Cityjet, official airline partner of Ospreys Rugby, will feature prominently on the region’s Euro jersey this weekend after Worthington’s handed over their space to sidestep French advertising law.
The Ospreys are heading off to France this weekend, via a Cityjet charter, to face Racing Metro at the MMArena in Le Mans in the European Rugby Champions Cup.
The region’s players normally carry the logo of long-term commercial partner Worthington’s across the shoulders of their matchday jersey, but legislation in France prohibits alcohol companies from advertising during sports events.
Faced with the prospect of having to blank out their logo for the match, Worthington’s bosses opted instead to offer the space to Cityjet, a fellow partner of the Ospreys’ whose business is active in the French market with direct flights daily from Cardiff to Paris.
Diane Rees Regional Director of Molson Coors / Worthington's said:
“Unfortunately, French law means that we are unable to show our support for the Ospreys on Saturday as we usually would on a match day so, rather than simply blank our logo out, we wanted another partner of the region to benefit in a part of that world that is crucial to their business.
“We have a fabulous working relationship with the Ospreys and their other partners so we didn’t want this opportunity to go to waste. Hopefully Cityjet will really see the benefit from this and will be a winner on Saturday regardless of what happens on the pitch.”
CityJet began operating at Cardiff Airport in January 2014 and marked the occasion with a match day sponsorship of the PRO12 Welsh derby between the Ospreys and Cardiff Blues at the Liberty Stadium earlier this year.
Off the back of that successful venture the two parties announced a new agreement ahead of this season that has seen CityJet’s logo featuring on the right leg of the Ospreys shorts.
Yarnie Guthrie, Ospreys Commercial Manager, said:
“This is an excellent, practical example of commercial partners working in collaboration to overcome a potential problem. It’s a fantastic gesture by Worthington’s, who have supported the Ospreys since the very beginning of regional rugby, and very welcome support of a much newer commercial partner who are discovering for themselves the benefits of association with Wales’ leading region.
“French law means that Worthington’s have had to cover up, but with Paris being a key commercial area for Cityjet given the flights from Cardiff Airport, we are delighted that, with Worthington’s, we can assist them to make an impact this weekend at our match.
“We look at our commercial partners as part of the family, and hopefully, Cityjet will share in our success on and off the field for many seasons to come.”