ISPS Handa Premiership announced

Words: NZF Media

Tuesday 28 March 2017

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New Zealand Football is pleased to announce funding partner, ISPS Handa, will sponsor the ISPS Handa Premiership for the next three years, with the representation of the Right Honourable former Prime Minister John Key as ISPS Handa Patron and International Ambassador.

ISPS Handa (the International Sports Promotion Society), who came on board with New Zealand Football in October with founder Dr Haruhisa Handa making headlines by singing opera at the press conference, are the naming rights sponsor to New Zealand Football’s two premier men’s competitions; the ISPS Handa Premiership and the ISPS Handa Chatham Cup.

Mr Key first met ISPS Founder Dr Haruhisa Handa through the ISPS Handa New Zealand Women’s Open, the first major event to be staged in Christchurch following the 2011 earthquake and played a significant role in the city’s recovery.

Mr Key is excited to come on board as the Patron and Ambassador of The International Sport Promotion Society to support its good work.

“It is the spirit of commitment to better the lives of people and society that I share with ISPS and I am looking forward to add to the valuable work that Dr Handa and his charities are undertaking around the world,” said Mr Key.

“In particular, the programs to support blind and disabled golf impress me both as an avid golfer and as a passionate believer in the “power of sport”, to bring people together and transform lives for the better.”

Dr Handa added: “We have the highest respect towards former Prime Minister John Key for his incredible leadership, inspirational achievements and philanthropic contribution, as demonstrated throughout the last 15 years of his career where he has contributed a significant portion of his salary back to various causes. We are extremely honoured and indebted to receive his support as Patron and Ambassador for ISPS Handa.

“After serving more than eight years as New Zealand’s Prime Minister, he brings substantial experience, knowledge and gravitas to our organisation. He will no doubt make a significant difference to the activities we undertake, allowing our activities to further empower people through the power of sport.”

ISPS Handa is delighted to enhance its partnership with New Zealand Football – the most played team sport in New Zealand with Mr Key on board.

“Sport has a unique ability to create hope, to break down educational and cultural barriers and to inspire people in a unique way,” said Dr Handa.

“Football is a global game with massive participation across nations and cultures, which makes it an ideal game to bring people together. We are excited to partner with New Zealand Football in their great work through our title sponsorship of the ISPS Handa Premiership in the next three years.”

New Zealand Football Chief Executive Andy Martin is pleased to welcome ISPS Handa on board as the naming rights sponsor of the ISPS Handa Premiership – the country’s national league.

“Dr Handa is well known for being one of New Zealand’s great philanthropic givers and the Premiership plays a vital role in the development of New Zealand footballers,” he said.

“We have two key strategic aims; to have more New Zealanders playing and loving football and secondly to have our elite teams winning at global pinnacle events. The ISPS Handa Premiership is important because it brings those two strategic objectives together.

“Our vision is to be the nation’s favourite game and it is with the help of great partners like Dr Handa and his team that we are able to realise this vision. With the values that Dr Handa brings to this partnership and now with the backing of former Prime Minister John Key, we expect to achieve great things in football in New Zealand.”

About ISPS Handa and New Zealand
ISPS Handa have an extensive history of supporting sport in New Zealand.
For four years they were the title sponsor for the ISPS Handa New Zealand Women’s Open where they played a leading role in the recovery of Christchurch following the damage caused by the earthquakes.
They are the current naming rights sponsor of the ISPS Handa New Zealand Men’s golf open in Queenstown and have made significant donations to the New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC) and Paralympics New Zealand in recent time. With all of the above mentioned donations and sponsorships and the contribution ISPS Handa will make to sport in New Zealand on an annual basis for the next three years combined, our country will benefit from its support significantly.
Dr Handa was made an honorary member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2016 for services to golf and philanthropy, is excited to align with football in New Zealand.

About ISPS Handa and Football
New Zealand is not the only country in which ISPS Handa have supported football.
ISPS Handa’s football sponsorship started in South Africa, funding sustainable facilities with Fives Futbol with proceeds supporting local schools and was the title sponsor of Mpumalanga Black Aces for two years where they rose to fourth place in the premier soccer league. ISPS Handa also started its sponsorship of Verdi Tokyo, one of the oldest and most prestigious clubs in Tokyo this year, with the ambition to help it regain its status as a premier league club in Japan.

About ISPS Handa
ISPS Handa support sport to a phenomenal level on a global scale. They have a substantial presence in golf – most notably as the naming rights sponsor of the ISPS Handa World Cup of Golf and the ISPS Handa World Super 6 Perth on the European Tour – and they are strongly advocating for Blind and Disabled Golf to be included in the Paralympics.

ISPS Handa Sponsorship in New Zealand
- New Zealand Football – ISPS Handa Chatham Cup
- New Zealand Football – ISPS Handa Premiership
- ISPS Handa New Zealand Men’s Golf Open in Queenstown
- ISPS Handa New Zealand Women’s Golf Open in Christchurch (2012 – 2016)
- New Zealand Olympic and Paralympics New Zealand Committees Fundraiser