The Sharks-Hollywoodbets bonhomie on

Article posted by Coliseum, December 20^th, 2021

Image: Welsh Rugby Union (Twitter)

The rugby union team KZN Rugby (South Africa) has expanded on its relationship with the sports betting company Hollywoodbets as the latter becomes the naming rights sponsor of the former’s home facility – Kings Park Stadium – for the next three years.

The ‘Insider Sport’ stated that the current home of the Cell C Sharks rugby team, the Durban Stadium, will be known as the Hollywoodbets Kings Park Stadium from January 1^st, 2022, which has been described as having a “decorated history”.

The Sharks (known as the Cell C Sharks for sponsorship reasons) is a South African professional rugby union team based in Durban in KwaZulu-Natal. They compete in the United Rugby Championship, having competed in the Super Rugby competition until 2020. They are centered on the Sharks union, also based in Durban and drawing players from all of KwaZulu-Natal Province. The team plays its home matches at the Kings Park Stadium in Durban.

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The 52,000-capacity Kings Park Stadium is a stadium located in the Kings Park Sporting Precinct in Durban, South Africa. The stadium was originally built with a capacity of 12,000 and opened in 1958, extensively renovated in the 1980s and then again in time for the 1995 Rugby World Cup.

Hollywoodbets is a sport betting company based in Durban, South Africa. It is also known as the Hollywood Sportsbook. It currently operates in South Africa, Mozambique, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. The company offers betting via its website, mobisite, call center, and USSD (USSD Betting is a revolutionary way of playing online lottery from any kind of cellular phone without having GPRS or 3G on mobile phone).

The side’s CEO, Dr Eduard Coetzee, commented, “The renaming of Kings Park Stadium marks a new and exciting chapter in our stadium’s history. Our association with the Hollywoodbets brand has grown tremendously in a relatively short space of time and this latest partnership development is indicative of the strength and success of this relationship.”

The ‘Insider Sport’ further stated that the KZN brands both initially partnered with an associate group of The Sharks, and as a result of this, the sports betting operator has now extended the partnership.

Added Coetzee, “Both our brands have a shared vision of excellence and success and are aligned in our forward-thinking approach and dedication to creating value for our fans and making a matchday experience at Hollywoodbets Kings Park a memorable one. I take this opportunity to thank Team Hollywoodbets for their further investment in The Sharks brand and for their commitment in joining us on this journey of taking our respective brands to the world.”

In October 2019, Hollywoodbets obtained naming rights for the 25,000-capacity Kingsmead Cricket Stadium in Durban in a bid to grow its presence in the sports market. Naming rights for the Hollywoodbets Super League (the top flight of women’s association football in South Africa) and the Hollywoodbets Greyville (racecourse in Berea, Durban, South Africa) and Hollywoodbets Scottsville (racecourse in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa) racecourses also followed. In August 2021, the franchise secured a place in front of the Premier League club Brentford FC’s (UK) kit.

The team’s 2022 rugby campaign begins with a Currie Cup (South Africa’s premier domestic rugby union competition) home match at Kings Park against the South African rugby union team Tafel Lager Griquas on January 19^th.

Devin Heffer, Hollywoodbets Brand and Communications Manager, added on the partnership, “We have developed a great working relationship with ‘The Sharks’ and are thrilled to be taking it to the next level. This partnership has been aligned around offering more value to the fans and enhancing the in-stadium experience. It’s a great honor to have our purple brand linked to this well-established stadium, where the likes of the South Africa national rugby union team Springboks, The Sharks, the South African professional soccer club – AmaZulu Football Club – and the KZN community come together to provide world-class sporting action and entertainment.”

Added Heffer, “This sponsorship will provide our brand with further exposure in global markets and aid our pursuit of growing Hollywoodbets internationally. We can’t wait to welcome the fans back to the Shark Tank in 2022!”

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