Queensland Cricket will step back in time to revive a major partnership this summer, with Carlton and United Breweries linking its popular Power’s brand to the State’s cricket teams.
The Queensland Bulls will wear the Power’s logo on the sleeve of their One Day jersey, with their first match with the new partnership in place this Sunday at Allan Border Field when they take on Western Australia in a Marsh One Day Cup game.
The multi-year agreement mirrors a partnership that was in place almost three decades ago and will include pourage agreements to carry CUB brands at Allan Border Field and Great Barrier Reef Arena for Queensland matches.
Power’s Brewing was a major sponsor of Queensland Cricket in the early 1990s, when the Queensland-based brewery was a significant player in sports sponsorship, most famously with the Brisbane Broncos.
Bulls players Jimmy Peirson, Mark Steketee, Joe Burns and Ben McDermott were on hand today for the launch of the partnership at Allan Border Field.
McDermott is set to make his return to the Bulls line-up on Sunday, after making his first class and one-day debuts for Queensland in 2014-15 when he was still a teenager.
He spoke at the Power’s launch to express his anticipation about the coming season after making the decision to end his ties with Tasmania during the winter and return home.
The CUB agreement follows last week’s announcement that Brisbane Airport Corporation had signed a partnership agreement to sponsor the Queensland Fire women’s team for the 2023-24 summer.
The Fire will commence their Women’s National Cricket League season this Friday and Sunday when they take on NSW Breakers in Sydney.
Queensland Cricket CEO Terry Svenson welcomed CUB and Powers for the coming summer.
“It’s exciting to have a relationship with a brand that has some very strong historic ties to Queensland sport, and through this CUB agreement, will again be linked to Queensland Cricket,’’ he said.
“We look forward to the Bulls and Fire teams providing a summer of highlights, and hopefully the opportunity to raise a Power’s to acknowledge a successful season,’’ Svenson said.
Ian Giles, Queensland State Manager of Carlton & United Breweries said Power’s was proud to be associated with Queensland Cricket.
“It is important for us that Power’s be aligned with iconic Queensland sporting teams and having secured The Gold Coast Suns earlier this year, Power’s is proud to now add The Queensland Bulls to its Queensland sponsorships.
“We remember fondly the great relationship that the original founder of Power’s beer, Bernard Power, had with the Queensland Bulls in the early 90’s, and we are incredibly pleased to be a partner once more,” Giles said.
“There are few teams more iconic in Queensland than the Queensland Bulls and Power’s is proud to be a sponsor of the team, and to be a supporter of Queensland Cricket at a grassroots level.
“As part of our sponsorship we will provide support to clubs within the Premier Grade competition and have just recently agreed to supporting Redlands, Valley, Wynnum-Manly, University of Queensland and Gold Coast. We wish them every success in the upcoming season,” he said.
Bernard Power, the founder of the Power Brewing Company, said the magnificent partnership forged with Queensland Cricket back in the early nineties underscored the significant success of Queensland’s very own beer.
“I have great memories of our relationship with Queensland Cricket and the great men like Ian Healy, Carl Rackemann and Michael Kasprowicz, who pushed not only the boundaries of the sport, but our sport sponsorship,” Mr Power said.
“It is safe to say that the relationship between Power’s and Queensland Cricket was an integral part of the beer becoming a Queensland success story.
“We were aligned right from the start on doing something together that would create a lasting legacy, and it is marvellous to see this next generation carry that on,” he said.
