QRL’s thirst for success leads to Gatorade partnership

Queensland Rugby League is pleased to announce a new partnership with leading sports drink brand Gatorade.

In another boost for the QRL ahead of the 2021 season, Gatorade comes on board as the official hydration partner of the Queensland Maroons and the state’s representative teams.

QRL chief operating officer Rohan Sawyer said the announcement was another boost for the QRL and its men’s and women’s representative teams ahead of an exciting new season.

“QRL is thrilled to team up with the global number one sports drink brand in Gatorade, whose desire to be a leader in their field through sport science leadership and excellence is right on par with our values,” Sawyer said.

“We are coming off an immensely challenging but rewarding 12 months, where we believe we have set our organisation and our people up for the future.

“Having Gatorade join on our partnership family arms us with even more confidence, both on and off the field.”

As part of the new deal, Gatorade will assume activation rights for sports hydration, inclusive of athlete testing and high-performance research to support elite and community athletes.

Tracy Hardwick, head of marketing at Gatorade, said the brand had a long and distinguished association with global elite sporting teams and ambassadors and was very excited to add the Queensland Maroons to their partner family in 2021 and beyond.

“State of Origin is one of the greatest rivalries in Australian sport and it provides the perfect opportunity to work closely with rugby league’s best players from Queensland in their quest for peak performance throughout Origin and the rest of the season,” Hardwick said.

“We are proud to keep the Queensland Maroons hydrated and look forward to a strong partnership in 2021 and beyond.”

Confirmation of the Gatorade partnership comes just a week after announcing Puma as its new apparel partner.