Former Manchester United shirt sponsor AIG has signed a partnership deal with the New Zealand Rugby Union that will see the defending IRB World Cup champions All Blacks wear the firm’s logo on their famed jersey. Here are further details on the deal from a press release from AIG.
AUCKLAND, October 12, 2012 – American International Group, Inc. (NYSE: AIG) and the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) announced today a five-and-a-half year agreement for AIG to sponsor six NZRU rugby teams: the All Blacks, Maori All Blacks, All Blacks Sevens, New Zealand Black Ferns (women’s fifteens), New Zealand Women’s Sevens, and New Zealand Under 20. Financial terms of the sponsorship agreement are not being disclosed…
The refreshed AIG logo will be prominently displayed in contrasting white on the historically black front of the jerseys and back of shorts for the four men’s teams, and front of the jerseys for the two women’s teams.
The new jersey will be worn by the All Blacks Sevens for the first tournament of the 2012/13 HSBC Sevens World Series tournament on the Gold Coast in Australia, October 13, in a game against the United States Eagle 7s. On the All Blacks jersey, AIG’s logo is just under one third the size of the maximum allowed under International Rugby Board guidelines, in consideration of the historical significance of that jersey.
This sponsorship solidifies AIG’s commitment to the sport of rugby. On October 2, 2012, AIG announced that it had entered into an agreement to become the official front-of-jersey sponsor for USA Rugby’s men’s and women’s Junior and Collegiate All-American teams. AIG will also work with USA Rugby to grow its Rookie Rugby “Rugby in a Box” youth developmental program, an assertion of the company’s commitment to grow the sport at every level around the world.