CHIEF executive Peter Jackson says the new partnership with Zurich is “a massive vote of confidence” in the club.

Speaking at Richmond Rowing Club Boathouse on Monday morning, Jackson said the announcement of Zurich, as Melbourne's major co-partner with iSelect, was another important step for the club. 

“We’ve been on a journey since 2014, and it’s been a tough journey and a long journey, and we’ve got a way to go, but [to have] a company like Zurich, and a brand like Zurich, wanting to jump on board and support us, and be part of us on that journey [is significant],” he said.

“To see what they can get out of their relationship, by exposing their brand through the Melbourne Football Club – we think is a massive vote of confidence.

“It just takes us to a whole new level, with the brand that they are, relative to the brands that Melbourne Football Club has had. We’re very grateful.”  

Tim Bailey, Zurich chief executive of life and investments Australia, said Zurich was “extremely excited” with the new partnership.

“Zurich is one of the biggest insurance companies globally,” he said.

“We were established in 1872, so we share a similar long heritage to Melbourne Football Club and we’ve been growing significantly in the Australian market in recent years.

“As we grow our business, we’re really looking for opportunities to expand the way we connect with our customers and also to promote physical wellness and mental wellness, and we see this as a great opportunity for us to do that.”

Bailey said the partnership had been “a number of months” in the making and Zurich was “extremely impressed with what Peter and his team were doing at Melbourne.”

“We think the club shares very similar values to ourselves at Zurich and we think that the club is really on the cusp of a period of sustained success, which would be fantastic,” he said. 

“We’ve been really impressed with what Melbourne does more broadly, with the support of the women’s game and the support of causes like breast cancer, which we think is great and very consistent with what Zurich look to achieve as a brand.

“So, we’re very excited to be announcing this partnership and we’re really looking forward to the season ahead.”