Australian Football League Signs Sports Drinks Deal To Promote Club Equality

The Australia Football League's richest clubs will ''shout'' the poorer ones with "a centralised sports drinks deal forming part of the league's new equalisation measures for next year," according to Michael Gleeson of THE AGE. The AFL "has signed a new deal with Coca-Cola for next year which splits the previous soft drink sponsorship into separate deals for sports drinks, soft drinks and water." Previously the one deal "covered the lot." The carve up into different deals "has increased the total amount available, generating new funds which are being redistributed back to the smaller clubs." The drinks deal "is the second pillar of the new equalisation arrangements along with the gate levy" -- A$1 ($0.93) for children and A$2 for adults as walk-ups at some games -- coming in for season '14. The two deals "are supposed to generate" between A$7M and A$8M for next year -- the AFL's "target amount" for '14 (THE AGE, 11/13).