Disney Australia has signed an 8-year naming rights deal with Melbourne’s Docklands Stadium management meaning Docklands Stadium will be named Marvel Stadium from September 1st, 2018.
The deal includes plans or a Marvel store and cross-marketing events with the entertainment giant.
As part of the announcement Melbourne Stadiums Limited (MSL) chief executive Michael Green explained the thinking behind the partnership and how the sponsorship deal will allow for increased engagement with visitors to the stadium which is currently used for Australian Rules Football, Concerts, Cricket and Soccer.
“We have become the world’s busiest multi-purpose stadium. Now, we look forward to a new era of entertainment for the stadium where we will push the envelope,” Green said.
“It is a brand dedicated to audience experiences, which firmly aligns with our vision to create incredible experiences for fans”.
A sentiment supported by Walt Disney Company Australia managing director Kylie Watson-Wheeler.
“Through (this) partnership with MSL we hope to bring people together and provide them with a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in the Marvel brand,” Watson-Wheeler said.
Marvel and the AFL have partnered recently for their ‘Sunday Funday’ events which provide free admission for kids at matches on Sunday.
What else is to come at the newly named Marvel Stadium one could only imagine. With a host of Marvel films and television series still to come, the brand looks likely to become Disney’s number one franchise as Star Wars struggles to get up and running under the Disney banner.
What now for DC? Known for being a little darker and serious in comparison to Marvel, perhaps naming rights to a dank industrial park in Western Sydney could be on the cards. Who knows.
