Harlequins unveils Middle Eastern airline tie

Ed Kemp, Marketing, Wednesday, 01 August 2007, 12:00am,

Harlequins Rugby Club has signed Middle Eastern airline Etihad as its principal sponsor in a three-year deal, having ended a 12-year naming rights deal with NEC.

The club took the decision last season to reclaim its name, although NEC remains a club sponsor (Marketing, 21 February).

Under its overhauled sponsorship structure, Harlequins has four second-tier sponsors - Greene King, Lexus, Norton Rose and eteach.com - as well as official suppliers, including Kooga and Maximuscle.

Harlequins has also unveiled its first change strip since its foundation in 1866; the club had come under pressure from Premier Rugby, the body that represents England's 12 professional rugby union club sides, to adopt a second lighter-coloured strip for TV purposes.

Separately, managing director Tony Copsey, who orchestrated the Etihad sponsorship deal, is moving to rival club London Wasps as chief executive.

This article was first published on Marketing