Global airline Emirates have announced a deal to become title sponsor of the Lions Super Rugby team for the next five years.

The agreement will see the South African outfit referred to as Emirates Lions, while the naming rights for home ground Ellis Park in Johannesburg will also be handed over, to now be known as Emirates Airline Park.

Speaking upon the announcement of the deal, which is to proceed from January 1 2015, Emirates senior vice-president Orhan Abbas said: "Emirates is a strong champion of rugby worldwide and South Africa is one of the top rugby playing nations with very passionate supporters. We are therefore delighted to have the opportunity to sponsor one of the country's most popular and established teams.

"It's the first major sponsorship by Emirates of a South African team, and this will certainly raise the visibility of the Emirates brand not just here, but also in our key markets of New Zealand and Australia where the Super Rugby competition is played, and a number of other markets in which the games are televised.

"Our new association with the Lions enables us to be part of Ellis Park, which is an historical and famous venue in the country, most notably for hosting the Rugby World Cup final in 1995 which South Africa won."

The Lions will also carry the "Fly Emirates" logo on their jerseys as part of the agreement.