GERALDTON Buccaneers have secured Sun City Plumbing as naming rights sponsor for the next two State Basketball League seasons.

The Buccs will now be known as Geraldton Sun City Plumbing Buccaneers in a deal believed to be worth in the region of $35,000.

Geraldton Sun City Plumbing manager, Ashley Sojan said the company was excited to throw its support behind the Buccs. He said it was looking forward to establishing a long relationship with the team.

"Our motivation behind supporting the team came from a need to put back into the local community," Sojan said.

He said the Buccs success as a competitive force in the SBL helped the company put pen to paper.

"We wanted to align ourselves with a successful sporting team who has had proven success in the past," he said. "The decision was made very easy when presented with the opportunity to back the Buccs."

The Buccs made it to the last four of the SBL competition last season and was defeated in the semi-final to champions Lakeside Lightning.

Sun City Plumbing has grown as one of the Mid West's largest plumbing providers since being set up in 2000 and currently employs 43 staff.

Buccs manager, Scott Rubery said the deal was a "great relief" to the team and it would aid the pursuit of two new imports.

"We're thrilled Sun City Plumbing has offered to come on board as our naming rights sponsor for the next two seasons," he said.

"It will bring a great deal of stability and it should allow us to bring out two more quality American imports."

Rubery said the team was close to signing one import for the 2010 SBL campaign which gets underway in March.

Article by Tom Davis (Geraldton Guardian)
Photo by Mick Cronin