Sturt CEO Matt Benson at Unley Oval. Picture: Helen Orr Source: adelaidenow
UNLEY Oval will be known as Envestra Park this football season after Sturt Football Club signed a one year naming rights deal with natural gas company Envestra Ltd.
The new deal is expected to be a boon for the struggling club, which recorded a $447,000 loss last year (written down to $215,000 through changes to poker machine valuations) and is carrying more than $2.6m debt.
Envestra managing director Ian Little would not reveal the value of the agreement but said it was "quite a bit more" than the 2011 deal, which was worth between $15,000 and $20,000.
Mr Little said, as a large public company, Envestra had a responsibility to participate in the community.
"We think supporting the Sturt Football Club, given where it's at financially at the moment, is a way we can," Mr Little said.
He said the company, which has roots in SA back to the 1860s, viewed itself as a "long-term business".
"We see that as a natural fit with a football club like Sturt which has been around for a long time and gone through its ups and downs," he said.
"If you look at the history of Sturt, it's been (down) before and come back again and we think that's called a long term investment."
The club has been searching for an oval sponsor since business communications company Commander Centre ended its deal last year.
Unley Oval was named Commander Centre Oval for the 2011 and 2012 seasons.
The ground was referred to as House Brothers Oval from 2008 to 2010.
Unley Council records show the Commander Centre sponsorship was worth between $15,000 and $20,000 for 2011.
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