Qatar Airways’ switch play deal with Sydney Swans set to boost Australian profile

The Arabian Gulf airline has added the Aussie rules team based in Sydney to its portfolio of sports sponsorships that includes the Spanish football team Barcelona.

Qatar Airways has signed up to sponsor the Australian rules football team Sydney Swans. Alkis Konstantinidis / Reuters

Qatar Airways, the sponsors of FC Barcelona, have branched into a new sport signing a deal with Australian Football League team Sydney Swans, the airline announced on Tuesday.

The three-year deal will allow Qatar Airways to receive “prominent branding” at the Aussie rules club’s home games and at its training grounds, the airline said.

“We strongly believe in connecting with our global travellers through their passion for sport, and have been looking for the right partner for Qatar Airways in Australia’s sports arena,” said the carrier’s chief executive, Akbar Al Baker.

The deal runs until the end of the 2019 season.

It is the latest foray into sports sponsorship for the Arabian Gulf airline.

This summer, it announced a one-year extension to its shirt deal with the Spanish La Liga giant Barcelona, despite some reports that the relationship between the airline and the football club was broken beyond repair.

Qatar Airways also said this week it would be the official airline for the International Cycling Union Road World Championships hosted by the emirate in October.

And in January, the German football side Bayern Munich announced a sponsorship deal with Doha’s Hamad International Airport, which is operated by the airline.

The Swans play their home games at the Sydney Cricket Ground and last won the AFL Grand Final in 2012.