Club president Eddie McGuire, captain Nick Maxwell and Emirates' Roger Vaughan announce the extension

Emirates has extended its long term partnership with the Collingwood Football Club by entering into a new sponsorship agreement that will see the airline continue as the club’s Premier Partner for a further five years (2010-2014).

The Emirates logo will continue to be positioned on the front of the guernsey for all home matches, and for away matches will be on the back of the guernsey and on the shorts.

Emirates’ sponsorship of Collingwood, which commenced in 1999, was the first major sports team partnership that the airline announced in Australia. At that time, Emirates had only one daily flight nationally, which flew from Melbourne to Dubai via Singapore. Today Emirates has 70 weekly flights to Australia, including double-daily services from Sydney, Brisbane and Perth as well as a thrice-daily service from Melbourne. A third daily service to Sydney was launched in December last year.

Emirates is linked to some of the world’s leading sport events, spread across the six continents that Emirates flies non-stop to from Dubai, and its sponsorship of Collingwood Football Club is just one way that the airline identifies with and supports the sporting passions of Australians and connects with the local Melbourne community.  In Victoria, other successful Emirates sponsorships include the Emirates Melbourne Cup and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.

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Richard Vaughan, Emirates’ Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations - Far East & Australasia, said: “Emirates is proud to continue as Premier Partner of the Collingwood Football Club, Australia’s biggest sporting club. Over the past eleven years we have developed one of the most successful and recognised partnerships in Australian sport. This re-signing creates a more meaningful and long-lasting relationship between Emirates, the club and the AFL community.”

Eddie McGuire, President, Collingwood Football Club, said: “It is a privilege for our club to represent Emirates, an international brand and organisation renowned for quality and excellence.  We are proud to have played a part in the success of Emirates in Australia and to wear the Emirates logo on our guernsey. The continued agreement is a tremendous achievement for our club. It gives us a great foundation for the future and supports our position as one of the most respected and professional sporting clubs in Australia.”

Gary Pert, CEO, Collingwood Football Club, said: “Our ongoing association with Emirates is a further endorsement of the strength of our business and the power of Collingwood in an events and sports industry that is becoming increasingly competitive. In recent years we have experienced record-breaking attendances, membership, television ratings, media exposure, corporate support and internet traffic."

“We have established world-class training and event facilities at the Lexus Centre and when combined with the redevelopment of our home stadium, the MCG, Collingwood and Emirates have exclusive access to facilities that are the equal of any in the world.”