Soccer: Sponsor unplugs Kingz

By TERRY MADDAFORD

Football Kingz director Chris Turner was putting on a brave face yesterday, despite confirmation that the club are losing their major sponsor just three days before their fifth Australian National League season kicks off.

As expected, Vodafone, who had a one-year and then a three-year deal with the club, will not renew their sponsorship when their contract ends on September 30.

To make matters worse, the club must also find a new airline partner.

For the past two seasons the Kingz had an arrangement with Air New Zealand which gave them cheap, or perhaps even no-cost, transtasman travel.

That agreement lapsed at the end of last season and Turner said last night that discussions with other airlines were taking place.

"Watch this space," he said. "There are one or two other options that could be used."

He would not comment on the commercial aspects of the Air New Zealand deal, or whether Emirates, the major sponsor of the Chelsea Football Club - with which the Kingz have a sister-club relationship - were in the mix.

Vodafone, which had its name on the front of the team's playing shirt as the major sponsor, would continue as the Kingz "exclusive telecommunications sponsor," but with its name on the players' shorts.

Former owner and present 10 per cent shareholder Sky Television will be the "principal shirt sponsor," but not the naming-right sponsor.

"We are still talking to three parties with a view to securing a major sponsor," Turner said.

"We have known for some time Vodafone would not be continuing at the same level.

"There will be no difference to the way the club is run, despite Vodafone's decision."

Turner refused to comment on the level of Vodafone's support - understood to be around $500,000 to $600,000 a year - but said the club had to tighten its belt.

"The budget is less this season than last."

Even with the cuts made last season, it seems that close to $1.4 million will be needed for the 24-match season. Regency Duty Free and Lotto Sports have continued their support.

The sponsorship issue follows the problems the club have had over unpaid ground hire at Ericsson Stadium and this week's announcement that the arrangement to bring one or two Chelsea players to the club had been put on hold until at least January.

In on-field developments, veteran midfielder Chris Jackson has been named captain.

Waitakere City northern premier league coach Tommy Mason will be the assistant to coach Ken Dugdale, replacing Stu Jacobs.

The opening match against Newcastle at Ericsson Stadium on Sunday gives the Kingz the chance to make it three straight wins, because they beat the northern New South Wales club twice last season.

If the Kingz had hoped for a morale-boosting final warm-up to the competition against a Lotto All Stars XI drawn from the Northern League clubs at Ericsson Stadium on Wednesday night they were out of luck. The game ended 1-1.