Great Britain players Paul Sculthorpe (left) and Brian Carney flank LARSOA chair Steve Whitehouse at the official announcement of the sponsorship deal at Worsley Park Marriott Hotel on Wednesday 27 August.

DfT extends Rugby League sponsorship into second year

The DfT is extending its sponsorship of the Great Britain Rugby League team for the 2003/2004 season, which includes the Test Series against Australia in November 2003. Last year the DfT sponsored the Test Series between Great Britain and New Zealand.

The 2002 sponsorship deal provided substantial media exposure for the Think! campaign and opportunities for RSOs to obtain additional value for local activity. "We anticipate similar levels of media exposure again this time round and in addition hope the longer planning period will allow more RSOs to make use of the sponsorship to boost their own activity," says the DfT’s Dave Watson.

The rights covered by the deal include headline sponsorship of the Great Britain v Australia test series - three warm up games at Brentford, Leeds and Wales and the three Test Matches at Wigan, Hull and Huddersfield - and ongoing sponsorship of the national side until autumn 2004.

The six game series will be branded ‘The Think! Road Safety Ashes Series’ or - if space is an issue - ‘The Think! Ashes Series’. The series logo will appear on screen.

The logo and a selection of Think! messages will be used in a variety of locations on the field of play and the logo will appear on a variety of official clothing. Off the field the branding will extend to programme advertising, press conferences and interview backdrops.

The Think! campaign will also receive 30 complimentary tickets for each match - which can be used as prizes in local competitions - and will have access to players during the Test Series.

The DfT has produced a detailed guide to the sponsorship to help RSOs gain maximum benefit from the deal. The guide can be found in the members’ section of this website, under ‘DfT Communications’. The members’ section is password protected – that password can be obtained from LARSOA chairman Steve Whitehouse, steve.whitehouse@technical.sefton.gov.uk