- PointsBet has announced that they’ll become the ‘Major Partner’ of the Australian National Rugby League (NRL) Manly Warringah Sea Eagles beginning in 2022.
- Among other promotional perks PointsBet will take over the main front position on the Sea Eagles’ NRL jerseys for ‘at least the next four years’.
- Most of PointsBet’s recent sponsorship deals have been in North America including partnerships with the NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL and PGA Tour and at the team level the Detroit Tigers, Detroit Pistons, Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers and Chicago Bears.
PointsBet has been extremely busy on the promotional partnership front since they launched in the United States in 2019. They’ve since expanded their operations to Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, Indiana, Colorado, Iowa and West Virginia with more states on the way. Their highest profile partnership is with NBC Universal to serve as the ‘Official Sports Betting Partner’ of NBC Sports in the United States. They’ve also made deals with major US leagues and teams including the NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL and PGA Tour and at the team level the Detroit Tigers, Detroit Pistons, Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers and Chicago Bears. For their most recent partnership, however, they returned home to their native Australia.
Beginning in 2022, PointsBet is set to become the new ‘Major Partner’ of the Australian National Rugby League (NRL) based Manly Warringah Sea Eagles in a multi-year deal. PointsBet will replace United Resource Management (URM) which is the current ‘Major Partner’ of the Sea Eagles. According to the press release announcing the deal and other media sources PointsBet will also provide ‘significant additional benefits’ based on the team’s on-field performance. The ultimate goal is to win the NRL Premiership–the league’s championship. The Sea Eagles have won the Premiership 8 times with the most recent coming in 2011. They were the Premiership runner up in 2013.
PointsBet Co-Founder & Chief Marketing Officer Andrew Fahey provided more information on the performance based perks for the Sea Eagles:
We’re not only investing significantly as the new Major Partner of the Sea Eagles for at least the next four years, we’re also committed to rewarding the Club for making more finals, including a $500,000 bonus for each Premiership won over the term.
The most visible component of the PointsBet/Sea Eagles partnership will be seen right on the front of the jerseys. PointsBet will take over the main front position on the Sea Eagles NRL jerseys for at least the next four years. The team’s jerseys currently feature United Resource Management which will continue with the team as a ‘Premier Partner’ in 2022. URM has been sponsoring the team for 25 years.
Following a disappointing 13th place finish in the 16 team NRL the War Eagles have experienced an impressive turnaround in 2021. They finished in fourth place and are scheduled to play in the third round of the Premiership Finals against the South Sydney Rabbitohs on Friday. PointsBet’s Fahey noted the club’s somewhat unexpected success in the press release announcing the deal:
“We signed this agreement back in March, well before we knew how great the team were going to perform this year, so to now have all this fantastic momentum heading into the future is even more positive for PointsBet and our new partnership with the Sea Eagles.”
“Manly is a strong and successful Club. We are proud to align PointsBet with this winning culture and to have our brand feature prominently on the famous maroon and white jerseys of the Sea Eagles for next season through until at least the end of 2025.”
Sea Eagles CEO Stephen Humphreys is happy to welcome PointsBet to the fold:
“We’re thrilled to welcome PointsBet on board as the new Major Partner of the Sea Eagles for season 2022 and beyond. It’s a very exciting time for the Club and we’ve been further boosted by PointsBet’s really positive approach in aligning their brand with ours as we aim to entertain and engage with Australian sporting fans together in a fun and responsible way.”
PointsBet is an ASX (Australian Securities Exchange) listed corporate bookmaker (ASX:PBH) with operations in Australia, the United States, Canada and Ireland. PointsBet has developed a scalable cloud-based wagering platform through which it offers its clients innovative sports and racing wagering products. PointsBet’s product offering includes Fixed Odds Sports, Fixed Odds Racing, PointsBetting and, in the United States, iGaming. They also have two US offices in New Jersey and Colorado.
