Coca-Cola Amatil (CCA), Australia’s largest beverage and food manufacturer, today announced it has signed a five-year sponsorship deal with the Vodafone Brisbane Lions Australian Football Club.

The deal will see CCA become a Major Support Sponsor of the Lions and a market leading brand at the team’s world famous home ground – the Gabba.

CCA General Manager QLD, Ross Morgan said securing the Brisbane Lions partnership represented a significant milestone for CCA.

“Coca-Cola Amatil is delighted to be aligned with such an iconic Queensland brand which will offer many opportunities to customers during the week and especially on match-days,” Mr Morgan said.

“The Brisbane Lions are one of the most celebrated sporting brands in the AFL and we are committed to supporting the performance of their players through our sports drink Powerade.”

Powerade, Australia’s leading sports drink works closely with the AFL, its clubs and its players to assist in sports and hydration leadership and innovation.

Mr Morgan said the new Lions deal meant CCA now sponsored all key AFL teams across Australia.

“CCA has been a long-standing supporter of AFL in Australia for the past 20 years. We are proud to now be in a position to support this powerful sporting code right across the country,” he said.

“In addition to supporting the State teams, we will continue to work closely with AFL Queensland to bring the sport to even more young children through a grassroots AFL program.”

CCA was most recently associated with the Lions in 2003 and will re-join the Club’s sponsorship family with an aim to build and sustain a successful partnership for future seasons.

Brisbane Lions Chief Executive Michael Bowers was thrilled to be rekindling a commercial agreement with Australia’s largest beverage and food manufacturer.

“Coca-Cola Amatil is arguably the world’s most recognisable brand and their previous association with the Club coincided with the Lions’ hat-trick of AFL premierships – so we’re certainly pleased to welcome them back to the Gabba with us for Season 2009 and beyond,” Mr Bowers said.

“Their ground-breaking sports drink already assists with hydrating our players and helping to maintain their level of performance, while members and supporters will also benefit from a selection of Coke’s high quality beverages at all Lions home games.”

The sponsorship deal is effective as of 1 March 2009.

ABOUT CCA:
An ASX 100 listed company, CCA is Australia’s largest beverage and food manufacturer, and one of the world’s top five Coca-Cola bottlers, with operations in Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Fiji.

Some of CCA’s brands include: Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola Zero, diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Sprite Zero, Lift, Powerade Isotonic, Powerade No-Sugar, Glaceau vitamin water, Pump and Pumped water, Mount Franklin, Neverfail Springwater, Kirks, Deep Spring, Goulburn Valley juices and flavoured milk, Nestea Iced Tea and Mother. CCA also owns Grinders Coffee and SPC Ardmona, Australia’s largest producer of packaged fruit and vegetables.

Pacific Beverages, CCA’s joint venture company with SABMiller, sells and distributes premium beer brands Peroni, Miller Genuine Draft, Miller Chill, Pilsner Urquell, Grolsch, Bluetongue and Bondi Blonde; as well as Jim Beam and other premium spirits. CCA manufactures Jim Beam and Cola and Jim Beam and No Sugar Cola in its operations in Adelaide and now at Richlands in Queensland.

CCA will begin work on Pacific Beverages’ new $120 million Bluetongue Brewery this month.