After a season of turmoil the Warriors have been dealt another cruel blow with major sponsor Vodafone signalling an end to its 22-year partnership with the club due to a conflict with the NRL’s major sponsor Telstra.
The two major telcos have been at loggerheads for years over the exclusive naming rights Telstra has for the NRL competition, and Vodafone’s naming rights for the New Zealand-based club.
The matter came to a head on Tuesday with Vodafone announcing it would be reluctantly withdrawing its sponsorship with two years left to run on a deal worth around $1 million per season.
“Sadly, we have been advised the NRL has told the Warriors their naming rights partnership with Vodafone NZ is now in conflict with the NRL game-wide partnership with Telstra,” the club said in a statement.
“As a result, we understand the NRL is not intending to grant an exemption to the Warriors for their Vodafone NZ partnership beyond the current season.
“We understand NRL have offered a diluted non-naming partnership option to the Warriors as an alternative, but naming rights has always been the primary reason for our 22 year-long partnership.
“For us, the Vodafone name has been synonymous with the Warriors and NZ rugby league for over two decades.”
It is horrible timing for the Warriors given the team has been in Australia since early May, away from their homes, friends and families.
They have since lost coach Stephen Kearney and five-eighth Blake Green, as well as a handful of players who have returned to New Zealand.
The club is already in a precarious financial situation given their stay in Australia and the resultant losses in merchandising, corporate and ticketing opportunities.
“While we are looking at our options this means unfortunately, and very reluctantly, Vodafone NZ will most likely conclude its 22-year sponsorship of the Warriors at the end of the current season,” the statement continued.
“We know this is incredibly disappointing for Warriors fans, as it is for Vodafone NZ.
“We’re especially disappointed for this year’s Warriors team and organisation, who have sacrificed so much this year to enable the competition to continue.”
Warriors chief executive Cameron George did not respond to a request for comment, while NRL interim chief executive Andrew Abdo said he had been working on a way to keep Vodafone involved without holding naming rights.
“We have been working with Warriors on managing the inherent conflict that exists with their club sponsor and the competing naming rights sponsor,” he said.
“Unfortunate the Warriors and Vodafone have not been able to come up with a mutually beneficial solution.”
