Mission accomplished as Dogs wrap up deal
A day late, but wasn't near the interwebz yesterday and I'd figure most had heard this:
A day late, but wasn't near the interwebz yesterday and I'd figure most had heard this:
Mission accomplished as Dogs wrap up deal
Martin Boulton | January 18, 2009
http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/news/dogs-wrap-up-threeyear-deal/2009/01/17/1231609054741.html
LESS than a month from the start of the AFL's pre-season competition, the Western Bulldogs have signed major partner Mission Foods on a three-year deal worth $4.5 million.
The company, established in 1949 and based in Mexico, is one of the world's leading producers of flatbread and corn flour products and recently established an office and manufacturing facility in Epping.
After a highly competitive bidding process with at least two other AFL clubs, Bulldogs president David Smorgon said the club was thrilled to secure a major partnership with an internationally recognised brand.
"The company is a world leader in their field and has just made a huge investment in Epping, so we couldn't want a better brand on our jumper," Smorgon said.
Melbourne and Richmond are still without major sponsors for this season after Primus Telecom ended its five-year association with the Demons and the Tigers lost Australian Finance Group.
The Bulldogs' six-year association with LeasePlan ended last year.
Smorgon said Mission Food's chief executive, Juan Gonzalez, was "a sports nut" and the club expected to see him at several Bulldogs' games and functions.
"Our involvement and commitment to the community was one of the main reasons behind (the company's) involvement with us, which is fantastic, because it's something we've done for many, many years," Smorgon said.
"The Bulldogs are on a mission, even more so today and knowing that you've been given the nod over other clubs is a huge compliment to the Bulldogs."
As part of the joint venture with the Bulldogs the club's new training and learning facilities at Whitten Oval be known as the Mission Elite Learning Centre.
Western Bulldogs are barking big bikkies
Rod Nicholson | January 18, 2009 12:00am
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,24925413-19775,00.html
WESTERN Bulldogs chairman David Smorgon makes no apologies: he and the football club will never again settle for second best. As Smorgon surveyed Whitten Oval's $50 million development, pondered the write down of $8 million debt in the past three years, enjoyed last season's $643,000 profit and declared the team's improvement to third on the ladder unacceptable, he added another vital brick in the re-building of the Bulldogs.
Mission Foods, a global giant, had signed a $4.5 million three-year deal as the club's major partner, he said.
Smorgon said negotiations stretched back to September and the deal was a compliment to the Bulldogs - they beat Essendon, Richmond and Melbourne for the lucrative signing.
"What we have done in recent years is outstanding," he said.
"We are initiators, prime movers."
They were proud words from the man who has spent almost two decades trying to add authority and respectability to the western suburbs club broadly regarded as a financial basket case.
"We knew last August that Lend Lease would end its six-year sponsorship," he said.
"We made it clear we were not in the market to plonk someone's name on our jumper, just for the money.
"We are past all that. We spoke to a lot of companies in the meantime, but we were not going to drop our value or what we wanted - a quality, large, global partner.
"Look, we have been on a mission for years, and maybe it was only the dedicated Bulldogs fans who believed in it, but we set ourselves goals and we are now achieving them on and off the field."
Mission Foods, which has recently completed a new $50 million factory in Epping, distributes from its 97 worldwide plants its flatbread and Mexican products and corn-based snacks in 92 countries.
Besides the logos on the Western Bulldog outfits, Mission Foods staff will also display the Dog connection during its daily 30,000 deliveries throughout the nation.
Mission Foods boss Juan Gonzalez said: "We see it as a perfect fit.
"We will spend $12 million to promote our products and we have the same core beliefs about community and health as this club.
"We did our due diligence. We spoke with the AFL, we looked at four or five clubs to make comparisons. In the end, we kept coming back to the Bulldogs."
Meanwhile, Richmond is desperate for AFL officials to give the all clear on its proposed $2.4 million sponsorship deal with corporate bookmaker Sportsbet.
Melbourne still is without a sponsor.
