LIVERPOOL International Tennis Tournament has signed up Liverpool brewer Cains as its latest sponsor of this year’s tournament.
The Toxteth-based firm has taken advantage of the two-years-for-the-price-of-one deal available to support the tournament for the fifth successive year.
Tournament organisers Northern Vision also announced that about 85% of its corporate hospitality had been sold, three weeks before the event.
However, prices have been cut by 20% this year – with packages being offered from £85 a head – to ensure a strong corporate attendance as the effects of the recession have bitten into firms’ budgets for entertaining.
Cains joint managing director, Ajmail Dusanj, said: “Cains is proud to be signed up with the Liverpool International Tennis Tournament.
“With the success of last year’s event, we thought it only natural to go ahead with the sponsorship for 2009.
“The tournament gets better year after year; it’s great to be associated with such a thriving event.”
Cains now owns eight pubs, as well as the Stanhope Street brewery, after it emerged out of administration as a phoenix company last year.
The grass court tournament at Calderstones Park takes place from June 17-21, the week before Wimbledon.
Now in its eighth year, more than 25,000 spectators are expected during the week.
Tournament director Anders Borg believes the event offers real benefits to Merseyside businesses.
He said: “Our event keeps going from strength-to-strength. It is a sustainable, long-term event that hopes to deliver not only a great sporting event, but a platform for the local business community to use to enhance their brands and build better relationships through the networking opportunity the event presents during the five days. We are delighted that such a well-known, traditional, Liverpool-based brand, such as Cains, has become a partner of the tournament again.”
Big-name veterans lined up to play include former Wimbledon champion Michael Stich, ex-world number one Mats Wilander and Aughton’s Barry Cowan.
Two-time Liverpool finalist Vince Spadea and the mercurial Mansour Bahrami will also play at next month’s event.
In the past, the tournament has brought relative unknowns like Novak Djokovic and Caroline Wozniacki to Calderstones Park and then seen them rise into the world top ten – with Djokovic reaching number three and Wozniacki number 10.
TONY McDONOUGH: PAGE 8;
RECESSION TAKES A BITE OUT OF CORPORATE HOSPITALITY: PAGE 10
