Valued Partners
When Russell and I embarked upon this project of turning around the fortunes of this great Club, we knew that we couldn’t do it alone. We knew that it would take a combined effort from all of our stakeholders to pull together and turn this ship in the right direction.
Our performances on the field have increased to the point of qualifying for the finals for the first time in almost two decades, our office and administration is the most efficient and well-run operation in the game and our commitment to our community through Souths Cares is setting the base values by which your Club will operate into the future.
Our valued corporate partners have been our biggest supporters throughout this process of change and for that we thank you.
We now have a greater emphasis on servicing our corporate partners, on providing you with the best experience you and your clients can have through your association with the Club, and on providing you with business opportunities that would not be readily available to you without being part of the Rabbitohs Corporate Partnership family.
We can assure you that we won’t be resting on our laurels. We will continue to strive to improve both on the field and off it. We will continue to strive to provide you with the best services, the best events and the best value for your sponsorship dollar.
There are exciting times ahead for the Rabbitohs and we want you to enjoy the ride with us. We encourage you to take a look at the packages we have available and to speak with our corporate partnerships team to tailor a package to your business.
Thanks again for your continued support,
Peter Holmes à Court
Executive Chairman
South Sydney Football Club
2007: A great start / 2008: More to come
The South Sydney Rabbitohs enjoyed their finest season both on and off the field in 18 years, culminating in the Club’s first finals appearance since 1989, finishing seventh on the NRL competition ladder in 2007.
All five of the Rabbitohs affiliate Clubs made finals appearances in their respective competitions with the Rabbitohs finishing seventh in the NRL, the North Sydney Bears contesting the Premier League Grand Final, the South Sydney Juniors Jersey Flegg team making the finals, the Easts Tigers qualifying for the finals in the Queensland Cup and the Leeds Rhinos taking out the Super League premiership in the United Kingdom.
The Rabbitohs have brought home the Club’s prodigal son, South Sydney junior Craig Wing for the next four seasons. Wing has pledged his allegiance to the Rabbitohs until the end of 2011, joining Kiwi internationals Roy Asotasi and David Fa’alogo on long term deals until the conclusion of the 2011 season.
The Rabbitohs have also unearthed a host of young talent including the likes of Issac Luke, Fetuli Talanoa, Eddie Paea and Eddy Pettybourne, all of whom look like having promising NRL and international careers ahead of them. The media focus on the Club was unprecedented throughout 2007. The television exposure of the Club’s games increased exponentially, with ten Rabbitohs games being broadcast on free-to-air television through the Nine Network. The front and back page coverage of positive Rabbitohs stories increased dramatically in 2007, and the Rabbitohs were also the subject of their own documentary series called South Side Story shown nationally on the ABC, rebadged as South Sydney Story for audiences in the United States through Versus Channel, Canada through Star-TV and New Zealand on Maori TV.
The Club’s international profile has been lifted by the involvement of co-owner Russell Crowe, with the Academy award winning actor being seen worldwide sporting the South Sydney name across his chest throughout Australia, the US and Europe.
The corporate partners of the Club have received the benefits from the increase in coverage, with sponsorship exposure values doubling from the previous year. Corporate hospitality figures have risen by 70% and Rabbitohs Events have become some of the hottest tickets in Sydney, with 1000 people attending the annual Red and Green Ball at the AJC Royal Randwick Racecourse and the Club introducing a mid-year Souths Cares event to help raise funds for the Club’s community initiatives which was also a ‘sell-out’.
Work on South Sydney’s spiritual home at Redfern Oval is underway and the Rabbitohs home in Chalmers Street is currently being redeveloped following the approval of the DA with the City of Sydney Council. The Rabbitohs will be returning to Redfern in 2008.
And who can forget that 2008 is the Centenary of not only the game of Rugby League, but also the Pride of the League, the South Sydney Rabbitohs. Celebrating its 100th birthday on 17 January 2008, the Rabbitohs are sure to dominate the spotlight that will shine on Rugby League in its Centenary year.
Book now .