Stongbow Cider to Sponsor Whitecaps Jerseys
May 2, 2002 - U.S. Soccer Federation D-2 (USSF D-2)
Vancouver Whitecaps News Release
VANCOUVER (Thursday, May 2, 2002) - Strongbow cider, the world's number one cider and the principal sponsor of English club Leeds United, has signed on as a Premier Partner of the Vancouver Whitecaps Soccer Club, it was announced today.
The prestigious Strongbow brand, a product of Bulmers of England, will be featured prominently on the front of the Whitecaps 2002 jerseys, just as it appears on the jerseys of Leeds United FC, one of the top clubs in the English Premier League.
"This is a great day for the Whitecaps organisation" said David Stadnyk, Chair of StarSport Entertainment. "Strongbow is an internationally recognised and respected name, and to have their brand appearing front and centre on our players' uniforms puts us in some pretty elite company. It's fitting as well, as the Whitecaps name is also known and respected around the world. To be the first soccer team in North America to have a Bulmers partnership is a tribute to the franchise and to Whitecaps soccer"
"Strongbow is happy to associate itself with professional sporting organizations around the globe," said Aidan Smith, Strongbow Business Manager for Canada and Asia. " We have developed an outstanding relationship with various football clubs in the UK, and we would like to welcome the Vancouver Whitecaps to the Strongbow family. We look forward to growing the Whitecaps franchise in 2002".
Strongbow is a premium imported dry cider of authentic English origin, made with real bittersweet cider apples that deliver its rich golden colour, its freshness, and its clean thirst-quenching taste. It is distributed in B.C. by Okanagan Spring Brewery. Strongbow is named for 11th century Norman knight Richard de Clare who was nicknamed Strongbow for his exceptional strength, courage, and prowess with the longbow.
In October 1999, Strongbow signed a 3-year £5 million sponsorship deal with Leeds United FC, replacing former principal sponsor Packard Bell as the brand most closely associated with the famous English club. Leeds United currently sits fifth in the English Premier League and boasts such international stars as Robbie Fowler, Mark Viduka, Robbie Keane, and Harry Kewell. The details of the Whitecaps-Bulmers package have not been disclosed.
Other Leeds-Whitecaps connections include NASL Whitecaps head coach Johnny Giles, midfielders Peter Lorimer and Terry Yorath, and goalkeeper David Harvey who all played for Leeds United before coming to North America in the seventies and eightees.
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