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Old sponsor back for Lions

Johannesburg - The Golden Lions Rugby Union (GLRU) will have a different sponsor later this year, although it is a brand familiar to the union.

The union on Thursday announced Xerox as the new Golden Lions title sponsor for the Currie Cup tournament. They will not sponsor the Lions in Super Rugby.

The three-year deal sees Xerox come on board as the naming rights sponsor of the senior Golden Lions team for the 2014 to 2016 competitions.

Xerox and the GLRU have had a long-standing partnership, with the bodies first linking in 1993.

Xerox has joined arms with the GLRU in a title sponsorship capacity three times since their original 1993-1998 deal. The company came on board from 2003-2006, renewed their sponsorship from mid-2006 to 2009 and has now partnered with the GLRU once more.

GLRU CEO, Manie Booysen, told the Lions' official website that he was thrilled to welcome Xerox back into the Golden Lions fold and is looking forward to a prosperous partnership in the years to come.

“Negotiations over this partnership have been on-going for several months and we are delighted that Xerox have decided to once again put their trust in the Lions brand.

“We are grateful that BDS and Xerox are willing to partner with us during our re-building phase and we look forward to working with them in the future.” 

Bytes Document Solutions, the exclusive distributor of Xerox in sub-Saharan Africa, is the largest document management technology and solutions company in Africa with annual turnover in excess of R2bn.

The company said it was proud to once again link up with the GLRU and give back to sport in South Africa.

Johan Basson, the CEO of Bytes Document Solutions said: “For more than half a century, Xerox has been a leader in document technology and services and Bytes Document Solutions is the largest Xerox distributor in the world.
 
“Our sponsorship of the Golden Lions feels like coming home and we are delighted to re-establish our long-standing relationship with this passionate team.”

Mark Duffelen, Regional General Manager of Xerox MEA (Middle East and Africa), reaffirmed Basson’s sentiments.

"Xerox takes great pleasure in once again sponsoring the Golden Lions for the Currie Cup,” he shared.

“Xerox has an extensive presence in the South African market and, along with our strategic partner Bytes Document Solutions, we have been bringing world class solutions and services to our customers.

“It is that culture of excellence and performance that we wish to highlight. Thus we have chosen to re-establish our partnership with the Golden Lions, a team that shows the same passion and culture as both Xerox and Bytes.”


Guess who is the Lions new sponsor. Think we've seen them here before #ssrugby - Brenden Nel
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