Astro Arena has announced global sports brand Li-Ning as the official apparel sponsor of the 2019 SepakTakraw League (STL) season.

With this partnership, all teams and match officials of the upcoming season, beginning on September 6, will be sporting Li-Ning jerseys with new designs.

"Astro Arena is excited to see Li-Ning, renowned for its badminton and basketball athletic apparel and footwear, venturing into sepaktakraw.

"As athletic apparel is integral to any sports, we see Li-Ning as our committed, long-term partner to develop the STL into a world-class sepaktakraw league, serving as a grooming ground for sepaktakraw champions.

"After five seasons, the STL is hitting a new stride. It set a new record of 5.6 million unique TV viewers during the 2018 season, with each match garnering an average 129k viewers," said Lee Choong Khay, Astro’s Head of Sports.



Speaking on the collaboration, Li-Ning brand manager Teah Yann Ling was excited about the sport’s potential.

"Li-Ning believes sports are borderless. Whether it is badminton, basketball or sepaktakraw, the passion for sports unite all players and fans, regardless of their background.

"We hope our STL sponsorship will further raise the profile of sepaktakraw and grow its fanbase. Now STL fans can support their team by wearing the official jerseys, which will be available for sale when STL 2019 begins."

Last season saw the Penang Black Panthers successfully defend their STL Premier and Champions Cup double, pipping the ATM Guardians in both competitions.

Meanwhile, in the Division 1 last year, the Negeri Sembilan Antlers and the Sabah Mountaineers secured promotions as champions and runners-up respectively.