n Pay has also acquired the naming rights to the national club championship, the Gold Cup, and an exciting new women’s rugby competition, which will be announced later this year.
The partnership is reportedly worth around R70 million per year, bringing the total of the sponsorship of the Bok jersey to around R220 million.
How does FNB’s sponsorship of the Springboks compare with South Africa’s other big sporting brands?
Vodacom is the main brand behind SA’s most popular football teams, Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates, with the duo apparently earning in the region of R100 million each per year for the cellphone giants to have their name at the front of their jerseys.
In a recent podcast, TS Galaxy chairman Tim Sakuzi mentioned that other PSL teams get between R8 million and R20 million a year.
Ahead of the 2010 Fifa World Cup on home soil, ABSA and Castle Lager gave the South African Football Association (SAFA) R500 million (R250million each) in a landmark joint sponsorship deal.
However, Bafana have struggled to get the same sort of cash injection over the last few years. But there is renewed optimism that sponsors will come crawling back following their resurgence under coach Hugo Broos.
The Proteas haven’t had a main sponsor for the national cricket team since April 2020 after their four-year contract with Standard Bank concluded.
Cricket South Africa have been unable to find the right deal for the Proteas, even though the national teams have made various semi-finals and finals over the last couple of years.
The Proteas have had various associate sponsors, and last year signed a three-year deal with Indian betting company Dafabet. The value of the sponsorship has not been divulged.
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