Care Park and Melbourne Victory team-up again

Leading Australasian parking operator Care Park has signed on once again as Melbourne Victory’s shirt sponsor for the 2011 AFC Champions League.

The navy blue home and white away shirt will feature the Care Park logo, as well as Melbourne Victory's distinctive ‘V’ – and is to be worn exclusively in Asia’s premier club competition.

Care Park is one of Australia's major parking management groups, operating more than 250 car parks in most Australian capital cities and many provincial centres, with operations including the MCG car park.

Care Park also ranks as a major operator in New Zealand with over 40 car parks, and in South East Asia where it manages approximately 15 car parks in Malaysia and Singapore.

"We welcomed the opportunity to renew our partnership with Melbourne Victory and their AFC Champions League campaign, particularly as we continue to grow in the Asian region." Care Park Managing Director, Robert Belteky said.

“As we saw last year, this tournament is the pride of Asian club football, where football is by far the major spectator sport with enormous commercial profile.

“There’s no doubt this relationship will continue to increase our exposure in Australia, but also as an emerging company throughout Asia.”

Melbourne Victory will face Japanese outfit and former champion, Gamba Osaka, China's Tianjin Teda and 2010 K-League runners-up, Jeju United in Group E of the AFC Champions League (ACL) 2011.

Following its opening match against Gamba Osaka in Japan on Tuesday, March 1, Melbourne Victory will host Korea’s Jeju United at Docklands on Tuesday, March 15, before consecutive matches against Tianjin Teda on Tuesday, April 5 in China and Wednesday, April 20 at Docklands.

Victory will welcome Gamba Osaka to Docklands on Wednesday, May 4, followed by a potentially decisive trip to Korea Republic for its final Group stage match against Jeju United at Jeju World Cup Stadium on Wednesday, May 11.

Melbourne Victory Managing Director, Richard Wilson, expressed his gratitude to Care Park for their support of the club through the AFC Champions League.

"Firstly, I’d like to say how grateful we are that Care Park will be with us throughout our AFC Champions League campaign once again, and we’d like to sincerely thank Managing Director, Robert Belteky, for his ongoing commitment to Melbourne Victory,” Wilson said.

"We're really looking forward to competing in Asia's most prestigious club competition again and hopefully it’s a case of third time lucky and we can progress from this tricky group.

"The AFC Champions League pits us against three highly talented Asian teams and is another chance for us to showcase our club and our supporters, who we believe are not only Australia's best, but also among the best in Asia.”