The Gubernija brewery in Šiauliai will continue to make a significant contribution to the victories of Šiauliai athletes. As the new season begins, Gubernija has extended its partnerships with as many as four sports organisations, including the city’s famous rugby, basketball and football teams.
For the second year in a row, Gubernija’s brewery beer brand Gubernija Extra Non-Alcoholic will support Baltrex-Šiauliai, the team that has dominated the Lithuanian rugby scene for the past few years, and which won the Lithuanian championship title for the eighth time in a row this spring.
Gubernijos Extra Non-Alcoholic will also continue to help the Šiauliai Basketball Club teams to achieve victories. For the second year in a row, the brand will be the main sponsor of both the men’s team, which has been replenished with valuable talent, and the women’s team, which has renewed its coaching staff.
For several years Gubernijos Extra Non-Alcoholic has been the sponsor of the football academy Šiauliai. Gubernija, which last year became the main partner of the Šiauliai Gintra organisation – the women’s football club and the football academy, will also continue to contribute to the development of children’s and women’s football. This season, the jerseys of the Šiauliai women’s football team will continue to be labelled with the Duonos Gira (bread kvass) brand, while the jerseys of the academy’s students will be labelled with the Rugilė kvass.
Reflecting values
In the words of Artūras Perednis, Production Director of Gubernija Brewery, the decision to support Šiauliai athletes was primarily driven by the values of the Gubernija brand – community, simplicity, friendship, trustworthiness, support and openness.
“These are the key words that reflect the whole worldview and attitude of Gubernija. After all, it is for good reason that we have been waving the flag with the slogan “For Our Folks!” for so long. Having been operating in Šiauliai for more than 350 years, the Gubernija Brewery is constantly striving to foster a close relationship with the city’s community and to contribute to its well-being and the well-being of Šiauliai region in various ways – to inspire, encourage and guide them to victory. We believe that significant financial support will have an impact on the athletes’ preparation, and emotional support – for their motivation”, – says A. Perednis.
He points out that all the sports supported by Gubernija are particularly important for Šiauliai. Rugby is one of the most prominent symbols of Šiauliai, making the region famous not only in Lithuania but also abroad, basketball is the most popular sport in the whole country, uniting us for victories, and football is the sport with the highest number of fans’ hopes, and it is especially in need of support in order to help as many talents as possible emerge.
“Finally, it is important to remember that it is not only men who strive for the highest results on the sports field, but also women and children who are just about to take their first steps towards professional sport. Our task is to support all these players, thus not only motivating them to achieve the highest results, but also making a significant contribution to the promotion and visibility of the teams,” says Perednis.
Acknowledgements
Representatives of the athletes sponsored by Gubernija are also happy about the successful partnerships. Edmundas Ščavinskas, the director of the rugby club Baltrex-Šiauliai, expresses his gratitude to the sponsors not only for their support, but also for their support from the stands.
“I am glad that the general sponsor of Baltrex-Šiauliai, Gubernija Extra Non-Alcoholic, after the first year of friendship, has decided to stay with our club. We are grateful that the sponsorship goes beyond financial support. If we organise events, both participants and fans always have the opportunity to refresh themselves with Gubernija products. Children are particularly fond of the kvass, while adults like the non-alcoholic beer. This year our plans to defend the title are hampered by injuries to players, but with the strong support of our sponsors, we do not intend to let up. We are delighted that Gubernija has become a sponsor and that the brewery’s staff have taken an interest in rugby and we are seeing more and more fans in the stands every time. They believe in us, they see us as reliable partners, and we try to justify that trust every time we step on the pitch,” says Ščavinskas.
Meanwhile, Gintaras Radavičius, President of Gintra, points out that the partnership, which has been smoothly established, has only grown stronger over the years, and he believes that it will be even more fruitful in the coming year.
“We are very pleased to strengthen our partnership with the brewery, which is characterised not only by its innovative approach to its activities, but also to professional women’s sport, positive physical activity for children and support for athletes from the region. Gubernija shows by its example that the desire to win can unite not only the team members on the sports field, but also like-minded people from different fields of activity. Obviously, this is the key to long-term success,” said Gintaras Radavičius, President of the club, at the signing of the partnership agreement with Gubernija.
Finally, representatives of the basketball club Šiauliai and the football academy Šiauliai point out that the organisations have had a nice relationship with Gubernija for a long time.
“Looking back, the friendship between our club and Gubernija has intermittently lasted for 27 years. It is gratifying that the company has been going along with sport for such a long time. Gubernija is a historical brand of Šiauliai and we are very happy to be together even in this challenging period. We believe in each other’s values. And thanks to such trust and marching together, victories and emotions on the court are also born”, – says S. Kardašius, representative of the basketball club.
“Gubernija, like our academy, strives to maintain its own identity, to have an all-Lithuanian team, so the contribution of the business from Šiauliai is very important for us, especially in a moral sense. Every player must know that behind his back is a business from our city, which gives a share of its profits to ensure that the player is in our city team. We work with Gubernija on a regular basis, and of course every year we renegotiate the partnership. This relationship has been going on for more than 10 years”, – says Gintautas Mirauskas, Director of the Football Academy.