Tamboran Resources will be the new sponsor and official energy partner of The Dolphins NRL Club in a deal that will prioritise the growth of rugby league in the Northern Territory.
Tamboran will join the Dolphins for their 2023 entry to the NRL in a five-year deal that will see the Northern Territory-based gas developer become the official and exclusive energy partner of the NRL’s 17th team.
Tamboran Resources is a next generation gas explorer with a vision of supporting the Net Zero energy transition. Tamboran are an ASX-listed company with assets in the Northern Territory’s Beetaloo Basin and are set to become a key player in Australia’s energy transition, securing low CO2 gas for Australia and the Asia Pacific.
Tamboran CEO and Managing Director Joel Riddle said the emerging gas explorer was the perfect partner for a the NRL’s newest franchise based.
“We are thrilled to announce this sponsorship with the Dolphins NRL Club making us their official energy partner. Becoming the exclusive energy partner for the Dolphins ensures Tamboran’s long term commitment to the people and communities in and around the Beetaloo region, south of Katherine.
“One in every 50 Territorians are registered participants in the game of rugby league. Our five-year deal with the Dolphins will see a successful partnership corresponding with our own journey of gas exploration and production in Australia. We’re combining this with a commitment to the game of rugby league in the Northern Territory,” Mr Riddle said.
As part of Tamboran’s partnership with the Dolphins the club will travel to Katherine and surrounding communities each year to hold youth clinics and Fan Days in a bid to grow the game in remote areas of the Territory. These workshops will include visits from Dolphins NRL squad members and its ‘super coach’ Wayne Bennett, bringing the NRL club into some of Australia’s most remote indigenous communities.
The Tamboran Resources logo will also feature on the front of the Dolphins NRL training strip as well as signage at Dolphins home games.
“Through its development of low CO2 non-conventional gas in the Beetaloo Basin, Tamboran is investing millions in jobs and infrastructure in the Northern Territory and aiming to deliver affordable gas for Australia’s East Coast market within the next few years. It makes sense to invest in the great game of rugby league in the Northern Territory and a franchise full of possibilities like the Dolphins,” Mr Riddle said.
“The multi-year partnership with the Dolphins reflects Tamboran’s strong commitment to community and indigenous sport in the Northern Territory, and we look forward to working with our key stakeholders to help grow rugby league participation and pathways, particularly for young indigenous Territorians,” Mr Riddle said.
The Dolphins inaugural head coach Wayne Bennett welcomed Tamboran’s partnership with the club as energy partner as a commitment to expand the footprint of the game in the NT – especially among young indigenous boys and girls.
Dolphins NRL Club CEO Terry Reader said the deal between the Dolphins and Tamboran made sense for both the Club and development of rugby league in the top end.
“The Dolphins see this Tamboran partnership as strategic opportunity for growing NT rugby league participation and as a logical extension of our participation catchment that extends from South East Queensland and right through Central Queensland. We look forward to working with Tamboran to ensure young girls and boys in the Territory have every opportunity to enter our development programs and to introduce them to the Dolphins and encourage them to become part of our new fanbase,” Mr Reader said.
“The Dolphins entering the NRL as the 17th team in 2023 is as much about growing the game nationally as it is about south-east Queensland. Tamboran’s partnership with the Dolphins means that we not only have one of the nation’s most exciting new gas exploration companies as our official energy partner, but also a company that is willing to invest in the game’s growth in the Northern Territory,” Mr Reader said