South Sydney Sponsor Situation

My how the tables have turned in Bunnyville. The previously struggling South Sydney Rabbitohs now able to pick and choose major sponsors and they dump Firepower as the no.1 club sponsor only 1 year into a 3 year deal.

There has always been plenty of speculation about the secretive Firepower company. The fuel additive business outlaying huge dollars on most areas of Australian sport including: Basketball, V8 Supercar Racing and AFL sponsorship.

As investigations by ASIC into Firepower ramped up; Souths moved quickly to distance themselves and other sponsors from the company in question. Reports suggests several other Souths sponsors were uncomfortable with the Firepower association.

For the Rabbitohs of yesteryear, this would have been a huge hurdle. Regularly struggling for top line sponsorship - the Bunnies would have buried their head and hung onto the 1 million per year support money.

These days, not only can Souths tear up sponsorship deals they aren't happy with - but they are able to replace the deal with a new one at double the price. Life looks much better at the top doesn't it? With the likes of Peter Holmes a Court and Russell Crowe steering the ship around, business nous and access to high level media coverage (even in the off-season) is much greater.

With a finals berth in 2007 and regular TV and print media coverage, the Bunnies are now very lucrative to companies wanting their name associated with a popular and recognizable brand that is regularly in the public eye.

For potential new sponsors; the chance to get on board with the 'peoples team' and one with 'underdog' values is also very powerful. Association with a brand like the Rabbitohs can really enhance how the public feel about a sponsor company.

Roll on Souths fans, it seems like your club is continuing to grow and grow. Most definitely "The Nips are Getting Bigger!"