Hopman Cup hit as sponsor quits
The Hopman Cup has suffered a massive blow less than six months out from the 2015 tournament, with Hyundai ending its long-running sponsorship of the event.
Hyundai has been a supporter of the mixed-teams event since its inception 26 years ago and became the naming-rights sponsor in 1998.
But the car giant decided not to renew its association with the iconic Perth event when the previous two-year agreement ran out at the end of June.
The sponsorship deal was believed to have been worth about $800,000 a year, while Hyundai also provided a fleet of 30 courtesy cars to transport VIPs, tournament officials and players last year.
Hyundai sponsored the FIFA World Cup last month, and is also the title sponsor of the A-League.
"This decision was taken largely as a result of Hyundai's alignment with its global sponsorship portfolio, which primarily focuses on football (soccer), and also the strategic fit with our company's sister brand Kia (sponsor of the Australian Open)," a spokesman for Hyundai said yesterday.
Tournament director Paul Kilderry insisted the event would not be compromised by the loss of its major sponsor and could go ahead without one.
The State Government, which is also a long-time sponsor through Tourism WA, recommitted to the Perth Arena tournament for a further three years on Tuesday.
Kilderry also announced Australia and Great Britain - headlined by teenager Nick Kyrgios and dual grand slam champion Andy Murray - as the first two teams for the 2015 event.
Kyrgios will partner WA's Casey Dellacqua and Heather Watson will join Murray.
"Hyundai have been an amazing sponsor for the Hopman Cup since its inception, they have been incredible," Kilderry said.
"Having a sponsor stay with an event for that long is extremely rare. It's disappointing, but their global strategy is heading more towards football (soccer)."
Kilderry said he was seeking a new major sponsor.
"I won't go into the specifics on the money," he said.
"There is interest (to sponsor the Hopman Cup) and we will have more announcements coming out soon. I think you'll see by the field and everything, it's business as usual for us and we just keep soldiering ahead.
"We have got most of the field set and it's a great field.
"We have got some big names coming and it's all really positive for us. The (State) Government has been a major sponsor of the tournament since the tournament was founded and they continue to be."
Former long-time Hopman Cup assistant tournament director Rob Casey said losing the Hyundai sponsorship was disappointing.
"It's a huge blow and it would make me concerned about the future viability of the tournament," Casey said. DID YOU KNOW? 26 The number of years car manufacturer Hyundai had sponsored the Hopman Cup
