Manly renamed and then shamed
BY: STUART HONEYSETT From: The Australian December 18, 2012 12:00AM
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IT was the internal memo that prompted a public backlash.
Manly was last night forced to frantically backpedal after issuing a press release claiming it was poised to give up its birthright and dump its own name for the next three seasons.
In an email sent out just before 5pm, the club claimed it was extending its corporate relationship with software security company Kaspersky and would be known as the Kaspersky Sea Eagles until 2015.
The deal also included Kaspersky - which recommitted in May to be the club's major sponsor for the next three years - getting prime real estate on the front of the Sea Eagles jerseys for all home and away games.
"We are proud to be so closely associated with such an internationally respected brand," Manly - sorry - Kaspersky chief executive David Perry said.
"Having the support of Kaspersky in the long-term is a huge boost for the club. They are an integral part of the Manly team and having their name in the team's title gives them well-deserved acknowledgement."
Andrew Mamonitis, managing director of Kaspersky Lab Australia and New Zealand, was also quoted in the press release and said the move signalled its strong affiliation with the club.
"We are very excited about expanding our relationship with the Sea Eagles," Mamonitis said.
It was only when the howls of protest began the club realised something was amiss.
Social media sites lit up with criticism of the move and former Manly captain Paul Vautin said it must be "a gee-up".
It took a little more than an hour for the Sea Eagles to respond. The club claimed there had been a breakdown in communication in the media department before launching into damage control.
It started by pulling the press release off its website and tweeting: "Our name is still, and always will be, Manly Warringah Sea Eagles. Kaspersky Sea Eagles will be used internally purely as a sponsor benefit."
By 6.40pm, a press release was issued claiming it had all been a big misunderstanding. The era of the Kaspersky Sea Eagles was over. It lasted less than two hours.
"The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles' official title will remain unchanged," the statement said.
"As a sponsor benefit for our principal partner Kaspersky Lab, the business will be referred to internally and in corporate communication as the Kaspersky Sea Eagles.
"There is no intention to subvert the proud history of the club. Our name still is, and always will be, the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles. We apologise for any confusion."
That move would come as welcome relief to the fans, former players and officials who had all greeted the initial news with scepticism. "They're not are they? Is that serious? That's a gee-up," Vautin said.
"Companies pay big money to sponsor clubs and they can do whatever they want, but personally I think every club needs to be identified by where they come from. I can't see why they have to lose their first name.
"Personally I don't like it and I'll still be calling them Manly."
Former Manly powerbroker Ken Arthurson questioned whether the club was in such a dire financial position to consider such a move. It has been reported recently that the Sea Eagles posted a $1.5 million loss last season. "I really don't know why they've done it," Arthurson said.
"If it's necessary for their survival then I suppose they haven't got much alternative.
"Irrespective of what anyone says or does, they'll always be known as Manly."
