By Andy Young
Crush Fine Wines has become the official wine partner of the 2014 NRL Premiership winners, the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
The three-year deal will see Crush provide a selection of its wine to South Sydney's corporate hospitality clients. This will cover events at the Legend's Lounge and Churchill Club as well as a number of other match day and special events.
Crush Fine Wines, managing director, Matt Schmidt, said: "Partnering with the South Sydney Rabbitohs is a great fit.
"The Rabbitohs core values of family, passion, innovation and uniqueness align perfectly with our business and brands. We will look to showcase our range of premium wines and will work closely with the club and the local community to underpin our Sydney operations."
Shannon Donato, the chief commercial officer at South Sydney, added: "The club is very pleased to announce that we will be working with Matt Schmidt and the team at Crush Fine Wines for the next three seasons.
"A key factor in securing the relationship was both parties expressing a desire to work collaboratively for a number of years on a long-term and meaningful relationship, as Matt and his team try and grow their New South Wales presence."
Crush, which has previously focused on sponsorships in Victoria, replaces Tyrrell's as the South Sydney wine partner.
Crush sponsor a Rugby League team…madness. The consumer doesn’t buy ‘Cruush Wines’. I hope they have a strategy to somehow hook into their members database.