VODAFONE Australia is on the verge of dumping its naming rights sponsorship of St Kilda, further increasing the pressure on embattled Saints president Rod Butterss.
Carlton is looming as the frontrunner to win the Vodafone sponsorship, after billionaire president Richard Pratt made the company a "hard-to-refuse offer". Carlton will offer Vodafone complete access to players, behind-the scenes content from the football club, and Vodafone will be allowed to make a pitch for Visy Industries' entire mobile phone business.
"You are absolutely on the money in regard to the Carlton offer," said a source at Vodafone. "But no deal has been signed yet."
Last year, Vodafone signed a one-year deal with the Saints, with a further one-year option, but the telecommunications giant has signalled that it will not be involved with the club in 2008.
"Carlton threw the kitchen sink at Justin Koschitzke, but we re-signed him," Butterss said. "That said, it's a massive offer to Vodafone. We'll be in there pitching."
The other clubs asked by Vodafone to make a pitch were Melbourne, Hawthorn and Geelong.
Bill Express, co-naming rights sponsor of the club for the 2007 season, decided not to renew its deal in July this year. If Vodafone leaves, the Saints will be without a major naming rights sponsor for the 2008 season.
Central to Vodafone's frustration with St Kilda is the personal sponsorship deal of club co-captain Luke Ball with Telstra.
Ball is a Telstra "ambassador" and has appeared in a series of newspaper advertisements promoting Telstra's Next G mobile phone network.
Sources at Vodafone say they were not informed of Ball's pre-existing sponsorship deal with Telstra, which began in 2005, until after Vodafone had signed with the Saints.
A senior Vodafone executive said the company was "furious" with the actions of the St Kilda board.
"There was no mention of his contract with Telstra, which was kept from us until after we had signed a deal with the club," the source said.
St Kilda chief executive Archie Fraser said the board was not aware of Ball's deal with Telstra when it negotiated with Vodafone.
"Player managers are under no obligation to disclose such private sponsorship deals and we were not aware of it when we did the Vodafone deal," Fraser said. "We've heard about Carlton's offer of (mobile phone) connections. What can I say, it's a massive offer, but we have the second highest-rating team in Melbourne."
Vodafone Australia's Paul Guerra, general manager for Victoria and Tasmania, confirmed the company was in the midst of discussions with the St Kilda board over the sponsorship deal.
"We were joint major sponsors with Bill Express, who won't be involved next year," Guerra said.
"There are three options available to us: full naming-rights sponsor of the club, joint sponsor with another company or no relationship at all. That's what we are reviewing right now."
Guerra said an announcement would be made by the end of the week.
"We are coming to the end of that first year now. We are in discussions about whether we proceed with year two, but I can't give away too much one way or the other, except to say that there are conversations we are having with St Kilda right now as to how our relationship pans out moving forward," he said.
Guerra confirmed that Vodafone, which also sponsors Port Adelaide, the Brisbane Lions and West Coast, would examine whether it could strike a deal with another Melbourne-based club in 2008, in order to maintain its national AFL "footprint".
Rival Melbourne clubs have been asked to tender for Vodafone's sponsorship, outlining what extra content and access to players they can provide. Melbourne, which has an existing deal with Primus Telecom, as well as Carlton have impressed.
Pressed on whether Luke Ball's deal with Telstra had hampered Vodafone's relationship with St Kilda, Guerra said: "The Luke Ball situation is an unfortunate one, given that it pre-dates our sponsorship. It's something that we have been trying to work with the club on, and try and work around, but it's obviously not an ideal situation."
