Abu Dhabi Harlequins have signed a “lucrative” new three-year extension to their sponsorship deal with Etihad Airways.
There had been question marks about the arrangement after the carrier ended their seven-year association with Harlequins, the London-based professional side the Emirates club are affiliated with.
The agreement – which extends an eight-year partnership which has seen Etihad involved with Abu Dhabi Quins in varying capacities – ensures that Etihad will continue to be main sponsors of Jeremy Manning’s team, with the company name emblazoned on all senior and junior kits.
It also safeguards the immediate future of the Etihad Airways Junior Rugby Festival, an annual event featuring more than 2,000 local and international children.
Speaking to Sport360°, chairman Andy Cole was thrilled with the announcement which will see the Zayed Sports City team earn an increasing figure each year.
He said: “Etihad have been on the front of our shirts since 2012, andwe are very pleased to do this deal. We have been in negotiations for two to three months.
“We had been worried when we heard about the end of their agreement with London’s Quins.
“It is a lucrative deal, and very important. The problem for clubs over here is that we are all amateur.
“We will be spending Dh100,000 on medical provisions alone next season, so these kind of sponsorship deals are essential.”
Elsewhere, the link-up between the two clubs has been further strengthened after Will Skinner was named by the London side as an ambassador for rugby.
The former flanker, who retired in 2013 after a seven-year spell at Twickenham Stoop, has been tasked with developing the relationships between all Quins-affiliated sides.
The 30-year-old travelled to Abu Dhabi a number of times last season, since being in regular contact with Cole about the make-up of his club – which boasts 1,000 members – and how it is run.
Quins have also been given 150 shirts by the Premiership outfit to give away.
“At the moment we are talking about co-ordination between the two clubs – what we can further offer them and what they further offer us,” Cole said.
Quins have also agreed to strengthen their links with British School Al Khubairat, and will be welcoming the head and deputy head boys from top British fee-paying school, Sedbergh, to the UAE for a working gap year in August.
Manning gets staff boost next season
Abu Dhabi Harlequins are planning to extend their run as the capital’s premier rugby side next season by increasing the number of coaches working under leader Jeremy Manning, 28.
Manning, excelled as player-coach last term, guiding his side to the top of the Gulf Top Six table before losing to Jebel Ali Dragons in the ARFu West Asia Champion Club final.
Quins have refused to rest on their laurels, announcing a new set-up in which Manning will now work with three assistant coaches.
They are also in the process of further bolstering this figure, to include a total of six coaches guiding the men’s and women’s senior sides.
“Last year with two coaches they couldn’t cope,” chairman Andy Cole told Sport360°. “We will now be able to provide more expert coaching to our seniors.”
