Australian Rugby Union today announced DHL, the world's leading logistics company, as the naming rights partner for the highly anticipated British & Irish Lions Tour to Australia.
The DHL Australia 2013 Lions Tour will kick-off in just 17 days at Patersons Stadium in Perth when the Lions take on the Western Force for the first match of their nine-game Tour.
ARU CEO Bill Pulver said the partnership with DHL provided a fantastic opportunity for the game in Australia and a perfect fit for a British & Irish Lions Tour that has been 12 years in the making.
“DHL is one of the world’s most iconic Rugby partners and a natural choice as the naming rights partner for the Tour,” Mr Pulver said.
“A British & Irish Lions Tour is unlike any other event in world sport and we are extremely excited to partner with DHL to deliver what promises to be the most successful Tour in Australian Rugby history.
“Twelve years ago we sold 300,000 tickets. This year we’re on track to see 400,000 fans walk through the gates to celebrate one the world’s most iconic sporting teams taking on the cream of Australian Rugby.
“With only a handful of tickets left, the DHL Australia 2013 Lions Tour is shaping up as the must-see sporting event of the year.”
DHL Express Senior Vice President Oceania, Gary Edstein said DHL was proud to continue their association with Rugby as the naming rights partner of the 2013 Lions Tour to Australia.
“DHL is excited to bring the Lions down under as partner of the 2013 British & Irish Lions Tour to Australia,” Mr Edstein said.
“As a sport played all over the world, Rugby is the perfect fit for DHL as a global brand.
“DHL is proud of past associations with Rugby which are almost as far reaching as our network.
“DHL supports Rugby teams in Kenya, South Africa and Fiji. We also successfully delivered Rugby to the world as the Official Logistics Partner of Rugby World Cup 2011 and were a partner of the 2005 DHL Lions Series of New Zealand.”
The Lions will kick-off their nine-match tour in Perth on Wednesday 5 June when they take on the Western Force at Patersons Stadium.
It will be the first time the Force have met the Lions, with the Perth based franchised formed after the Lions last tour to Australia in 2001.
Tickets to the historic match are still available through Ticketmaster.
Following the Force match the Lions will travel to Brisbane to face the Reds (tickets available through Ticketek), followed by Newcastle to take on Combined Country (tickets from Proticket), the Waratahs in Sydney, Brumbies (tickets through Ticketek) then the first Test in Brisbane on Saturday 22 June.
