WARRINGTON Wolves and Truvape have ended their controversial partnership agreement which sparked a storm of protest when it was launched in January last year.
The partnership included the Truvape sponsorship of the South Stand at The Halliwell Jones Stadium and the lifting of a ban on smoking e-cigarettes in a designated area of the ground.
Gary Yeomans, UK Sales and Marketing Director of Truvape, commented “We have enjoyed a really productive partnership with Warrington Wolves over the last 18 months, in particular through our sponsorship of the South Stand. We reflect on the success of this partnership on our marketing strategy over the past 18 months and we wish Warrington Wolves good luck for the remainder of the 2016 Super League season and beyond.”
Roger Draper, Warrington Wolves Chief Executive, said: “We have very much enjoyed working with Truvape over the last 18 months and wish them every success for the future. This is a really exciting time for Warrington Wolves as we look to the future and implementing a new commercial strategy, working with new and existing partners to take the club to new heights.”
The Truvape partnership sparked a storm of protest when it was announced in January last year, with the Wolves’ decision to lift a ban on using e-cigarettes in the Halliwell Jones Stadium, AFTER signing the lucrative sponsorship deal, which sparked a storm of protest amongst fans.
Warrington Borough Council’s public health team also expressed disappointment about being not consulted.
As part of the sponsorship deal, TRUVAPE produced Warrington Wolves-branded e-cigarettes – or ‘vapourisers’ – sold in the Wolfware shop and online.
In addition, the South Stand was renamed the ‘TRUVAPE South Stand’ and TRUVAPE worked with the Wolves to help educate fans about the health impact of smoking, as well as the potential benefits of switching to an alternative, like electronic cigarettes.
The decision to lift the ban on using e-cigarettes in the ground angered fans who took to social media plarforms at the time to register their protests.
But the Wolves defended their position at the time highlighting that in recent years the e-cigarette industry had become more involved in a variety of sports partnerships, including Doncaster Cup horse racing, Burnley, Celtic and Birmingham City football clubs, St Helens rugby league team and motor sports including the British Superbike Championship and British Touring Car teams.
Picture used at the time of the launch shows: L-R: Ben Currie (Warrington Wolves), John Donoghue (regional sales manager, Truvape), Alex Wilson (commercial manager, Warrington Wolves), Gary Yeomans (country manager, Truvape), Gene Ormsby (Warrington Wolves)
2 Comments
A wise decision – was never the right partnership for a professional sports club promoting health and well being.
Nonsense. E-cigarettes are probably the biggest public health boost of the last fifty years, helping hundreds of thousands of people quit smoking. They will save countless early deaths and huge amounts of debilitating illness.