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Johannesburg - A three-year sponsorship deal signed by the Lions and cellular giant MTN on Thursday will be used for transformation, said Lions chair and IT mogul Robert Gumede.
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"This sponsorship deal is the next step in the delivery of our promise to transform the game of rugby in South Africa," he said.
Officials would not divulge the exact amount MTN will pay to be the team’s title sponsor, but it is reportedly in the region of R20m a year.
MTN was last involved in rugby in 1998, when it sponsored the East Rand-based Falcons rugby team.
MTN chief marketing officer Serame Taukobong said Gumede's involvement as an equity partner at the union was one of the reasons the company decided to rekindle its affair with the traditionally white sport.
"Rugby has been one gap missing in our sponsorship portfolio, and we saw this partnership with the Lions as the ideal opportunity to get involved in what we view as a positive change in rugby," said Taukobong.
"We expect that the support for the Lions will pick-up through our involvement, and we aim to enhance this by making use of technology which will provide the broader community with access to the game," he said.
Gauteng sport MEC Lebogang Maile has urged sponsors and unions to help the government develop rugby at grassroots.
Taukobong said transformation should not only be viewed as the number of black or coloured players on the field, but also in management.
Since the inception of Super Rugby in 1996, none of the South African franchises has had a CEO or head-coach of colour besides Allister Coetzee, who took charge of the Stormers last year.
"We want to change rugby, and this does not only apply to the transformation of the game. We want to take sport and the Lions to the people, and in this country we have a good track record of doing that," said Taukobong.
"We simply cannot ignore the success which was achieved last year when a Tri Nations match and two Super 14 matches were played in non-traditional environments," he said.
