EP to meet Gardens about Top 12 jersey logo rule

The Herald

08-06-2025

New Gardens Rugby Club sponsors Multisure Corporation are unhappy that they cannot display their logo on the front of the team's jerseys when they play in the EPRU Score Energy Drink Top 12 competition.
They have taken issue with teams playing in the Top 12 being forced to carry the competition sponsor's branding on their jerseys rather than those of the local businesses that support them.
Multisure signed a sponsorship deal with Gardens in May, but were informed by EP Rugby that they cannot display their logo on the front of the jersey.
'Because of this agreement, communities are being denied the opportunity to grow by getting vital funding,' Multisure CEO Denton Goodford said.
EP Rugby president George Malgas said a management committee meeting would be held on Monday to discuss the matter and to find a way forward.
'I have had engagements with Gardens and the sponsor Mr Goodford,' he said.
'We will have a manco meeting, understanding our obligation to our title sponsors Score and how we can try to accommodate Gardens and Multisure.
'EP will also have another engagement with Gardens this week.'
Goodford has requested a copy of the agreement between the provincial rugby bosses and the sponsor, but was allegedly denied access.
He has now written to the union in a bid to access the contract in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act, and receipt has been acknowledged.
'Nobody knows much about this agreement, whether it's verbal or written and what the exact terms and conditions are,' Goodford said.
'Gardens and other clubs have asked for it, but EP president George Malgas has not released it, citing confidentiality.
'These boys practise three times a week and need to cover transport fees.
'The local business sponsorships help them do that. Individuals and smaller businesses have been assisting clubs for years because the unions cannot provide for them.'
Goodford encountered a similar situation at the South Western Districts (SWD) Rugby Football Union, where the parties entered into a similar agreement, and he believes Garden Route clubs may suffer as a result.
Multisure has ploughed money into Pacaltsdorp's Evergreens in George this year, and the 93-year-old George club has experienced a resurgence.
He said Gardens supporters were already questioning why Multisure was not making any further investments in the club.
'This is why it is important to set the record straight for people in our communities.' — Additional reporting by Full Stop Communications
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