Premiership Rugby has strengthened its partnership with insurance brokerage Gallagher, as the latter looks to pursue brand awareness and business value.
The renewed collaboration sees Gallagher continue its naming rights, ‘strategic’ business and community engagement partnership with the organisation into future seasons.
Mark Brittain, Chief Commercial Officer of Premiership Rugby, commented: “Gallagher Premiership Rugby has never been more compelling and exciting as it is today and together, with Gallagher, we have found new ways to keep fans engaged, expand our audience and attract ever greater numbers, as we have continued to work together to grow the game.
“We’re delighted to have renewed our partnership and look forward to building on the last four years for the benefit of everyone involved in club rugby.”
The partnership has claimed that a key aspect has been grassroots engagement, as well as Galagher’s support in its sponsorship of Project Rugby, which is run in conjunction with Premiership Rugby and England Rugby.
This community inclusion programme is set to have its 70,000th participant and aims to break down barriers to involvement in the sport whilst increasing the accessibility of rugby to young people from under-represented groups and parts of society.
“In what has undoubtedly been a testing period for the sports industry, Gallagher has proved itself to be a strong ally and responsive partner ready to meet head-on the challenges the global pandemic levelled at the rugby community,” continued Brittain.
Gallagher Premiership Rugby has now an audience of around 150 million households across 135 different territories. In the UK, BT Sport saw a 16% rise in the average audience last season.
Christopher E. Mead, Chief Marketing Officer of Gallagher, added: “Its combination of high-octane action and intense competition continue to attract an ever larger audience both in the UK and around the globe.
“That has taken the Gallagher brand into millions of new homes and businesses, created a better understanding of what we do and how we can help individuals and organisations manage personal and commercial risk. Through this new agreement, we look forward to strengthening a natural partnership between two increasingly globally-known and fast-growing franchises with shared values and ethical codes.
“Committing to extend our role as title partner will allow us to build on the fantastic awareness already generated by the partnership, deepen our connections with the communities surrounding the 13 Gallagher Premiership Rugby clubs and help us support local business partners with specialist advice and products tailored to their individual needs.
“Being able to welcome fans, including our own Gallagher colleagues and clients, back into stadiums has been brilliant and given us a powerful reminder of how sport can bring people and communities together.”
