Singo tipped as main Knights sponsor

[DIEHARD]

The Newcastle Knights will today announce the largest single sponsorship deal in the club's history, said to involve advertising man John Singleton and home-grown brewery Bluetongue.

Singleton was the driving force behind the unsuccessful bid to secure an NRL franchise for the Central Coast and Gosford Stadium in 2004. He also has a 60 per cent share in the Newcastle advertising outfit Peach through his company STW Communications Group.

The Knights, who have formed an alliance with the giant Newcastle Wests Leagues Club, issued a media alert yesterday signalling a major sponsorship announcement. Knights chief executive officer Ken Conway said the sponsorship deal would "go a long way to securing the club's financial future".

He added: "This contract is the largest single sponsorship deal [for the Knights]."

Knights officials were tight-lipped about the exact details of the sponsorship but the Herald understands it involves Singleton and the Bluetongue brewery. The lucrative five-year deal will be in addition to the Knights' naming sponsor for 2006, Coal & Allied.

Believed to be worth "many millions of dollars", the sponsorship will guarantee the Knights major backing from companies with a strong Hunter identity.

Singleton would not comment any further on the proposed deal.

Source: SMH

[DIEHARD]

The Knights have come a long way in the last 8 months or so.

- Major sponsorship with Coal & Allied.
- Alliance with Wests Newcastle.
- Possibility of John Singleton sponsoring the club.

Newcastle are on the road to having what it takes to be a super club.

Newcastle are really addressing their weaknesses.

[DIEHARD]

Confirmed.

Singo pours cash into Knights

Struggling NRL club Newcastle Knights has announced a major new sponsorship deal worth around $4 million over five years.

Advertising guru John Singleton and merchant bank Carnegie Wylie have combined with local brewery Bluetongue to become the Knights' major sponsor until 2010.

Knights chief executive Ken Conway says the deal will draw a line under the financial woes that have historically dogged the club.

Singleton said he expects the deal will create 50 jobs for the local community with the installation of beer tap lines at the club.

It is the second major financial coup for Newcastle in recent weeks, with the announcement a month ago of a $1 million-a-year commercial partnership with local leagues club Wests.

AAP

[DIEHARD]

From http://www.newcastleknights.com.au/

Knights Tap into Local Beer Brand

http://www.newcastleknights.com.au/images/bluetonguelogolge.jpg

Newcastle company Bluetongue Brewery has joined the Newcastle Knights as their official beer supplier and a major sponsor until the end of 2010.

The deal, worth in excess of 4 million dollars over the next five years has been hailed as the largest single sponsorship agreement in the history of the Newcastle Knights.

Merchant Bank Carnegie Wylie, along with John Singleton have joined with Bluetongue in a 50% partnership.

Speaking today, Knights CEO Ken Conway said the sponsorship represented another important step forward in the financial security of the club.

?We look forward to helping Bluetongue Brewery grow and flourish in the Hunter Region and are proud that this deal will bring significant employment opportunities in this traditional Hunter industry,? he said.

?In all sponsorship ventures the Knights aim to assist in our region?s economic growth by creating leveraging opportunities for Hunter companies. Our partnership with Bluetongue achieves this goal?

Also speaking today, John Singleton said the lucrative sponsorship agreement will greatly benefit other local organisations as well as the Newcastle community at large.

?The sponsorship is expected to create fifty direct jobs and an estimated total flow on of three hundred jobs over the next five years,? he said

?This deal will also see the instillation of tap lines to the entire ground providing Knights fans with quality Draught beer, preferred by Novocastrians?

?As well as providing the Bluetongue Premium range, mainstream beers including mid strength and light will also be on offer?

?These beers, which will carry Knights branding, will be available as packaged and draught product throughout the Hunter and Northern NSW.?

[Dakink]

Great move by a club that may be finally getting their act together - I've always wondered how Newcastle can be so financially unstable with the backing they have. About time they took the step up and became a "super club" as Diehard so eloquently put it.

[Luke]

This is good news for the Knights

[Eel 33]

Imagine if a deal of this type went down when Newcastle were at their most lethal, between winning their 2 premierships. They would've been something like the Broncos i reckon. A super club as someone else put.

[TDoGGBulldog]

omg... i have a picture of me with a blue tongue from slushies...

anywho... congrats Knights... hope for a better year for you's as i dont hate you's as much as other nrl teams....

but i hope a better year for canterbury <3

[SuperCliffy#01]

Congrats to the Knights, it is amzing how a club like the Knights were at one point on the verge of dropping out of the league now finds itself in a strong financial position, it is a pity that South Sydney still continues to flounder over the offer Holmes-a-Courte/Crowe offer, the board still has made no decision about the offer that was made over 6 weeks ago, i still believe that Souths wont be around for much longer. they are a club that has run its course just like North Sydney, while other clubs have pushed ahead Souths straggle behind. cya.

[Titanium_BD1103]

Well done to Newcastle.. I have always liked the area and it is great that the sole of the area, aka. the Knights are going strong.. :).. look forward to the Knights going places in 2006... :D

[SuperCliffy#01]

Yeah it was vitally important that the Knight secure their future, for one thing we don't want Rugby Union to grab the area.cya.