Guinness Secures Round Of Major Rugby Deals
Guinness has signed a number of long-term international rugby sponsorship deals, replacing Greene King IPA as the official beer of England rugby and extending its partnership with the Welsh Rugby Union, Scottish Rugby Union, Six Nations Rugby and Premiership Rugby.
The Guinness brand will also continue its promotion of responsible drinking by maintaining its designation as Official Responsible Drinking Partner of England Rugby.
Greene King IPA will hold the position as ‘Official Beer’ until the end of the 2012/13 season, with Guinness taking over officially from 1st September.
According to the RFU, the partnership will create unique opportunities to deliver engaging experiences for all supporters, not just those at Twickenham, and build on Guinness’s existing collaborative relationship with the governing body.
Sophie Goldschmidt, chief commercial officer at the RFU said: ‘We are delighted to be announcing another long term partnership with a brand that has a strong rugby association and shares our aims to prioritise fan engagement. This new broadened partnership with Guinness is in line with our strategy to have integrated more enhanced partnerships and we are looking forward to working with them to provide the best match day experience for fans.’
To kick-off the Diageo-owned brand’s new role as Official Beer, the RFU and makers of Guinness are offering one England fan the opportunity to join their team to help create the best Guinness match day experience for the season ahead.
The winning England Rugby fan will be trained in pouring the perfect pint of the black stuff at the brand’s bar in London and consulted as Official Guinness ‘Fanbassador’ on match day activity as the brand up-weights its presence in the West Car Park fan zone. The prize also includes joining the Guinness team at Twickenham for every home game of next season.
England International, Chris Robshaw, who will be on the judging panel to choose the lucky winner said: ‘The support of fans makes a real difference to the players on the field and while we are concentrating on delivering results, Guinness understands that fans are after an extraordinary experience off the pitch. I can think of no better person to help advise Guinness than a true fan of the game.’
‘I’m certainly no Alan Sugar, but I’ll be looking for someone who thinks outside the box and really demonstrates their passion for England Rugby as well as the black stuff.’
To enter the competition, England Rugby fans should visit www.rfu.com/GuinnessFanbassador or www.facebook.com/GuinnessGB.
Meanwhile, Guinness has also renewed its sponsorship deal with Wales’ governing body of rugby union, remaining an official partner of WRU until at least 2016.
Guinness, which first partnered with the WRU in 2010, will continue to sit alongside the 2013 RBS 6 Nations Champions’ roster of principle partners, which includes Admiral, Brains Beer, Gilbert, Heineken, Powerade, Seat and Under Armour.
Roger Lewis, WRU chief executive, said: ‘We are delighted to be announcing the continuation of our partnership with Guinness, a brand that has such a strong rugby heritage. We have worked closely with Guinness over the last three years and we look forward to developing the best match day experiences for our supporters over the coming three years.’
The deals further expand the drink’s presence in the sport, and now boasts partnerships with the RBS 6 Nations, RFU, WRU, Scottish Rugby, IRFU, Leinster, Munster, Premiership Rugby and London Irish.
