Asia World Cup Qualifiers don’t tip-off until Thursday, but already it heralds good news for the Tall Blacks. Today Basketball New Zealand announced two major sponsors that will support the Tall Blacks through to the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers and all the way to the 2019 World Cup, should they qualify.
Security Placements will be featured on the back of the Tall Blacks’ singlet. The global investment company specialises in trading platforms for Forex, precious metals, European stock Indices, Americas stock Indices, Asia-Pacific Stock Indices and commodities.
Ailise Beales from Security Placements says the company is thrilled to be working with Basketball New Zealand and the Tall Blacks. She says Security Placements is pleased to have a relationship with a team that has a high reputation in world basketball and a team that cares about the fans of New Zealand.
“The Tall Blacks represent New Zealand and Security Placements wants to contribute to New Zealand society, plus we have an affinity through our dual beliefs in caring about New Zealanders – Security Placements care about our clients, just like Tall Blacks cares about their fans. Also the team won’t easily give up, they always fight to the very last second, so we admire their spirt and it’s a strength that we respect,” says Ms Beales.
Interestingly, the sponsor to have secured the front of the Tall Blacks shirt is not one that will be familiar to many New Zealanders. Refrigeration company MBO is a Chinese company that manufactures and sells over two million air conditioners a year and exports to over 80 countries.
The CEO of MBO, Jianguo Gan, says the New Zealand Tall Blacks are now highly valued throughout Asia, particularly that the team is now in the Asia Zone and that they will play China regularly, including twice in the first round of the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers.
“We are a global export company, and we believe the New Zealand Tall Blacks could help us advertise and promote our brand internationally, turning us from a well-known Chinese brand into a well-known international brand. New Zealand and the New Zealand Men’s national basketball team have a good image and it fits well with our business. We sincerely wish the team all the best during the Word Cup Qualifiers and we are proud that they will carry the MBO logo to future customers around the world,” said Mr Gan.
Basketball New Zealand Chief Executive, Iain Potter, says this is a new era for New Zealand basketball as companies with a global presence, particularly in Asia, see the great potential in associating their brand with the Tall Blacks and New Zealand.
“New Zealand has a strong reputation internationally based on integrity, fairness, honesty and good quality. Combine that image with our national basketball team’s sudden rise on the international stage through the FIBA Asia Zone, which sees our team taking the stage in front of huge audiences through broadcasts across the world, and you have an attractive property.
“Before now we struggled to find partners for the Tall Blacks, particularly in New Zealand, and yet the Tall Blacks will be one of the most visible New Zealand brands in Asia. For example, the 2015 FIBA Asia Cup attracted 330 million views – the Tall Blacks now play in that event. Also the most popular team in China is their national basketball team. China’s national team attracts huge audiences both on television and on-court, and we will play them twice in the first qualifying window. And because we are aiming for the World Cup, sponsors jumped at the chance.
“The marketing consultancy Wasserman forecast a FIBA World Cup audience of 1.1 billion people across the broadcast and digital market, so it’s a mega event and the Tall Blacks are an important player in the world basketball scene. We bring an exciting style of play, a culture and emotion that captures hearts and minds, and we are just getting started in what is an exciting time for global basketball.
“I want to thank MBO and Security Placements, and the team’s supplying partners in SOS, BeneSports Medical, and Peak for backing us. We appreciate their support, especially at a time when this team is focusing on the road to the World Cup in China 2019,” said Mr Potter.
The Tall Blacks will now be known as the MBO New Zealand Tall Blacks.
