In addition to his unwavering support for the Club as a whole, long-standing member Kevin Wise has enjoyed a close association with some of the Lions players. 

For the past few years, Victorian-based Wise took his level of involvement with the Lions a step further by signing up as a player sponsor, and has since followed some remarkable individual careers.

Wise has remained loyal to his subjects over the years, having purchased every available Jonathan Brown and Luke Power player sponsorship for a number of consecutive seasons.

His long-term commitment has seen him and his family build a close relationship with the Lions players.

“I’ve sponsored Browny since his first year back in 2000 and later picked up Luke Power and Jared Brennan as well,” Wise said.

“But I only sponsored Brennan for a year or two, and then decided to just concentrate on Browny and Luke.”

“I know them and their families quite well. They always make my wife, Heather, and my son, Ben, feel welcome when we’re in town. I now class them as friends.”

“The friendship that I’ve gained with them was highlighted over Christmas when Luke was down in Victoria and contacted me to catch up.”

“I’ve also gotten to know Simon Black really well, even though I’ve never sponsored him.”

“Blacky, Lukey and Browny have always been very accommodating. They always look for you at functions and make the effort to come over and have a chat. And from what I’ve noticed, all the Lions players would be the same.”

The Lions skipper himself said that he greatly appreciates Wise’s extra efforts to help support the Club.

“Kevin has sponsored me since I can remember and I’ve gotten to know him and his family pretty well over the years,” Brown said.

“We always have a great chat at the Victorian sponsor events, but I’ve also caught up with him at different times in Brisbane as well.”

“He’s a ripping bloke who just loves his footy.”

Wise has once again purchased every Jonathan Brown sponsorship available in Victoria for 2012 - making the Captain unavailable for any other prospective sponsor in Melbourne.

Also, despite Power’s departure during the off-season, Wise has continued his tradition by adding Daniel Rich, Tom Rockliff and Jed Adcock to his stable for 2012.

He has taken out two sponsorships each for Rich, Rockliff and Adcock, taking his total number of sponsorships this year to 10.

“I was chatting with Luke at last year’s Best & Fairest event and he actually recommended I sponsor Richy since he had retired,” Wise said.

“I also sat next to Daniel Rich at the 2001 Premiership reunion and he was very personable. He remembers me every time I see him, and that’s one of the reasons why I didn’t hesitate to pick him.”

Like Brown, Rich is now ‘sold out’ in Victoria and his remaining spaces are filling up fast in Queensland.

But the most popular player so far has been second-year sensation Patrick Karnezis who has ‘sold out’ in Queensland and has just one position left for sponsorship in Victoria.

Jack Redden and Callum Bartlett are among the other players who have reached their maximum number of sponsors in Queensland.

Wise is an obvious advocate for the Brisbane Lions’ player sponsorship program, and believes it has helped him develop closer relationships with some of the players.

“I would highly recommend it,” Wise said.

“It’s basically a donation, but the bonus of helping the footy club is getting to meet the players. I still find it amazing that regardless of the amount of people they meet, they still always remember your name.”

CLICK HERE for more information about the Brisbane Lions’ player sponsorship packages.