The MTN Golden Lions return to glory
MTN Lions in photo by Denese Lups
The MTN Lions’ big match temperament is what saw them victorious over the Sharks this past weekend as they lifted the coveted Currie Cup for the first time in 12 years with a 42-16 victory at Ellis Park.
Arguably one of the best and most passionate encounters in Currie Cup history for a long time, the MTN Lions proved to be the best team because they clearly had the determination and willpower to make the multitudes of supporters proud, by breaking a 71 year spell and clinching the team’s first outright home-ground victory at Ellis Park since 1950.
In January this year, MTN South Africa came on board as the main sponsor of the Golden Lions, in one of MTN’s most exciting sponsorship deals in years. At the outset, MTN highlighted that the investment would aim to rejuvenate the game of rugby, drive involvement from the Lions supporters’ base and focus on player development.
It has been just 10 months since MTN brought their “Ayoba” to the MTN Lions and in the inaugural season backing the team, the MTN Lions have won the Currie Cup Final for the first time in more than a decade.
At the start of this year, all stakeholders involved with the Golden Lions Rugby Union were determined that the MTN Lions would make a major comeback and reclaim its rightful place as the strong force it once was. Despite some challenges this season, the innovative changes introduced at the Lions, including the appointment of Coach John Mitchell and amongst others, the backing of MTN as a new partner and sponsor, this season saw the reawakening of the MTN Lions, and the return of the team to its former glory.
“We are exceptionally proud of the MTN Golden Lions’ for winning the Absa Currie Cup and showcasing outstanding companionship throughout the tournament. MTN is delighted that our investment in the Golden Lions, has helped the team to achieve some of its key objectives in the first year of our sponsorship of the team and has brought about resurgence for the MTN Golden Lions.” says MTN South Africa Chief Marketing Officer, Serame Taukobong.
As the leader of mobile operations in developing markets, MTN South Africa has always sought to invest in areas that celebrate the diversity of people, with the opportunity of uniting and unifying those communities using a common thread. The Golden Lions was the perfect platform to demonstrate how the Ayobaness brand could bring a fresh approach and add sparkle to favoured and traditional rugby team.
The vision was for every game to become an event in itself. To this end, MTN supported the Golden Lions by introducing innovations to the franchise, including an exciting line up of pre match entertainment for supporters, such as fun activities for kids at the MTN World of Rugby. The players then did their part and rounded up the day with resilient field of play which ultimately saw them thrive throughout the tournament.
This repackaging of the MTN Lions rugby games started to attract a wide cross-section of fans, from the loyal supporters who have followed the team for decades to those who had never set foot at a rugby match before. Soon the crowds swelled from a few thousand in the earlier games in the season, to a 58 000 plus capacity crowd that roared with pride at the Currie Cup final last weekend.
Another one of the key objectives of the franchise was also to bring back foreign-based players that would add international experience to the Lions side, and for MTN Lions players to be eligible for Springbok selection. This too has been achieved, with Butch James receiving a call up for the Rugby World Cup held in New Zealand earlier this month.
“Ten months down the line, since MTN took the decision to back the team, the MTN Lions have reclaimed their rightful place in South African rugby, as such MTN would like to congratulate the Lions for the sterling performance this year.” concludes Taukobong.
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